Not a detective

Standing at the bottom of the building, he pondered for a long time, pacing around repeatedly, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

　This was Riku Asakawa's first job interview.

"Would you like to have a strawberry tart before going up?"

Across the street, the "Alice" restaurant from yesterday started queuing up early this morning, and there were even more people, probably because it was the weekend.

Of course, that was a joke. Asakawa Riku wouldn't go out for dessert alone, and he didn't know if it was appropriate to bring a souvenir to a job interview.

In the end, it's just wishful thinking.

We can't run away anymore.

Suddenly making up his mind, Asakawa Riku took a deep breath and stepped into the building.

The glass doors opened automatically. Although the location was luxurious, the building seemed quite old, as there was no elevator. He walked up the wide marble staircase.

The decor is like the lobby of a five-star hotel... Can an ordinary detective agency really afford the rent here?

With questions in mind, Asakawa Riku rented out the first floor to a suit shop, the basement to what appeared to be a bar with an unrecognizable name, and the second floor to a general merchandise company.

His destination, it seems, is even higher.

third floor.

The door, which appeared to be the destination, had a wooden frame with frosted glass inlaid in the middle, and the words "19 Months Detective Agency" seemed to be written on it.

"Hmm?" He took out the business card from his pocket, glanced at it, and confirmed that the address was correct.

Moreover, the sign outside the building reads "Shinonome Detective Agency".

Could it be that there's another private detective agency in this building?

Puzzled, Asakawa Riku was about to search again when suddenly, the door was pulled open in the opposite direction:

"Welcome! Uh...you're not Ms. Takagi, are you? Um...if we're going to make a sale, we..."

Standing in front of me was a surprisingly young woman.

Not too tall, relative to Asakawa Riku, but more than taller than Chizuko-senpai, probably around 1.6 meters tall, which is the standard height.

She was slender and petite, wearing an ill-fitting women's suit with a skirt that hugged her waist tightly. Her legs, encased in black stockings, had elegant curves, and she wore high heels.

This outfit was a bit too mature for her; her features were still those of a young girl, and her pupils were an unusual deep blue. She stared at Asakawa Riku in surprise.

Her hair is blonde, and it must look beautiful when it's down, but right now it's tied up in a little bun.

If Asakawa Riku were to guess, this person is probably the same age as him.

Does this firm like to hire high school students for part-time jobs? My first impression isn't very good.

“I’m not Takagi,” Asakawa Riku replied, handing him his business card. “Excuse me, is this company…”

"Ah, the Shinonome Detective Agency, this is our place."

The blonde girl smiled broadly, looked at Asakawa Riku for a moment, and then stepped aside to let him in.

She realized the reason for Asakawa Riku's confusion and explained, "The name on the glass is the old name. The agency was just renamed recently. I'm sorry to have confused you."

I see. No wonder the sign on the building looked so new.

"Asakawa-kun, right? I made an appointment for you this morning, but unfortunately I ran into another guest. Since you've arrived first, I'll go and call the detective."

The blonde girl in the suit led him to the reception room at the front desk and sat him down.

Asakawa Riku remembered; her voice belonged to the operator on the other end of the phone.

She rushed inside, saying, "Please wait a moment."

...I'm not here to hire a detective, but to interview for a job.

Asakawa Riku really wanted to remind her, but the other person had already walked inside.

Just two or three seconds later, her voice and that of another woman came from inside the door:

"Hoshino... I've said it three million times already, we're the '19 Months Detective Agency,' not the 'Shinonome Detective Agency.' I refuse to accept that outdated name!"

"Miss, please compromise. The old name was hardly a normal one. We barely had any customers in the three months since we opened. We're not a student club that plays with deductions, so why would we want to be called a detective agency? Look, now that we have a normal name, we've already had two customers today alone. A good name is a new beginning."

"Hmph... Considering how hard you work, I'll listen to that boring woman's complaints. But let me make it clear, I'm only pretending, I won't actually listen to her rambling. What happens afterward is all your fault for the weird name you gave me, you idiot! If you dare to change my name again without my permission, you can expect to be fired, fired!"

It seems like they're arguing...? Even through the wall, Asakawa Riku could sense the atmosphere coming from inside.

He stood up, hesitated for a moment, and decided to go in and clarify things before the misunderstanding escalated.

The Spring of the Earth Spider: Chapter Twenty-Six - The Detective Girl is Like a Lazy Ragdoll Cat

Asakawa Riku walked through that door and saw an unexpected sight.

Even during the day, the office is dark with the blinds closed, with only a few rays of sunlight streaming through the window cracks onto the floor, but not enough to illuminate the room.

I couldn't see the rest of the office layout clearly, but my eyes were firmly fixed on what was in front of me.

The luxurious solid wood desk exudes an extraordinary aura, while behind it, a woman's body stretches out on a wide swivel chair, her skill in maintaining balance is truly incredible.

Like a wildcat stretching.

She had a beautiful figure with a very luxurious bust, a slender waist, and her fair thighs were casually placed on the table, while her round and smooth toes faced the guests.

Even in the dark, you can see clearly that her delicate skin is as smooth as jade, as if it has never been exposed to the elements.

She was probably a bit older than the receptionist, but she didn't look like she was in her twenties, especially with her sleepy face and drooping eyelashes, like a finely sculpted face.

Calling her a beauty is no exaggeration. Her slender fingers rest on her cheeks, her delicate face and lips are perfectly matched, and her hair sways with her breath. One can't bear to disturb her.

Good-looking people look good even when they're dozing off; you have to admit that.

It's not that Asakawa Riku was blaming him for staring; he wanted to maintain a polite gaze. But the other person was only wearing a thin silk nightgown, which didn't even cover the lines of their chest.

The impact on teenagers is immeasurable.

She said in a tired voice:

"Star Feather Coffee".

They probably omitted the interjection "please give me" and the verb "make a cup".

The blonde girl called "Star Feather" was stunned for a moment. She looked at the uninvited guest who had barged in, and then at the young lady's posture. Her brain seemed to be overloaded.

Then she quickly ran into a room further inside.

Asakawa Riku felt he had missed the best opportunity to say hello:

"Excuse me……"

"Yes, so please speak quickly, ma'am."

Even if you hear a voice, did you not realize that the person coming was a man?

If it weren't for the triangular pyramid on the table with the word "Detective" written on it, Asakawa Riku would have definitely doubted whether this person had any detective abilities.

That triangular pyramid is still useful, isn't it?

"I am Asakawa Riku, male."

"Oh?" This time, the woman finally put her feet off the table.

However, her posture was not upright. She simply changed to a more comfortable position, leaned forward slightly, and opened her eyes to glance at Asakawa Riku.

Her beautiful eyes, like stars and glass, did not disrupt the balance of her face at all; instead, they added a touch of brilliance.

At this moment, Xingyu also rushed out, holding an air conditioning blanket in her hand, which she covered the woman's shoulders, finally covering her skin.

In her other hand, she held a steaming cup of coffee: "Miss, this isn't Ms. Takagi. You can tell just by looking; he's a man. He called this morning to make an appointment, saying he wants to work here. He's introduced by someone he knows through Mr. Shinonome. His appointment with Ms. Takagi is another hour later."

"What! Why didn't you say so earlier? You made me come out for nothing. If it weren't for a detective's request, it wouldn't be my problem. Okay, I'm going to go back to sleep."

The woman suddenly stood up. She was considered tall for this country, probably over 1.75 meters, with a model-like figure.

Now, barefoot on the floor, if he were wearing high heels, Asakawa Riku would even feel like he was getting closer.

"I am here on my father's orders. If your organization does not require staff, then I apologize for disturbing you."

After saying that, he prepared to leave.

Although Asakawa Riku is short of money, he hasn't reached the point where he can accept being disrespected like this. If his future boss is such a troublesome guy, he might as well find another way out.

"Who said it's unnecessary?"

Just as I was about to turn around, a voice called out to me from behind.

"Ok?"

"What's your name... never mind, Asakawa, right? You just went through something like that a couple of days ago, didn't you? Your parents... suitcase, where did they go? On a long trip? Didn't they take you with them? Looks like you're worried about money. Cooking? Well, I can't really comment on your cooking skills. Anyway, you need a job, right? Is it really okay to just leave like this?"

She suddenly uttered some inexplicable words, fragmented and seemingly pieced together.

But this sent a chill down Asakawa Riku's spine, and he involuntarily turned around.

"you……"

He became interested, even though he knew that interest could be fatal.

But for him, those words seemed even more alluring than the erotic scene he had just witnessed.

"How...did you know that?"

Without realizing it, Asakawa Riku uttered the signature foolish line from a detective novel.

The woman remained seated behind the luxurious wooden table, her legs curled up, head drooping as she dozed off, her disheveled hair swaying wildly.

In the dimly lit room, her eyes seemed to emit a faint, eerie light, like those of a feline, making her particularly unsettling.

She was using some strange keywords that she shouldn't have known.

Parents' long journey, financial difficulties, and even the task of cooking.

How could she possibly know...?

"Secret, the detective's methods are secret, bro. If you learn them, how am I supposed to run my shop? You're asking a ramen shop for someone's secret recipe, oh I see... you're a corporate spy!" The woman suddenly tossed her head back, letting her messy hair fall behind her, and then pointed at Asakawa Riku and shouted exaggeratedly.

...What a strange and carefree person who doesn't care about being looked at. If she didn't open her mouth to speak, she could probably be the most beautiful woman in Japan.

From this moment on, Asakawa Riku suddenly felt that the woman in front of him had a bit of a "detective" feel to her. In his mind, a detective should have this kind of eccentric temperament.

The ability to see through the visitor's secret at first glance is reminiscent of the classic scene where Sherlock Holmes immediately identifies Watson as someone who has returned from Afghanistan.

"It's magicians who keep their methods a secret, isn't it? Shouldn't detectives proudly explain their reasoning?"

He expressed his confusion: "For example, judging that I am a student from my appearance, age, and speech; judging that my family and financial situation is not good from my job-seeking desire; judging that I am a novice cook from the state of the hem of my clothes when I touch them... and things like that?"

After thinking it over, Asakawa Riku felt that the other party might have seen through his secret from these details.

However, what the woman said next completely exceeded his expectations.

She shook her finger: "No, absolutely not."

Spring of the Earth Spider: Chapter Twenty-Seven - The First Interview

"You've got it wrong. A detective isn't a magician or a ramen shop owner. Detective isn't a profession; it's a title that only the chosen ones can have. You don't seem like protagonist material at all. If you don't want to be so frustrated that you want to bang your head against a wall, you should just give up on this idea, Kawasaki."

Asakawa Riku frowned: "My name is Asakawa. Didn't you just call me correctly once? By the way, what does that mean?"

The woman laughed heartily, seemingly completely unaware of how arrogant her words were:

"A detective is like a god, and one must have the self-awareness of a god! It's simply not something someone like me can do. Someone as insignificant as you can only be an assistant at most."

"Then I'll be the detective's assistant."

Asakawa Riku suddenly felt an inexplicable competitive urge.

Just minutes ago, he was desperate to leave, but now he desperately wants to stay.

This guy is different from Chizuko-senpai; Chizuko lured him into the mystery club by using "monsters" as bait.

But now, he has become interested in the person in front of him "in essence".

"Oh?"

The woman's half-closed eyes narrowed even more, scrutinizing Asakawa Riku like a fox.

She seemed to be able to see things that ordinary people couldn't. For some reason, Asakawa Riku suddenly felt that way, as if he were standing naked in front of her.

She abruptly asked, "So... do you play any musical instruments?"