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Chapter 185 - Chapter 185: Now, This Young Lady Is Luocha~

[No no no, Himeko's coffee should be even more hardcore.]

[Himeko's coffee? Are you joking? Drinking it guarantees death, okay?]

[Joking? Taking a sip of Himeko's coffee is equivalent to undergoing a heavenly tribulation!]

[Why do you all have such terrifying opinions?]

[At the miHoYo Interactive Theme Park, there's actually a Himeko Hand-Drip Coffee Shop. Not sure if it's run by her personally, but I heard they can even do fortune-telling based on your birth chart.]

[Damn, that's insane—they can do fortune-telling too? Next time I visit, I'll try that coffee.]

[Yeah, if your fate is strong enough, you might get carried out on a stretcher—maybe even make it to the hospital. If not, they'll bury you on the spot.]

[????]

[...]

[!!!!]

[6!]

[Damn, no wonder there's a hospital next to the coffee shop. So that's what it means?]

——

March 7th spoke with an air of seriousness,

"「Tea-Drinking Society」is just a codename. Do you think villains would call themselves the 「Villain Society」? They'd obviously pick a less intimidating name to fly under the radar!"

"Uh." Welt Yang hesitated for a few seconds,

"So what you're saying, March, is that those two people in black are members of the 「Tea-Drinking Society」, and that child is… a de-aged Luocha?"

"Could be some obsessive fan of The Fisherman's Case committing copycat crimes. After getting shrunk, Luocha just left with those two… This case is getting scarier—might even be a kidnapping!"

[March 7th's deduction skills are actually this sharp? At least it's logically consistent.]

[She really is a detective—could she be the March Kogorou?]

[March 7th's reasoning has a certain flair to it.]

——

Just as March 7th and Welt Yang were deep in speculation, reality slapped them in the face without warning.

Jingyan finally realized, "That child is Yinshu, the little shopkeeper of Three Pages Bookstore."

"Well, we don't have any other leads for now. Let's ask Yinshu first. Maybe she saw something."

After the scene transition, the camera shifted to the bookstore's entrance, but it was temporarily empty.

March 7th then dragged Stelle along to search for clues near the bookstore.

"Why drag me along? Wouldn't splitting up be more efficient?" Stelle looked at March 7th in confusion.

"Hey, that's how detective stories always go—the detective and their assistant investigate together. Splitting up is against the rules! Come on, my god-tier little assistant."

Stelle shook her head helplessly and followed March 7th.

After some questioning, their "progress" could only be described as nonexistent.

So, the two turned their attention to a young man standing near the bookstore entrance.

March 7th walked up to him politely and asked,

"Excuse me, sir, are you helping Yinshu, the little shopkeeper of Three Pages Bookstore, watch the shop?"

"Huh? Little shopkeeper? You mean Yinshu? Yeah, what about it? Need something?"

"Um… could you tell us where that little shopkeeper is?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Hey, what's with the attitude? We're asking nicely here!"

The young man, Yunshen, remained stubborn, insisting he'd only reveal the info if paid.

However,

He was far too naive. He had no idea he was dealing with the Galactic Baseballer—no money, no life.

Stelle deliberately lowered her voice, adding a rough edge to her tone,

"We're from the 「Tea-Drinking Society」!"

Yunshen scoffed, "Who are you trying to fool? That's just a fictional organization!"

"Oh-ho-ho~" March 7th curled one side of her lips into a smile that was absolutely, adorably sinister,

"It's because of real-life prototypes like us that The Fisherman's Case writes about them in the first place."

Yunshen sucked in a sharp breath. He thought for a moment, "Sounds like a scam, but these two really don't seem like pushovers…

Damn, did I actually run into real trouble? Well… better not push my luck.

Fine, whatever. Yinshu said she had some expiring coupons for a snack stall in Chang'le Heaven and rushed off to use them… She hasn't been gone long, might've just finished eating."

March 7th snorted, exhaling sharply through her nose,

"Hmph, smart move. Stelle, let's go."

Finally getting a lead on Yinshu, the trio quickly found her after regrouping with Welt Yang.

After some conversation,

They learned that Yinshu had just been looking for a quiet spot to read when she happened to see Luocha with two people in black—though those two smelled kinda funky.

With Welt Yang's prompting, she also recalled that Luocha had bought a book, torn off the title page, and left immediately.

Yinshu then handed Welt Yang the torn Fisherman's Case page before heading back to mind the shop.

Based on the current info, Welt Yang deduced that Luocha might have an insider on the Luofu, and the book's title pages were their means of communication.

Unfortunately, the trail ended there.

Just then, Stelle's phone buzzed—it was a message from Jingyan.

"Speak of the devil. Jingyan says she's restored some footage and wants me back at the Diheng Division ASAP."

March 7th: "See? The heavens are on our side! Just as the great detective hits a dead end, a new clue appears!"

——

A hidden corner, mysterious figures in black, a torn title page…

The evidence slowly surfaced, piecing together a complete picture.

Perhaps all that was missing now was the final puzzle piece…

And the new clue Jingyan had just uncovered—could it be that crucial piece?

Stelle pondered this as she arrived at the Diheng Division.

Once again, the trio obtained a vital lead: Luocha had stayed in the open area for two hours before leaving.

At this point, there was no turning back—like an arrow nocked on a bowstring, it had to be released.

March 7th was eager to begin her grand deduction. She was certain she'd unravel the truth and expose it to the world!

"I'm about to reconstruct the truth. Ready?"

"Ready. Let's go."

"Alright, here we go… First time doing a public deduction, kinda nervous.

Okay, I'll adopt the Fisherman's method: putting myself in the villain's shoes."

At that moment, the on-screen perspective shifted to center on Luocha.

The next instant, March 7th's voice faded, replaced instead by Luocha's own—

Yet he spoke with March 7th's cadence:

"Now, this young lady is Luocha~"

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