Late at night in mid-August.
Abydos District, already becoming increasingly deserted due to worsening desertification, appeared even more barren under the combined effects of geography, weather, and time. There were barely even any delinquents left wandering the streets.
And yet, in a place like this, a lazy humming voice completely out of place echoed beneath the night sky.
"Hmm hmm hmm∼ where's a good place for a nap∼"
I glanced at the girl beside me helplessly.
"At this hour, I don't think it counts as a nap anymore."
The pink-haired heterochromatic-eyed girl I had just complained to responded with a sly grin.
"Oh my, that's where you're mistaken, sensei. A nap isn't something so inconvenient, you know? As long as you want it to be, any time can become nap time."
"Feels like I've heard you say something similar before."
After thinking for a moment, I sighed nostalgically.
"Come to think of it, it really is kind of nostalgic. It's already been nearly half a year since the last time we patrolled together, huh?"
To be more precise, that had only happened back when I first arrived here. Afterward, whenever work brought me to Abydos overnight, I usually just stayed over at someone's house instead.
Hearing that, Hoshino raised an eyebrow, her smile becoming even more teasing.
"What's wrong? Missing the days when this ojisan would sass you nonstop again? Uhee∼ no good, no good, that kind of perverted hobby is absolutely no good."
"Hehe, what nonsense are you talking about?" I chuckled. "Usually would be one thing. But today... you were the one who suggested we 'patrol.'"
As I said that, I gave the rope wrapped around my hand a tug.
The collar around Hoshino's neck immediately tightened, and she let out a dramatic little yelp before collapsing into my arms, rubbing herself against me while giggling happily.
As I casually stroked her hair, I sighed inwardly.
Where exactly had that arrogant, unruly Hoshino gone, the one who looked down on others and constantly made sarcastic remarks every few days, with nothing going for her except a somewhat attractive appearance?
After confirming with me that there still wasn't any legitimate reason lately to go into the desert and cause trouble for Binah and Kaiser PMC, she casually mentioned having found a pitiful little puppy abandoned by its owner on the roadside and asked me to help buy a pet collar.
Then when I arrived at Abydos and asked where the dog was, she mysteriously leaned close to my ear and whispered.
"Woof∼"
All I could say was, once girls reached adolescence and started learning how to fawn over the owner they liked, this sort of thing happened.
Thankfully, thanks to Ako's selfless contributions, I already had fairly rich experience training dogs and had vaguely guessed what was going on, so I specifically picked out a suitable one beforehand.
Since the props were now fully prepared, Hoshino and I briefly discussed things and decided that, in order to maintain peace and stability within the Abydos Autonomous District, we would head out together late at night for the first time in a long while and conduct a patrol that differed slightly from the original format.
In any case, after greedily rubbing against me for quite some time, the petite pink-haired girl finally left my embrace reluctantly and continued walking beside me while chatting idly.
And naturally, the topics we discussed were mostly school-related matters.
Bearing the responsibility of protecting both the school and her underclassmen, Hoshino's world was confined to a tiny corner. The only ones who existed within it were the members of the Foreclosure Task Force, who had promised to advance and retreat together without leaving anyone behind, along with me, the person she was currently deeply in love with.
Even though most of what she talked about was fairly ordinary, I still listened with great interest, because the person sharing her everyday life with me wasn't just anyone.
It was Hoshino.
And the people involved in the stories she often told weren't strangers either, but the other girls of the Foreclosure Task Force.
"Nonomi's weight seems to have gone up again... ah, wait∼ Sensei, look!"
Hoshino's eyes suddenly lit up as she pointed toward a corner nearby.
"There's a coin over there∼"
As soon as she said that, she jogged over and picked it up. After carefully examining it, she happily narrowed her eyes.
"Uheh∼ it's real! To think I'd actually find money in a place this deserted. Today really is a lucky day∼!"
After being dragged forward several steps by her, I looked at the scene that I'd already witnessed several times over the past few days and scratched my cheek, wondering whether this really counted as "luck."
Going by the description, I supposed it did.
My thoughts drifted back to two days ago.
After confessing to Haruka in the flow of the moment, the card in my chest pocket emitted waves of heat and granted me a brand-new ability.
—
Fixed Authority: [Golden Rule]
Description: The holder will possess fortune that makes them unlikely to suffer from financial troubles.
Source: Successful capture of Igusa Haruka
—
At first glance it seemed wonderful, but there was one problem.
As the person in charge of Schale, I wasn't exactly short on money to begin with. Even if I occasionally had huge expenses, I could always come up with an excuse and ask Aoi-chan to reimburse it through official funds.
The people who truly needed this ability were the very Haruka who had granted it to me, along with Problem Solver 68, the group she belonged to, who had once been reduced to sleeping in parks and sharing a single bean sprout bento between four people.
Although their financial situation had improved somewhat lately, it still made me wonder whether my assumptions had been wrong, or whether the card had simply given me another mismatched ability.
But thinking about it carefully, Haruka really had experienced finding large amounts of cash and important items before, so this authority at least wasn't entirely without basis.
So perhaps there was someone dragging down the other three through sheer force of personality alone?
I wouldn't specifically name which but I'm very sure it was Aru tho.
Incidentally, checking this authority had also triggered another one of the madman's whispers.
[Do unto others as you would have them do unto you...
For this is the law and the prophets.]
It was precisely because I followed that principle that I succeeded in capturing Haruka.
In any case, I had originally been wondering how this authority would subtly influence things behind the scenes.
But as things currently stood, its effects were much simpler and more direct than I had imagined.
Namely, randomly finding coins while walking around.
As for whether that was all it did, further observation would be necessary.
Seeing Hoshino happily pocket the coin she found, I tugged the rope again and sternly said.
"Next time, tell me before you run off. Otherwise, you're going to get punished, okay?"
"An actual punishment?" Hoshino immediately looked eager.
"...Pretend I never said anything."
"Come on, let's negotiate a little more∼"
Hoshino continued pestering me playfully, but suddenly her expression shifted and her body stiffened.
Just as I wondered what was wrong, I heard the crisp, incredibly familiar ringing of a bicycle bell approaching from the distance.
The next moment, a wolf-eared girl riding a road bike appeared at the intersection ahead. She was just about to pass by when she turned her head, noticed us, and abruptly braked with a slight frown.
"Sensei, Hoshino-senpai?"
"...Shiroko-chan."
Hoshino glanced down at the collar around her neck before awkwardly smiling at the newcomer.
"Actually... I feel like... maybe I still have a chance to explain this...?"
Shiroko merely stared at her coldly without saying a word.