"Cocytus. A river in the underworld of Greek mythology. A frozen hell that spares no traitors."
Syunka, dressed in a long skirt layered with thin chiffon, stepped outside.
As the presence of night grew stronger, young people hurriedly left in front of the western-style building, while men and women dressed as if they were coming home from work, adult lovers, began to flow in.
Syunka felt tears welling up but continued to walk.
A prima donna was performing the role of Beatrice.”
A father from a family took a picture of her and hurriedly left as well.
As she continued to search for Shindo, she spotted his back.
Shindo turned around, frowning.
“Your face is pale.”
“He has appeared.”
“What? ... Augusto?”
As Syunka nodded, Shindo approached her, lowering his voice. Syunka stopped him.
“No. This is a bomb.”
When she pointed at the choker, Shindo’s face lost all color.
“Why? How?”
“He was impersonating a ballet dancer. With orange hair...”
“What’s the name of the dancer?”
“It’s Antonio. I didn't see him myself today.”
“He’s so close... Right, let's disarm the bomb. If it's small and movable, freezing it should be easy.”
“No! If you remove it, it will explode and blades will fly out... Besides, if he stops being a "sera", he’ll blow this place up immediately.”
“...”
Shindo covered his mouth with his hand, inhaling deeply before taking out his radio.
“... I’ve discovered an explosive device. ... Yes, right now we can't take action. ... Also, a male ballet dancer named Antonio is missing.”
The radio went silent, and Shindo's face twisted as if he were about to cry.
“I’m truly sorry. I will definitely capture him and disarm the bomb. I promise.”
“... Okay. I trust you.”
Syunka nodded firmly.
Shindo took out his smartphone and handed it to Syunka.
“Shindo? How’s Aono Syunka and the ballet company? Make sure to protect her, I’m counting on you.”
His voice sounded urgent. It had been five months, perhaps? Even now, he was trying to protect me and those around us.
A warm feeling circulated through her body.
Syunka gripped the bracelet tightly.
"There might be a man who entered the country illegally under the name 'Pietro',"
Takanashi's insight prompted plainclothes police officers to verify it from various directions.
"He may have undergone plastic surgery, but he's likely in his 40s. Height close to 190 cm. Athletic build, with blue eyes—there's a chance he's wearing colored contact lenses. He's Italian. Look for an accent."
They checked places from the airport to hotels—it was a manpower operation.
"He doesn't have anyone helping him enter the country. That's why there are no leads. Yeah, he's acting alone. Probably posing as a businessman or a tourist."
"We've got a hit!"
One of the investigators raised his voice.
"At the Northstein Hotel. A man booked the penthouse suite under the name Pietro. Around 190 cm tall, platinum blonde, and in his 40s, posing as a businessman!"
"Hurry!"
At Takanashi's command, they rushed to the hotel.
"And check what he's been acquiring."
"He visited a junk shop."
"And he bought large quantities of oil at a nearby hardware store."
Reports came in one after another.
No wonder the metal detectors didn’t pick anything up.
"I see... to make the oil explode, he'd need to add heat or come up with a clever trick."
As Takanashi muttered this, Nathan noticed a call on his phone. It was Shindo.
"Shindo? How are Aono Syunka and the ballet company? Make sure to protect her, I'm counting on you... Oh, what's wrong? One of the ballet dancers has disappeared? ... Antonio. A tall dancer with orange hair. Understood."
Based on Shindo's report, Nathan opened his laptop.
Photos and profiles of the dancers, including Lorenzo and others on the staff, were displayed.
"Antonio... is it him?... Hmm?"
Nathan’s hand froze.
A photograph of a blonde woman caught his eye.
He thought he'd seen her before. The name was Sophia.
(No way...)
The thought crossed his mind, and his chest tightened.
She could have gotten a fake passport or bought a real one from someone in financial trouble, someone who looked like her.
"Isn't this Caterina...?"
The makeup made it hard to tell at first glance, but she was Livia's protégé and had been Augusto's mistress until recently.
Smart, tall, and blonde.
She had disappeared some time ago, but if she was still helping Augusto...
"She infiltrated the ballet company... She works on stage production and setup... It’d be easy for her to plant the oil."
"What?"
Takanashi turned around.
"We need to apprehend a woman named Sophia from the ballet company. She might be Augusto's mistress, Caterina. Caterina was trained by Livia in handling precision instruments, and she learned about weapons and explosives from Augusto."
"Is that true? I thought he was acting alone. And if she really is Caterina, it would be easy for her to hide flammable volatile materials on stage."
"Yes."
"And then there's Augusto. We must track him down..."
"I’ll go after him," Nathan said with determination.
"But you have a personal connection to him, don’t you?"
"You don’t need to worry. I won’t let my emotions get in the way."
Takanashi held his breath for a moment before exhaling deeply.
He closed his eyes and nodded.
"I’m counting on you."
The steady flow of customers continued, and soon, the crowd of ticket holders for the ballet performance began to surge in.
Plainclothes officers explained that the seats were already filled and that tickets would be refunded, but the process was slow.
Amidst the confusion, Antonio was found in the neighboring multi-tenant building.
He had been stabbed in the side with a knife that pierced through to his heart.
Orange hair, tall height, and tanned skin like that of a sunbaked surfer—he matched the description exactly.
Uniformed police officers quickly arrived at the scene, and the news spread rapidly on social media.
The crowd grew noisy, and soon, rumors began circulating within Ebisu Garden as well.
"Hey, isn’t that the guy from the program?"
"Whoa, seriously? This is bad, isn’t it?"
"Wait, is this a terrorist attack?"
"Terrorism is political, right? Isn’t this just a fight between foreigners?"
Speculation flew around, and the ripples of the incident quickly grew larger.
More and more people began leaving Ebisu Garden, and the staff couldn't keep up with the flow—
"I told you not to let the crowd escape, didn’t I?"
A cold, electronic voice echoed through the van.
With a loud "boom," Takanashi turned to look out the window.
A pillar of fire had erupted near the stage lights but quickly subsided.
A vending machine had been blown up, but fortunately, no one was caught in the explosion.
Screams broke out, and panic ensued as people fled in all directions.
"Damn it! Get them under control!"
"Do as promised. Do not, under any circumstances, let the crowd escape. Proceed with 'Sera'."
The electronic voice spoke in halting Japanese. Takanashi clicked his tongue as he listened.
Some members of the ballet troupe, having been informed of the situation, tried to flee.
Lorenzo kept intertwining and releasing his fingers, biting his lower lip constantly.
Shindo finally spoke to Syunka and the others about the incident.
"I've heard rumors about Clan Gello, and I saw the news about the organization's dissolution. So, I thought it was safe now," the manager said.
Shindo nodded deeply but continued explaining.
"The organization itself no longer exists. However, one capo escaped, and we didn't know where he was hiding."
"And now he's been found here..." Lorenzo finally spoke, breaking the heavy silence.
"To be honest, I know of other entertainment groups involved with these kinds of organizations. When it comes to putting on shows, their power and influence are massive. So, I'm used to dealing with a bit of pressure."
His voice was shaky, possibly from nerves.
"But the explosion earlier... You said it was an accident, but was it really him?"
"I'm sorry. We should have found him sooner, but we're still searching."
"Where is it?"
"...The most likely place is the stage for 'Sera' itself. You remember Sofia, right?"
"Did she set it up?"
"She might have."
"Antonio was taken out too..."
Lorenzo hung his head, and the manager put an arm around his shoulders to support him.
"They said they'd detonate the bomb if 'Sera' doesn't go on. Everyone..." Syunka spoke, and the other members' sharp eyes fixed on her.
"So you’re telling us to dance? No way! I don’t have that much attachment to Japan, and I’m not dying there. I’m backing out."
"And isn't Augusto targeting you? He specifically said not to change tonight’s prima donna for 'Sera'."
"Right. If you go on, there shouldn't be any issues. I'm sorry, but I can’t put Lorenzo at risk. You’ll have to dance alone."
Lorenzo looked up at Syunka. His face was red, and tears were streaming down.
"Syunka... Tonight's performance is my responsibility. You are all guests. I should take the blame."
Lorenzo showed a rare moment of resolve, but the others immediately voiced their opposition.
"Everyone... It’s not certain that there will be an explosion... Besides, I'm the lead performer."
"Lorenzo... but everyone’s right. You all need to leave. Lorenzo, you’re in the most danger."
"But Syunka..."
Eventually, security arrived, and the ballet troupe was quietly escorted away.
Though Lorenzo was sobbing, there was a sense of relief on his face.
Shindo watched them leave before turning back to face Syunka.
"Miss Aono... We’re currently investigating the type of bomb. We’ll have the results soon."
"Okay. Hey..."
"I'm sorry. Ando-senpai kept chasing after him even after returning to Japan. The reason he didn’t contact you..."
"Is it because he was Augusto’s real target?"
"Yes. He believed it was safer to distance himself from you to protect you..."
Syunka could only nod slowly.
It was purely by chance that a plainclothes female police officer discovered it.
A foreign woman in a black hoodie was turning a valve near the accessible restroom by the dressing rooms.
The hissing sound eventually stabilized as something flowed through a blue hose.
"What are you doing!?"
The officer shouted sharply, grabbing the hoodie as the woman tried to flee, securing her.
Shining blonde hair appeared.
When the officer turned her around, the woman flashed a triumphant smile, as if she had already won.
"Ormai è troppo tardi (It's already too late)."
"What?"
The policewoman hesitated for a moment, and in that instant, a stun gun was pressed to her abdomen.
The woman used that brief opening to escape.
"Black hoodie, blonde hair, Caucasian woman! From her language, she seems to be Italian. Likely 'Sofia'! She’s armed with a stun gun!"
Clutching her abdomen, the officer reported and approached the valve.
"She's pumping something through a blue hose!"
Upon receiving the report from the female police officer, preparations for the anti-explosion spray were immediately completed.
As expected, it seemed they were planning to release a volatile combustible substance. Shindo, along with the bomb squad, traced the blue hose and
discovered the stage equipment.
It appeared they were intending to use colored smoke to represent hell and heaven.
It was likely from here that they planned to carry out the explosion.
"We'll now disperse the anti-explosion spray."
Augusto was watching from somewhere. They couldn’t make any noticeable moves yet, so everyone remained in plain clothes.
"This is a real pain. It's not as straightforward as an actual bomb," Shindo muttered in frustration, only to have the bomb squad leader pat him on the shoulder.
"The quiet, methodical approach is the strongest."
"...I get it now," Shindo replied, resigned.
As soon as the industrial oil was detected, they discreetly began the cleanup using absorbents.
Meanwhile, Augusto was not at the Northen Hotel.
In the room, there was a schedule indicating a meeting at the Evisu Garden Observatory.
The team that discovered this reported to Takanashi and moved to the Ebisu Garden Observatory.
At the same time, Nathan was riding his bike alone.
His earpiece buzzed, notifying him of an incoming call.
Takanashi’s voice said, "It's the Evisu Garden Observatory," but Nathan shook his head.
He recalled the view from Rocca di Luce. What Augusto preferred was not the view from Evisu Garden.
"No. Based on his personality, he'd choose a place where he can overlook everything."
"A place where he can see everything..."
"Yes. It's the High Tree."
"Is that where you're headed?"
"Yes. Please send reinforcements."
"...Understood. But I can only move one unit."
"Understood."
"Nathan... I’ve known for a while that you have personal feelings towards Augusto," Takanashi said, softening his tone. Nathan found it curious but responded, "Yes."
It was true. Hatred, anger, sympathy—many emotions swirled around Augusto in his mind.
There was even a bit of ego, the belief that only he could catch him.
"So I decided not to mention it before. According to Shindo, they’ve found one bomb."
"That's not something to hide..."
"Calm down and listen. It's been placed on Syunka Aono's neck. It's small, but if it goes off, blades will fly out."
At that moment, it felt as though the world went silent.
Takanashi was apologizing, but Nathan couldn’t hear what he was apologizing for.
Stopped at a traffic light, he remembered to breathe again, and Takanashi's voice came back.
"We’re currently looking for a way to disarm it. It's small, so there's no doubt we can save her."
"...This might all be a diversion. If it were him, he would’ve been more efficient."
"...Yeah. In that case?"
"He’s targeting her specifically."
"To get to you?"
"Yes."
"So even if the bomb is disarmed, there will be another..."
"Most likely. It won’t end until we catch him."
"...It doesn’t matter to him how many lives are lost or spared in the explosion, does it?"
"No. He's the kind of man who'd use even his own allies as bait."
"I'm sorry."
"What?"
"I should’ve trusted you more. I thought your personal feelings for Augusto might cloud your judgment."
"That’s true. Because of that, I made a mistake. Syunka is in danger because of my weakness."
As they spoke, Nathan’s mind and heart gradually calmed down.
His vision cleared, and before him stood a towering, beautiful white spire.
He showed his police badge at the reception and was immediately guided inside.
It was likely to be the observatory.
He instructed them to evacuate the general public quickly and stepped into the elevator alone.
In the spacious elevator, as it ascended rapidly, Nathan began to feel certain.
(He’s here.)
A kind of animalistic intuition had picked up on Augusto’s presence.
An announcement started to play.
"Thank you very much for visiting today. We regret to inform you that the operating hours have been changed for today. We apologize for the inconvenience..."
The elevator reached the observation deck. With a ding, the doors slid open.
Rounded walls, blue-lit floor, and below, the lights of the city bustling with life.
Nathan spotted something glittering amidst the view.
It was the necklace he had given to Syunka.
The audience wore stern, tense expressions. They were plainclothes police officers.
The general public, holding their smartphones, was watching from a distance, but security guards were urging them to step back even further.
"How's the process going? Making some progress? Alright, seems like we’ve calmed things down a bit. …Miss. Aono."
Shindo, who had been speaking over the radio, turned around at the end.
"We’ve successfully removed a portion of the explosives. By the time Sera finishes, we should have secured even more safety."
It was 7:40 p.m.
With Lorenzo and his team gone, Syunka was expected to dance for about an hour.
Though their absence shortened the performance by an hour, Syunka had decided to dance using footage of Lorenzo on the screen, adding her own improvisations.
She had practiced alone from the start, so it wasn’t much of a problem.
Clutching the bracelet Nathan had given her, she stepped onto the stage.
The general audience, unaware of the situation, erupted in applause.
The absence of Lorenzo and his team was explained, and after Syunka bowed deeply and steadied her breath, she waited for the music to start—
Beatrice died young.
For the protagonist Dante, she was his first love and his eternal ideal woman.
As Dante wandered through the forest and hell, Beatrice prayed for his safety.
What she gave Dante was unconditional love.
It may have been just an ideal, but even if that were true, one could say that Beatrice received unconditional love from Dante.
Had it been for his own selfish desires, Dante could have depicted her resurrection, but he didn’t.
Dante wished for her ascension to heaven, and that was proof enough.
Beatrice, torn between escaping from suffering and the guilt of leaving Dante behind, was saved by Dante’s wish.
Beatrice decided to journey to heaven.
Her gaze was fixed upward, her fingertips reaching beyond.
Syunka performed the first act, embodying the story of Beatrice.
Nathan picked up the necklace.
The general public, following the announcement, had begun to move.
As he walked against the flow of people, his eyes met a tall man, a head taller than the rest.
It was Augusto, no doubt about it.
He removed the orange wig and wiped his face with his hand, smearing off the foundation.
Pale skin, almost ghostly white, appeared beneath the streaks left by his fingers.
"...Augusto."
"Finally, you're here, Nathan. You sure are tenacious."
"I'm desperate, that's all."
"Hmm."
With no one left between them, Augusto drew a long survival knife.
"Nathan, you took everything from me. That much is certainly infuriating. But what I can't forgive most is your betrayal."
Nathan raised his gun, but Augusto showed no fear.
"Dante preached about it, didn’t he? Betrayal is the gravest sin. Those who betray are doomed to be eternally trapped in Cocytus' ice. And that’s exactly what happened."
"You mean Pietro?"
"Yes, exactly. You know your stuff, don't you? He took everything from me and betrayed me. A saint? A monk? What he did was steal and betray. So one day, I threw him into a frozen lake."
"Then why did you impersonate that monk's name?"
"I couldn’t think of anything else. Plus, when you showed up at the church, it reminded me. I remembered there was such a man."
"What did he take from you?"
"My everything. Nathan, you of all people should understand. A man’s most precious thing. If someone took it from you, you'd be furious too."
Nathan said nothing and simply stared him down.
It was a woman, surely. The scandal that Augusto exposed about the church.
But if that were true, why wasn’t Augusto with her now?
"Nathan. Shoot me. If you don't, you won’t be able to stop me."
Augusto slowly spread his arms and approached, pressing his chest against the barrel of Nathan's gun.
There was a hard, gritty sensation. He must be wearing a bulletproof vest.
"If you hesitate, I'll take what's most precious to you. Then you’ll understand how I feel."
Augusto leaned in close.
"I'll violate that ballerina right in front of you, break her fragile limbs, and freeze her beautiful face."
The gun trembled slightly in Nathan's hands.
Their eyes met at close range, and Nathan saw a faint emotion in Augusto's pale blue eyes.
"Haha... You're shaken, aren’t you? Nathan, listen. I’ll give you another choice. Come with me. If you do, I’ll let you have the ballerina. Make a little money, and the two of you can indulge yourselves in paradise."
A faint voice from Nathan's earpiece relayed the situation.
"Most of the explosives have been removed. There might still be a small threat, but the damage will be minimal. Also, the squad will reach you in a few minutes."
Nathan breathed a sigh of relief internally. His breathing eased as he faced Augusto.
He pushed Augusto's chest, creating some distance between them.
"I’ll pass."
"Is that so?"
Augusto pulled out a small switch, flaunting it at Nathan.
It was a tiny device.
"I liked her almond-shaped eyes. She seems like a woman I could enjoy for a while. It’d be a waste to kill her right away, so I’ll take her and make good use of her."
Nathan aimed the gun at Augusto’s forehead.
"Augusto... You're a pitiful man. Is that the only way you can assert yourself?"
"What?"
"What's the point in any of this? Even if you take her, she'll never be yours."
"Nathan, you underestimate human desire."
"Maybe. But it's because you can’t have what you truly want that you end up wanting everything else, like a child throwing a tantrum."
Augusto scowled deeply, his face twisting in displeasure.
"So you don’t care about her life?"
"Why the money for that church? What's there? What’s keeping you tied to it?"
"Shut up!"
Augusto swung his knife.
The tip grazed Nathan’s shirt, cutting through the golden chain.
The locket pendant fell to the floor, landing at Augusto’s feet.
Augusto stopped in his tracks when he saw it.
"Emilia...!"
The name Leonardo had mentioned.
Augusto’s eyes, as he looked at the picture of young Emilia, were unlike anything Nathan had ever seen before. His pupils dilated, trembling with confusion.
"Augusto...?"
His hand reached out for the locket. Nathan fired.
"!"
"Augusto, wasn’t Emilia tormented by Pietro?"
"Shut up! Be quiet!"
"You were supposed to save her! Why did you finish off the church!?"
"That woman is a traitor! She broke her promise and chose Pietro!"
Nathan had never seen Augusto this agitated. His blue eyes were bloodshot, as if on the verge of tears.
"She was the victim, wasn’t she?"
"Victim? No, the exact opposite! She betrayed me, abandoned me, and ran off with Pietro. Those eyes she gave me—like she was looking at filth!"
"Then why did you keep this photo...?"
—As if you were revering it?
"What do you know!"
"Capo!"
A woman's voice rang out. Nathan turned to see a blonde woman—Caterina—pointing a gun straight at him.
"Capo, the bombing at Evisu Garden failed. The only thing left is Syunka's package. We need to escape!"
"Shut up, girl! You think I’m going to run? I won't forgive anyone who took everything from me! Pietro... you destroyed everything! You corrupted my Emilia, you devil!"
Augusto glared at Nathan, his eyes wild with madness.
"I’ll take everything from you...! She was mine! They all took what belonged to me...!"
Augusto pulled out the detonator, his bloodied thumb hovering over the trigger.
Caterina fired at Nathan.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Nathan raised his gun and, without hesitation, pulled the trigger—
A gunshot rang out.
“Emilia has been found.”
Leonardo said from the other side of the monitor.
Shindo continued interpreting simultaneously, explaining to Takanashi.
“After Pietro’s frozen body was discovered, she became a nun in his hometown. She’s been living a single life there.”
“She was alive?”
Takanashi asked, and Leonardo nodded.
“Yes. That’s when we finally understood what happened to Augusto. She had blamed herself for a long time, thinking it was her fault that Augusto ended up like that.”
“What happened?”
“It’s a bit of a long story…”
――Among the orphans raised in that church, Augusto and Emilia were close in age, but more importantly, they shared similar hair color, skin tone, and eye color, which made them feel like true siblings.
Always together, they made a promise as they entered puberty.
“One day, let’s leave this place together. We’ll always be together.”
They grew up without being sent to foster homes, and eventually, Emilia began helping out at the church when she turned 18.
One day, a young man named Pietro arrived as a monk at the church. He was kind, yet had a somewhat unreliable air about him.
As Emilia supported him, she started developing feelings for him, and the two became lovers.
Augusto was furious with her, saying it was against their promise.
After an argument, Augusto got into a car and drove off, where he had a collision with a pedestrian.
Despite the light being red, the pedestrian had suddenly run out.
However, the injuries were severe, resulting in damage to the head and neck, leaving the person paralyzed from the waist down.
The church urged Augusto to repent.
Emilia later said she could never forget the look in Augusto’s eyes at that time.
As for what happened next, Leonardo had previously mentioned: Augusto went to Milan to report it and never returned.
Then, two years later, in the depths of winter, Pietro died.
He was found frozen in a lake.
“I see... Well, I suppose it depends on his personality, but it just means that Augusto was ultimately an egotist.”
Takanashi said calmly. Shindo replied,
“Is it a possessiveness... a desire for control over Emilia?”
“Something like that. It’s not love, that’s for sure.”
As he glanced over, he saw Syunka dancing alone.
The story was reaching its climax.
Beatrice, watching Dante from heaven, welcomed him gently as he ascended the mountain of Purgatory.
Dante’s hand appeared on the illuminated screen.
Syunka softly reached out and touched that hand.
The bell tolled, and applause erupted from the audience, who had momentarily left their seats.
It was over—at that moment, she spotted him beyond her fingertips.
Her fingers trembled, and her vision blurred with tears.
She wanted to see him so badly, but as she lowered her eyelids and let the tears spill, she could feel his warmth nearby.
An unparalleled sense of security made her knees give way, and she collapsed to the ground.
Her cheeks were cradled in his palms, and she looked up.
His amber eyes shone like the sun.
“You’re okay now.”
Just as she remembered, his voice was a low, soothing resonance, deep and warming her body.
A hand slipped around the back of her neck, and with a small click, the choker was removed.
Finally free from the threat, she was embraced by Nathan.
Syunka finally burst into tears.
In the elevator, it was reported that Augusto had been stabbed in the back.
Although it was not a fatal wound, it rendered him unable to move, and he was arrested by the police officers waiting at the exit.
“He killed Livia. It was the punishment for taking her away from me. To betray me is unforgivable. Livia was everything to me. That’s why I was waiting for the chance to take revenge,”
the woman who stabbed Augusto—Caterina—allegedly stated.
Nathan's bullet pierced Augusto's hand at the High Tree.
The switch fell, and he was said to have picked it up.
“It was surprising. I thought that man hated Augusto. It seems he discarded it for the switch. How foolish—three years wasted. If he could have arrested Augusto himself, he would have been a hero, right?”
Augusto still hasn’t said anything.
Rather, he appeared to have lost all vitality, as if he could not speak.
While stroking the rocket pendant, he continued to mutter softly,
“We'll always be together, Emilia…”
The photo of Emilia had been shot through by a bullet.
It seemed that the bullet intended for Nathan had struck it.
His unquenchable obsession with her—his ideal maiden—had been tainted, and ultimately, the photograph was crushed.
For Augusto, the memories with Emilia might have been the happiest and also the catalyst for his downfall.
As the report was compiled, the two were set to be forcibly repatriated to Italy.
Nathan was hit by a bullet from Caterina, but it only grazed him.
That was lucky, to say the least.
However, Nathan had to prepare a mountain of reports due to the gunfire.
He felt overwhelmed with work right after recovering from his injury.
The incident between "foreigners" near the Evisu Garden was only briefly mentioned in the corner of the newspapers.
Although it wasn’t something that could be talked about openly, it had strangely become a hot topic on social media.
A bracelet swayed on his wrist as he fixed his smartphone.
[Mysterious Foreigner Commits Terrorism in Japan?]
[Shocking Hidden Facts About the Incident at Ebisu Garden! Secrets of the Foreign “Incident”]
[Backdoor Deals Over Ballet Tickets? The Truth Behind It!]
Such shocking headlines carelessly circulated, irresponsibly stirring up viewers.
“Utterly…”
On second thought, continuing to sit at his desk was a peaceful thing.
There were no security cameras or listening devices in the government housing.
Despite the restrictions, there was freedom.
And besides, she was there.
Having been granted permission to stay at a hotel for a while, Nathan could finally enjoy his privacy without hesitation.
Suddenly, Shindo whispered to him.
“Senior Ando, I’m going out for drinks soon.”
“Your idea of ‘drinks’ is a group date, right?”
“Yeah. That’s why I want you to teach me the secrets of flirting.”
“Huh?”
“Because I heard you exchanged contact information with Miss. Aono after just a few minutes of chatting!”
“Wait, who told you that?”
“I saw it in the report. It mentioned when you made contact with Miss. Aono. It really was just a coincidence, right? That means it was a pickup, right?”
“Didn’t you take the pickup seminar? Just do that.”
“Uh… I don’t remember.”
Nathan sighed and shook his head when he looked at Shindo.
While Shindo could shine when it mattered, he usually just acted like a joker.
Got it.
“What’s with that face? You look like you pity me!”
“I figured it out. When you get serious, you can show your true skills. Wait for that moment before you go on dates.”
“Wow, you sound like a prophet.”
“That’s all there is to it. There’s no point in trying to flirt with someone you don’t think is good; their time is limited, too.”
“…You’ve got a point. By the way, should I invite Mr. Takanashi to the group date? Is that too much?”
It seemed that the young police officer who had put the handcuffs on Augusto would receive an award.
Nathan felt like he had just gone through Tanaka's baptism, but it didn’t bother him at all.
As promised, he headed to the hotel today.
The woman waiting in the lounge was scanning the area, searching for him.
She looked surprisingly cute. A necklace sparkled at her neck, and as she followed the reflected light, she finally spotted Nathan.
“Nate…!”
Her happy voice called his name.
Wasn’t this enough? Papers and honors would just fade away with time.
Her smile brought Nathan far greater joy.
[Now I understand what love truly is.]
When their hands touched, it felt as if their body temperatures melted together perfectly.
The end.
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For more details, please check this page. Please check here for the password retrieval method. →Special page: Finally! Introducing the details of the thank-you gifts for tips!
We’ve prepared something special to express our gratitude for your support!
Additionally, those who have obtained the password can also access the special page from here →Thank you! Please enjoy the special content.
I had a great time turning the side story into an audiobook, and I’m considering doing the same for the main story and uploading it to YouTube in the future. I look forward to your continued support when that time comes!
I will thoroughly review the English text at that time and correct any typos, errors, or other mistakes to the best of my ability.
![Pinterest](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdcamellia.com%2Fen%2Fcocytus-ballerina-under-the-moonlight%25e3%2580%2580final-episode%2F&media=https://dcamellia.com/wp-content/themes/affinger5/images/no-img.png&description= "Cocytus. A river in the underworld of Greek mythology. A frozen hell that spares no tra){kind=link}