It's windy.
In the closed room, the wind blew from behind Shinji who was checking the wrist of the female corpse, and blew towards the back of Shinji's head.
The boy still kept his head down and waved his free hand casually, as if he was annoyed by the strange wind behind his head.
But just by raising his hand so casually, he actually caught something.
Lustrous, flexible, and fine-textured - this is a piece of cloth, or more precisely, a piece of fine silk, with Japanese-style hand-painted patterns on it that are in stark contrast to the marble floor underfoot and the surrounding walls.
Although the patterns were different, the similar texture felt by his hands told Shinji that they were the same type of silk.
"It's Yuzen silk again. Miss Kano, you seem to have a special liking for this kind of kimono."
The young man spun the silk scraps in his hand, turned around and smiled at the corner behind the door.
There stood a woman, wearing a gorgeous kimono of a different style, with unusually long hair that reached her ankles, and slender limbs that were mostly integrated with the clothing and hair. The only flaw was that the sleeves of the kimono were asymmetrical, with one of the sleeves being a little short, and that short was in Shinji's hand.
"When people are in a foreign land, they always like to use some familiar things to recall their hometown."
"That's true, but I'm still a little surprised to hear such words from a magician."
"We are not ordinary magicians."
"Yes, you are different from ordinary magicians. Your goal is to maintain the Clock Tower. Pursuing the mystery of magic is dispensable. Therefore, you can focus on studying the means of 'immortality'. And the thing that the 'Law and Politics Department' lacks the most is corpses, the corpses of magicians. It is not difficult to find similar bodies."
When her trick was exposed by Shinji, Kanono Hishiri was not angry or annoyed. Instead, she revealed a charming smile that was different from when she appeared in public, and exclaimed in admiration.
"You are so observant. Although I was worried that the method of exchanging bodies was a little ill-considered, I managed to get away with it in the end. I didn't expect Mr. Shen to find out the flaw."
"Because I'm not just any magician either."
"Even an ordinary magician couldn't have cut off my sleeve so easily. Amazing dagger skills."
The kimonos worn by Kanano Hishiri are made of the finest Yuzen silk, which is difficult to tear open even for Shinji with one hand, so the moment the flying sleeves touched him, Shinji used the dagger that he had hidden in his sleeves.
"Ms. Huaye, thank you for your praise. I have only mastered the basics."
"Let's get back to the point, Mr. Shen. You noticed the flaw but didn't expose it. You even came here at this time. It's impossible that you simply couldn't sleep and wanted to find someone to chat with."
"It would be best if we could solve it through chatting."
"I also hope to solve it through chatting. What does Mr. Shen want? Ashburn's legacy - the repair technology of the magic seal?"
At the end, there was a hint of bewitching in Kanono Hishiri's tone, but Shinji remained unmoved.
"I'm not very interested in that."
"So what are you interested in?"
"you."
"I?"
"Yes, it is you, Miss Huaye."
Kanono Hishiri obviously didn't expect Shinji to answer like this, and a hint of obvious surprise flashed across her face, but the next second this surprise turned into a captivating charm.
"Oh my, it's not nice to tease a big sister like this."
The woman twisted her slender body, releasing her charm as she moved closer.
But soon, the woman stopped, because a cold light pierced the darkness, carving a brief but insurmountable gap between the two of them - Shinji once again drew his dagger.
"Miss Huaye, please respect yourself."
"You're obviously a little brother, but you said you're interested in older sisters, or do you prefer younger ones, like the girl you came with?"
"I'm sorry, I don't understand what you are saying. I'm still an innocent child."
"... "
Seeing Shinji's coy look, Kanono Hishiri finally retreated. At this moment, there was only one evaluation in her mind.
Shameless.
Very shameless.
"What do you want from me?"
"That's exactly what I want to ask you. You went to so much trouble to invite people here, and you went to so much trouble to fake your death in a way related to the 'Angel Name'. What exactly do you want to get from us? And what exactly is hidden in this 'Stripped City'?"
"Why are you asking this?"
Shinji's problem was solved by Ye Hishiri, who put away her charm and returned to her original calmness.
"curious."
"Curiosity not only kills the cat, it kills the man, too."
"Magicians who come to this city are very curious. Do you want us to be killed by our curiosity? Speaking of which, except for Gray and I, who are temporary replacements, all the people who come here are difficult characters who can bring influence to the Clock Tower and are difficult for the Law and Politics Department to control. If there are fewer such people, the Law and Politics Department will have a much better time in the future. Thinking more deeply, the Ashburn family has been famous for a hundred years, and everyone believes that they can repair magic seals here, but the interesting thing is that no one has ever seen a successful case. Even if such a shameful thing as the damage of the magic seal will not be publicized, it is impossible that there are no rumors at all. The magician circle is big and small. There is only one possibility for hiding the information while continuing to let the legend of the repair of the magic seal spread - there is an organization with influence throughout the Magic Association to help, such as the Law and Politics Department. Why does the Law and Politics Department want to help the Ashburn family? Is the repair of the magic seal just a scam?"
"Mr. Shen."
The woman interrupted Shinji.
"Do you have any evidence?"
"No." Shinji simply shook his head.
"Thank you for telling me such an interesting story, but without evidence it's just speculation, and I'm not qualified to be a detective or a mystery solver."
"You're right, but sometimes a guess is all that's needed. Humans are subjective creatures."
"However, many tragedies come from subjective speculation."
"Ms. Huaye, are you threatening me?"
Shinji narrowed his eyes, and the dagger in his hand shook slightly, exuding an intimidating edge.
"It's a piece of advice. Stop it here, Mr. Shen. Don't go any further. Just treat this as a vacation."
"What if I say no?"
"Then I can only say I'm sorry."
The sleeves of Kanono Hishiri moved without wind, and even the patterns on her kimono seemed to come alive.
"You are very confident, Miss Huaye."
"Because I come from the Department of Law and Politics." The Department of Law and Politics does not pursue mystery, but only pursues the power to manage mystery.
"I see-"
Shinji suddenly rushed forward while he was talking.
At the same time, Kanono Hishiri swung out her other intact sleeve.