Nightfall-

For the average person, the night heralds the end of the day, but for others, the night is the beginning of the day's work...... For example, thieves, assassins. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

Among them, freelancers, perhaps, are also creatures of nocturnal habits?

Twist your neck, raise your arms, shake your calves, and finally stretch your body two or three times...... Prepare for the event to complete. Jones turned to look at his two assistants...... Temporary.

"Really, I thought you gave up. Jones was gone for the afternoon, and Neve thought he had given up...... That's for the best.

"A little bit of preparation. Jones pulled two documents out of his bosom and handed them to Neve and Alice.

"Is this—?"

"A flat map of the mansion and the patrols of the guards. "This ...... It's too much preparation!

"You've been preparing this all afternoon?" Alice glanced casually.

"After all, it's for the sake of the two of you...... Jones himself is not afraid, but he is worried about the two rookies Neve and Alice.

"One copy of the information is enough. Under Jones's twitching eyelids, Alice crumpled the document in her hand and threw it aside...... Anyway, unlike Jones's solo action, Alice and Neve are together. "Moreover, there is no point in such a thing. He glanced at the three-meter high-speed rail fence beside him, which was not too much trouble.

"There is no need...... What do you mean—"

"Just grab a random guard, beat him up and ask if he can't. "Brutality is straightforward and efficient.

"No! Please don't do that. Jones, as the leader, painfully massaged his temples with his fingers to relieve stress...... He didn't want to face the city guards.

"Game rules?" Alice laughed back.

“...... Yes, the game rules, it's a prohibition. Jones was stunned for this analogy, and added with a positive color that also reacted.

"Let's play and see who gets the truth first. Before Jones could react, he grabbed the fence and jumped lightly, and the next moment, Alice had already landed deftly on the opposite side through the iron fence. "How about a person who loses, a condition promised to the person who wins?" He proposed with a smile that he tilted his head slightly and raised his index finger.

"Oh?" Jones, as a newcomer challenging the authority of the veteran journalist, was slightly stunned at first, and then came to fold his hands to his chest in interest.

"......," Neve muttered quietly...... Then climbed over the iron fence and disappeared into the mansion with Alice.

Then, as the last and the last to start, Jones looked at the iron fence in front of him, which was different from the posture of the two people in front of him to climb over the wall, Jones sighed and said 'Are the girls all monsters now', Jones, who had been prepared, took out the ladder hidden in the grass outside the wall and climbed over the ladder.

......

"Sister, do you know how to investigate?" Neve had no clue how to investigate the truth.

"Don't ask me. The two walked aimlessly in the front yard of the mansion. "I'm not a detective. "Not even Conan and Sherlock Holmes.

Do ......you have to rely on yourself? I always feel so unwilling to lose to that reporter...... Neve flipped through the information in his hand.

"Still, I know one thing. It's easier to ask people directly than to look for headless flies. After thinking about it, Alice, who was smiling, added.

"Huh?" Listening to Alice's meaning, it was still -

"The rules of the game are that violence is not allowed...... That is, it must not cause a commotion. Not far from the line of sight, a few guards patrolled ahead. "In addition to violence, we have a bit of self-confidence in other areas. ”

"After all, unlike Jones, we're not that hated?" said Alice and Neve as they spoke, and they had already met with the guards.

...

...

......

"I should have definitively rejected you, Miss Alice. Invited to the mansion by the guards, a middle-aged man in a nightgown who seemed to be preparing to sleep frowned and said dissatisfied.

"Forgive me for my weakness, Mr. Credini...... However, it's already rumored outside, don't you want to explain something?" Alice made an appointment in the afternoon, and although she was denied, she still came in now. Without the slightest consciousness of trespassing on the mansion, Alice took a sip of the tea provided by the maid and smiled.

"Of course, I know that this is just a slander against your reputation by a shady journalist like Jones, and although you don't think it's worth mentioning, we'd love to know the truth. "Selling teammates is so easy and natural~~

"Hmph, I've heard of that bastard reporter too, is he the one who did it?" Credini snorted. After a long time, I thought about it for a long time and made up my mind. Credini got up a little helplessly: "Come with me, two of you." ”

"Thank you. "Looks like you're willing to cooperate.

Credini led Alice and Neve into the depths of the mansion. "You two must have inquired about my wife. He chatted a little tiredly.

No, no!

Madam?

What's wrong?

"Ah, that's unfortunate. When Neve listened a little apprehensively, not knowing how to answer, Alice had already calmly taken the topic...... Anyway, that's what the tone is all about. At this time, play a panacea-like answer.

"I'm sorry about the child, I've comforted my wife, but my wife still can't get away with it, and even, she's been a little insane lately. Speaking of this kind of thing, Credini became more and more helpless. "That's the only way I can do that. ”

The three stopped at the door of a room.

"Look, that's the truth. Credini opened the door and moved out of the way so that Alice and Neve could see the room.

This is a large bedroom full of fairy tale style.

Cozy blankets and cute animal-style wallpaper all over the floor. There are wooden rocking chairs, small slides, toy ducks that pinch and bark, and stuffed animals that fill the bedroom.

In the bedroom, more than a dozen children were playing. Next to the bed, watching the children's play, the corners of the middle-aged woman's mouth were filled with happy smiles.

A scene of joy.

"Daddy!!" all the children rushed over to him happily at the sight of Credini.

"Calm down, kids. Greeting his wife, Credini hugged the children.

Alice, who was watching all this, noticed that the children's clothes were more or less scarred on the skin exposed.

"They are all children of the slums...... "After greeting the children, Credini said with some emotion: "Their parents sold them to the beggars' group, and these scars are what they treated in the beggars' group...... I saw that they were pitiful, so I adopted them. ”

"Rightly, they can also be the companions of my wife. Credini turned to Alice and Neve. "As you can see, their lives are much happier than they were when they were in the beggars. ”

"Indeed, it seems that society has misunderstood you. Alice agrees with Credini. Eyes moved to Credini's wife: "Also, how is your wife—"

With these children by her side, her depression will soon get better. Credini replied with a sigh.

Neve: "......!" turned out to be depression.

"I wish your lady a speedy recovery. ”

"Thank you for your blessings. ”

-- The interview ended

......

"Neve, what do you think. After leaving the mansion, buying a fish ball on the side of the road, and sitting with Neve by the fountain pool in the park, Alice suddenly asked.

"What a happy family...... That Credini is a good man. Thinking for a moment, swallowing the fish balls, Neve replied. "What does my sister think?"

"There is domestic violence in the whole family. The silver-haired girl replied with a chuckle.

"......" Neve didn't respond, just listened silently.

"I agree with the beggars' group's statement, but ...... The scars on the body are a few months ago or yesterday, so you can tell the difference. As she spoke, Alice looked at the remaining toothpicks in her hand.

"People are very hypocritical creatures, especially people of high status, their hypocrisy is even greater, after all, they have done so many good deeds of adopting children, ordinary people will definitely take out this kind of thing and publicize it, but they hide it...... That Credini wasn't a either. The witch's gray eyes spoke of a faint malice. "And, in that Credini's eye, I saw a quality. ”

“......？”

"I hate kids. ”

"......" should be said to be a guy who hates children, and he grasps this kind of detail so carefully.

"But they seem to be happy. Neve remembered the smiling faces of the children.

"Staying in a beggars' group is abuse, and staying in a wealthy businessman is also abuse...... However, the living conditions of the rich merchants are certainly better than those of the beggars, and the abuse is nothing. Judging from the perspective of shaking S, slaves are used to abuse...... Well, servile?

"Didn't that lady get depressed and go crazy? Maybe the old man, who didn't like children, bought these slaves after killing his own children, and in order to make amends for his wife's crimes...... Oh, wrong, it's the adoption of a child. At this, Alice's smile became brighter and brighter.

"As for the so-called happiness...... Do you think family ugliness can be publicized?"

Of course, the above is just my inference. With a flick of his finger, the toothpick flicked off. "It depends on the final investigation of our predecessors...... What do you think, Mr. Jones?" asked Alice, looking up and smiling.

"Miss Alice, I doubt you've peeked into my findings in advance. "Yuball's toothpick bounced off the edge of the light outside the streetlamp, at the feet of the freelance reporter.

When he came to the meeting place, he didn't choose to stand up for the first time, but listened to it, and Jones sighed.

"The so-called investigation is just based on the perspective of guessing the truth, and following one's own speculation to argue and reason. ”

"Although I don't agree with Miss very much......" Jones came to the fountain pool and handed Alice the film from the magic camera in his hand. However, Miss's guess is already eight or nine. ”

"And it seems that I can make a small profit by selling this thing to the newspaper and telling the world the truth?" Jones then pulled out a small notebook from his bosom, Credini's diary...... The diary is also colloquially known as 'black history'.

"This contest should be regarded as a winner, although Miss guessed the result correctly, but there is no evidence, although I have evidence, but it is a step later than Miss. Put away the journal, Jones's proposal.

"Actually, it doesn't matter if you change it to each agreeing to one condition. ”

"Mademoiselle doesn't seem to be afraid of my dangerous request?" The eyes were very unconscious, and she swept Alice's body up and down. Jones touched his chin. "Of course, I'm just kidding. "It's a dangerous joke, and Neve, who is next to Alice, has already crushed the toothpick in his hand.

"If I have to do that, then I have only one condition, and that is to invalidate Miss Alice's condition. Jones smiled.

"What a pointless request. ”

"I'm just trying to save myself. ”