“Tell me the case outline. Quickly.”

Ha-Yul started urging his subordinate to find out what happened.

Arachne appeared again?

No way. Arte was definitely with him.

There’s no way Arachne appeared…

“Yes, yes. It’s just as I told you on the phone. A spider pattern drawn in blood and a dismembered corpse. It’s Arachne. The victim this time is also a villain. A guy wanted for rape and murder charges.”

“The difference is?”

“I guess it’s that he wasn’t finely minced. There was also no writing saying ‘Arachne was here’ like before. We’re also considering the possibility of a copycat.”

A copycat?

No, that’s not it.

…But there was no evidence it was Arte.

He may just be mistaken, and as Claire said, she may really be a junior working hard to become a hero.

But it bothered him too much. At first, he thought she wasn’t the culprit because it was too suspicious.

Not anymore. Rather, it felt like she was mocking him.

Her expression was like a spectator looking at a tiger trapped in a zoo cage.

If he broke out of the cage and approached, he would be a threat, but since that wouldn’t happen, she looked like a tourist enjoying herself to the fullest.

“Damn it. She’s mocking me.”

“Pardon?”

“No, it’s nothing. …The possibility that there’s more than one Arachne?”

“You think it’s a conflict between villain organizations?”

Ha-Yul nodded at his subordinate’s words.

Because if there’s more than one Arachne, it would be resolved.

She must have noticed he was suspecting her without any evidence.

As if mocking him, she threw one of her minions at him, and when he still didn’t withdraw his suspicion, she had someone commit a crime while meeting with him.

…If you put it that way, it makes sense.

But is this really right?

Is it okay to suspect someone like this just for being suspicious, without proper evidence?

Is he just making it unnecessarily complicated? What if it’s really a copycat, and the real culprit is already caught?

His mind started getting complicated.

…What should one do when they can’t think of anything to move the case forward?

After pondering for a while, Ha-Yul decided to change his approach.

“Sorry, but take over that case for a bit. I have someone I need to meet.”

“What?! B-But I’m still not ready to be entrusted with this kind of…!”

“I’m saying this because I trust you. I’m counting on you.”

“…! Yes, I understand!”

This guy, he’s easy.

If you just sweet-talk him a bit, he readily takes on work, so it’s very convenient.

“By the way, who are you going to meet?”

“It’s nothing much. If I met the suspect, I should also meet the people around her, right?”

Especially if they’re related to the case.

Ha-Yul picked up the documents scattered on the desk.

“First, I should meet this kid named Yu Siwoo.”

***

“So you came to me for that?”

“Yeah. I thought you might know something.”

Siwoo returned the badge proving Ha-Yul was an investigator from the Association.

He had completely forgotten about it since there was no particular news after that incident.

‘He’s looking for the mastermind behind that incident.’

He really wished Amelia was here at a time like this.

Because she’s much better suited for this than him…Although she’s a bit extreme.

What should he do?

The Investigator said he was chasing the culprit of that incident. Still, no matter how much he thought about it, only one person came to mind as the one he was chasing.

It must be Arte.

“Since you and your friend were near the crime scene then. Do you know anything?”

“No. We were too flustered by the attack to think about that at the time.”

“Right…Was there anything strange? Like one of your friends being absent for some time.”

He’s blatant.

He didn’t seem to intend to hide the fact that he suspected Arte.

His sharp gaze was like glaring at a criminal, making Siwoo shudder unknowingly.

“…Oh, sorry. My eyes are naturally a bit sharp. Don’t worry. I won’t arrest you or anything.”

“Ye-Yes…”

‘Did he think the reason I shuddered was because of anxiety that I might get arrested?’

But that’s not what he’s worried about.

Is it really okay to drag this person in to stop Arte?

He’ll definitely be helpful. That’s for sure.

There’s no way an investigator in charge of metahuman crimes at the Association wouldn’t be helpful.

…But there was something strange.

Why is he trying to get information from Siwoo?

He saw yesterday’s news too.

The one who brutally disposed of numerous villains, the so-called Arachne, was arrested.

Both he and Amelia had guessed Arachne’s identity. 

Arte, who had been absent for a while, was their best candidate.

That’s why he was very disappointed when he saw the news that he was caught.

Because he thought he couldn’t expect help from the Association.

But why all of a sudden?

“Anything is fine. If there was something suspicious, let me know.”

“…Why are you asking about that?”

“Huh?”

“Arachne was caught. Wasn’t that on the news?”

“Yeah, it was. There was an uproar. Have you seen the response online?”

“…Yes.”

The internet was heated.

Well, of course it would be. Troublesome villains died.

Not just one or two, but a huge number of about 200.

“Release Arachne…There was even talk like that going around.”

“That’s…”

“I know. It’s extreme. But many people hate villains.”

Yes, that’s right.

People hate villains. No, it’s fair to say they abhor them.

Why should they feed and house criminals who steal their peaceful daily lives in prison?

They should just kill them all. Criminals don’t have human rights. Such talk is not uncommon either.

Metahumans who are sitting en masse in cities. They were the reason for public unrest.

… That’s the citizens’ evaluation of villains.

In the present where animosity towards criminals is endlessly high like this, even if caught, it’s clear they’ll live off their taxes in prison.

However, Arachne neatly killed off those villains.

A villain killer who hasn’t killed civilians and only slaughtered villains.

There’s no way such words wouldn’t come out.

“But regardless of public opinion, a crime is a crime, and murder is murder. But let me tell you something…”

“…”

“Today, there was one more victim of Arachne.”

“Wh-What?!”

His words surprised him, but Siwoo also realized.

As expected. The culprit is Arte. She was Arachne.

Because there’s no way the number of victims would increase when the culprit was caught otherwise.

“It hasn’t come out in the media yet, but it will soon. The victim is also a villain…However, they plan to call it a copycat.”

“A-A copycat?”

“Yeah. If they boast they caught the culprit and admit their mistake a day later, the Association’s prestige will be in tatters. So this is the call the higher-ups made.”

After saying that, he leaned into Siwoo and grabbed his hand as if pleading.

“Even if it’s just to prevent more victims, if there is anything suspicious, please tell me. Even something trivial is fine. Physical evidence would be even better.”

“T-Then…”

Is it okay to say it?

That Arte is suspicious?

Will he laugh it off as nonsense?

It seems the mastermind behind the recent sensational incidents is her…

Even if he says that, will he really believe it?

No, even if he does, what can he do alone? Even if he believes it, will the Association?

As he closed his mouth to think about what to do, the Investigator waited as if to give him time.

A silence instantly fell upon them.

“What fun story are you talking about? Include me too.”

And that silence was instantly shattered by an intruder.

“Ah, Arte. Nice to see you.”

“We meet again, Investigator. What brings you here today?”

“I thought the students might be struggling psychologically after experiencing the attack. I called your friend over for a brief counseling session.”

“Aha. I see.”

“Then, Siwoo. You seem fine, so I’ll get going. If you need my help, contact me at this number.”

Investigator Lee Ha-Hul quickly left the scene.

…An expression as if he didn’t expect Arte to come.

An expression as if his luck was bad.

“Hi, Arte.”

“Hello. You were talking with the Investigator…Did I interrupt something important?”

“No, not at all.”

He realized the situation just now.

The Investigator only suspects Arte and has less information than them.

He didn’t think Arte would come if he talked to Siwoo in an open place.

“Geez, that Investigator. There’s no need to worry that much about him.”

“…Yeah. Even if I look like this, I’m an academy student. That much is no problem.”

“Hehe. That’s cool. Well then, I’ll get going. You should go back soon too, right? It’s tense these days.”

Watching Arte leave the scene as suddenly as she appeared, he suddenly thought.

‘… I’m not surprised even when Arte suddenly shows up anymore.’

Has he gotten used to Arte appearing out of nowhere?

Siwoo let out a small sigh.

He never thought he’d get used to someone constantly watching him. 

He’s lived a long life.