We arrived at the salon's location and parked our car a little distance away. From inside, we watched the shop quietly.
"What's our plan, Captain?" Margaret asked, leaning closer to the window and staring at the salon.
"Should we use Margaret's skill again, like we did with the Harpies, to check if they're witches?" I suggested, glancing at Captain Edmund.
The Captain shook his head. "Witches don't simply shapeshift," he said. "Not the way other monsters do. They don't just switch forms at will. What they do is far more calculated."
"They transform through controlled magic. They can alter their appearance, copy a face, and distort their features, enough to pass as someone else for a time. That's why we can't track them quickly or expose them."
Damian crossed his arms and looked at the building. "Looks like this case will take longer than we expected."
"We can't force them to reveal themselves. What if they're just normal humans? If we use force and hurt them, we'll break the law. We might end up in prison… and the Corps could fire us," Theai explained.
"Theai is right," the Captain replied, his face serious.
The car fell silent for a moment.
The Captain then turned around to face us in the back seat. He pointed at us. "You three go."
We straightened up immediately.
"Just observe what's happening inside. Don't do anything reckless. Use Theai's ability to communicate mind-to-mind so you won't get caught," he instructed.
"Aye, Captain," we replied together.
We stepped out of the car and closed the doors quietly. Margaret adjusted her clothes, Theai checked the street around us, and I glanced at the salon sign.
The salon was open, with lights glowing inside. People moved around normally, and customers inside acted like nothing was wrong.
"Here." Theai handed a single leaf to Margaret and gave one to me.
"What's this for?" I asked, holding the leaf up and examining it.
"I can't use my ability, Nature Resonance, if my companions don't have at least one nature element nearby," she said with a small smile.
"Oh… then what about last time?" I asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.
"I placed a leaf in your pocket when a harpy bit your neck. But it turns out it healed by itself, without my help," she said, thinking back.
I nodded slowly.
I slipped the leaf into my pocket to make sure it was safe inside.
Since we were wearing ordinary clothes, we didn't look like Agents. We walked toward the entrance calmly, keeping our expressions neutral as if we were regular customers.
We stepped inside the salon.
Ding!
A small bell rang above the door as it opened. Several people inside turned their heads toward us and gave smiles.
The place was full of customers. Some were sitting on chairs along the wall, while others waited in line near the counter.
"This place looks really nice," Theai said, glancing around the salon.
I nodded in agreement. The place was clean and well-organized, and the staff were friendly and helpful. One of the workers smiled at us and pointed toward the waiting area.
We sat in the waiting area and quietly observed the staff as they worked on the customers' hair. There were about twelve staff members in the salon.
According to the case, the client reported the salon to the Corps because she felt something was wrong, despite the treatment being perfect and better than she had expected.
However, she later sensed that something was not right. After the treatment, she noticed an unusual feeling, like something around her felt off, dark and eerie. It was subtle at first, but she began to feel tired, and her energy started to drain.
The staff were also overly polite and careful with every action. Before she left, they gave her a hair treatment product and instructed her to use it at home. At first, she accepted it without question, but afterward, she found it strange and unsettling.
The bottle had no clear details, and the label contained unusual lettering that looked fake. There were no registration numbers and no approval mark. It did not appear to be approved by any regulatory authority. The more she examined it, the more uneasy she felt, so she decided not to use the product.
[Mind-to-Mind link established successfully]
A notification appeared in front of me.
"Next!" a staff member called out, raising her hand toward the waiting line.
Theai and I looked at each other in surprise.
Before we could react, Margaret stood up and walked toward the staff.
"Margaret, what are you doing? Captain said not to do anything reckless," Theai said in our minds, her tone tense.
"What is happening?" Captain asked through the mental link.
"She just walked to the hair station and sat down," Theai replied quickly. "Captain, should I bring her back?"
"No, let her continue," Captain answered firmly.
"But Captain, something might happen to Margaret," Theai added.
"Stay calm. Just observe everything carefully. Wait for my signal before acting. We're ready to support you if anything goes wrong."
I took a slow breath and focused on the salon, keeping my eyes on Margaret.
"Stupid Margaret… what if the worker curses her using a strand of hair?" Theai murmured, lowering her voice while glancing toward the hair station.
"Aaaah! How dare you mess up my hair!" a customer suddenly screamed.
We quickly stood and made our way toward the commotion. A customer was arguing with a staff member.
"I said I wanted brown, not this color!" the customer shouted, pointing at her hair. She pushed the staff slightly, and the product in her hand slipped and fell to the floor.
"Let me help you, miss," I said, kneeling down and picking up the bottle.
Once the situation calmed down, we returned to our seats and continued observing.
For the next few minutes, nothing unusual happened. Margaret soon finished her hair styling and looked completely normal.
Soon, the Captain told us to leave the salon and return to the car.
We got inside and closed the doors.
"So, what did you observe?" Damian asked, turning to us.
"Well, we didn't see any witchcraft, and I didn't sense any evil," I replied, shaking my head.
"They might be using concealment magic… or they could be normal humans," the Captain said, crossing his arms.
"There was a small commotion inside, so I managed to collect this," I said, unfolding my handkerchief to show the violet liquid.
"What is that?" the Captain asked, reaching out.
"It's a hair treatment product. Our client said she found it dark and eerie. I managed to pick up some of the liquid after it spilled on the floor," I explained.
The Captain took the handkerchief and sniffed the violet liquid carefully.
"It looks normal. I don't sense any dark magic in it," he said, handing it back.
"I didn't feel anything strange when they used it on me," Margaret added, touching her hair.
"There's something else," I said, lowering my voice and leaning closer to them. "While I was helping one of the staff members, she told me to meet her this afternoon after work if we want information."
The car became quiet.
"Hmm… She must know something," the Captain said, rubbing his chin. "But how did she recognize us?"
"Maybe she recognized us on the Sentinel Extermination Corps website?" I said.
"Possible," the Captain replied, leaning back in his seat. "Anyone can access it, but they must create an account first. All our websites and information sources are highly secured, and the system verifies every user."
"No monsters or dark entities can enter. If they attempt to, the system will immediately detect them and trace their location, even if they try to spy through a human's phone. They won't get anywhere near us because our electronic devices are sacred."
"All electronic devices are blessed abroad before shipment. Every device and system released to the public is protected and infused with holy light."
"Whatever monsters or dark entities attempt to do, they cannot get close to these devices. Even most of our shops that have televisions are protected. Crucifixes hang at every door, preventing them from entering or spying through the televisions," the Captain explained.
"However… some monsters are very clever. They evolve. And some have even begun creating their own technologies to blend into our world."