After a long night without her grandfather beside her bed, Lindsey woke up that morning with a heavy, uneasy feeling in her chest. Even though her heart ached, Ryuu always tried to cheer her up, since every morning before work he made sure to stop by the modest house where Lindsey lived.
"What brings you here so early, Ryuu?" Lindsey asked, walking out of her room with her eyes still half-closed from sleep, her pajamas still messy and rumpled.
"Dad told me to take you to your national exam today," Ryuu replied, sitting comfortably on the living room sofa, legs crossed.
"But I only agreed to this yesterday, how is there already an exam?" Lindsey complained, raising both hands to scratch the back of her itchy head.
Ryuu just shrugged, not entirely sure himself. "Probably because it's June now, you need to get your diploma quickly since new student enrollment is starting," he answered reasonably.
Lindsey shuffled tiredly toward the small kitchen. "So... I'm going to middle school?" she said quietly, picking up a white ceramic mug she planned to use for her black coffee.
"That's right! Since you've never been to school before, you have to take the exam first," Ryuu replied from the living room.
"Luckily, since a lot of people are in the same situation, the government often holds makeup exams like this," Ryuu continued, adjusting his seat.
Once the coffee was brewed and its rich aroma filled the air, Lindsey walked back into the inner room. "Hm... alright, I'll get ready," she replied briefly, heading into the bathroom, still holding her hot cup of coffee firmly in her hand.
After waiting a few minutes in the living room, Lindsey finally emerged looking completely different from before. She wore a plain black dress with a white belt wrapped neatly around her waist, her hair still slightly damp from her shower, falling softly over her shoulders.
"The clothes you gave me seem a bit too big," Lindsey said, turning in a small circle in front of the mirror to test how it felt to move in the new outfit.
Ryuu just stared at her for a moment. "You look amazing," he murmured quietly, his face turning a little red with embarrassment.
After that, they made their way to the exam location in the sedan as usual. Inside the cool car, Lindsey sat quietly in the passenger seat, resting her tired head against the cold window, watching the scenery pass by outside.
"Hey, Ryuu, I heard you're a police officer, right?" Lindsey asked, glancing at him briefly with her usual flat, calm expression.
"That's right, though I'm still an intern..." Ryuu answered briefly, his eyes staying fixed on the road ahead through the windshield.
"Does that mean you'll be investigating the missing capsule from Dr. Rian that I mentioned last night?" Lindsey asked again, propping her chin up with her right hand resting on the car window's edge.
"No. Since Dr. Rian refuses to file a report, I don't have permission for an official investigation," Ryuu answered firmly.
"I see..." Lindsey replied quietly, her voice barely audible.
"No need to worry, my dad's going to look into it," Ryuu continued, glancing over at Lindsey for a moment.
"He's already retired, so he can do an unofficial investigation. He's also got some loyal old subordinates and a pretty close relationship with Dr. Diaz," Ryuu went on, turning his gaze back to the road, which was starting to get busier.
"Oh, alright," Lindsey replied shortly without turning her head, her eyes back on the road.
After some more light conversation, they finally arrived at their destination. Ryuu carefully parked the sedan by the roadside, then got out and politely opened the passenger door for Lindsey.
Lindsey stepped out of the car hesitantly. "I'm going in there by myself?" she asked, pointing at a large three-story building nearby.
Ryuu nodded firmly. "Of course, do you want me to come with you?" he said, giving a teasing smile at Lindsey's serious expression.
"No, thank you," Lindsey replied, then walked off toward the building at a slightly quick pace, leaving Ryuu standing beside the car.
Not long after, Ryuu's phone rang loudly in his pants pocket. He quickly pulled it out and answered the call, which was from his father. "Hello?" Ryuu said, pressing the answer button.
"So, have you two arrived?" Arion asked. He was currently at Roya Hospital with Dr. Diaz and Dr. Rian in the secret room.
"We're here, and now it's just me out here," Ryuu replied, leaning back comfortably against the warm hood of his car, sun-heated beneath him.
"So how's the investigation going, Dad?" Ryuu asked curiously.
"Not great, the thief really doesn't show up anywhere on the security cameras. But I've been able to narrow it down to three people who did it," Arion answered, walking around the metal table in the hospital's secret room.
Dr. Rian then walked over to Arion, who was in the middle of his call. "Alright, I'll call you back later," Arion said into the phone, then pressed the button to end the call.
"So, Mr. Houdoug? Did you find anything?" Dr. Rian asked in an anxious tone, his hands fidgeting restlessly in front of his stomach.
Arion turned to face the doctor. "Not much, the culprit didn't leave anything behind except a handkerchief mark on the wall earlier," Arion answered honestly.
"Honestly, I'm not exactly an expert in this kind of investigation," Arion continued, scratching the back of his itchy neck.
"But don't worry, I've already reached out to someone who might be able to help," Arion went on, walking past Dr. Rian and heading toward the exit of the secret room.
Dr. Rian turned to follow after him. "Someone?" he murmured quietly, tilting his head as he watched Arion's back moving further away.
That afternoon, Lindsey walked out of the exam building, having smoothly finished her first round of testing and passed on to the next stage. She walked out of the building holding her exam papers in hand. "Good, not a high score, but not a low one either," Lindsey murmured, looking at the papers with the number '75' written neatly on them.
She then yanked open Ryuu's car door and got in, slamming it shut hard behind her. Bwakkk, the sound of the slamming door jolted Ryuu awake instantly from his nap in the driver's seat.
"A-are you done already?" Ryuu asked weakly, rubbing his still-sleepy eyes.
"Done," Lindsey replied shortly, quickly buckling her seatbelt.
After that, Ryuu started the engine and they drove back to the grand Houdoug family residence.
Once they arrived, "Why are we here?" Lindsey asked, confused, staring at Ryuu's large, luxurious home in front of her.
Hearing the question, Ryuu jumped slightly. "T-that's... remember, you said you wanted to talk to my dad, right?" he answered, scratching his cheek nervously.
Lindsey gave Ryuu a searching look for a moment, then opened the car door and stepped out. "Oh, remember to close it..." Ryuu started to say, but was cut off by a loud Bwakkk! as Lindsey slammed the car door shut as hard as she could. "...gently," Ryuu finished, resigned, his shoulders slumping.
Ryuu then got out of the car and followed Lindsey inside the house. They both took off their shoes on the porch and walked into the main room. "Oh, you're both here," Arion said, stepping out of one of the ground floor rooms.
Lindsey sat down on the spacious living room sofa, while Ryuu sat on the one across from her. "Has Dad arrived yet?" she asked Arion.
"Not yet, he'll probably get here by tomorrow morning," Arion answered, checking his watch. "Oh, right, come with me. There's something I want to show you," Arion continued, turning and walking toward his room.
Lindsey shot a suspicious glance toward Arion's room for a moment, then stood up from the sofa and followed him. "Excuse me~" she murmured softly, knocking on the door before entering, and found Arion rummaging through a large wooden cabinet.
Arion slowly turned around, holding something in his hand. "Lindsey... is it true you're the one who wrote this?" he said seriously, showing her a small, yellowed piece of paper he'd found in Lindsey's room five years ago.
Lindsey immediately brushed it off. "I don't understand what you're talking about," she replied casually, shrugging as if she had no idea.
"No point avoiding it, I've already compared it to your handwriting now, and it's a match," Arion replied firmly, holding up Lindsey's exam paper, which he'd just grabbed with his other hand.
"And as for your exam score, I'm pretty sure this was done on purpose, wasn't it?" Arion continued, narrowing his eyes sharply at Lindsey's face.
Lindsey only gave a faint, mysterious smile, shrugging without saying a single word in response.
"If that's true, then it means you were the one who ended World War 3 five years ago..." Arion continued, his voice heavy, staring intently into Lindsey's calm eyes.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa16ZRre35U
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