episode_0356

I was sitting on the school rooftop, emptying my lunch box, lost in thought.

A week.

For a week, they continued to follow the man, but they were able to obtain little information.

The only additional information I found out was about small habits, like him occasionally hanging around bookstores or publishing houses, or taking out a notebook and writing notes while walking down the street.

After finishing his meal, Lane was happily running around blowing bubbles with Appleton.

Sometimes, I thought Lane was a really good actor.

Perhaps if she hadn’t done this, she might have become a movie actress?

“Senior, why didn’t you come last week?”

As I was organizing my lunch box, I looked at the little cat that was asking me a question.

Prince, my little cat.

The cat that Shine had created smiled slightly at my gaze and rubbed its body against mine.

I took a small leash out of my pocket and put it on her.

Since there were no eyes to see, I could freely become a cat here.

“Because of personal reasons.”

I answered like that and patted Prin’s head.

Her fine black hair tangles between her fingers.

“Do you know how much I missed you for a week?”

Prin looked up at me with eyes shining like a very longing cat.

The look in her eyes was so cute that I found myself holding the little cat in my arms without even realizing it.

“Over there. Prin.”

“Huh?”

“Have you heard from anyone called Doctor?”

“Yes, unfortunately not. You were sending me messages a week ago, but you’ve been completely cut off lately.”

I feel good listening to the soft voice of Prince.

I hugged Prince and laid down on him.

Lying on a large chair and looking up at the blue sky, I felt like I had become a cloud.

Thanks to the large parasol, there was a thick shadow, so my face didn’t get hot from the sun.

I rubbed my eyes and took out my cell phone.

The idea was to get mobile game rewards that would arrive during lunch time.

The moment I opened the phone screen, the screen I was looking at earlier was displayed as is.

“Oops.”

I was startled and quickly lowered the screen, but it seemed like Prin, who was in my arms, saw the screen.

I looked around and asked Prin a question.

“Have you seen it?”

“Am I not allowed to see it?”

“Umm…”

I began to ponder Prin’s words for a moment.

Prin, strictly speaking, was the child connected to this incident.

And since he was one of our people, it didn’t seem like there would be any particular problem even if he saw the screen.

“No. I think it’s okay.”

What Prin saw was a picture I had taken of the man I had been following.

Since he only saw it for a very brief moment, it was questionable whether Prin would remember it properly.

With that in mind, the moment I logged into the mobile game, Prin spoke to me in a small voice.

“But why did you take a picture of my dad?”

picture.

dad.

Prince’s dad?

Are you saying that guy is Prin’s father?

I jumped up from my seat and grabbed Prin’s shoulder.

“T-That’s true? The picture I just saw is of Prin’s father?”

“Umm. Can I see you again?”

I tapped my phone screen while looking around.

Appleton was so absorbed in playing with bubbles with Lane that he didn’t even seem to have time to look this way.

“This is it.”

I started showing the pictures to Prince.

One sheet, two sheets, three sheets.

Prin, who was looking at the photo of the man in the beige coat, nodded.

“Yes, that’s right, he’s my dad. To be exact, he’s the one who plays the role of dad. He’s listed as dad on the family register, so I call him dad.”

“Are you sure? But Prin’s dad doesn’t look like this.”

“That’s true, but recently, when you go out, you often dress up like this.”

I looked back at Shine at Prin’s words.

She had taken out a book and was reading it. She seemed to have been listening to the entire conversation between me and Prin, so she nodded and spoke to me.

“Prin doesn’t lie. I made him that way.”

At those words, I hugged Prin with all my might.

The little cat let out a hissing sound, as if it was having trouble breathing, but I didn’t let go.

I got information from an unexpected place.

“But Jeff.”

“Uh, huh?”

“How can I explain this to Jin and Mom? It’s a secret that Prin is connected to the lab.”

“Ah, ahh.”

She was right.

It was a secret known only to us that Prin had a connection with the Institute.

Now this little cat has become a double spy, providing us with information.

Actually, today was the first time I was able to get some information.

“Oh, what should I do? If I tell my mom, she’ll find out that Prin is a cat.”

I hugged Prince tighter.

“Eww…”

Prin twisted his body as if in pain, then slipped out of my arms.

She landed on the floor with a flexible body like a cat, then climbed up onto the high railing.

“Oh, what should I do, sis? Is there any way to take out the frizz?”

I clung to Shine, stamping my feet.

If Prin’s father is caught, those around him will also be investigated.

If Amy was quick-witted, she would have figured out right away that Prin was no ordinary child.

I pictured Prince’s terrible future.

Amy had no mercy for bad people.

Beat your opponent with both fists until he turns into a blood clot.

“Oh, what should I do? If Mom catches me, Prin will get beaten up. I’m sure I’ll end up like a tonkatsu cutlet.”

“Jeff, calm down. Mom probably already knows that Prin is not a normal kid. You saw it when you invited him to Grandpa’s house. ”

“That, that’s true, but…”

“Considering that there has been no word so far, it is clear that they have not yet received information that Prin is connected to the Institute.”

Shine stroked my head as if to calm me down.

But I couldn’t calm down.

This is because the image of my mother’s scary fist repeatedly beating my cat came to mind.

“I have a good idea.”

As she said that, Shine closed her book and stood up.

She immediately gestured to Prin.

With a snap of her little finger, Prin, who had been climbing on the railing, jumped down and ran next to her.

“Prin. Does your father usually go out often?”

“No, he started going out this week. He usually stays at home and writes. ”

“A person who was just at home suddenly starts going out. Is he on some kind of mission? Do you know where he is going?”

“No, he didn’t say anything to me or Fran.”

At Prin’s answer, Shine hesitated for a moment before nodding and opening her mouth.

“Prin. Tell your father the information. He’s being followed.”

“Are you following me?”

“That’s right. He’s just hinting. He’s saying that you’ve been using the same road for too long. He’s telling you to try a different road.”

“Is it okay to just say that?”

“Your appearance is like that too. Because you always look the same. You get suspected. They tell you to change your appearance too.”

“Good idea.”

Is this okay?

If Prin really does as Shine says, the target we’re chasing will no longer be there.

If the appearance and movement radius change, everything you’ve done so far will go down the drain.

Shine must have known that fact too, but she told everything to Prin as if it didn’t matter.

“Jeff, I know what you’re worried about. You want to protect the cat, but you also want to catch that doctor, right?”

“Ugh…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”

“Oh, sis…”

“I’ll give you whatever you want.”

Shine said that and hugged me.

***

The tailing mission has disappeared.

Jin sighed with a dark expression and spoke to me.

“You don’t have to chase after me anymore.”

I nodded without asking any further questions.

As Shine said, it seemed like Prin leaked the information.

Jin, who always had an expectant look on his face as if he had found some important information, let out a deep sigh and left the office.

It seemed like he was going to the rabbit.

I looked at Shine.

She was passionate about something.

I peeked my head out and looked at her, and she was sprinkling her scent into the hot cocoa.

“I’m not going to drink cocoa…?”

Shine paid no attention to what I said and pushed a cup of cocoa onto my seat.

In the hot, steaming cocoa, my sister’s scent was strong.

I sighed and slumped.

It was because I felt empty, thinking that everything I had done up until now had gone down the drain.

Of course it was nice to be able to protect my cat, but the problem was that I lost my chance to catch Dr. Heblum.

“Jeff, don’t worry.”

“But we have to start over again.”

“There’s no need for that.”

“Why…?”

“I’ll let you know when I finish drinking the cocoa.”

I glared at Cocoa at Shine’s words.

Because I couldn’t understand at all why she kept trying to feed me strange things.

What good does it do to feed something like this?

I pout and drank my cocoa.

After emptying the glass like that, Shine slowly opened his mouth.

“Just wait.”

“Really…?”

“I can catch it.”

“How?”

“I gave Prince a separate mission. To follow his father secretly whenever he goes out.”

“Wow…”

“Now the cat will start working.”

***

As Shine said, Prin carried out his mission faithfully.

Every time her father went out, she would sneak out and follow him.

How many days passed like that?

Prin eventually discovered the secret entrance her father used.

“How was it? Did I do well?”

“Good job. Very good job.”

Shine smiled, gently scratching Prince’s chin.

The red eyes of the praised Prince opened beautifully.

I looked at that sight and gaped.

The intermediate process was omitted.

Even if we hadn’t gotten the information through Prince and continued to track Prince’s father, we would have eventually found the secret entrance.

But if he had done so, it was clear that Prin would not have been able to avoid the eyes of the Resistance.

But now it was different.

Jin wasn’t getting any information.

With the daily repetition of failures, not even small tasks were handed down.

That means that Prin and her father are not currently exposed to the Resistance’s gaze.

“The cat will be safe now.”

“Sister…”

But even so, it was not without problems.

How to convey this information to Jin.

The source of the information was the problem.

“Ha, but how are you going to tell Jin?”

“There’s no problem in passing this information on to Jin.”

“Oh, really?”

Shine shook her head in response to my words.

I felt a sense of relief seeing her not showing even a shred of worry.

“The biggest problem was my mom.”

“Mom…?”

“Yeah, my ability doesn’t work well with my mom. I had to get information from a place she didn’t know about.”

Shine continued, waving the photo that Prin had brought her.

“How many sources do you think Jin has?”

“Umm…”

“Nobody knows. Not even mom. Not even grandpa.”

“Me, really…?”

“Jin is a very sneaky guy. He just acts stupid in front of you with a smiling face.”

I nodded to Shine’s words.

If she is like that, then so be it.

There was no need to question it.

It has always been that way, and it should be that way in the future.

“One of the informants that no one but Jin knows worked hard to get this information. It will happen. I will make it happen.”

“Then is my cat safe?”

“Yeah, the cat is safe.”

I smiled brightly at Shine’s words and hugged Prin.

I was so happy that my precious cat didn’t end up as tonkatsu meat.