She is not an investigator.

"But I'm not here to flirt with you. Remember what I said? I hope you won't hold back next time we meet."

"Of course, so Miss Phantom Thief... what are you planning to steal from me this time?"

The feeling of this conversation was particularly strange. Although the two were so close, they did not see each other. They were both looking in the same direction, but they did not disturb each other.

Isabella's long, dark red hair was blown by the wind, cascading down her back and dancing freely with her trench coat.

Her voice deepened, and her seductive tone carried on the wind to Igris's ears.

"all."

"..."

Igris pursed her lips, offering no reply, unsure how to respond.

The answer was unpredictable, and that was exactly what Isabella wanted, and what she was most pleased to see.

“I will follow you, hiding in the shadows where you cannot see me, stealing everything you cherish… until you are willing to beg me for mercy.”

Her arrogance and integrity seemed particularly awkward at this moment. The hatred between Igris and her originally stemmed from an object, but now... the relationship between the two was probably going to be brought closer in a more ominous way.

"Although I don't want to play with you... I still want to say, if you can."

"Then you can look forward to it, Igris."

"Before you leave, you wouldn't mind answering some of my questions, would you?"

Iglesias seemed to sense that she was about to leave and called out to her before she did.

Isabella chuckled softly and said jokingly.

"I'm happy to answer your question because of this nice gift you gave me."

"...Where is the watchmaker?"

"do not know."

Isabella tucked her wildly flying hair behind her ear and answered without hesitation.

She was also looking for the watchmaker, but now it seemed that no one knew where he was.

"You don't know either?"

“He didn’t tell anyone where he went, including his students, it was like he vanished into thin air…without a trace.”

"So... the second question."

Igris considered her words carefully before continuing.

"You seem to have taken a... raven."

"uh-huh."

“It has an owner. I mean, you probably stole someone else’s things by accident again.”

"A witch."

Isabella stood up from the roof, put the hood back on her face, and said in a low voice.

"Also, nothing I stole was accidental; you know the rules."

She suddenly flipped and jumped down, grabbing the edge of the eaves with one hand, hanging by the window, and stopped in front of Igris, throwing a card through the window.

"If you want it, then come and get it yourself."

Then, she let go of his hand, jumped directly from the second floor, landed on the street, and left without looking back.

Igris watched with envy as she jumped from such a height without even stumbling, but at the same time, she was also a little worried.

Isabella deliberately stole the raven, and her motives are unclear, but it seems that her involvement with Igris has made it exceptionally difficult for her to get the raven back.

As for the watchmaker... perhaps it's not something Igris should worry about too much. After all, if something really happens to him, the people who should be most worried are the police officers and Alex in this city.

Igris sighed, closed the window again, sat on the bed, and picked up the black card that Isabella had thrown in.

There wasn't anything too complicated written on it, probably because her writing skills weren't up to par.

[Three days later, atop the clock tower, just before sunset.]

The time and place were probably to arrange a duel with Igris, and if he won, he would hand over the raven to her.

But that clock tower had been abandoned for a long time, and it's unclear why it had to be located there.

Perhaps it's simply because phantom thieves like to stand in high places?

Just like how she insisted on sitting on the roof to chat with Igris.

But at least the clues about the raven have been found, and Igris will be able to give the little witch an explanation in the future.

As for now... it's her nap time.

Although she was interrupted once, Igris didn't seem to mind, as it meant that she was unlikely to be disturbed again during her next sleep.

……

"That's what she told me... so we shouldn't worry too much."

In an unnamed house, Talia reminisced and earnestly recounted her memories to everyone in the room.

Daphne rested her chin on her hand and couldn't help but yawn as she spoke.

"You mean this revelation isn't anything particularly serious, or... even if it is, we can't really solve it, because this kind of rain happens all over the world, and there are already very adequate protective measures in place to avoid too much damage... is that what you mean?"

Talia nodded, but before she could say anything, Lucas shook his head, denying the claim.

"It shouldn't be like this. According to the pattern of the key, this anomaly shouldn't just be a rain without any substance. There must be something else."

"Come on, since you've already said everything's fine, stop causing trouble. Wouldn't it be better if you just kept quiet?"

Serafina waved her hand dismissively and continued speaking.

"Besides, didn't the revelation also say that the real crisis is just that rain that is being watched by countless people? It doesn't matter if we ignore it."

"Yeah... I don't want to run around anymore, I already can't sleep well..."

Daphne yawned again, looking as if she could fall asleep at any moment.

But Lucas still wasn't going to give up so easily, so he turned to look at the magician who had been pretending to be dead.

"Hunter, what do you think?"

"...I think perhaps we can investigate further."

Unexpectedly, this time he did not give up answering, but instead offered his own advice.

“I’ve seen that rain before…”

His expression was always so gloomy and downcast, even in his memories, his eyes were filled with uncontrollable sadness.

"I never want to see that scene again."

The Gods' Fool - The Rainstorm: Chapter Thirty-Five, Wandering

When Igris woke up, it was already around seven o'clock in the evening.

Although I only intended to take a short nap, I didn't expect to sleep for so long, but since it has already happened, there's nothing I can do about it.

Sleeping too much during the day can lead to insomnia at night, and the best way to deal with this is to go out more often and take walks.

Although the outside temperature was indeed chilly... it actually felt a bit warmer at night compared to the daytime.

Igris didn't know why; perhaps the cold air also went home to sleep at night.

She walked out of the store, not forgetting to lock the door, and turned to walk towards the street.

In this season, it's already completely dark by seven o'clock, but there are still pedestrians on the road, since it's not really that late yet.

However, due to the terrorist attacks perpetrated by the previous blood worship, it is now rare to see homeless or destitute people on the streets. Most of them have become people with some assets who are willing to enjoy life.

Isn't this a form of poverty alleviation?

Although the idea that escaping poverty meant eliminating all the poor people seemed a bit too hellish, Igris couldn't help but laugh at her own strange thoughts.

It's rare to see someone who can make themselves laugh these days.

"Yo."

A familiar greeting rang out from behind Igris. First of all, Igris didn't say "yo," and secondly, there was no one else who would greet her like that.

"It's really rare to see you outside the Special Investigations Division."

Alex, with a hot dog in his mouth, walked up to Igris on his own.

"Look at what you're saying. The Special Investigations Department ended my house arrest a long time ago, so why can't I be here?"

"What I mean is, I thought you'd be too lazy to go out."

Alex stuffed the hot dog in his hand into his mouth, chewing as he mumbled something indistinctly.

"That's how it was supposed to be... but because of that watchmaker, we're all working overtime now. So, Assistant, do you have any leads?"

Seeing her satisfied expression, Igris suddenly felt a little hungry too, but she understood what was important right now and replied.

"If I had to say, there are indeed some... For example, almost everyone knows that the watchmaker has disappeared, but no one really knows where he went, including the phantom thief who was helping him all along... So unfortunately, you probably need to investigate as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this news, Alex's expression, which had just been somewhat joyful due to his chance encounter with Igris, turned extremely somber.

Nobody likes working, especially not working overtime, but now she seems to have no choice but to do it.

"I hope I can take a vacation again this winter..."

"So you guys actually have holidays?"

Igris had assumed that this special organization would operate year-round, remaining constantly on alert to prevent potential future disasters.

Alex shrugged and answered matter-of-factly.

"Without holidays, the mental health issues of the operators would be much more difficult to resolve than most other anomalies, especially in a city like this... Everyone would feel suffocated and would die."

"Looks like you've been holding a grudge for a long time?"

Alex nodded.

Did Constantine tell you he was going to Byanka when he left? To be honest, if I could take a vacation, I'd like to go there too, and see the sea while I'm at it...

Alex suddenly felt a little melancholy, probably because he felt that his vacation plans might be ruined.

For people living inland, the sea has most of the time symbolized beauty and evoked a deep longing in them.