After leaving the reception room, Kamui temporarily left the Association Building as well. She went to the nearby streets to cool off and take a stroll, and also gave Blue Cavalier a call.
She did this to avoid the Association’s eyes and ears.
“Miss Kamui, did you find out something?” the latter asked as he picked up.
“No, but I have some leads… However, there’s something else I’d like you to investigate.”
“Privately prying into a Hero’s identity is illegal,” Blue Cavalier reminded her.
“Hmph, when you dug up my real identity, why didn’t you think that was illegal?”
“No, I didn’t specifically dig into your identity. That was just a simple deduction based on what you revealed.”
Kamui could imagine the expressionless look on his face as he said that, and she immediately grew irritated.
A few words like that could make her laugh out of anger—they just didn’t click. That was all there was to it.
Still, she hadn’t called to argue.
“But don’t worry, I’m not investigating a Hero.”
“Then who?” Blue Cavalier asked.
“A mutant. A Squid Monster.”
Hearing that, Blue Cavalier understood the gist.
“So, Miss Kamui has determined that mutant isn’t Miss Clara?”
“Yeah, I saw the two of them standing together with my own eyes. Unless that girl can duplicate herself, but that should be impossible…”
The winter wind between the buildings made Kamui squint. She quickly found a sheltered corner by the roadside to huddle in, then continued:
“From what I can see, it’s very likely that mutant gave the Drive Unit to Clara, which is why she can become a Magic Girl.”
In Kamui’s view, her previous deduction with Blue Cavalier had been overturned.
Using the stolen World Tree Technology tip drive, the Squid Monster Squill had extracted Kamui’s magic girl power in the sewer.
Then, he handed over the Drive Unit containing that power to Clara…
After that, the little girl started operating as a Magic Girl.
The timeline matched up too. So far, this was the explanation with the fewest flaws.
“Well, then there’s probably no need for an in-depth investigation.”
After all, the Drive Unit was stolen from him in the end. Blue Cavalier had already looked into Squill even before Kamui asked.
“His background is very ordinary—just a common Transformed Being you see everywhere. He’s weak, but good at running away… Most importantly, he’s already been fired from Naitemel.”
Huh, fired.
On that point, it matched what Kamui had heard before.
So it was because he gave the Drive Unit to Clara without permission that he got fired?
But losing something so important and only getting fired…
For an Evil Organization, isn’t that a bit too lenient?
Kamui then asked, “Can you find out what his relationship is with Clara? There’s no way he’d just hand over a Drive Unit to a random little girl for no reason, right?”
“Hmm, that might be difficult.”
Blue Cavalier sounded reluctant.
“His confidentiality work is pretty good—even better than some Heroes.”
Hearing Blue Cavalier say “some Heroes” only made her angrier.
“Everything I just said only covers his performance at work. I found no records of what kind of person he is in his spare time.”
“Ugh, stop mocking me.”
Kamui resisted the urge to hang up and asked:
“So what should we do next?”
“That’s a redundant question, Miss Kamui. If you want to know something, go investigate. Don’t give up easily, and don’t fool yourself with vague guesses.”
Blue Cavalier stated the obvious, then added:
“Since you’ve already gotten close to her and earned her trust, isn’t it redundant to ask me?”
“Hmph, I suppose…”
“Sorry, I have to go record a show.”
A prompting background noise came from Blue Cavalier’s end.
She also said:
“I’ll think about other possibilities on my end too. Do your best.”
The call ended.
What is she now, some kind of female celebrity?
Kamui frowned as she put down her phone, then looked up at the Association Building in the distance.
For some reason, she had a bad feeling.
Clara pulled out her phone and checked the time.
Ah, it was already noon.
“Miss Alice, I think we can head back.”
Nyx had no interest in the relics, and Clara had even less.
Just as a tour, these “god’s relics” were nothing more than flashy but meaningless objects.
“Hmm, I’ll take you to the elevator lobby and give you two electronic meal tickets for the Association Cafeteria. You and Miss Kamui can have lunch together… I haven’t eaten there myself, but the employees say it’s pretty good.”
As a Biomorphic Robot, Alice naturally couldn’t eat.
But it seemed she didn’t plan on personally escorting Clara all the way downstairs.
That arrangement actually made Clara more comfortable. Even though she had gotten used to playing “Magical Girl Clara,” being around this Top-tier Hero made Clara feel like her disguise would be seen through.
Normally, she thought her acting skill was pretty good.
She put her phone back in her pocket and followed Alice out of the Relic Vault, heading straight for the nearby elevator.
“Thank you, Miss Alice.”
“You’re welcome. I have other things to handle, so I won’t go down with you.”
The elevator doors closed, and Clara let out a sigh of relief.
“I guess I passed the test?”
“The ‘god’s relic’ in that jar—was it moved? Or was it stolen beforehand by someone we don’t know? From Alice’s reaction, it seems she hasn’t discovered the theft yet.”
“It seems she hasn’t… Wait, no. That glass jar is still sitting there intact. Who would imagine its contents are already stolen?”
“Nyx has a hypothesis.”
“She invited you to see such confidential content—is it possible she’s planning to frame you for the theft?”
That was a chilling speculation that sent a shiver down Clara’s spine.
“Huh? Miss Alice seems like such a nice person?”
“Don’t believe anything she says, Clara. We AIs don’t easily develop emotions, but it’s easy to fake them.”
“You’re just assuming the worst of her, aren’t you?”
Clara sighed as the elevator doors opened.
In a corner of the Association lobby, Kamui was rubbing her hands together, holding a cup of hot tea offered by a staff member.
“Finally done? Your interview took way too long.”
Besides the interview, there had been an extra tour.
But Clara didn’t tell Kamui much yet. She would wait until the “prophecy” from the hero network yielded results.
“It took a little extra time…”
Although Kamui looked displeased, Clara smiled and linked her arm with hers.
“Miss Alice gave me two meal tickets for the Association Cafeteria. Want to go eat?”