Brain Eater (12)

"Goodbye. You stay safe, too."

She picked up her cup and sniffed it carefully, as if she really were checking what coffee mixed with sedatives smelled like. The next moment, Loretta raised her cup to Fu Qian.

"Goodbye. If you run into Bernard, say hello to him for me."

"...Thank you for the good wishes."

Loretta smiled faintly and drained her cup.

Almost at once, she lost consciousness and slumped over the table, reacting exactly like Nancy had.

At least this time, the real her had gotten to sleep here.

He could tell her the good news next time.

Fu Qian also took a sip of coffee, reflecting to himself.

And the mission really hadn't failed!

"Another one down."

He looked at Kelly.

Everything had changed too quickly. Kelly, who had been on the verge of losing her temper, suddenly deflated. Now she stared at him in disbelief.

"You know Loretta?"

"I do."

Fu Qian didn't explain further.

He'd noticed this the last time he visited Bee Monkey City. Kelly didn't seem to know who he was.

In fact, no one in Bee Monkey City knew him except Loretta and Bernard.

His understanding was that destroying the Golden Needle had caused Bee Monkey City's chaotic existence to "collapse," leaving behind only the reality in which no accidents had ever happened.

As an element of that chaos, he hadn't truly existed in the townspeople's awareness.

Loretta and Bernard were exceptions, freaks who were themselves chaotic by nature. Loretta was even the source of Bee Monkey City's chaos.

"So are we going to Hajima Shiki now?"

Fu Qian had done such an excellent job with the task that he was in a position to take the lead. Kelly swallowed her frustration and quietly asked what he wanted to do.

In theory, it