Chapter 85: Inquiry

He gently held the crystal necklace in his hand.

In anyone else’s hands, this necklace would be an ordinary, unremarkable piece of jewelry, but after being scanned by the instrument in his hand, he was certain that this item was inextricably linked to the Apostles.

“There is a strong ‘trace’ signal preserved on this. Kaoru, I think our gains this time have far exceeded our expectations.”

On the other side, Ephnel held her phone, listening to her parents’ conversation, her brows tightly knitted together.

If her parents hadn’t been here, this “gift” probably wouldn’t have been noticed by anyone.

Currently, only her parents in the entire Human Federation were capable of capturing the ‘traces’ left by the Apostles.

It could be said that if it weren’t for her parents, Ephnel would have never noticed the abnormality here.

She held the phone to her cheek, her gaze tinged with a hint of gloom.

“Hinaki, no matter what, focus on finding clues about Saori. If she appears… make sure to keep a close eye on her.”

…

At noon, Ephnel drove the Yanase couple to a Western restaurant she often frequented and booked a private room for their meal.

But the events of the morning kept swirling in Ephnel’s mind.

She pursed her lips, her brow deeply furrowed, as she continuously replayed the brief, intersecting memory of her and Saori from that day.

“…Naoto, Naoto?”

“Ah?”

Suddenly jolted back to her senses, Ephnel found her mother staring at her strangely.

“What’s wrong with you? You’ve been preoccupied since a moment ago.”

Yanase Kaoru worriedly brought a drink over to Ephnel and placed a napkin beside her.

“N-Nothing…” Ephnel quickly shook her head, then asked, “Mom, have you ordered yet?”

“Didn’t you already order for us?”

“Uh?”

Ephnel then remembered that she had been the one to say she wanted to treat her parents to the restaurant’s specialty dishes.

And then she had completely forgotten.

“Oh, you…” Yanase Kaoru sighed.

“Are you still thinking about that junior of yours?”

“Mmm… it’s a bit concerning.”

Ephnel nodded numbly, her brows knitted together.

Uzuki Saori, in Ephnel’s impression, was a very outstanding and confident junior.

Like Shiina Rin, she was an orphan from the welfare home.

The two of them had entered Yuzumi Girls’ Academy at the same time and became students there.

Usually, they were two smiling and reliable juniors.

During holidays, Ephnel would often receive gifts and blessings from them, and during her performances, she would often hear their cheers and shouts.

But after Shiina Rin was seriously injured, Uzuki Saori had become like a different person—quiet and withdrawn, the light gone from her eyes.

After that incident, when Ephnel went to the hospital to visit Shiina Rin, she asked her if she would be willing to retire as an Agent after her treatment was complete.

The answer she received was “Absolutely not.”

Ephnel respected Shiina Rin’s choice.

If she wanted to, she could indeed strip other Agents of their qualifications based on her own judgment.

This was a unique power the organization had granted Ephnel, but she had never once done so.

Ephnel had learned one thing from Yukina: imposing what you believe to be right on others is a form of arrogance.

She had been arrogant towards Yukina once, and it had ended up hurting her.

That was why Ephnel had not stripped Fuurin Shion of her Agent status, and similarly, she would never disregard Shiina Rin’s thoughts and take away her dream.

This was a sign of respect for a warrior holding this position.

For Shiina Rin, the identity of an Agent was no longer just a simple status; it was a testament to her existence in this world, and her one and only wish.

It was the same for Ephnel.

Ephnel’s initial reason for becoming an Agent was, of course, for herself and for her sister.

But having come this far, she was no longer the young girl who moved forward for a simple goal.

Everyone is bound by countless connections.

These were the shackles that held them back, but at the same time, they were the source of their strength in battle.

For an Agent, this was an inseparable part of themselves.

So, for Saori, what was it like…

Ephnel had no way of knowing.

“Naoto, since your commander said she’ll do her best to find that child’s whereabouts, you shouldn’t keep worrying.”

“She is my comrade-in-arms and my junior. Her situation is indeed a bit…”

Just then, her phone vibrated.

Ephnel picked it up.

It was a text message from Yukina.

[“Did Onee-chan have a good lunch? Or are you, like me who is thinking of you, thinking about Yukina?”]

Ephnel was taken aback.

Her heart felt like frozen cream being torched, instantly softening, and a fluffy, sweet taste filled her entire being.

Her thumb caressed the phone screen.

Before Ephnel could reply, two more messages came from Yukina.

[“Yukina misses Onee-chan a little…”]

[“I want school to end early so I can see Onee-chan sooner! I wonder if Onee-chan wants to see me too?”]

“What are you looking at?” Just then, her mother, Yanase Kaoru, who was beside her, suddenly leaned over, startling Ephnel.

“Mom… what are you doing…”

“I just saw that happy look on your face and got curious. Come on, tell me, who’s on the other end? A boyfriend? Or… a girlfriend?”

Apparently, Yanase Kaoru had caught a glimpse of Ephnel’s phone screen, and now her gossip-loving spirit was ignited.

At this moment, her father, Yanase Takuma, who was fiddling with a data sheet on the side, also raised his eyes and glanced at Ephnel, clearly very curious about her love life as well.

“Moooom~~~~~”

A faint blush appeared on Ephnel’s face as she pushed Yanase Kaoru’s arm away in embarrassment.

“Mom, please don’t guess randomly! I’ll tell you naturally in the future! I promise I won’t hide it!”

“Eeeeeh~~~?”

At this, Yanase Kaoru’s eyes suddenly lit up.

She drew out the sound and caught the little slip in Ephnel’s words, “So that means you have someone?”

‘Yes, of course I do.’

‘But she’s your other daughter! If you knew that your daughter was taken by your other daughter, would you still be able to laugh so happily?!’

Ephnel lamented inwardly.

But Ephnel knew she couldn’t win against her mother at this moment, so she nodded gently, admitting it.

“I knew it! I knew you weren’t telling the truth yesterday!” Yanase Kaoru wasn’t angry, but her aura was exceptionally intimidating.

She simply got up from beside Yanase Takuma and sat down next to Ephnel, “Quick, tell me, which young man is it?”

“I-I already told you I don’t like guys…”

“So it’s a girl then!”

“Moooom~~~”

…