"I'll go take a look."
"If they see my face, they might skip the inspection immediately."
Saying that, Hoshimi Aya walked to the doorway.
After opening the door, the people in the directory were two unexpected individuals.
Qing Yi and Zhu Yuan.
"Hmm?"
"It seems your trouble has been resolved."
Qing Yi glanced inside the room, his tone indifferent.
"Yeah, they took one look at me and left."
"Also..."
Hoshimi Aya suddenly thought of something, pausing her speech.
It seemed Zhu Yuan had never known Ling and Zhe's true identities, only learning about it through this incident.
When scripting this scenario, she had felt that Zhu Yuan was deeply wronged.
Hearing familiar voices from inside the room, Ling and Zhe came out.
"Oh, Qing Yi, Zhu Yuan."
"Why are you two here?"
"I thought it was the previous Public Security Officer turning back."
"But why did you come over?"
Ling let out a sigh of relief as she watched the two walk into the Video Store.
This time had truly scared her, causing her adrenaline to spike.
"The Shopkeeper should know that I have a very close relationship with your store's computer butler, Miss Fairy. I just received a message from her."
Saying that, Qing Yi recited a long string of binary code.
Hoshimi Aya looked utterly bewildered, but fortunately, she had a good impression of this part and knew what it meant.
"She was worried that Shopkeeper Ling and you were in danger, so I kept pulling Zhu Yuan along to come over."
Qing Yi explained.
"Thank you, Senior Qing Yi. Please play with my Fairy more often in the future."
Ling nodded with a smile.
She hadn't expected that the high monthly electricity bill would actually be worth it.
"Let's wait until you have fully explained the current situation before talking about that."
"I will handle this impartially based on the facts. Even if it's you, Shopkeeper... I will not show favoritism!"
Zhu Yuan said with a serious expression.
"Uh..."
"This matter is a little complicated..."
Ling didn't know how to explain for a moment. She clearly knew what Zhu Yuan wanted to know, but could she really confess to someone like Zhu Yuan, who was on the side of the law, that she was a Proxy?
Just then, the speaker in the workshop suddenly emitted a familiar voice.
It was Hoshimi Aya's.
She briefly and clearly explained the inside story of the Yuanjing Industry case and the changes happening in the Outer Ring.
"Mmm..."
"Allow me to summarize."
"The Yuanjing case has hidden circumstances, the real villains are escaping in secret, the Outer Ring is locked in a desperate battle, and Perlman was unfortunately abducted. Is that it?"
Qing Yi briefly summarized Hoshimi Aya's words.
"And Shopkeeper Ling, ostensibly a law-abiding citizen..."
"...is actually a highly skilled veteran Proxy?"
Qing Yi looked at Ling.
Hearing Qing Yi's words, Ling shamefully lowered her head.
"I'm sorry, we are indeed Proxys."
"But I swear, we have never taken business that harms the innocent."
"Aya can testify to this point for us."
"Among those who do not abide by the law, we are the most law-abiding."
Ling explained with an apologetic tone.
Zhu Yuan remained silent. She took out 1000 currency from her pocket and handed it to Qing Yi.
"Huh?!"
"Zhu Yuan, what are you..."
Ling asked, somewhat unable to comprehend this action.
This sudden move left her feeling at a loss.
Hoshimi Aya watched everything without interrupting, waiting for an opportunity to test whether that method would work.
"To be honest..."
"I already had suspicions about your identities, Shopkeeper."
"On the way here, I revealed some things to her, and she..."
Saying that, Qing Yi looked towards Zhu Yuan.
"I didn't believe it. I firmly believed that the Shopkeeper would never deceive us."
"For that, I was willing to bet."
"Unfortunately... I lost!"
Zhu Yuan looked at Ling with disappointment in her tone.
Hoshimi Aya immediately stepped forward, grasping Zhu Yuan's hands, her eyes sincere, leaning slightly forward.
"Zhu Yuan, we didn't mean to lie to you."
"Ling and the others' identity is Proxy, and your identity is Public Security Officer."
"We chose to conceal it as a precaution."
"Can you forgive me for saying this?"
Hoshimi Aya's eyes held sincerity, and her face moved closer as she spoke.
Zhu Yuan looked at Hoshimi Aya like this, her face gradually flushing. She didn't dare meet Hoshimi Aya's gaze and turned her head away.
"Th-th-th-that..."
"Aya, I'm not blaming you."
"What I said just now wasn't directed at you."
"I know your character very well; you wouldn't do something like that."
Zhu Yuan explained anxiously, her cheeks slightly red.
But she didn't push Hoshimi Aya away.
"Zhu Yuan, I truly didn't intend to deceive you."
"I'm sorry..."
Hearing Zhu Yuan's words, Ling immediately apologized.
After all, she was indeed in the wrong regarding this matter.
Zhu Yuan only reacted after hearing Ling, and then she pushed Hoshimi Aya away.
"..."
Hoshimi Aya quietly returned to Ling's side.
At the same time, she gave a thumbs-up to the method used.
That method was indeed very effective on Zhu Yuan. She even felt that whatever she said next, Zhu Yuan might not refuse.
When Zhu Yuan pushed Hoshimi Aya away, the expression on her face immediately returned to normal, that usual look, although her cheeks were still slightly flushed.
"Enough, let's get back to business."
"This is the time for an election."
"You are currently pressing serious criminal charges against the soon-to-be appointed Deputy Chief Public Security Officer Bringer in the Janus District of Neo-Eridu."
"Furthermore, your key witnesses and evidence are not yet in place. According to custom, I should first take you to the Public Security Bureau."
"And place you under custody, reporting the case details to my superiors."
"However, Hoshimi Aya, the person in charge of the H.S.O.S 6 belonging to HAND, is willing to vouch for your statements."
"Perhaps I am a fool who is easily deceived, but I trust Aya's judgment and ability."
"This means that before the end of today, I will not report this to my superiors."
"You do not have enough time to obtain your evidence."
"During this period, I will also conduct an investigation through my own channels."
Zhu Yuan looked at Ling seriously and earnestly.
Then, Zhu Yuan left the Video Store without looking back.
"...For now, it seems she believes us."
"At least that's the situation right in front of us."
Hoshimi Aya looked in the direction Zhu Yuan left.
"The situation is indeed like that, but you had better really manage to get the evidence during this period."
"You should also understand Zhu Yuan's character. If you cannot produce the evidence by then..."
"Zhu Yuan will not show you any leniency."
Qing Yi said as he looked at the group.
...
------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the fanfiction has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 or more chapters in advance over on my patreon: patreon.com/FTLGenBen
Also every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone, Thanks.