It's not late at night by adult standards, but there are so few people on the street that it's hard to believe that this is the future city center of Fuyuki City, a bustling commercial street.
The red police lights flickered in the distance, and the passers-by cast strange glances at him. The whole street was filled with a tense atmosphere. Looking at this familiar yet strange scene, Lin felt a slight chill all over his body.
"Why did it become like this?"
The naive Rin didn't know that Fuyuki City had issued a curfew.
The frequent occurrence of vicious crimes, such as the hunting murder case, the child abduction case, the serial bombings in the harbor area and the Hyatt Hotel, has made the whole Fuyuki City shrouded in terror. The police called on citizens to reduce going out at night and strictly prohibit going out alone, and most citizens obeyed this instruction.
Of course, there will always be some ignorant people who ignore the curfew. For this reason, the police have mobilized all police forces to patrol the streets. If there are citizens alone, they will step forward to inquire and provide necessary "protection".
This move to protect the personal safety of the citizens is not good for Rin's action tonight. If the police see her, they will definitely not leave this seven-year-old girl alone. Rin can't hint at magic now, so being caught by the police means the action has failed.
Lin held his head and hid in the shadow of a building in panic.
The patrolling police car slowly slid past.
When the light of the revolving light disappeared into the distance, Rin could finally breathe a sigh of relief. She carefully took out the magic pointer.
The pointer's reaction surprised her.
Normally, the needle would just sway and tremble, but tonight it was busy spinning in circles. It was the first time Rin had seen this phenomenon, and the needle seemed to be out of control, casting a shadow on Rin's heart.
Just when she was at a loss, a man appeared in her sight.
The man was wearing a fancy purple shirt, and the metal ornaments on his neck and waist were shining with a cold luster. His smile looked very sunny, but for some reason, Rin always felt that this man was very dangerous, just like those dangerous magic books in her father's workshop.
When Rin first came into contact with magic, she was curious and wanted to open one of the magic books, but she was almost possessed by an evil spirit. This man gave her the same feeling as he did at that time.
Lin held her head and huddled in the shadows, hoping not to be discovered by this man.
The man indeed did not notice that anyone was looking at him, his attention was entirely focused on the boy next to him.
The boy was about the same age as Rin, with droopy eyelids and looking very tired.
The man held the boy's hand and said gently: "Come on, walk carefully."
However, this seemingly warm scene made Lin feel that something was wrong.
When the man disappeared from her sight, Rin naturally looked down at the magic pointer.
The needle stopped moving. The tip of the needle seemed to be frozen, pointing into the alley without moving.
There was something in that place, an abnormal thing that clearly radiated magic.
"... ... "
Isn't this what you're looking for
It was a lucky start to find the clue so quickly.
Lin plans to search all the suspicious places in Shinto to confirm Qin Yin's location one by one, and now she has found the first location.
Rin swallowed unconsciously, stared at the direction of the magic pointer, and tiptoed into the depths of the alley.
Because she was too focused, she ignored the situation around her. While walking, her body accidentally hit the trash can in the middle of the alley, and the shaking of the trash can hit the garbage bags piled on the side, which overturned and scraped the broom and mop on the side.
Crash.
Plop.
Clang.
A series of sounds echoed in the deserted alley at night, exceptionally clear.
Lin was frightened by the sudden sound. She trembled and huddled behind the trash can, watching like a thief to see if anyone would discover her.
I don’t know if it’s because the alley is too remote or if Lin is lucky, but such a loud noise didn’t attract other people’s attention.
Lin breathed a sigh of relief, and repeatedly told himself to be careful and to always remain calm and elegant.
Rin walked through the roadblock of debris and cleaning tools with difficulty and silently, and arrived at the other side of the alley.
She saw the same man again, with the same uncomfortable smile and the same way of holding the boy's hand. The difference was that the boy he was holding was changed from one to two.
"Two?" Lin widened her sapphire eyes, "How can there be more children?"
Once again, the magic pointer was confirmed. The pointer moved as the man moved. This man was the source of the magic.
Magic, magician, abduction... these words flashed alternately in Rin's mind.
She remembered the "Holy Grail War" her father had mentioned.
She remembered talking to her mother about Qin Yin during dinner and her mother's hesitant answer.
Rin doesn't want to forget Kotone, nor will she ignore her friends. She is a member of the Tousaka family with an ancient history, and she must have the courage to prove that she is capable of becoming her father's successor.
"No, how can I hide? I can't do anything like this!"
Lin kept encouraging herself, and finally her courage overcame her fear of the unknown. She clenched her fists and walked out of the alley, trotting forward following the guidance of the magic pointer.
Lin walked through the shopping street lined with signs and ran through the planned area that had not yet been built, and came to a bar street with flashing neon lights.
This is a place for adults, not a place for underage children. But the pointer clearly pointed here, and Rin didn't pay attention to where he was.
The pointer began to spin again, and the dial kept vibrating, making her hands numb.
This time Rin had no doubts, she knew the reason for the pointer's rotation was different from before.
Because the target is below, the horizontal pointer doesn't know which direction to point.
"Found it!"
Rin held the magic pointer in one hand and two crystal pieces that served as weapons in the other, and walked into the dim staircase.
At the end of the stairs was an unlocked basement. With the residual light from the fire lights and emergency passage lights, Lin saw the neatly arranged tables, chairs and items inside. It seemed to be an underground bar that had closed down.
The storage room was eerily quiet; the faint sound of the magic pointer turning could be heard clearly here.
"It seems like there's no one here." Rin whispered in a voice that only she could hear and walked into the bar.
Suddenly, she felt something touching her ankle, soft and warm.
It was a person, a girl about the same age as herself, wearing a uniform that she was very familiar with, the same uniform that she wore to school every day.
Rin turned the motionless girl over and saw the girl's face clearly. The face was more familiar than the uniform.
"Qinyin!"