2. Little Bird (III)

Mark's fingers tapped against the car window sill, his gaze unfocused as he looked out the window. Aipani, who was driving, obediently and quietly watched the traffic lights and the movements of the traffic police, like a student attentively listening to a lecture. The silence, lacking any overlap, and the heavy low pressure weighed down the atmosphere inside the car.

It couldn't be helped that it had come to this—after all, the inspection of the Marse family warehouse had turned up empty-handed.

Empty-handed. Just as the term implies: no terrorists, no traces of human habitation or medical treatment, and no Mana traces left behind after using magic. Except for a pile of flour, nothing of any value was found.