When I went to the reception, they really were lending out a car and they handed me the keys. We took the key and headed down to the underground parking lot via the elevator. "Umm... isn't it the one over there?" Kichi-san pointed to a gleaming black japanese-made luxury car. "Wow, that's impressive!" "Is it really?" "Yeah, it's impressive." "I see." Well, girls might not be that interested in cars. I walked over to the car and climbed into the driver's seat. Then, Ichinose-kun got into the back seat, and Kichi-san took the passenger seat. Kichi-san in the passenger seat, huh... Isn't Ichinose-kun supposed to be next to me? Well, it's better than both of them riding in the back, I guess. "Yamada-san, I'm counting on you to drive safely." Ichinose-kun leaned forward and made his request. "I know. I have someone else's child with us, after all. Make sure to buckle up." "In the back, too?" "In the back, too." "Yes, yes." Ichinose-kun stopped leaning forward, reclined in his seat, and buckled his seat belt. Of course, Kichi-san in the passenger seat also fastened her seat belt, but I made an effort not to look too much in that direction. It's somewhat awkward, women and seat belts. I was mainly fearing for my social credibility. "Well, let's go." "Please do." I started the car, exited the underground parking, and set off for the park in question. It was congested due to the evening rush, but we managed to reach the park in about 30 minutes. However, there was no one in there. "Guess we should wait a bit..." "Yes, seems like." We settled in to wait for the troublemakers in the car. As we waited, idly fiddling with our smartphones, it began to grow dark around us. The time was 6 o'clock. "The days have been getting shorter lately, haven't they?" "Yeah, they have." It's already October, and it's becoming cool as well. "Man, I'm starting to feel hungry." Ichinose-kun muttered from the back seat with a languid voice. I took my wallet out of my pocket, pulled out a thousand-yen bill, and extended it behind me. "Go ahead and buy whatever you like at the convenience store. And while you're at it, could you get me some coffee?"

"Is that alright?" As Ichinose-kun asked, he took the thousand-yen bill. "Sure. Kichi-san, do you need anything?" "Ah, thank you very much. Just some water, please." Water again... She sure likes it. "Ichinose-kun, please." "No prob" With that, Ichinose-kun got out of the car and made his way to the convenience store. And thus, lo and behold. In the dark interior of a car in an empty park, a high school girl in uniform and a middle-aged man sat — a scene with a hundred percent chance of attracting police attention. Crap... I casually slipped my hand into my pocket and made sure I had my badge. "I'm kinda sorry." Kichi-san apologized as I checked my badge and felt a bit more at ease. "Huh? For what?" "Yamada-san, it must be uncomfortable for you, being an adult and having to hang out with us, right?" Yeah. "No, that's not the case. Like I said back at headquarters, I'm a novice. It's educational for me to work with experienced people like you." It was hard, but now I'm truly glad to be in charge for the first time. I was able to handle things maturely because I've been supporting my underlings from work. The old me would have definitely said something awkward. Well, it wasn't until after I retired that I actually felt this way. "Is that so... I'm glad then. Oh, do you smoke? Please, go ahead." Kichi-san is mistaken because my hands are still in my pockets. "No, it's not that. I was just checking to make sure I didn't forget my notebook. I've quit smoking." I certainly wouldn't smoke inside the car in front of kids. "You quit? My dad always says he can't quit." "Right now, I'm looking after a young relative and I've also started keeping a cat. So, I decided to quit." "Wow, you have a cat? That's nice." Kichi-san is intrigued by the mention of a cat. "What's up?" As Kichi-san's mood brightens up, Ichinose-kun returns. "Yamada-san just told me he has a cat." "Ahh yeah. Here's your water and coffee. And your change." Ichinose-kun gives a half-hearted reply, hands Kichi-san the water, and gives me the coffee and the change. "Thanks. Do you have any pictures of your cat?" After a quick thanks to Ichinose-kun for what he brought, Kichi-san eagerly shifts the conversation back to the cat. "I haven't taken any photos yet." "Aw... Please take one. I'm really interested." Well, Miriam is right there in front of you, looking all smug.

But I guess these kids can't see Miriam either... "I'm not much for taking photos, really." "Could you take one for me? I absolutely adore cats." I wish I could just hand over Miriam to you... "Okay, I'll make sure to take one next time." You're fine with that, right Miriam? "Hey, let's swap contact info so you can send it to me." "Right, that makes sense. We need to be able to contact each other anyway. Come on, you too Ichinose-kun." "Now that you mention it, you're right." We all pulled out our phones and shared our contact details. Though, it seems Ichinose-kun and Kichi-san already had each other's contacts. "I'll create a group chat, okay?" Kichi-san is clearly delighted. Meanwhile, Ichinose-kun is just quietly munching away on his rice balls and small pastry. Both of them really do have that high school vibe. They're the sociable types. My school days were a bit different, it seems. "I sensed some magical power, meow." As I continued to talk with Kichi-san about my cat, exactly that cat started to whisper softly into my ear. Following that, I tried using the magic detection as described in grandpa's book that I read at noon, and indeed, I could sense a faint magical power. Of course, it wasn't coming from Miriam or these two. It felt like it was coming from much farther away. "Hmm? Yamada-san, what seems to be the matter?" Kichi-san doesn't appear to notice anything. "No, I just got a strange feeling..." "Eh? Was I being too loud?" Kichi-san looked slightly taken aback. "No, it's not that, your stories are interesting." "Really?" Tachibana gave a sheepish smile. "Kyoka, I can feel magical power." "Eh?" Ichinose-kun, who had finished his onigiri and small pastry without us noticing, spoke up, causing Kichi-san to turn around in surprise. Then, she froze. "It's true... could there be... three people?" There were indeed three sources of magical power. "They're here." Ichinose-kun gave a sly smile. That's kind of cool. But hey, you should wipe your mouth. You've got ketchup on it.