"Is this the place?"
As I looked around, the scene before me was unrecognizable as part of the same city.
Dilapidated facilities and buildings exuded a grim atmosphere.
If there weren’t people walking around, I’d believe this was a ghost town.
Maybe because it hasn’t been long since this city was reclaimed from the monsters?
"Wow, people actually live here…"
Amelia also began looking around with eyes filled with both curiosity and pity.
Did they notice we were outsiders?
People walking by started glaring at us.
"W-what? Why?"
"…Sigh. Sorry."
After apologizing to the passersby, I snapped at Amelia.
"They don’t like people like us here, so be careful. The public order isn’t great."
"W-what? There’s no way they heard my voice from that far away. I’m not a superhuman or anything."
"Well, that’s true, but your appearance isn’t exactly… subtle."
"My appearance? …Ah."
She finally realized.
These people weren’t wealthy enough to dress up like Amelia.
Her refined looks and expensive-looking accessories.
They were staring at her with envy, resentment, and desire.
The only reason they weren’t picking a fight with us was one thing.
We were wearing Academy uniforms.
Even if they fought us, they wouldn’t stand a chance.
"But why did you even come here?"
"…What, I can’t come? I’m Arte’s friend too, you know."
"No, I’m not saying you can’t come…"
It wasn’t the first time I’d moved with Amelia, so I was used to it. It didn’t bother me much.
The problem was that right now, it was just me and Amelia here.
"Shouldn’t you be moving with Dorothy? Where did you leave her to come alone?"
Dorothy and Amelia were on the same team.
That’s why I’d assumed Amelia wouldn’t come. She was supposed to stay with Dorothy.
Dorothy didn’t even know Arte’s true identity.
So I’d left Amelia behind and set out, but at some point, she’d started following me.
I never expected her to ditch Dorothy and move alone.
"Don’t worry. Dorothy gave me permission."
"…Permission?"
"Yeah. I explained the situation, and she understood."
Ah.
Yu Siwoo could guess what had happened without even seeing it.
Dorothy, with her rich emotions, had a tendency to be obsessed with romance.
So she’d probably fallen for Amelia’s sweet talk without a second thought.
"Sigh… Do whatever you want."
"I will."
"…"
Why wasn’t she saying anything else?
Yu Siwoo, realizing that continuing this argument would only give him a headache, decided to stop caring.
It wasn’t the first time Amelia had done whatever she pleased.
"We’re definitely in the right area… How are we supposed to find her?"
"Huh?"
"…What? You came here with no plan at all? How do you expect to find Arte in this huge place?!"
Amelia raised her voice in disbelief, and I answered casually.
Why was she even asking that?
"We’ll just find her as we walk around."
"What?!"
"Come on, let’s go. I have a feeling it’s this way."
"Hey, hey?!"
"…Y-you. Where are you even going?! Do you know the way?!"
"No, I don’t know. This is my first time here."
Is this guy insane? No, he *is* insane.
Amelia was certain.
Yu Siwoo was definitely not in his right mind.
He himself had said this neighborhood had poor public safety.
A place where outsiders were met with such hostility you could practically feel the resentment.
At first, she’d wandered around out of curiosity, but the stares following her every step had worn her down.
Eyes filled with all kinds of desire and envy.
The kind of eyes that made you think, *If these people gained abilities, they’d definitely do something terrible.*
And yet, after admitting it was dangerous, he was striding forward like he knew exactly where he was going.
"Let’s go back, Yu Siwoo. This place is dangerous. Even if you’re a superhuman, there’s no need to take unnecessary risks..."
"I don’t even know the way back."
"What?!"
Yu Siwoo had occasionally asked *her* if she was crazy.
She wanted to throw that question right back at him.
*You’re* the crazy one.
"If you want to leave, just go. You could probably run out of here easily."
"That’s true, but...! You’re still here!"
What was the point of her leaving alone?
If she abandoned this guy in a place like this and something happened, she wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.
She hated that. She wanted to sleep soundly.
"We need to get out of here—fast!"
"Ah, found her."
"...What?"
"Over there, see that guy? I’ve got a feeling about him."
A *feeling*?
He’d been marching forward like he knew where he was going this whole time, claiming he didn’t know the way.
His movements had been so confident—was he really just following a hunch?
Amelia suddenly remembered Yu Siwoo’s ability.
Intuition.
Hadn’t he said, just a few months ago, that it only reacted to attacks?
This crazy bastard. How fast was his growth?
Like following a quest marker in an open-world game, Yu Siwoo walked forward without hesitation.
"...W-What? Who are you—?"
Where Yu Siwoo stopped, a man was crouched on the ground, trembling.
He looked nothing like Arte.
But Amelia decided to trust Siwoo.
"Hey, mister. Have you seen a girl with her eyes closed? Black hair, big chest?"
"H-Hiiik! I don’t know anything!"
So he *did* know.
Amelia suddenly envied Yu Siwoo’s ability.
She’d never envied anyone else’s ability before.
This guy’s power was perfect for finding lost things...!
"What? Amelia, why are you staring at me like that?"
"Lend me your ability next time."
"?"
Her house was so big that she was always losing things, and she could never find them.
Amelia started planning to invite Siwoo over next time to help her track down everything she’d misplaced.
When would be a good time...!
"Don’t worry. We’re not here to hurt you. We just have a few questions."
"H-How can I trust—!"
"Hmm..."
While she’d been distracted by his ability, Yu Siwoo had been deep in thought.
Even if she’d been spacing out, she’d still heard the conversation, so she knew what he was pondering.
How to get this guy to talk willingly.
That had to be it.
...Still, he wasn’t *completely* omnipotent, huh? Guess he couldn’t just instantly pinpoint Arte’s location.
If he keeps growing in that direction, he might even become an investigator.
It was an ability that seemed like it could skip the entire process and directly find the culprit.
…Well, whatever. Since Yu Siwoo found a lead, is it my turn now?
That ability was seriously impressive… but I have my own methods.
A method that guy can’t use.
"Mister. Take this."
"T-This is…"
"It’s not fake, so don’t worry. This is pretty expensive, right?"
"…"
Gulp.
I could see the man’s eyes change—he’d been plotting his escape just a moment ago.
Well, it wasn’t every day someone in a place like this got their hands on a gold ornament.
Even though he’d snatched the ornament from my hand like a fish on a line, his gaze was still laced with suspicion. I spoke to him.
"If you tell us where the person we’re looking for went, I might give you more."
"…R-Really?"
"Of course. Really, really. Mister, I’ve got plenty of money."
Of course, it wasn’t my money.
It was Dad’s.
But money was meant to be spent, right?
If I told Grandpa and Dad that I spent some to help a friend, they’d forgive me… wouldn’t they? Right?
I could already hear the nagging in my ears.
I don’t know. It’s already done.
Getting scolded a little would be fine, I guess.
"T-There. They went deeper into that alley."
"Deeper inside? Why?"
"I dunno. They were looking for Arachne… That’s what they said. They were with an investigator!"
"An investigator?"
"I don’t know if it was real or fake, but that’s what they said!"
Arte was with an investigator?
…Why?
Arachne was an organization the Association kept a close eye on.
Hmm, I don’t get it.
Well, regardless, he’d given us a direction and some unexpected info, so I should hold up my end of the bargain.
I unclasped the necklace around my neck and handed it to him.
"Here, take it."
"O-Oh…!"
"Let’s go, Yu Siwoo."
"H-Hana. There’s one more thing I wanna say."
"Hm?"
The man, who had been staring at the necklace with rapture, spoke up.
All his suspicion was gone, replaced by goodwill toward the person who’d brought him something valuable.
"Arachne’s been active around here."
"Well, yeah, the news said that. Obviously. I know—they’re imposters, right?"
"Y-Yeah, so… it’s just…"
"If that’s all—"
"Wait, Amelia. Let’s hear him out."
"There’s a *lot* of them!"
A lot?
Sensing our confusion, he continued.
"T-The recently vanished Weaver Men…! All the guys they’d been suppressing are now impersonating Arachne. And there’s *tons* of them."
"…Doesn’t seem like much of a problem."
"No, no, it is. This place is a maze."
"…A maze?"
"They rebuilt the reclaimed areas in a hurry, so the roads are all tangled up. Even locals get lost easily. So if you let your guard down…"
That’s when I finally understood what he was getting at.
A maze-like terrain. Criminals living there.
If they ambushed us, it could be dangerous.
That must’ve been what he was trying to say.
"…Thanks, mister."
"Y-You paid for it."
"More than worth it. Good purchase."