The loop will be cut by pressing a blade.

Prologue: Useless Effort

We won't have to do, and time will do.

My Mr.Detective is so calm person. He doesn’t speak any while I see clients in this office. It’s the same today, this Sunday, this early morning, he speaks as usual.

“Hey, Det hear me!?!?”

“Yes, yes he listens, relax, he’s always be that.”

“Not you! Hey Det! Can’t say some!?!?”

Mr.Detective gazes up to me. Its eyes say “please manage.”

“Well, you want us to seek for your husband, right?”

“Immediately! I’ve not seen ‘im fora week!”

“But we have to get more information…”

“I haven’t any!!!!”

I look down my detective with “manage” eyes. His eyes, my sigh.

“Madam, would you like coffee?”

“Ah, please, thanks you. What?”

Mr.Detective leaves his seat for kitchen.

“Let me ask you some, what does he work?”

“Ah, OK. well, he’s in sales dept of null-company. I’ll bore you. Almost anonymous man he is.”

“OK, I see. And, have you told to police?”

“No way. Such affair shouldn’t be public.”

“I see, you suspect your husband is unfaithful. Then, do you have any evidences, or another woman?”

“No. Not any. He doesn’t speak.”

“Does he merely has stay-night at company?”

“If it’s true, I should force to quit such job. Why he has to stay? For a week, too long.”

“Wait, relax, we can’t decide he has an affair.”

“Well, you may true, but I'd pray not to be.”

Mr.Detective brings iced coffee eagerly wanted for us three, it’s more aromatic and tasty than most cafes’. We promise her to bring her husband back home until tonight and have her sign up basic contracts then she goes home.

“How stupid of you we’ve got duties to bring her husband back home until tonight now we don’t have any information about this affair sorry to say again how stupid of you!”

“I said nothing.”

“Your eyes told me.”

“How of you.”

Mr.Detective giggles lightly sitting his armchair deeply.

“It’s ten. Let’s go out right now, you made such a big mouth so you must find at least something as clues. Mr.Detective, we have no time to relax."

“Fixed. You'll see. We won't have to do, and time will do. How about?”

“Are you sure?”

“In fact, her husband had returned home everyday in the latest week. He came home only after she went asleep, and he left for company before she was awake. I don't know whether he was given too much or so vital tasks, anyway she need not to be such a nervous tention. You like it?”

“Perfectly not. I will do without you.”

“It’s up to you.”

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

I had to thank a lot for growth of the daily labors' business. I entered a building of the null-company as a cleaner. Then I saw a man who was identical with the model of given picture, madam's husband. He was humming delightfully.

I did my cleaning works, received pays, and went to a cafe across from the building. It was about 16:20. I ordered home-blended iced $5.

“Det's might be better, maybe.”

I quietly said it not to hear me to staffs gazing the entrance of the null-company building.

My glass was almost empty. When I crowled its ices with a stick, I had paid in advance, it was at five and her husband appeared delightfully, I started to stalk.

“Don't be assistant, now I do be detective.”

I said it to myself.

He took on subways and got off with lots accompany, that was near a resident area. I almost lost sight of him. He went on to a certain direction without any hesitation or delusion. I forced myself not to give him a punch of rage.

The crowds of waying home surrounds me. Among office workers, elementary and junior high school students on bikes from playing, housewives from shopping, and high school students from club activities. Only the client's husband, whom I was following, were not about to go home.

Minutes later, the husband entered a house. I wrote down the address for the report. Um, um...oh, this address is the same as the client's home... After much hesitation, I pressed the intercom.

"Yes, who is this?"

It was a man's voice.

"I'm Fujii Yuka from null detective agency."

"Huh?"

After a short wait, the door opened. The client woman came out.

"I'm sorry for the trouble, detective. It seems that it was all my hasty conclusion."

"No, no, I didn't do anything. I'm glad that your husband returned home safely."

The husband came outside and swang his head between my face and his wife's. It seemed like that he hadn't fully grasped the situation. In addition, I'm not a detective, just an assistant.

"Um, what' your business, detective?"

"I was asked to search for you, sir."

"Me?"

"Yes, you hadn't come home for a week without any contact..."

"Wait, wait a minute. I came home every day."

"Did you come home late at night and leave early in the morning?"

"Yes, this job depended on my promotion to manager. I had no time to sleep."

That seems to be the reason why he was in a good mood during the day. What a complete waste of time. It's jumping to fallacious conclusions. Seriously.

"Um, how much should I pay as a reward...?"

"I want to say I don't need any money, but can you pay for only the coffee? It's $20 for three people."

"Of course I'll pay that, but really that's all? Of course, the coffee was delicious, but I'm sorry for causing you trouble..."

"It's fine. We're not actually doing an investigation."

"Oh really... Um, would you like to have dinner with us? I'm just about ready."

"No, I'll be off for today. Please come for coffee anytime."

"Yes. The coffee was better than any other shop's."

I said bye to my clients and headed back to my office/home.

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

"I'm back."

"Thank you for your hard work. How was it?"

"Everything was just as you said, detective."

"I thought so, didn't I?"

The detective laughed out loud and spread his palms on the work desk.

"What's your these hands?"

"You get a reward, right?"

"Yes, I do, look at."

"What's this $20?"

"It's for the coffee. No work, no money. It's the rule of society."

The detective put the money on the desk and raised both arms.

"Ha ha, it's not easy to be a great detective."