Overtime People, Overtime Soul

In the late night of Shinjuku, Furuya Rei walked through the dance floor thick with the scent of perfume, pulled down his hat brim, and sat down at the bar.

"Is the plan going smoothly, Mr. Furuya?" the man next to him, Yuya Kazami, dressed in a suit, asked while covering his mouth with his glass.

"A glass of Scotch whisky," Furuya Rei said, raising his hand to the bartender, then glanced at Yuya Kazami. "Everything is going smoothly for now, but the plan to transfer Tang Ze Zhao needs to be accelerated."

Yuya Kazami was taken aback and asked nervously, "Has something changed?"

"He might really hold the key technology," Furuya Rei recalled Tang Ze's demeanor from the evening, tapping his fingertips on the table. "Even if I'm just an 'intermediary' to him now, he avoided discussing his parents' research. That in itself says a lot."

Yuya Kazami swirled his glass, dejected. "But the investigation progress is slow. We've only found a few minor thugs, and information on the higher-ups is still unclear. The headquarters is short-handed in Kyoto. If we proceed with the transfer now, the risk of exposure is very high."

Furuya Rei took his drink, his expression not relaxed. "Regarding Rye, I've found out about their recent action plan. He's going on a mission with Gin in a few days, and there will be a gap in the surveillance of Tang Ze Zhao. This is the best time to transfer him, fleeting."

Yuya Kazami, who had been working overtime all day, held his forehead, feeling like he'd be living at the Metropolitan Police Department for the next few days.

One moment it was anonymous online communication, the next it was constant news of solving cases and rescuing people. This guy was really too restless. Now, just seeing the name Tang Ze made Yuya Kazami's heart palpitate reflexively, giving him a bad premonition that he'd work himself to death.

But facing his devilish superior's scrutinizing gaze, he could only grit his teeth and reply, "I understand. I'll start carrying it out as soon as possible."

"How's the investigation of the Tang Ze family residence ruins going?" Furuya Rei showed no intention of letting his subordinate off the hook and moved on to the next task.

"We didn't find anything useful. Before the fire, the house was likely already emptied out."

"Furniture, personal belongings, books, and documents – those things take up considerable space. Didn't their moving operations attract the attention of the neighbors?"

"During those days, there was a construction accident nearby. Workers dug up the residents' cables due to a drawing error, and municipal trucks were entering and exiting the entire block. No one noticed the moving activity."

Impeccable. Furuya Rei's expression turned grim as he speculated whose handiwork this might be.

To mobilize so many connections and go to such lengths just to crush a minor was beyond the scope of simply seeking technology. These operations likely involved not only the Organization's needs but also the personal inclinations of those in charge. The responsible members might have had a personal vendetta against Tang Ze's parents and were using the Organization's resources to torment Tang Ze Zhao in various ways to vent their anger.

The more he thought about it, the more difficult Tang Ze Zhao's situation seemed.

He didn't continue the conversation with Yuya Kazami; they both silently finished their drinks.

Furuya Rei was the first to get up, put down the money for the drinks and the tip, pushed it to the edge of the bar, and turned to leave.

After Furuya Rei had completely departed, Yuya Kazami reached under the bar counter where he had been sitting, pulled down a folder containing papers, and stuffed it into his briefcase.

This was the recording of Furuya-san's conversation with Tang Ze Zhao after dinner, along with a rough profile of the case personnel based on Tang Ze Zhao's description. The thin folder didn't feel heavy in his hand, but it made Yuya Kazami's back slump.

Why was his work only increasing? This painful overtime life...

While the two night owls met up at the bar, Tang Ze, who had fallen into a deep sleep, was in his own bar.

He stared at Lavenza with unfriendly eyes and gritted out, "I'm Shuichi Akai's cousin, and Shiho Miyano's cousin. Quite a surprise, huh?"

Lavenza leaned on the bar, his shoulders shaking with laughter. "Isn't that great? You don't even need to find ways to bump into them; your Tarot cards are flying towards you one after another."

"Well, thank you very much for that!" He slapped the table impatiently, then took a breath and became a little more serious. "It seems you know much more than I do. So, it's true that I'm not the one with Persona abilities, but the original 'Tang Ze Zhao' had the talent to awaken them. My parents' research really worked, didn't it?"

Lavenza said that whatever Tang Ze knew, he knew, but it seemed his Velvet Room assistant definitely held some information he didn't know now.

It was possible that these were memories of Tang Ze Zhao that hadn't surfaced. Tang Ze couldn't recall them, but Lavenza might know them clearly.

What's more, Lavenza might not have appeared as a Velvet Room resident after Tang Ze's transmigration. Perhaps Tang Ze Zhao already possessed the "unruly" trait unique to protagonists, and Lavenza had been watching him all along.

"Don't always think of yourself as an interloper. Perhaps the overwhelmed 'Tang Ze Zhao' actively gave up on himself and chose you," Lavenza poured him a drink and said casually, "Being a guest of the Velvet Room isn't an easy task either. Just like you now, my guests are not qualified to dream."

"Trading one's life for a beautiful dream?" Tang Ze looked at the glass filled with whisky and sighed. "Speaking of which, Velvet Room residents also have Tarot cards, right? What's your Tarot, Lavenza?"

Lavenza, standing behind the bar, turned around and looked down at Tang Ze.

Tang Ze looked up, gazing at those dazzling golden eyes. At this moment, Lavenza looked somewhat like Amuro Tooru, who had spoken to him with a mask during the day. He was smiling, but upon closer inspection, there was a cold, distant feeling.

"You are familiar with these rules, a player transcending the game. What do you think my Tarot would be?"

"If I guess wrong, will you not give me the Tarot?" Tang Ze countered with a smile.

Lavenza simply said, "Just try to guess."

Tang Ze rested his chin on his hand and thought for a moment, then slowly said, "'Judgment.' I guess you are 'Judgment.'"

This was a very important Tarot card, often related to major plot twists, significant life turning points, and the conclusion of the "Fool's" Great Arcana journey.

But now, Tang Ze couldn't find a character from the Conan universe who could have such a major impact on the plot and be considered a turning point. So, who else was suitable to hold this indispensable card?

Lavenza smiled and bowed to Tang Ze.

The contract words, which usually echoed directly in Tang Ze's ear like a whisper, were now spoken by Lavenza himself.

"I am you... and you are me..."

"Here, you receive a new pact."

"The pact is called,"

"The wings of freedom sought by breaking the shackles."

"I, the first birth of the Judgment mask, am blessed by the wind."

"To soar towards the final destination, with even greater assistance..."

[cooperation Lavenza]

[Arcana Judgment Rank 1]

[……]

[Acquired Skill "Third Eye"]

Tang Ze propped his chin on his hand, watching as the blue Tarot card leaped between them and floated in the air, slowly spinning.

"As I thought, you wrote those comments for the assistants, didn't you, Lavenza?" Tang Ze pointed at the description, which only contained an ellipsis.

"I couldn't be bothered to make them up. You can handle it yourself if you want to write them," Lavenza said, collecting the empty wine glass Tang Ze had finished, his demeanor completely nonchalant.

Tang Ze tapped the six dots, erasing them from the frame, and then drew in the air with his fingertip for a moment before shrugging. "I'll let it slide since the skills you gave me are quite practical."

Lavenza glanced at the crookedly written words and clicked his tongue in distaste, but he didn't bother to correct them.

[Thank you very much then, Lavenza.]