Shirakawa Natsu also sensed the awkward atmosphere and coughed twice, saying, “I didn’t just happen to be passing by.”

　　”Hmm?” Yu Mukai cast a suspicious glance his way.

　　“I’ve been working on a manga about frontline patrol officers lately,” Shirakawa Natsu said with a smile. “So when I ran into Officer Mukai, I stopped the car and looked at you for a while.”

　　The excuse was one he had thought of long ago, but he didn’t expect to use it so soon.

　　The original plan was to contact the police station through the editorial department first.

　　But now that I’ve encountered it, I’m too lazy to wait any longer, lest things get complicated.

　　”I see. Then I will definitely collect a copy to support you.” Mukai Yu was surprised by Shirakawa Natsu’s enthusiasm, but still replied politely. He raised his wrist, glanced at the time, and said, “Mr. Natsu, let’s talk next time. I’m still on duty right now.”

　　”Oh, sorry, I got too excited.” Shirakawa Natsumi smiled, took his hand, and pulled him towards the car: “Come on, I’ll take you there.”

　　”No need, no need,” Yu Mukai quickly waved his hand, “The bicycle will get you there in fifteen minutes.”

　　”That won’t do.” Without saying a word, Shirakawa Natsu picked up the bicycle he had just left aside, opened the trunk, and put it on.

　　Before Yutaka Mukai could react, Shirakawa Natsu had already closed the rear compartment of the portable folding bicycle.

　　She turned to him and smiled, “Riding a bicycle on such a hot day is too tiring.”

　　”…” Yu Mukai was speechless for a moment. It seemed that people from the East rarely saw the enthusiastic type like Shirakawa Natsu. He stood there stunned for a moment.

　　“When I was a child, I was once saved by a passing policeman.” Shirakawa Natsu said with a deep expression, “Back then, I was playing and almost drowned. I will never forget the despair of having my throat filled with water and not being able to breathe. It was a passing policeman who, disregarding his own safety, jumped into the water and reached out a hand of hope to me.”

　　Yu Mukai opened his mouth wide, seemingly moved by the situation, nodded, and said earnestly, “This is our duty.”

　　“I think it’s because of your quiet dedication that we can live in peace,” Shirakawa Natsu said with a smile. “I just want to do what I can to show my respect. I hope Officer Mukai won’t refuse.”

　　Mukai Yu paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded: “Then I’ll have to trouble you, Mr. Xia.”

　　”Please.” Shirakawa Natsu smiled, opened the driver’s door, and got in.

　　Yu Mukai opened the passenger door and paused for a moment. On the passenger seat, a Nikon SLR camera lay quietly.

　　”Ah, sorry, sorry.” Shirakawa Natsu quickly reached for the camera, casually placed it on the back seat of the car, and laughed, “I’ve recently become obsessed with photography, but it’s much more difficult than I imagined. I heard that mirrorless cameras are quite popular now. Mr. Mukai, do you know anything about them?”

　　After he finished speaking, he glanced at Jing Yu’s reaction out of the corner of his eye. This camera was also something he had carefully prepared.

　　The model is the same camera that Yutaka Mukai used in college, the latest model in the same series.

　　Nothing makes it easier to become friends than sharing common interests.

　　Yu Mukai glanced at the camera, his expression unchanged, and smiled, “Sorry, Professor Xia, I don’t really know much about it either.”

　　After he finished speaking, he sat in the passenger seat and fastened his seatbelt.

　　Shirakawa Natsu was momentarily speechless, unable to utter any of the topics she had prepared. She chuckled dryly and said, “I’ve started it.”

　　After saying that, he stepped on the gas and started the car.

　　In this kind of weather, it’s much cooler to ride in a jeep than outside. Yu Mukai’s expression gradually relaxed, as if he was glad that he hadn’t been stubborn.

　　“Officer Mukai.” Seeing that he had relaxed his guard, Shirakawa Natsu immediately smiled and said, “My new manga is going to tell the story of the lives of grassroots police officers. If it can help some people better understand the hardships of grassroots police officers, that would be even better.”

　　Shirakawa Natsu waited for Mukai Yu to ask if there was anything he could help with, and then she could use the excuse of gathering information to have more contact with him.

　　Yu Mukai paused for a moment, then smiled and said, “If you don’t mind, Professor Xia, just call me Mukai. We are very grateful that you are able to speak up for us grassroots police officers.”

　　After he finished speaking, he stopped talking, showed no intention of helping, and his emotions did not fluctuate much.

　　”Okay, then I’ll call you Mukai, and you can call me Shirakawa.” Shirakawa Natsumi was given another cold shoulder.

　　He also realized that, at least for now, Mukai Yu did not identify with his identity as a police officer.

　　Subconsciously, he didn’t seem to see himself as a patrol officer.

　　Shirakawa Natsu knew that saying more would arouse suspicion, so she didn’t delve any deeper and chatted about some random things.

　　The jeep was parked in front of the police station.

　　Yu Mukai took his folding bike from the back of the carriage and bowed deeply to Natsumi Shirakawa: “Thank you very much, Mr. Shirakawa.”

　　”Mr. Mukai, you don’t need to be so polite.” Shirakawa Natsu closed the carriage and said half-jokingly, “When I create a new manga, I will need to consult you more. I hope you won’t find it unpleasant then.”

　　Yu Mukai paused for a moment, then nodded politely: “Thank you for your trust, Mr. Shirakawa.”

　　Shirakawa Natsu waved goodbye to him, started the car, and drove away.

　　With his hands on the steering wheel, the car sped along the road.

　　He was seriously thinking about everything that happened after he met Yu Mukai.

　　He would not hesitate to rescue children in danger, even though he almost got stuck in a tree due to his lack of experience.

　　This all proves that he is not a bad person at heart.

　　He once won photography awards, but now he vehemently denies that he can take photos in front of outsiders.

　　They also lack a sense of identity with their police officer status.

　　The car stopped downstairs at the apartment building, and the coolness of the underground parking garage helped him concentrate.

　　He rubbed his temples, wondering why it was so hard to get close to someone.

　　Those time-traveling predecessors could simply lie down and have crucial clues fed to them.

　　Shirakawa Natsu took out the document and finally saw Arishima Ryoko’s face, her first love.

　　Should I approach her first?

　　The idea had barely surfaced when Shirakawa Natsu rejected it.

　　She indirectly approaches Yutaka Mukai in order to get closer to Maki Hojo, and then approaches Ryoko Arishima in order to get closer to Yutaka Mukai.

　　They’re like nesting dolls here.

　　After hesitating for a long time, Shirakawa Natsu dialed the editorial department’s number and repeated the reasons she had just given to Mukai Yu.

　　As a result, he was complained about a few times, but the editor didn’t dare to be too harsh.

　　The guy on the other end of the phone keeps taking breaks from publishing, but he’s become famous for being criticized.

　　In the world of comics, aside from the older generation of masters, his name is second only to the masters in terms of popularity.

　　Of course, at least 90% of his readers are his haters.

　　He does have true fans, but none of them dare to admit it to his face. After all, in the industry, anyone who claims to be his fan will definitely be criticized.

　　He assured the editor that this was the last time and promised not to stop publishing “Bleach” until the series was finished.

　　The editor reluctantly agreed to try to find a solution for him.

　　Shirakawa Natsu seemed indifferent to this, since he had no intention of drawing all the “Bleach” stories he remembered.

　　He planned to only draw up to the final battle with Aizen, and then have Aizen defeat the protagonist as the grand finale.

　　That makes sense.

　　It’s not that I think there’s anything wrong with the plot from my past life; I just want to have the BOSS say on the last page, “Welcome to reality.”

　　This satisfies their perverse tastes.

　　As for being criticized, it doesn’t matter, since everyone’s criticizing him anyway.

　　The editorial department was more efficient than he expected, and they called him the next day to tell him that everything had been arranged.

　　It’s not that the publishing company has much influence, but mainly because he himself is very famous.

　　When the police learned that he wanted to draw a comic about the work of grassroots police officers, they quickly agreed.

　　The Metropolitan Police Department invites celebrities and allocates funds for publicity every year. Now that Shirakawa Natsumi is willing to help without any funding, of course they are overjoyed.

　　So, on the second day, Shirakawa Natsu finally met Hojo Maki, whom she had been longing to see.

　　Her long hair was still styled in a bun at the back of her head, making her look dashing and heroic.

　　”Interviewing police officers about their lives?” Hojo Maki’s gaze swept over him, as the first victim of the Minobi incident.

　　She had an instinctive distrust of Shirakawa Natsu.

　　”If you don’t mind, you can stay with me for these three days. Ask me any questions you have, and I will answer them.”

　　Upon hearing this, Shirakawa Natsu was momentarily tempted, but quickly suppressed it with reason.

　　Hojo Maki’s words were clearly a warning to him. If he stayed by her side, he wouldn’t be able to do anything. Moreover, if he missed this opportunity, it wouldn’t be so easy for him to find a suitable excuse to sneak into the police station next time.

　　“I’ve already chosen the main character for my manga,” Shirakawa Natsu said. “It’s Officer Mukai. I plan to work with him for a while.”

　　Hojo Maki cast a scrutinizing glance at her: “Why?”

　　“Because I feel that he is more like a representative of grassroots patrol officers,” Shirakawa Natsu explained earnestly: “He is passionate, kind, and full of enthusiasm for his work.”

　　He first gave a brief commercial presentation, then repeated the story of how they rescued the child together yesterday.

　　He explained that he deliberately observes police officers in order to find inspiration. He happened to run into Yutaka Mukai climbing a tree the day before yesterday.

　　He made a fool of himself because of his lack of experience, but he was full of enthusiasm.

　　He is the most authentic grassroots inspector.

　　Shirakawa Natsumi became more and more excited as she spoke, leaving Hojo Maki completely stunned.

　　She had already researched Shirakawa Natsu’s background; in the manga world, he was indeed a figure with terrifying influence.

　　So perhaps he really was just there to gather material.

　　Yutaka Mukai, who feels no sense of identity as a police officer, is able to speak out for the grassroots.

　　Hojo Maki’s position is a police assistant, which she cares about a lot.

　　After confirming that he had no additional conditions, Hojo Maki’s wariness towards him had decreased significantly.

　　Soon, Yu Mukai knocked on the door and came in. He was taken aback when he saw Natsu Shirakawa sitting in the seat.

　　”Mukai, it seems we meet again,” Shirakawa Natsu said with a smile.

　　”Hmm.” Yu Mukai nodded without answering, and looked at Maki Hojo behind the desk.

　　“Mukai,” Hojo Maki explained, “For the next week, you will need to be with Mr. Natsu and answer some of his questions.”

　　Yutaka Mukai hesitated for a moment, but quickly nodded: “I understand, Mr. Xia, please give me your guidance.”

　　”Okay, let’s go then.” Shirakawa Natsumi eagerly led Mukai Yu out the door, ignoring Hojo Maki’s intentions.

　　Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Hojo Maki shook her head: “I’m really overthinking things. I’m already an old lady, yet I always suspect that young people have ulterior motives against me.”