I found that one of the guys who visited the girls with offers was a rat in disguise. With Clairvoyance, I can see a direct feed into his actions. He passes into a seedy looking alley and into an unmarked rundown building. Some thugs and a guy in a tacky patterned suit greet him. The guy in the horrid suit is wearing sunglasses inside a windowless room and smoking a cigar.

Rat 「 Boss, I found some quality suckers. Some dumb broads running a bakery. They don’t look loaded but I looked into it and the building they’re in was paid for all at once. They must have money stored somewhere. 」

The rat’s boss smirks a toothy grin and waves his mustache.

Rat Boss 「 They probably have a rich sponsor. Let me work my magic, I’ll get them a deal they can’t refuse and put them into our pocket. Then we can squeeze every last penny from them. 」

Rat 「 Definitely Boss. 」

I guess these rats are a kind of loan sharks that try to rope in unsuspecting people into signing contracts and paying interest for ridiculous debts. I don’t think the girls might fall for it, but I can’t just forgive them for targeting them. I’ll have to clean this up somehow.

I turn off the clairvoyance and go back to the bakery. Alice is introducing Pip and Mu and Fu to the girls. Pip looks like an average boy if you don’t examine his hard exterior, and Fu just looks like a puppy. The two are showered in love and affection. But Mu, the slime? How do you plan to explain that?

The girls poke at Mu and talk like it’s a squishy plush toy. Mu intelligently plays the role of a toy that just jiggles when touched. Actually, Mu has the transformation skill I gave it, so it should be able to change into the form of a real toy.

I let Alice know that we’ll be staying here tomorrow and also text the other girls the news that I have something to do this week so we have time off. The Laura Lina sisters say they will be spending the time off together seeing a new movie. Alice asks to go along too as she’s never been to a theater yet.

Cheshyr finishes the training and comes back after a brief shower. I can sense that her body has gained some levels and increased her mana control. The training is paying off for the time being. I use Restoration to heal her fatigue and soreness.

The following day, that rat paid another visit and talked to one of the younger girls. She looks excited by whatever he is saying. Probably some kind of sweet talk about modeling or some such.

I follow the two with Clairvoyance as they head out to a convincing modeling agency building, everything seems normal. The girl has one of the guardian dolls in her bag as she continues posing for pictures.

When the rat brings out a contract she signs it with joy on her face. Hang on girl, did you even read the fine print? At least bring it to a lawyer or something. I scan the contract but I’m no legal expert either so I can’t tell one paragraph from another. Feels like a bunch of jargon I don’t get is lining the pages.

She goes back to the bakery and I follow the rat back to his lair that I saw previously.

Rat 「 Boss, I got the contract like you wanted. Now she’ll be meeting you in person soon. 」

Rat Boss 「 Perfect. I’ll have a friendly chat with her about the contract. In essence, we own her now. She’ll have to do whatever we demand, and if she wants out she’ll have to pay the clause for breaking the contract. That amount would never be paid in a million years and just the interest alone will be enough to break most people. 」

These aren’t rats, more like slippery eels with their schemes and contracts. I don’t think this is a problem I can just brute force and settle. I’ll need a tool for this, the right tool for the right situation.

In a separate location, here comes Julia Mitchel, a prosecutor working the local courthouse. In the prosecutor’s office, I can see a grown woman at work before a desk covered in scattered paperwork. Julia has wrinkles under her clear thin glasses which she pushes up onto her rigid nose bridge. A scowl on her face doesn’t tell me much but reading her mind does.

To sum it up, a witness for an upcoming case has gone missing. Was it interference or cold feet? Regardless, it will be difficult to delay the proceedings at this point after so much preparation. The accused is a man who allegedly abused his family. The brother and uncle to this family was going to testify but now Julia can’t reach him and the appointed date is drawing near.

Her phone vibrates and shows an unknown caller id. She picks it up assuming it to be another scam call but instead she hears my voice.

Becca 「 Prosecutor Mitchel? 」

Julia 「 Who is this? I don’t know how you got my number, but this better be important. 」

Becca 「 I can help you find who you’re looking for. I have some specialties in locating people and secrets. I help you out, and in return I need your help with a delicate situation. 」

Julia 「 You can find my witness? I need him within the next 12 hours. Is it possible? 」

Julia looks like she is seriously considering my proposal, she seems to be an admirable person. More importantly, she was the target of my Clairvoyance. The skill functions surprisingly well even without a specific target. All I searched for was someone who I could trust to help me with difficult situations like the rats, and the skill pointed me to this woman.

Becca 「 I can find him no problem. Does this mean you accept my request? 」

Julia 「 Bring me my witness and I’ll consider your request once I’ve heard it in detail. I cannot guarantee I’ll take it on unless I know what I’m getting into. 」

This Julia Mitchel woman is careful but I can tell from the skill that I can trust her. I’ll use this chance to get close to her and have her owe me, then she can help me out when I need it.

With my all-seeing Clairvoyance, I locate the missing witness in no time. It seems he is in hiding, afraid for his life. I note the location and alert Julia to his whereabouts and that he seems unstable and anxious.

I bid her farewell and wait for the good news. A day later and a call to meet in person, she and I meet for coffee.

Julia 「 You’re not what I expected. 」

Becca 「 What were you expecting then? 」

Julia 「 A hacker or informant type who was looking to make seedy connections with a veteran prosecutor. 」

Is that really what she imagined me to be?

Becca 「 I’m not so good with the fancy tech, but I did my research. I chose you because you seemed of good character who could make a reliable ally. I’m not asking you to break any rules or moral codes, I just want you to do what you do best. Catch the bad guys. 」

Julia 「 Is that the favor you need from me? 」

I pass over a folder with documents.

Becca 「 This is what I have on a group of rats – I mean deplorable gentlemen. They trap people in contracts and suck them dry of all their money. And now, they’re after some friends of mine. Common thugs I can handle myself, but in grey areas I find myself at a loss. 」

Julia sifts through the documents detailing the crimes I’ve witnessed in the past day along with pictures and names. All easy information to find with my abilities.

Julia 「 You want me to protect your friends? From the sounds of it, there’s a contract in effect? 」

Becca 「 Yeah. People I can break, sure, but contracts? That’s when I sought out an expert. I want these people to be punished but I’m just good for spying and fistfights. The court is another matter entirely. 」

Julia 「 Sounds simple enough. As long as you get me a copy of the contract I can do something. Although, it would be easier if there was also solid evidence of their wrong doings. Get me that, and I can put them behind bars for a long time. 」

Becca 「 This might not be the last time I run into some bad people that force won’t stop. I hope I can count on you for help this time and in the future. Oh and don’t worry about any fees, I can handle that too. 」

Julia 「 We’ll see. 」