The setting sun hung over Lumina Square, and the whole city looked as if it had been soaked in a pool of warm, golden honey.
A fierce orange-red glow surged down from the western sky, gilding the steel forest of skyscrapers in flowing molten gold. The cold glass curtain walls lost their daytime sharpness, turning into countless trembling sheets of golden mirror—splintering the slanting sunlight into jumping flecks that collided and refracted between buildings, dazzling in every direction.
Traffic, like lava freshly lit, crawled along spiraling overpasses and streets. Every windshield and metal shell burned bright, stitching the road into a winding river of light.
Even the occasional honk seemed steeped in sunset—lazy, warm—dissolving into air made amber.
The crowd in the square was caught by this golden hour spell. Footsteps slowed. Conversation rose like transparent bubbles, floating up through the red-gold dusk and popping softly.
In front of the Security Bureau's Lumina branch building, Belle threw her arms wide and inhaled deeply, almost greedily. The air carried baked sunlight and that peculiar urban scent. She narrowed her green eyes, letting the warmth brush her cheeks.
Seeing his sister so relaxed and vividly alive, Wise couldn't stop the relieved curve of his mouth. He turned back to the two officers and spoke with solemn, heartfelt gratitude.
"Zhu Yuan, Qingyi… about what happened this afternoon—thank you. Truly. If you hadn't acted in time, I… I don't even want to imagine the outcome."
He paused, fingers curling unconsciously, as if the aftershock was still gripping his nerves.
At his thanks, Zhu Yuan's crimson eyes softened into a smile. She lifted both hands and waved them lightly at her chest—an awkward, slightly stiff gesture from someone trying to appear friendly but not quite used to it.
"No need to thank us. Protecting civilians is a Security officer's duty," she said, clear amusement in her voice, gentler than her usual on-duty tone. "And we should thank you as well—for cooperating during the statement. We took up quite a bit of your time."
"So—how's that driver?" Belle leaned in, curiosity and concern in her eyes.
Qingyi bounced forward half a step, green twin-tails swaying. She raised a hand and answered in that bright, slightly electronic cadence of hers.
"No worries, no worries~ The driver only sustained minor scrapes. Nothing serious…"
But a thin thread of confusion—like a flicker of data—slid through her lively green eyes.
"However, he was frightened badly enough that he now cannot recall what happened at the moment the incident began."
Wise and Belle fell into a brief silence.
Qingyi immediately waved both hands, trying to sweep away the dip in mood, her smile calm and unbothered.
"But rest assured! As the ancients said: 'When troops come, we block them; when water comes, we dam it!' The Security Bureau will find a way to uncover the truth."
"Mm." Zhu Yuan picked up smoothly, then turned her head a fraction—her gaze meeting Qingyi's for an instant. A wordless instruction passed between them.
She faced the siblings again and worked to keep her tone steady. "It's getting late. You two should go home and rest. If you remember any detail related to the incident later, contact us anytime."
Ah, Zhu Yuan… already laying down your road, having me fire the opening shot for you? Qingyi thought, her eyes flashing with knowing humor.
So Qianye's mysteries have hooked you completely. Fine. If you insist, I'll lend a hand.
Belle smiled sweetly. "If you ever have time to come by Sixth Street, you're both very welcome to visit our video store—Random Play."
"Hold on—"
Just as Wise and Belle turned to leave, Qingyi suddenly called out.
Wise looked back, puzzled. "Senior Qingyi—anything else?"
"Since you live on Sixth Street," Qingyi said—and with lightning speed, she casually reached into Zhu Yuan's uniform jacket pocket, pulled out two neatly folded flyers, and placed one into each of their hands as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
"Please accept these."
Belle unfolded hers. "Let's see… 'Public Safety Patrol Awareness Month'…"
Her eyes drifted to the stern portrait printed beside the text. She tilted her head and blurted without thinking:
"And this big face next to it—so rigid he looks like a temple statue… uh, I feel like I've seen him somewhere?"
"Ahem!" Zhu Yuan choked slightly, quickly covering her mouth with a fist as she coughed once. A faint blush crept up her cheeks as she fought to maintain officerly dignity.
"Ms. Belle… your description is… painfully accurate, but please don't describe him that way again. That is Deputy Chief Officer Justin Bringer of the Janus Headquarters—our superior."
She took a breath, pointed at the flyer, and snapped into full promotional mode, her tone lifting unconsciously.
"Soon we'll be holding large-scale public safety lectures across multiple districts. To increase participation, Senior Qingyi and I will be visiting nearby neighborhoods and distributing survey questionnaires."
By now Wise and Belle understood what they were aiming for.
"So you're planning to come to Sixth Street to hand these out and collect survey responses?" Wise asked.
"Exactly!" Qingyi clasped her hands together, smiling like a cat that had just stolen something delicious. Her green eyes sparkled with mischief. "If the two shop owners would be willing to help us connect with the locals… that would be most appreciated."
For reasons neither sibling could quite explain, Qingyi's youthful face didn't match the feeling she gave off. That warm, smiling gaze made them feel as if an extremely worldly elder were looking at children—with a strange blend of kindness… and calculation.
Belle shook off the odd sensation and nodded hard, patting her chest. "No problem! Leave it to us! We'll welcome you properly!"
"Oh my, my—why wait for 'later'?" Qingyi drawled immediately.
"Huh?" Belle froze.
Qingyi rocked her head like a scholar. "The ancients said: 'Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow—how many tomorrows are there?' Since the timing is so perfect, why not let you introduce us today? As they say—strike while the iron is hot~"
Belle sucked in a sharp breath and muttered to Wise, "Are all Security officers this… relentlessly hardworking? They don't even leave themselves time to breathe?"
Then she slapped on a bright smile. "Sure! No problem! Let's go now! On Sixth Street, my brother and I can definitely get things done."
Watching Belle's confident enthusiasm—and Wise's faint frown, like he'd sensed something off but couldn't pin it down—Zhu Yuan stepped forward. She pulled a portable notepad and pen from her belt with practiced speed.
She tried hard to suppress it, but the slight shine in her red eyes and the upward tilt in her voice betrayed her impatience.
"In that case, we shouldn't waste time. I already asked a colleague to bring your car over—it's parked right there."
She pointed toward the side.
"Then…" Zhu Yuan inhaled, forcing her next words into the shape of official procedure, though they burned on her tongue. "Please… lead the way."
She said the final word almost syllable by syllable, an odd mixture of duty-bound solemnity and unmistakably personal anticipation.
Sunset draped Sixth Street's old alleys in a warm orange veil. The air was thick with food aromas from storefronts and the lazy sound of laughter.
Qingyi drew in a satisfied breath, twin-tails swaying lightly. "Ahh… It's been a long time since I came here. The atmosphere is still as relaxed as ever."
Belle turned her head, short navy hair flipping in a playful arc. "You've been here before? Then how come I don't remember ever seeing you?"
Qingyi smiled and waved her hand. "You two may not know this, but Sixth Street may look ordinary—yet it's famous for its well-reviewed old shops. It ranks high year after year on New Eridu's 'Most Livable Streets' lists."
She tilted her head, eyes glinting. "And surely Random Play has a constant flow of visitors, both new and familiar?"
Belle puffed up proudly. "Well… I can't exactly argue with that!"
But Wise didn't respond. His brows tightened just slightly. Even with the genuine gratitude he felt, their eagerness—those probing looks, those overly warm words—felt like something invisible coiling gently around him.
He kept his smile polite and mild, but he subtly tugged Belle closer to his side.
Just then, Zhu Yuan spoke—her gaze sweeping over the shops, her tone trying to sound strictly professional.
"Wise, Belle. If possible… we could split up. It would be more efficient."
Belle blinked. "Do you not need us to help introduce you to the shop owners here?"
"No—we still need that," Zhu Yuan said. She hurriedly pulled a thick stack of beautifully printed flyers from her bag and offered them. Fresh ink smell rose from the paper.
"What we're hoping is that you can distribute these first to neighbors you know—get a preliminary sense of interest. Meanwhile, we'll visit other shop owners in parallel. Later, we'll regroup and summarize."
Wise took the flyers, expression steady. "All right. But my sister and I are exhausted. We'll go back to the store first, rest a bit… and deal with some Bangboo-related things."
"Huh? Ah—yes, yes!" Belle latched onto his cue instantly and nodded hard, taking the stack with both hands. "We really do need to sit down, drink some water. Just leave the flyers with us."
"I see. That's our oversight—sorry," Zhu Yuan said sincerely, handing them over.
"It's nothing." Wise waved it off and naturally caught Belle by the wrist. "Then we'll excuse ourselves."
He led her away toward Random Play—walking a little too fast, like they were quietly fleeing.
Watching their retreating backs, Qingyi sighed softly. A faint, data-like shimmer crossed her eyes.
"Zhu Yuan… those two young shop owners aren't naive little rabbits. Their guard is pretty high."
"Doesn't matter," Zhu Yuan said after a pause. Something stubborn and quiet flickered in her gaze. "They owe us a favor. Publicly, at least, they won't refuse a 'small help' like this."
She drew a breath as if setting her resolve, eyes sharpening as she looked deeper into the street.
"The priority is finding a clean entry point—getting into Qianye's clinic and verifying—"
Then she stopped.
Her eyes locked onto the simple sign of the Heal Clinic not far ahead.
At the clinic entrance stood a woman in casual clothes—someone who didn't match Sixth Street's usual vibe at all.
She stood slightly sideways, nibbling a red bean bun in small bites. Pink hair was loosely tied up, a few strands falling at her cheeks. Thin-framed glasses caught the sunset and flashed.
Qingyi's eyes widened, voice turning deliciously strange with barely contained glee.
"Well, well. 'Events align by chance; objects meet by accident'—the ancients truly didn't lie."
Her smile sharpened into pure mischief. "Looks like someone got here before us… and even changed outfits for the occasion."
Zhu Yuan's hard-won composure and tiny sense of triumph shattered on the spot.
Heat rushed to her cheeks. Her fingers curled unconsciously. Even her voice came out tight.
"E-excuse me… If I'm not mistaken, you're Deputy Captain Tsukishiro Yanagi of H.A.N.D.'s Section 6, aren't you?"
"…No. You're mistaken."
The pink-haired woman stiffened—so subtly most people would miss it. She pushed her glasses up, trying to keep her tone steady, but the guilt showed through like a stain.
"I'm not Tsukishiro Yanagi. My name is… is… Mei. Yes. Raiden Mei."
She even added a strange rise-and-fall to her voice at the end, like she was imitating someone else's speaking style and failing.
"…"
Zhu Yuan fell silent for two beats. Then she rubbed her forehead and sighed.
"Deputy Captain Yanagi… I may not have been perfect in every subject at school, but my grades in 'Suspect Portrait Memory & Identification' were always A+."
She raised her eyes, red pupils fixed on Yanagi with unwavering certainty.
Caught and stripped of her disguise, Yanagi paused, then took another bite of the red bean bun—chewing like her brain was running through options at speed.
A few seconds later, she exhaled softly, giving up the act.
The air around her shifted. The forced "ordinary passerby" vibe fell away, replaced by the cool, sharp presence of an intelligence officer.
She adjusted her glasses. Violet eyes narrowed with controlled precision—and she countered first, seizing the initiative.
"In that case, Captain Zhu Yuan… Senior Qingyi… why are you two here?"
Her gaze held steady, calm and exact. "As far as I know, Sixth Street is not within the routine patrol scope of the Criminal Investigation Special Response Unit."
"We're here for—" Zhu Yuan started automatically, about to repeat the public-awareness excuse.
"If it's for the upcoming 'Public Safety Patrol Awareness Month' campaign," Yanagi cut in smoothly, voice even but razor-edged with analysis, "then, given Captain Zhu Yuan's rank and your unit's operational profile, you should have no shortage of personnel to dispatch."
Her eyes flicked to the colorful flyers in Zhu Yuan's hand—slightly out of place against her hardened professionalism.
"Why would the captain herself come into small alleys like this to distribute pamphlets door-to-door?"
Yanagi tilted her head slightly, her conclusion forming with quiet certainty.
"And if the aim were truly 'public relations'—to build trust and goodwill—then yes, the logic can be made to work."
"But—" her violet eyes flashed, "based on Captain Zhu Yuan's temperament… outwardly decisive, yet in certain contexts prone to revealing… a rather conspicuous contrast with that image—"
She let the sentence land with surgical gentleness.
"You wouldn't normally emphasize your status as 'captain' during such outreach. And as for Senior Qingyi…"
Yanagi's gaze slid to Qingyi, who was currently—quite seriously—testing the flyer with the tip of her tongue as if evaluating its paper quality.
"…you appear to have very little interest in this sort of procedural promotional work."
Yanagi leaned forward half a step, voice dropping—more penetrating, not less.
"So. Is it reasonable to infer that this 'campaign' is simply a pretext—an official cover that allows you to enter Sixth Street legitimately?"
"And your real objective…"
Her eyes sharpened with clarity.
"…is the same as mine."
"To approach Doctor Qianye."
Zhu Yuan's throat locked. Her cheeks turned red against her will—hit directly in the heart of her intentions. She couldn't find an immediate rebuttal.
She glanced toward Qingyi—
Only to see Qingyi still studying the flyers with delighted interest, utterly untroubled.
The atmosphere hung in a delicate, dangerous stalemate.
On the second-floor window of Random Play, a tiny camera disguised as a decoration silently rotated, zooming in.
Inside, Wise and Belle were squeezed together in front of a monitor, chips in hand, eyes glued to the live feed.
"I see," Wise said, tossing a chip into his mouth, his expression relaxing into a wry, enlightened smile. "So it's another one pulled in by Qianye's accidental 'social crimes.' No wonder, during our statements at the Bureau, they kept trying to probe—asking about Sixth Street neighbors' preferences. So that's the game. The drink isn't the point."
"Don't talk, Brother!" Belle slapped his arm excitedly, eyes sparkling like she was watching the season finale. "Quick! Fairy! Can you push the camera closer? Zoom in on Captain Zhu Yuan's red face—yes, yes, that angle!"
"Understood, Master," Fairy's steady electronic voice replied from above. "Optimizing observation angle. Activating enhanced micro-expression capture mode."
Wise's smile froze.
On the edge of the monitor's frame, a familiar figure appeared—riding a small scooter, rolling toward the clinic at an unhurried pace.
A transparent bag hung from the handlebars.
Inside it, a fish looked painfully fresh.
"Belle…" Wise murmured, voice turning oddly profound. "They say the protagonist always shows up last. Guess that's not wrong."
Outside, Qianye stopped his scooter, blinked his emerald eyes in confusion, and looked at the three women blocking his clinic's entrance in a thoroughly unnatural standoff.
He lifted the fish slightly—his "today's haul," purchased from a fishing boat—while his silver cowlick tilted in bafflement under the sunset.
"You all…" he began, his voice clear and mild, breaking the bizarre silence with genuine puzzlement.
"…what are you doing at my door?"
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter116)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 118
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 111
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 80
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 112
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 95
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 89
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 53
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 61
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 65
Uma Musume: From Beginner 61
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 37
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