"What's wrong, Chris? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
Christina, who had been silently rubbing her arm, withdrew her gaze from the street below. She turned to Tsutomu Muranaka as he approached, and before she could speak, she put on her usual smile.
Ever since her direct confrontation with Akechi Goro had ended in failure, forcing her to activate her backup plan and expose the information that "Pramia was threatening Christina," her freedom had been further restricted. She was now almost completely unable to learn anything about the outside world.
First, she had failed against Furuya Rei. Then, a few casual deductions had restricted her personal freedom. Now, she had even been forced onto a path where she lived entirely under surveillance—supposedly for protection, but in reality little different from imprisonment...
And the culprits were all very young people.
Pramia was irritated. So irritated that she was nearly unable to maintain her mask. Before speaking each time, she had to remind herself to smile, lest her true emotions spill through the cracks in this human skin.
"No. I just thought... even at a time like this, this place is still beautiful."
She raised her left hand and pressed it against the broad floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the crowded pedestrians and shifting lights below with a smile at the corner of her lips.
It truly was beautiful, like a flower bud on the verge of blooming, carrying the delightful anticipation of something yet to unfold...
"It was so foggy during the last drill. I didn't expect it to be this beautiful once the weather cleared up..."
Mori Kogoro, standing nearby, chimed in.
The smile on Christina's face faded slightly.
Young people were annoying. Older ones were no better.
"Thank you so much for your trouble, Mori Detective. You even took time