As soon as Guru stepped into the stall, the hamster transformed into a child.

Veilach, now wearing a human face, immediately snatched the bell from her hand.

“Bayi, what’s wong?”

“There’s the smell of that potato bastard here.”

“Da potato guy?”

“The one we met during the athletics event.”

“Ah...”

It sounded like he meant the Tato Friend Guru had shared a lunchbox with in the potato field.

And now... the high-profile criminal Guru was about to sell out!

“Den Tato Fwiend’s here?”

“Most likely. I had a feeling something was off. But I didn’t expect he’d use a ghost item like this.”

“Ghost item?”

“A cursed relic. This one’s a fox tracker.”

Veilach spread his hand wide, and from the bell emerged the tiny, translucent face of a fox.

“They’ve been feeding foxes to bells for hundreds of years. You don’t use this kind of cursed relic unless it’s really necessary to find someone.”

“Hundweds of yeaws?!”

It had looked super old... Guru shook the bell, but it made no sound.

Daddychann didn’t seem to hear it ring either...

So maybe it only chimed when it found the person it was looking for.

“Den... da Tato Fwiend was twyin’ ta find Gwuu with da beww?”

“Could’ve been looking for me. I am right next to you, after all.”

“But Bayi pwomised to keep your secwet...”

It didn’t seem like a lie.

“Well, maybe he changed his mind.”

Veilach still looked uneasy, a crease forming on his brow.

Then Mephisto chimed in, almost like he was singing.

“Bip-bip-beep—bip—bip—”

“Say whaaat?”

“If he needed a bell like this to track them...”

While Guru tilted her head, Veilach translated for him.

“...he must’ve been searching for someone whose identity he didn’t know.”

Someone he didn’t know?

But they had met. And he’d even left her the gift of SSPED.

He couldn’t possibly not know who she was. There’s no way he didn’t know where she was either.

But if the person he was desperately searching for using a centuries-old cursed bell was Guru—

A sudden spark flashed through her brain.

And Veilach, too, must’ve realized it. Their eyes met, and they said it at the same time.

“The one he’s looking for is...”

“Jjapso.”

Guru gasped.

“W-W-WHY?!”

Why would a dangerous criminal be searching for Jjapso?

“Can’t be for a good reason, if he’s using something like this.”

“Bip-bip!”

At Veilach’s words, Mephisto nodded repeatedly.

“...Can’t Gwuu just bweak da beww?”

“No. You mess with something like this and you’ll get cursed.”

“...!”

Veilach paused for a moment, then whispered—

“...Should we kill him?”

Eh??

Guru whipped her head up in alarm—

“Bip.”

Mephisto nodded as if in agreement.

“W-Wait! Nooo!”

Guru threw herself between them.

“Why not? If we leave it be, it’ll come back to bite us.”

“Bip-bip!”

Mephisto flared his wings, ready to attack.

“M-Mowe dan dat... Gwuu’s got a good idea.”

Guru whispered her plan, and both Veilach and Mephisto frowned.

“Denied.”

“Bip—”

“Bof of you shaddup, we’ah goin’ to da toy aisle.”

Pouting, Guru led Veilach out of the bathroom stall.

Right then, a mother and daughter entered the restroom—only to freeze upon spotting a little boy in the girls’ bathroom.

Ack!

Guru rolled her eyes fast.

The mom’s expression was turning fierce—this could be very bad.

This could trigger a dreaded parental summon event!

Guru had to act fast—she dusted off Veilach’s pants and improvised on the spot.

“You gotta go pee by yohsewf now, Bayi.”

“...?”

“Next time, noona won’t come witchoo, so you gotta do it yohsewf, okay?”

“Huh?!”

Veilach’s face turned bright red in panic.

Thankfully, the mom’s tense face softened, and she guided her daughter into a stall.

“I didn’t! I didn’t pee myself!!”

Veilach protested desperately, but Guru just dragged him away toward the toy section.

***

Having just been handed a meal kit by Reiji, Jurim tilted his head.

“This one’s better?”

“See for yourself. The expiration date is longer, isn’t it?”

“You’ve gotten better at Korean.”

“I’ve always had a passion for learning. Though, to be fair, more than half of this is thanks to my translator.”

Reiji tapped the earpiece in his ear.

[“I can turn it on and off in real time.”]

As he said, most of Reiji’s speech was being translated on the fly thanks to the device.

He hadn’t actually gotten better at Korean—just that technology had improved.

Jurim checked the time on his watch.

“I’ll give you five seconds.”

“Oh, how generous.”

“Explain yourself while I’m feeling generous.”

Calming his churning emotions with effort, Jurim clenched his left hand tightly. Reiji smiled coolly.

“I heard you were looking for me. Seems like there’s a misunderstanding. As you can see, I’m not fluent in Korean. I simply asked a friend to write a letter for me.”

“So this friend—whoever they are—just happened to be trying to screw me over? That doesn’t sound like you.”

“I’ve got no reason to be hostile to you. Unfortunately, you have plenty of people who aren’t fond of you. Besides, if I’d meant to make trouble and run, I wouldn’t have come to face you in person, would I? Don’t you think that explains it well enough? The eggs?”

“Ten-pack.”

Reiji picked out the most expensive animal welfare eggs and dropped them into the cart.

“And, I have no hobby of teasing the guardian of my son.”

“You do kill people, though?”

Jurim referred to the relatives who’d abused Kazuki—and Reiji smiled faintly.

“They had it coming. Are you planning to do the same?”

“I’m the one getting harassed by Kazuki, honestly.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Let’s cut the small talk. What do you want? Say it now and disappear before my daughter shows up.”

“You’re not going to ask who that friend was?”

“Would you even tell me?”

“No.”

The way he avoided straight answers and {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} seemed to enjoy messing with people—it was just like Kazuki.

“...I don’t plan to dig. I’ve got my own circumstances.”

Jurim opened and closed his left hand repeatedly.

The master of the 99th floor, who had once tried to consume him from within, had quieted down lately.

If he traced the timing, it started from when he told Guru the real reason he’d been going out at night.

He thought he understood now.

The master of the 99th had responded to Guru’s emotions—her worry, her anxiety about what might happen to him.

Like he was her protector or something.

To keep that peace, there was no point provoking emotionally volatile opponents.

Even just now, it was dangerous.

Meanwhile, Reiji glanced meaningfully at Jurim’s left hand before smiling faintly.

“Seems like I’m not here for you after all.”

“Not here for me?”

Jurim tilted his head.

Drrrrrr—

Guru and Veilach came running.

“Guru, no running in the store.”

Jurim’s voice was stern, and Guru skidded to a stop.

Once he confirmed she was walking, he cast a glance at Reiji.

Reiji’s expression was somewhere between delighted and puzzled as he watched Guru.

Jurim hadn’t told Guru about Reiji.

He didn’t want her to worry unnecessarily.

Just in case, he had checked the sports day footage captured by one of Suhyeong’s agents.

Reiji hadn’t tried to harm Guru—in fact, they couldn’t even understand each other, but had ended up making promises and playing house like idiots.

So, Jurim had decided to let Guru remember it as a fun time with a friend.

Which is why—there shouldn’t have been anything like this.

“Y-You’ah undah ahwest!”

“...?”

Jurim’s mouth fell open.

In Reiji’s hand were toy handcuffs. Price tag still dangling.

Apparently just picked up from the toy aisle.

“Looks like I’ve been caught.”

Reiji smiled warmly, and Guru, having cuffed his left wrist, wiped sweat from her brow.

“Phew, one case sowved.”

“....”

Jurim looked utterly dumbfounded.

The internationally wanted criminal Amakusa Reiji, who had evaded joint investigations across entire nations...

...had just been arrested by plastic handcuffs picked up in the toy aisle.