Editing City Series:Volume3a Chapter 5 (section)

===Part 1===

It was ten PM, the border between night and late night.

Hong Kong Yard was a bit busy because the second night shift was arriving to replace the first.

Akira had started working at six and she had returned from her patrol for some office work.

However, she now stood next to Rin’s desk in her patrol outfit.

Gunmal stood next to her and they both looked to Rin.

“I see. You want to spend the night shift out on patrol instead of in the office…and you want to go with Gunmal?”

“That’s right. If she’s with me, she won’t get lost.”

“That’s my line. You’re the one who was lost when I met you yesterday.”

“Quiet, both of you. …I don’t mind if you work together and Gunmal might find a key to the J-Gun case, so it could help our investigation. But…”

“But?”

“Get permission from Cleared Chief Yong. You get involved in our division too much, Akira.”

“But Cleared only lets me clean up the city. …And Rin, you can Tune better than anyone else in Cleared, so you should join us.”

Rin did not answer and changed the subject.

“Anyway, you need to take this up with your actual boss, not me.”

“I told the General about it, so it’ll probably reach him.”

“Probably doesn’t cut it. …And the General is too easy on you.”

…''Is he?

Gunmal must have read her thought because he spoke up.

“The General is that old guy with the tank, right? The one from the Fourth Divine Punishment War.”

“Yes, he may not look it, but he’s a hero known throughout Hong Kong. Normally, he would have a private office and command the entire Yard, but he insists on working alongside the rest of us.”

“What a nice old man.”

“Gunmal, you couldn’t read his Live, could you?”

He gave a small embarrassed smile.

“You could tell? I could see his Word Color, though.”

“Eh? Eh? You could do that with the General’s?”

Akira’s eyes opened in surprise because she was not powerful enough to read his Live, but Rin quickly cut in.

“Like I was saying, you need to take this seriously.”

“C-c’mon, Gunmal. She’s talking about you.”

“I’m pretty sure she’s talking about you.”

“I’m talking about both of you.”

Rin sighed and reached for a paper on her desk.

“What’s that?”

“A montage. It has to do with you two, so take a look.”

…''?

Akira did as she was told and saw a drawing of a woman’s face.

She had a slender face and well-shaped eyes.

Akira succinctly expressed her thoughts.

“She has me beat.”

“Hm? What was that?’

“Nothing. Just talking to myself.”

Akira looked back at the drawing of the woman and read the Live contained within.

The lines and shading expressed a Message containing the thoughts of the drawer, not the depicted person.

…''Her hair is long and brown.

…''She is beautiful and her eyes are clear yet sad.

…''She has a Caucasian facial structure.

And…

“Is this person a Nein Engel?”

“Looks like it.”

Gunmal and Rin both nodded.

“Come to think of it, my brother said something in his letter about maybe getting married. Is this the woman?”

“I don’t know that much, but Kouga’s investigation has revealed that she visited J-Gun’s house quite a few times. …Do either of you know her?”

“I…”

…''Do I?

“I don’t think I ever met her when I lived in Hong Kong Cave.”

“My brother never told me the woman’s name.”

“I see.”

Rin nodded again and there was no hue of disappointment in her expression or Live. She must not have expected anything in the first place.

Frustrated by that, Akira looked down at the drawing again.

“What do you think about that long hair?” she muttered.

“Eh? I like it,” answered Gunmal.

“That’s not what I meant. …It’s possible she’s cut her hair.”

“Why would she?” asked Rin.

Akira looked up at Rin’s long braided hair.

“You let your hair grow out, but that isn’t because you’re lazy, is it?”

“Eh? What are you talking about?”

…''It’s called women’s intuition.

“It’s a mystery.”

“Hm.”

Gunmal nodded and suddenly looked to the clock on the wall.

It was already ten.

“Shouldn’t we be going?”

“You’re right. Rin, we’ll be leaving, okay? Sorry we weren’t any help.”

“Don’t worry about it. More importantly, make sure you do what I told you to. …Oh, and Gunmal.”

“?”

“We should finish our investigation of J-Gun’s house tonight, so you can visit it tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

He smiled and lightly raised a hand in parting.

At the same time, the phone on Rin’s desk rang.

…''Who is that?

Akira turned around before leaving and she could tell who it was from Rin’s tone of voice when she answered.

It was Kouga.

“She seems busy,” said Gunmal.

Akira nodded.

There was indeed a lot they had to do.