The Sweetest Routine

Calculating the expenses for our long-term dispatch mission was Rain's job. This was simply because Shine and I had absolutely no money. After leaving the cafe, we ducked into a nearby alleyway to review the documents.

"Hmm..." I scanned the list of targets in the files. The goal was to choose our next destination. The list was diverse, ranging from a fierce-looking middle-aged man to a sweet-faced grandmother. Flipping through the pages one by one, my eyes locked onto the most eye-catching profile.

"I think this guy is a good choice."

"Jeff. You chose him because of the candy, didn't you?"

At Shine's words, I quickly hid the document behind my back and shook my head. "N-No, I didn't!"

Ben's occupation was a handmade candy artisan. I definitely hadn't chosen him after seeing the information that he made and sold handmade candy in a small workshop nearby. He just seemed... appropriate. I absolutely had no ulterior motives.

Shine shot me a suspicious look. I swallowed hard and stuffed the documents back into my bag. Now that our destination was decided, it was time to move. "Let's go!"

Leaving the vicinity of the cafe, we headed toward the handmade candy workshop. We crossed a pedestrian walk with traffic lights and strolled down a long, stretching sidewalk. The surrounding houses were all incredibly luxurious. Perhaps because it was a residential district, there weren't any needlessly massive high-rise buildings in sight.

"Hmm." I unfolded the map to check our route. Walking straight ahead was fine, but if we took a side path, we could reach a large park.

"What do you guys think?" I asked Shine and Rain for their opinions.

"Places with lots of people usually have lots of information. It would be best to go to the park."

I nodded at Rain's words, which carried a strange weight of experience. Shine didn't object to the park either. And so, we veered off into the side path.

Checking my watch, I scribbled a note in my pocketbook.

The crooked handwriting was recorded in tiny letters.

The three of us stood at the entrance of the park, scanning the area. No one looked particularly suspicious. Stepping inside, we headed toward the fountain in the center.

Near the fountain, there was a wide variety of people, from those walking their dogs to others feeding the pigeons. I began checking if any of the targets from the documents in my bag were currently at the park. No matter how crowded it was, with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the three of us looking, we would finish in no time.

"Keep an eye out for anyone on the list."

After sitting on a small bench near the fountain and looking around for a while, an elderly woman holding a small bag sat down next to us. I tensed up. Could she be someone who realized we're on a mission? Clutching my bag tightly, I scooted slightly to the side.

But my worries proved to be entirely unfounded. The grandmother simply took some birdseed from her bag and scattered it around. Instantly, pigeons scattered across the area swarmed over as if they had been waiting. The chaotic flapping of wings from the gathering birds filled the air.

"Did you find anyone?"

"No. Doesn't look like it."

"I couldn't find anyone either."

Unfortunately, it seemed this wasn't the time of day when the people on our list frequented the park. Getting up from the bench, we began to wander around.

I stepped onto a nearby lawn. There were people lying down and resting on the green grass, and a few of them had their faces covered. They were my targets. Stealthily, the three of us crept up to a man with his face covered. He seemed to be fast asleep, snoring softly. The thin book draped over his face was likely meant to block out the bright sunlight.

I gently reached out and slid the book aside. The man's face was revealed. He had a fierce look; even with his eyes closed, you could tell he didn't have the friendliest disposition. I swallowed hard.

"Mmmgh!" He groaned, rubbing his face with his hand.

"Run!"

Shine, Rain, and I bolted to avoid the waking man.

Scurrying away, we hid behind a massive tree and watched his movements. Sitting up, he rubbed his face, picked up the book that had fallen nearby, placed it back over his face, and lay down again. I let out a sigh of relief.

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"He wasn't on the list."

Unfortunately, that man was a miss.

We repeated this process a few more times. Sadly, we couldn't find a single person we were looking for. Leaving our disappointment behind, we stepped off the lawn. As we were trudging through the park...

Trill—!

A sudden, familiar melody echoed through the air. I immediately began running toward the source of the sound. Shine and Rain dashed right alongside me, as the melody was just as familiar to them.

The music grew louder as we drew closer, accompanied by the sound of clapping hands. This... this was...

The "Grow Tall" Gymnastics song!

Following the sound, we arrived at a wide, open plaza. A group of young children was doing gymnastics there, led by a woman at the very front who was directing them like a conductor.

"Gasp..." I gasped as I looked at the woman leading the children. I had seen her on NewTube. Yes, she was the very NewTuber from the gymnastics video we watched every single day!

As if possessed, the three of us slipped into the ranks of the gymnasts. Our movements—mine, Shine's, and Rain's—were flawless. We executed the routine with absolute, synchronized perfection. Since we hadn't done our gymnastics today yet, this was actually perfect timing. The surrounding children glanced at us briefly before returning to their routine. Apparently, random kids joining in out of nowhere wasn't an uncommon occurrence.

"Alright! One, two! One, two!" The woman clapped her hands, correcting the children's postures. Lift your feet, spin in place, and clap!

*Clap, clap!*

Moving with pure muscle memory, our bodies naturally transitioned to the next step.

"And the final stretch~!"

*Clap!*

At her cue, we struck the final pose of the routine. The music gradually slowed down, drawing to a close. Having finished the gymnastics, we looked at each other. My eyes met Rain's and Shine's. The gazes of the two girls locked in midair, trembling with confusion. I was just as bewildered. W-What do we do? Will she find us suspicious? The three of us began to slowly back away.

"Hello there!"

Just then, the woman at the front waved at us. Instantly, all eyes in the plaza turned in our direction. Even though we were wearing our perception-blocking bracelets, once someone actively recognized us, the blurring effect gradually faded.

"H-Hello," I greeted her, my body stiffening like a board.

"New friends! Nice to meet you!" she greeted us energetically, looking exactly as she did in her videos. I desperately hid my twitching hands behind my back. I had almost waved back out of sheer excitement. This was bad. The surrounding kids were starting to show interest in us. Grabbing Shine's and Rain's hands, I bolted toward the exit of the park. As we scurried away, the woman's voice echoed behind us.

"Come back next time~!"

We probably would.

"Habit is a truly terrifying thing..." Rain muttered softly, staring down at her hands. I nodded in agreement. After escaping the park, I wrote down the information in my pocketbook.

Leaving the park behind, we walked toward our original destination. After walking for quite some time, we arrived at a candy workshop adorned with small, charming decorations.

It was an incredibly literal name. The sweet aroma wafting from the entrance made my mouth water instantly. I opened the door and stepped inside.

The interior of the shop seemed to be kept at a lower temperature than the outside. The gentle breeze from the air conditioner felt a bit chilly. The counter was empty. I spotted a small sign placed on it.

Just as the sign said, a small bell sat next to the counter.

We slowly looked around. From lollipops to small hard candies, cute character-shaped sweets decorated the shelves. My eyes locked onto a massive swirl lollipop.

"Rain, Rain."

"Yeah?"

"Buy me that. That one." I tugged on Rain's arm, pointing at the swirl lollipop. It was so huge it wouldn't even fit in my mouth. It looked absolutely delicious.

"Jeff. We came here to gather information."

"Yeah, I know. But we have to build rapport first."

"Be honest. You just came here because you wanted to eat candy, didn't you?"

"N-No!" Avoiding Rain's suspicious gaze, I shook my head. "Do you... do you think I just love anything sweet?"

"...You don't?"

"That's mean. You like sweet things too, Rain."

Rain nodded at my words. Her immediate, unprotesting admission felt quite mature. Swallowing my saliva, I said, "So buy it for me."

"...Fine."

In the end, Rain picked up three large swirl lollipops. Having decided on our purchase, it was time to pay. I walked over to the counter, stood on my tiptoes, and rang the bell.

*Ding, ding!*

After a few clear, cheerful rings, Ben walked out from the back.

"Welcome~"

Ben's gaze naturally drifted downward. This confirmed one thing for me: the primary clientele of this shop was young children like us.

"Hello!" I greeted Ben. Since he was on our target list, he might hold crucial information. I needed to introduce ourselves. "My name is Shasha! This is Charles, and this is Jane!"

At my introduction, a small smile spread across Ben's face. "I'm Ben. So, did you girls come to buy candy?"

I nodded and looked back. Rain stepped forward, showing him the three large lollipops and holding out her card.

"Please ring these up."

Once the payment went through with Rain's card, we left the shop.

"Come back again~" Ben's voice drifted behind us and slowly faded away.

My eyes sparkled as I held the swirl lollipop. A long stick topped with a massive candy. The transparent plastic wrapping was no obstacle for me. The moment I peeled it off, I stuck out my tongue and licked the candy. It was absolutely delicious.

"Jeff. We didn't get a single piece of information."

"Rome wasn't built in a day."

Rain reluctantly nodded at my response.

The three of us walked down the street, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠licking our lollipops. I pulled out my pocketbook and noted down information about Ben. How often should we visit? Every day? Or once every two days?

"Visiting every day is definitely the way to go."

I drafted a schedule.

It was an absolutely perfect plan.