After smoothly wrapping up their first official day of club activities, Rinto stored his bass in the music room's storage area, ensuring he could practice daily at school from now on.
Combined with working evenings at STARRY and studying bass under his master Yamada Ryo whenever there was downtime, Rinto hoped to quickly reach a level where he could surprise Momoka.
Even though he didn't plan to form a band with Momoka or perform publicly, just being able to accompany her at home, supporting her songwriting and compositions, would already be wonderful.
Filled with anticipation for this future, Rinto escorted the Yoshizawa sisters home as usual. After exchanging a three-way kiss with them and watching them head upstairs, he couldn't deny the growing eagerness in his heart.
These two girls were clearly getting more skillful by the day, making it increasingly hard for Rinto to maintain self-control.
If he really had to hold himself back to only weekends, Rinto honestly couldn't guarantee he wouldn't make some youthful mistakes.
At that rate, he might seriously end up using the school infirmary for some not-so-innocent purposes—just a typical teenage monkey driven by hormones.
Thankfully, though, he still had Momoka waiting at home.
This was practically a criminal-level indulgence… The sense of immorality and excitement within Rinto was swelling day by day, pulling him deeper into delightful decadence.
However, tonight he still had another challenge awaiting him.
Earlier, during club activities, he'd received a text message summoning him to meet with that certain adult once again.
"Oh, welcome."
Inside Café Leblanc at Yongen-Jaya, Rinto briefly nodded to owner Sakura Sojiro's greeting before walking straight to the farthest booth inside.
Just as expected, his honorable High Court Judge father-in-law (double father-in-law, at that) was already seated and waiting for him.
Once Rinto sat down, Judge Yoshizawa first removed his glasses, a gentle but tired expression crossing his face:
"My apologies, Rinto-kun. Work has been especially busy these days—I just wrapped up for today before rushing here. You must be busy too, right? I'm sorry for making you take time out like this."
"Not at all. I'm just a student, so aside from school and part-time work, there's nothing else significant on my schedule. How could I compare myself to you, sir?"
Rinto's response remained as perfectly mature and polite as ever, always choosing the words adults liked to hear most.
Judge Yoshizawa smiled faintly.
After Sojiro brought their coffees, and they exchanged a few pleasantries…
"Kamoshida has 'reformed'. As if suddenly struck by insanity, he willingly turned himself in and confessed all the crimes he's committed over the past several years."
Putting his glasses back on, Judge Yoshizawa instantly shifted into his professional demeanor.
Rinto had anticipated this topic and showed no signs of surprise.
Fixing his gaze directly on Rinto's clear eyes, Judge Yoshizawa asked bluntly:
"Was it you who threatened him? Because I told you his crimes were real and that I intended to deal with him myself. Did you take advantage of this knowledge to intimidate him into surrendering?"
"Absolutely not."
Rinto firmly and resolutely answered, "I never threatened Kamoshida at all—I never even interacted with him. When I saw him suddenly appear at school and openly confess his crimes in front of everyone, I actually thought you were the one behind it, sir. That's why I kept it secret from Kasumi and Sumire. Was it really not you?"
"…Alright, I believe you."
After scrutinizing Rinto's unwavering eyes carefully from behind his lenses, the Judge finally leaned back in the booth seat.
He removed his glasses again, massaging his temples tiredly:
"You're a smart child—I've always seen that clearly. You understand precisely what is appropriate and how to act correctly, which is why you've managed to maintain proper boundaries with both of my daughters."
"Besides, this whole matter has unfolded far too suddenly. Kamoshida confessed every person involved in his crimes but remained steadfastly silent about whoever might have threatened him into confessing. To instill such fear in him is certainly beyond the capabilities of a lone high school student like yourself."
"Thank you for trusting me, sir. Hearing you say that eases my mind greatly."
Sorry about this, sir… actually, I've already crossed the line thoroughly with both your daughters.
Outwardly maintaining a polite smile, Rinto's mind was already filled with vivid memories of Kasumi and Sumire lying side-by-side, staring up at him with their blissful and devoted smiles… it was truly embarrassing.
Burdened with work-related frustrations, Judge Yoshizawa wasn't as sharp as usual, simply seeking someone to confide in:
"I believe you had no involvement. However, Rinto, there's something else I'd like your help with."
"Have you heard of the 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts'? It seems they've become rather popular among young people lately—some kind of internet celebrity group, even running a website or something."
Ahem…
Rinto hadn't even responded when Sojiro, pretending to watch a soap opera behind the counter, deliberately coughed.
Rinto chose his words carefully: "I have heard about them. It's been a pretty persistent rumor, hasn't it? Supposedly, someone can make criminals repent and voluntarily surrender or something like that."
"But that's clearly fake, right? How could a hypnosis-like power like that possibly exist?"
Judge Yoshizawa nodded vigorously: "I also desperately want to believe it's fake—or at the very least, just some sensationalist hype. But these incidents undeniably exist, and they're definitely interconnected."
"The Public Prosecutor's Special Investigation Unit has already been looking into this series of incidents for some time. We suspect there's a large organization operating behind the scenes, anonymously intimidating, tracking, and blackmailing these 'victims' into surrendering voluntarily—almost like vigilantes."
Indeed, Rinto agreed wholeheartedly.
According to Judge Yoshizawa's reasoning, an organization capable of orchestrating multiple high-profile confessions over several years must surely possess powerful intelligence-gathering and hacking capabilities. It would be no surprise if they used such illicit methods for their own benefit as well.
The judge slammed a hand down heavily onto the table:
"Before Kamoshida, several government officials and politicians experienced similar incidents—suddenly and inexplicably confessing their crimes one day without warning. Like Kamoshida, all insisted no one threatened them, claiming they were simply overwhelmed by guilt and conscience."
"…And you find this unacceptable, sir?" Rinto asked curiously.
The judge snorted dismissively, "Rinto-kun, you're not naive enough to think that. Human society isn't maintained by kindness—it's maintained by rules."
"Those individuals voluntarily surrendering are indeed criminals who committed crimes, but their punishment and rehabilitation should be determined by proper legal processes. Now, we have people enjoying unchecked power, using illegal methods to correct illegal behavior. It's ridiculous."
"If they truly wanted to improve society, these so-called 'vigilantes' should join the legal or political systems and make tangible changes through proper channels. Anyone who believes themselves above the law inevitably becomes corrupt. Who knows how many others they've secretly coerced for their own benefit behind the scenes? This could easily be the most significant criminal threat our country faces in the twenty-first century—it must be severely punished!"