Two days later, at the Blackthorn Security Company.
"Captain, I'm requesting a day off for Silas."
Just after entering the company, before he even had time to remove his coat, Klein hurried into the captain's office and said this to Dunn.
"Taking leave? What happened to Silas?"
Dunn put down his pipe, looking surprised.
"Silas is fine. It's not him, it's his sister."
Klein shook his head.
"His sister Cecilia is that young girl we've all met. She's been targeted at school because she's too pretty. She's upset and doesn't want to go to school anymore."
However, Klein had just discovered something wrong with Silas, and now he was requesting leave.
It seemed a bit too coincidental.
But he had divined above the gray fog several times already, and the results all showed that Silas hadn't lost control and everything around him was normal.
"Someone's bullying Cecilia?"
Dunn frowned. "Why didn't Silas come to me?"
"Well, it seems it hasn't reached the level of actual bullying yet. Silas doesn't want to trouble the team over something like this."
Klein sighed. "He's already requested a week's leave from school for his sister and plans to stay home to keep her company for now, so he won't be coming in today."
"...I see. Understood."
After listening, Dunn nodded slightly. "Klein, you're Silas's neighbor. Pay more attention, and if his family has any difficulties, inform me promptly."
"Yes, Captain."
Klein thought with some emotion that the captain was truly a good leader, even if his hair was thinning...
After saying goodbye to the captain and leaving the office, he coincidentally thought of his own sister.
Because she loved machinery, Melissa attended the local Tingen Technical School. She had two good female friends, so she wouldn't be reduced to being ostracized at school.
Come to think of it, she went to the shopping district with her friends today...
A lady needs to buy a nice dress and some good jewelry before going to the theater. I hope the money I gave her is enough...
Standing in the company's sunlit lobby, the young Nighthawk suddenly felt somewhat worried.
————
"What do you think you're doing!"
On Lower Street, in front of a shabby apartment building, Klein's sister Melissa was shouting angrily.
Like Klein, she had black hair and brown eyes. With improved nutrition, her youthful face had recently gained a livelier, healthier look.
A middle-aged woman sat collapsed on the ground, her hair disheveled, her face covered in tear tracks.
Beside Melissa stood two other girls of similar age, her two friends, Selena and Elizabeth.
Elizabeth was a girl with naturally curly brown hair and a baby-faced complexion, while Selena had wine-red hair.
The two of them didn't look nearly as brave, instead appearing quite frightened.
Because surrounding them was a circle of rough-looking men.
These men were shabbily dressed with brutal demeanors. Even when Melissa scolded them, they only grinned, completely disregarding the three young girls.
Clearly, they were all thugs and hoodlums who haunted Lower Street.
"Listen here, girlie. I already told you, Mrs. Rochelle owes me money, and it's only right I collect it."
The lead thug ungraciously spat and pointed to a bloody mark on his hand. "You wanted to play hero and even hurt me.
Fine.
Pay me back what this old hag owes us, plus my medical expenses. Five pounds total. If you're not willing, you three little ladies can have some fun with us instead."
Hearing their boss say this, the gang of thugs burst into raucous laughter, their voices full of glee.
Their eyes grew dishonest as they looked at the three girls, constantly sizing up their young, youthful bodies.
The poor residents nearby only watched fearfully. No one dared step forward to help the three vulnerable young girls.
Melissa couldn't help but grit her teeth, her heart filled with regret.
It was all her fault for being too rash, getting herself and her friends into this dangerous situation...
To save money and help a former neighbor, Melissa had entrusted the making of her dress to Mrs. Rochelle, a neighbor on Lower Street.
This woman was an impoverished seamstress, but her skills were quite good. Mrs. Rochelle had already successfully made one dress for Melissa before, and the result was excellent.
So this time, to attend a performance, she took the money her brother gave her and came to commission this lady again.
Originally, she planned to place her order and then go shopping with her two friends.
But unexpectedly, they ran into a group of thugs who had come to collect a debt from Mrs. Rochelle.
Mrs. Rochelle didn't owe the thugs any money at all, but they were forcibly extorting her with their hoodlum tactics.
Melissa had stepped forward to intervene out of a sense of justice, but accidentally injured the lead thug's hand, which only led to him extorting her as well.
"Let us go, and stop bothering Mrs. Rochelle!"
Melissa tried to make her tone sound forceful. "I'm warning you, my brother's company has connections with the Tingen City Police Department. If you don't want trouble, you'd better leave now!"
"Is that so? How terrifying, hahaha!"
Although Melissa was telling the complete truth, unfortunately, the thugs didn't believe her at all.
One by one, they made exaggerated, frightened faces, then burst into laughter.
They slowly tightened their encircling ring, their smiles growing increasingly unrestrained. The three girls were forced to retreat continuously, soon backing into a deserted alley.
The exit was blocked off, leaving only this gang of thugs and the three of them.
"Get away! What do you think you're doing!"
Melissa could feel the bodies of her two friends trembling beside her. She was scared, too, but still tried to muster her courage and reproach them. "We're going to call the police! You'll all go to jail!"
"Little lady, let me tell you something nice."
The leader said with a grin. "This here's Lower Street. A few people going missing every day is perfectly normal.
Even if the police come, they won't be very dedicated. If you girls behave yourselves and we have our fun, we might just be kind enough to let you go..."
As he spoke, his hand, stained with alcohol and muddy water, reached toward the three girls' brightly colored dresses.
Klein...
Melissa clutched the protective charm her brother had carved for her, her heart filled with despair.
"Melissa? What are you doing here?"
Just then, a somewhat familiar voice rang out from outside the alley.
Melissa couldn't help but look up. Over the shoulders of several thugs, she saw the excessively beautiful face of Cecilia Londor, her neighbor from the same street.
Her brother and her own brother both worked at the same company, but because they attended different schools, the two of them rarely communicated, only greeting each other occasionally when they met at their doorsteps.
However, this neighbor's extraordinarily beautiful appearance had left a deep impression on her.
Although she didn't know why Cecilia would appear on Lower Street, she was saved!
"Run! Call the police! Save us!"
After reacting, Melissa immediately shouted loudly. If Cecilia was also caught, this only chance would truly be lost!
"Grab her."
Seeing someone stumble upon his good deed, and moreover, a delicate and stunning young girl, the leader's eyes lit up as he called out to his subordinates.
Melissa watched in despair as Cecilia seemed frozen in shock, standing there dumbly while several thugs closed in around her.
However, in the very next second, those men suddenly all clutched their throats and collapsed to the ground.