Jodie said, "When I was cleaning out a cabinet earlier, I found some in the corner, so I brought them along to keep them from expiring and going to waste..."
Halfway through, seeing James's expression, she belatedly realized that something was wrong.
Under her superior's gaze, Jodie awkwardly scratched her cheek with a bent finger. "I noticed you don't drink coffee often, so I assumed you didn't really like it... Uh, you don't like those, right?"
James said, "..."
He took a deep breath and, like a mature old man, chose to endure. "Since the play was interrupted by the Murder Case not long after it began, they probably haven't sold out of coffee yet. Where's the rest of it?"
Jodie's voice grew quieter. "The police took it away, along with the machine. They said it was evidence..." Seeing her superior's expression, she immediately changed her story. "But it's not a big problem! We should be able to get it back soon."
James said, "..."
Jodie secretly glanced at him and tried a diversion. "Um, there's some bad news..."
James's hand holding the cup trembled slightly, though his expression remained calm. "Go on."
Jodie pointed at Akai Shuichi. "We lost a handgun. At the venue just now."
James fell silent.
As the person involved, Akai Shuichi remained fairly calm. "If I'd known, I should have put a Locator on the gun. Maybe I can try that next time."
James's eye twitched. You still want there to be a next time?! I haven't even figured out how to explain this incident to the Tokyo Police yet!
He pressed hard at his temple and silently reviewed the glorious records of these two agents ten thousand times before barely managing to suppress his irritation. Everyone made mistakes; even the best agents had their