Itefeil walked up to the police station alone, then suddenly realized there was a problem.
There seemed to be fewer people than usual at the station today.
Hmm...
She hadn’t seen many people on her way through the station. Suddenly, Itefeil had the feeling she’d forgotten something today...
“Chief Commissioner Itefeil? What brings you to the station today?”
“Huh...?”
A staff member on duty greeted Itefeil, and she stared blankly at them.
Those two sentences were a lot to take in.
“What did you just call me?”
“Chief Commissioner Itefeil...”
“When did I become a Chief Commissioner??”
“The Chief Commissioner announced it personally yesterday. When the Woodpecker Cavalry Regiment came by, they took their wounded with them. Then the Chief Commissioner declared the mission complete. You and your team performed exceptionally well during the mission, so the Chief Commissioner appointed you as a commissioner. The rest of your team received various rewards, too.”
The officer on duty sounded a little envious as they pointed to a spot on a form.
“This is going to be your office at the station. They just put up your nameplate. Did you come by today to see it?”
“N-no. I came in to work...”
Itefeil said it without thinking.
“Huh?”
The staff member glanced at the time in surprise.
“Chief Commissioner Itefeil, isn’t today a day off?”
“Huh?”
Itefeil and the staff member stared at each other, both of them seeing the surprise and embarrassment in the other’s eyes.
“Oh, um, right. I came to see my office.”
Itefeil was dying of embarrassment. She’d been so busy last night that she’d completely forgotten today was a day off, yet she’d spent ages getting ready and come all the way to the station. And so much had happened after she went home last night, too. At least she had an excuse to save face now.
“All right. Here’s the key to your office. I was going to give it to you when you came in tomorrow, but I didn’t expect you to show up today. Here you go.”
The staff member was quick on the uptake and immediately gave Itefeil a way to save face.
“All right. Thank you.”
Itefeil didn’t say anything else. She took the key and headed for her office. Before long, she was standing outside its door. The station was quiet and empty, not a soul in sight. Her footsteps echoed down the deserted hallway as she looked at the brand-new plaque on the office door, her name engraved on it.
She took a deep breath, then unlocked the office door. It had all the standard furnishings. She could add whatever decorations she wanted and arrange things however she liked. Itefeil thought of a friend of hers, another female commissioner, whose office was practically bursting with girlish charm. Itefeil had been so envious back then. She’d wanted an office of her own at the station, too.
But Itefeil knew she wasn’t good at keeping things tidy. When she thought about it, she’d probably just make a mess of her own office. She might as well make do with the simple furnishings. At least that way, it wouldn’t get too messy.
Itefeil sat down in the chair at her desk. Beside it was one-way glass that let her see outside. Her office was on the fourth floor—not especially high, but high enough to look out over the busy streets below. The floors above were reserved for the Chief Commissioner and some of the more experienced, veteran commissioners.
She sat there, staring blankly out the window for a while. It was a day off, and the whole city had settled into its rest. Even thieves didn’t dare steal on a holiday; if they got caught, they’d face a very harsh punishment. That was because the day of rest was when the gods of the Supreme Divine Temple passed judgment. Everyone had to stop whatever work they were doing and take the day off.
On that day, people could do anything they wanted as long as it wasn’t work. If they had no choice but to work, they had to be paid double for the day. The officer on duty downstairs came from a poor family, so it was understandable that they’d chosen to stay at the station and work.
“Forget it. I’ll head home.”
It had been ages since she’d had a day off. Itefeil couldn’t believe she was sitting around blankly in her office at the station. If her friend found out, she’d never hear the end of it.
Itefeil twirled the key as she locked the office door, then said goodbye to the young man on duty before leaving the station. It was only a little past noon, and she didn’t feel like standing outside in the sun, so she headed home right away.
“Verifying identity. Updating identity records. Chief Commissioner Itefeil, welcome home.”
Sure enough, the guardian’s information had been updated along with the rest. The guardian was the strange talking thing by the door. Its actual body was sealed inside the wall, and it was a magitech puppet. Its spirit was connected to the control center at the station, allowing it to update its information in real time.
“Ah... I’m home.”
Itefeil pushed open the door, but La Luna was nowhere to be seen.
“La Luna? La Luna?”
There was no answer, even after she called twice.
“Honestly, where did that little thing run off to?”
Itefeil used cleaning magic to gather all the cat hair on the sofa into a ball. Then, without bothering to move the things piled on it, she plopped down.
“Meow?”
La Luna poked its head out from behind a wall. Itefeil beckoned it over.
“Come here, sweetie.”
“Meow.”
La Luna turned around, picked up a letter in its mouth, then ran over to Itefeil and set it down by her feet.
“Hmm? What’s this?”
Puzzled, Itefeil opened the envelope...
