Elsewhere.
Following the sound, Vodka cautiously approached. Just as he was about to arrive, he suddenly caught sight of a figure.
Vodka immediately went on alert and swiftly turned to duck behind a wall. At the same time, from the corner of his eye, he saw that figure duck behind another wall at no slower a speed than his own. That sneaky manner looked strangely familiar.
"Hm?" Vodka gradually became puzzled. "Did I see wrong just now? Was that thing over there not a person, but a mirror?"
He hesitantly poked half his head out and saw half a broad, square head slowly emerge from behind the wall opposite him, wearing a black top hat and black sunglasses perched on its nose.
"So it really is a mirror! You scared me." Vodka let out a breath, then scratched his head. "But something about the details feels off. Has it been sitting by the roadside for too long, warped by wind and rain?"
As he grumbled to himself, he prepared to continue on his way. But just then, Vodka's steps abruptly froze.
Vodka: ...Wait, I wasn't even wearing my usual outfit today! To avoid drawing Uzo's attention, I'd been wearing casual clothes whenever I acted alone these past few days... So who was that guy across from me, dressed all in black and looking exactly like me?!
Breaking out in a cold sweat, he looked over there. But the figure was already gone.
Vodka: ...
Vodka: ???
What was going on?
Had he run into a ghost in broad daylight?!
"...That scared the hell out of me."
Elsewhere, Inozuka Saburo quietly retreated. Only after withdrawing a safe distance did he finally let out a breath.
"Hashimoto suddenly called for me. That can't mean anything good—though I don't know what this