By the time afternoon arrived, Jeanne had followed Hoshiguma through a busy day of work. She hadn't expected that so many cases would occur in Lungmen every single day.
She had stayed by Hoshiguma's side all day, watching her expertly handle four cases of mass brawls, six robberies involving Infected, and three car accidents, while she herself merely lent a hand. These were only the cases that required an officer of Hoshiguma's rank to take over; there were many other matters that didn't require her responsibility. If everything were piled onto her, it would likely exhaust Hoshiguma to the point of hospitalization.
"Are you usually like this, running around non-stop from morning till night?" Jeanne asked Hoshiguma beside her.
Jeanne herself didn't feel very tired; for her to feel exhausted from this level of rushing around, the intensity of the work would need to be raised by several levels. But seeing Hoshiguma rushing to various parts of Lungmen without pause today, and thinking about how she had been doing this job for years on end, Jeanne could feel how difficult it was for her.
"Actually, it's not usually this busy. Today is because the LGD is short-handed, so I've taken over many tasks on their behalf. Usually, I can say I'm quite free; I even have time to go to a bar for a couple of drinks after work."
Hoshiguma explained to Jeanne in a relaxed tone. In truth, a situation like today was rare; the LGD hadn't treated a case with this much gravity in years. Tomorrow's investigation into Rhine Gold would deploy a large portion of the LGD's strength; both Ch'en and Swire would be participating. This lineup was rare in the LGD's history. Even Hoshiguma had trouble remembering the last time the three of them had set out together to handle a case.
"Actually, once you get used to it, handling these cases won't be so tiring. Besides, Lungmen is considered a peaceful city; there aren't usually this many cases."
Hoshiguma chatted idly with Jeanne as she drove the patrol car through the streets of Lungmen. Behind the seat sat the massive triangular shield, Hannya.
Clearly, Hoshiguma cherished her current job and life. Even with work that offered little rest, she handled every detail of every matter with a smile. Although Hoshiguma appeared to be a gentle older sister on the surface, Jeanne had seen her battle-ready side today.
The image of her holding that giant triangular shield and charging into a crowd, knocking down more than half of the brawling criminals, was truly impressive. In that state, Hoshiguma truly lived up to her race's name—Oni. Wielding her weapon with her long green hair flowing in the wind, Hoshiguma gave off the feeling of a fierce deity from Higashi stories.
Incidentally, the person who easily subdued the other half of the brawlers was none other than Jeanne, who had just joined the LGD today. Relying on her superhuman strength and unique skills, she successfully took down a large number of enemies, winning the admiring gazes of the surrounding officers who couldn't even find an opening to intervene. Having witnessed Jeanne subduing criminals one by one—and even seeing her knock one out with a "Super Headbutt"—they immediately placed her on the same level as Officer Hoshiguma.
"I didn't expect you to adapt so quickly. Nearly half the people in today's violent cases were caught by you. It seems you have quite a talent for dealing with violent crime!"
Hoshiguma praised Jeanne's decisive movements in combat as she looked at her. Although she knew Jeanne could fight, she hadn't expected her to be this capable. Watching Jeanne in battle, Hoshiguma had felt that if she were to fight her, she might not be Jeanne's match.
Hoshiguma was quite curious about this. It wasn't that there were no people in Lungmen who could surely beat her, but those were all people older than her; Jeanne was the first one she'd met who was this young.
"It's just that I have a lot of strength, and my family often encounters these kinds of things, so I became quite practiced over time."
As they were talking, Hoshiguma's phone suddenly rang. She picked it up and looked at the unfamiliar number, wondering who it could be. If it were official business, they shouldn't be calling her private phone. But if it were personal... she had never seen this number before.
"It looks like a roadside public phone."
Hoshiguma analyzed the situation in her mind. She answered with caution, her eyes scanning the surrounding roads to check for anything suspicious. In this sensitive period, she had to stay vigilant against any plots designed to interfere with tomorrow's operation.
However, the voice on the other end was not what she expected, though it certainly shocked her. After giving a few instructions to the caller, Hoshiguma turned the car around and drove toward a certain direction. It seemed something needed her help.
"Sorry, an acquaintance has run into some trouble. I might need to head over there first before we return to the LGD."
Hoshiguma realized she had someone sitting next to her and immediately explained the situation to Jeanne. Jeanne expressed her understanding; there was nothing else to do back at the LGD anyway, so she might as well follow Hoshiguma to see what was so urgent.
"It's nothing major, but the situation is quite peculiar. Besides, you know the person. You'll understand what's going on once we get there."
For a moment, Jeanne didn't understand what Hoshiguma meant. She only knew a few people in Lungmen—but hadn't they(Exusiai and others) left yesterday to pick up the supplies?
With doubt in her heart, Jeanne followed Hoshiguma all the way to the location of the person who had contacted her. They drove into the slums of Lungmen. There, Jeanne saw the acquaintance Hoshiguma had mentioned: the purple-haired Cautus thief, Rope.
"What exactly happened, little Rope? Who got the better of you this time? I heard on the phone that your things were stolen?"
Hoshiguma was quite puzzled by Rope's report. A thief had her things stolen by someone else, and instead of settling it with underworld rules, she called the police. This case, once word got out, would be one of the curiosities of Lungmen this year: a thief finding the police to say she was robbed by another thief and asking the police to hurry and catch them.
What does each "thief" mean in that sentence? Even a genius with an IQ over 5 might get it wrong. However, Rope had been smart; she hadn't reported it through official channels, but used her personal connection to find Hoshiguma, which allowed for much more flexibility.
"Sister Hoshiguma, my things were really stolen! But the items are very special, and reporting it at the place I live is useless anyway... Miss Jeanne, you joined the LGD too?"
When Rope saw Jeanne step out of the car, it was like seeing a savior. The items she lost were so special that she didn't even know how to describe them to Hoshiguma.
"Miss Jeanne, the medicines you gave us were just stolen! I only stepped out for a moment, and the remaining medicine was on the table—the next moment, it was gone!"
As Rope spoke to Jeanne, her eyes were filled with nothing but nervousness. That was medicine that could save everyone's lives! To think it vanished in the blink of an eye while in her hands!
What should they do? How would they handle it the next time everyone's strange illness flared up? The problem was that the stuff looked no different from water; the LGD wouldn't even be able to open a case for it.
"It seems you know what this little one is talking about?" Hoshiguma asked immediately, seeing that there was someone who understood the situation. She had been confused by Rope's explanation on the phone.
"Um... how should I put it. Although that stuff looks like water, it is actually an excellent Originium suppressant. I left a portion for her to take care of the people around her."
Hearing this, Rope nodded her head repeatedly in confirmation. What Jeanne didn't know was that a few days ago, those people had another outbreak of the strange illness, and it was Jeanne's Holy Water that saved everyone.
"Initially, those medicines were enough to last us for a while. But I never expected someone would steal them. If the illness breaks out again, everyone will be helpless once more."