Investigate

Sumire didn't say anything, and they quickly arrived in front of a room with a nameplate that read 'Investigation club.' The room was a mess, with documents all over the floor.

There are large stacks of books piled up in each corner. A large whiteboard in the center of the room alongside a long table—a small dartboard above some silver-colored lockers.

Once Mamoru hurriedly picked up the stuff from the floor, she rolled her eyes.

"I told you already to clean up."

Mamoru laughed. "Sorry, sorry, I was in a rush."

"Geez, people underestimate you because you don't handle the case files seriously."

This investigation club is a club that solves 'mysteries' for other students. But the true nature of the club is different. They use it as another base to handle the crimes occurring in the underworld.

Mamoru inspected the small box at the front. "Hmm, there isn't a request today."

"I think the other students know we are using this place for other reasons."

"You think? We still get plenty of requests."

But most of the requests they receive are regarding something stupid. Like, 'my cat disappeared a few days ago.' Even if they are a problem-solving club, some of the requests are ridiculous.

"Did we get a lot the last two weeks? I'm sorry that you had to handle them all."

Although half those requests that came in were probably from girls like Mamoru, still, it was probably difficult dealing with it all on his own. Even though Ru is not the type of person who would blame her for something like this, it does not change the fact that she feels bad about this.

Mamoru reached over and patted her hair. "It's alright; you didn't cause any problems for me."

How does he know what she wants to say before she even says it? He is truly a strange person. But he is the reason why she has truly not given up on the world.

The reason why she can continue even when it is difficult.

Mamoru walked over to the board. "So last time, we figured out these two people knew each other, but we had no evidence." He trailed off. "The information you just received contains the evidence?"

"Mm, I just looked at it briefly. But it's what we needed." Sumire took out her phone and placed it onto the projector, causing it to appear on the blank part of the board. "Both of them are running an illegal casino in different parts of town. The majority of the workers and the servers were coerced into working there. Those who tried to leave end up tortured or killed."

"What about the money? Are they pickpocketing it?"

"Actually, the figures show that the business isn't doing well."

"Huh, both of them?"

Sumire nodded. "Although they both have certain spikes, so the places don't go under." She picked up a pile of documents on the table. "According to the numbers on this graph, both casinos experience these spikes simultaneously. This is strange even if the businesses are connected, isn't it?"

"Right like somebody did this deliberately-" Mamoru pointed to a photograph on the board. It was a picture of a man with silver hair wearing a waiter outfit. "I suspect this guy is pickpocketing the funds. He acts as a meditator between the two leaders."

"Hmm, so he is in a position to hear information on both casinos." Sumire trailed off. "I see, so he must have the money."

Sumire scrolled through the information. "But there is no information on him using the money for any illegal purchases in the black market."

"He goes to an orphanage every seven days. We should follow him there."

"Are you sure we shouldn't focus on the two leaders?"

"I do think they are important, but we already have the information that they are connected. It would be easier for our side to make a move and have them arrested now. Once we submit this to Aki, he will send a team out."

"That is true."

"These two casinos take up the best spots in town for business, so they must be making a considerable amount of cash. For that money to go missing is not good. We should find out where exactly the cash has gone."

"I wouldn't have thought of it that way." Sumire looked at the data again. Mamoru focused on the waiter when this case first began, almost like he already knew.

"That's why I'm here as your partner."

Her partner, huh? The leader of their organization, a man called Aki, dislikes his members working alone, so they are assigned a partner without fail. However, she worked alone in the past because nobody else would work with her.

Then Yuhi came along, and they paired together. After Yuhi left, she thought she would go around alone again, but it was not like that.

Ru stepped in, even though he hates being a member of an organization.

He joined because of her, right? He never specified the reason, but it is clearly for her sake.

Ru is different from Yuhi. He is what people would call a genius with that high IQ of his. He grasps things and looks at the situation differently than she and Yuhi would. But even then, it frustrated her.

She wants to do better. When she is around so many talented people, it makes her want to work harder than before rather than feel discouraged. She is such a strange person.

Right now, the only thing she is good at is fighting- and that happened accidentally. Joining Aki and helping him out with his underworld work meant she would have to learn how to fight.

But to think, three years later, she has become a strong fighting force with the frightening name demon Princess.

Unlike most people, she is skinny and rather scrawny. She did not think her body would be suited for fighting. But before she knew what was happening, she defeated Aki in a fight.

In terms of the underworld rule, defeating somebody means taking their place. Since he is the head of an organization, it would mean her taking his place. But she could not do that; hiding that she is a member is already difficult. If she became the leader, her chances of being found out would increase.

She would do anything to achieve her dreams 'And to stand by Terashima Yuhi's side again.'

It did not occur to her how much she would miss him until he was no longer by her side. She truly took it for granted the year they spent together.