"Lord Ryuto, is it resolved?" Hiyori turned around on their way back and asked optimistically.

It's not like playing games where it can be resolved so quickly. Ryuto could only force a bitter smile and shook his head. "No, it's impossible to resolve it so fast. We have only confirmed that there is another person involved."

"What's the difference?"

"Of course, there is a difference. Simply returning the money is useless. It would be admitting to being thieves. If we don't find the real culprit, it cannot be considered resolved."

Upon hearing this, Hiyori further inquired, "Then how can we find the real culprit?"

"Um... it's hard to say. We have no clue at the moment, no idea who it could be. There is very little useful information, we don't even have a suspect, and we don't even know where the original money went. The only thing we do know is that we need to resolve it quickly. The longer it takes, the worse it becomes, and if we don't have an answer by noon tomorrow, it seems we will be out of the game."

This is so frustrating. There are less than 12 hours left, and we have no clues. Even if Ryuto believes that there is another person involved, without evidence, others won't believe it either. Furthermore, Ryuto himself has no authority, despite being the Minister of the so-called Special Order Department. In fact, the Special Order Department is just a decorative department. Although Ryuto doesn't dislike it, it feels like a meaningless position.

"Hmm? What's wrong, Hiyori?" Ryuto felt strange when Hiyori suddenly stopped walking.

In response, Hiyori just silently focused her attention in a certain direction. Although Ryuto also tried looking, he saw nothing and felt nothing.

Is success truly incapable of being replicated?

After a while, Hiyori calmly said, "Lord Ryuto, there seems to be some commotion over there."

Hiyori appeared quite reliable at this moment. Well, this is probably the most reliable time.

"Is that so? I didn't hear anything. Could it be another assassin?"

Regarding Ryuto's guess, Hiyori simply shook her head, "Probably not."

Is that so? That's good. Another encounter with an actual killer would be unbearable.

But there's more. Ryuto directly stated the fundamental question, "However, if you want to go, go ahead."

"Huh?"

"Since they are not here for me, it's okay. Aren't you worried? If you want to go, go. I am fine with it. Just don't take too long."

That's right, if it takes too long, there might be unexpected consequences.

To Ryuto's words, Hiyori widened her eyes and had a surprised expression. It seems she hit the mark.

Afterward, Hiyori slightly nodded towards Ryuto. "Thank you, Lord Ryuto. I will come back soon."

Then, she leaped onto the rooftop in two or three bounds and disappeared into the darkness.

"She's gradually finding her own path, huh... But... you are originally a real person, different from me. I can't help but envy you." Ryuto muttered softly as he gazed in the direction Hiyori disappeared.

*****************************************************

Hiyori swiftly moved between tall buildings.

"It should be this place."

She stopped on top of a rooftop and observed her surroundings. Because it was already dawn, there was barely any light except for some dim lights.

She concentrated and felt the presence around her. Soon, she noticed two figures in the distance - one being chased by the other, and the pursuer was about to catch up.

On the other side, a tall man was chasing the person in front of him. That person had been responsible for the multiple facility sabotages in the past few days. Initially, it was thought to be for a different reason, but later it became clear that someone was purposely targeting them for destruction.

So, the tall man had prepared an ambush tonight to capture the intruder, but he almost suffered a major setback due to the unexpected abilities of the opponent. Although it wasn't a big deal for the tall man, it would have been different for anyone else. This delay allowed the infiltrator to escape, but now they were close to catching up, with less than 100 meters left.

"It seems we're within range," the tall man said.

With that, he took out a small piece of paper from his pocket and crumpled it into a paper ball about 2 centimeters in diameter. He then threw it towards the dark figure ahead. The paper ball flew almost in a straight line after leaving the tall man's hand, unaffected by the wind.

After the tall man's throw, the paper ball was probably traveling at a speed of over 180 km/h, capable of hitting the target in less than 2 seconds. It was difficult to see such an attack in this dark night, and judging from the opponent's movements, they didn't seem capable of avoiding it.

Since they needed to capture the intruder alive, the tall man aimed for their legs, with the sole purpose of immobilizing them. It seemed foolproof, but...

"Bang!"

With a sharp impact sound, the paper ball thrown by the tall man was knocked down by a certain figure, a figure wielding a long knife.

"What?"

The tall man couldn't help but exclaim.

The appearance of this new enemy caused the tall man to furrow his brow slightly. Judging from what he had just witnessed, the enemy was not an ordinary person. Only someone extraordinary could have intercepted his attack.

Therefore, the tall man had no choice but to scrutinize the girl in front of him, holding a long knife, with a cautious look in his eyes.

In the cold breeze of the late night, a subtle yet unmistakable sense of danger lingered.