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"Who's this pretty boy?"

Looking at the young man before her, Duanmu Ai raised an eyebrow and asked. Niijima Makoto, meanwhile, looked somewhat embarrassed. The pretty boy across from them, however, didn't seem to mind at all. He merely smiled.

"Ah, hello. My name is Akechi Goro. I'm something of a detective."

"A detective..."

Duanmu Ai looked him up and down, then withdrew her gaze without the slightest interest, as if she couldn't be bothered to speak with him. Akechi Goro simply smiled before turning to Niijima Makoto.

"Niijima, I've heard about what the two of you did. I never thought you'd actually dare to challenge the yakuza on their own turf. That takes quite a bit of courage."

"No, this... How should I put it? I was just going along with the situation..."

At that, Niijima Makoto became even more awkward. After all, she had been caught by the other side, and only went to meet their boss because Duanmu Ai had set things up. Obviously, she was too embarrassed to explain that directly to Akechi Goro.

"Courage is good, but you should still pay attention to the means and methods you use. Sae will worry about you."

As he spoke, Akechi Goro glanced at his watch.

"Well, I have something to do. I'll be going first."

After saying that, he nodded to the two of them, then turned and left.

Watching Akechi Goro's departing figure, Duanmu Ai let out a cold snort.

"That pretty boy is suspicious."

"Huh? Duanmu?"

Hearing that, Niijima Makoto couldn't help freezing in surprise.

"Suspicious?"

"According to my experience, anyone who's a little too handsome and always wears a smile that doesn't reach his eyes is no good."

Duanmu Ai said it casually, then turned around.

"All right, let's go."

"Uh..."

Faced with Duanmu