After initially verifying the authenticity of the "contract," and considering that the witch who claimed to be from another world behaved relatively lawfully most of the time, Klein decided to trust Alice for the time being and not inform the Nighthawks of her existence.
After this subtle change in his mentality, Klein returned home after finishing his afternoon work. He opened the door and went upstairs but did not see the girl. He even felt a little disappointed for no reason.
Maybe he went out for a walk? She wasn't worried about running into someone who had seen the Night Watchers' internal wanted poster... Oh, that was a witch who was used to disguising herself with magic, so it was okay.
Suddenly recalling a certain detail, Klein subconsciously glanced at the dressing mirror in his room. He didn't see anyone other than himself in it, so he simply stopped thinking about her.
He changed out of his formal attire and put on a cheap outfit he had bought in the past, took out a few banknotes from the corner where he hid his private money, and then went out to buy ingredients for dinner.
On the way back, they happened to meet Melissa who was returning home from school, so the brother and sister worked together to prepare dinner and served the home-cooked meal on the table. It was not rich, but warm and delicious enough.
Benson happened to be coming back from get off work at this time. He hung his coat and hat on the coat rack, smiled and nodded at them, and then turned towards the bathroom.
In the living room where the lights were just coming on, Melissa turned her eyes away from the dinner that had not yet been started, and tilted her head slightly to look at Klein who was sitting at the dining table.
"When will Miss Alice come back tonight? ... She will come back, right, Klein?"
Klein looked at his sister biting her lips lightly with anticipation in her eyes, and he was speechless.
Sister, how come you were bribed so quickly… Seeing how eager you are, someone who doesn't know would think she is your real brother… Oh, no, she is your real sister.
But even though he complained, he could understand Melissa's behavior at this moment.
It was a kind of concern and worry for him that was hidden very well.
If Klein Moretti and Alice were really a couple who had just started a relationship, then he could fully understand his family's feelings.
After all... the girl's appearance was so outstanding that it almost made ordinary people feel ashamed of themselves.
There is no doubt that Klein Moretti's appearance, figure, and family are all among ordinary people. Even if he himself has entered the ranks of the extraordinary and is no longer ordinary, he cannot change these established facts.
...Well, from a practical point of view, even if Alice is not a Beyonder in this world, her strength is probably far from ordinary - how can a person who can cross worlds and complete astral roaming be considered ordinary?
"She may have gone out for a walk, Melissa." Klein comforted her, "We can wait until Benson sits down, and wait a little longer, but don't sit there for too long, the food will not be so delicious if it gets cold."
Melissa showed a look of disapproval when she heard it.
"Klein, it's already night time. If Miss Alice doesn't come back, aren't you worried? There was a report of a home robbery in the Howers district a few days ago. No one can guarantee that something similar won't happen in the West District. I think... I think that if Miss Alice hasn't come back yet, you should go out and look for her."
The home robbery in the Howers district... wasn't that fake news made up by the official Beyonders for the Welch case?
Fortunately, Melissa didn't know that her brother was also involved, otherwise she would be very worried... Well, the original owner was actually involved and lost his life, and the current "Klein" was able to wake up from this body.
But, what if Alice encounters an unexpected situation? It would be useless for him to go and look for her. And isn't the situation that he is most worried about finding after arriving at the scene that on one side is the witch Miss Alice who is now staying in his house,
and on the other side is the colleague he has to face every day at work... This is a joke! Klein thought.
But he certainly couldn't say it so directly in front of his sister. Seeing that Benson had packed himself and came to the dining table in the living room, the three siblings discussed it briefly and decided to wait for a while. If Alice didn't come back, they would make other plans.
...
Tingen City, Golden Sycamore District, in front of the Coastline Restaurant -
Leonard Mitchell, 25 years old, lives in a single-family house in the Besik neighborhood in the northern district of Tingen City. Unmarried, living alone, and always having three meals a day outside.
He works at the Blackthorn Security Company, and as a night watchman he often works so overtime that he uses his office as his bedroom. I don't smoke and only drink a little. I go to bed near dawn in the early morning and only sleep two or three hours a day.
Before going to bed, he would recite a collection of poems for 20 minutes, and then try to write a poem. If he failed, he would fall asleep quickly after going to bed and sleep till dawn. He would never leave any fatigue or worries to the next day. His colleagues all said that he lived a very romantic life.
At this moment, the romantic midnight poet was savoring the taste of dinner, thinking as he walked down the stairs.
"Today's paella is a bit salty... Do you think they have changed the chef?"
After a few seconds, a slightly old voice sounded directly in his mind.
"Don't ask me about such trivial matters. Can't you go ask the restaurant waiter yourself?... Well, compared with the seafood rice we ordered last Friday, it is indeed a little salty, but it's still okay."
"I almost forgot, old man, you prefer heavier flavors..." Leonard whispered softly.
After a few seconds, the weathered voice replied to him unhappily: "You are becoming more and more rude! This is the second time you called me 'old man' today!"
It's not a big deal... You don't sound very angry either. Leonard curled his lips and didn't say what he was thinking.
Because he knew that if this being wanted to, he didn't need to point it out, the other party would know these thoughts directly.
Sure enough, the slightly old voice just hummed a few times and did not care about Leonard's offense.
The young poet, feeling a little naughty and happy, walked lightly along the street, thinking about his plans for the evening.
"Should I go to the bookstore at the west street corner and buy some new poetry collections, or go back to the company and lie down? Or maybe go to the bar and see if I can make some extra money..."
The vicissitudes of life voice that echoed directly in his mind did not answer him.
Leonard knew that the other party was usually too lazy to guide him on such trivial matters, but he had already developed the habit of "talking to himself" when he was alone, and it was really difficult for him to correct it in a short period of time.
However, Leonard always acts on impulse, and he didn't think about it for too long and made his choice casually.
He was wearing a pair of tight black trousers today, his shirt was still untucked in and his vest was unbuttoned. The evening wind blew his black hair a little messy, but combined with his handsome face, he looked light, free and unrestrained, as if he was a real poet strolling on the busy street.
Leonard imagined what he looked like at that moment, and felt very good about himself. Suddenly, he was inspired to create, so he began to chant a few intermittent words.
But when he tried to connect them into a complete sentence, the inspiration that came and went so quickly was gone again.
Leonard raised his hand and scratched his hair, then stopped at the intersection of these streets.
"What a pity... why don't we go to West Street Crossing?"
He muttered to himself, and was about to turn around and search for his lost flashes of inspiration in new poems.
At this moment, he accidentally met the eyes of someone next to him.
Those were a pair of gorgeous eyes with a color between blue and green.
Maybe it was just a moment, or maybe several breaths passed, and he felt his brain go blank and he completely lost the ability to think.
It was not until the man blinked his eyes slightly and gave him a curious and confused look that Leonard suddenly woke up and finally noticed that the other party had stopped not far in front of him.
His mind was still empty, and he forgot what he was supposed to say. He could only listen to the other party's voice, which softly and elegantly spoke the opening remarks in clear and fluent Loenese.
"Good evening, sir. May I ask you which direction to go on Daffodil Street?"
...…
Someone knocked on the door of the Moretti family's house at No. 2 Daffodil Street.
Before her two brothers could make any move, Melissa quickly jumped up from her seat, walked a few steps to the entrance, opened the door, and then shouted the man's name happily.
"Miss Alice! You're finally back!"
The blonde girl responded to her greeting softly. From Klein's perspective, there was nothing unusual.
As she entered the room, Alice seemed to cast a glance in a distant direction behind her, then quickly retracted her gaze. She spoke softly in a clear and gentle voice: "
I accidentally walked to a distant neighborhood, and spent some time asking for directions on the way... I'm sorry to have kept you and your family waiting for so long."
She lowered her eyes to show her sincere apology. Even Klein, who knew the witch's evil nature, didn't dare to say anything more, not to mention Benson and Melissa, who had completely believed in her gentle personality.
Thus, the guests of the Moretti family were seated smoothly, four pairs of interlaced knives and forks were flying on the dining table, and the warm yellow light cast a peaceful and warm color in the living room.
Fortunately, the dishes were warm and still tasted delicious.
Klein stuffed a piece of delicious stewed meat dipped in his homemade sauce into his mouth and chewed it, but he couldn't help but be dazed for no reason.
...
After dinner, the two gentlemen took the initiative to undertake the task of washing the dishes, leaving the two young ladies of similar age in the cleaned living room, chatting privately between them.
Of course, while washing the dishes, Klein had been trying hard to suppress his embarrassment, smiling and facing Benson's "teaching by example" and some "love psychology knowledge" that he had learned from somewhere - God knows how he overcame those goose bumps on his body!
Not to mention that I'm not in love with that witch lady...
Benson, Benson, although you are a few years older than me, as far as I know, your love experience is almost blank. Why do you dare to pass on your experience to your brother?
Is our family all so-called masters of theory? The king of big talk?
Klein tried to laugh in the midst of adversity and shook his head and sighed.
By the time the two brothers finished their chores and left the kitchen, the conversation between the two girls in the living room had come to an end.
Melissa raised her head and glanced at her two brothers, then fixed her sight on Klein. She hesitated and said, "Klein...can I take this?"
He looked at the delicate metal box that Melissa pointed to, and the smooth mirrored surface on the inside of the lid after it was opened, and suddenly realized what it was.
Cosmetics...Melissa is at this age now. Even if she faces gears and machines all day long, it does not affect the love of beauty that every girl has.
He looked carefully several times and found that Melissa seemed to have put on a light makeup under the guidance of the witch lady. Although it was only a light layer of foundation, it also covered up some minor blemishes on the girl's skin, making her look a little whiter and more beautiful than usual.
As expected, makeup is a woman's magic weapon... Klein thought.
But...
he suppressed his surprise and looked up at the blonde girl next to his sister.
"Are you going to give this to Melissa?" Looking at the shape of the box of this luxury item, it can be considered very exquisite, and I don't know how much it is priced at...
Oh no, where did this witch get the money to go shopping? Did she steal his private money?!
Just as Klein was in doubt, Alice smiled, closed the exquisite makeup box, which was neither too big nor too small, and stuffed it directly into Melissa's hands.
"This is one of the souvenirs I bought when I went to a certain... um, city famous for entertainment and leisure. It's not something particularly expensive. Look, you've tried it, wouldn't it be a waste to return it to me?" "
But..." It was obvious that Melissa was quite shaken. On the one hand, she was moved by this beautiful gift, but on the other hand, as a thrifty person, she was worried that the gift was too valuable and she would not be able to repay it.
Seeing this, Klein decisively made a decision for his sister.
"Melissa, please accept it. Don't waste Miss Alice's kindness."
Just think of it as a memorial to my lost 12 solis and 8 pence. Klein silently mourned in his heart for those little cuties who had left him.
After greeting the brother and sister, Klein motioned for the girl to follow him and walked upstairs first.
On the stairs, he casually asked the question that he had not been able to ask in front of Melissa before.
"So, how much did you spend on that box of foundation?" And... where did she take it out from? From her robe pocket?
Wait, to be honest, he really didn't notice these details.
Klein, who had already walked to the door of his room, suddenly remembered something and turned around to look at the girl who was following him quietly.
She was wearing a plain skirt suit today, which looked somewhat similar to the Intis style, but the design of the neckline, cuffs and even waist reminded people of classical art. On her feet...
she was wearing a pair of silk white socks that were longer than the hem of her skirt, and at the bottom she was wearing a pair of brand new house slippers.
It seemed that Melissa had gone to the department store to buy it after school.
...Of course, the kindness shown to her by her family was not what Klein wanted to focus on at this moment.
She...Alice, a penniless visitor from another world. Every time he saw her, she was empty-handed and free of burden.
Burden, here specifically refers to the luggage.
Okay, then where did she get this set of replacement clothes? Judging from the texture of the fabric, it doesn't look cheap, and he doesn't remember any high-end stores near his home selling this kind of skirt.
...Of course, if you say that she went to a wealthy area like Hall Street to buy clothes, then just ignore what he said.
Oh, and last night, after taking a shower, Alice changed into a nightgown he had never seen before; even when he woke up this morning, he saw a harp he had never seen before lying in her arms...
It was impossible that she bought these things somewhere on the spur of the moment, right?
To Klein, it was as if she could always take these items out of an invisible suitcase in the blink of an eye -
Klein Moretti might not be able to imagine the principles behind these strange phenomena, but for Zhou Mingrui, who had been exposed to online literature for a long time, this undoubtedly pointed to a simple and clear fact!
Space props! Her carry-on luggage is all in the space props!
Alice glanced at Klein, who was inexplicably excited, then stepped past him and walked into the room.
"I always feel that the way you look at me right now is a little strange...Okay, I admit that the all-in-one makeup primer is not a high-end product. The only advantage is probably that you don't need to buy other products like sunscreen, concealer or setting products. You can just apply it on your face, and it won't hurt the skin. As for the disadvantages, it is also obvious. It is not waterproof. Just washing your face or getting caught in the rain is equivalent to automatic makeup removal..."
"Ah, um...so, what about the price?" Klein seemed to understand what he heard, and subconsciously asked the part he was most concerned about again.
You must make it worth my 12 soli and 8 pence.
Alice seemed a little helpless. She turned around and pulled the money-grubber who was standing stupidly at the door of her room into the house. As she closed the door, she casually replied:
"Probably a few gold coins, or dozens of gold coins. I don't remember the details... Have you ever seen gold coins? In this world, I see that most people only use paper money..."
Just by listening, Klein felt his breath stagnate and almost blurted out the words he shouldn't have said: Do you think I look like someone who has seen gold coins?
Of course, the currency system of the Kingdom of Loen relies on gold coins. Gold pound Gold pound, naturally, originally referred to gold coins.
However, gold coins also have their own limitations. Coupled with the convenience and popularity of paper money in recent years, the number of people using gold coins is decreasing year by year. In today's era, perhaps only old-fashioned gentlemen would prepare some gold coins for emergencies.
"…No, we actually also use gold coins here." After barely regaining his sanity, Klein briefly explained the currency system of the Kingdom of Loen to her, and finally heard her make the following comment.
"What a hassle. Does the person who established this monetary system think he is very humorous?"
It was rare to see the girl's cute and adorable expression at this moment. Klein couldn't help but smile and copied the view he had when he discussed the same topic with his brother Benson.
"No one can prove that the bigwigs who established this monetary system are really human beings. Maybe they are a group of curly-haired baboons?"
Unfortunately, Alice could not understand the Loen people's obsession with curly-haired baboons, and their cultural habit of using this to show their humor.
"Curly-haired baboon?" She blinked in confusion to show her doubt.
So Klein tried hard to search the original owner's memory again, and used his limited vocabulary to describe to her this creature that he had never seen before.
Anyway, a few minutes later, the little episode about the curly-haired baboon had passed, and Klein brought up the topic of gold coins with the girl again.
He mustered up the courage he had accumulated over the past two days and shamelessly reached out his hand to her.
"Since you are not short of money... I mean, you must have gold coins on you, then can you return the money you took from me yesterday? Or you can use gold coins to pay off your debts, I don't mind."
Alice, who already knew the currency conversion system, couldn't help but look amused when she heard this.
"You're quite good at calculating. Exchanging banknotes for gold coins... I don't mind, but are you sure you want to accept my gold coins?"
What do you mean... What is there to be sure of? Klein was puzzled, but from her tone, it seemed that she was willing to give in, so he was reluctant to let go of this opportunity.
"...Sure!"
The girl smiled and shook her head, kindly reminding.
"I think you may not have considered some details... The patterns and words printed on the gold coins I have are all from the style of that world. I'm afraid they can't be used as currency here?"
As sThe end of the "path"... the end of the sequence...
Miss Witch's guess, according to her, was the product of a sudden flash of inspiration during her walk.
Klein initially subconsciously wanted to deny this "disrespectful" statement.
Influenced by the original owner's memory, he, like many Loen people, was not a staunch believer in any particular god, but believed in them to some extent - after all, the gods of this world truly existed in every aspect of life, and many things with their presence had long been commonplace in the eyes of ordinary people.
For example, there are Sunday schools co-organized by churches, and many high-tech industries invested in by the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery.
Perhaps there are actually ordinary people among the gods who have reached the top of the world through some means. If this were to be made public, they would probably be arrested as heretics.
But his awareness as a time traveler allowed Klein to calm down quickly.
He thought of his luck-changing ritual, which had become "online friendship magic."
There, above the mysterious gray fog, "Justice" and "The Hanged Man", who had just confirmed their code names this week, had discussed a certain topic.
Emperor Roselle hid the twenty-two paths of God in a deck of tarot cards he secretly made...
Twenty-two paths of God, twenty-two sequences, actually represent... the twenty-two positions of God in this world?!
Everyone who embarks on an extraordinary path is on the road to the throne of God?
After being stunned, Klein suddenly felt that this guess might be true!
Because this can explain why the official extraordinary people belonging to the church would try their best to prevent ordinary people from knowing about themselves and the existence of extraordinary powers.
Advanced potion... role-playing... loss of control and madness...
Too many inspirations flashed through his spiritual thinking at once. Klein only barely grasped a few of them, and he felt a sense of enlightenment.
Perhaps this can be flexibly applied to the Tarot Club next week or even in the future... He nodded secretly.
In fact, there were a few moments when Klein even wanted to reveal his official Beyonder identity to Alice.
Yes, out of caution, although Klein told the witch a lot of information about the extraordinary world, he used declarative sentences between the lines, implicitly describing himself as an "Extraordinary Person hiding among ordinary people."
However, his caution seems to have paid off to some extent.
Seeing that the topic of "disrespect" had passed, Klein recalled the internal wanted order he had seen during the day. After careful consideration for a while, he tentatively asked Alice:
"Have you ever offended anyone before? Or done anything? As far as I know, it seems that the official has issued a wanted order for you... Well, it's a hunting order that is only circulated internally among Extraordinary people."
Alice just sat by his bed and blinked innocently.
"No, I haven't done anything that would get me wanted. It was just self-defense at most... By the way, speaking of other people with extraordinary powers, I met one on the road today!"
"...On the road? Met an extraordinary person?" Klein paused for a few seconds before suppressing the urge to lean back and asked her.
No, it would be fine if she encountered those wild Beyonders, but what if she ran into an official Beyonder... To put it more specifically, this is the West District under the jurisdiction of the Nighthawks. If she encountered a Nighthawk...
that scene would be too beautiful, and Klein didn't dare to think about it.
As if she knew what he was thinking, the witch lady smiled and raised her index finger and waved it left and right.
"An Xin, I told you that you are special. The person I met today was not like you who could see through my confusion spell. I guess he has forgotten what I look like... Well, of course, this is not the point I want to make. What
I mean is that his extraordinary level seems to be slightly higher than yours--" As she spoke, she used her finger to gesture a distance no longer than the length of a fingernail.
"But what's interesting is that he has a little more 'inhuman' parts than you or other people. So I'm thinking that the potions you drank on the sequence path may be helping you break through the limits of humanity, but it can also be said that they are transforming humans into something 'inhuman' step by step?"
Klein tried hard to control the urge to hold his forehead and took a breath silently.
Don't always throw out big news, Miss Witch...
and what does this mean? Humans have their limits, so I won't be a human anymore? A reasonable and crude conclusion...
but these theories are actually not wrong if you think about it carefully.
Archbishop Chanis said that we are guardians, but we are also a group of poor people fighting against danger and madness.
In order to fight danger, we are willing to transform into monsters that are incomprehensible to ordinary people...
After calming down, Klein sighed and forgot to ask Alice for more details about the Beyonders he encountered on the road. He casually chatted with her about a variety of fantastic topics, and soon received a good night from the girl.
After that, Klein went through the same mental torment as yesterday, which he will not go into here. There was nothing he could do about it.
After all, the witch borrowed the bathroom in his room and used his bath towels and lotion...
It was really hard not to think too much.
What's more...
Klein took out the golden coin from his pocket and stared at it for a long time. In the end, he was reluctant to take a bite to verify the authenticity of the gold.
This gold coin seemed to have some special meaning just because she kissed it jokingly...
But after thinking it over again and again, Klein suppressed the desire to use it for divination.
...After all, using divination to ask questions like "Does she like me?" is really stupid.
In the end, he put the gold coin carefully into the inner pocket of his pajamas before going to bed.
That night, Klein felt as if he heard the familiar distant piano music from the other side of his dream again.
He had a good dream.
…
In the early morning, Klein was awakened by the clear sound of the strings being plucked.
"Good morning, Mr. Klein."
It was the same scene as the day before. It was still the beautiful girl sitting in front of the windowsill, putting down the harp in her hand and saying good morning to him...
The difference was that she was wearing a slightly retro-style chiffon dress today. The sleeves and waist were decorated with a lot of thin, semi-transparent white gauze. With her hair braided into two soft braids, she looked like Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, who walked out of a classical painting. She was graceful and elegant, without a single flaw.
"...Good morning, Miss Alice." Klein responded a little late, and then he couldn't help but add, "Actually, you can choose to call me by my name directly. I don't mind..."
Just as he said this, he felt his face getting a little hot. His brain, which had just woken up, immediately regained its rationality and he tried to change the subject as if to cover up.
"By the way, speaking of this... Did Miss Alice also come out to play the piano last night?"
Klein looked at the elegant light blue instrument in her arms.
You don't need to play the role of a "midnight poet"... He thought with some amusement in his heart that a real "midnight poet" like Leonard might not play the piano and sing with her so late at night...
Hey, wait, Alice seemed to have never sung, just simply played?
"Well, it's a way to adjust my mood, and by the way, playing a few songs every day... It's also my habit." The girl, who seemed to be dyed golden all over in the early morning sunlight, said, slowly put away the piano, and was about to jump down from the window sill where she was sitting.
The next second, Klein saw her lose her calm and mysterious look for the first time.
Perhaps it was because the windowsill was quite a distance from the ground, and the wind happened to lift the curtains on the side. She was unstable when she jumped down, and almost fell forward.
Fortunately, Alice reacted in time, grabbed the desk beside her and kept her balance. She immediately stood up straight and her beautiful watery eyes glanced over at him.
Klein quickly shifted his gaze and pretended he saw nothing.
However, Miss Witch's motor skills seemed to be completely impaired...
and yet, she was quite cute...
Of course, Klein only dared to think about this in his mind and did not have the courage to speak it out loud.
"Hmph... I'm a magician who occasionally works as a bard. Isn't it normal for
me to have poor athletic ability?" As if she couldn't stand his sly look, Alice put on an unhappy expression and made it sound like a matter of course that she was not active.
Klein was speechless: Is this really a poet? What if she drinks the "Midnight Poet" potion, will it melt in her mouth... No, it's better not to think about it.
He shook his head, said hello to the girl and went into the bathroom to wash up. After more than ten seconds, he pretended that he had forgotten something and returned to the bedroom from the cubicle.
In a casual glance, Klein noticed that the harp in Alice's hand had mysteriously disappeared again.
With an almost certain understanding, Klein returned to the bathroom contentedly, ready to greet the start of a new day -
...
On Friday, Tingen City was hit by a sudden rainstorm, and the Blackthorn Security Company received a sudden commission in the midst of the rain.
After just a few hours, the boy who was kidnapped was successfully rescued. The duo, who played a crucial role in the whole process, quietly left the scene while the police were not paying attention, hiding their merit and fame.
This was the first time Klein had completed a commission as a Beyonder, and it was somewhat heroic in nature. Inevitably, he felt somewhat pleased.
Not only can you exercise your extraordinary abilities, but you can also help others... and of course, you can also get commission fees.
Although he was not a formal member of the team, he could only get one-tenth of the commission, which was 5 to 10 pounds.
Not bad... Klein comforted himself and subconsciously reached into his pocket to touch the gold coin he had received from Alice yesterday.
The pattern with flying dragon and lion patterns is facing up, which means affirmation!
He tried hard to keep his expression under control, trying not to show any smile that was about to get out of his control in front of others.
Because Klein knew that would look stupid.
Sitting in the carriage back to Zouteland Street, he and his night watchman colleague named Leonard gradually became familiar with each other.
Yesterday's casual conversation, coupled with today's collaborative efforts, allowed these two people with different personalities to cross the first threshold in interpersonal relationships.
When the two got off the carriage, Klein felt that they were probably close enough to be able to have lunch together without feeling awkward.
...Probably. I hope this isn't just his wishful thinking.
But when Klein received today's bullets and was about to go out for shooting practice, he walked out of the company's door and saw the poet-like night watchman also standing outside the door, looking into the distance at the street after the sudden rain in the summer afternoon, looking as if he was in a trance.
What happened...
Out of concern for his colleague, Klein took the initiative to greet him: "
Do you have an appointment this afternoon? Or are you waiting for someone?"
Leonard withdrew his gaze from the distance, smiled slightly and shook his head.
"Neither. Maybe I should say I'm looking forward to a miracle."
...weird. Klein didn't know how to respond for a moment, so he could only raise a polite social smile.
"Then I wish you good luck."
As he said this, he adjusted his hat again, thus tactfully expressing his intention to leave first.
Seeing this, Leonard didn't say much, but watched him walk down the stairs with a smile.
But before Klein finished walking up the stairs in front of the company's main entrance, he was somewhat surprised to hear Leonard's dissuading voice.
"Wait, Klein, I suddenly remembered something I want to ask you."
The question sounded so familiar... like something the captain would say. Klein suppressed his laughter and turned to face the black-haired poet who was also walking down the stairs.
"How can I help you?" he asked politely.
Perhaps out of a desire to share with others, Klein felt that the other person's spirit was very active, and he expressed his joyful mood cheerfully and powerfully.
"Klein, remember what you asked me yesterday, what would my reaction be if someone asked me for directions? What was my answer at that time... I would give directions to that person normally?"
Klein didn't quite understand the purpose of his question, and could only give a positive answer after searching his memory.
"Haha, but now I realize that's just my normal reaction."
Leonard smiled a rare smile, his beautifully shaped green eyes with long upper and lower eyelashes slightly curved, no longer unruly, but a bit like a big boy who has not grown up.
"If the other person happens to be my ideal type, I will be happy to take her to where she wants to go, no matter how far it is."
Klein listened to this and felt an urge to smile. He felt as if he had returned to high school, and his best friend, who had finally managed to chat with his crush, insisted on pulling him aside and saying that he wanted to share with him the changes in his heart during the process of crushing on her.
He nodded slightly and smiled in agreement,
"It seems something happened yesterday. You met your ideal girl? Do you mind telling me her type... I mean, this can bring inspiration to my creation."
After skillfully using the excuse of writing a novel, Klein's inspiration was vaguely touched. While he was slightly stunned, some key words from the previous conversation and some individual details of yesterday's experience were extracted and arranged into a series of incoherent sentences.
Asking for directions...Alice was returning from a late walk...and had met a certain Beyonder on the way...
Klein's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Damn it, please don't be like this! Don't ever think that such a coincidence would happen!
Unfortunately, it seemed that no god heard Klein's inner cry.
With his smile gradually becoming stiff, Leonard gave a reply that horrified him.
"It's hard for me to tell you what kind of person she is, because in my opinion, she is very special. I don't think there will be another girl like her in the world... Well, if you are just curious about her appearance, then I can only say..."
After a subtle pause, the young Nighthawk continued:
"Her eyes are a beautiful turquoise color... That is the most beautiful sea I have ever seen."
...That's it?
Klein almost blurted out this rude remark. He thought that if the other party was provoked and angry, he, a "fortune teller" who was not good at fighting, would probably not be able to beat this violent poet. So he had to force himself to hold back and asked with pretended curiosity:
"Turquoise?"
- In fact, for some reason, just from this description, he could guess who Leonard met yesterday.
Perhaps, it wasn't that Leonard didn't want to reveal more information about her appearance, but that he simply couldn't remember what she looked like...
What was even more tragic and terrifying was that Leonard didn't seem to feel anything was wrong. After praising her beautiful eyes in a poetic tone, he seemed to have returned to his usual casual demeanor.
But his tone as he kindly "reminded" Klein was not casual at all.
"Klein, I understand your passion for finding sources, but don't say I didn't warn you in advance. It's fine for you to seek inspiration from me, but I don't want to see copied characters... That would make me feel that my beauty is shared by strangers. That's a bad feeling..."
...What else could he say?
Klein smiled awkwardly and brought the topic he had started to an end. At the same time, he tried to control his emotions, and his trembling back gradually returned to normal.
...
As a result, that night, until Alice returned to the mirror dimension where she was staying, Klein did not wait for her to take the initiative to mention the matter of asking for directions yesterday.
Perhaps that was just an episode, and in Alice's eyes it has become an insignificant past event.
In fact, up until now, his life has been normal.
The atmosphere at the Moretti family's dinner table was still joyful, and his relationship with Miss Witch... was still the same.
There was no night watchman disguised as a gas meter transcriber coming to "visit" the house, and there was no violent poet who suddenly realized that something was wrong and came to kill the house in anger.
Nothing unexpected happened.
Leonard Mitchell had no idea that the girl who asked him for directions yesterday was none other than the Sequence 6 "Mirror Witch" wanted by the church. He also had no idea that she was currently staying at the home of Klein, the "Fortune Teller," a newcomer to the Nighthawks.
Everything is fine.
After finishing his evening meditation and vision practice, Klein put the heavy gold coins into his pocket, lay down on the bed, and fell asleep not long after.
He slept well again tonight.
It seemed that he had a dream on the way, but the moving piano music that came faintly soon soothed the throbbing of his soul and led him to a deeper and deeper sleep.
On Saturday morning, Miss Witch's good morning arrived on time, just like the rising sun as usual.
———
A house with a dark red chimney on the outskirts of Tingen.
Near the window of the master bedroom of the house, there is a desk with several books with unclear covers, a few pieces of paper scraps, and a notebook spread out in the center of the desk.
On the page with several lines of text already visible, a classical-looking feather pen was writing.
*"Leonard Mitchell and Klein accepted the commission and relied on the abilities of the Beyonders to quickly rescue Elliot. Unfortunately, Klein failed to immediately discover the clue that the Antigonus family notes were hidden on the opposite side."
"However, his spirituality reminded him in his dream, and the Tingen Market Night Squadron obtained the corresponding clues."* (Note: Chapter 210 of the first part of the original text)
Without dipping in ink or holding a pen, it wrote furiously on the paper, as diligently as a dock laborer who volunteered to work overtime until late at night.
"——It should have been like this. But Klein was too tired. After he had the dream of spiritual enlightenment, he fell asleep again. This time, he slept very soundly and had no recollection of having had an important dream."
"Reil Biber is hiding in the Tyrell warehouse in the dock area, absorbing the power from the notes. His power is growing, and the Tingen Market Night Squad doesn't know that the Antigonus family notes they have been looking for are in the body of this guy who is about to transform into a dangerous monster." "
If the situation does not change, in a few days at most, Reil Biber will completely lose control and cause unrest in the dock area. The Punisher team that manages this area will receive inte