Evolution of a Girl

"I found it."

He closed his eyes and recalled in his mind the time when he walked step by step to the two dolls and connected them.

"...three to five seconds."

If you reproduce the entire incident, there is a time difference of three to five seconds between your actions and the time of firewall access!

"That's right! That's it!"

Without saying a word, Togusa called Kusanagi Motoko.

"Togusa, what's the matter?"

"Major, there's something wrong with those two puppets!"

"Is it important?"

"Uh... not really."

"Then do you know what time it is now?"

"Uh...just after...midnight?"

Tuogusa was embarrassed.

Because I was too excited, I even forgot the time.

"Forget it, where are you now?" Su Zi asked.

"Uh...on the road."

After leaving the police station, Togusa kept thinking on the way.

Suzi sent an address to Togusa.

"It's your treat, midnight snack."

"Yes!" Togusa became excited.

The place where the two met was a 24-hour coffee shop called Alice Maid Cafe.

"I heard Boma recommend this place, but this is my first time here. After all, cyborgs don't need this." Suzi was sitting by the window. "Okay, so what is it that made you notice something wrong?"

"...Time. There's a three to five second discrepancy between my actions and the time recorded in the firewall log. If it were a simple error, it wouldn't be that large."

Togusa shared the information and his own speculations.

"In other words, within these three to five seconds, your brain seemed to have been hacked by someone?" Suzi picked up the coffee.

"It feels incredible, but if I had to say it, this is the only possibility I can think of," said Togusa. "And the only person I can think of who could have done this in such a short time is the Smiley Man."

That top hacker might be able to do this.

"There's a limit to wishful thinking. I can think of more than three people who could do something like this," Motoko said. "And I can do it, too."

"Major... huh?!"

In an instant, the major in front of him turned into a maid in the store.

Togusa rubbed his eyes, but found that the person in front of him was still the major.

"Then...it's impossible that I was deceived by the puppet, right?" Togusa shook his head.

"Haha, you never know." Su Zi laughed twice.

"Major. Can you tell me about that living doll?"

Togusa decided to return to a higher level first.

Su Zi thought about it and finally started to speak.

"I only know some inside information about this matter."

she says.

"Master Shindai Yikui, you know that, right?"

"I've heard a little bit."

"Back then, when his daughter passed away, he used his 'daughter' Liuli as a base to create a doll to commemorate his daughter. However, because it used materials and equipment from the Giant, the Giant reported Shendai Yikui, and in the end, the Giant sued and took it away."

"Juqing...isn't this too bad?"

"But that puppet is a living puppet. From a legal and commercial perspective, Juqing's actions are justifiable. Such an advanced puppet, and it uses its own materials and equipment..."

"I see." Togusa seemed to understand.

"But what I said is just the surface." Su Zi said, "Maybe there is a hidden story behind this. Although Mr. Yi Kui didn't say much, it's probably like this."

"Major, do you know Mr. Yikui?"

Su Zi raised her head: "The interior of this prosthesis was made by him."

Although the exterior looks like mass production, the interior is cutting-edge technology.

Tuogusa was really surprised.

"If your memory serves me right, the doubts you mentioned do exist, but they don't pose any real problems or pose any real risks," Motoko said. "We in Section 9 don't even bother with an old lady passing through. The Minister's case has nothing to do with your investigation, so please tone it down a bit."

"Yes."

Among the nine classes, except for Aramaki, Motoko is their boss and the greatest authority.

After being scolded, Togusa felt a little disappointed.

Although there are some abnormalities.

But anomalies themselves do not represent hazards.

Maybe it was just a hacker passing by who got in...

"Of course, as this is your personal investigation, we can't do anything about it. Don't go too far. If you do find anything, it might be time for Section 9 to be deployed."

"Yes!"

Togusa became excited.

This is good news.

"Go home and have a good rest." Su Zi stood up.

Tuogusa rested for a moment, then stood up. "Huh... time to go. Huh?"

Where's the bill?

He came to the door.

"...Boss, where's my bill?" But no one was there.

"The little girl just now has already paid." The person who spoke was a "dumpling"-like thing on the table.

"Wow!" Togusa was startled...

……

Foreshadowing recycling ing～

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Chapter 214 Motives, Methods, and Evidence

"Young man, calm down." Tuanzi rolled over.

"Um...you are...the store manager?"

Togusa seemed to have noticed.

The other party should have placed the electronic brain in such a ball... probably.

"Hmm."

"I'm so sorry, I was so rude just now." Togusa apologized for his panic. "You just said, Major...she has already paid?"

"Yeah. You're such an incompetent boyfriend." Tuanzi said with a regretful tone, "As a man, you should be more proactive."

"You misunderstood. We don't have that kind of relationship." Tuogusa was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. "We are... well, colleagues, superiors and subordinates."

"I see. Looks like something went wrong with your work." Tuanzi rolled over. "Young man, be careful not to be arrogant or impatient."

"What you said is..."

Togusa smiled and prepared to leave.

But at this moment, he suddenly noticed the photo on the wall.

There were many photos on the wall, but that photo caught his attention.

Because there was a woman in that photo.

"Manager, are those all shop assistants?"

"That's right, I look very handsome, hahaha~" Grandpa Tuanzi looked very happy.

"That—I think it's a sound puppet, right?"

"Hmm? Oh, you mean Amane-chan, right? Look carefully, it's not her." Tuanzi rolled under the photo. "But Amane-chan is very cute... well, a little scary."

It looks like a sound puppet, but in fact it seems to be quite different inside.

Togusa moved closer and found that it was indeed quite different.

But that sense of incongruity still surrounded Togusa, making him feel a little strange.

"Is that... a ball joint?" The girl named "Tianyin" seems to have a ball joint?

"Well, Tianyin-chan used an early prosthetic body, so this is the case." Tuanzi said, "Oh my, it's been several years, how is Tianyin-chan now?"

Grandpa Tuanzi seemed to be reminiscing about the past.

"You said several years?"

"Yeah, it was back when Tianyin-chan had just started college." The ball rolled over. "A very cute child, with the aura of a real doll, but once he got angry, he was very scary... Oh my, I don't know what happened to those two idiots back then..."

The old man never stops talking.

After waiting for a long time for the other party to finish speaking, it was already two o'clock in the morning.

"Well……"

When he went to work the next day, Togusa felt unwell...

"Is everything okay?"

When he was getting coffee from the coffee machine in the bathroom, he met Poma coming over.

"Ah, I slept a little late last night," he said.

Looking at Poma who also came to take the coffee, Togusa suddenly thought of what Suzi said yesterday.

"Poma, I heard from the Major that you're a regular at the 'Alice Maid Cafe'?"

Togusa asked.

"Ah—that's what happened." Boma avoided the question.

After all, it is indeed a bit strange that a fierce and strong man is such a otaku.

"Have you ever heard of a waitress named 'Tianyin'?"

"The Sound of the Gods".

Togusa has investigated the relevant intelligence.

Kamishiro Gikui had two daughters.

Godly glass.

Godly Tianyin.

The former has died, and the latter once studied at Shinhama Metropolitan University, but seems to have disappeared after graduation. According to investigations, he seems to have been taken in by the Masami family, but more detailed information is unclear.

But here's the problem.

...The Giant Company is the enemy of Shindai Gikui, right?