Miss Assassin is heavily addicted

Chapter 66, Section 23. She's really good at opening doors.

—National Security Bureau, Espionage Section—

It is 8:30 in the morning.

The season of late spring and early summer.

Two cuckoos perched together on a leafy tree, chirping as if tiny hearts were floating around their heads.

Inside the police station, Sergeant Draco walked in with a calm stride. He held the door open with his left hand and carried a cloth bag with red strawberry spots in his right hand—it contained a bento box made by his wife: rice, grilled salted fish, mashed potatoes, and a few slices of bacon. It wasn't a lavish meal, but it was full of love.

"Good morning, Sergeant!" an officer greeted with a smile. "What's got you so happy?"

Draco's algae-like eyes met his gaze, and a slight smile played on his lips. Of course, he didn't mention the kiss he'd shared that morning; he simply lifted the strawberry-spotted cloth bag in his hand casually.

"My wife made lunch for me today, so I won't be going out to eat with you guys at noon."

"Haha, that's really a blessing." The police officer smiled upon seeing this.

Sergeant Draco seems to be in a good mood; today should be another day he can leave work early.

In fact, Draco was in a good mood. Yesterday's arrangements at the Sweethearts Club pleased Melanie, from the candlelight dinner to the dance. Seeing how much she valued their seventh wedding anniversary, she responded to her feelings this morning.

This month should be pretty easy... I might even be able to sneak out for drinks with my colleagues.

The middle-aged man sat down in his office seat.

Draco spread out the documents on the table, poured a cup of hot water and placed it next to him, then crossed his legs, shook the newspaper, and leaned back in his chair, returning to his usual posture.

People were gradually arriving at the police station. As a shared office for the three teams, it was full of familiar faces.

Of course——

At this time, members of the fourth group also arrived.

Draco sensed the arrival of a certain girl; it was during the moment when the office fell into an unconscious silence.

Then, things returned to normal.

"Dorenk, give me the B307 file you have on hand."

"Didn't someone from the logistics department come to ask about it yesterday...?"

Amidst the usual familiar sounds, Sergeant Draco lowered his newspaper, his eyes discreetly scanning the two approaching figures.

"Today you and David will go together, and bring two more people with you."

"Okay—this is the company we identified last night."

Lorris was with Rory by her side. The two of them walked and talked as they reached the other end. Just then, an officer whose name had been called was fetching hot water. He suddenly shook himself and ran over quickly.

"Sir! Did you call me?"

"Later you'll be with Rory..." Loris's unfinished words were lost in the cacophony of the office.

Seeing this, Draco recalled what he had seen at the club yesterday and realized that their group must have made another discovery—Lorris had just captured two C country spies a while ago, and if they continued like this, she might actually climb up to the top and become his boss in a few months.

That would make life really difficult.

Thinking of this, Draco felt a pang of frustration and melancholy, but there was nothing he could do at the moment, so he simply shook the newspaper and pretended not to see it.

After a few more minutes.

Two new police officers came to report for duty. They seemed to get along well, chatting as they walked, but the content of their conversation was confusing.

"Did you dream about me last night?" Rayleigh asked as he walked with his hands behind his head.

He Ye: "Stop."

“I dreamt about you,” Rayleigh said expressionlessly.

"..."

The two walked and talked, and eventually they couldn't help but look at each other, their laughter turning into sighs as they passed Draco, reminding the sergeant of more about what happened the night before.

Speaking of which, the rookie police officer named Leon infiltrated the club with Loris, and that club was for couples only. I suppose the reason he was sighing just now was because of his reputation.

As for the handsome auxiliary police officer beside him, Draco had no recollection of him at all; perhaps he was in a corner of the club last night?

Good morning, sir.

Good morning, Commander Loris!

The two men had already reported to Loris. As auxiliary police officers, they weren't normally required to report to their superiors in person every day. They were only doing so because they had been accompanying Loris on missions for the past two days.

Loris looked over and remained silent for a moment:

“You two have other plans for today, um… Rayleigh? Go to the logistics department at the bureau later, there will be someone there to teach you how to do things, some odd jobs like moving things.”

Upon seeing this, Rayleigh's eyes lit up, and he gave a perfunctory salute, saying, "Yes, Commander Loris!"

Without a doubt, the task of moving things in the logistics department was absolutely easy.

Previously, he always went on missions with Captain Kildan, but these past two days, he's been with Loris. It's like the work intensity has been heaven and hell – his mouth is dry and his feet are tired, and the Sweet Honey Club has completely shattered his morals.

So he's willing to do anything for this hard-won office job, even moving sacks!
He Ye spoke up: "And what about me?"

Loris glanced at him, clearly with another intention, otherwise she would have said that both of them should report to the logistics department.

“There’s only one person needed over there,” Loris said.

He Ye glanced at Rayleigh, pursed his lips, and gestured:

"Rayle, we're friends, right?"

Seeing this, Rayleigh didn't hesitate to say goodbye: "Haha, I'm going to report to the logistics department now."

Well, it seems he's unwilling to switch. There's nothing I can do but follow Lolis around again today—I received a reply from Mark this morning, along with an intelligence request (more on that later). In short, He Ye knows that investigating the story of Jazz & Miss won't cause any trouble, at least not for the CORE Bureau.

So if possible, He Ye would prefer to stay in the police officer's office, since everything there is worth exploring.

Surprisingly, Loris's next words were exactly what he had in mind.

“As for you… you should stay in the office today,” Loris said after thinking for a moment.

Heye:?
He Ye was a little surprised, thinking she had misheard:

"No fieldwork required?"

“If I take other people out, you’re not professional enough and you’ll easily be exposed.” Loris tidied up the things on the table and casually said, “So today you’ll take over David’s job and be responsible for answering the phone calls from citizens and recording them in the logbook.”

The task sounded easy, and it was even just right for He Ye to sit in his office—he saw the pull-cord telephone on his desk, and the number wheel on it felt so familiar.

As for not being professional enough... He Ye was glad that she could give her such an evaluation, allowing her to slack off.

"Bon voyage then."

A moment later, sitting in the seat of Officer David, He Ye noticed that Loris's desk was right next to him. This meant that if anything was placed there, he could find it quickly and wouldn't be alerted if he glanced at it.

I watched the six-person group leave.

Before leaving, Officer David even gave He Ye some friendly advice, since he didn't have a bad impression of the newcomer.

Take a look at the watch on your wrist.

The time is now 8:47.

Even before it was time to start work, Lolis had already left with her people. He Ye could clearly feel that the atmosphere in the office immediately became much more relaxed, since there was no workaholic around.

Sergeant Draco, who was not far away, had cast his gaze several times. He Ye understood why he seemed so eager to make a move; there had simply been far too many things to complain about yesterday.
It certainly makes one want to investigate.

Fortunately, he didn't come forward; he seemed to be worried about something. Although He Ye found it strange, there was no reason for him to greet him.

He pretended to be nonchalant, flipping through the previous call log while listening to the conversations of the officers around him, trying to see if there was anything useful.

"By the way, there was a gunfight in the Kobolo neighborhood yesterday. The police transferred the files over, saying they suspect spies rather than gangs. There are a few portraits, but they're a bit blurry. Take a look for yourself."

"Another meeting this afternoon. Sigh, Section Chief Apbi is using that little lion as an example; I'm guessing he'll put pressure on us again. But spies aren't so easy to catch..."

"Let's investigate along the lines of those two C country spies who confessed."

"Good morning, Sergeant Draco. Your cloth bundle is beautiful. Wow, let me guess, it contains a sumptuous lunch prepared by your wife, right?"

The casual conversations at work are mixed with complaints and colleagues' boasting and banter. There's not much useful information to glean from them, but they still have some value in the end.

For example, the incident in the Cobo neighborhood has been taken over by the intelligence department, and that spy team is on alert. If we tell Mark about it, they can easily avoid the limelight. Of course, this applies to our own home.

The clock in the office had already ticked to nine o'clock. This was He Ye's third day as a police officer. It was rare for him to be working in the office, and he felt pretty good about it—after all, the phone didn't seem like it would ring easily.

At nine o'clock sharp, the sergeant in the office took the opportunity of getting hot water to pass by He Ye.

The reason he was only passing by now was because he didn't officially start work until after nine o'clock—as usual, when he spoke ill of Loris in the morning, she would always manage to push open the door and bump into him.

So this time, even though Draco saw that she had left, he still decided to wait until now and pass by He Ye's side to prepare for his attack.

So now that the hot water has been prepared...

"By the way, newlywed, I saw you at the Sweet Honey Club yesterday... Oh, that was my and my wife's seventh wedding anniversary. The atmosphere there was really nice, wasn't it?"

Draco leaned closer in a casual, conversational tone, not deliberately going straight to the point.

He stood to the side, holding a water glass in one hand.

This naturally attracts the attention of nearby police officers. They don't even need to be deliberately loud; the casual conversation between the sergeant and the new recruit is always captivating.

He Ye doesn't mind getting closer to the people here, as it allows him to better understand things and events through daily life.

But He Ye continued the conversation on this topic...

It's easy for that girl to settle scores with you later.

"Uh, is that so? Then you and your wife must love each other very much," He Ye said, changing the subject.

Draco placed the water glass on the table, shook his head, and sighed, saying:

"Of course, people who go to places like that are naturally in love... But yesterday I saw you sitting with that Loris in a couples-only club. It must have been very uncomfortable to be forced to pretend to be her partner, right?"

"Uh……"

He Ye understood that he already knew a lot of things.

“Even if it’s because of the mission, an individual’s right to reputation shouldn’t be damaged.” Draco shook his head as if to comfort him. “She has no respect for newcomers at all. No, she doesn’t know how to respect anyone.”

The police officer next to him, who was organizing documents, curiously leaned over when he heard the topic: "Pretending to be a couple?"

“I saw him sitting with Loris at the club yesterday. They must be on some mission—and that club is for couples only,” Draco said helplessly.

"Wow..." The police officer's eyes widened slightly.

Then he looked at He Ye with pity; as a believer in the Pure Love sect, he felt this was nothing short of torture.
"That must have been really tough."

It seems the conversation isn't heading in the direction Loris was worried about?

He Ye understood that she had previously worried that she and He Ye would be mistaken for a couple, ruining her reputation—and that she wouldn't be able to clear things up because of her investigation into Sir Humphrey's affairs.

Looking at it now...

The middle-aged sergeant had a general understanding of the situation and knew that it was because of the disguised couple on the mission, which solved the problem that Loris was worried about.

However, it seems to have turned into slander against her.

Draco's words, seemingly expressing sympathy for He Ye, were actually veiled attacks on Loris:

"Oh, what an inhuman superior, ordering things you don't want to do for your own selfish desires. You must have someone you admire or might admire, right? But the result... sigh, how cruel and domineering."

He spoke as if a poet were reciting verses and expressing his concern.

More police officers nearby heard about it. After all, it involved Loris and involved being "forced to pretend to be a couple," which was unacceptable in this other world where faith existed.

But to be honest, He Ye didn't really care.

After all, he knew it was all an act; the concepts of another world couldn't hold him back. Besides, he'd gotten a good deal—Lorris had treated him to a big meal last night, and he'd even seen her exasperated yet helpless expression; it was quite enjoyable.

It's just that it's a bit difficult to keep up when he's with Rayleigh later on.

However, in general, this matter does not deserve such slander.

Moreover, Lolis values ​​her reputation more than herself. Her ears turned red during that interaction between the couple, but she still went ahead and infiltrated the investigation. He Ye admired her for it.

Therefore, there must be another reason behind such slander.

It's clear that this sergeant dislikes his superior officer and is deliberately exaggerating the problem to belittle him, just to vent his anger.

Although He Ye and Loris didn't get along, one had to maintain a proper stance while working under her. And from his personal perspective, he didn't think it should be slandered.

"Um, excuse me for interrupting, but actually I have no resistance at all. Thank you for your concern and your solidarity."

He Ye's words interrupted the discussion among the nearby police officers, who had already abandoned He Ye and were talking about Loris's bad deeds.

However, I still turned my head after hearing that.

Seeing that someone was looking at her, He Ye continued:
"Commander Lolis consulted me about this matter, and I personally did not object. In fact, from another perspective, I admire her for this, because she values ​​her reputation more than I do."

"Uh, is that so?" Someone was clearly surprised.

After all, in Draco's description just now, Loris was almost committing all sorts of evil deeds, forcing He Ye inside with a whip.

Draco was also a little confused. He hadn't expected this newcomer to speak up for Loris, since wasn't he the one being exploited?

Several police officers seemed surprised.

Upon seeing this, He Ye coughed twice:
"The mission of the intelligence department is to track down spies..." At this point, He Ye maintained his facial expression and continued seriously, "Commander Lolis was just fulfilling her duty. She didn't even care that we were pretending to be lovers. Such a spirit is very noble."

"Although what I'm saying might not be entirely accurate, since she can be quite autocratic at times, she's by no means domineering. Dinner at the club is expensive, but she treated me to a big meal for free. Although working with her is tiring, she makes up for it in other ways, such as money and rest arrangements. This is actually only my third day at work, and I'm already sitting in the office."

He Ye's words left some of the officers speechless, especially the officers from the fourth team, who were also there and knew what those extra considerations meant... Although the past two months had indeed been very tiring, their team's performance was already among the top two in the intelligence department, and their monthly salaries were generous.

Then He Ye stood up, returned the water glass that Draco had placed on his desk to him, and calmly said:

"Thank you for your concern, sir. However, I don't dislike my sergeant. She is a very conscientious person. Compared to some lazy and inactive officers, I prefer officers who can help the citizens. It would be a tragedy if a country didn't even allow such people to exist."

He Ye felt that he had spoken very well and without any mistakes. He had always been eloquent and was highly praised.

That would be to directly humiliate the sergeant, potentially damaging the relationship.

But it doesn't matter, he's not really here to work.

What's intriguing is that no one commented on these words after they were spoken.

Some people even made subtle movements, nudging the person next to them with their elbow, and then walking away as if nothing had happened.

Sergeant Draco—the hook-nosed man who had confronted him face-to-face—had even left, trembling, with his water glass in hand.

Heye:?
what happened?

Just as he was completely bewildered, he turned around and saw Loris standing at the door. It turned out that she had returned at some point and was standing there stunned for a moment.

It seems she came back to get something, but why does her face look so...?

strange?
It doesn't matter, she was stunned in place because she must have heard part of what was just said—this occasion seemed to be a public denunciation of her reputation, and his defense of her was obviously shining brightly.

There's no doubt that my assist was very effective, clearing her name and winning her favor, which should allow her to stay in the office for a few more days.

But the subtle thing is...

"you……"

She glanced to the right.

Then it dodged and landed on the left.

That was a gaze that could not be met.

It felt subtle and awkward.

"Go, go to work..."

With her ears turning red and her voice sounding unnatural, the last thing that came out was Loris walking quickly over. After taking the things off the table, she simply left some instructions, then lowered her head and hurriedly left.

He Ye thought she would hear some sarcastic remarks that would make her look at him with new respect, after all, she had spoken so well for her, but the reaction was lukewarm.

but……

I don't think I'll get treated unfairly.

After all, I spoke up for her like that.

(End of this chapter)