When Angel stepped out of the Silver Crown Restaurant, the last traces of sunlight had vanished beyond the western horizon. Crimson moonlight replaced the dusky yellow at the sky's edge.
Melissa and Benson had already said their goodbyes to Klein and departed early—they had scheduled to attend mass at Saint Selena Church on the weekend morning and needed to prepare in advance. As she left, Melissa had even made a playful face at Klein, causing his expression to turn awkward.
Mr. Azik had originally seemed inclined to continue his conversation with Klein, but seeing the Moretti siblings departing so quickly, he paused in contemplation. Remembering he still needed to rush back to Hoy University to retrieve an important book, he too hailed a carriage and left.
This left Angel and Klein staring at each other.
"Should we... head back now?" Klein asked hesitantly after they'd stood there for a moment.
"Yes, let's walk back. It's not far anyway." Angel glanced at the roadside—Mr. Azik had just taken the last available carriage, and besides, their residences were only at the other end of Narcissus Street.
They walked side by side along the street, passing beneath the dim kerosene lamps that cast pools of yellow light on the cobblestones.
"Thank you for coming today," Klein said suddenly, turning to look at her as their footsteps echoed in rhythm.
"Didn't I already promise you? Besides, I'm the one who made you postpone the housewarming dinner twice—once because I had something on Monday afternoon, and before that because I had to go to Enmat Port..."
Angel began counting the times she'd stood him up.
"Monday afternoon... that was because..." Klein faltered, looking away as his voice grew quieter and more uncertain.
"Actually, when I returned to the private room earlier, I overheard you and Mr. Azik discussing some matters," Klein said, abruptly changing the subject as if to cover his discomfort.
"Yes, he mentioned..." Angel paused, recalling Azik's serious expression when he'd spoken of "fate's disharmony." She decided to tell Klein about their conversation in the private room.
"He said the same thing to you?" Klein asked in surprise, stopping mid-stride to face her.
When Angel nodded in confirmation, he continued in a reminiscent tone: "Two weeks ago, I went to Hoy University to borrow an urgently needed book from my mentor, Professor Quentin, and ran into Mr. Azik. He noticed I had a sense of 'fate's disharmony' about me, but didn't explain it in detail."
"It wasn't until this Monday, when I specifically sought him out, that I got a more detailed answer." Klein's expression turned bitter. "Though rather than an answer, he simply revealed that he himself was an Extraordinary—and that he'd seen through my identity."
How am I not surprised at all? Angel thought, remembering how the bronze-skinned university lecturer had calmly pointed out her Extraordinary nature at the Silver Crown Restaurant. She felt a mix of panic and intense curiosity.
"Did he tell you what pathway he follows, or what sequence he is?"
"No. He said he'd forgotten."
"Forgotten? But judging by his manner of speaking and demeanor, he doesn't seem like someone who would forget his own identity."
Klein shook his head and resumed walking slowly, Angel falling into step beside him. "He still remembers his name and basic knowledge, but most of his memories from before adulthood are gone. According to him, it's as if he went to sleep one day and woke up as a completely different person, with his past erased."
This sounds remarkably similar to how that unknown high-sequence Extraordinary affected me, making me forget an entire day... The more Angel listened, the more she felt Mr. Azik's experience paralleled her own. She even considered bringing him to the Tarot Club, to see if Mr. Fool's power could restore his memories.
"Could his memories have been tampered with or concealed by other Extraordinaries? From what I understand, the 'Audience' pathway has such capabilities."
She posed the same question she'd once asked at the Tarot Club.
"The 'Audience' pathway? That would require a very high sequence to affect someone like him." Klein seemed to find something amusing; the corners of his mouth twitched several times, rising before he forcibly suppressed them with trembling facial muscles.
"I tried to confirm this through divination. Mr. Azik is very likely a high-sequence Extraordinary himself. Someone capable of tampering with his memories... you probably couldn't find more than a handful in the entire kingdom."
"He once asked me to search for clues in the Nighthawks' archives. He's also begun to recall fragments of memories, though he can't piece them into complete clues."
"He can clearly see the disharmony in our fate, yet cannot solve his own problems..." Angel sighed with genuine regret.
"Speaking of the fate's disharmony Mr. Azik mentioned—have you found any clues?"
Remembering the key question from her conversation with Azik, she couldn't spare time for lamenting others' circumstances.
"The only lead I have is a building with a dark red chimney. I believe it's where the person—or people—affecting our fate is hiding. But Tingen City is enormous, and there are too many red chimneys. I can only hire detectives to search, though this approach might take too long and alert them to transfer locations."
Angel hadn't expected much, but Klein had already begun investigating. This gave her new respect for the Seer's initiative.
"I'll keep watch as well. Perhaps hiring several detective agencies will speed up the process."
She decided to visit private detectives first thing in the morning. That agency that had helped Mrs. Green locate her lost ring might be good—what was it called... Jules Detective Agency?
Lost in thought, they had already returned to the other end of Narcissus Street, near Iron Cross Street, stopping at the entrance to No. 6 Narcissus Street.
Only now seeming to realize they'd spent the entire walk discussing Azik and "fate," Klein looked wistful. Still, he gentlemanly removed his top hat, bowed, and bid her farewell.
"See you tomorrow, Angel."
"Wait a moment." Angel called to Klein as he turned to leave.
"This is for you—a thank you for the amulet you gave me." She withdrew a gold chain from her pocket. At its end hung a crystal-clear amethyst, precisely cut into an octahedron with a short top and elongated bottom. The thumb-sized crystal refracted enchanting light under the street lamp.
"When you were injured last time, I noticed your yellow crystal pendant was damaged. Use this new one for your divinations from now on."
Klein's brown eyes widened in surprise.
"Thank you..." After a long silence, he quietly accepted the amethyst pendant. Before Angel's eyes, he undid his left cuff, removed the cracked yellow crystal, and wound the gold chain around his wrist in its place.
"It suits you perfectly," Angel said, watching the golden chain replace the original silver one. A smile curved her lips.
"See you tomorrow, Seer."
As she bid Klein farewell and climbed the steps to her door, fishing for her keys, his voice reached her from behind, tinged with excitement.
"Soon I won't be a 'Seer' anymore... I'm planning to submit a special application next month. My contributions have roughly reached the level needed to apply for a Sequence 8 potion, and I've already completely digested the 'Seer' potion."
"Digested? You've mastered the 'Acting Method' too?" Angel turned back to look at Klein, who stood below, his eyes seeming to burn with flames beneath his top hat.
"Yes. I will... I will catch up to you as quickly as possible."
After delivering this declaration, Klein solemnly smoothed the wrinkles from his formal wear before turning to leave.