She is not an investigator.

"She won't do that. And even if she did, I'll support you. What's there to be afraid of?"

What Igris said didn’t sound very plausible, especially since she looked almost the same age as Sharti.

"Sigh... I guess I have no choice but to listen to you."

Shallti slumped weakly onto the table again, and her hat slipped off her head, covering her forehead.

Igris put down her teacup and gently tapped Sharti's hat.

"Don't be too down, and don't forget, we have work to do today, Miss Assistant."

Igris finally has her own assistant. Although she has never considered herself a competent detective, this is, after all, a detective agency, and even if she is just playing a role, she needs to be a little more professional.

Sharti raised his head, took off his hat, and nodded.

“You’re right. We can’t waste our time on this. We’ve finally got this opportunity, so we should do something meaningful… Come on, I’ll take you to see that friend’s house. I already spoke to her yesterday.”

"By the way, where's your bird?"

Igris had wanted to ask this for a long time: since she arrived yesterday, Sharti hadn't been carrying the large black bird that was almost always with her.

When this was mentioned, Sharti deflated again.

“Mom put it in the cage… She said that if I don’t study hard, she won’t let it play with me anymore.”

"How pitiful."

Igris sighed softly, then silently took out a dressing mirror from her pocket and tapped the mirror.

After a long while, a black raven poked its head out of Igris's pocket and reluctantly cawed.

Igris gently tapped the raven's head, then held it in her palm and handed it to the dazed little witch in front of her.

“It just so happens that I also keep a crow. Let it keep you company. I feel a little uneasy without that bird around you.”

"...It was a raven."

Although he corrected Igris's statement, Sharti still took the unexpectedly well-behaved raven and gently stroked its beautiful feathers.

"Gah."

The raven in Sharti's arms shook its feathers, raised its head, glanced in the direction of Igris, and then suddenly flew up and landed on the hat on Sharti's head.

"Don't stay up there...come down now."

Shallti hurriedly adjusted his hat, trying to catch the crow above his head, but it nimbly dodged him.

Unable to catch her at all, Sharti could only turn his gaze to Igris, looking at her pitifully.

"..."

Igris looked at the raven knowingly, waved her hand, and the raven landed on Sharti's shoulder, cawing reluctantly and rubbing its feathers against itself.

Seeing the crow finally quiet down, Sharti sighed with a hint of envy.

"Sure enough, my raven too, and this raven too. It seems all the creatures in the world like you more. How strange..."

"That is indeed strange."

Igris shrugged, not quite understanding either.

Perhaps it wasn't just animals; some more unusual things seemed to be very interested in her as well, though she never knew why.

"Alright, enough of this small talk, let's get going."

"Uh-huh…"

Sharti nodded, then glanced at the raven on his shoulder and gently touched its feathers.

It shook its wings, but did not fly away again, instead keeping its eyes fixed on Igris in the distance.

He looked extremely resentful.

…………

Today is a special day.

Today marks the fourth month since Igris failed to reply to her letter.

"I really don't know whether to hold a grudge or be worried..."

Perhaps both, so after failing to find any truly useful clues in the places she had arrived at, she embarked on her journey back.

Go back to Molkens and find Igris, who has been refusing to reply to her letters.

The rumble of the steam train gradually subsided, and the gray-haired girl carrying the small leather suitcase gently adjusted her hat, taking in the street before her that was both incredibly familiar and incredibly strange.

A familiar layout, but an unfamiliar atmosphere.

Even the air quality has improved considerably.

It seems they are making good progress in pollution control?

But that wasn't something she should be thinking about. The only thing she really cared about was whether Igris was still alive or not.

"Hey, you over there."

However, at that moment, the girl, who had been lingering at the train station for too long, heard a rather impolite call directed at her.

She turned her head and saw several figures rapidly approaching her, each holding their own weapon.

Tell me your name.

The leading man questioned him in an unfriendly tone, raising his weapon slightly.

"?"

She tilted her head slightly, her smile quite bright, but it was excessively fake, even somewhat creepy.

"Momochuan."

The Bizarre Stage Play – The Book of Secrets: Chapter Six, A Ticket

"Never heard of it. What is your purpose in coming to Morgans?"

"I came to see a friend... I thought you would relax for a while after everything was over, but now it seems like it's even more under martial law?"

Momokawa crossed her arms and looked around at the plainclothes police officers who surrounded her, all of whom looked quite nervous.

There is no doubt that she was being targeted, although the reason is unknown, but the results certainly confirm it.

"I'm sorry, we can't answer that. Please come with us; it won't take up much of your time."

What if I say no?

brush!

A chorus of voices rang out, and almost everyone surrounding her raised their weapons, aiming them at her vitals.

At that moment, the lead officer spoke in a low voice.

"In that case, we will have to take some coercive measures."

"Don't be impulsive. I'm just here to see a friend. I'll go with you. I'm just curious about the answer to this question."

Momokawa raised his hand to show his harmlessness and friendliness, but his gaze was quickly drawn to a passing figure.

She was someone she knew fairly well.

"Ma'am, could you come over and help me out?"

"?"

Hearing the call, the figure in the distance turned around and saw Momokawa surrounded by police officers with guns pointed at him.

“I remember you are…”

Alex slowly walked over, his brows slightly furrowed, and sized up Momokawa in front of him.

"Igris's friend?"

“It’s me. I seem to have caused some misunderstanding here, but you should know that I’m a good person. I’m just here to see Igris, after all, she hasn’t replied to my letters in a long time.”

Or rather, they never replied to the letter.

After all, she has already moved out of the firm, so she wouldn't receive any letters even if they came.

“I’m sorry, you’ve come to the wrong place. Igris is no longer in this city. She should be in Byanca now, and she has chosen to settle down there.”

Alex shrugged, but did not signal the other officers to put down their weapons.

It is undoubtedly impolite to talk to someone while pointing a gun at them.

"Thank you for telling me her location, but can you tell me... why am I being held at gunpoint? I did help out a little, didn't I?"

Even though Momokawa's expression appeared calm, he was still somewhat displeased with this treatment.

Alex wouldn't normally explain much to her, but after all, she was Igris's friend.

“Our security system has been upgraded to a certain extent, and it can lock down and alert the police as quickly as possible for some dangerous individuals… Obviously, you are that dangerous individual. I could actually have them let you go, but the situation is special now, and accepting the investigation won’t take up much of your time.”

"Special format?"

Momokawa raised an eyebrow with interest, and the latter nodded in response.

"Simply put, the outside world has become more dangerous, and we must come up with new ways to deal with it to avoid encountering any greater dangers again."

At this point, Alex tugged at his hair in exasperation.

"In the words of those researchers, this land is becoming less and less suitable for human habitation, but we can't move the city, and we have nowhere else to move, so we can only continue to strengthen our defenses to minimize the potential dangers... You have to understand us."

"Okay, I understand, but you..."

Momokawa looked at Alex, who was also dressed casually, and the direction she was heading, with a curious expression.

Alex just smiled and waved the ticket in his hand.

"It's time for me to take a vacation. Spring is always a season worth resting. I'm planning to go to Byanka for a holiday, see the sea, and also visit Igris."

"You just said that the situation is special."

"Special as it may be, my life is only a few decades long. It's better to leave such a big deal as the survival of mankind to others to worry about. Anyway, I just want to live my life happily... That's all, I'm going to catch my train now. Just go with them obediently, they won't make things difficult for you."

"Ok."

Momokawa sighed and could only nod helplessly.

Anyway, she's almost used to it; no matter where she is, something always seems to happen.