It wasn't late-night programming yet, was it?

A small room lit by an incandescent light.

"Name."

"Luo Shu."

"Age."

"Eighteen."

"Where are you from?"

"Fujian, China."

"Where did you get the gun?"

"My superior gave it to me."

"Which superior? Which division leader in the Fuqing Gang? Or was it the Hongmen?"

"Officer, could you stop slandering me? I'm a perfectly legal international student."

Luo Shu stared speechlessly at the female inspector before him, her short hair curled inward at the ends. If the tall, skinny male officer earlier hadn't gotten her name wrong, she should be Miwako Sato.

Great, am I going to run into Conan today? Did I transmigrate into Conan's world as the murderer?

While Luo Shu was silently griping, Miwako Sato raised her hand and slammed it onto the desk with a bang.

"A legal international student? What kind of legal international student shoots someone dead in the street?"

Hearing that, Luo Shu felt like he'd freaking screwed Eriri. Who could have known that the guy whose hands turned into beast claws would have normal hands again after he died? It left him with no way to argue when the police at the local station questioned him.

And then there was Mika. The guy had actually told him to stay put and wait for the police, saying they would immediately send someone to get him out. Instead of the person he'd arranged, Luo Shu got Juzo Megure and his zero-case-solving squad.

This was like freaking screwing Eriri!

Meanwhile, seeing how well Luo Shu held up under intimidation, Miwako Sato frowned and continued threatening him.

"Let me make this clear. We already have sufficient evidence to prove your crime. Unless you want to spend more than twenty years in prison, you'd better come clean."

Luo Shu couldn't help complaining, "Lady, what do you want me to tell you? I'm cooperating with you."

"Who is your superior?" Seeing that Luo Shu seemed willing to cooperate, Miwako Sato immediately asked.

Luo Shu fell silent for a moment, then answered honestly.

"Tachibana Kirika, director of the Special Records Office, the Metropolitan Police Department's seventh department. I work for her."

Bang! The blow sent water splashing out of the cup on the desk.

"Who do you think you're fooling? The Metropolitan Police Department doesn't have any department called the Special Records Office!"

"Calm down, Sato. Calm down." Seeing Miwako Sato roar, Wataru Takagi hurriedly raised his hands in surrender beside her.

"Looks like you won't talk unless I give you a taste of something."

Miwako Sato shot Wataru Takagi a look, signaling that if she really couldn't scare Luo Shu, he should stop her before she laid hands on him.

This was still an intimidation tactic. After all, they couldn't actually use violence during an interrogation. Ideally, Luo Shu would be frightened into talking. If he wasn't, Wataru Takagi could help keep things from crossing the line.

Wataru Takagi immediately caught on and was about to play along.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

The door opened, and Juzo Megure's plump figure came in with a grim expression.

"Stop the interrogation. Let him go."

"Inspector? But this man..."

Miwako Sato froze. Before she could say anything more, Juzo Megure spoke with a speechless look.

"He's one of ours from a special department. The officers below us made a mistake. The man he shot was a terrorist."

"Huh?"

Now Miwako Sato and Wataru Takagi were dumbfounded.

While they stood there stupefied, Tachibana Kirika walked past Juzo Megure with a slim cigarette between her lips. Seeing Luo Shu cuffed to the interrogation chair, she couldn't help laughing.

"We've been apart for less than two hours, and you've already landed yourself in a police station? Arrested by your own people, no less. That's quite an achievement!"

"Could you not tease me at a time like this, Director?" Luo Shu sighed helplessly. "I didn't want this to happen either."

He'd originally thought the man was just a stalker. His instincts told him the man was hostile toward him, so he'd drawn his gun to intimidate him, planning to catch him and have Mika notify the police to make the arrest. Who could have known the other guy was a "sorcerer" too? It was absurd.

"You always manage to surprise me." Tachibana Kirika chuckled, then told Juzo Megure, "Uncuff him."

"Yes, Senior Commissioner Tachibana." Juzo Megure hurriedly gave her an apologetic smile and wiped away his sweat, then shouted at Wataru Takagi, "Takagi, hurry up and take those handcuffs off!"

"Oh! Right, I'll do it now." Wataru Takagi frantically searched for the key, giving Miwako Sato a miserable look.

Both of them had heard the hint Juzo Megure had just dropped.

A senior commissioner! Second only to the Metropolitan Police Department's highest-ranking official, one of just thirty-eight in the entire island nation-the department's second-in-command, and effectively the top authority in the regions behind the scenes.

They'd arrested a direct subordinate of someone at that level. Good grief, this could ruin their careers!

Once the handcuffs came off, Luo Shu flexed his wrists, then said to Miwako Sato:

"Miss Sato, next time you want to intimidate someone, don't do it yourself. No matter how threatening you try to be, you're still pretty."

"What?" Miwako Sato froze. Before she could say anything, Luo Shu had already walked over to Tachibana Kirika.

At that moment, Tachibana Kirika took out the credentials she'd already prepared, handed them to Luo Shu, and winked.

"Don't forget your work ID next time, Inspector Luo."

Beside them, Juzo Megure's mouth twitched. He couldn't help glancing at Luo Shu's far too

youthful face, inwardly speechless.

At his age, he was only the same rank as Luo Shu. Wasn't that frustrating? Of course it was.

But there was nothing he could do. Shortly after he'd locked Luo Shu up, his superior and his superior's superior had hauled him in for a scolding, demanding to know why he'd arrested one of their own people while he was on a mission. He'd been left utterly baffled, both berated and wronged.

So at that moment, all Juzo Megure wanted was to hurry up and send this walking disaster, Luo Shu, on his way.

Seriously, if I'd known, I wouldn't have answered Shinichi's call while heading out. Every time I pick up, there's either a case or something goes wrong afterward. What the hell!

Under the watchful eyes of Juzo Megure and his subordinates, Luo Shu retrieved his confiscated belongings and followed Tachibana Kirika into her white Fuga, credentials in hand.

As soon as he got into the car, while he was still pulling his seat belt across, Tachibana Kirika took out a cigarette beside him.

"In a way, I don't know whether to call you unlucky or lucky."

Luo Shu wasn't surprised, since he'd already reported the relevant details to Tachibana Kirika through Mika.

"What organization did that guy belong to?"

"A 'Hound' from the Demon Hunters, a branch of the Golden Dawn. They're a pack of strays who specialize in tracking down anything related to demons. They're specialized search-type 'Beast Sorcerers,' with a focus on beast mimicry."

As she spoke, Tachibana Kirika picked up the handbag beside her and took out a photograph.

Luo Shu took the photo and saw an ordinary-looking young man with short hair and a dull expression.

"Nakamura Yuuichi, one of the Hounds stationed in the Eastern Capital by the Demon Hunters, a branch of the Golden Dawn. He primarily searched for objects. Recently, he'd been searching for a particular item, supposedly under orders from the Demon Hunters' higher-ups."

"That's the intelligence our undercover agent sent back."

"This is the guy I killed?" Luo Shu compared the photo with the man he'd killed earlier and frowned. "Was he following my neighbor because she had what he was looking for?"

"Just your neighbor?" Tachibana Kirika asked with a bright smile.

Luo Shu replied speechlessly, "You're overthinking it. I just happened to stumble into this. Besides, I originally thought he was an ordinary stalker. Who knew he'd be one of these 'Hounds'?"

Tachibana Kirika wasn't surprised to hear that. She simply smiled and said:

"I'm not overthinking anything. After all, you're the man who picked up my wallet. It wouldn't be strange at all for you to have luck with romantic encounters."

"Besides, I met Miss Tsubakihara before coming here. She really is an exceptional beauty, and she doesn't have any 'foreign scents' on her. Perhaps you could become the first boyfriend to leave your scent on her."

Hearing Tachibana Kirika say that, Luo Shu's face twitched several times, and he hurriedly forced a change of subject.

"Before you tease me again, explain that wallet! I heard only someone with exceptional luck could pick it up, right? That wallet you tricked me into handing over for a two-hundred-thousand thank-you payment."

"Chisato told you, didn't she?" Tachibana Kirika looked as though she'd expected it and sighed. "Although I trust that girl's judgment of people, it really is annoying when she keeps doing this."

Luo Shu didn't pursue the subject any further. Tachibana Kirika tactfully changed the topic as well.

"What Nakamura Yuuichi was tracking was a ring set with a ruby."

"Its internal designation is 'Demon Heart.'"

At this point, Tachibana Kirika's tone grew extremely serious.

"It's an 'Abyssal Artifact' that came out of the Astronomy of Truth."

"According to the information our inside source sent back, it seems to have only one function."

"Namely, hypnotizing women who have seen the ruby on the ring."

Hearing that, Luo Shu's expression became decidedly strange.

It wasn't time for late-night programming yet, was it?