Undercover Clues
At the promised time, the group gathered in the break room inside the Rain Code Management Bureau, too busy stealing glances at each other's faces—especially Tiny Bell's. In just one day, her face had become noticeably weary, laced with a subtle irritation. Feeling unnecessarily self-conscious under their watchful eyes, she quickly explained herself.
"Ran into Captain Walker this morning."
The group nodded in immediate, almost comical agreement. They decided to grab a quick breakfast first and headed to the bureau's internal cafeteria. Perhaps to shake off some stress, Bell was gnawing on a whole baguette that looked too big for her small mouth.
Sitting right beside her, Lucia watched with sparkling eyes, stealing glances. Like a squirrel, Bell thought, amused by this new side of her teammate. Unlike the already familiar Adolf, Kelun held his utensils poised and stared at her for a moment before speaking up.
"Captain, won't that hurt your teeth?"
"Don't worry, Kelun. All my baby teeth are gone."
Kelun was startled by the sudden use of his name instead of his rank. Bell, still awkward about receiving concern from anyone, just crunched viciously into the innocent baguette.
Adolf quietly ate his meal before suddenly asking, "Oh, so they weren't baby teeth after all?"
She froze—
"What the hell do you mean by that, Lieutenant?"
Already on edge around Adolf, Bell shot him a glare at the absurd question. She smoothly lifted the baguette.
With an innocent expression, he replied, "Your teeth look so cute and tiny—"
"Shut it for real!"
As Bell preemptively brandished the baguette in threat, they all burst into laughter. Thanks to the lighthearted mood, Lucia's face was much brighter than on the first day. Giggling, she turned to Bell.
"So, Senior, are we heading out for fieldwork again like yesterday?"
"Yeah. Still no sign of Mr. Shtafenberk, and that Captain Walker just ramping up drones means he hasn't found anything useful yet."
The group nodded. They'd noticed the increased drones patrolling the skies too.
Swallowing his food, Adolf cautiously asked, "Even if we find Mr. Shtafenberk, escorting him might not ultimately ease this friction."
Kelun nodded. "As Senior said, our mission is protection and surveillance, but I'm worried about how the military will smooth this over."
Worry etched Kelun's face. Bell crunched another bite of baguette, chewed thoughtfully, then replied.
"Through fieldwork, we'll uncover the root of their conflict and resolve it if we can. Peacefully."
"Understood, Captain."
Lucia nodded vigorously, snapping a salute. "Then, like you said yesterday, Senior. I'll handle the outfits! I know just what works!"
Bell's unease stirred at Lucia's excited gleam.
"Heh—Senior... I figured you'd go with Senior Adolf, of course..."
"Don't be ridiculous. Why would I go with that guy?"
Before long, Bell and Lucia had stepped out onto the streets, dressed just like locals. Since it was Lucia's hometown, she'd stocked up on clothes—and subtly chosen colors that matched Bell and Adolf. Bell had grabbed something at random, and the moment Lucia changed, she'd told Adolf and Kelun to hang in there and bolted from the bureau.
"Still, Senior, I put some real thought into it..."
"Why even think about that? Anyway, this feels kinda stuffy." Bell pointed to the scarf wrapping her hair.
"It's because of all the sand dust, but it's still in style!" Plenty of people around wore similar getups. Sticking close to Bell, Lucia whispered, "Plus, your silver hair stands out too much. If we're going undercover, we gotta commit!"
"Alright, makes sense."
"Exactly!"
Fiddling with the scarf, Bell added, "Then why try to wrap the lieutenant in one too?"
"Senior Adolf's black hair might draw unwanted trouble!"
In truth, that was part of it, but Lucia also harbored a personal itch to dress them up as a pair. Bell narrowed her eyes at the spirited reply.
"Fine, whatever. Those two will manage. Let's dig deeper into the situation."
"Where should we start?"
"Church-related areas first. It's suspicious that even with a Harkener like Mr. Shtafenberk here, tensions are this high. And if it's really ethnic conflict, the protest slogans feel off."
"Off how?"
As Lucia tilted her head, Bell recalled Kyle with discomfort but admitted it held water. "Yeah. We need to figure out exactly what the Church wants. Just rumors of Shtafenberk massacring Bonackers sustaining this hostility? Something's stoking it. We have to find out why."
"Whoa, Senior's amazing as always."
Lucia's eyes sparkled as she linked arms with Bell. "What're you—"
"Undercover means sisters, right? We should look the part!"
Bell glanced at Lucia's face looming over her shoulder, barely suppressing, You're the big sister?
All morning, Bell and Lucia followed the flow of people to a small square on the outskirts. Sitting unobtrusively on a bench to observe, they spotted a group in red cloths handing out papers stamped with the Church emblem, stirring up the crowd.
"Harkeners can never coexist with us! They'll push us out with Freigel at the helm!"
Up close, the slogans grew bolder. "Haven't you seen the miraculous drug from the Lildar Church? That's how we right this world. Have you not witnessed the High Priest's grace!"
Bell grimaced. Agitators, blatantly inciting. A dry chuckle escaped her. But one phrase stuck: miraculous drug. Luminot flashed in her mind. Is the High Priest behind this mess? But what would they gain? She pondered. Did they think they could win against the bureau?
"Eek..."
Lucia flinched at the loud voices; Bell pulled her closer. "You can scoot right up."
She gently drew Lucia in, scanning the surroundings. Some residents ignored them wearily, but others clasped hands and bowed to the faithful.
Whispering to the clinging Lucia, Bell asked, "What's the High Priest like, anyway?"
"Hmm—in my memories, he was always trying to help people. Deep faith, you know."
Bell's confusion deepened. That didn't fit someone orchestrating this. "Sounds like a devout regular."
"Yes! Exactly. He helped me a lot when times were tough. Even checked in when I visited the orphanage..."
Bell's thoughts paused at Lucia's soft smile. When Lucia became a proxy, she mentioned receiving a 'revelation.' Just praise? Or... awe at the Luminot results?
Piecing it together proved tricky, but footsteps approached. Bell shifted protectively, nudging Lucia behind her. A young man in Church robes drew near.
"Sisters, new to the area?"
Utterly unguarded. Bell sized him up and nodded naturally. "Yeah, love how warm Rain Code is. How'd you know?"
Lucia blinked in surprise at Bell's seamless acting before nodding along. Inter-barrier travel was easier now, so tales of switching residences out of curiosity were common enough. But had they been that obvious? The man smiled softly, pointing to his eyes.
"Your eye colors stand out."
Bell stiffened, glancing at Lucia. Right, can't hide outsider eyes even with hair covered, her expression said. Lucia gave an awkward laugh; Bell played along.
"Came for tourism, but it's scary with all this noise..."
At her hint, he looked apologetic. "Thrilled outsiders seek the Church, but rumors of proxies from Lumen Guard aiding Shtafenberk have stirred things up."
Bell's ears perked. Definitely misinformation. "I see."
"Anyway... please don't stay too long. Even we're worried."
He bowed politely and left. Decent Church, fretting over outsiders? But his words blatantly spread false info, dragging in the bureau.
"Thank you for your concern."
Bell smiled gently; he flushed, nodded, and vanished.
As the Church member departed, Lucia's chest poked Bell's cheek. "What... was that..." Clinging tight, she panted whispers. "Senior, Senior! Smile like that again!"
"You're actually scaring me right now."
"Eek! No, that expression! You can make faces like that too?!"
"What the hell do you even see me as?"
As Bell narrowed her eyes, Lucia flinched back. Feeling the relief on her shoulders, Bell added, "And don't cling so much."
Lucia drooped like a rain-soaked rabbit, steps dragging, falling behind Bell.
"Oh, for heaven's—"
Bell sighed, turned with a light smile. "Lucia. That better?"
Lucia brightened slowly, stepping close cautiously. "You looked even cuter, hehe... You get it, right?"
"...Uh... yeah..."
Bell wasn't used to the casual closeness from Adolf and Lucia but resolved to try. Then Lucia sniffed the air, yanking her arm.
"Senior, smells delicious! Let's grab one!"
Her resolve cracked in seconds; Bell's head throbbed. "Beloche. We're on—"
"Eee—I’ll pay!"
Lucia now seemed bent on collecting Bell's expressions. Mission? What mission? But the sweet scent tickled Bell's curiosity too.
"Fine... just one."
They followed it into an alley. At its end, in the market's heart, an old woman stirred sugar in front of a small tea shop. Simple stirring and boiling, yet it swelled like fluffy bread. Even Bell found it intriguing.
"Two, please!"
Lucia whipped out her terminal. The woman glanced, then said, "Six million coin."
"Eek?!"
Clothes cost 20 coin; the sum stunned Lucia rigid. Trembling, she still moved to pay. "I-It's... fine. For Senior, I can..."
"What the hell are you saying! Beloche!"
Bell snapped in disbelief; the woman chuckled. "Innocent child. Just kidding. One coin for two."
"Ah, right!"
Blushing, Lucia paid with a grin. Warm sugar bread in hand, Bell asked casually, "Things feel tense—why bother?"
"Blame the rumors. Church folk getting louder lately."
"Rumors?"
Stirring more sugar deftly, the woman replied, "Lildar God gave a new revelation: beware the red-haired knight. Folks think it's about them."
"Red-haired knight..."
"My daughter's in the army—trouble with that red hair."
Smiling wryly, a nearby vendor chimed in. "Aigoo, you and your old tales. That one's retired to the Church now. Climbed high ranks ages ago. And talking like a man again."
"Was it? Haha, memory's fuzzy these days."
Bell nibbled her sugar bread, the chewy sweetness bursting forth. "This is good."
The woman smiled knowingly. "Aye, hits the spot when you're worn out."
"What...?"
Bell's face darkened; Lucia flailed dramatically. "Y-Yeah! Totally, Senior! Time to go! Thanks for the treat!"
Yanking Bell, she vanished into the alley.
"Hope to see you again."
The woman smiled at the noisy pair. My girl had days like that. Lost in memory, her wrinkled hands stirred more sugar.