Operation: Museum Raid
"Jeff? Aren't you going to eat any more?" Amy asked, waving a piece of chocolate in front of me with a worried expression. The chocolate, reflecting the warm sunlight to show off its glossy sheen, gave off an incredibly enticing aroma. But now was the time to resist. I swallowed hard and replied, "I... I really should stop eating now!"
"So suddenly?" Ah, was that too sudden? Maybe a little more wouldn't hurt? Gauging Amy's reaction, I leaned forward and took the chocolate from her hand. As I savored the sweet treat melting smoothly on my tongue, I felt the weight of the phone in my pocket. "Um, excuse me, Amy. Please take a look at this."
I had to get to work. It had already been a week since Amy gave me this assignment. I needed to report something to her. It was the absolute least my conscience demanded of me. I held my phone up to Amy's face, showing her the photo—the cracked, blurry image that was practically impossible to make out.
"Wow~ Jeff, you're such a great photographer~" Instead of questioning it, Amy showered me with praise. My jaw dropped in shock. She actually thought I had taken this photo. As I stood there with my mouth agape, Amy slipped another chocolate right inside. Well, since it was already in my mouth, I might as well eat it... I chewed with a conflicted expression, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"That's not it!" But there was still plenty of chocolate left. Amy kept popping them into my mouth. I felt so betrayed by my own lips, which greedily accepted every single piece. "Give me some too," Shine chimed in, and Amy began feeding her next. After letting the chocolate completely melt away, I spoke up.
"Amy! Look at this. This is information I got from the publishing house. Oh, as for why I went there... well, I have to start the story from the library..." I began to explain earnestly. I brought up my trip to the library and briefly recounted what had happened there—the thick tome containing the city's records, the suspicious details I discovered within its pages, and how tracing those anomalies led me straight to the publishing house. The longer my explanation went on, the more absorbed Amy became.
"And this is the photo I got from there. Look, this is a picture of the museum, right? Also, they say the publisher's president and the museum director are close friends..." "Here, say ah~" "Ahm..." A large hard candy was thrust in front of my busy mouth. It sparkled like the Milky Way and looked so delicious that I reflexively snapped it up. As I rolled the galaxy-patterned candy around in my mouth, my cheek puffed out. Gently patting my cheek, I mumbled.
"Th-that's everything I found out... Actually, I also got a strange number, but I don't know what it's used for..." I pulled out my notebook and showed the numbers to Amy.
■■■ 77995
Could it be a password for something? But the moment Amy saw the numbers I presented, she answered without hesitation.
"Isn't this a license plate number?" Her casual remark sent shockwaves through my mind. Of course! Why had I overlooked something so simple? The missing puzzle piece drifted down and slotted perfectly into place. The picture, which had remained incomplete for want of just one single piece, was finally whole. I sprang up from my seat. "A car!"
I immediately installed a license plate search app on my phone and looked up every vehicle in District 2 that contained those digits. Though thousands of results popped up, I began filtering out the most suspicious models—specifically those that might have some connection to the museum. As I pulled out my notebook and started scribbling things down, Amy slid over and sat next to me, her interest piqued. "Jeff, what are you doing?"
"I think I found a crucial lead. We need to find a vehicle with this number among those heading to the museum." Suddenly, Amy scooped me up and plunked me right onto her lap. It wasn't uncomfortable, but the sensation was a bit ticklish. When I squirmed, she rested her chin on top of my head. "You've already figured out this much?" Her gaze fell upon my notebook. I nodded, continuing to write down license plates and vehicle models.
My handwriting was a bit crooked and messy, but still perfectly legible—the kind of handwriting that, with just a bit of refinement, could actually look quite elegant. Soon, dozens of sedans and one large cargo truck made it onto my list of suspects. I filtered out all the cheap models, leaving only the high-end vehicles. "Hmm..." Five sedans and one truck. I carefully reviewed the finalized list.
Vehicles registered under private names didn't display detailed information, but those managed by corporations showed the name of the company they belonged to. While the sedans were all privately owned, the large cargo truck was different. It belonged to a company. White Peace. It was a company name I had never heard before, yet it felt strangely familiar. I rolled the words White Peace around in my mouth. Yes, pronouncing it felt oddly natural.
"Amy, have you ever heard of this company?" "White Peace?" "Yes." "Hmm... No, I don't think so." It seemed Amy didn't have any information on them either. I immediately searched for "White Peace" online. However, there was absolutely nothing. A few images popped up, but they were just white clothes and shoes. No matter how hard I looked, no actual information about the company appeared. This is it. Gripping my notebook tightly, I struggled to stand up.
"L-let me go~" I flailed my arms and legs, but Amy only let out a soft chuckle and refused to release me. "You really are amazing, Jeff." The praise felt nice, but I had work to do. "Stop, stop praising me." "Why?" "It's... a little embarrassing..." When I mumbled my reply with my head lowered, she hugged me even tighter. My stomach compressed, and a squeaky hiiiiii escaped my lips as the air was squeezed out of me.
"Don't worry." "Pardon?" "Victor is already on his way." I blinked, not quite understanding what she meant. Victor was on his way? Where? Come to think of it, Victor was nowhere to be seen. I had assumed he was just sleeping, but thinking about it now, it was indeed strange for him to sleep for this long.
"Ah, hold on..." Amy, who had been hugging me so tightly, suddenly let me go. With her constricting arms gone, I could finally take a deep breath, though I felt a tiny pang of disappointment at the sudden lack of warmth. Amy was tapping away on her phone, seemingly exchanging messages with someone. "Hmm... I need to step out for a bit." Amy turned a troubled expression toward me. Meeting her gaze, I nodded and stepped closer. Me too. I want to go with you. I reached out my hand to convey my silent plea, and her large hand came to rest gently on my head.
"You can wait patiently for me, right?" I didn't answer. "Jeff is a good, obedient girl, isn't she?" Again, I remained silent. The corners of my mouth drooped, and my lower lip pouted slightly. I'm not happy about this. When I looked up at her to convey my displeasure, Amy chuckled softly. "I'll be right back."
Was I not reliable enough in her eyes? I had worked so hard because I wanted to be helpful. I had gathered all this information. Was it all for nothing? My grip tightened around my notebook. Standing up, Amy told Rain to look after Shine and me before sprinting off at an incredible speed. Thud! Thud! Thud! The sound of her feet striking the pavement grew louder with each stride. Just as she shrank to the size of a finger in the distance, a white aura erupted from her body like an explosion. I leaped up from my seat.
"Jeff?" "I have to go to the museum!" "But Amy told us to wait here quietly," Rain said, stepping in front of me to block my path. Shaking my head, I brushed past her. The direction Amy had run was toward the museum. "No!" "I'm going!" "You can't!" Rain blocked me again with a stubborn look. She felt a strict duty to obey Amy's orders.
"Shine!" "Shine!" Rain and I called out to Shine at the exact same time. Shine, who had been sitting on the picnic mat peeling a candy, raised her head blankly. "What is it?" "We have to go!" "We have to stop her!" As Rain and I shouted simultaneously, Shine spoke up.
"Jeff, why do you think Amy told us to stay put?" "B-because... it's dangerous?" "Exactly. It's going to be very dangerous there." "But!" "No 'buts.' Amy told us to wait because she's worried about us." I trembled at Shine's words. She was absolutely right.
"But I want to be helpful to Amy!" "Staying put is helping her." My trembling body slowly calmed down. She was right. She really was. But children sometimes disobey adults even when they know it's wrong. Perhaps this was one of those times? As a strange smile spread across my face and I lifted my head, Shine scrambled to her feet. She knew exactly what I was thinking. And I knew she did too.
Crackle! Blue lightning enveloped my entire body. Channeling my full power for the first time in a while, every cell in my body sprang to life. With a light kick off the ground, my vision blurred instantly. I looked back at Shine and Rain, who were already far behind. Blue currents crackled where I had just been standing, leaving a trace of my presence. On this empty road just outside our yard, with not a single car in sight, there was nothing to stop me.
"Jeff!" Shine's face contorted. Ignoring her worry-filled gaze, I spun around. "Jeff!" Rain and Shine dashed toward me. I'm going!Crackle! A streak of blue light stretched out before me. Riding the path of the projected bolt, my body shot forward. The surrounding scenery stretched into long, blurry afterimages. My legs burned. My heart pounded as if it would explode. Yet, my mind remained perfectly calm. I wasn't navigating with my eyes; instead, I perceived my surroundings through a thin, wide electromagnetic field. I dodged an oncoming car by a hair's breadth.
Zap! The stray sparks that brushed against the car caused its electronics to malfunction, sending it veering wildly off course. The driver slammed on the brakes, sending the vehicle into a long skid across the asphalt before it jumped the curb and crashed headfirst into a massive utility pole. Crash! Leaving the small explosion behind, I kept running. My speed only continued to rise.