Kasumigaoka Utaha had indeed gotten a straightforward answer from Irisu Makina, but the girl had shown them the door without giving them any chance to ask further questions, leaving the trio with only a head full of doubts and their next target—Michiru Matsushima.
"Say, do you think they colluded beforehand on who we should look for next?" Eriri voicing such thoughts wasn't strange. After all, the attitudes of the girls they had questioned were largely identical, and they all pointed out the exact same person they needed to find next.
It was like playing a classic hero RPG. To save the princess, you first had to cross a river. To cross the river, you needed a boatman. But the boatman's boat was broken, so you had to find a carpenter. The carpenter's tools were stolen by monsters, so you had to go into the monster's lair to retrieve them.
By the time you returned the tools to the carpenter, he wouldn't have enough raw materials, leaving the hero with no choice but to seek out a merchant. But as it turned out, the merchant also had troubles, and unless you solved his problems, he wouldn't sell you anything.
Often, the hero would complete seven or eight quests before finally taking the first step to save the princess. The entire process was extremely tedious and dull.
And investigating Jhin's side was no different—it had simply morphed from tedious quests into following the breadcrumbs left by the previous girl to find the corresponding person.
Kasumigaoka Utaha had also considered whether these girls had discussed things in advance. But thinking about it carefully, there was absolutely no need for them to do so. So what if they colluded on the order beforehand? They couldn't erase their memories regarding Jhin building a harem anyway. Doing such a thing would be a pure waste of effort.
"There's absolutely no need for them to do that. Adjusting the order won't change our attitude about continuing the investigation. We'd be better off thinking about how to question Matsushima-san more effectively next."
"I'm actually quite curious about what Miss Irisu meant when she said Jhin had done a lot of things for them." Eriri had never heard Yumiko tell the story of what happened between her and Jhin. She had assumed the two simply met normally and got together.
"I almost forgot you still don't know about her situation. Never mind, just to prevent you from speaking carelessly later, I'll give you a brief rundown."
"Why are you putting on such high and mighty airs? You just know a little bit more, that's all."
"Sawamura-san, do you want to hear it or not?"
"Go on, I'm listening."
Kasumigaoka Utaha gave a rough summary of Yumiko's past experiences, leaving Eriri completely dumbfounded.
Only then did she realize that Jhin had actually done something so massive—he had actually abducted the heiress of the Touhin Electric Railway Group and liberated her from her birdcage-like, colossal family.
"Are we still going to continue the investigation today?" Kato Megumi asked Kasumigaoka Utaha, whose mouth was dry from all the talking.
"No, let's call it a day here. I still have some things to take care of back in my room. We can go find Matsushima-san in a few days."
"Is that so? Then, Utaha, Eriri, I'll be taking my leave first."
"Yeah, see you later."
"Ah? Oh, goodbye."
Kato Megumi bid farewell to Kasumigaoka Utaha, who was in a hurry to get back to her writing, and Eriri, whose brain was practically short-circuiting. With no more work to do for the day, she thought about taking a little stroll around the base to see if she could bump into some penguins.
Even though she had the photos Eriri sent her, receiving pictures from someone else and taking photos of penguins with her own hands were two completely different matters.
Just as Kato Megumi finished changing into her outdoor clothes, she ran into Jhin walking in from outside the base wearing only a thin long-sleeved shirt. She couldn't help but widen her eyes, her cherry lips parting slightly in an expression of sheer shock.
"Oh, Megumi, are you getting ready to head out?"
Looking at Jhin, who was greeting her as if nothing was wrong, Kato Megumi subconsciously rubbed her eyes. After confirming that he was indeed wearing a thin long-sleeved shirt, she asked him in astonishment, "Jhin, you went outside wearing such thin clothes??"
"I'm testing a company product right now. Don't go copying me, it's very dangerous."
"What kind of product allows you to go outside in Antarctica wearing autumn clothes?"
"Here, this thing." Jhin pulled an oval-shaped object out of his pocket to show Kato Megumi. "It's called a portable thermostat. With this around, I don't have to fear the freezing weather outside. Do you want to give it a try?"
Kato Megumi took the oval-shaped object dubiously. The moment she grasped it in her hand, a warm current enveloped her body. Kato Megumi asked Jhin to step a little further away from the main doors, then opened a crack just wide enough to slip her hand through and reached her right arm outside.
To her shock, she discovered that her right hand couldn't feel the slightest bit of chill amidst the howling, freezing wind. So, she leaned half of her body out, yet still didn't feel any coldness. With this, Kato Megumi finally believed Jhin's claims.
"This device is truly incredible."
"It would be even better if your tone was a bit more surprised and your expression a bit more expressive when you said that."
Kato Megumi closed the doors and returned the portable thermostat to Jhin. "I'm so sorry for being expressionless."
Jhin grabbed Kato Megumi as she prepared to leave right after speaking. Seeing that she was a bit unhappy this time, he hurriedly apologized, "Megumi, I was just saying it casually. Don't take it to heart."
"You were merely stating a fact. I'm not angry."
"Then why are you walking back? Weren't you planning to go out?"
"I forgot to grab something."
Jhin released his hand from Kato Megumi's shoulder. "Alright, my mistake then. If you're going out, remember to call me along."
"Why should I call you along? To hear you complain about my lack of expressions?"
"And you still say you aren't angry."
"I'm not!" Kato Megumi emphasized her tone, frowning as she turned around to say something. However, she saw Jhin's smiling expression and finally realized he had said that on purpose.
"See? You're perfectly capable of showing cute reactions."
"...You don't forget to make me show more emotions even at a time like this."
"Hm? Didn't we agree back then that I'd help you solve your lack of presence? Although there weren't many opportunities during the safety training camp and while we were out at sea, we should have plenty of time now that we're at the base, right?"
"Thank you."
Jhin waved his hand, replying nonchalantly, "What are you thanking me for? A promise is a promise. I'll definitely resolve the things I've agreed to help you with, as long as you don't find me annoying."
"Shall we head out now then?"
"Aren't you grabbing your things?"
"It doesn't matter if I grab them or not. I just want to go outside and see if I can run into any penguins."
"You should've said so earlier. I actually saw some just as I was coming back."
"Then let's hurry and set off. Before that, do you want to change into a down jacket first?"
Jhin looked at his long sleeves. "Then wait for me for a bit. This portable thermostat is quite convenient, but it doesn't last very long. Without an energy supply, it can only hold out for about an hour at most."
"Mhm."
Hurrying back to his bedroom to change into a thick down jacket, Jhin accompanied Kato Megumi outside to look for penguins. Fortunately, the flock of penguins he had seen hadn't moved too far from their previous location. They were standing right at the periphery of the base, curiously peering inside.
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