"I..."
Akira opened her mouth, wanting to take back her words, but she couldn't bring herself to lose face.
She could only force a change in the conversation, her voice dropping a few octaves, yet still carrying a deliberately maintained coldness.
"Who... who told you that?"
Her fingertips unconsciously picked at the tablecloth, trying to hide her previous self-indulgent assumption.
Fortunately, the waiter began to serve the dishes one after another, easing the awkward atmosphere.
Akira lowered her head and frantically stuffed food into her mouth, her small feet almost curling up inside her shoes.
Under the table, her hands were tightly clenched into fists.
"What the hell, are you playing with me?!"
"Why drag out something that could be said clearly in one sentence for so long!"
While Akira was frantically complaining in her head, Akuto lightly tapped on the table.
"Second Class Investigator Mado, what you're eating is the decorative garnish; the steak is right next to it."
*Pfft!*
Akira's small face turned beet red, and she quickly used the excuse of going to the restroom to stumble away from the table.
Akuto really couldn't help but chuckle. In his eyes, as soon as the waiter served the food, Akira had picked up her utensils.
Then she frantically stuffed her mouth with decorative cabbage and fennel.
She didn't even glance at the steak.
Fennel has a very strong taste; he didn't know how Akira managed to eat it.
When Akira returned after composing herself, she found that Akuto had already cut the steak for her. "At least he's somewhat decent."
Akira, with a red face, slowly chewed the steak.
After finishing the meal, Akira picked up a bowl of Häagen-Dazs, stirring it gently, while her face regained that businesslike expression. "The CCG doesn't handle Police Station matters, but if you are a law-abiding ordinary citizen, I can help you contact the relevant departments to inquire about the process."
"I'll accompany you there in a while."
"Don't overthink it; this is just my duty."
"Then, many thanks."
Akuto raised his hand, and the waiter handed over the bill.
Akuto skillfully swiped his card. After the two walked out of the restaurant, Akira held out her hand and looked at Akuto quietly.
"What?"
"The bill. I'll give you my share."
Akuto casually tossed the bill into a nearby trash can.
"Consider it a thank you for your help."
"Besides, I'm the one who brought you here, so it's only natural that I pay."
Akuto was used to the local customs; most people split the bill when eating out.
Even with a relationship as good as Miko and Hana's, they would still split the bill when eating together.
However, Akira's eyes were sharp.
She happened to see that string of numbers as the bill floated down toward the trash.
That incredibly long bill made her heart skip a beat.
At the same time, her cheeks felt a bit hot. Even if they split it, she probably wouldn't be able to afford her portion.
It was too expensive!
A single meal actually costs more than half a month's salary.
As if to compensate Akuto, at the Police Station, Akuto barely did anything; he just gave his name and took a photo.
In less than two hours, Akuto obtained a brand new ID... at the entrance of the CCG branch.
"Thank you, Second Class Investigator Mado," Akuto said with a smile after stopping the car.
Akira's expression was a bit unnatural, and using her stiff Investigator tone, she said, "Now that you have an identity, be a law-abiding citizen."
"I will still investigate your huge assets of unknown origin. If you dare to commit a crime, I will personally take you down!"
Akira said as she stepped out of the car, giving Akuto a slight bow.
Then, straightening her back, she walked into the CCG building with measured, rhythmic steps.
"Oh~ Second Class Investigator Mado is back!"
"Who was that today? Is he Senior's boyfriend? He's very handsome!"
"What a perfect match!"
"When did you meet? I want to find a handsome boyfriend like that too! Senior, tell us about it~"
Seeing everyone in the office with gossiping expressions, the veins on Akira's forehead bulged.
"Don't you all have work to do!"
She walked quickly toward her desk, her back ramrod straight, deliberately avoiding her colleagues' prying eyes. "He's just someone who needed help with some business; it has nothing to do with what you're thinking."
She immediately flipped open a file after sitting down, her fingertips quickly sliding across the paper.
But she wasn't actually reading it. The redness on the tips of her ears wouldn't go down, and she felt secretly annoyed.
After sitting down, Akira pretended to focus on the file, but her fingertips unconsciously clicked the mouse repeatedly; she hadn't processed a single word of the Ghoul data analysis on the screen for a long time.
Heat still lingered on the tips of her ears. She stole a glance at her surroundings with her peripheral vision and found two female colleagues in the corner whispering in her direction.
They were even gesturing the shape of a luxury car with their hands.
"Look, Senior blushed just now. There's definitely something going on..."
"That man is handsome and rich, and he's so attentive to Senior. Maybe he's serious..."
Their voices were very low, but they couldn't escape an Investigator's sharp hearing.
Akira's hand holding the mouse suddenly tightened, her knuckles turning white. Without looking up, she spoke coldly in a volume loud enough for the two to hear clearly. "I want to see your revised versions of this quarterly investigation report before you leave today."
Akira's tone was flat but carried a full sense of pressure.
"Now, return to your posts immediately."
The two girls shrank their necks in fear and hurried back to their seats. The office became completely quiet.
Only then did Akira breathe a sigh of relief, but she let out a long sigh toward the computer screen.
It wasn't anger; it was pure annoyance.
Her fingertip poked the "Ghoul Investigation Area" label on the screen as she secretly complained in her heart.
'That troublesome guy! Does he have to make it known to everyone before he's satisfied? Driving a luxury car, going to high-end restaurants, and even showing off at the department entrance—it's like he's deliberately making trouble for me!'
Thinking about her self-indulgent behavior at the restaurant at noon, the tips of her ears turned hot again. She raised her hand to press her earlobes, her gaze becoming fierce 'If he dares to do this again, no matter how strong he is, I'll use my quinque to drive him far away!'
Regaining her focus, Akira reopened the investigation report.
And on the computer was a set of activity statistics for the [ Poison Scorpion Ghoul Organization ].
On the other side, Akuto, with a lollipop in his mouth, bought a ticket and walked into a museum.
This was the largest museum in Kyoto, containing countless exhibits ranging from Japan to Egypt.
At this moment, Akuto looked exactly like a tourist.
Wearing simple suit pants and a white shirt with the top two buttons undone.
Relaxed and clean.
*Sniff sniff.*
Akuto sniffed, then frowned slightly.
"What a heavy smell of blood."
"Whatever, none of my business."
Akuto toured the exhibits one by one. There were also many families and couples on dates around him.
Half an hour later, Akuto walked into an exhibition hall with a completely different decoration style.
The entire place was made to look like the inside of a pyramid, with dim lighting and yellowed stone bricks everywhere.
Walking through a narrow passage, a coffin specifically for a mummy appeared ahead.
The coffin was currently open, and a dehydrated corpse lay quietly inside.
Many people were taking photos.
Akuto's gaze, however, fell on the mummy's right arm.
The mummy's entire right arm appeared to be shattered, whether from excavation or transportation damage.
So, obvious signs of repair could be seen.
Among them, the mummy's index finger felt very disconnected from the rest of the body.
Although the index finger also looked like a dried corpse, it was wrapped in a yellow Talisman.
If this wasn't Sukuna's Finger, what was?
"Found one."
Akuto looked around. There were several cameras above, and the entrance and exit of the mummy exhibition hall were quite narrow.
The mummy was also placed behind glass, clearly connected to an alarm.