Chapter 70

“Terrible!! Terrible, I say! You left Kohaku out! Kohaku! Kohaku is stronger than Fred!!”

“Since it was late at night… Kohaku must be sleeping, right?”

“Kohaku can stay up for a night, you know!”

I returned home while it was still dark outside and tried to explain the incident at the workshop to Anna, telling her that I would head back to the workshop to assist with the investigation once I woke up. It was a bit difficult, as Anna, who had been calling me by my new name since I came to Lindemen, was so flustered that she called me “young lady.” She was very worried, saying, “Not only me, but the young lady should also stay indoors today,” and “It’s not right to involve a civilian young lady in the investigation.”

I realized how much she cared when she called me “young lady” and felt a warm feeling in my heart. However, I couldn’t tell her that I was stronger than Franz, who had been waiting here for safety reasons, because she would just get even more upset, saying, “That’s not the issue.”

In the end, I had to promise not to be alone for a while to get her to agree.

The more difficult one to deal with, as you can imagine, is Kohaku. She was very upset that the three of us had planned the night watch at the workshop without telling her.

…Actually, I did think, “It’s a bit sad to leave one person out,” but now that it’s come to this, I’m starting to think, “It was better not to tell her after all.”

“Anna, Kohaku, good morning.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I woke you up even though it was still time to sleep.”

“No, it’s fine. I was feeling restless because of the incident, so I was sleeping lightly and would have woken up to any noise outside.”

The workshop won’t be open for business for a while, but the city is still going about its daily routine. People are heading to work, and you can hear farmers coming to sell milk and vegetables from a distance. It’s also the time when other residents of the apartment are coming and going, so I might need to apologize later for the noise Kohaku is making early in the morning. I intended to apologize for the commotion caused by the patrol team’s comings and goings last night, so I’ll do that at the same time.

“Riana, too! Why did you ask Fred when Kohaku is stronger?”

“Kohaku, this isn’t a job where you just need to be strong. We talked about this yesterday, right? We needed someone who could stay alert for a long time, for several days, so we asked Fred. It just so happened that the incident occurred yesterday.”

“Muuu~”

Yesterday, I convinced her by telling her it was a boring job, but I didn’t expect the intruders to actually show up. Kohaku is now sulking because she wanted to take down the bad guys and also because she wanted me to ask her instead of Fred. It’s nice that she wants to help, though.

I didn’t plan to tell Kohaku that Fred was officially asked to guard the workshop. But since the incident happened, I had to explain it to her, and now I’m resenting those criminals for causing her to sulk. Even a cream bun might not cheer her up. Maybe I should buy some ingredients and ask Anna to make some pancakes.

“Then, if bad guys show up again, I’ll ask Kohaku.”

“Absolutely, you promise?”

“Yeah, I promise.”

Well, I’ve caught up on the sleep I missed, so I should eat something light and head to the workshop. But Kohaku will probably want to come with me to the investigation site… I was starting to worry about how to keep her here when I had a good idea.

“Hey, Kohaku, can you stay here and protect Anna until I come back this evening?”

“What? Are bad guys targeting this place?”

“The bad guys who tried to break into the workshop were caught, but we’re not sure if they were all of them. A bad guy who might be left in the hideout could come here to get the artificial magic stone formula.”

“What? That’s outrageous!”

“I need to go back to the workshop and help the patrol team, but Anna can’t fight, so I’m counting on you to protect her while I’m gone… Can you do it?”

“I can!”

“They might not come here and might escape to the outskirts of the city, so you might just be waiting… Is that okay?”

“No problem!”

“Then, I’ll officially ask Kohaku to guard Anna until this evening.”

“Got it!”

Anna winked at me with a smile behind Kohaku, and I nodded back. It seems we successfully prevented Kohaku from following me to the workshop. I feel a sense of accomplishment, but I still have a lot to do, so I need to stay focused.

“I had a light meal before dawn, so I’ll have something light again. I’m not sure how long it will take, so I made a lunch box for you… Will you be back for dinner?”

“I think I’ll be fine, but if it takes longer, I’ll let you know.”

“You’ve been so busy, so please don’t overwork yourself… For anything other than what Riana-sama absolutely needs to confirm, please leave everything to the patrol team.”

Anna said this with such a serious face that I couldn’t help but laugh. I was tense because of the unexpected incident, but I feel more relaxed now.

I got enough sleep, and since I don’t need to rush out of the house this time, I took the time to get ready before heading to the workshop. The people at the workshop have been working since the middle of the night, so I thought I’d buy something easy to eat and bring it with me. But the night shift people are there, and they said they would start the official investigation in the morning, so they might be different people now. I wonder if they accept gifts from civilians…

I was thinking about such things while walking and found myself already on the street where the workshop is.

…Maybe I should ask if it’s okay to bring gifts before I do.

“Good morning… Everyone, thank you for your hard work.”

“Oh, you’re back.”

“Riana, did you sleep well?”

“Thanks to Fred, I was able to get a good rest. Thank you.”

There was a crowd in front of the workshop. The patrol team was there, and people seemed to have noticed that something happened and were gathering as spectators. The patrol team was gently keeping them at a distance, saying, “We are conducting an investigation,” but I might be questioned by the regulars at the workshop later. I’m not good with people, so I’m a bit depressed. …I need to ask the patrol team if it’s okay to answer questions and how to respond.

I told Fred that Anna had prepared a light meal for him and that Kohaku was guarding Anna at home on a “mission” from me. He was smiling, so he probably had a good idea of how things went.

“Just to confirm, can I assist you?”

“Yes, please.”

I heard that Fred used a magic tool to capture the intruders and immediately called the patrol team. So I know that no one else has entered the workshop. However, I was told that I need to formally confirm that there was no intrusion, so I agreed.

Public service jobs seem to involve a lot of formalities and rituals, which can be quite challenging…