Legal

With the help of Haruto, the cyber cafe employee, they trimmed the necessary audio from the videos and burned it onto the disc. He also printed the frequency results as hard copies.

"Kanpeki! Ideal'nyy!” (Perfect!)

She smiled, eyes sparkling as she held the papers.

"If you don’t mind me asking…” he said. “…is this your personal biology project?”

"No no!” she chuckled. “Its… Should I tell him? Its a hobby… I like… studying-…”

Chihiro hesitate but he cut her off.

"Cryptids?” he said.

She flinched.

"Ehh?! How did yo-”
"I saw your paper… Lucky guess! You sure have a unique hobby huh!”

He smirked and she looked away with a small smile.

"Tha- thanks! Im glad you didn’t see it as weird…” she patted her hair. “…unlike the other-”

"I like gaming!” he interrupted. “I came here a lot after school back then… I starved and used the money just to play games with that mf over there!”

Haruto pointed at his co worker, who was chatting with his girlfriend.

"But my classmates insulted me for wasting money, accused me of stealing too… I even got into trouble for something I didn’t do!” he chuckled. “None of their word matter! I don’t care whatever people say, neither should you!”

She nodded and smiles at him.

"He’s right!” she whispered. "Sankyuu, Haruto!”

The next day, after finishing her job, Chihiro sat on the bench in front of the park in between Caca Cold and Pakzi vending machines.

"Is this enough?" She asked herself. "Should I dig further?”
"Quack!"

She talked to herself as she looked up at the dawn sky.

"SMG… Amarok… What’s all this about? What’s their motive?”
"Quack!”

Slushatel jumped onto her face but she barely reacted.

"Ook-… Did I… accidentally ignore you again?”
"Quack!”

She filled the bottle with drinking water from the vending machine. She then stepped aside, knelt down and let Slushatel sip from it. Then, poured the rest of the water on his body and patted him.

"Quack!”
"Happy to help!"

She lifted her head and saw a poster hanging on the metal divider.

"Quack!"
"War on drugs… Yeah, its been long-… Wait-… drugs?”

She stared at the poster, eyes widened.

"Quack?”
"Moshikashite-… (Could it be-)”

She dropped the bottle, grabbed Slushatel and quickly pedaled away.

"Quack?!”
"Wakatta, Slushatel! (I got it)”

Slushatel sat on her arm, looking at her bright smile brighter, glowing more than his own feathers. At home, she carefully documented all the evidences she had gathered before stepping out into the sunlight of the day.

"POYDYOM, SLUSHATEL! (Let’s go)”
"Qua-”
"SHUT THE F*CK UP!!!”

They began embarking in a journey that would change their lives forever…

"Haa?!"
"Quack?!”

...or so they thought.

"This is Hikari Town Police Department…" The receptionist said. "Amarok tied with Miraii City, Sei-”

Chihro slammed her forehead onto the front desk.

"Ughh… How far that is from here?”
"Around... aaa… hundred kilometer or so?”
"Quack?!”

She raised her head. Her clothes suddenly changed into a game’s camouflage uniform with two riffles in her arm, shooting in the air.

"WHAT THE **** IS A KILOMETERRR?! RAHHHHH!!!”

Ducky has been muted for three days.

"Dang boi!” the co-worker said. “She’s a full fledged gamer now!”

"Yeah…” Haruto nodded. “We should form a team or something!”

Slushatel ran toward them, flapping his wings.

"Quack! Quack! Quack!”

Having no idea what he was saying, Haruto stood up to tell Chihiro, only to see her violently shaking the monitor like a ten magnitude earthquake.

"Nah…” He sat back down. "I didn’t get paid enough for this…”
"Quack?!”

In the following days, she claimed her advance wages and pedaled her way to the railway station with Slushatel.

"Your bicycle…” The security said. “…is not allowed on the train!”

He stopped her from entering the terminal and pointed at her tires, caked with mud.

"Also…” he added. “…if you brining a pet, it need to be in a cage!”

"Slushatel is my friend!” she fought back.

"Quack! Quack!” Slushatel nodded.

The security exhaled deeply and shook his head.

"You not the first one to try that trick on me!” he frowned. “At least be creative!”

"Tsk! He leave me with no choice… I have to use my ulti!”

Chihiro lifted her skirt, tucked Slushatel inside her dress and exited the restroom.

"Its a boy!” she said.

She cradled her belly as she stood before the security.

"This way, ma’am!”

The security opened the gate and she walked through the terminal, glancing back several times.

"Just go!” the security shouted.

She boarded the train and sat beside an old lady. The lady noticed a movement.

"Ohh! He kicking! How many months?”
"Egg!”
"Eight?”

Stepping out of the station, her eyes were dazzled in shock. Slushatel waddled behind her, equally stunned, his beak hanging open as towering skyscrapers, glass, fronted office blocks stretching endlessly all around the city.

"Wow…”
"Quack!"

They walked on a laid concrete pavement, a grassy verge separates the sidewalk from the street, dotted with young trees. Adjacent to the sidewalk is a building with large glass windows and signage of retail activity and open market.

"Quack!”
"Two identical tower? Where?!”

They walked past a huge billboard, congratulated the Miss Beauty Queen belongs to someone who born in the city.

"Miss Beauty Queen...” she smirked. “If I compete, do you think I could win?”

Slushatel shook his head and tail, then raised his body and flapping his wings.

"Quack! Quack!”
"Haa?! What you mean beyond universe possibility?!”

He decided to take off, leaving her alone.

"SLUSHATELLLL!!!”

Not long after, she finally arrived at Miraii City Police Station, all by herself.

"Where the duck did he go?!”

Meanwhile, Slushatel was swimming in a massive fountain outside a gigantic mall.

"Amarok?” The receiptionist blinked. “This is Northen, you should go to Centralized-”

The receptionist stepped back as Chihiro’s body trembling. She lowered her gaze, gripping the desk and mumbling incoherently.

"Huee bish eagg hree eeii errr…”
"Pleas- please calm down! We- we have a candy!”

Chihiro sat in the front passenger seat, sucking a lollipop, arms crossed, looking out the window.

"Why?” she asked.

She glanced at the officer.

"Jurisdiction!” The officer replied. “Hikari Town and Miraii City are two different state, while Northen and Centralized are two different district!”
"I see…”

She looked up at the sky as it the clouds gathering.

"If only this case weren’t a political game…” He glanced. "she wouldn’t have to go this far just to be heard…”

At a traffic light, Chihiro spotted Slushatel in the fountain from afar.

"Huh? SLUSHATEL?!”
"Quack?!”
"What?"

Both the officer and Slushatel flinched. He flew toward her, only for her to start yapping. Slushatel flapped his wings wildly to flee but Chihiro dragged him back inside.

"NO! HEY! GET BACK HERE!”
"QUACK! QUACK! QUACK!”
"Even animals cannot escape from ‘their wrath’ huh? Haha! Stay strong, lil duck!”

The officer later dropped them off at the Seigi Division Police Station in Centralized District, the department handling Amarok’s case.

"Heh…”
"Quack!”

They stood there, watching protesters gathered outside, voicing their frustration at the department’s incompetence.

"I changed my mind, let’s go home…”
"Quack?!”

End of Chapter 4… 

Extra Chetyre:
After leaving Hikari Town Police Department, Chihiro stopped by a street vendor and bought roasted corn, sharing it with Slushatel.

"Quack!”

She ate half and fed the rest of them to him. Nearby, a beggar shook a cup filled with coins.

"Quack?”

She silently pulled out her purse and shook it upside down. The beggar sighed, handed her a few coins and walked away.

"Quack…”

Later, the beggar was approached by a man offering loan flyers. The beggar crumpled it and threw it to the man.

"Quack?!"