Taking Office

The next day.

After getting a full night's sleep, Luke stretched as he came downstairs.

Shelley was doing strength training on the pull-up bar in the living room. She wore only a bandeau top, and the definition of her abs was striking.

When she saw Luke come downstairs,

Shelley dropped from the bar and picked up a towel to wipe the sweat from her body.

"Detective Chief, did you sleep well?"

"Not bad. I'm just a little hungry. Is there anything to eat?"

Luke checked the time on his phone. It was 10:00 a.m.

He'd slept until now. Of course he was hungry.

Shelley said, "I left you breakfast in the kitchen. Go ahead and eat. I'll take a shower, then take you to the Bureau to meet your subordinates."

"All right."

Shelley went upstairs to shower, while Luke headed to the kitchen.

A plate sat on the dining table. It held bread and a fried fish fillet, with a cup of coffee beside it.

Everything was cold.

It looked like Shelley had gotten up early and waited for him until now.

Hungry, Luke finished breakfast in a few bites. Shelley was quick, too. Before long, she had showered, changed, and come back downstairs.

Twisting her car key around her finger, Shelley asked, "Detective Chief, ready to go?"

"Let's go."

The real Cape District Detective Chief should have arrived by now. It was time to meet him.

Outside, Luke got on Shelley's BU953.

When they reached the clock tower, Luke told Shelley to pull over.

Shelley asked in confusion, "Detective Chief, is something wrong?"

Once the motorcycle had stopped, Luke said, "Before we go to the Bureau, I need to buy some clothes. I left some money at the top of this clock tower. Go up and get it for me."

"Yes, Detective Chief."

Shelley didn't ask any questions. She hopped off the motorcycle and began climbing the clock tower's outer wall.

Luke got off the motorcycle, too. When he spotted a hot dog stand across the street, he crossed over to it.

"How much are the hot dogs?"

An old woman was working inside. She recognized Shelley, who was climbing the wall, and knew the fearsome reputation of the Secret Intelligence Bureau's Black Mamba.

Seeing that Luke had just ridden with Black Mamba, the old woman hurriedly wrapped up a hot dog and shakily handed it to him.

"Sir, it's on the house."

On the house?

Was everyone in Cape District this hospitable?

Luke took the hot dog and bit into it. It was delicious and authentic, far better than Shelley's fried fish.

"Mm! This is great. The bread's soft, and the sausage is crisp and crunchy. You've got real talent, ma'am! From now on, prepare two for me every day..."

Ah!

When the old woman heard he wanted two hot dogs every day, she nearly burst into tears.

"S-sir, two is a bit much. My shop is small, and my two sons went out to sea and never came back. I still have three grandchildren to raise..."

"It's not like I'm not paying you."

By then, Shelley had retrieved the money Clear Sky had left there. She jumped down from the clock tower, crossed the street, and came to Luke's side.

She handed him a stack of money. "Detec—sir, you really have nerve, leaving so much money up there."

Luke took the money and counted it.

There were ten Gold Vouchers, fourteen Silver Vouchers, and 5,430 Imperial Marks.

Then he asked Shelley, "Did you used to eat people's food without paying?"

Shelley glanced at the old woman, who was trembling with fear.

"Sir, the Secret Intelligence Bureau protects people like her. Do we really need to pay for one hot dog?"

When the old woman heard Black Mamba call the unfamiliar young man "sir," she hurriedly said, "Y-yes, yes, yes... The Secret Intelligence Bureau protects us. There's no need to pay, no need to pay.

"I'll prepare two hot dogs for you every day from now on, sir. They'll all be free."

Shelley looked as if this were only natural.

Chewing on his hot dog, Luke asked Shelley, "Tell me, how exactly have you been protecting this woman?"

"?"

"Let's start with where her two sons are."

"Uh..." Shelley couldn't answer, so she asked the old woman, "Where are your sons? Have them come to the Secret Intelligence Bureau."

The old woman knew she'd gotten herself into serious trouble.

How could anyone just go to the Secret Intelligence Bureau?

Besides... they couldn't even go there!

"Miss Black Mamba, my sons went out to sea half a year ago and haven't been heard from since. I don't know if they're dead or alive..."

Shelley said to Luke, "Sir, it's quite common for people to go out to sea and never come back."

"Why didn't they come back? Are they dead, alive, or missing? Who went to sea with them? When something happens, someone has to take responsibility and give the family an explanation.

"Black Mamba, if you eat people's food for free, you have to do some work. Protection can't just be empty words.

"This is the first case I'm giving you since taking office."

When the old woman heard that Black Mamba was going to investigate her sons' disappearance, she hurriedly said, "N-no, there's no need. We can look for them ourselves."

It seemed Black Mamba's "100 percent" case-solving record was already famous.

Luke placed a ten-Mark bill on the counter.

"I'm the newly appointed Detective Chief of the Cape District Secret Intelligence Bureau. You can call me Meteor Detective Chief. I promise the people of Cape District: now that I'm here, peace will come to the district.

"Don't worry. This is the first case I'm taking on since arriving in Cape District, and I'll make sure you get an answer.

"Let's go!"

"Sir, Detective Chief!"

Shelley hadn't expected Luke to take on a case so casually. Was the Secret Intelligence Bureau, directly under the royal family, really meant to investigate missing-person cases like this?

Besides, he hadn't officially taken office yet.

But her Detective Chief had powerful connections. He could do whatever he wanted.

"Helm... Bring all the information about your sons to the Secret Intelligence Bureau this afternoon. If you're late, you know what will happen!" Shelley said to the old woman selling hot dogs, then immediately hurried after Luke.

The old woman watched as Black Mamba sped off with the young man who had called himself the Cape District Secret Intelligence Bureau's Detective Chief. Then she looked at the ten-Mark bill on the counter.

She had no idea how this would end, now that she'd gotten involved with the Secret Intelligence Bureau.

Sigh...

With money in his pocket, Luke had Shelley take him to a tailor's shop.

He ordered several outfits for different occasions, then bought a ready-made suit and changed out of his "strange clothes."

He bought a gentleman's hat at a hat shop.

He bought a pocket watch at a watch shop.

Finally, he bought a sturdy walking stick that would be handy for hitting people.

Clothes made the man, and the saddle made the horse.

Once he'd changed into his new outfit, his whole bearing had changed.

A New Detective should have a little flair when taking office.

By the time he'd bought everything he wanted, it was already noon.

Shelley drove Luke to a three-story building and stopped out front.

Two guards stood at the entrance. They saluted Shelley as soon as they saw her.

Shelley parked the motorcycle to one side and asked one of the guards, "Has anything unusual happened at the Bureau this morning?"

"Captain Black Mamba... The new Detective Chief sent over by Headquarters has arrived."

Shelley glanced at Luke beside her and continued, "Where is he?"

"On the second floor, in the Detective Chief's office..." Since someone else was present, the guard lowered his voice. "Since you weren't here, the new Detective Chief still hasn't completed the handover. He's lost his temper several times already.

"Be careful when you go up to see him. Our new Detective Chief doesn't seem to have a good temper."

Shelley said, "Got it... I'll go up and cool him down now."