She is not an investigator.

"Igris—you're so good to me!"

"I still remember when we first met, you said you wanted to turn me into a crow."

Igris slowly stood up and walked to the door of the agency.

"Come on, it's getting late. Let's go home early. Nolan will probably be very worried if he finds out you're not home."

"That's true..."

Sharti nodded, stood up somewhat reluctantly, and waved to Igris.

"Well... that's settled then, I'll come back tomorrow."

"Of course, remember to come early."

Shirty nodded and skipped away, looking quite pleased with himself.

Igris was in a good mood, after all, the little witch Sharty was indeed quite adorable.

Igoris was starting to envy Nolan.

A bizarre stage play – The Book of Secrets: Chapter Three, Good Morning and Good Night

"Well then, it's time to go to sleep."

Igris locked the door on the first floor, turned off the lights, and slowly went up to the second floor.

Perhaps out of nostalgia, the office here is decorated much like the shop she and Olivia used to own.

Although she is all alone here now.

"Ugh…"

Igris silently returned to her room and collapsed onto her bed.

I wouldn't say I'm tired, but I do feel a strange emptiness in my heart every night.

Although I don't say it, I still miss Olivia quite a bit, and I wonder how she's been doing lately.

As a result, Igris didn't know where to look for her.

dong dong.

"It's not locked..."

The window was pushed open, and a figure dressed entirely in black jumped in through the window, landing beside Igris's bed.

"You seem listless every night."

"Because nighttime is a time for people to rest... And you, Isabella, why do you always like to wander around in the middle of the night?"

Isabella removed the hood from her face and sat down on Igris's bed without any hesitation, turning her head to look at her.

"Actually, I'm not always wandering around outside; I just come to see you from time to time."

"Next time, you can try using the door."

"Your door is locked."

"Then you can come earlier."

"Um--"

Isabella's voice trailed off, then she abruptly lay down on her side, looking at Igris, who was also lying on the bed.

"But if that's the case, you'll definitely kick me out before you close the shop."

"You know perfectly well."

"That's why I came after you closed, so you can't use the shop closing as an excuse."

As she spoke, Isabella reached out and gently took Igris's hand in her palm.

Did I tell you?

"...What did you say?"

"I love you."

"..."

She didn't get a reply from Igris, but she was used to it; this wasn't the first or second time.

At least, Igris had long since stopped resisting physical contact with her.

Expressing love and cultivating feelings is not something that can be done overnight; they need a longer emotional foundation and more time to spend together.

So now she's not in a hurry anymore.

She is already very content with what she has.

"I have work tomorrow."

"I know, so I won't bother you. Or are you planning to kick me out again?"

Igris shook her head. The room wasn't bright, but Isabella could see it.

She smiled with satisfaction.

“That’s enough, Igris. Actually, the night isn’t very beautiful tonight, otherwise I would have been happy to invite you to the rooftop to look at the moon, but now…”

She pressed Igris's hand against her cheek, transferring her burning heat to Igris's somewhat cold palm, and whispered.

"You will be more enchanting than the moonlight."

"..."

"Please, give me some reaction. These are the sweet nothings I studied for a long time before I learned them."

"Ok."

Igris suddenly pulled her arm, and Isabella, who was holding Igris's hand tightly, rolled over and quickly moved closer to Igris.

They looked at each other, pondered, and observed each other.

The sweet, hot breath repeatedly touched Igris's face, making her realize that the other person was never as quiet or at ease as she appeared on the surface.

Isabella fell silent, eerily silent.

She simply tilted her head back, looking at Igris's chin, occasionally pursing her lips and swallowing.

She couldn't calm down; even her ability to think became sluggish.

What a disgrace.

"Good night."

Igris gently tapped Isabella's forehead with her finger, and after Isabella realized what was happening, she released her and distanced herself from her.

The silence began to fester, accompanied by Isabella's resentment and regret.

She began to blame herself for being useless, and also for the opportunity she had just missed.

But soon, she gave up.

She calmed down again and slowly climbed off the bed.

After thinking for a long time, she finally sighed helplessly and gently covered Igris with the blanket.

"Good night."

She turned and walked to the window, but at that moment, she felt a cold touch and resistance on her wrist.

I thought you wouldn't choose to leave.

"...I thought you would want me to leave."

Igris silently turned her head and gave a somewhat awkward smile.

"Although it's embarrassing to say this... I've always been grateful that you were there for me during my many sad times, so... at least for now, neither of us is alone."

“…You really know how to talk.”

Isabella grasped Igris's wrist and slowly climbed onto the bed, lying down beside her.

"However, I must say that you should have a deep understanding of your own charm. There are too many people around you, too many... people with unrealistic fantasies."

Does that include you?

“I’m not kidding.”

Isabella, mimicking Igris, gently tapped Igris's forehead.

"Many people like you, and many people want to have you. You can't possibly not know that."

"...Indeed, you're right."

Igris sighed, feeling inexplicably sad.

"But I don't know why this is. I'm happy to have many friends, but I don't want those people to be like this because... well, I've never been able to change that anyway."

"Have you ever rejected them, Igoris?"

"Of course, I've tried..."

"Then let's leave it at that."

Isabella smiled and gently tucked Igris's blonde hair behind her ear.

“You rejected me before, and I thought about giving up or respecting your choice... But now, I’m still lying here, talking to you.”

"..."

"Being liked by everyone isn't your fault. Maybe you don't know how to effectively refuse, but you have tried, so... it's okay. I won't mind if you continue to be a womanizer."

"I don't…"

"Then let's pretend you didn't have it."

Isabella stopped talking; that was enough.

She lay there not to question Igris, nor to make her feel guilty.

"This concludes our conversation."

Isabella gently raised a finger and placed it against her lips.

"It's time to sleep."