Chapter 64

Efnir gazed into the distance through the car window.

Whether by coincidence or not, the direction of eleven o'clock is exactly the direction of her preparation room.

Efnir frowned slightly.

"But before that, I'd like to take a look around here first."

Takuma Yanase looked up from the computer screen, glanced at the half-collapsed entrance to the venue, and asked, "Naoto, is it okay to go in from here?"

"No problem," Efnir glanced around. The stadium didn't seem to be in the reconstruction phase yet. Occasionally, people in charge of the investigation would pass by, but otherwise, there was no one else. It was unusually quiet. "However, cars can't get in, so we'll have to walk."

"It's alright, with you leading the way, let's go in."

84. Necklace

Efnir accompanied Takuma Yanase as they collected data at the venue. After gathering data at the site of Efnir's battle with the Apostle, they followed the direction calculated by Takuma Yanase and traversed the venue until they arrived at the base of a building.

Takuma Yanase glanced at the computer screen, then looked up.

"It's right here."

Following Takuma Yanase's gaze, Efnir discovered that the place Takuma Yanase was pointing to was her preparation room.

She frowned slightly but didn't say anything more.

"Let's go up."

The third floor is where the preparation room is located.

The preparation room is where Efnir met Yukina, who was in Synchronization with "Fifina".

This was also the place where Efnir finally made the decision to abandon the past and reveal everything about herself to Yukina. After that, her relationship with Yukina progressed subtly and bumpily until last night.

After the battle, Efnir never came back here, but unexpectedly, only three days later, she stood in front of the preparation room again.

Three days can feel both long and short; Efnir felt a little dazed.

But without a doubt, as long as her younger sister is happy and willing, she doesn't care what she does.

"Where is this place? Why are there so many of your posters on the walls?"

At this moment, her mother, Kaoru Yanase, looked around and suddenly asked a question.

"This... is my preparation room before performances, and also my dressing room..."

No wonder...

Kaoru Yanase didn't seem to have any particular thoughts on this; she simply sighed and put down her suitcase.

The door to the preparation room was already damaged, hanging askew on the door frame. The glass outside the corridor and opposite was shattered, its Shard scattered on the ground. The furnishings and items inside showed no Trace of being touched by the investigators; they remained in the same messy state as before.

Because the site was sealed off, no one had even bothered to clean it up, and ordinary investigators wouldn't deliberately keep an eye on it. Their focus was on the secret passage opened by Yukina and the area where Efnir fought the Apostle.

"Let me see if I can find anything..."

Takuma Yanase squatted down on the spot, opened the suitcase in his hand, and began typing on the keyboard.

Just then, Efnir's phone rang.

The caller ID shows Masaki Hina.

"Commander?"

Efnir was somewhat surprised.

I had just left the organization's headquarters when I received a call from Masaki Hina. Could it be that they'd found out about my parents' affair?

"What's wrong?"

Her father cast a questioning glance at her. Efnir thought for a moment, shook her head, and said, "It's nothing, Dad, Mom, I need to take this call."

Go ahead.

Although she didn't know why Masaki Hina would suddenly call at this time, Efnir knew that, given Masaki Hina's personality, she would never do such a thing unless it was something very important.

I don't know if it's related to my parents' work, but I need to find out.

So Efnir didn't delay. She stepped back a few paces, not far away, and pressed the answer button next to the broken door panel.

"This is Efnir."

"Efnir, you went to the United Hospital yesterday, didn't you?"

On the other end of the phone, Masaki Hina went straight to the point, asking questions at breakneck speed.

"I've been there."

"You must have something to discuss with Nishizaki Yuki, right? Was she still in the hospital when you left? How was she feeling at the time?"

"Nishizaki Yuki?"

She wasn't asking about her parents, but rather about Nishizaki Yuki, which made Efnir feel slightly relieved but also puzzled.

Although Nishizaki Yuki occasionally does astonishing things because of her experiments, Masaki Hina usually doesn't concern herself with such trivial matters. What's wrong with her today?

A bad feeling rose in Efnir's heart. With some suspicion, she answered honestly, "She seemed normal when I met her yesterday. I even spoke to her before I left. After that, I got on the elevator, and I don't know what happened after that."

"Is that so... Efnir? I have some bad news to tell you..."

Masaki Hina's somber tone caused Efnir to frown slightly.

"What... happened to her?"

"Nishizaki Yuki has disappeared, along with Uzuki Saori and Shiina Rin."

As soon as Masaki Hina finished speaking, Efnir was stunned.

"What did you say? Missing? When did this happen?"

"Yesterday evening," Masaki Hina replied, "The hospital's surveillance footage shows that after you left, Uzuki Saori went to her office, and then they left the hospital together with Shiina Rin, who was in a coma. After that, they seemed to have disappeared. We can't find them on street surveillance cameras or anywhere else. We've tried many methods to contact them, but we can't. I think they've probably deliberately avoided us."

"How could this be...?"

"Efnir, not many people know about this right now. As you know, Shiina Rin is currently a 'Numbered Subjects' who must be under surveillance, and her condition is still very unstable. Her escape from surveillance is a very serious matter for the organization. Furthermore, Nishizaki Yuki's actions of overstepping the organization by issuing a discharge certificate without authorization and taking Shiina Rin away are also a major problem that cannot be ignored. To put it bluntly, her career will be over."

Masaki Hina said earnestly, "Of course, I trust her character. She would never do such a thing. The investigation into this matter has officially begun, and an investigation team has been dispatched to the hospital. I'm calling you to ask for your help. You know both Nishizaki Yuki and Uzuki Saori better than I do, and you were one of the last people to appear at the scene. I hope you can assist with the investigation and provide me with any clues you deem valuable."

"I..."

As Efnir was deep in thought, a startled cry came from behind her father.

"Xun! Look, I found it! This is undoubtedly a preservation of 'Trace'!"

Takuma Yanase excitedly placed his suitcase on the ground and called to Kaoru Yanase. Efnir looked in the direction of the voice and saw her father kneeling on the ground with an excited expression. He hurriedly put on gloves and carefully picked up a box from the ground.

That is...

Efnir's pupils contracted slightly as she looked at the familiar little square box.

That was the gift Saori had given her, saying it was a present from Shiina Rin, who had specifically instructed her not to open it immediately. Efnir had placed it on the table at the time, but after the battle, Efnir forgot all about it.

Takuma Yanase carefully opened the box. Inside was a gray, Crystal -like object with a chain attached to it.

It turned out to be a necklace.

85. Inquiry

He gently held the Crystal necklace in his hand.

If this necklace were in anyone else's hands, it would be an ordinary necklace without anything special about it. But after testing it with the instruments in his hand, he was very certain that this thing was inseparable from the Apostle.

"There are strong 'Trace' on this, Xun. I think our gains this time have far exceeded our expectations."

Meanwhile, on the other side, Efnir held her phone, listening to her parents' conversation, her brows furrowed tightly.

This "gift" would probably have gone unnoticed by anyone if her parents hadn't been here. Currently, only her parents in the Human Alliance can detect the "Trace" left by the Apostle.

It's safe to say that if it weren't for her parents, Efnir would never have noticed anything unusual about it.

She held the phone to her cheek, her gaze turning somewhat somber.

"Chufei, no matter what, focus on finding clues about Saori. If she appears... keep a close eye on her."

At noon, Efnir drove the Yanase couple to a Western restaurant she frequented and booked a private room for their meal.

But what happened that morning kept replaying in Efnir's mind.

She pursed her lips, furrowed her brows, and kept recalling the brief moment she had crossed paths with Saori that day.

"... Naoto, Naoto?"

"Ah?"

Suddenly snapping out of her daze, Efnir found her mother staring at her strangely in front of her.

"What's wrong? You've seemed preoccupied since earlier."

With Kaoru Yanase brought Efnir a drink and placed a napkin beside her.

"N-nothing..." Efnir quickly shook her head, then asked, "Mom, have you ordered yet?"

"Didn't you order it already?"

"Well?"

Efnir then remembered that she was the one who said she would take her parents to try the local specialties.

As a result, I forgot about it as soon as I turned around.

"You..." Kaoru Yanase sighed, "Are you still thinking about your junior?"

"Hmm... I'm somewhat concerned about it."

Efnir nodded blankly, her brow furrowed.

In Uzuki Saori Efnir a very outstanding and confident junior. She and Shiina Rin are both orphans from a welfare home. They both entered Youcheng Girls' Academy at the same time and became students there.

In ordinary times, they are two cheerful and reliable younger people. During holidays, Efnir often receives gifts and blessings from them, and during performances, their cheers and shouts can often be heard.

But after Shiina Rin was seriously injured, Uzuki Saori seemed to become a different person, becoming taciturn and her eyes lost their sparkle.

After that incident, when Efnir visited Shiina Rin in the hospital, she asked her if she would be willing to withdraw from the agency after her treatment was completed, and the answer she received was "absolutely not".

Efnir respected Shiina Rin's choice.

If she wanted, she could indeed disqualify other agents based solely on her own judgment—a unique power granted to Efnir by the organization—but Efnir had never done so before.

Efnir learned one thing from Yukina: it is arrogance to impose one's own beliefs on others.

She had been arrogant towards Yukina, which ultimately hurt Yukina.

Therefore, Efnir has not stripped Fengling Shiyin of her identity as her agent, and similarly, she will never disregard Shiina Rin's thoughts and deprive her of her ideals.

This is a sign of respect for the warriors who hold this position. For Shiina Rin, the identity of the agent is more than just a simple identity; it is a testament to her existence in this world and her only wish.

The same applies to Efnir. Efnir's initial motivation for joining the agent was, of course, for herself and for her sister. But as she has come this far, she is no longer the girl who was pursuing a simple goal. Everyone is bound by countless ties.

This is both a shackle that hinders their progress and a source of strength in their fight; for the agents, it is an inseparable part of themselves.

So, what about for Saori...?

Efnir had no way of knowing.

"Naoto, since your commander said he would do everything in his power to find the child, you don't need to worry anymore."

"She was my comrade-in-arms and also my junior. I do have some reservations about her situation..."

Just then, her phone vibrated, and Efnir picked it up.

It was a text message from Yukina.

("Did you eat lunch properly, sister? Or are you missing Yukina like I am, who is thinking of you right now?")