Otaku Translation: I! Anomaly Cleansing Agent! C153

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Chapter 153: Vices and Withered Blooms

Is this… the photo Anna lost?

Through the gaps between strands of hair, recognized it instantly. His eyes widened in shock.

“Chief, how did this end up with you?”

“That’s something you’ll have to ask your fine senior.”

The red-haired chief smirked, her tone teasing but knowing.

“You didn’t really think Jerry could resist his kleptomaniac tendencies when he saw you, did you? That man can’t help himself from swiping things.”

“But… this was at my house, not on me.”

“That’s the effect of an anomaly called [],” she explained casually. “When Jerry decides to steal from you, it doesn’t matter if the item is sitting in your home or hidden away in another dimension. As long as he gets close enough to touch you, whatever has had the greatest impact on your life so far will vanish into his hands. Not even a could fully evade that ability.”

After briefly explaining Jerry’s power, the chief tilted her head with a sly grin.

“Though he did do something rather underhanded to you, I made sure he compensated you generously. Are you satisfied with his apology?”

“…”

So that’s why Jerry had been so unusually generous—insisting on giving him two anomalies instead of one, teaching him tricks for using them, and even throwing in an absurdly expensive bomb as an extra gift.

“Yes, Jerry helped me out a lot,” Leon admitted, shaking his head slightly in disbelief.

As the realization settled in, Leon couldn’t help but bring up what the two investigators had said earlier about their bureau.

“By the way, Chief… does our branch’s reputation… leave much to be desired?”

“It’s atrocious, actually. Or perhaps ‘very bad’ would be putting it mildly.”

The red-haired chief nodded without hesitation, openly acknowledging the ’s tarnished name. She sighed heavily before continuing.

“There’s no helping it, though. Everyone here is a natural anomaly bearer—and those anomalies come bundled with curses we can’t shake off. Take Jerry, for instance: his thieving hands make him incapable of resisting theft. , who’s immortal, is paradoxically terrified of death. , with his dice, has gambling addiction he can’t kick. And , with the uncanny ability to make anything stick, somehow loses everything just as fast…. These quirks are all part of the deal—we gain extraordinary powers, but they come at a steep cost.”

“Other branches might have individuals like us, but either their abilities aren’t strong enough to cause such extreme issues, or there are only one or two cases among them, so they haven’t caused major problems. But over here…” She shrugged, her expression wry. “We’re not bad people, per se, but we’ve got some nasty habits that are hard to break. Add to that my own infamous reputation as the ‘executioner chief,’ and well… our standing isn’t exactly stellar.”

Ah, I see…

Leon nodded thoughtfully, piecing together her explanation. Meanwhile, the chief glanced at him curiously, her mind turning over his situation.

Little Leon… His anomaly grants him mandatory intelligence acquisition, which falls under the category of cognitive-world manipulation. Following that line of reasoning, his “vice” must stem from excessive curiosity, right?

No, that doesn’t fit.

Reflecting on Leon’s usual behavior, she concluded that while he valued knowledge deeply, it wasn’t obsessive enough to qualify as a vice. The chief shook her head, dismissing the idea.

Perhaps Leon’s issue falls into the second category—the kind where the anomaly conflicts sharply with the user’s personality. Like Emma’s fear of death despite her immortality, or Harry’s inability to hold onto anything despite being able to make everything stick.

“Chief?”

Under the weight of the red-haired chief’s contemplative gaze, Leon felt a prickle of unease creep up his neck. Hastily grabbing the photograph from the desk, he made to take his leave.

“I don’t have any other questions. I’ll be going now.”

“Mm, off you go.”

Once Leon had closed the door behind him, the chief laced her fingers together and leaned back in her chair, her posture relaxed but her mind still turning over the earlier question.

There were two common patterns when it came to the “vices” that surfaced in agents who carried anomalies.

The first was a reinforcement of the anomaly’s nature—a sort of amplification. Take Jerry, for example: his [Thieving Touch] aligned perfectly with his compulsive need to steal. The second pattern arose when the anomaly clashed with the agent’s personality or tendencies—like Emma, whose immortality only deepened her paralyzing fear of death.

Leon’s anomaly fell into the realm of cognition and perception. Since he hadn’t shown signs of an insatiable thirst for knowledge—an obsession that might’ve mirrored his power—it ruled out the first possibility. That left the second scenario: his personality likely stood in direct opposition to what his anomaly represented.

So, if cognition was inverted... Did that mean Leon held an unshakable belief in the laws of the world? A worldview so rigid and complete that it resisted change?

---

Unaware that the chief had already mentally stripped him down to his metaphorical underwear, Leon returned to his office. Instead of diving straight into work, he carefully examined the family portrait of Anna, their parents, and himself.

[Name: A Warm Home (Under Repair, Unusable) (Wish, Puppet, Modification)]

[Appearance: A pristine family photo. From the front, it appears ordinary, but viewed from behind, numerous unrepaired cracks and dark burn marks are visible, suggesting it was repeatedly torn apart and set ablaze.]

[Ability: Obtain Family, Control Family, Modify World]

[Cost: Updating; details available upon completion of repairs.]

[Record: One of many functional anomalies created by of the to fulfill a wish. Provisional designation: 0006. This highly unique anomaly was born from a child’s deepest longing for family. However, the “family” it creates isn’t real—they’re puppets who obey every command. Upon realizing this, its creator rejected its purpose, tearing it apart and severing control over the “family.” Yet after years of mutual companionship, both creator and creations grew into a genuine familial bond, revalidating the anomaly’s existence. It is now undergoing slow self-repair. Note: Once fully repaired, its abilities will undergo entirely unpredictable changes based on the creator’s current circumstances.]

[Evaluation: Even the most malicious bloom, born of deceit and malice, may bear warm and beautiful fruit if nurtured with kindness and love.]

[Contamination Value: ?]

So… I truly wasn’t Anna’s biological brother. Instead, I was “kidnapped” by this anomaly to serve as a false family member?

Though Leon had suspected as much, reading the file still left him overwhelmed. Closing his eyes, he leaned back in his chair, his emotions tangled in a complex knot. But before he could dwell on it further, a sharp sense of impending danger rudely interrupted his thoughts.

Director Aquarius again.

Spotting yet another mention of the director in the file, Leon’s brows furrowed deeply.

Anna’s family portrait—an anomaly crafted to fulfill a wish. What exactly is this wish driving Director Aquarius? And in his relentless pursuit of it, will he harm Anna?

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