At this moment, the living room—neither too large nor too small—felt like it had been split into two opposing worlds, stark as black and white.
On one side stood Vina, Indra, and the rest of the Glasgow Gang, their expressions dark and murderous. A suffocating tension hung in the air, like a storm on the verge of breaking. Behind them, the shadows seemed to deepen, an unspoken threat lingering in the room.
On the other side, standing alone, was Truth—a small, frail-looking Ursus girl clutching a book to her chest, her light blue hair falling neatly over her shoulders. She looked more like a lost schoolkid than someone who had just walked into the lion's den.
And in the middle, caught between two worlds, was Yoren.
Bang!
The sharp crack of breaking glass shattered the silence.
Indra had slammed her cup against the table, eyes burning with fury. "Yoren, who the hell is this kid?! Why did you let a damn primary schooler in? Have you lost your mind?!"
"I…"
Vina didn't wait for an answer. With a quick nod, she signaled to Kate, one of the gang members nearby.
Kate moved without a word, stepping quietly toward the entrance.
Click.
The door was locked.
Then Kate planted himself firmly in front of it, arms crossed, body blocking any possible escape.
Yoren felt his stomach drop.
Shit. This was bad. This wasn't just "scare the kid" levels of bad—this was witness elimination levels of bad.
Instinctively, Yoren stepped back, positioning himself between Truth and the rest of the gang. His hands were steady, but inside, his mind was racing.
"Whoa, whoa, hold on," he said, forcing a chuckle. "You're seriously not gonna rough up a middle schooler, are you?"
Vina's golden eyes flickered. "Yoren," she said, her tone cold, "whose side are you on?"
"I'm on the side of not committing murder tonight?"
She adjusted the hammer on her shoulder. "Only those who survive get to talk about right and wrong. That kid saw things she shouldn't have. Get out of the way."
"Wait! Wait a second!" Yoren's mind raced. He had to talk them down—fast.
"She's just a student! She was just… passing by! She got curious and asked for some water, that's all! She's a kid, she doesn't know anything."
Truth, still flipping through her book, corrected him flatly. "I'm not a primary schooler. I'm a middle school student."
"…Shut up."
Yoren turned back to Vina, lowering his voice so only she could hear. "Vina, think about this. If she disappears, someone will come looking. She probably walks the same route home every night. Her family would report her missing. And then the military police start sniffing around."
Vina's expression remained unreadable, but she didn't interrupt.
"And that's not even the biggest problem," Yoren added carefully. "She's—Winter's friend."
That did it.
Vina's eye twitched. She let out a slow breath through her nose, weighing the new information.
"…So what do you suggest?"
Yoren exhaled in relief. "Just… feed her some bullshit. Tell her we're a traveling theater troupe from Victoria, rehearsing for a play. The weapons are props. The scary dudes are actors. Give her some food, send her on her way. She'll forget about it."
Vina studied him, then sighed. "You really think that'll work?"
"Trust me. She just needs an answer that satisfies her curiosity."
"…Fine." Vina turned to the rest of the gang, motioning for them to stand down.
Weapons were lowered, and the atmosphere in the room shifted—just slightly.
Yoren forced a casual grin, scratching his head. "Haha… yeah, uh, you caught us. We're just actors! Doing, you know, actor stuff. Right, guys?"
Truth stared blankly. "It smells like blood."
Yoren nearly choked.
"What? No, no, that's just—uh—"
"I have a strong sense of smell," Truth interrupted. "Someone is injured in this house."
"Ahaha, yeah! That's true! One of the… actors cut his finger during rehearsal. But don't worry, he put a Band-Aid on it!"
Truth blinked. "Are you all really actors?"
"Of course!"
She lowered her book, adjusting her monocle. "You're lying."
Yoren tensed. "H-huh?"
Truth's voice was as calm as ever. "While speaking, your eyes moved to the upper right—a common sign of fabrication. Your speech pattern also changed, and you repeatedly touched your face and scratched your head—subconscious nervous gestures."
Yoren's stomach dropped.
Truth continued, "Additionally, you referred to everyone here as 'they' instead of 'we.' They're having a party. They're rehearsing a play. You unconsciously excluded yourself from the lie."
A bead of sweat ran down Yoren's temple.
His eyes darted down to the title of the book she was holding.
"Detective Corgi."
Oh, hell no.
Yoren ripped the book out of her hands. "Detective Corgi?! Are you serious?! Stop reading this garbage, it's poisoning your mind!"
Truth calmly plucked the book back from him. "Give it back."
Vina's voice cut in, sharp and serious. "Yoren. Is this working or not?"
He swallowed. "Uh… probably?"
Vina exhaled, stepping forward until she was face to face with Truth. The young girl barely came up to her waist, but her posture remained steady.
Vina crouched slightly, golden eyes gleaming. "Alright, kid. Let's test you. Tell me—what did you see here tonight?"
Yoren discreetly motioned at Truth, practically screaming with his eyes: SAY SOMETHING NORMAL.
Truth gazed at Vina, unfazed.
Then, she opened her mouth.
"I suspect you are holding an illegal assembly, and that there is a seriously injured person in this house. I also detected unusual energy fluctuations. Given the readings, you are storing a semi-processed Originium supply."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
Truth continued in the same neutral tone. "The estimated amount of Originium in this building is over 7,000 grams. You have not properly isolated it, which increases the risk of Oripathy. Additionally, based on the distinct scent of blood in the air, I conclude that at least one person in this house has already been infected."
The air turned ice cold.
The gang members stiffened.
Vina's expression darkened.
Indra cracked her knuckles, her grin sharp as a blade.
Yoren slowly crouched on the floor, head in his hands, whispering to himself like a broken man.
Oh my god. Oh my god. Why are you like this?
His inner voice was screaming:
GAHHHHHHH!
Truth was an absolute menace.
Yoren crouched on the floor, holding his head in despair. Influenced by that damn detective novel, Truth had just confidently deduced everything—and she was right.
It was almost impressive. Almost.
A real detective, however, only revealed the truth when they were certain of victory. Truth? She just laid it all out like she was reciting a grocery list.
Vina's jaw tightened as she hissed through clenched teeth.
"You little brat... you're with the Chernobog military, aren't you? They've been onto us this whole time!"
"No," Truth replied flatly, turning a page in her book. "I'm just an ordinary student."
Crack!
Indra shattered a chair into splinters with a single punch, then picked up a jagged wooden shard and stepped toward Truth, her voice low and dangerous.
"No matter who you are, you're not walking out of here."
Yoren shot up from the floor. There was no way in hell he was letting Truth die here—not because of some noble sense of justice, but because, damn it, Truth was one of his favorite operators in the original world!
"Indra, stop—!"
Before he could finish, Indra's boot crashed into his ribs, launching him across the room like a ragdoll. He slammed into a couch with a thud, the impact pushing it a meter back. A sharp pain exploded in his side—probably bruised, maybe cracked. He groaned, trying to move.
And Truth?
She was still standing there, unfazed.
As if she hadn't just watched someone get sent flying across the room.
As if none of this even mattered to her.
Then—
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
The sound of a ringing phone cut through the tension.
Truth calmly pulled out her cell, glanced at the screen, and pressed answer like this was just another normal evening.
The second the call connected, a booming voice erupted from the speaker—so loud, everyone in the room heard it crystal clear.
"TRUTH, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? I'M AT YOUR DOOR. WHY ARE YOU WANDERING AROUND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT?!"
It was Winter.
Vina's grip tightened on her hammer. Her golden eyes gleamed with warning.
"Hang up. Now. If you value your life."
Truth sighed, as if inconvenienced, and obediently ended the call.
Yoren, groaning, pushed himself up from the couch, moving next to Vina. His ribs protested, but he forced himself to focus.
"Vina, you cannot kill her." He kept his voice low. "I wasn't kidding before—this kid is Winter's best friend. If anything happens to her, Winter will tear this entire place apart looking for her."
Indra narrowed her eyes. "She didn't say her location. We still have time—"
"I already sent it."
Truth casually held up her phone, making a scissor-hand gesture.
The room exploded.
"FUCK!!"
"SHIT!!"
"DAMN IT!!"
Every gang member cursed in frustration, while Yoren—bruised, battered, and exhausted—let out the longest, deepest sigh of his life.
Winter was coming.
Indra and Kate turned to Vina, waiting for her decision.
Vina clawed at her golden hair in frustration. "AHHHH! I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH THIS!!"
Ten minutes later.
BANG!
The door of the villa exploded inward, the sheer force sending it flying across the room until it smashed against the far wall.
At the threshold stood Winter—eyes blazing with fury, fists clenched so tightly her knuckles went white.
Vina, completely unfazed, leaned back on the couch and calmly took a sip of wine.
"Hey, you're here."
Winter said nothing. She just stalked forward, boots heavy against the wooden floor.
CRASH!
With one swift kick, Winter sent the wine glass shattering to the floor, its golden liquid splashing across Vina's front.
Indra immediately stood up, eyes burning with rage.
"You bitch—you wanna die?!"
"Indra, sit down."
Vina didn't even flinch. She wiped the alcohol off her clothes and finally stood to meet Winter face-to-face.
Yoren, still sore as hell, quickly stepped in. "Winter, please—calm down."
"Shut up." Winter didn't even look at him. Her entire focus was locked on Vina, her gaze sharp enough to cut through steel.
She stepped forward, their faces mere inches apart.
"Where. Is. Truth?"
Vina smirked. "Looks like Yoren was right. You really do care about that little gremlin."
"I'll ask you one more time—where is Truth?"
Vina took her time, studying Winter. "You're bold, coming here alone. Or did you bring the military police with you?"
Winter's fists trembled with restrained fury.
"I don't need anyone," she growled. "I am an army by myself."
Vina chuckled. "What a coincidence. So am I. So tell me—who's stronger? The lion or the bear?"
Winter's lips curled back in a snarl.
"No matter who it is—no matter how strong—if they piss me off, I'll tear them apart without a second thought."
Yoren swallowed hard. He knew she wasn't bluffing. If Winter lost control and activated her Ursus battle cry, this entire villa would turn into rubble.
The room crackled with tension. Every gang member braced for violence.
Then—
A calm voice spoke up from the corner.
"Winter, stop yelling."
The fire in Winter's eyes vanished in an instant.
She turned—and there, squatting against the wall, was Truth. Completely unharmed. A lollipop stuck in her mouth, flipping through her book like none of this concerned her.
"Truth—" Winter's voice softened. "You're okay?"
Truth finally looked up. "Of course. I'm a legal citizen of Chernobog, and my personal safety in the city is guaran—mmpfh?!"
Yoren clapped a hand over her mouth before she could finish that sentence.
He did not have the strength to hear it again.
Winter exhaled heavily, relief washing over her. She walked straight to Truth, taking the smaller girl's hand and pulling her into a protective embrace.
Then she turned back to Vina, fire reigniting in her glare.
"You bastards." Her voice dripped with venom. "Why did you try to kidnap her?"
The entire room snapped.
Every single person—including Yoren—inhaled deeply and shouted in unison:
"KIDNAP?! THIS LITTLE GREMLIN WALKED IN ON HER OWN!!"