My Bungo system is a little different

"Thank you so much, I didn't expect to find it back..."

In the middle of the second floor of a second-hand bookstore crowded with various books and copper engravings, two women sat at a small table that was barely cleaned.

One of them has fine lines on his face from the corners of his eyes to the side of his nose, and some spots on his temples. No matter how you look at him, he is over half a century old. He is wiping away his tears with a small handkerchief, and his voice is choked with sobs.

"After accepting the entrustment, it is natural to do things well. This is just professional ethics. Please don't get too excited, Mrs. Siguang, it is not good for your health." The red-haired woman sitting opposite said in a flat tone.

Siguang Nao, whose name before marriage was Shikata Nao, grew up under the care of her grandfather when she was a child.Her grandfather was a bibliophile before his death. He loved books and owned more than one precious first-edition book. At that time, Nao didn't know about it because she was immersed in the grief of bereavement. When she knew it, the bookseller who bought the book had already left the area.Since then, Nao has been trying to buy back those books from various channels according to the memories left by her childhood—at least the same edition.It's just that one of them is too cherished, and she couldn't find it in this country until she was very old.

"Originally, I just entrusted you to find a copy of that version of "The Canterbury Tales", but I didn't expect you to find the copy of my grandfather. I really don't know how to thank you..." Nao Siguang still couldn't calm down Excitement.

Originally, she just heard from her friends that there was a detective who was famous in the pursuit of ancient books recently, and she thought of giving it a try—professionals always know better than herself, so she didn't have much hope and made the commission. As a result, Only a week later, the other party actually directly found the book that was sold by his father back then.

"In fact, it was because I was also very happy to see the ancient edition of "The Canterbury Tales". I focused on searching for it because of selfishness. By chance, I found the copy that your grandfather once owned, madam." The detective looked down again. He glanced at the precious old book in the open suitcase, with a subtle expression, "I have always liked Chaucer's poems."

It is indeed a surprise that the poet Chaucer still exists in this world.

Clarice gently closed the suitcase, pushed it to Nao Siko, and said, "That's right, ma'am, I have an appointment with another client later, don't you—"

The expression on her face was a standard business smile.

"Ah! Sorry, I talk too much when I get excited..." Nao Siguang took the suitcase, put the envelope containing the entrusted money on the table, blinked to stop the tears, and then went downstairs and left the house A very crowded used bookstore.

The location of this appointment is actually very inappropriate for detectives. Generally, detectives always hand over their clients in the reception room of the firm. It's a nice place.

Of course, it was always chosen here, and it was also because Clarice was an American detective after all, and she had no license in Japan and was too lazy to find a real office.

She just slipped some money into the owner of this very mediocre bookstore, and got permission to use this place as an occasion to meet the client—but, there are also detectives who help the boss distinguish some genuine/fake ones in return exist.

It took another half an hour after Mrs. Siguang left the bookstore for the detective's next client to arrive. During this period, Clarice had been drinking black tea and casually looking at the books in the store to pass the time.

"Ms. Clarice, hello." The person who came was a client who had made an appointment on the phone and hadn't disclosed any information after a certain time, a middle-aged man dressed like a small employee of a commercial club.

The sound he made when he came up the old wooden stairs of this bookstore was soft and regular.

"Hello, I'm the person you're looking for." Miss Detective's steel-blue eyes undisguisedly surveyed the visitor from top to bottom, and replied in a very strange way in this country's language habits.

"Huh? I'm here to make the next request to find a book?" The client's tone seemed a little hesitant because he didn't respond to Clarice's attitude in time.

"No problem, please describe the requirements in detail, the title of the book, the edition, whether it is a specific book or an edition, and the integrity and time limit." Clarice directly talked about the content of the commission without even asking the client's name.

"However, let me remind you that I am better at finding books published in Europe or the United States. If it is an ancient book from this country, I may not be able to do anything." Before the client answered, she added another sentence.

"It is indeed an ancient book written in Chinese characters. But please try how much, the amount of commission is not a problem." The client replied after being stunned again, but this time his tone became firmer.

He even skipped the more pleasantries, and directly started reporting the information about the book he was looking for.

While listening to the information, Miss Detective stared at the client with a deep gaze the whole time, not knowing where her attention was.

"Is it a ghost?" After the client finished speaking, she picked up the topic in time, "I understand."

It is a commission to find a specific book, relatively speaking, more information will be given, but this time the target has not been recorded for more than ten years, and the clues exist in a village that has been revoked.

After the client finished speaking the information, Miss Detective let him go without asking any further information about him.

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Miss Clarice disappeared from the second-hand bookstore for three days, reappeared only briefly, and left in a hurry.

That's pretty normal for a detective.

Clarice, who left again, naturally went to the village that no longer existed in the administrative sense-after finishing the paper work, it was followed by a field trip.

The village was indeed deserted, and it was also consistent with the client's information. Obviously, the cause of the destruction was natural disasters.

Judging from the traces of vegetation on the remaining buildings, the change of soil cover, the degree of weathering, etc., it is consistent with the flood in the local meteorological data.

In this case, it is speechless enough to come to find a book.

Even if it's fishing, can you put some good bait?

Although complaining in her heart, Miss Detective continued to investigate consciously.

As the hours passed, the sky darkened, and the normal-looking village, which was flooded with thriving green vegetation during the day, gradually turned gloomy.

Looking for a book of Zhiguai in a place with a very strange atmosphere?

In fact, she reveals her beautiful face without any concealment in an empty place, and Ms. Detective herself has a strange atmosphere.

I don't know from the first few hours of coming here, Clarice never entered those dilapidated houses or ruined walls at all, but just walked aimlessly among the grass nearly half the depth of people.

She stayed here through dinner time without any intention of leaving, and she didn't leave until there were only stars and moonlight left as light sources around her.

The stalks of grass that had been caressed by the cool night wind stopped at some point—at this time of year, in the open outdoors, the wind had completely stopped.

There are also no insect or animal sounds.

The red-haired woman stood still under the moon, as if in sync with the strangeness around her. She just stood in a place where the grass was relatively sparse, silently looking up at the night sky.

Behind her, on the side that the eyes cannot see, there is a sticky 'shadow' that is completely unnaturally black, lurking and approaching silently.

The shadows closest to the body cast by the brightest moonlight are the darkest.

There will not even be a 'swish' from the blade of grass, gradually, gradually approaching——

"The moonlight is really nice tonight."

While sighing casually, the woman moved slightly.

Quickly and steadily.

As if emptied, the black 'shadow' fell to the ground and redissolved into the black, but before it could strike again—

The orange flames that suddenly ignited dilute the original black.

Miss Clarice didn't smoke, but she held the lighter very steadily.

What illuminated her cheeks was still the pure white moonlight, and the warm light shining on her fingertips seemed to burn a painting.

No, that would have been fire.

Clarice bent down, bringing her neither holy nor evil beauty closer to the brunette 'Shadow' struggling on the dirt.

That 'shadow' stopped struggling.

Is it fear or shock——

Had it been fully capable of thinking, it would have agreed, that the beauty of that which seemed unbearably beautiful showed a serene yet disdainful obliteration.

The 'shadow' didn't move until Miss Detective approached the lighter she was holding until the flames licked the ground.

It finally rose as a thin puff of smoke, dissipating before touching Clarice's cheek.

After watching what should be burned, Clarice did not stay in this remote village, but returned to the car she had come from.

The next day, she didn't continue to search, but left directly from there.

As expected, on the way back to Tokyo, Ms. Detective received a call to cancel the commission. In addition to the deposit, the client is willing to pay half of the commission, just asking to meet again, this time at the place designated by the client. meet.

Miss Detective, of course, agreed.

Two days later, in a traditional Nagasaki restaurant, facing a table of standard Zhuofu cuisine, Chizhi finally met the boss who cursed back to the set.

The appearance was very elegant, and a middle-aged man in a kimono sat kneeling opposite him, the sutures on his forehead were not covered up at all.

"This is a traditional Japanese dish. I hope you can get used to it, Ms. Clarice." Without mentioning the entrustment at all, he said like a hospitable host.

The invited guest did not wear the smart clothes of a detective, but a long skirt and a windbreaker. The expression on her face was neither like Clarice nor Beatty. With a strange lightness.

That is an expression ten times more inhuman than that of 'Biti'.

"Ah, I really like it." She didn't move her chopsticks, but just looked at the 'Master' and said.