“To cut to the chase, this time it’s not an investigation. It’s a fugitive capture. And not an [Unlaws]—just a regular human. Though we are allowed to kill them if necessary.”
“Hmm. That is unusual… no, stranger than that. Isn’t [Cartesius] supposed to be the shady organization managing [Unlaws]? Since when did they start doing the police’s dirty work?”
“I won’t deny the ‘shady’ part, but technically, they are a government body. I asked my sister about it, but she dodged the question.”
“……That damn woman. Makes me wanna smash her glasses.”
“Lonzder, she is Norman-sama’s sister. You could at least keep those thoughts to yourself.”
“Oh? So you’re not denying the ‘damn woman’ or ‘smash her glasses’ part?”
“I am a model of restraint.”
“Hahahaha! Says the woman who struts around in nothing but a coat! That was a good one!”
Lonzder burst into laughter while Elteel smiled sweetly.
Sensing the tension, Norman quickly steered the conversation back.
“Well, my sister does have a terrible personality, but even so, this job is different from the usual. And with limited info, something feels off. You like that kind of thing, right, Lonzder?”
“Not bad. So, what do we know? If they specifically asked for me, there must be a reason.”
“The fugitive… actually, where did they escape from? They didn’t tell me that either. Or even what crime they committed.”
Norman thought :If you think about it calmly, they’re being way too stingy with the information,
Sphere hadn’t told him much.
But—
“My sister said that just saying the name in front of El and Lonzder-san would be enough.”
That name—
“Owen Whisper… That’s what he’s called, apparently.”
At the very least, Norman had never heard it before.
Sphere had been deliberately cryptic, but nothing clicked for him.
Yet, she had insisted that the name be mentioned in front of Lonzder and Elteel.
“Hmm… Never heard of him,”
“Huh? Weird.”
Despite that, El tilted her head, resting a hand on her cheek.
Her ponytail swayed adorably.
No—that wasn’t the point.
“That’s strange. Lonzder-san, you…?”
She trailed off, turning her gaze toward him.
“…………Hmm.”
Because Lonzder was furrowing her brows as if recalling something.
She slowly inhaled from her cigarette.
“…What about him?”
“…………Fuuuuuuu.”
After a glance at Elteel, she exhaled the smoke even more deliberately.
Uncharacteristically for her, she was choosing her words carefully.
“I know that name. And I have an idea why she’d want it mentioned in front of Elteel.”
Lonzder ran a hand through her black hair.
“Owen Whisper. A man I caught right before coming to Balldlum a year and a half ago.”
Her eyes flicked sideways toward Elteel.
“He was the perpetrator of the mass murder case in Rubyvas.”
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“……!”
Rubyvas.
Hearing that name, Elteel’s body stiffened.
She knew it well.
And at the same time, it had been a long time since she’d last heard it.
“El.”
Norman called to her softly.
“If you need to, you can step out.”
“…No.”
Straightening her back at his concern, Elteel replied:
“This involves me too. Please, let me hear it.”
“There’s nothing to hear.”
Lonzder cut her off, pressing the tip of her cigarette into the ashtray before standing.
She picked up the jacket she’d tossed aside earlier, slung it over her shoulder with her right hand, and snorted.
“I know Whisper’s methods. That’s why that woman, Sphere, didn’t tell Norman anything. Having Elteel present was just to mess with us. And since this is my case, you’ve got no role to play. That’s how it is, Hellhound. Let’s go, Norman.”
“Wait.”
Her body moved before she could think.
Elteel stood, blocking Lonzder’s path.
“This time, I’ll be the one going.”
“Ha! What a stupid joke. Your nose might be sharp, but your ears are useless, huh? This isn’t one of your usual cleanup jobs—it’s a continuation of my case. You’ve got no business here.”
Given the height difference, Elteel’s shoulders aligned with Lonzder’s face, forcing her to look up at her. But she didn’t so much as flinch under her gaze.
If anything, the emerald-green eyes staring back were filled with a ferocity that pierced through her.
“Norman and I are the sure bet. What can you and Norman even do?”
“With Norman-sama, nothing is impossible!”
Huh? No way…? Norman shook his head in humble denial, but Elteel ignored it. How modest and wonderful. Truly fitting of Norman.
“We’ve got our differences, sure. But at this point, what’s the point of you barging in, [Puppy Princess]?”
“————”
A sharp, grating noise echoed from the depths of her heart.
The tension in her body wasn’t shock like before—it was the prelude to an explosion.
Her opponent smirked, lips twisting in amusement.
“You really say things, don’t you? Diamonds burn quite nicely, you know, EnhanceDiah?”
“Ha! What a lukewarm provocation, Sirius Flame. What do you plan to burn with that little spark?”
The air grew thick, on the verge of snapping—
“Hey, I just had a great idea.”
Clap! Norman’s sudden applause shattered the tension.
“…………You’re ruining the mood, Norman.”
“…………What is it, Norman-sama?”
The two, who had been on the brink of violence, turned their gazes toward him.
With his usual carefree expression, he spread his arms and smiled—almost foolishly.
Then—
“How about both of you handle this case together? Lonzder-san and El?”
he said.
“…………”
“…………”
Their eyes widened. They glanced at each other, then back at Norman.
“Elteel and… me?”
“Me and Lonzder-san?”
“Yep. That’d settle things quickly, right? For Lonzder-san, it’s a continuation of an old case. And El can’t ignore it either, can she? So just leave me out of it.”
“…………Hmm.”
Lonzder exhaled, lighting a fresh cigarette. After a slow drag—
“Fuuuuu… I see. Never considered that. Elteel as my assistant. Can you handle it?”
“…If it’s not a game or a bet, then fine.”
“Relax. I wouldn’t waste that on you. …Right, your nose would be useful.”
With a smirk, Lonzder looked up at her new assistant.
“Fine. This time, you’re my assistant, Hellhound. I’ll put you to good use.”
Elteel didn’t smile back, staring down at the detective.
“If you can’t use me well, I’ll chew you up and spit you out, Gem-san.”
Watching the two, Norman—
“Well, I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of partners you’ll make!”
—grinned with his usual, borderline-idiotic cheer.
●
“I honestly thought they were going to kill each other right there.”
After Lonzder and Elteel left the living room, Norman heard a voice from the black lump curled up in the corner.
No—
“Shizuku. You were awake?”
“Obviously. Hard to sleep through that.”
Shizuku, who had been napping with her hood pulled over her head,
She shook out her long silver hair and trudged drowsily to the kitchen. She grabbed a carton of fruit juice from the fridge, poured a glass, and downed it in one go. Then, snatching a chocolate snack from the cupboard—
“Fwah… Sounds like things got interesting.”
—she yawned and plopped sideways onto Norman’s lap.
“You could stand to be a little more polite, you know.”
“Nah, not my problem.”
Leaning against him, she stretched lazily—like a cat.
After carelessly tossing the snack onto the side table, she unwrapped one and popped it into her mouth.
“Manners?”
“Your lap’s the problem here.”
An utterly nonsensical deflection, but Shizuku paid no mind, reclining further as she ate.
The snacks were a new order from Norman last month—low in sugar.
Since she liked them, he figured it was fine.
“So? What was that about earlier?”
“Which part?”
“First, sending those two to handle the case. You just accepted that makeshift team-up. You really think they’ll work well together?”
“Investigation-wise, they’ll be fine. They’re adults.”
“Huh?”
Still lying on his lap, Shizuku arched backward to stare at the ceiling. The rare angle exposed her forehead, making her look oddly cute.
“Kinda sounds like you’re saying I’m not an adult.”
“You think you are?”
“Nope. I plan to stay a kid forever, mooching off you.”
“…………”
The sheer audacity left Norman speechless.
Well, adult or not, he did plan to take care of her for life, so it was fine.
“Second, what was up with Elteel-san earlier?”
“Ah… Well, I get why you’d wonder. Hmm… Honestly, it’d be better to hear it from her.”
“No thanks, too much effort.”
“You could at least try… but fine.”
Elteel’s behavior had been unusual for her.
But there was a reason.
“Rubyvas is El’s hometown.”
“Huh.”
“And El is the daughter of Rubyvas’s lord.”
“………………Norman-kun.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you a gold digger?”
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