“It’s time.” Totoki put out the cigarette and blew out the smoke in her lungs. “Hieda, let me take this chance to apologize for suspending you over Talbot’s case.”
“No, you did what you had to. I did go against regulations.”
“But now…I guess we’re birds of a feather.”
A sedan share car drove along the road, parking in front of the terrace house. Investigator Lin and Aide Wood stepped out of it. Echika had only just learned that Chief Totoki had called them over to join the covert investigation. Since they’d known Totoki for years, they objected to her dismissal and had already gotten on Chief Smith’s bad side.
“It’s a relief to see you again, Chief.” Investigator Lin smiled as she exchanged a firm handshake with Totoki. “Do we get started right away?”
“Yes. I’m sorry for dumping work on you as soon as you get back, but we don’t need to wait for warrants here.”
“True.” Wood jerked his stout jaw jokingly. “A real pity, that.”
There was only one way to get the truth out of Greg Gardener, so long as he insisted on holding his tongue—a Brain Dive. Everyone present understood that the path Totoki was taking them down was a dangerous one. It may have already been going beyond the scope of a covert investigation, but at present, they had no other choice. There was no telling how far the Alliance’s control extended, so their only choice was to turn to old colleagues who they knew were trustworthy.
“Greg’s inside. We’ll have to remove the isolation unit to Brain Dive into him, so we have to make it brief.”
Totoki ushered Lin and Wood inside the terrace house. Echika turned around, spotting Harold step out of the sedan’s driver’s seat. He’d picked up the two of them from the London branch.
“Good work.” Echika told him, her voice even. “How’s the bureau doing?”
“According to Investigator Lin, they thankfully haven’t realized anything yet. But something might be going on under the surface.” Harold walked past Echika and opened the front door. “Has Greg squealed?”
“Nope. We have to Brain Dive.”
Harold and Echika crossed the front door together. Just then, they heard Greg shout from the sitting room. The moment she and Harold walked inside, Echika saw Totoki’s exchange with Greg through the door.
“You’ll never get a Brain Dive warrant on me!”
“We have approval to do it.”
“No! No judge would approve it!”
It vexed her, but she had nothing to contribute to this. Echika made way to the kitchen at the end of the hall on her own. The walls were gray, and the house was plain and unadorned. There were some paper bags on the ground containing groceries Totoki had bought at a local supermarket. Curled up next to them was a white fur ball, which proceeded to stretch lazily. It was Totoki’s beloved cat Ganache, moving in a way that didn’t feel the slightest bit mechanical.
Its adorable gesture made Echika smile a little. But at the same time…it also made the cork of the glass bottle closed in her heart loosen up somewhat.
She wanted to solve the Alliance incident as soon as possible, that much was true—but on the other hand, she was stricken with anxiety. Harold was going to leave the bureau soon. Even if they solved the case, and even if she kept her job as a Brain Diver, they’d just pair her up with another Belayer. Probably another human one…
Why?
The cork had held firm for so long, so why was it coming loose now, all of a sudden?
“There’s frozen risotto. You want some?”
She jumped a little at the voice as Fokine walked into the kitchen. He took out a pack of asparagus risotto from the freezer and popped it into the microwave. It was an old model, and its turntable rotated with a loud clatter.
“Greg was hard to work with. Investigator Wood managed to pin him down and apply the sedative, though.” Fokine opened the cupboards hanging above him, only to find they were completely devoid of utensils. “This is going to be one drawn-out case. We should probably grab something to eat while Chief Totoki and the other two handle Greg. Hey, what’s wrong?”
Fokine turned to face her, and his eyes widened in surprise. Echika already knew that she’d made a huge blunder. Her eyes felt hot, and her lashes were moist. She regretted being so careless as to assume no one would come in.
“I’m sorry.” She averted her face reflexively. “I’ll step outside for a bit.”
Echika quickly turned on her heels, desperate to run. The sudden movement startled Ganache, who hopped down from the counter to the floor, his white fluffy tail passing by her feet. She tried to avoid him, but tripped in the process.
Oh no, I’m falling—the chilling thought crossed her mind, but Fokine reflexively caught her by the shoulders.
Though she’d managed to regain her balance, it felt like the self-loathing flooding her might tear her in half. How deeply was she going to embarrass herself?!
“That was close. Totoki would kill you if you stepped on Ganache, you know?”
“Sorry,” Echika said again. “I’m fine. Really.”
“No, where I’m from, we don’t call that state you’re in ‘fine.’”
“That was just— I was yawning.”
“Uh, come on, could you at least come up with something more convincin—?”
“What are you doing?”
Echika and Fokine turned their eyes to the door. Harold had shown up without either of them noticing. He was still in his coat, and Ganache rubbed between his legs. The Amicus’s gaze was as cold and artificial as lead, and seeing it made Echika feel extremely ill at ease.
She could only hope he didn’t notice she was crying.
“Hieda slipped, is all.” Fokine let go of Echika’s shoulders. He didn’t buy the excuse about the yawn, but he alluded to it anyway. “Something the matter?”
Harold’s expression stiffened, like he’d just come back to himself.
“Yes, we need you to come over right away. Investigator Lin collapsed from Diving into Greg.”
…What?
All the emotions that had been flooding her a second ago disappeared in the blink of an eye.
They hurried over to the sitting room. The first thing they saw was Greg, asleep on a sofa. Lying faceup on the cold floor next to him was Investigator Lin, with Totoki and Aide Wood peering down at her. Totoki had her ear pressed to Lin’s lips, her jaw clenched.
“I understand. We’ll handle the rest,” Totoki said softly. “Wood, could you carry her to bed?”
Aide Wood quickly tried to carry Lin in his arms but fumbled over and over. Unable to watch, Fokine walked over to help him. The two carried Lin out of the sitting room.
As they passed by Echika while carrying Lin out of the door, she got a good look at Lin’s face. Her cheeks were drained of color, and her locks were clinging to her forehead, wet with greasy sweat. Her eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.
What had put her in this state?
“What happened?” Echika asked Totoki. “She looks anemic…”
“We don’t know. Right after they stared Diving, Wood noticed something was wrong and pulled out her Lifeline.” Totoki held out a Brain Diving cord in her hands with a grave expression. Its connector, which was slightly charred, gleamed in the light. “Lin just said she couldn’t make the Dive. Something happened… Something that placed a huge strain on her.”