Fun and Games (2)

On a night when the moon hung high in the sky.

After my shift at the barbecue restaurant, I was waiting for someone in the pond forest behind the old building.

The clock on my smartphone read 11:59:58, 59, 00.

Rustle-

Right at the stroke of midnight, I sensed a presence approaching.

I turned around and was slightly surprised. There was a ragged figure.

It was Soliette.

Ah, you startled me.

She looked around quickly, then removed her ragged hood. Her clear skin, gem-like eyes, and red hair were revealed in turn.

Although exposure is fairly common on the continent, Soliette and the Arkne family are a bit different. They are much more vivid and sparkling.

From now on, we will communicate with this.

She handed me something. It looked like an ordinary notebook at first glance-

Its a shared notebook.

A shared diary?

Its a shared notebook.

Its a shared diary sold at the Artifact shop.

A shared diary. Its literally a diary that is shared, but its a bit magical.

When you write in one diary, the same content appears in the other diary. They are interconnected.

Its a shared notebook.

But Soliette was adamant.

From the beginning, she had crossed out Diary on the cover labeled Shared Diary and replaced it with Notebook.

Alright. Shared notebook. Lets sit down for now.

I gestured to the stone seat across from me. It was a piece of furniture I had made myself for todays special guest. You could call it customer service.

As Soliette sat down, she asked.

Did you bring the evidence?

Yes.

I took out a document envelope. Soliettes eyes were fixed on it.

Its the file of a death case that occurred in the underworld.

A case file please explain in detail.

Well, its simple. If that bastard Knightmare hadnt died yet, I thought he would probably kill at least one more person in his lifetime?

I plan to return to Soliette, the words she said before regression, to Soliette now.

So, I conducted a full investigation of all death and murder cases from July 2011, when Knightmare was caught, to the present. There were a lot in the underworld.

This insane amount of grunt work, comparing, analyzing, and observing hundreds of thousands of cases one by one, was done by Soliette herself.

She gave up on college entrance exams and secluded herself, spending almost a year holed up in a small room to find the results.

Are you crazy? Youre saying you investigated all of that by yourself?

Soliette asked in a tone of horror. I couldnt help but laugh.

It seems even you think what you did is unbelievable.

Yes. Among them, I found a case file suspected to be the work of Knightmare.

Soliette swallowed. Before she could say anything, her hand reached out.

Is that it?

Yes. Read it.

I handed her the envelope. She quickly took it and tore it open, pulling out the file inside to read.

73 different wounds What does this mean?

Knightmares Spectrum is metallic magic, specifically swords. You know that, right?

Yes.

Soliette nodded.

Knightmare uses swords. But he has no foundation. Theres no system to his swordsmanship.

This is a fairly well-known fact.

He doesnt really need a sword. As long as he can concentrate his magic into a sharp form, it becomes a sword.

His magic is essentially no different from a sword. This is Knightmares Spectrum , a very unique magical attribute on the continent.

The victim in that case file suffered 73 different wounds. But each wound was different. Its as if they were torn apart by 73 different weapons. Yet, no weapon was found at the scene.

Ah!

Soliette let out a loud exclamation. It was an unusually intense reaction for her.

Yes. He just poured out his magic. He didnt swing it, he didnt cut with it, he just threw it all out like an object.

Knightmare had ejected his magic. Seventy-three bursts of metallic magic rushed in like a shower, and the victim was torn to shreds and died.

A unique death.

There is only one suspect on this continent.

How about it?

I looked at Soliette.

She said nothing. But the moonlight was reflected in her large eyes. A deep blush spread across her face.

If you listened closely, you could hear her heartbeat faintly in the quiet forest.

Thump. Thump.

I smiled faintly.

Convincing evidence, isnt it?

Soliette asked blankly.

Did you really find this all by yourself?

Yes. It was done alone.

It wasnt a lie.

You did it alone.

Yes. Ive received the evidence.

She clutched the file to her side.

Dont tell anyone yet.

Of course. Do you think Im an idiot.

She seemed to feel something was missing, and she held the evidence file as if it were a newborn baby.

Okay. Then.

I reached out my hand to her.

She blinked and looked at my hand.

For a moment, no, for quite a while, she seemed lost in thought, then she shook her head coolly.

I cant.

She said. With a slightly angry tone.

I frowned.

What cant you do?

Have you already forgotten the contents of the contract?

Would I forget?

If you havent forgotten, then what the hell are you doing? If you think the contract only limits personal conversation, youre mistaken.

Money.

Also actionswhat did you say?

I said, give me money.

Give me a monthly salary of 20,000 Ren.

Soliettes mouth closed. She must have mistaken my gesture for a handshake.

Ahem-

She coughed awkwardly. She seemed embarrassed and was unnecessarily touching the back of her neck, but she didnt hand over the money.

I narrowed my eyes.

Dont tell me you didnt bring it?

Please wait a moment.

No, youre not trustworthy. Give that back.

I reached for the evidence envelope. Soliette hastily hid it behind her back.

Im still a student. Do you think its easy to get 20,000 Ren in cash?

Did someone beg you? You said youd give it. Did anyone threaten you with a knife?

You got a free ride last time. Youre a repeat offender.

No, thats not thats

Soliette stuttered. Unable to say anything, she sighed with a slightly reddened face.

Please give me just one more day.

Pfft.

I couldnt hold back my laughter. Soliette glared at me with a narrowed eyes.

Alright. Exactly 48 hours. Bring 20,000 Ren.

A monthly salary of 20,000 Ren would be difficult for her too. She wouldnt be able to receive any support from her family. She wouldnt even think about it.

I knew this, of course, but I wouldnt let her off. Id drain Soliette to the bone.

If you dont give it in 48 hours, Ill sue.

She needs to learn how to live diligently.

She needs to understand the value of life and money.

Youre really ruthless. Alright.

Soliette nodded sullenly and stood up from her seat.

Thud, thud-

I watched her leave without looking back, and after a while, I stared at the landscape where she had disappeared.

A dark dwelling with no lights on. Soliette, who had returned to her dorm, checked her bank account on her laptop.

[3,132,015]

3 million Ren.

She had enough money, but if she withdrew money from this account, her family would inevitably interfere.

She couldnt let that happen. To her family, she had to be Soliette who was focusing on the college board, and the existence of Shion Ascal must not be discovered by them.

Ah.

Suddenly, as she was pressing her temples and thinking hard,

Zap-!

A spark of static electricity shot up.

She looked somewhere.

The dressing room was wide open. Inside, luxury items were overflowing.

She could count on one hand the number of clothes she had bought herself. Most of them were delivered on their own, asking her to please wear it just once.

Problem solved.

She could sell them second-hand at the store. If she sold just three, even if she only got a quarter of the original price, she would have 30,000 Ren.

The answer was surprisingly close. Soliette let out a sigh of relief.

Phew

However, Soliettes worries did not end there.

She looked at the case file placed on her desk.

[UNON-2012-19281]

Shion Ascal. He had investigated all the murder case files for nearly two years. Including even the underworld, there must have been hundreds of thousands of cases.

He analyzed so many files alone and discovered a case where Knightmares actions were likely.

It was a method that Soliette could not even dare to imagine.

Shion Ascals obsession was that impressive.

However, Soliettes question here is not how.

Why?

Its why.

Its too much trouble just for money. Its a task that requires too much time and too much effort.

Therefore, the only reason she could accept was this.

Shion Ascal has also been chasing Knightmare until now

Then, does he also hold a grudge against Knightmare?

Like herself two years ago, did he also lose someone precious to him because of him?

Soliette silently looked out the window. The scene from the fog mountain last week hung in the night sky.

Shion Ascal, who had held her hand on the cliff.

There was no button on his sleeve.

The record of 683cm, which is still a topic in the community, is probably his.

Nevertheless, he is hiding himself. He is avoiding things that attract attention.

Hmm

Soliette gently closed her eyes. She cut off the thoughts that were about to continue.

She shouldnt dig too deep. He is just a retainer hired by her, and she is just his client.

Just as he should not dig into her past, she should not arbitrarily cut into his past.

Thats the relationship between a client and a retainer.

After sorting out her thoughts, Soliette opened her eyes. She logged onto the community site with her laptop.

Soon, the clicking sound of the mouse and the tapping sound of the keyboard quietly filled her room.