Chapter 141

Therefore, in order to maximize the use of this power, this distribution method has gained the approval of the majority.

In large cities much larger than Xijing City, it is not uncommon to find two or three agents sharing the same code name, but this is not the case in Xijing City.

Efnir will temporarily refer to this unknown "Ephnel" as "X".

An agent, the third party, known as "Ephnel-X," who was active for two years before Efnir became "Ephnel" and disappeared after the "Western Capital University Specific Erosion Disaster Incident."

"Could it be a prank on you, Naoko?"

Yukina spoke up again, offering her guesses.

Occasionally, there are people who complain about Efnir, but because most people admire Efnir, these people spare no effort to smear anything about Efnir.

Of course, such people are a tiny minority, and they usually don't cause much of a stir, so no one usually pays attention to them. But as one of Efnir's biggest fans, and now also Efnir's girlfriend and sister, Yukina harbors great resentment towards those people and naturally assumes that's the case.

However, this matter is clearly not that simple.

"If it can be explained as a prank, that would be great, but I'm worried that perhaps we've all overlooked something..."

Efnir sighed softly.

The timing of the recording is of great concern.

For two years leading up to the "Western Capital University Special Disaster Incident," an agent known as "Ephnel-X" was active in Xijing City and left this record.

Most people would assume that this is a recording from the terminal of the former agent "Ephnel" before "Yanase Naoto" was involved in that particular Corruption incident. "Ephnel-X" was active in Xijing City as an agent for two years, but after that incident, the recording stopped, "Ephnel-X" disappeared, and "Yanase Naoto" became the current "Ephnel".

In other words, the assumption that "Ephnel-X" and Efnir were two people who used the same codename does not conflict with any timeline.

However, the existence of the song seems to cast doubt on this speculation. Furthermore, what Efnir is more concerned about is that an agent with the identification code "Fifina" appeared in the recording, referred to as "Fifina-X". The voice of "Fifina-X" is very similar to that of Yukina when she was in her agent form, and this song was sung by "Fifina-X".

As far as Efnir knew, for the two years before she became "Ephnel", the positions of "Ephnel" and "Fifina" were vacant, and there should not have been an "Ephnel-X" or "Fifina-X".

However... if this recording was forged by someone with ulterior motives, then that's rather perplexing.

Who exactly designed this thing, and why?

Everything was so unbelievable.

Efnir even suspected that she and Yukina had joined the organization four years ago, and then retired from their positions as agents, thus losing their memories of that time.

But this absurd speculation was quickly dismissed by Efnir.

Efnir's memories of the period between four and two years ago are very clear, without any gaps, and at that time she was still a man, so "Ephnel-X" could not possibly be herself.

But this leads to another problem.

Why did I turn into a girl in that accident two years ago?

Everything seemed to become shrouded in mystery because of this.

Efnir thought about it for a long time, but she couldn't come up with an answer no matter what she tried.

No one is special in the eyes of fate; time moves according to its course, and everything happens for a reason— Efnir firmly believed this.

Efnir tried to find the records.

The identification code was not forged, but headquarters was unable to find the document record no matter what they tried.

Of those who have been on this journey for the past four years, the only ones most likely to know these things are Qinglan and Flying Swallow, who have served for three years.

But...

They either died or disappeared; Qinglan even became Angel.

206. Missing Clues

Efnir found it hard to imagine anyone could get so many people involved in a "prank".

Perhaps a voice can be faked, but personality, tone of voice, and speaking habits cannot be faked. Even though this record has become incomplete, blurry, and filled with countless noises, Efnir still believes in her intuition—"Ephnel-X" was a real person who existed two years before she became "Ephnel".

What's even more intriguing is that "Ephnel-X's" voice is somewhat similar to Efnir's.

"Fifina-X" is particularly similar to Yukina's.

The existence of that song is particularly suspicious.

It's hard to call this a coincidence, but Efnir has absolutely no memory of it.

Therefore, Efnir pointed the clues to other people who appeared around the same time as "Ephnel-X" —Qinglan, Flying Swallow, and others had all appeared in the recordings. They were also some of the most senior agents that Efnir knew. Before Efnir obtained "Ephnel," they were already reliable seniors active in the battle.

But Efnir thought about it carefully and realized that she had never heard anything about the previous "Ephnel" from them. Strictly speaking, they had not had any contact with any "Ephnel" other than Efnir. During those two years, the position of "Ephnel" was completely vacant.

This is also a point of suspicion.

If you want to know something, you'd probably have to ask them in person, but obviously that's not possible right now.

The trail went cold with Qinglan and the others.

Besides them, former commanders, combatants, and others also appeared in the recordings. These people were the closest to the agents, had direct contact with them, knew the agents' true identities, and were the key personnel most likely to know about "Ephnel-X." However, they all died one after another in the two years of fighting.

Both Masaki Hina and Shinomiyami Nami took office after Efnir had already become "Ephnel".

However, the doubts remain unresolved.

Efnir then asked Masaki Hina to send people to inquire about some senior employees within the Orderkeepers Organization. Most of these people had no experience of direct contact with agents and could not provide any valuable clues.

Later, they contacted Fushihara Ayaka and were told that the previous "Ephnel" and "Fifina" had both died in battle four years ago, and no successors had appeared for the next two years, resulting in a long vacancy until Yukina and Efnir appeared.

This is consistent with headquarters records.

In addition, headquarters also has documents left by the predecessors, which Efnir has searched through one by one, but found nothing.

This is a very strange thing.

Further clues could not be found in the recording, which was filled with a lot of noise.

The analysis and reconstruction work is still ongoing, and the follow-up work has been taken over by Shinomiyami Nami. If we want to get any more clues, we can only wait.

Thinking about this, Efnir felt a little uneasy again.

Tonight, the new commander will arrive in Xijing City, and news of Masaki Hina's resignation and the appointment of the new commander will likely be released tomorrow.

Efnir and Masaki Hina are superior and subordinate, and also regard each other as important friends. Efnir is somewhat reluctant to see Masaki Hina leave Xijing City and return to the Central Province.

She pulled off her headphones, sighed softly, and sat up.

Yukina glanced at Efnir a few times, wanting to say something, but after thinking about it, she didn't say anything. She just turned on the hairdryer, and the hairdryer whirred as it lifted her dark hair.

Efnir watched Yukina's retreating figure in silence.

The two remained silent for a while until Yukina turned off the hairdryer, and the bedroom returned to the quiet of the night.

"Yukina, are you alright?"

Efnir spoke first.

"A little, but nothing special."

Yukina simply combed her shoulder-length hair, her gaze drifting over.

"Compared to Naoko, she's nothing."

"Do you need help?"

"Ah, no need, I can do it myself."

Yukina fiddled with her hair for a while, then walked over and sat down directly next to Efnir without changing into her nightgown.

She leaned back gently, resting on Efnir's shoulder.

"Does it hurt to lean against like this?"

"Won't."

Yukina blinked, her hair swaying, and she turned to the side, burying her face in the crook of Efnir's neck.

Efnir smells wonderful.

It has a reassuring magic, as if all the fatigue and pain of the day are soothed away in one go.

What is Naoko thinking?

Yukina's voice became ethereal.

"Nothing special, it's just that Masaki Hina is stepping down tomorrow, so it's inevitable to feel a bit sentimental."

"Yes, she's a very kind boss."

Yukina reminisced about Masaki Hina, who was even shorter than her, and spoke of her first impression of Masaki Hina.

"I've worked with her for over a year. Actually, she wasn't alone when she first came here, but then everyone else died, and now she has to go back alone."

"Naoko is considering her feelings..."

"After all, she's my best friend, and there are some things I can't easily let go of."

Efnir raised her hand and gently grasped the small hand that was restlessly rubbing against the snow-white gauze covering her waist.

Yukina had bruises on her arms, the result of a heavy blow. She also had similar marks on her thighs and waist, like flaws on white jade, which pained Efnir.

For her first battle, Yukina's performance today was very satisfactory.

But in battle, injuries are inevitable.

"No, what I really think is that, generally speaking, people would naturally consider their own feelings more, but Naoko was always thinking about other people's things."

"Because she's my friend..."

"No, that's not it."

Yukina raised her head, turned around, gently put her arm around Efnir's waist, and pushed Efnir down onto the bed.

She climbed onto the bed and slowly leaned over Efnir, strands of her hair falling gently, caressing Efnir's shoulders, neck, and cheeks.

Efnir looked up and met the gaze of Yukina on top of her.

She didn't know when it started, but she seemed less averse to Yukina's habit of pushing her down on top of her.

Even though she would accept it in her heart, Efnir would occasionally think that she should have been more proactive.

But with this body now, let alone taking initiative, being able to sleep peacefully is a blessing.

Therefore, Efnir had no desire to resist Yukina's aggression.

"Because Naoko, you're always like this, always thinking of others first."

"That's not true."

Efnir lay beneath Yukina, squinting as the light flickered.

Subconsciously shifting her gaze away from the direct light, Efnir that beneath the towel, Yukina's fair thighs came into view.

The rising steam from the bath, the smooth, pinkish, damp skin, the refreshing fragrance wafting through the air...

Yukina untied her bath towel, revealing her fair and smooth skin to Efnir.

She then realized that Yukina was only covered by a thin bath towel, and the sensation of her smooth skin pressed tightly against Xue Nai's body overwhelmed Efnir's mind.

Efnir felt a sudden wave of panic.

The intimate moments with the person before him, along with the deep, visceral thrill they evoked, awakened from the depths of his body.

Efnir snapped out of her swirling thoughts and swallowed hard.

Once you've tasted it with Yukina, you'll know it's something you can't just taste and stop.

"Naoko, you must be thinking about something lewd, right?"

"No..."

Efnir immediately looked away, but her cheeks flushed.

Yukina's gaze held a half-smile, her sly upturned lips seeming to both mock and smug.

Okay, go to sleep early... Goodnight!

As she spoke, Efnir pulled the pillow over and buried her face in it.

Yukina giggled.

"Naoko, you've taken my pillow."