Blink and You Are Done For
So, Captain. What do you want to know?
When do I feel most proud as an investigator?
That's it? How boring...
Well, to answer your question, it's hands down...
When I crack a case! When I finally uncover the truth behind it!
Do you still feel proud when you do that?
N-no, that's not true!
H-huh?
*Fwip*
Ow... Why is my vision suddenly...
Huh? Captain, why are you tied up in the Escape-Proof Knots again?
It was... me? I tied you up?
Wait... How did I end up with a whip in my hand?
N-no, that's not true!
M-my whip is a detective's essential! It's just a tool for getting to the bottom of a case!
Liar.
Look at you, you're hurting me even right now.
*Wuh-pssh*
*Wuh-pssssh*
No... No! That's not true at all!
W-what's happening?! Why can't I stop my hand?!
Just what's happening to meeeeee?!
Ahh!
...Gwen?
C-Captain, that dream...
Lying on the couch, Gwen tried to hoist herself up, only to freeze when she found a whip at her feet.
Eek...!
N-no. My whip is just a tool for uncovering the truth...
...
After muttering to herself, Gwen turned to me, looking as if she were on the verge of tears.
...Something wrong?
...
What Gwen reluctantly confessed about herself came as a shock to me.
In other words, Gwen believed that she didn't actually care about the truth...
You think you're just a pervert?
One who just likes whipping people?
Still teary-eyed, Gwen slowly nodded.
Captain... do you remember when we were poring over the papers trying to find that cat?
You called me a genius of grit.
After that, I looked at the pile of papers and your face buried under it and realized something.
Maybe there's a side of me that's different from what I thought I was.
It was an incredible breakthrough when Gwen finally realized she wasn't an investigator with genius-level reasoning that brings truth to light.
People often fail to recognize their own problems to begin with, so the change was a welcome surprise. But...
...But how on earth did you come to that conclusion?
Well, I...
With a gloomy expression, Gwen looked down at the whip she carried everywhere she went.
It looked as though the image of the person she always believed herself to be was colliding with the harsh reality of discovering her true self.
...However.
The delight she had shown me while eating unusual desserts instead of drinking bitter coffee or chasing food trends...
The fact that her focus of attention during the detective movie wasn't the clues or hints, but the main character striking a pose...
And her persistence, which she hadn't regarded as a strength...
It wasn't the way that Gwen had been thinking of, but...
Captain. When you look at me... what do you see?
I just can't figure it out...
*Sniff*
Gwen's expression was still clouded with confusion as she fidgeted with an espresso cup loaded with five sugar cubes.
Absentmindedly playing with the cup's handle, Gwen fought back her tears, still unsure of what to do.
Captain, when you're completely at a loss like this...
What do you do?
At that question, I took a look at myself.
...In times like that, I close my eyes.
Then count to three.
And as you count to three, the trick is to calm yourself down.
While reflecting on your actions to the rhythm of the count.
And when you open your eyes...
You'll notice things you hadn't before.
...
Following my lead, Gwen closed and then opened her eyes. She nodded, feeling a little more composed.
But her gloomy expression remained. Insisting that she still didn't know herself—
She asked me to investigate her.
...Then came days when we focused on investigating the self, turning down every job that came in.
I think I like desserts. Sweet ones, especially. I don't like bitter foods.
And I don't think I tire that easily. Though I'm not sure if that has anything to do with persistence.
...Also, I don't like getting hurt. N-not that I like hurting others!
Anyway, those are what I learned so far during the past few days with you. I guess we made SOME progress...
Hmm... Oh! How about this? We go find out if detective movies really are my fav—
Huh? It's the Professor. Hello? Something new?
It's nothing special, but yes... Could you drop by the office whenever you're free?
That's strange, given how easily Lily and the Professor usually handle the cases that come into Lampadis...
If it's something even the two of them can't handle together, just what kind of case is it?
Hehe... In the end, we managed to gather all the evidence while the Boss was gone!
Then what else do you need?
All the evidence points to the suspect, but it's not enough for us to draw conclusions.
That's right. So we needed the suspect to spill it, but she refused to talk at all!
Hm? Mr. Rabbit? The problem is that I'm trying to chat instead of interrogate...? Mr. Rabbit, that's mean...
We tried to interrogate her by all means possible, but it got us nowhere.
To be more accurate, we couldn't even try at all because my simply being there threw the suspect into a panic.
They had a point. It would've been considerably difficult for either of them to extract a confession from the suspect for very different reasons.
So that's why you called Gwen over.
But Captain...
Gwen next to me tugged at my lapel and whined.
When you look at me...
...
No... I don't even know myself well enough.
If so, then how can I expect to figure out anyone else?
I still don't know anything about meee...
Unlike the confidence that exuded from her when we first met, Gwen was now full of self-doubt.
I placed my hands on her shoulders and made her look me in the eye.
I-I close my eyes...
And count to three.
Gwen, who was looking at me with frightened eyes, slowly closed them.
One... Two...
...Three.
...
...This is...
By the time she opened her eyes, I had guided her in front of a window that offered a clear reflection of her face.
But... why?
I stood behind Gwen, who was now staring at her own reflection with a perplexed expression.
You have a heart of gold.
You are decisive.
C-Captain...
...!
Gwen, who was staring at the window the whole time, hung her head low as if lost in thought, and then...
That's right. I...
*Slam*
She slammed open the door to the storage room.
...I am the genius investigator...
...?
Gwen stared down the suspect as if in a standoff, then marched over and took a seat across the table.
What do you want? If you're trying to get me to talk using that same old trick, you might as well give up already, chump.
I'm not here for that.
...I just wanted to let you know there was a time when I was lost and confused, just like you. That's all.
W-what?!
Go preach somewhere else. You don't know anything about me—
No.
Maybe I still am lost.
I still haven't figured myself out. I can't make sense of anything.
And that's what I'm scared of. So scared that I don't know what to do anymore...
...
...That's how you feel too, right?
You're overwhelmed and don't know which way to turn.
That's why you feel lost.
You...!
How did you... You understood my heart when even I couldn't...!
*Sob*
Gwen slowly reached across the small table toward the sobbing suspect, and gently patted her back.
Shh... It's okay. You can trust and tell me...
Tell me what's in your heart.
I couldn't say for sure under the dim light, but I might have seen a warm smile spreading across Gwen's face.