"Madness, you crazy bastard..."

Leila hit her sore waist with her hand. She had hit it so hard that her lips and even her lower body felt numb.

Her entire body was filled with muscle pain. Leila strongly regretted her past self, who had laughed while watching him imitate the way she kissed.

"Did I laugh? What was so funny that I laughed? Why?"

It seemed like both of them had gone crazy. She looked outside where the sun had already set and headed towards the bathroom, stumbling along the way. Looking at the marks left on her body, she didn't feel good.

"Is he really insane?"

Even after detoxing, he didn't stop his actions. Leila's consciousness had disconnected multiple times, only to be reconnected by the feeling of his legs between hers.

"Should I leave him and go?"

It was embarrassing to see each other's faces, should they really leave together? Anyway, if he had a conscience, it would be uncomfortable for him too.

"No, that's not an option. After all, Arcangelo was in a mentally fragile state to begin with."

The person who created this situation is the one to be hated and resented. She washed herself with water.

"Anyway, the mission was only half a failure. We secured the data, but we didn't capture the creator."

Still, the worst had been avoided. In the end, they both survived.

So, it's okay.

"Ugh..."

As she came out after a quick wash, she saw Arcangelo with his face against the wall.

"Finally, you're coming to your senses."

She put on her clothes over her underwear. They were torn in places, but they were still wearable.

Unintentionally, she turned her head at his voice and saw Arcangelo's face turn red.

"Don't you have any shame, Detective Cassilia?"

"Why do I have to feel ashamed?"

"What?"

"If it weren't for me, Detective Urseau would have died. What I did was nothing but an act close to rescue work," said the man.

Surprisingly, he didn't seem to be that ashamed. Perhaps it was because he was already taking his share of embarrassment.

When one party is excessively embarrassed, the other is less likely to be embarrassed.

"What are you going to do?" asked Leila.

"What do you mean?"

"The sun has set. Are you going to return immediately, or take a rest before going?"

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

Leila decided to show her consideration and treated him as she usually did so he could escape the embarrassing situation.

"I got the data that was in the laboratory. I skimmed through it, and it seemed to describe the production process."

".....Did Detective Cassilia do her part?"

Arcangelo's impression was crushed by Leila's words. He felt angry with himself.

"You seem to be mistaken. Capturing the creator wasn't just your mission; it was also mine."

"....."

"This wasn't just a failure of Detective Urseau, but also mine."

If they had been a little faster, they might have been able to assassinate, if not capture.

While thinking about it, Arcangelo said something he couldn't hold back.

"Why did you save me?"

"What?"

"If you had chased after me immediately, you could have killed me even if you couldn't capture me! Like this, it's humiliating..."

At that, Leila's eyes rolled. She pushed him against the wall.

"You."

Anger boiled up in her from the tip of her head. She had never been so angry before. All of her emotions and thoughts turned to ash before the heat of her fury.

"Don't say such things in front of me."

Leila's words were as cold as ice. At that moment, she didn't even notice that her opponent was a patient.

The scene in front of her eyes kept flashing black and white.

A relatively recent memory came to mind. Leila's lips tightened.

"Damn it."

She turned her back. She thought she was lucky to have survived until just now, but her mood plummeted in an instant.

"Go wash up and get dressed. We have to go back to the bureau right away," he said sternly.

Aracangello was the last person she wanted to be with, even for a single moment.

It was dreadful.

* * *

Leila was exhausted.

"Well?"

Her interlocutor, Robert, seemed equally unenthusiastic.

"So you had an emotional altercation because you both failed your mission?"

"..."

"Is the mission just a game to both of you?"

Thwack. Robert slapped the desk with his hand. Leila, who had kept her lips tightly sealed until then, spoke up.

"I'm sorry."

Meanwhile, Arcangelo remained silent, as if he had done nothing wrong.

It was no surprise that Robert was angry.

"...Both of you will be punished for this incident. Detective Urseau did not cooperate enough, and Detective Cassilia caused problems due to their emotions."

"Yes."

"But, I'm grateful that both of you came back alive."

At those words, a frown appeared on Arcangelo's forehead. Leila let out a hollow laugh. Robert could roughly imagine what had happened between them.

"Both of you will receive an examination and treatment before returning home. Punishment will be a temporary suspension from work."

"Understood."

Leila and Arcangelo bid farewell to Robert and left the office of the Chief Detective . When their eyes met for a moment, both of their faces wrinkled in the same way.

"I'm glad I don't have to face that guy for a while."

Leila gestured for Arcangelo to go first and rubbed her face with her hand. It had been the worst day.

***

However, unfortunately, the events of that day did not simply conclude as a matter of that particular day.

"…Excuse me, what did you say?"

"Detective Arcangelo Urseau has fallen. We require the assistance of Detective Leila Cassilia."

The next evening, a call came in from the investigative headquarters.

The word was that Detective Arcangelo Urseau had fallen.