Chapter 189
Chapter 189
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 189
Chapter Title: Fixer vs. Charismatic Phantom Thief vs. Just Yuria (3)
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The object I had carefully stored in the closet had been taken.
My stomach was boiling, no, I felt like I would burst from the sheer injustice of it all.
Considering the weeks of effort and energy I’d poured into it, this was an unforgivable outrage!
I was so furious and upset that I wanted to jump up and down on the spot.
‘Hooo… O-okay, calm down. It’s too early to decide who the culprit is. It could have accidentally slipped through a crack…’
But I am a respectable adult who makes rational judgments, not one to be ruled by emotions.
Clenching my trembling fists, I somehow managed to suppress the surge of anger.
Of course, it was unlikely that Raven would just snatch something I’d hidden in the closet.
And there was no way those men in suits I saw earlier would have entered Raven's room.
The most likely culprit had to be Silvercat…
But that was just a suspicion, without any clear evidence.
Besides, Silvercat had only dropped by the agency for a moment, so she wouldn’t have had time to rummage through the closet.
There was simply not enough proof to definitively name her as the culprit.
‘Echo. Hack into the spy cams Lily has planted around the agency.’
[ Understood. ]
However, if there was no evidence, I just had to find some.
And if I needed proof that someone had entered and left the agency, there was nothing better than this.
Having organized my thoughts, I decided to borrow Lily’s spy cams.
The small spy cams she had scattered around, unable to stop her love for Raven.
Of course, I had removed all the ones installed inside the agency…
But there should still be traces of them outside, where I hadn't bothered to intervene.
So, by checking the memory embedded in the spy cams through Echo, I should be able to easily find evidence that Silvercat was the culprit.
‘Found it. She came in the morning when the agency members were out meeting the client.’
No wonder I felt a strange sense of unease the moment I entered my room.
It seemed she had cased the agency beforehand, before stealing the Purplian.
She probably found out Raven would take the case by investigating the client’s side…
Even she, so thorough that she never left a trace, must have never dreamed that spy cams were hidden near the agency.
Hoo, yes. This should be enough evidence.
The culprit is you, Silvercat. I’ll find you right away and shake you down until you're left with nothing but your underwear!
My passion burning fiercely, I was about to leave the agency to find Silvercat…
…but I couldn't. I decided to go back to Raven, who would be waiting.
No matter how urgent it was, if I just rushed out of the agency without a word, he would wonder what was going on.
My plan was to rejoin them, have dinner, and then naturally slip away from the group.
‘Since Silvercat hasn't gotten the real Purplian yet, she can't leave the city. That part is a relief, at least.’
But really, of all things, why did she have to take the object?
I bottled up my irritation, the urge to pull out Silvercat’s hair, and then…
…with somewhat weary steps, I walked towards the reception room where the others would be waiting.
Were Alice and David in the restroom?
There was no sign of them; only Raven was left in the reception room, lying on the sofa.
He was looking at his terminal, seemingly troubled by something.
Wondering what was wrong, I approached Raven, and he seemed to notice my presence, looking up at me.
“You’re back? Took you a while. Just a minute. They both just stepped out to make a call.”
“Okay.”
“Oh, right. Kid. I’m just asking, but… you’re not missing anything, are you? I don’t think you are, but just to check…”
“…”
“Don’t tell me you are?”
Please don’t ask too deeply…
With a pout hidden behind my mask, I slowly nodded.
Raven, who seemed to have asked just in case, scratched his head in annoyance.
“Tsk, just when I was trying to take it easy… Is it something important?”
“Yeah…”
“Want me to help?”
“…!”
It was probably because a case that was essentially someone else’s business had directly affected us.
Even so, his offer to help find it if needed was truly appreciated.
But, I don’t need it. I’ll find it myself.
And I’m going to ask her why she took that of all things.
As I pumped my fists in the air, shoulders squared and burning with resolve…
Raven just chuckled and shook his head as if to say, ‘do as you please.’
I won’t forgive a thief.
I burned with a desire for revenge against Silvercat.
*
After enjoying a dinner together for the first time in a while.
I said goodbye to the three who seemed to be returning to the client, and naturally, I was left alone.
Right now, I wasn’t a part-timer at the agency, just Raven’s legally registered little sister living in his house.
It was only natural for me to be separated from the group who were facing Silvercat as Fixers.
However, this was a very good thing from my perspective.
I couldn’t carelessly use my powers in front of Alice or David, who didn't know I was a psychic.
This was a great opportunity to track Silvercat purely with my own skills.
-You… whatever you’re doing, don’t go too wild. It’ll be a pain if you get caught. Got it?
-…
-Answer me, you brat. You’ve been practicing speaking lately, so why are you pretending you can't talk?
-Bleh, ugh…!
Of course, Raven seemed worried I’d cause some major trouble and even pulled my cheeks.
But even as my cheeks swelled up, I couldn't give him a definite promise about what I would do.
I know that if my psychic powers are revealed, it won't just be me, but everyone around me who will suffer, but…
Having my cherished object stolen is just too infuriating, so it can’t be helped.
But as stubborn as I was, Raven was just as persistent.
In the end, unable to bear the agony, I had no choice but to promise I would absolutely not cause a commotion.
Only then was I finally freed from the hell of having my cheeks pulled.
To maximize the pain while pulling just enough not to injure my cheeks… Is he some kind of torture expert?
I rubbed my tingling cheeks and lightly thumped Raven’s side in protest.
‘Alright, the pain has subsided a bit… Shall we get going?’
Early night, with the moon high in the sky.
Feeling the now pleasantly cool breeze, I hid myself in a dark back alley.
And when I was far from the noise of the street and out of anyone's sight, I took Echo out of my pocket.
I have to go to work at the general store tomorrow, too. Let's finish this before the day is over.
‘Silvercat is a rather tricky thief, one that even Fixers who use magic or police with advanced technology can’t easily track.’
Silvercat was a blue-haired cat beastkin who operated in a fatally form-fitting, revealing outfit, and a mask that exposed her nose and lips.
She was so unique that it was harder not to know who she was, a true celebrity…
But surprisingly, no one had been able to find out who she was or what she did.
A truly elusive phantom thief. There was a reason she was overwhelmingly popular with the younger generation.
‘Silvercat's true identity is a two-person team: a high school girl whose hobby is magic, and a genius young hacker. The reason her tracks are so hard to follow is… because the genius hacker subtly obstructs any pursuit without being noticed.’
So, unless you notice the hacker providing inconspicuous support, it’s impossible to track Silvercat.
There was a reason no one had figured out her identity until now.
However, that fact was incredibly convenient for me.
Because Echo… holds an overwhelming advantage over every electronic device in this world!
‘Echo. Are you done tracking the CCTV footage I asked for?’
[ Yes. The data had been tampered with, but I was able to restore it easily. Shall I display Silvercat's location based on this information? ]
‘Yes. If possible, show me the shortest route too.’
That is not a difficult task.
Echo replied, and a few seconds later, a point appeared on the map of Nighthaven.
The location was on the outskirts of Nighthaven, quite far from here.
A considerable distance that would take almost thirty minutes even by car.
Since I had given Raven my word that I would absolutely not let my psychic powers be discovered…
The situation might seem daunting… but I wasn't particularly worried.
I had been diligently studying how to use the Tesseract for months, just for times like this!
‘Tesseract. Please.’
[ Okay, leave it to me, Mama! ]
Watching the Tesseract begin to change, I thought quietly.
It seems I was a child of a god… or something like that in my past.
A new human, with a completely different structure from the current human race, they said.
I suppose the reason I possess power different from other psychics is because of a secret like this.
And before, at the hotel, I had definitely become a cat beastkin who wielded holy power.
If so, that was probably… another destiny I would have faced if I had undergone experiments related to holy power, not psychic powers.
What if I could bring one of these countless possibilities with the Tesseract?
What if I became a Yuria who had experienced a completely different past, not the psychic Yuria?
“…!”
The moment I thought that, I felt my body connect to something.
This was a sensation almost identical to what I had felt at the St. Maria Hotel.
Soon, the feeling of floating subsided, and even the sensation of breathing became clear.
And just like that… my line of sight was a head taller, and I had become a girl of about middle school age!
‘Ugh, it’s tight. I wore oversized clothes for this, but they’re still too small.’
Well, it can’t be helped. I can’t just drag my clothes on the ground.
Feeling a little embarrassed by my exposed midriff, I decided to be confident.
This form was just a shell overlaid on top of me for the Tesseract's energy efficiency.
So, at most, it was a brief change that would revert to my original form in a few dozen minutes.
In that case, is there any need to worry about how I look right now? No, there isn't.
Closing my eyes and steeling my emotions, I threw a casual punch into the air as a test.
A sharp sound of cutting through the wind, something my original, feeble punch could never produce, was heard.
“Oh…!”
It worked. It really worked.
Feeling the vitality overflowing in my body, I clenched and unclenched my fists a few times.
And just in case, I tried to draw out the psychokinesis within my body as I always did.
But as expected, it felt empty; I couldn't feel any sensation inside me.
In other words, I had successfully brought out the me from a world where my body was healthy, not a psychic.
‘Hmm, but it’s not at an amazing level. No, it might even be weaker than using psychokinesis…’
Still, by normal standards, this power is close to that of a superhuman, so it should be fine.
It would be enough to keep my promise to Raven to never let my psychic powers be discovered.
After hopping in place a few times to warm up, I immediately ran towards the location marked on the map.
‘Wow, so fast!’
Was it thanks to the overwhelming leg strength I could never have imitated without psychokinesis in my frail child’s body?
I was able to cut straight through a distance that would have taken thirty minutes by car in just fifteen minutes.
When I finally reached the destination, a dilapidated abandoned building…
I looked up at the building and asked Echo again to confirm if this was the right place.
Echo’s response was a definite affirmation.
No one had left the building yet, so it couldn't be anywhere else.
‘Alright, shall we go teach someone a lesson that stealing other people’s things gets them in trouble?’
Silvercat, the two-person team, was a perfect offense-defense combo, but if I took them on one by one, they weren't that difficult an opponent.
This time, I planned to grab her by the scruff of her neck and shake her until she returned what she stole.
As I strode into the abandoned building and silently approached the hacker's location…
I suddenly heard an unusual sound from not too far away.
“Aaargh!”
“What…!”
It was, by any measure, the unmistakable scream of a man.
An emergency? Wondering what on earth was happening, I rushed in the direction of the sound.
It would be a problem if something happened to them before I got my object back!
When I hurried down the stairs and reached the room where the hacker was likely hiding…
I couldn't help but blush at the scene unfolding there.
“S-stop… Mmph!”
“I love you, I love you… I always wanted to tell you, I’m sorry I couldn’t…?”
“W-we’re just business partners… Ggh… Stop iiiit!”
“…Huh.”
There, the terrifying sight of the blue-haired cat beastkin pouncing on a man was unfolding.
The beastkin, who had gone berserk, holding the man down with her tail, seemed anything but sane.
I immediately recognized her as the woman known to the public as Silvercat.
What are these people suddenly doing…?
As I stood there, stunned by the utterly bewildering situation…
The beastkin, Silvercat, who was on top of the man on the floor, turned her head towards me.
“A woman…? You said I was the only one that mattered… Tsk, if you’re going to interfere… I won’t forgive you…!”
“…”
Her eyes flashed.
They were hazy, as if she were on drugs.
It was as if she were completely possessed by something.
I couldn't understand what was going on at all.
But I could certainly understand that she was threatening me.
How absurd. I’m the one who should be angry right now. I’ll definitely knock her down.
Almost at the same moment I steeled my resolve, the half-naked Silvercat lunged at me.