"Ah-choo!"
At 15 Minsk Street, Klein was preparing for his next commission in the living room when he suddenly let out an enormous sneeze for no apparent reason.
Why did it feel like someone was talking about me behind my back? he muttered under his breath.
Klein carefully wiped the brand-new camera in his hands. It was a crucial tool for this commission.
Over the past two days, his landlady, Mrs. Stalin, had introduced him to another job catching a cheating spouse. He needed to use this camera to photograph decisive evidence of her friend's husband having an affair.
"Sigh..." Klein couldn't help sighing. Why were all his jobs like this?
Still, at least the pay was fairly generous this time. It was just that taking private jobs like this always felt a little...
While Klein was considering how to take the photographs without alerting his target, Ilyin slowly came down from the second floor.
"What's our great detective thinking about?" she asked with a smile, leaning against the banister.
"I was just thinking about some detective work." Klein immediately adopted a serious expression.
"Oh? Looks like someone's taking private jobs outside the Guild again," Ilyin said with a grin.
Well...
Klein's hands briefly froze as he wiped the camera.
Seeing this, Ilyin continued to twist the knife. "I heard someone botched a commission at the Guild just a few days ago.
"And now he's sneaking out to take private jobs again. If the higher-ups found out..."
After a few seconds of thought, Klein replied in a businesslike tone, "My identity as a detective is part of my cover. So even if the higher-ups find out, I won't be in trouble."
"Besides," he paused before adding, "you're living here too. I have to find some way to earn the rent."