District 1.
The luxurious car they were riding in had now arrived in District One. Jeanne's eyes glanced at a street sign.
"Rue de l'Horloge," she read it in her mind, then her eyes observed the tall and rather magnificent buildings that carried an old impression.
"Miss Goodwin… the Special Detective office is in this district?" Jeanne tried to ask.
Isabella Goodwin nodded casually. "Yes."
A moment later the car began turning into an alley that could only be passed by a single vehicle.
The sound of the brakes was soft enough when the road ended in a dead end. The car stopped in front of a bookstore that looked gloomy and rather dark; the building appeared old, worn down by age.
"This is the Special Detective team's office?" Jeanne raised her eyebrows slightly in confusion.
The driver stepped out of the car, then opened the back and front doors with neat movements. He stood beside them while slightly bowing his head, waiting for his employer to step out.
"Let's go," Isabella stepped out of her luxurious car.
Jeanne nodded and followed her. When she was about to open the car door on her side, the driver had already walked around and opened it for her with a smile.
"Thank you," Jeanne replied with a smile. She stepped down slowly and followed Isabella and Elliot, who were standing in front of the bookstore door while looking at a CCTV camera.
Jeanne stopped behind them. She also stared at the CCTV in confusion.
Grrrrr… Krkkk
From the entrance of the alley below, the asphalt began to rise. As it lifted higher, a thick concrete wall appeared and slowly sealed the alley entrance without making loud noises.
"A secret door… impressive," Jeanne stared at it in amazement.
Ting—ting!
The bell above the door rang when they entered the bookstore.
"Good afternoon, Mrs Kim," Isabella greeted a middle-aged woman who was reading a newspaper at the cashier's desk. She had black hair that was beginning to turn gray. Kimberly wore glasses that suited her appearance.
"Good afternoon, Miss Isabella and young Elliot," Kimberly smiled at Isabella and Elliot, then her gray-brown eyes glanced at Jeanne.
"Oh? It's been a while since I've met a new face," Kimberly said, smiling gently at Jeanne.
"H-Hello, my name is Jeanne Weels," Jeanne replied, introducing herself while forcing a smile.
Elliot walked closer to the cashier's desk and took a lollipop from the jar on the table, putting it into his mouth. "You're right, Mrs Kim. Miss Jeanne is a new member. She was also recommended by Mr Eugene," Elliot explained while licking his lollipop.
Kimberly nodded. She slightly adjusted her glasses and looked at Jeanne for the second time. "My name is Kimberly. You can call me Kim." Kimberly took a lollipop from the table and tossed it toward Jeanne.
Jeanne caught it perfectly. "Nice to meet you, Mrs Kim," Jeanne nodded with a faint smile.
Kimberly chuckled. "You're a nice person." Then she folded her newspaper. "Please go inside." Kimberly got up from her chair and pulled a small lever under the cashier's desk.
When the lever was pulled, a bookshelf slid open like a door.
Once again, an expression of amazement appeared on Jeanne's face when she saw it. "This is like a scene from a sci-fi novel…"
Isabella and Elliot began entering the secret doorway, and Jeanne quickly followed behind them.
After passing through the hidden door, there was a corridor inside that was not very long. Jeanne observed the hallway with dim lights along its walls.
"How hidden is the Special Detective office exactly?" Jeanne complained while rubbing her arms and looking at the end of the corridor where a simple wooden door stood.
As Isabella's hand touched the doorknob—
"DON'T ANYONE MOVE!" a man's shout was heard from behind the door.
"W-What's happening?" Jeanne stepped back slightly.
Calmly, Isabella turned her head back and placed her index finger on her lips, signaling the two of them to stay quiet.
Jeanne and Elliot nodded.
Clack.
Isabella slowly turned the knob. They entered the Special Detective office without making a sound, then Isabella looked at Jeanne and Elliot.
The office room was filled with desks and cabinets arranged irregularly. In the middle of the room, a man stood breathing heavily. His hand gripped a cylindrical device—a bomb—and the bomb's timer remote was in his left hand.
In front of him, a female office staff member stood stiffly with a pale face. The man grabbed her collar, using her as a human shield.
Several other staff members backed away in fear, gathering at the side of the room without daring to move.
"I'll stay here," Isabella said as she crossed her arms. "You two go ahead," she glanced at Jeanne.
"What? Why are you looking at me? I haven't even registered yet!" Jeanne's lips trembled slightly, sweat trickling down her forehead.
"If you move even an inch, I'll blow this room up!" the rough voice of the man threatened.
"P-Please… help me!" a weak female voice was heard. The female staff member being held hostage.
Jeanne tensed when she heard it.
"Let's get closer and sneak up," Elliot glanced at Jeanne as he slowly crouched.
Jeanne peeked slightly from behind a bookshelf near the entrance. She could see Selena, Johann, and a woman she did not recognize. It seemed the woman was another detective she had not seen before.
They all looked alert and ready.
She glanced at the bomb in the man's hand. "He's carrying a bomb… what if he detonates it!" Jeanne whispered while clenching her fists and glancing at Elliot.
"Don't worry, we'll ambush him from the side," Elliot said with a smile.
Jeanne swallowed. "Is being a Special Detective always this dangerous?" Fear crept into her voice. Still, she nodded hesitantly.
Elliot was in front, his body slightly lowered behind a work desk. His gaze was locked onto the man with the bomb. Behind him, Jeanne followed quietly, keeping her distance while holding her breath. Isabella stood farther behind near the entrance, making sure there was no escape route for the perpetrator.
Elliot raised his hand slightly—a signal.
Jeanne nodded slowly.
Both of them began to move.
They crouched and sneaked along the side of the room, using desks and cabinets as cover. Every step was done carefully to avoid making noise.
One step.
Two steps.
Closer.
They were only a few meters away from the desk near the man holding the hostage.
Screech—
Suddenly Jeanne bumped into a chair due to her nervousness.
"WHO'S THERE!" the hostage-taker shouted, glancing toward the side where they were hiding.
For a moment Jeanne's heart seemed to stop beating. She looked at Elliot with a pale expression.
Elliot sighed. "Miss Jeanne, reveal your position. I'll continue from here," he said in a restrained voice. "Divert his attention."
Jeanne swallowed again, sweat dripping onto the floor. Slowly she stood up even though her knees were trembling. She nodded heavily.
"I-I've been found…" Jeanne raised both her hands.
"What are you doing!" the hostage-taker glared sharply at Jeanne.
"H-Hey… can we talk this out?" Jeanne tried to negotiate, her voice clearly stammering.
"You have no right to know!"
Jeanne bit her lip and tried to calm her breathing. "I-I might not know what your problem is… but threatening someone with a bomb is extremely dangerous!" Jeanne tried to speak firmly. She glanced bitterly at the Special Detective members in the room.
The man frowned and gripped the bomb remote tighter.
"Jeanne," Selena looked at Jeanne from across the room.
"Stop what you're doing," Johann tried to step forward.
"Silence!" the man shouted.
Johann stopped immediately.
"H-Hey, let's think rationally… you have a family, right? They would surely feel sad and disappointed if you committed an act of terrorism…" Jeanne glanced at Elliot who had reached the cabinet beside the man with the bomb.
"What do you know about me! Don't try to persuade me!" the man snarled.
Jeanne's heart pounded rapidly when Elliot quietly reached right behind the man.
Jeanne took a deep breath, then shouted.
"Mr Ness, now!"
Elliot jumped and clung to the man's back, his legs locking around the man's waist while his hands tried to grab the remote control in the man's hand.
"Don't mess with me!!" the man struggled violently. He threw the bomb toward the center of the office with all his strength.
Click!
He pressed the red button on the remote. The bomb timer immediately started counting down from ten seconds.
Jeanne froze, her eyes widening. Time seemed to slow down. She saw Elliot thrown to the ground, and the staff and Special Detectives also looking shocked.
"I…"
Jeanne looked at the bomb timer continuing its countdown.
Seven seconds.
Six seconds.
"What should I do!" Jeanne clenched her teeth. "I don't want to run away from reality!!" Her legs trembled as if unwilling to move.
Five seconds.
Jeanne, hesitant and afraid of the pain of death, gritted her teeth and ran toward the center of the room. She could hear Selena calling her name. Jeanne jumped and hugged the bomb with her body.
"At least I want to save the people here!" Jeanne held the bomb tightly.
Her eyes shut as she waited for death.
Four seconds.
Three seconds.
Two seconds.
"I can rewind time even if I die… maybe this will be the third death that hurts so much!" she bit her lip and hugged the bomb tighter.
One second.
Bip—Bip—Bip—!
The small light on the bomb blinked red.
Jeanne winced, her grip tightening even as her body trembled.
Pop!
A party popper exploded lightly, spraying colorful confetti into the air.
"Huh?" Jeanne flinched when she heard it. "Does a bomb sound like that?" Jeanne, still closing her eyes, was confused. She slowly opened them.
"Congratulations, you passed!" everyone in the room shouted cheerfully and clapped. All eyes were on Jeanne as they smiled warmly and kindly.
"What?"
"You were amazing, Jeanne!" Selena approached her and sat on the floor right beside her.
Jeanne glanced at Selena who smiled with tears slightly forming in her eyes.
"…."
Jeanne froze.
Slowly she realized what had just happened.
Her cheeks heated up.
With stiff movements, she covered her face with both hands.
...
A few moments later.
Jeanne sat on the sofa, her face still flushed as she looked down. Selena, sitting beside her, gently touched Jeanne's shoulder and smiled.
"I'm glad you came here. Thank you, Jeanne."
"This… is embarrassing…" Jeanne seemed unwilling to look ahead.
"Hahaha, sorry I went a bit overboard acting as the villain earlier. Oh, my name is Lambert, a member of the Special Detectives. Nice to meet you, Miss Weels," Lambert walked toward Jeanne and extended his hand. "My acting was good, wasn't it?" he said while laughing.
Jeanne tried to lift her head. "I don't know!!" Jeanne tried to hold back her annoyance as she returned Lambert's handshake. She nodded slowly. "I-I'm Jeanne Weels. Nice to meet you, Mr Lambert?" Jeanne slightly raised her eyebrows. She felt a little confused because Lambert only introduced his first name, but she decided not to think too much about it.
Jeanne observed Lambert, who had messy dark green hair, tan brown skin, and purple eyes. He wore a white cotton shirt with black suspenders matching his long trousers, along with a long black coat and blue gloves. He looked to be in his early twenties.
A woman approached the place where Jeanne was sitting. She stood beside Lambert and stared at Jeanne for quite a long time.
Jeanne, being stared at like that, felt even more awkward.
"H-Hello, I-I'm Jeanne Weels. Nice to meet you," Jeanne tried to introduce herself.
However, the woman kept staring at Jeanne deeply, as if her gaze looked empty. Lambert sighed, then nudged her gently.
"Hey…" Lambert whispered, breaking her out of her thoughts.
"My name is Dorothée Letessier. Welcome," Dorothée said. Her voice sounded soft and faint.
Dorothée had long dark purple hair reaching her waist with straight bangs above her eyebrows. Her eyes were deep chestnut, as if they could see through someone's thoughts. Her skin was pale white like that of a beautiful doll. She wore a simple white dress paired with a black cardigan.
She wore red gloves and held a wooden cane with its grip wrapped in black cloth. She looked to be around twenty-three years old.
"She looks like a beautiful doll…" Jeanne praised. She slightly couldn't believe the woman in front of her was human, although she felt somewhat uncomfortable with Dorothée's gaze. Jeanne forced a smile. "Nice to meet you… Miss Letessier."
"Just call me Dorothée. No need to be formal," Dorothée said with a faint smile.
"Alright, Miss Dorothée," Jeanne nodded and watched Dorothée walk and sit on another sofa beside her. "She looks calm but somewhat gloomy…"
The kitchen door of the Special Detective office opened. Jeanne turned her head and saw Elliot returning while carrying a birthday cake together with Leo Tolstoy.
"Nice to see you," Leo Tolstoy looked at her warmly.
Jeanne nodded. "I've thought about it… I've decided to join," she clenched her fingers.
"Thank you, Miss Weels. We'll talk about the job after this party ends," Leo Tolstoy walked toward his chair near the window, the place where Lambert had acted as the bomb carrier earlier.
Elliot placed the cake on the table.
"Let's celebrate Miss Jeanne joining us," Elliot called her by her first name. He raised his hand and laughed.
"Celebrate? W-Wait, isn't this too much?..." Jeanne asked, but her voice faded at the end of her sentence.
Selena, who sat beside her, smiled and placed a pastel-colored cone hat on Jeanne's head like someone celebrating a birthday.
"What's wrong with celebrating? You just saved us," Selena took a bit of pink cream from the cake with a spoon and smeared it on Jeanne's nose while smiling.
Jeanne stared at the cake blankly. She glanced at Isabella, who was now sitting beside Dorothée. Isabella closed her eyes and nodded slowly toward Jeanne. Jeanne's eyes then looked around the room; everyone there showed sincere and warm smiles—smiles that made her heart feel that strange emotion.
"Thank you very much," she tried to hold back the tears in her eyes. "I'm very happy."
…
A few minutes later during the party.
"Y-You planned this?"
Lambert, Elliot, and Selena nodded simultaneously.
"At first we planned to welcome you normally, but Mr Eugene suggested this plan," Elliot explained while stuffing cake into his mouth until it was full.
"That man always pranks me…" Jeanne sighed softly. She could imagine Eugene's laughter in her mind.
"So the cake shop was part of your plan too?"
The three of them nodded.
"How did you know I was outside?" Jeanne became even more curious.
Lambert laughed and struck a dramatic chuunibyou pose, followed by Elliot.
Lambert pointed dramatically at the ceiling.
"This is all part of the scenario of fate!"
"Don't underestimate the Special Detectives… Mr. Eugene gave us your address so we could monitor you and stay at the hotel next to your apartment—"
Suddenly Elliot stuffed a large piece of cake into Lambert's mouth until it was full. Elliot forced a smile.
"Ehe…"
"Ehe? You stalked me all day and planned this…" Jeanne looked at both of them with a flat expression.
Lambert swallowed his cake and said, "Honestly, Elliot and I didn't expect you to look different from the photo," Selena stepped on Lambert's foot under the table. Selena glanced at Jeanne with an awkward smile.
"Photo?" Jeanne, who was about to take some cake, suddenly crushed the wooden spoon in her hand until it snapped. She turned and looked at the three of them. Slowly her lips curved into a gentle smile while her eyes closed, holding back her irritation.
"That's not very polite, you know."
They immediately apologized.
…
Jeanne observed the room filled with lively chatter from the staff and the Special Detective team. It made her a little nervous, but it also helped her slowly adapt to the crowd.
Her gaze swept across the tables and chairs around her.
"Where is he?" Jeanne hadn't seen Eugene since the moment she entered the office.
After a moment she gently tapped Selena's shoulder.
"Where is Eugene? I haven't seen him."
Selena shook her head. "I haven't seen him since this morning."
Jeanne asked Isabella and Dorothée, as well as the others. However, Isabella told her to ask Johann, who was standing alone while leaning against a pillar in the room.
Jeanne hesitated slightly to approach him.
"He's a man who doesn't talk much and also has a cold personality…" Jeanne imagined asking Johann a question only for him to answer briefly.
"This is hard if I have to make small talk with him…" a lazy smile appeared on her face, her half-awake eyes looking resigned.
She decided to approach Johann.
"Excuse me, Mr Goethe. Do you know where Eugene is right now?"
"On the rooftop," Johann replied. He didn't even glance at Jeanne for a second. His arms, covered by red gloves, were crossed.
"As expected…" Jeanne closed her eyes while scratching her cheek lightly. A small drop of sweat slid down her face, as if holding back the awkwardness she didn't want to show.
She began walking toward the stairs after asking Johann for directions to the rooftop.
When she arrived at the rooftop door, Jeanne stopped. "Why am I even looking for him?" she suddenly realized. However, Jeanne decided to meet Eugene anyway.
Clack.
She opened the unlocked door. The wind blew across the rooftop, gently brushing through her hair. Jeanne saw Eugene leaning against the rooftop railing while looking down at the street below.
Just as Jeanne was about to call him—
"Looking for me?" Eugene spoke first. He turned and waved his hand, which was covered with a red glove.
Jeanne nodded. "Yes." She walked toward Eugene. "What are you doing here?"
"Enjoying the evening breeze," Eugene stretched his arms while yawning.
"Did you receive my gift?" Eugene chuckled.
Jeanne bit the tip of her finger while pouting, her brows furrowed as she remembered the jack-in-the-box surprise.
"I want to slap you!"
Eugene laughed until tears almost came out. Slowly he wiped them away. "Don't. That hurts, you know."
Jeanne fell silent for a moment.
"I joined the Special Detectives…" she said quietly. Then she continued, "Thank you. My perspective on detectives changed after hearing your explanation."
Eugene crossed his arms and closed his eyes, sticking out his tongue slightly with a teasing expression.
Jeanne tilted her head with an annoyed smile and pinched Eugene's arm.
"That's rude!"
...
A few moments later.
"Miss Weels. The Captain is calling for you," Elliot, who looked exhausted, ran up the stairs and called to her from the doorway.
"Captain?"
"The Director," Eugene corrected her.
"Mr. Tolstoy is calling me…" she murmured. She nodded without asking the reason.
Jeanne left Eugene and followed Elliot toward the Director's room.
Tok Tok
She knocked on Leo's office door.
"Come in."
Jeanne opened the door slowly and stepped inside. She saw documents piled on his desk, a case board attached to the wall, a typewriter, and many other things.
"I thought a room like this only existed in movies…"
She walked closer, then stood in front of Leo's desk, her confused expression clearly visible.
Leo took a sip of his coffee and said, "I will go straight to the main topic."
"I will inform you of the three rules that are mandatory within the Special Detective Organization," Leo straightened his black suit and then looked at Jeanne seriously.
"First. Do not reveal the abilities of the Special Detective members if you happen to know them."
"Second. You will live in the residence prepared by the Organization. Therefore, you cannot stay in your old home," he said firmly.
"Third. You are not allowed to discuss the Organization's work in public," he exhaled slowly.
Jeanne looked slightly surprised.
"I thought the rules would be extremely strict and troublesome. Turns out I was wrong," Jeanne slowly nodded.
"I understand, C-Captain…" Jeanne added, calling Leo 'Captain.' She scratched her cheek awkwardly.
Hearing that, Leo covered his face with his palm and smiled bitterly.
"D-Don't call me that…"
Jeanne saw the change in Leo—usually firm and dignified—now trying to hide his embarrassment. Jeanne wanted to laugh but decided not to.
"A-Alright, Director Tolstoy…"
"That's better," Leo nodded casually and pointed approvingly. His expression returned to being firm and dignified.
Then Leo Tolstoy took a box from his desk drawer and placed it on the table. He opened the box and gently pushed it toward Jeanne.
Jeanne was slightly shocked when she saw what was inside the box.
Inside it was a silver Smith & Wesson Magnum 500 revolver with an elegant wooden grip. A small engraving of an eye without a pupil could be seen on it.
Next to the revolver was a box containing twelve .500 S&W Magnum bullets.
"A-A firearm?" Jeanne swallowed.
Leo Tolstoy nodded calmly.
"As members of the Special Detectives, they are given firearms for self-defense. However, for now you will need shooting training and time to get used to it."
"You should already know, right? That Special Detectives don't only solve ordinary cases."
Jeanne was slightly confused by Leo Tolstoy's words, but after a moment she understood what he meant.
"Night Order… it's probably not just dangerous organizations like Night Order. I can guess there are many organizations like that…" she thought.
"I understand."
She looked at the white gloves that had a small silver coin engraved with an eyeless symbol right in the center of the palm.
"White gloves…" Jeanne murmured in her mind. She realized something.
"Among all the Special Detective members, they all wear gloves with different colors… what does that mean?" she tried to recall.
"Mr Elliot wears blue gloves with a white gold coin, just like Mr Lambert. But Miss Goodwin and Miss Dorothée wear red gloves with a gold coin…" she thought while gently stroking her chin.
"Oh right, those two strange men also wear red gloves," Jeanne added, referring to Eugene and Johann.
"Is something wrong, Miss Weels?" Leo asked, glancing at Jeanne who seemed to be deep in thought.
"Why do the Special Detective members wear gloves with different colors, and also different coins? Like Selena, she wears white gloves with a silver coin just like mine."
"Oh, that. White gloves mean they are new members or members who haven't gained enough contribution points to advance to the next color."
"The next color is blue gloves with a white gold coin. Those are members who have made good contributions in helping the organization. And they can later rise to red gloves with a pure gold coin."
Jeanne carefully processed the information.
"Red gloves… those who have contributed a lot."
"Does that mean it's part of the hierarchy of the Special Detective organization?"
Leo looked at the ceiling as if recalling something. After a moment he nodded.
"White gloves do not have much authority. They only carry out tasks from their superiors and orders from the central Special Detective organization."
"As for blue gloves, they're not much different from white gloves. However, they have the authority to assign cases they consider easy to those wearing white gloves."
"Then there are red gloves. They have the authority to reject cases or missions given by their superiors and the central organization, though rejecting them is not easy. Well, those who wear red gloves can be considered free."
Leo took a document from his drawer and handed it to Jeanne.
She took the document.
After hearing Leo's explanation about the authority of red gloves, Jeanne's expression froze. "I pinched Eugene pretty hard… and he was wearing red gloves…"
She looked at the document in her hands with an awkward face and half-open eyes.
…
After finishing with her new job matters, she had returned home and was lying on her bed.
Jeanne had been informed by Leo that the Special Detective team would take care of her resignation from her job as a bank teller. She only needed to move to the residence prepared by the Special Detective Organization.
"Tomorrow I have to move…" she got up from her bed and looked around her room, feeling nostalgic about the first time she came to the apartment to continue her studies.
Jeanne smiled bitterly.
She glanced at the clock on her phone. "Six in the evening."
Jeanne decided to pack her belongings that night.