Officer Whisker

"Behave yourselves. These little ones are gentle, as warnings go. Get carried away, and something far worse may come next…"

An Anomaly group that appeared in Hethereau around the same time as "Justice Executioner." From the very beginning, they seemed intimately familiar with Hethereau Public Safety Ordinance, including every amendment and annotation. Not long after arriving uninvited, they brazenly attempted to blend in with the city's officers. Having already witnessed the oppressive presence of Justice Executioner, the Bureau did not let its guard down around these Anomalies. For a long time, they were treated as Anomalies associated with Justice Executioner and monitored with caution. During that period, "Officer Whisker" clumsily tried to act as street vigilantes while also enduring the Bureau's hasty containment attempts. This is not meant as criticism of those colleagues who are also members of the Circle.

Eventually, the Anomaly won the affection of most citizens and indirectly became an important turning point in Hethereau's acceptance of Anomalies after the Fifth Calamity. The Bureau was also forced to admit that Officer Whisker's motivation was truly simple: to keep Hethereau's public order at a high standard. Nothing more. Later, the Anomaly was officially incorporated into the public security office and received gear and uniforms designed specifically for them.

Although these Anomalies show great enthusiasm and endless patience for routine public security patrols, their appearance alone makes one thing clear: these small, rodent-like Anomalies are not built to intimidate potential criminals. Their combat ability is not especially impressive, either. Even so, Officer Whisker responds to every dispatch with extraordinary enthusiasm and accompanies other officers to the scene as quickly as possible.

Within this Anomaly group are three populations distinguished by body color: red, yellow, and green. Research from Zerogon Laboratory notes that the most commonly sighted "yellow" individuals seem to intentionally create a relaxed, easygoing atmosphere, which can reduce traffic accidents or violent conflicts caused by heightened emotions in the surrounding area. This population is also regarded as the most senior among Officer Whisker, and only they participate in handling incidents they consider "high-risk," such as traffic violations or public disturbances. Individuals from the "red" population show a strong fixation on maintaining current order. When they appear in public, nearby citizens may be affected by a level ▊ psychological suggestion, slightly increasing their respect for laws and regulations. The traits of the "green" population remain comparatively unclear, though they may be related to granting vitality or various positive emotions to others. Zerogon Laboratory has not disclosed the exact strength of these traits. Regardless, these traits do not change the fact that Officer Whisker has become an iconic symbol of the Hethereau Public Security Office, thanks to its ability to maintain officer morale and improve the office's image among citizens.

Their peculiar connection to Justice Executioner is another trait of Officer Whisker that warrants deeper investigation. For example, the oddly distinctive vehicles often noticed by observers are not provided by the public security office. Like the other tools they use, these vehicles appear to be cobbled together from materials gathered in Justice Executioner's Forest of Traffic Lights. How these absurd little pieces of equipment function, and where Officer Whisker acquired the knowledge to make them, remain unsolved mysteries.

Despite the impression given by their gentle, harmless appearance, Yggash Court has yet to record any credible report of their nullification. It should be noted that excessive attention to methods of nullifying Officer Whisker may be regarded as an act of hostility toward the entire city of Hethereau. When facing a single Officer Whisker, most adult citizens are capable of subduing it, and Esper criminals can easily repel groups of vehicle-riding Officer Whisker. However, records show that individuals who disappear after being defeated are not actually nullified. Instead, they retreat to the steel jungle where Justice Executioner resides to recover, then reappear after varying periods of time. In one observed case, an individual disappeared after being fed an excessive number of doughnuts by citizens. It has been confirmed that this, too, was not the corresponding Nexus of Officer Whisker. Rather, it appears that Justice Executioner interpreted "obesity caused by excessive sugar and fat intake" as a condition that made continued duty impossible, then recalled the overweight individual for mandatory exercise and weight loss.

There has long been a view within Yggash Court: while the intimidating rumors surrounding Justice Executioner continue to grow and spread, Officer Whisker is also softening the city's atmosphere in its own way. Deterring potential criminals is certainly important, but isn't it even more vital to give law-abiding citizens lasting confidence that their lives can remain peaceful? It is hard not to see this as an extremely sophisticated method of governance. Yet this raises an even more fundamental question: have people misunderstood which side is truly central to this symbiotic relationship? Which side was it that actively established this marvelous cooperation?

They often appear alongside Security Officers in armed form during unlawful incidents, but can also be seen patrolling the streets in a more relaxed manner.

·They carry a variety of nonlethal weapons and tools of uncertain origin, which they use to stop and pursue citizens who violate the law.

·They come in red, yellow, and green populations, with subtle differences in personality and appearance even among individuals of the same population.

·They appear to have some kind of symbiotic relationship with the unique Anomaly "Justice Executioner." Attacking Officer Whisker seems to greatly increase a criminal's so-called "Evil Index" in Justice Executioner's eyes.

·They are unquestionably closer to squirrels than hamsters. I will continue to stand by this view.

Insufficient clearance. Currently inaccessible.

Basically harmless. This Anomaly's behavior follows known fixed patterns. Officer Whisker will only stop citizens who are clearly caught committing unlawful acts, and their attacks are highly restrained and nonlethal. The only exception occurs when an offender causes excessive harm to an individual of this Anomaly. In such cases, the subsequent risk assessment must be raised by at least ▊ levels, and the consequences should be borne by the offender.

All are guaranteed by the Hethereau Security Office. At present, ▊▊▊▊ Officer Whisker individuals are active within Hethereau. This number fluctuates slightly, but all newly appearing individuals voluntarily report to Security Office headquarters for registration. No individuals have yet been observed outside the office's jurisdiction.

Test: Intervene in random street disputes; station yellow-population Officer Whisker individuals at specific accident-prone road sections; request increased Security Office patrols in certain blocks with yellow-population individuals participating.

Result: Confrontational states eased in ▊▊% of observed subjects. Conflict-related dangerous driving incidents on the test road section decreased by ▊▊% compared with the control group. Crimes of passion in the test block are still being counted, but the overall trend is downward.

Note: A small increase in unlawful incidents appears to have occurred around the test block due to the transfer of yellow-population individuals for the test. The Security Office has now filed a formal protest with the laboratory.

Test: Simulate various extremely minor violations in daily situations. Invite red-population Officer Whisker individuals to participate and randomly place them in darkrooms near the experimental group sites.

Conclusion: The effect is equivalent to a level ▊ psychological suggestion. The number of test personnel showing clear resistance to unlawful behavior increased by ▊▊% compared with the control group, though this influence is largely ineffective on those who already lack reverence for authority.

Note: Site supervisors are advised to pay closer attention to members who displayed a challenging attitude toward authority during this experiment.

Test: Invite green-population Officer Whisker individuals to remain along the commuting route of staff at laboratory site ▊▊. Randomly select subjects at the start of work, at the end of work, and during sudden overtime, then assess their physical and mental vitality.

Result: The phenomenon's effect is approximately ▊‰... After further confirmation, observed subjects generally stated that their "mood improved slightly." However, it is difficult to determine whether this was due to the Anomaly traits of this population or simply because the Anomaly's appearance is endearing.

Note: After the experiment concluded, the participating green-population individual fell into a rather dejected state. Yellow-population Officer Whisker in the waiting area immediately expressed dissatisfaction toward the researchers. The test subject then began displaying behavior resembling mutual encouragement, and its mood improved again.

Test: Borrow individual No. ▊▊▊▊ from the Security Office. After obtaining its consent, attempt to reproduce the recovery-return process used by Officer Whisker and verify the principle behind it.

Result: The experiment triggered a reaction from Justice Executioner within site ▊▊. A total of ▊▊ personnel were injured, and the experiment was terminated.

Note: This project may only be restarted with joint authorization from more than ▊ site-supervisor-level personnel from Zerogon Laboratory, the Bureau of Anomaly Control, and Yggash Court.