The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 195: Anna's Touch

Lu Li didn't believe the letters he'd sent to Remi and Jimmy would ever reach them.

Or rather, he supposed they might somehow receive the letters, maybe even reply, but it was highly unlikely they would ever come to Belfast.

Lu Li had only done it to reassure Anna, and partly to see if the investigator's handbook offered any way to restore one's Mind Level.

Still, anything was possible. If Remi and Jimmy did show up... Lu Li would have to completely re-evaluate just how dire the world's situation had become.

Lost in thought, Lu Li drifted off to sleep.

Outside, a soft flutter of wings broke the silence. Something landed on the windowsill. For a brief moment, the shadow of a crow flickered across the curtain before the bird took flight again.

The night was quiet and serene.

...

The next morning, a dull, cold light seeped through the curtains into the dark living room.

Anna woke up first.She pushed back the cold blanket, her white, translucent fingers tapping it a few times.

The soft down blanket yielded to her touch, and Anna gave a soft hum of satisfaction as she rose from the bed and drifted toward the door.

Then, as if recalling something, she paused, sinking down to touch the cold floor.

She didn't feel the cold, of course.

She wiggled her toes, a faint flush coloring her cheeks at the unfamiliar sensation of a solid surface beneath her feet. She took a tentative step, paused, and wobbled slightly as she tried to find her balance.

Finally, she found her equilibrium by stretching her arms out to her sides. Teetering gently, Anna quietly made her way out of the bedroom.

An oil lamp flickered dimly on the table. Anna approached it cautiously and silently extinguished the flame, then turned toward the sofa.

Lu Li lay on the sofa, his head resting on a pillow, a woolen coat pulled over him like a blanket. He was still asleep.

Anna instinctively held her breath, then remembered she didn't need to. Tiptoeing to the sofa, she peered over its back and then drew open the curtains.

The sofa had recently been moved to the window. Neither Anna nor Lu Li had done it; the culprit was the animate sculpture. Neither of them knew when or why it had happened, but both the ghost and the detective had silently accepted the new arrangement.

With a soft rustle, the curtains parted, letting in the gentle patter of rain and the damp scent of the morning.

Through the murky glass, the silhouettes of passersby drifted past, accompanied by fragments of conversation and the rumble of wheels.

A cheerful sparkle lit up Anna's clear eyes, her spirits lifting at the sight of the lively street.

She started suddenly, her cheeks flushing crimson. Glancing down, Anna saw that Lu Li's eyes were open.

"How are you doing that?" Lu Li asked, his hand emerging from beneath the coat to touch Anna's waist.

Anna fought to remain composed instead of dissolving like smoke and fleeing to the bedroom to hide under the covers. Blushing, she stammered, "It... yesterday... well... when I got angry, I think I grew stronger. I realized I could wrap myself in my own power, and... now I can touch things."

She trailed off, her brow furrowing. "But it's a strange sensation, nothing like when I was alive. It feels like there's... something between me and the things I touch."

Lu Li said nothing, his fingers closing thoughtfully around her waist.

"Ah! What are you doing?!"

Anna recoiled as if she'd been shocked, her face burning. It looked as if steam was about to rise from the top of her head.

Lu Li replied pensively, "It doesn't feel like skin. It's more like a smooth leather ball, filled with air."

"You don't have to analyze it so seriously!"

Lu Li sat up, his gaze fixed on Anna. "Can you feel anything when I touch you?"

"No! I'm a ghost, what could I possibly feel?" Anna blurted out, but meeting Lu Li's calm gaze, she realized she might have misinterpreted his question. Her voice softened. "It's just my power. It gets depleted when I touch things, but I can always replenish it."

"Like clothing?"

"Well... something like that."

"How long can you maintain it?"

"Right now... for a few hours, I think."

If Anna remained passive, she could maintain her tangible form for about sixteen hours—almost as long as an ordinary person is awake.

Lu Li opened his mouth to ask another question, but Anna, still flustered, used her telekinesis to lift him off the sofa. "Just go get breakfast!"

Lu Li slipped on the shoes he'd left under the sofa, rolled up his sleeves, and headed for the kitchen. "Hold on, I need to stop by the Investigators' headquarters first."

The flicker of joy in Anna's eyes vanished instantly, and her expression fell. "Why do you have to go there?"

"They have a library at their headquarters. I want to see if I can find anything useful," Lu Li said, turning to look at Anna. His dark eyes were calm, but Anna thought she caught a flicker of... disdain?

"I can tell you all about the continent's history and geography, you know."

Anna opened her mouth, then closed it without a word. A few seconds later, she shouted defiantly toward the kitchen, where the sound of running water could be heard, "Well, if you'd asked me how to paint a realistic oil portrait, I could have told you that!"

The sound of water soon stopped. Lu Li returned to the living room, drying his hands and face with a towel. He picked up his clothes from the sofa, shook out the creases, and got dressed.

"Hurry back, and don't forget breakfast!" Anna called out from the middle of the room as Lu Li walked to the door and picked up his umbrella.

Anna's voice always rose in pitch when she was flustered.

"Alright."

The door clicked shut, and Lu Li was gone.

Anna stood frozen for another moment, staring at the closed door, before her posture finally relaxed.

Suddenly, the door swung open again, revealing Lu Li standing in the doorway.

"Is something wrong?"

Anna stared at him in surprise.

"No, it's nothing."

Lu Li vanished behind the door, and it clicked shut once more.

"That fool. Does he really think I'd follow him in secret? He couldn't be more wrong..."

Anna chuckled softly to herself, but the smile quickly faded in the silence of the empty detective agency, replaced by a shadow of sorrow.

"I have to get stronger... so I can stay by his side, so I can protect him..."

...

Snow Quarter.

The Friendship and Love Repair Shop.

Across the street, beyond a low fence, stretched a wide, dark brown beach. Through a curtain of fine rain, the faint silhouettes of a few strolling figures could be seen.

After a glance at the lead-gray water and the deserted port, Lu Li turned and entered the building that served as a front for the Investigators' base.

A single customer was inside. A man in overalls, playing the part of the shop owner, was helping him select some tools. He noticed Lu Li, gave a subtle nod, and turned back to the customer. "Given your situation, I'd recommend the number two wrench..."

Lu Li walked to the back of the shop, pulled aside a curtain, and stopped before a massive portrait that covered the entire wall. It depicted a man in a black cloak with a hawk perched on his shoulder.

Lu Li's gaze fell on the black hawk, its wings spread wide.

Or perhaps it was a crow.