ch47

“Asha… that doesn’t make sense. The first thing I checked was the immigration detention center, and those people weren’t there.”

“…….”

I was reminded of someone who used to sneer at me for looking at this city with overly beautiful eyes.

‘The illegal immigrants were not deported.’

This is the reaction I get after finally escaping the workplace, where eyes and ears are everywhere, and delivering the fact that I found out at home.

For Police Chief Helena, the ‘detention’ disposition is logically the same as ‘going to the detention center,’ so in a way, it might be a natural denial… but the person who made that answer also seemed uneasy, feeling a vague discomfort that was hard to explain.

Helena Valentine’s sense of justice, which I wanted to emulate since I escaped the lab.

A sliver of doubt was sprouting in that fairness, and it was clearly etched in my clumsy eyes.

But I haven’t even brought up the most suspicious project yet, or my worries about Anne, and you’re already making such an anxious face, which puts me in a difficult position… Ah.

“…I don’t know why only the trailer went out separately, but anyway, no one died in the accident… so it’s okay, sis.”

“That’s… but.”

I understand the anxiety that comes from believing you’re doing the right thing, but it leads to bad results.

How could I not know, when the person most filled with worries about the future in this world is right here?

Watching Helena hesitate, wondering if she’s really okay with the words that are clearly meant to comfort her, I realized that I had been idealizing her too much.

Just like Helena in the prologue and Helena at the end are different people, the current her is still immature and not cold-blooded enough.

A Heroine who doesn’t know where to start or how to fix things, even after discovering something wrong.

She might not like the situation where there’s no clear enemy, but there’s nothing I can do.

“Then don’t worry too much. It’s not like you have access to every area, sis, so they must be somewhere.”

“……Yeah, right.”

She blatantly covers up the topic.

Of course, I had no intention of ending it vaguely like this.

Also, taking care of my younger sibling is a real elder’s duty, so I can’t irresponsibly abandon it… From here on, it’s a path I have to walk alone.

…If necessary, I can call it a sense of responsibility as the first reporter.

Creak…!

“……? Where are you going? I’ll take you!”

“Just a walk. You don’t have to worry so much.”

As I started putting on the shoes I had taken off near the sofa, Helena, who was looking at the katana blade against the light with a sulky expression, reacted.

I scolded her to just rest, as she was trying to provide transportation without even knowing where I was going, and left the house.

…I didn’t lie, did I?

I just needed to get a terminal to modify my connection signal while taking a walk to relieve my stuffy chest, and I had to make a phone call that was awkward to make in front of her, so I changed locations.

Before recklessly trying to connect, I subtly checked the self-proclaimed informant’s number, which I got at the train station, in the mercenary community behind the network.

Let’s see….

[ The work is reliable…! Good! But the human, who I don’t know if they’re just a figurehead… or the boss, is so perverted;; The feeling of being watched is intense…. ]

[ It’s good that they directly use people instead of just using pathetic hackers… but charging a basic fee just for making an appointment, under the guise of disguise, is fucking annoying, you bitch. ]

[ Whatever else, this operator has no history of exposing customers or clients, so clumsy newbies should just follow instructions. ]

“……Full of praise?”

If you take out the personal criticisms, unlike the shabby outdoor advertising, the evaluations were mostly that they were quite decent operators with good skills.

This is an unexpected harvest that I didn’t expect at all, and it might be worth trusting and using them.

Beep-beep-beep—!!

A loud signal rang in my head.

It hasn’t been long… In fact, I even had a commotion with Mei the day before yesterday, asking when I was going to visit Neo Haven.

The surplus energy of a growing child who has no school to go to during the day and no friends to go out and play with comfortably is… truly terrifying. I might have to make travel plans soon, even if it’s just out of guilt….

• Thank you for contacting us, customer…. If you tell us what kind of service you want from our office, which boasts a long history, we will do our best to help you…. –

“Um… I’d like to request a background check.”

I momentarily forgot what I was going to say because of the drawn-out tone that was far from serious.

You could say I was taken aback from the start… but I had a sense of déjà vu from the line that I had definitely heard somewhere.

• Unfortunately, our office does not accept non-face-to-face requests…. –

“…….”

The obvious question of whether their advertising method was flawed soared, but. If I concentrated a little more, I felt like I could remember the owner of this tone, but… the guy revealed the answer on his own.

• Please come to the Hora Dorada hotel in the upper part of the city and tell the receptionist, ‘I made a reservation by phone in advance.’ then you can…. –

I cut off the connection before he could finish speaking and started looking for a nearby platform or train station.

This pervert seems to live just because he likes observing people, no matter what the excuse is.

I pass through the golden pillars and guards that still hurt my eyes.

It’s a bit familiar, perhaps because there were many memorable encounters during my short stay.

…Except for someone who breaks into a broad smile as soon as they see me.

“Beautiful customer…! You’ve come to visit again…? The room you stayed in before happens to be vacant… how about it, for accommodation…?”

“…No, this time I… “Ah…! This time you’ve revisited for a special service? Thank you…!” ……Yeah.”

Look at that slick attitude of pretending not to know each other, even though we both guessed who the other was.

The hospitality that’s always half a step ahead is commendable… No. I didn’t need to judge him from the perspective of a guest, not a client, since I’ve come this far.

I wasn’t relaxed enough to complain about trivial things when the person I was hiring was said to be competent.

“Please, would you accompany me to the office inside…?”

He gestured politely. But with an elegant feeling rather than a stiff one, he led me to the back employee-only passage.

“…Is it okay to leave the reception desk so empty?”

“Other employees are sufficient for that. But this service… is difficult without me, so please understand.”

Clunk…!

Following the kind guidance, I arrived at a secluded room decorated like a lounge.

Originally, I was planning to quickly throw over the things to investigate, pay the fee, and get out, but… this human seems to be fully intending to talk to me for a long, long time.

“So… what kind of investigation does the lady want…?”

To avoid the face that was being pushed uncomfortably close, I leaned back in my chair.

Even facing him this close, I couldn’t figure out the gender of the neutral witch.

“…Usually, I think the narrower the scope of the investigation, the lower the cost… is that right?”

“To be exact, the risk involved in the process has a greater effect, but…. Yes, that’s right. So please tell me quickly. I’m so curious to know what the talent who has outstripped all the top Network Hackers wants to entrust to someone else.”

“Eep?!”

My face flushes. ……Damn it! That bizarre interview should never have happened.

Moreover, perhaps because it was such a shocking incident, it seems that word has spread among those who handle information… I don’t know where the police protection went.

“…Recently, nearby residents who aimed to live in the city, came here, and never returned. Or, please investigate the status of missing person reports.”

“……Not city residents, but nearby residents? From the wasteland…?”

I know that it sounds strange. But it’s a big problem because the necessary information doesn’t change because of that.

“That’s right. And….”

I slightly wet my dry lips with my tongue and moved my stiff muscles around. I’ve come this far, so all I have to do is speak. …To investigate Anne Grisha’s whereabouts.

But is it okay to do this based only on a gloomy guess, when I haven’t even talked to her directly?

It’s not the main issue that Anne or Helena might find out about it by chance, even if it’s one in a thousand or ten thousand. It’s more unsettling that I have to live with this choice.

“……That’s all. Tell me how much I have to pay.”

I quickly wrap up the request.

Now, all I have to do is wait calmly.

The Paradise Corporation’s project, which reeks of danger, is a topic that I, who am close to its source, must handle.

…And that opportunity came much faster than expected, so suddenly that it was not worth using the informant.