Your Forma, Vol. 5: Electronic Investigator Echika and Farasha Island by Mareho Kikuishi and Tsubata Nozaki

Author:Mareho Kikuishi and Tsubata Nozaki
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Yen On

Chapter 3

The Underground Chrysalides

1

The outskirts of Saint Petersburg, on a depression overlooking the vast Lake Ladoga. This body of water, currently reflecting the clear blue sky, was the largest freshwater lake in Europe, and it contained several small islands, some of which had been used in the past for nuclear experiments. At a glance, it looked as vast as the sea.

“Investigator Fokine, have you looked over the materials I sent you about Uritsky?”

“He’s a drug manufacturer who had dealings with the Russian Mafia. And he snuck into the world-famous Rig City… Dunno if he’s brave or stupid…”

The old police station had a moldy smell to it, and the corridor leading to the visiting room was barely lit. Harold straightened out the wrinkles of his shirt—since he’d had to spend the flight in the luggage hold—as he walked alongside Fokine.

“I’d say it was the latter. Taylor figured out his identity and used him.”

“Either way, let’s ask Uritsky about how he sold his electronic drugs to Gomez.” Fokine placed a hand over the back of his neck sluggishly. “What a pain. Let’s get this over with.”

Fokine had been in quite the foul mood since this morning. The effects of the electronic drugs had worn off, and he’d gotten a good night’s sleep, but he was clearly unmotivated even though he wasn’t typically prone to mood swings. He might have been occasionally emotional, but that was only when the job called for it.

“Investigator, is something bothering you?”

“I’m just getting tired of this whole thing, is all.”

“Meaning?”

Fokine remained wordless, not addressing the question. As far as Harold could tell, Fokine was under severe stress, but he couldn’t guess why. Either way, it wouldn’t be easy to lift his spirits right away.

And honestly, Harold wasn’t feeling very composed himself.

“So please, stop pushing me away.”

Echika’s plea clung to the back of his thought processes.

From the moment they met Gomez at the central management facility, Harold had predicted Echika and Fokine could be in danger. Gomez had tried to hide it, but he possessed the behavior and physical particularities of an electronic drug addict. Harold had seen many people like him during his time at the city police—but he didn’t share that information with Echika. Instead, he took advantage of that gap in knowledge, exploiting it to shatter her trust in him.

He’d believed that was the only way to get Echika to distance herself from him. And it seemed to be working. But when he saw her pass out during the Brain Dive, his system lost all composure. He’d been spurred by guilt to visit the cottage, leading to the current situation. And when he found out she was hiding something, he felt driven to question her and forced her to expose her necklace.

“Nothing that concerns you.”

Echika widened her eyes when he’d touched her cheek. Those usually dark, sunken eyes took in light, giving him a clear view of her irises. And from the agitation in them, he could tell that the nitro case was no mere decoration.

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