“No burglary ever happens in this country. In New Tokyo, you can leave your car—or even apartment—open, and only the most paranoid would change mechanical locks to ID card systems for extra safety. Others are pretty sure: nobody will take what doesn’t belong to them.”

—A travel blog post

Aoi cited the information from the victim’s profile:

“Edward Shell, 44. Former Celestial, now a Lackluster. Graduated from the Academy in 1997 but then joined M.A.G.E. under Fiber Hunt’s command. Edward was considered to be Fiber’s right hand until he went Lackluster in 2012. After that he settled down and established a small business—resale of rare items, mostly of magical origin. No family or relatives.”

The middle-aged man in the photo looked too generic to be memorable, and only his peers would recall a powerful mage who was constantly hiding in the shadows of his notorious patron.

“CCTV cameras have captured one of the Gray Sisters visiting his apartment tonight,” the commander added.

“What would the cult have against such a dull geezer?” Elio yawned.

“He was a relic collector. He might have had something they needed.”

“Figures.”

“Takeshi-san, Shadow, head to the crime scene immediately. And take Rem to check the arcane trails. Please be extremely careful. May the Light guide you.”

The investigator nodded in agreement and went away with the healer following him. The meeting quickly ended, and everyone except for the twins left—Elio was too busy finishing a round in his game. After he did that, his sister started picking at him:

“You’ve fallen for her.”

“Who?”

“The rookie.”

“You’re imagining it.”

“Have you forgotten our agreement, Elio?”

He wondered why she would even bring up this subject. His interest in Shiningreel was nothing out of the ordinary—any newbie would get as much attention as her, till the probation period would eventually come to an end. But once Elia had made her mind, it was useless to persuade her otherwise.

“Have you?” Elia squinted suspiciously.

“No. Of course not.”

“Only you and me,” they said together. But Elia didn’t let up:

“Nobody should stay between us. Nobody.”

“Sheesh, don’t get so riled up. We’ve just had a small talk.”

“You keep staring at her every time she’s in the same room!”

“Well, she’s just… cute.”

“And that’s it?”

“Yep.”

“Lies.”

“Oh, come on! Where the hell did you get the idea that I have a crush on her?”

“I just see it.”

“See it… or know for sure?”

Elia cringed. She was a kind of an expert in the emotions of her brother, and she didn’t realize that guys were generally much slower to acknowledge their emerging feelings. But it was more than just a strong empathy or the bond of twins. She and her brother were a part of something big. Something that made them feel whole. Therefore, Elia always believed that his sensations belonged to her as well, and sympathy for an outsider was not included in the list of permitted affections.

She finally admitted, “Both… I guess.”

“Gimme a break. There’s nothing between Shiny and me— I’m telling you. How dare you say you know better?!”

With this exclamation, he left the office. The burden on Elia’s soul became a dozen times heavier. She understood that by keeping up his defenses Elio was falling even deeper for the new girl. What a fool he was, after all, turning a blind eye to it.

Elia sighed sadly and said to herself, “You just have no idea.”

A nasty drizzle began to fall outside the window.