The next day.
As soon as I arrived at the building, I heard people whispering.
“Did you hear about the abandoned Amulet Theater yesterday?”
“Of course! Apparently, it was crawling with rats!”
I instinctively shrank into myself.
I knew exactly what they were talking about, so there was no need to eavesdrop.
“I heard things got pretty wild yesterday. Pierce seemed excited, too. That guy was practically running wild.”
“I heard there were even two former members of our accounting division among them. The head of accounting must’ve been in an uproar.”
“I heard they caught a spy hiding in the medical division, too.”
“Good thing there weren’t any in the intelligence or assassination divisions. We’d have been in serious trouble if either of those had been compromised.”
That’s right. The rosin contained resonance stones that I’d discovered yesterday.
It was a high-grade product among the rosins used for musical instruments.
Naturally, the number of people who could afford to use such rosin was limited, as were the kinds of performances those people would be involved in.
The venues hosting such performances would be limited as well.
Since some of the rosin would still have to be there, relatively speaking… it would have to be a large theater that had closed down fairly recently.
And just as I’d heard a moment ago, there had been plenty of rats—no, people—hiding there, and Rashak had rounded them all up.
But I hadn’t gone to the scene myself.
Why? Because it was scary!
How could someone who’d ranked dead last in practical knight training for all three years possibly go there…?
“But how’d they find the abandoned theater in the first place?”
As I quietly climbed the stairs, my shoulders involuntarily jerked upward.
“Did those guys they captured last time finally talk? You know, the one with the mustache.”
“Well, if Head Fidel gets his hands on someone, they’ve got no choice but to talk eventually.”
Just as I continued walking while listening to their conversation, the very person they were discussing appeared on the stairs halfway up.
It didn’t seem like he’d been waiting for me. He was carrying some papers, so he was probably in the middle of his work.
“Good morning, Mr. Fidel…”
For some reason, however, he didn’t return my greeting immediately.
Instead, he looked past me toward the people who’d been chatting away.
The moment they turned toward us and bowed their heads, he suddenly approached me.
“Thank you for yesterday.”
I couldn’t help flinching.
After all, this was practically the first time I’d ever spoken to Mr. Fidel one-on-one.
And he was the head of the assassination squad, for heaven’s sake. How could I not be terrified of him?
I wondered why he’d chosen to speak to me so openly in a public place like this, but then…
“We wouldn’t have found them without you, Ms. Hiel.”
“…Pardon?”
“The abandoned theater. No one had thought of looking for clues in their belongings until you brought it up.”
For some reason, his voice was also a little louder than usual.
As a result, the organization members who’d been chatting didn’t leave. They stayed to watch what Fidel was saying.
I could feel their gazes shifting toward me as I stood in front of him.
“I-I’m really glad I could help.”
“Furthermore, if we encounter similar difficulties in the future, we may have to ask for your assistance again. I owe you even more thanks for that.”
“It’s really fine. We were all trying to catch them together, after all…”
“If you ever need help with something personal, let me know. If it’s unrelated to the organization, I’ll assist you.”
“Something personal…?”
“For instance, if there’s someone you dislike.”
Someone you dislike, coming from the head of the assassination squad…
“Has anyone come to mind already?”
“No!”
“You seemed to be thinking about it.”
“I was just startled!”
“Everyone reacts that way at first.”
What exactly was everyone reacting to?
“Then I’ll look forward to the day you come to me with a request.”
Having said everything he wanted to say, Fidel descended the stairs.
He walked away leisurely, completely indifferent to whether the organization’s members were watching him.
And once he’d left the building…
Naturally, everyone’s attention began shifting toward the person he’d just been speaking with.
Me.
I had no choice but to freeze.
As I’d mentioned before, I was the kind of person who froze up whenever too many people looked at me.
Their gazes were a mixture of scrutiny and curiosity, with some suspicion thrown in as well.
Then, after what felt like an eternity compressed into a single moment, the organization member standing closest to me suddenly bowed.
His colleague followed suit, and then the others did the same.
…Just moments ago, no one had paid me the slightest attention, even when I’d walked right past them.
Could Mr. Fidel have done that on purpose? Because he’d noticed the other members treating me like I didn’t exist…?
And that offer to help me with personal matters was probably…
A warning to the other members.
To prevent them from bullying me or making me feel unwelcome?
When I thought about it that way and replayed the scene in my mind, I felt… strangely moved.
It wasn’t as though being ignored by everyone had really bothered me that much in the first place.
…Still, it seems Mr. Fidel was looking out for me in his own way.
In any case, I couldn’t keep standing there forever, so I awkwardly bowed and returned the members’ greetings before hurrying up the stairs.
All the while, I tried not to think about the ridiculously overpowered item I’d just acquired:
A One-Time Coupon to Get Rid of Someone I Dislike.
***
Pierce arrived not long after I did.
He recounted yesterday’s events like a great heroic tale, speaking in an utterly exhausted tone, but everything he said sounded terrifying to me.
Then came quitting time.
“Heading out now? Good work today.”
“Yes. I’ll be going, then.”
When I stood up, Pierce waved at me. I returned his greeting and left the office.
Rashak’s desk had been empty all day.
Is he in the torture chamber?
Thinking that nothing could be more important to the organization than dealing with the spies, I headed toward the exit.
“Were you thinking about me?”
“Eek!”
The low voice right beside my ear nearly made me fall over.
I barely managed to brace myself against the wall before turning around, only to find Rashak smiling at me.
“W-What are you doing here…?”
“I was going to wash up and return to work when I spotted you.”
Looking more closely, I realized his hair was indeed wet.
“Thanks to you, we managed to make some progress. Are you sure this isn’t your calling?”
“I’m glad I could help…”
“That’s right. The spy problem has been our biggest headache lately.”
Rashak briefly rubbed his chin before asking,
“So, is there anything you want?”
“Pardon?”
“When someone makes a major contribution, they deserve a reward. I’m not stingy, you know.”
A reward. That meant another coupon, following the one Fidel had offered me.
Unlike Fidel, Rashak probably had a much wider variety of rewards to choose from.
Which made things even more difficult. What should I ask for? Would I be asking for too much? Would he turn me down, saying it was excessive?
At least, that was how my parents had always treated me.
They’d tell me to name whatever gift I wanted, only to flatly reject my request by saying it was too much for me.
Even thinking about it now, my requests hadn’t been unreasonable, but there was nothing I could do about it…
“Isn’t there anything you want?”
At Rashak’s question, I finally answered.
“It’s enough if I can receive my salary on time every month.”
“…That’s all?”
“I just… hope nothing bad happens to Barsen. As long as the organization remains stable, I’ll be able to keep getting paid…”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“That’s such a textbook answer. How boring.”
For some reason, my shoulders instinctively shrank.
Thinking about it, all Rashak had said to me so far were words of praise.
Good job. Excellent work.
But this was the first time he’d called me boring.
I’d heard that plenty of times from Renoa, though.
Well, things have been going unusually smoothly for me lately. Maybe this was only natural…
“Then I’ll just give you something interesting of my own choosing. You don’t mind, do you?”
“E-Excuse me?”
“Come on. I’ll take you home.”
Before I could say anything else, Rashak turned around, forcing me to hurry after him.
“Um, you really don’t have to give me anything…”
“An organization needs a proper system of rewards and punishments to maintain discipline. It’s the boss’s decision, so don’t argue.”
Well, he had a point.
“Come on, get in. Or should I carry you into the carriage?”
“N-No, I’ll get in myself.”
Unable to ask anything else, I climbed into the carriage he’d indicated with a nod.
When I glanced toward the driver’s seat, I noticed someone other than Mr. Fidel was there. I supposed Fidel was too busy in the interrogation room.
A little later, the carriage set off, and silence settled between us.
When I glanced at Rashak to gauge his mood, he grinned from the seat opposite me.
“You look like you’re dying to know what your reward will be.”
Damn it, this man can read minds.
“Look forward to it. Whatever it is, it’ll be something you never expected.”
His words filled me with more worry than anticipation.
I should’ve just asked for a bundle of cash.
“Anyway, what did you do today? You weren’t slacking off just because I was away, were you?”
I hurriedly nodded and explained the work I’d done that day.
I’d also visited Sterling in the afternoon to check on the employees, so I had quite a bit to report.
“…And that’s why I’ve concluded that Patrick Rohan had no accomplices. Even if there were any, they won’t be able to act easily. I’ve encouraged the employees to keep an eye on one another.”
“Good job. I like that.”
Just as I added another compliment to today’s collection, the carriage stopped in front of my house.
Rashak opened the door for me and said,
“What did I tell you about tomorrow?”
“T-To arrive at work on time.”
“Don’t forget. I investigated your background, too, and apparently, you’re not even very good at making tea.”
“I am good at making tea!”
My voice rose before I could stop myself, but Rashak merely laughed as though he’d found that amusing, too.
The carriage that departed was completely different from yesterday’s.
The day before that, he’d used yet another carriage. It seemed he kept switching them to prevent anyone from learning his movements.
What a frightening organization. Everything about it sounded dangerous.
Still, the people here are… surprisingly easy to get along with.
I still needed more time to be sure, but neither Pierce, Rashak, nor Fidel had shown even the slightest hint of workplace bullying.
…I hope things stay this way.
Smiling, I took out my key and unlocked the front door.
I had to arrive at work on time tomorrow, but there was nothing else I needed to prepare. I was enjoying my free time, sitting on the sofa, when—
Whoosh.
A sudden breeze brushed against my cheek, making me frown in confusion.
I was inside my house. The place was always kept in good repair, so there shouldn’t have been any gaps for wind to slip through. And the windows were always carefully…
The window?
A sudden sense of foreboding made me whip my head around.
And there, in my field of vision…
The window I’d definitely locked before leaving was open just a crack.
As if someone had shut it in a hurry, only for it to spring back open.
…Had someone come in? Or had someone left?
Even so, there was one thing I knew for certain.
Someone had been here.
Here, in the house where I lived.
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