Fishing Hyacinth with a Straight Hook

In Nightingale's plan, someone needed to deliberately become one of the missing.

This person needed a tough physique, the combat ability to fight back against any threat and push the investigation forward, unique magical characteristics that could be used for tracking, and, if possible, the ability to find, rescue, and shelter the missing...

"Taken together, Hyacinth, you're the only one who has all of those qualities," Nightingale said.

"Th-th-th-that can't be right!" Hyacinth tried to argue reasonably. "Didn't we already take down the culprit? Even if I deliberately go missing, where are we supposed to find a new criminal?"

"You just need to wait in that alley. I'm certain there's a seventy percent chance the new culprit will show up there again," Nightingale said with a firm nod.

Hyacinth looked to Iris with pleading eyes.

Nightingale was the undisputed tactical core of the team, as well as its most dependable idea machine. Her plans had been tested countless times and were absolutely reliable—the process just might not always be pretty.

This plan, however, seemed especially terrifying.

"...Don't look at me. There's nothing I can do either," Iris said, shrugging and spreading her hands.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit and Shuo Ye had even fewer options. The former had happily wanted to go with Hyacinth, but Nightingale rejected it with, "Two people might run into trouble, so no." She was currently huddled in a corner, dejectedly playing on her phone.

And so, unable to outstubborn Nightingale, Hyacinth had no choice but to accept this seemingly dangerous proposal—

At some point, she would head to the alley where the disappearances had occurred and stay there alone until the new culprit appeared and actively pulled her into the strange space where the missing people were being held.

But upon further thought, Hyacinth realized that she really was