Huiqi asked despite already knowing the answer.
"Wow, Special Class Investigator Huiqi, what a shame you took seven days off! We wrecked a mad scientist's experiment!"
"Really? That's incredible. You certainly lived up to expectations." Smiling, Huiqi clapped his hands and congratulated everyone on their success.
"Special Class Investigator Huiqi, is your family doing all right?"
"They're doing okay, I suppose. They're getting over their troubles." He answered Amon's question as he returned to his desk.
His desk was unexpectedly clean and tidy, with a large stack of documents laid out on it.
"These are the matters in Ward 20 that need checking. Since you weren't here, I put them all on your desk," Akira Mado explained.
"Oh, thanks."
Huiqi carefully read through the documents one by one. An inexplicably awkward atmosphere settled over the room, leaving Seidou Takizawa at a loss for words.
Why isn't everyone happy? Didn't we agree to celebrate?
That afternoon, Amon came to see Huiqi.
"Mr. Yukinori Shinohara... is in the hospital with serious injuries..."
"How did Shinohara get so badly hurt?" Huiqi asked in a puzzled tone.
"The Eyepatch Ghoul did it... in Akihiro Kano's laboratory."
"I see. I'll visit him after work."
Huiqi nodded. It was perfectly understandable that Amon had come to tell him about this. He was on good terms with Yukinori Shinohara, so now that he knew, he would certainly have to visit.
Meanwhile, as Akira Mado ate, questions lingered in her mind. Huiqi was acting far too strangely today. Although his conversations with everyone that morning had been normal, why was he wearing a high collar? She had never seen him wear one before. This was the first time in all the time they had worked together.
Since they were at work, Akira Mado couldn't easily ask him. She