"That school with the long na... it's connected to the vampires?"
Jenkins hadn't considered that. He bent down, tended to the fire in the hearth, and hung the poker back on its hook before walking back to the counter, wiping his hands on a damp towel.
Papa Oliver continued.
"The investigators found a student at the school who was acting suspiciously. Then they discovered he had no shadow, and the whole story beca clear. He and his friends were the ones who sealed up that wall."
"An infected one?"
"Yes, and infected directly by a demigod vampire. I just heard the news this morning. The Church has finally confird the cause of the tragedy in that alley—the vampires have been searching for a special human, one who can perfectly assimilate their power. A certain special item led them to that alley. They were draining people's blood to identify their target, but that desperate gambit failed."
Jenkins took a few seconds to process this, automatically equating "special human" with "a human connected to the real illusion" and "special item" with "the All-knowing Treasure Mirror."
"Failed... So, their target was in one of the two households that weren't attacked that night?"
"If the vampires' divination was correct, then yes. But so much ti has passed, and aside from the girl who got tangled up with that reanimated corpse, no one else from those two households has died. That suggests there was likely a problem with the divination."
Papa Oliver answered.
Jenkins knew the All-knowing Treasure Mirror couldn't lie, but it could tell an incomplete truth. This ant that perhaps the person they were looking for wasn't a resident of the alley, but simply had a significant connection to one of those two families.
"Fini Faithford? George Liverpool? Or soone else?"
He didn't know if his line of thinking was flawed, but ensuring the girl Fini's safety and finding the missing Liverpool were absolute necessities.
With only one weekend left before the Year-End Festival, even Jenkins could feel the excitent hanging in the air.
All the shops along Fifth Queen's Avenue had put up their holiday decorations. Even Pops Antique Shop had a string of small, sun-catching sequins stuck around its sign. Jenkins had been the one to climb the ladder and put them up; his clumsy efforts had nearly resulted in him pouring an entire bottle of glue onto the shoulder of Papa Oliver, who had been holding the ladder steady for him.
To capitalize on the final shopping rush before the new year, all the stores were offering discounts and promotions. Although Jenkins would be spending the holiday at the church, he still needed to buy so food. He noticed that the price of white bread had generally increased by about forty percent, only to then be sold at a ten percent discount—which ant it was actually much more expensive than usual.
To get candy for the children at the church, he took his cat to a candy shop. This particular store sold only candy, never dabbling in the business of expensive sweets, which made it the most popular spot on the street for kids.
The price of sugar remained stubbornly high, making good candy a luxury most families couldn't easily afford. The shop didn't sell its wares by weight, but priced them individually, by the piece.
Passing the candy shop during the winter, Jenkins had more than once seen children in cotton gloves pressing their faces against the display window, gazing longingly at the colorful, paper-wrapped candies inside. The sight always stirred up mories belonging to the original Jenkins, which he couldn't suppress.
Perhaps knowing that Jenkins would buy its share, the cat remained perfectly well-behaved on the man's shoulder. It loved the sll of the candy shop, its little nose twitching and sniffing constantly.
"May I offer you a suggestion?"
Walking past a shelf, Jenkins stopped beside an attendant holding a paper bag and spoke.
"Of course, please go ahead."
The young man offered a gentle smile. He had a likable face, and his fluffy brown hair was reminiscent of a bountiful wheat field. His smile, brimming with happiness and joy, was a perfect match for the festive atmosphere.
"If you're going to pretend to be a candy shop clerk, you should at least wear the uniform like everyone else."
As he spoke, he pointed a few feet away to a real clerk who was on their tiptoes, pulling down a cardboard box from the top shelf.
"You see, even if you can sohow make everyone who sees you believe you're a real clerk, soone with a will as strong as mine can still tell sothing is off."
"No, no. You noticed for reasons beyond just your strong will."
Even though there were other people around, no one seed to notice the strange conversation taking place.
"Could you tell your na and designation number? I'm quite curious."
His entire body was suffused with a dazzling spiritual aura; he was a walking Extraordinary item. Since he posed no danger, Jenkins found it easy to talk to him.
"Of course. The Orthodox Church designated B-07-3-6411, the Happy Candy Giver. Heh, I quite like the na."
As he spoke, he pointed a finger at an empty red wooden box on the shelf, and colorful candies instantly refilled it.
"See? If you eat one of the candies I give you, you'll have good luck for a whole day. But you can't be greedy, of course, or disaster will surely strike~"
He spoke as if he were singing, but his pitch was nothing to write ho about.
"You seem to be able to tell that I'm different?"
Jenkins asked.
"Yes. I may not possess great power, but my perception is very strong. For instance... you have Sin Coins on you, don't you?"
Jenkins did indeed have two in his pocket. They were what he'd gotten from the last bizarre fake-world incident; after buying "return tickets" for himself and his friends, this was all that remained.
"I do. So, what can you sell ?"
He reached into his pocket and showed him the two green coins in his palm.
"It seems today isn't just your lucky day, but mine as well."
He flashed that relaxing and pleasant smile again. The two of them moved to a corner to avoid blocking other shoppers. From start to finish, not a single person noticed the peculiar conversation taking place.
"It's rare to et a custor who trades with Sin Coins these days. I can give you a discount. If I may ask, my esteed custor, what is it that you need most right now?"
"An abil—... Sorry, I need to think about it."
He gave an embarrassed smile. He had been about to say "ability," but imdiately rembered he had no empty bubbles to accommodate a new one.
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