"Dantai Xue?"
When I asked about that female hooligan, Mom seemed to have no idea.
Instead, Yuehan jumped in. "Oh! She left the hospital first thing this morning. Said she had to get back to mind her restaurant, and rushed right out."
Minding her restaurant, huh.
Well, that was understandable.
Her magical girl-themed restaurant had already been closed for a day. Keeping it closed today would cost her far too much.
Then again, a restaurant that couldn't operate without its owner couldn't expand any further, either. That was as far as Dantai Xue's ambitions would take her.
Still...
There were too many of us to fit in one taxi, so we had to split up.
Mom, Barbara, and I took one;
The Golden and Azura went with Yuehan in the other.
"Isn't Dad coming home?"
When I asked in the taxi, Mom answered from the front passenger seat:
"He still has plenty to do. You've heard a little about the Association's situation, haven't you?"
Had I ever. I'd experienced it firsthand at SpiCa's place that very morning.
"Then when will you two be done?"
"When we're out of a job~"
Mom shrugged, half joking. Seeing my bewildered expression, she added:
"The Inspectorate is being stripped of its authority. If we keep investigating, either the Association goes under or the Inspectorate gets disbanded. Your dad and I will lose our jobs either way, won't we?"
If things are that bad, could you stop grinning all day?
SpiCa's plan to reorganize the "Zodiac" academy was still a secret. I didn't know whether Mom had heard about it, but it wasn't something we could discuss in public.
"Oh, right."
There was the request from Miss Locust and her companions.
"Mom, you know Feistone Prison, right?"
"Yes, of course."
"Yin Wei took me there