The wind started to blow.
In the closed room, it blew from behind Shinji, who was examining the female corpse's wrist, towards the back of his head.
He maintained his lowered head posture, casually waving his empty hand as if annoyed by the strange wind behind his head.
But with this casual wave, he grabbed something.
Shiny, flexible, with a fine texture—it was a piece of fabric, or more precisely, a piece of high-quality silk, with hand-painted patterns that were completely out of place with the marble floor and surrounding walls.
Although the patterns were different, the similar texture told Shinji that this was the same type of silk.
"Yūzen silk again, Miss Adashino, you seem to have a particular fondness for this type of kimono."
The silk fragment in his hand twirled as he turned around, smiling slightly at the corner behind the door.
A woman stood there, wearing a different style of luxurious kimono, with unusually long hair reaching her ankles, and slender limbs that blended in with her attire and hair. The only flaw was that the kimono sleeves were asymmetrical, with one sleeve shorter than the other—and that missing piece was in Shinji's hand.
"When in a foreign land, one tends to use familiar things to reminisce about home."
"Indeed, but hearing such words from a magus is still somewhat surprising to me."
"We are not ordinary magi."
"Yes, you're different from ordinary magi. Your goal has always been to maintain the Clock Tower, while the pursuit of magical mystery is secondary—so you can focus all your efforts on researching methods to 'not die.' And the Department of Policies has no shortage of corpses, magi corpses. Finding similar bodies isn't a difficult task."
Having her method exposed by Shinji, Adashino Hishiri didn't get angry or frustrated. Instead, she revealed a seductive smile different from her public appearances and praised him.
"You truly have a keen eye. Although I was worried that the method of exchanging corpses might be a bit careless, in the end, we managed to deceive successfully. I didn't expect Mr. Smith to see through the ruse."
"Because I'm not an ordinary magus either."
"An ordinary magus wouldn't be able to cut off my sleeve so easily. Impressive dagger skills."
All of Adashino Hishiri's kimonos were made of the finest Yuzen silk, which even Shinji would find difficult to tear with one hand. So, the moment he touched the flying sleeve, Shinji used a dagger he had hidden in his sleeve.
"You flatter me, Miss Adashino. I've only mastered a bit of it."
"Let's get to the point, Mr. Smith. You saw through the deception but didn't expose it, and you came here at this time—it can't be that you simply couldn't sleep and wanted to find someone to chat with."
"If we can resolve this through conversation, that would be ideal."
"I hope we can resolve this through conversation as well. What does Mr. Smith want? The Ashborn family's legacy—the magic crest restoration Tuning?"
Towards the end, Adashino Hishiri's tone became more enticing, but Shinji remained unmoved.
"I'm not particularly interested in that."
"Then what are you interested in?"
"You."
"Me?"
"That's right, you, Miss Adashino."
Adashino Hishiri hadn't expected Shinji to answer like this. A flash of surprise crossed her face, but in the next second, it transformed into a captivating charm.
"Ara, ara~, it's not nice to tease an older sister like this."
The woman twisted her slender body, releasing her charm while approaching.
But soon, her steps halted because a cold gleam pierced through the darkness, carving a brief but insurmountable chasm between them—Shinji had once again brandished his dagger.
"Please restrain yourself, Miss Adashino."
"You're the one who said you were interested in this big sister, little brother. Or do you prefer younger girls, like the one who came with you?"
"I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're talking about. I'm still a pure child."
"..."
Seeing Shinji's coy behavior, Adashino Hishiri finally retreated. At this moment, she had only one assessment in her mind.
Shameless.
Extremely shameless.
"What do you want to get from me?"
"That's exactly what I wanted to ask you. Going to great lengths to invite people here, then going to great lengths to fake your death in a way related to the Angel Names, what exactly do you want to get from us? And what is this Castle of Separation hiding?"
"Why are you asking these questions?"
Adashino Hishiri put away her seductiveness and returned to her original composure in response to Shinji's questions.
"Curiosity."
"Curiosity not only kills cats, it also kills people."
"The magi who came to this castle all have considerable curiosity. Do you want us to be killed by our curiosity? Come to think of it, except for Gray and me who are temporary replacements, everyone who came here is a troublesome figure who can influence the Clock Tower and is difficult for the Department of Policies to control. If a few such people were to disappear, the Department of Policies would probably have an easier time in the future. Thinking deeper, the Ashborn family has been famous for a hundred years, and everyone believes they can repair magic crests here, but interestingly—no one has ever seen a successful case firsthand. Even if the damage to magic crests is not something to be publicized, there can't be any rumors at all. The circle of magi is both large and small. To be able to hide information while continuing to spread the legend of magic crest repair, there's only one possibility—an organization with influence throughout the entire Mage's Association, such as the Department of Policies. Why would the Department of Policies help the Ashborn family? Could the magic crest repair be just a hoax?"
"Mr. Smith," Hishiri Adashino interrupted Shinji's words.
"Do you have any evidence?"
"No," Shinji shook his head frankly.
"Thank you for telling me such an interesting story, but without evidence, it's just speculation. Whether as a detective or a puzzle solver, you don't make the grade."
"You're right, but often a guess is enough. Humans are inherently subjective creatures."
"Yet many tragedies stem from subjective guesses."
"Miss Adashino, are you threatening me?"
Shinji narrowed his eyes, the dagger in his hand wavering slightly, emanating a menacing sharpness.
"It's advice. Stop here, Mr. Smith. Don't investigate further. Just treat this as a vacation."
"What if I say no?"
"Then I can only say it's regrettable."
Adashino Hishiri's sleeves moved without wind, and even the patterns on her kimono seemed to come alive.
"You're quite confident, Miss Adashino."
"Because I'm from the Department of Policies."
The Department of Policies doesn't pursue mystery, only the power to manage mystery.
"I see—"
Halfway through his sentence, Shinji suddenly began to charge forward.
At the same time, Adashino Hishiri swung her other intact sleeve.