“Eh!? How did you know the police chief’s wife and daughter left him!?”
“None of your-“
“If you ask, it’s obvious. Compared to the last time I saw Chief Inspector Oliver two weeks ago, he’s gained weight. Most likely a sudden gain. Looking at the wrinkles on his belt, it’s clear he’s wearing it two sizes looser than usual. He loves being in the field, so it’s not inactivity. Therefore, it must be due to temporary emotional stress. For a man who can’t cook to rapidly gain that much weight through overeating, fish and chips is the obvious choice. His wedding ring on the left hand – quite shiny, isn’t it? Constantly fiddling with it in an unmanly way has polished it with finger oils. And up until now, I’d always seen Chief Inspector Oliver wearing well-maintained, high-quality suits. As a male chauvinist patriarch, he must have had his wife take care of his attire and choose what he wore. But today he looks quite haggard, with fresh and old food stains on his collar and sleeves. Ketchup too, by the looks of it. In other words, he’s barely ironed or done laundry properly. Dog hair on his pant legs, the pattern suggests a small breed. He’s come home to no cleaning or laundry done, yet still makes time to play with the dog. Too distracted for chores, but not for the dog’s company. In short, his wife has left him, leaving him unable to keep up appearances as he stress-eats fish and chips and gains weight. His wife finally got fed up with his unreasonable behavior and left…Any rebuttals?”
“…I’ve done the laundry.”
“Just haphazardly using detergent by the looks of those stains.”
…A chilling silence descended.
The looks directed at her mixed awe with something like dread.
Chief Inspector Oliver was the picture of utter bitterness.
“Well, everyone.”
clap
She drew everyone’s attention with that dramatic gesture.
This room meant for the Blood Diamond had become Lonzder’s room.
“As you’ve no doubt realized, I am Lonzder EnhanceDiah, a detective. I was called here today as an advisor for this thief case. I just have a couple of questions, so rest assured. I’m not suspecting any of you of being the thief…at least not yet.”
●
“That was pretty rough on Chief Inspector Oliver.”
“It was just a performance.”
Outside the museum.
With her right hand in her pocket and using her left to flick ashes from the cigarette pinched between her fingers, Lonzder muttered indifferently.
“I’m just an outsider after all, and the police dislike me anyway. I had to assert control over the situation like that, or I wouldn’t have been able to properly interrogate anyone.”
“I see. But was that really necessary?”
Because,
“All you did was shake everyone’s hand before leaving.”
Indeed, Lonzder had greeted everyone there besides Chief Inspector Oliver with a handshake.
It seemed she would start questioning them after that, but she suddenly claimed to have remembered something and promptly left the museum. Neither Oliver nor Harrison followed.
Even Norman was perplexed.
“Oh, …… Because I know who the thief is.”
“Oh, I see. ───── Hmm? What did you just say? “
“Yes, the thief is clear. So there was no need to ask questions there, just to provoke a reaction.”
“Huh…!? What did you… !? Just from a handshake?”
“Yes, a handshake was enough. Totally boring.”
“From the envelope deduction too? You got it just from a handshake?”
“That deduction became completely pointless, which is also annoying.”
“I see…”
But if so, he only had one question left.
“Can I ask who it is?”
“Doesn’t really matter who.”
Lonzder exhaled a long plume of smoke,
then said dismissively,
“I’ve lost interest.”
“Just hand it over to [Fairy] or something. She’ll surely ruin their scheme in the worst way.”
“But this is our job, you know. Let’s at least check out the other crime scenes?”
“No need. Once I know their ability type and rank, there’s no point deducing further.”
“…You lose interest that quickly sometimes?”
“Evidently, yes.”
“Come on, checking the other scenes might be interesting!”
●
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
“Boring! I’m done with detective work!”
Returning to the third floor of the abandoned building she called home, Lonzder flung off her jacket onto the sofa, roughly stripped off her wine-red shirt, and plopped down, shouting.
“Tistle, really? What a disappointment. I thought this would be an enjoyable game of deduction, but it’s barely any different from the usual [Unlaws] cases, Norman! Booze! Cigarettes! Food!”
“Should be in the jacket you tossed. I’ve got food at least.”
“Then provide drink, put a cigarette between my lips and light it, feed me. Be as reverently servile as a knight serving his queen.”
“Knights don’t really do that.”
“In my kingdom, they do.”
“…All hail the queen.”
Sitting beside her defiant form, he first gave her a drink, then placed a cigarette between her lips, waited for her to take a puff, and finally fed her the burger he’d picked up at a diner on the way back.
The mingling scents of tobacco smoke, her sweat, and Lonzder’s sweet fragrance.
Glistening beads of perspiration formed on the dusky swell barely contained by scandalously revealing black lingerie.
“I could grope you right now and no one would know.”
“Isn’t it already obvious?”
“Thinking objectively, we’re free until tomorrow night. Indulging carnal desires as stress relief could be quite amusing, no?”
“It’s a charming invitation, but if I indulge in Ms. Lonzder and don’t finish the report, my sister will kill me.”
“Nnngghh…”
A groan escapes along with a puff of purple smoke.
“She’s an annoying woman in every way.”
“Don’t speak like a child. You’re a detective, aren’t you?”
“I told you, I’m no longer in the detective business.”
“Even so, she’s still my sister.”
“Makes me want to kill her even more.”
“Then please help me as my partner in writing the report.”
“Huh?”
“Without helping from Ms. Lonzder, I can’t do anything.”
“………..Hmm.”
She shields her face with her bandaged right hand before giving a wry smile.
“I like the way you put it this time.”
●
“First of all, when it comes to the ‘Unlaws’ cases I’ve dealt with since meeting you, I think one’s personality can be profiled to some extent based on the type of ability that manifests.”
Still clad in her underwear, Lonzder sinks lazily into the sofa as she spins her words.
“The ‘Unlaws’ ability types defined by [Cartesius] are four:
[Latent State], which affects the mind and five senses.
[Metamorphic State], which allows one to transform their own body into an animal or something else.
[Deviant State], which enhances physical abilities and grants or extends physical traits.
[Distorted State], which warps and manipulates the properties of objects other than oneself.
You don’t need me to explain these to you.”
“Indeed.”
This is basic knowledge regarding ‘Unlaws’.
Unlike the [Category Hierarchy] that indicates the strength, it’s purely a classification of the types of abilities.
“First, the [Latent State]. These ones are socially inept. They’re bad at grasping the appropriate distance from others, and their personalities tend to be introverted. The way they lack communication skills varies from person to person. Some can’t speak properly in front of others, but when they do open their mouths, it’s nothing but insults and provocation.”
“…………”
It was difficult to comment.
“The [Metamorphic State] has the most conspicuous manifestation of abilities. Since their appearance becomes completely different, once it stabilizes, their inner self remains largely unchanged from before they became ‘Unlaws’, even with the changed looks. So if their fetishes were twisted, it’s due to their original nature, not because they became ‘Unlaws’.”
“…………”
“The [Distorted State], since their ability clearly targets others, tends to interfere with others, as the name implies. You know, the ones who get overly familiar or bossy with people. It’s the ultimate form of that. Basically, they can’t be satisfied unless the world conforms to their will, so they keep pestering others and become a nuisance.”
“…………”
“The [Deviant State]…that would be me. Our values tend to become extreme, and once we get fixated on something, we can’t let go. Probably due to the heightened abilities, we think we can do anything ourselves. We’re prone to being careless, arrogant, and looking down on others. In other words, we have bad personalities.”
“You’re saying that about yourself?”
“I have a nice face, body, and voice, so it evens out.”
“…………”
In the end, it was difficult to comment.
However, I can understand what she’s trying to convey.
Her wording carries a sense of malice, prejudice, or exaggeration, but in a way, it’s understandable.
“And on that note, this…”
As she gently waves her bandaged hand, she says….
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