I'm on the Ark, and I start out as Gretchen.

This subtle change in her heart made Pado, who was standing by the wall, raise an eyebrow slightly.

If she hadn't paid much attention when she first entered the yard because of the familiarity and the fact that nothing seemed out of the ordinary, now she was absolutely certain that there was something in Swire's house...

As for what exactly it was, Pado wasn't quite sure. However, judging from her memories and experience... it shouldn't be anything exaggerated, or even a threat.

After all, if it were something really outrageous, a cat's intuition would have already given a warning, rather than just a vague sense of unease.

"Hmm... how about we go in again?"

Although she felt that the extra things Swire's family had this time shouldn't pose a big threat to her, Patto hated trouble... She didn't want to deal with these people directly at all.

So now she's seriously considering the feasibility of sneaking in again to "stock up" and complete the mission directly.

However, before Pato could put her idea into practice, the sound of a lock being opened came from the gate of Swire's house not far away.

"Pity……"

Upon discovering that the person in question had returned, Pado was forced to abandon her thoughts and then left the villa area quickly and carefully with the canned food.

-----------------

"Seriously, they actually sent me back."

Back at her home, having found nothing amiss, Swire changed into her slippers while muttering a complaint.

Actually, Little Tiger doesn't usually get off work this early, but she had the day off... She went there to work overtime for a short while before being persuaded by Hoshiguma and angrily brought back.

"Never mind, let me see what we should eat tonight."

Although it was a bit of a pity that she didn't continue working there, now that she's back, she certainly won't waste any time or give up the opportunity to relax.

……

After leaving Swire's house, Patto didn't go out for a stroll like before. Instead, she bought some food and returned to her lodgings with canned goods.

She planned to get a good night's sleep after dinner, as she was going to the slums again late tonight. What for? To check on the local forces' deployment and give them a little warning.

----------------

Nighttime at the Poetic Elegant Villa —

Compared to Pado, who was sleeping very well and was currently catching up on sleep in preparation for her nightly activities,

Lying on her bed in her own villa, Swire couldn't fall asleep.

Her late night yesterday and late morning today have slightly disrupted her sleep schedule, leaving her wide awake even though she should be sleeping right now.

"what……"

Swire, who had been lying in bed with her eyes closed for half a day, finally couldn't stand it anymore and sat up.

Although reason told her she should rest now, because she had to go out in plainclothes to complete her mission the next morning, she just couldn't sleep.

"I can't sleep at all, let's go exercise for a while..."

Sitting on the bed, Swire gently rubbed her eyes, muttered to herself, then threw off the covers and got out of bed.

Swire has exercise equipment at home, and even a dedicated room for it, although she doesn't use it very often.

Even someone as proactive as her at work is often too tired to exercise after get off work...

However, before Swire could even turn on the lights in the second-floor hallway after leaving the room, a faint red glow from the living room downstairs caught her attention.

"...Come to think of it, I don't think I've checked today's surveillance footage yet, but in such a short time, it's unlikely anyone would have made a move, right?" Standing in the dark corridor, Swire looked at the only red light in the house and said in a low voice with some uncertainty.

"Hmm, never mind, I can't sleep anyway, I'll just take a look." After weighing the options in her mind, Swire chose watching the video over exercising.

She then poured herself a glass of hot water before going to the study where the computer was located to review the newly released surveillance video from that afternoon.

Half an hour later—

Having already quickly browsed through all the videos, Swire is now completely unable to sleep.

"Padofelis!!!"

Swire stared at the two small items she had just pulled from the cabinet downstairs where cat food cans were kept, her face dark, and said through gritted teeth.

The two items were a silver coin with a cat's paw print that glittered under the light and a beautifully packaged candy.

P.S.: This took a long time, another four hours, and I revised it several times. I was even starting to feel a little hesitant to write more...

Also, do you guys have any methods for reversing your sleep schedule? Even if I don't write at night, I can't fall asleep before 2 a.m.... I'm just sleepy, but I can't fall asleep when I'm lying in bed.

Chapter 24 Association and Fury

Day 2, early morning, Royal Guard Bureau —

"Yo, good morning, Swire...?"

Upon noticing the arrival of her friend and colleague, Hoshiguma instinctively greeted him as usual. However, when her gaze swept over the man's clear, dark eyes, she gradually fell silent...

"Didn't you sleep well last night?"

When Hoshiguma asked Swire this, and she thought back to what happened yesterday, a hint of resentment crept onto her tired face. She then replied through gritted teeth, "It's nothing, just a little thing..."

"Um... if you're feeling really unwell, you can stay at the Guard Bureau and rest. You can leave the plainclothes investigation this morning to me and Old Chen." Looking at the person in front of her who didn't seem to be dealing with anything trivial, Hoshiguma said with some concern.

"No need, I'm fine, I can set off with you anytime." Upon hearing this, Swire quickly shook her head and said firmly.

Although Swire couldn't sleep at all last night because of someone... she still considered what happened yesterday to be within the scope of her personal affairs, and she didn't like letting her personal affairs affect her normal work.

Before Hoshiguma could press for more information, Chen, who was looking at the documents nearby, turned around and said calmly:

"If there's a problem, get it treated quickly, so you don't go out and hold us back later."

Although Chen spoke in a calm tone, his words had a completely different meaning to Swire, and she immediately became furious.

"?!"

"You! Who are you calling a drag on!"

"I'm talking to you. If you have a problem, go get it treated quickly."

"You're the one with the problem, you damn dragon!"

“I’m not like some char siu cat, listless first thing in the morning.” As he spoke, Chen gave Swire a meaningful look from head to toe.

"you!"

"Alright, alright, Chen and Swire, stop arguing." Seeing the two about to fight, Hoshiguma helplessly but skillfully stopped and calmed them down.

"Old Chen, you've looked at the information, so take this opportunity to make some preparations."

After calming Chen down, Hoshiguma picked up the documents on the table and handed them to Swire, saying, "As for you, Swire, take a look at this first."

"There's new information again so quickly. Let me see." Swire sighed softly as she took the document handed to her. Then she lowered her head and began to carefully examine the document in her hand.

……

"?"

"Wait, the contents of this document... it's not what I'm thinking, is it?!" After a moment, Swire, having finished reading the document, turned to Hoshiguma with a surprised expression, waiting for her answer.

"Yes, the contents of that document in your hand are the 'letter' left by the suspected thief. A 'letter' left for everyone in the slums she had helped." Seeing her surprised friend, Hoshiguma nodded first, then explained.

He should be the one who...

We were aware of the friction and conflict between those people and us yesterday, so last night we went to various prominent places and posted this letter to remind them.

"Wow... their intelligence capabilities are pretty strong. Is it really a team? Or do they have informants in the slums?"

"But what good does reminding those people do? Shouldn't it be better if the people in the slums are more resistant to us?"

After hearing Hoshiguma's explanation, Swire paused for a moment, then raised her own questions.

"Regarding your last question, Old Chen and I analyzed it before you came, and we both agreed that it's still about 'being concerned'!" Hoshiguma paused briefly before continuing her explanation:

"The suspect must have been concerned about the people in the slums, since they wouldn't stand a chance against us in a fight... So, to prevent the situation from escalating, we have this letter that we see today."

"Hmm... that guess makes sense. If he were truly a heartless person, he wouldn't have sent things to the slums to help others, let alone so many times..."

As she finished her analysis, Swire suddenly seemed to remember something, her pupils contracted sharply, and a terrifying thought surfaced in her mind.

"What's wrong? Did you think of something?"

Seeing Swire's sudden change in expression, Hoshiguma frowned slightly and couldn't help but ask.

However, Swire, who was currently having a flash of inspiration and sorting through and connecting the various clues in her mind, did not respond to Hoshiguma's question...

After a moment, having pieced together all the clues, Swire, who wasn't in a good mood to begin with, turned completely furious. She sneered angrily, her eyes gleaming:

"Hehe! This time, it all fits together... You! You're really something..."

If Swire hadn't connected Patto with the Dragon Gate Thieves before, it would have been fine... Although she was a little angry that her friend stole something, it was still within the scope of negotiation, since she hadn't lost anything particularly valuable.

If her friend had explained and apologized properly, she might have accepted it. That's why, after discovering the incident last night, Little Tiger didn't choose to call the police but instead considered it a private matter and planned to handle it privately.

However, now that personal matters have become business... Swire is finding it difficult to let them off the hook...

Although there is no conclusive evidence yet to prove that Padofelis is the "Dragon Gate Thief," the various coincidences she makes suggest that the two are related.

Honestly, Swire really didn't expect that her "good friend" would give her such a big "surprise"!

The more she thought about it, the angrier and more ashamed she became! One moment she was discussing and complaining with her colleagues about those unlucky people who lost their things and didn't even realize it, and the next moment... she herself was the unlucky one!!

"Swire, are you alright?" Hoshiguma asked with concern, looking at Swire, whose expression grew increasingly grim as time passed.

"fine……"

Sensing Hoshiguma's worry, Swire suppressed her surging emotions and answered as calmly as possible.

"No, you don't look like you're alright at all."

Although the person had tried their best to calm themselves down, how could Hoshiguma, as a close friend, not see it?

"It's really nothing, I just suddenly remembered some clues about that notorious thief." Swire gently shook her head and said in response to Hoshiguma's concern.

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone in the office, including Chen, quietly turned their gazes to her.

P.S.: I was typing in bed yesterday and just fell asleep, which resulted in a good sleep schedule plus a cold...

Chapter 25 The Heartbreaking Story of Shiwai Ya

"Ugh~ I don't want to get out of bed..."

Snuggled in her warm blankets, Pado yawned, reached out and opened the tent, then squinted at the warm sunlight streaming in outside.

Last night, Pado went to the slums late at night, posting "notices" everywhere and checking on the remaining spies of various factions. It took a lot of her energy, which made her want to stay in bed a little longer this morning...