As soon as he walked out of the apartment door, Ronald was stopped by a cheerful young man.
Turning around and looking -
It's Raphael.
This guy was dressed almost the same as yesterday. He was still wearing suspenders and a brown top. He was standing half-reclined under a tree on the side of the street, looking at himself with a sunny smile on his face.
"..."
Looking at Raphael in front of him speechlessly, Ronald felt a little complicated now.
That was the few seconds he spent in silence.
Raphael took the initiative to come over without noticing anything, and hugged Ronald's shoulders like a good brother:
"how?"
"Are you unhappy to see me here?"
"That's not true." Ronald immediately shook his head, and then expressed his doubts. "I'm just curious, since you can take time to wait for me here today, why did you write a letter specifically in the morning?
"
Raphael smiled:
"Doesn't this make this invitation more formal?"
"If I hand you a ticket out of nowhere, it would be as insincere as handing out flyers on the roadside."
"..."
Looking at Raphael who was analyzing her seriously.
Ronald was silent for a few more seconds before starting to walk out of the street.
While watching the surroundings and memorizing the architectural topography in his mind, he asked Raphael beside him:
"If you could stop me right away when I was just going out, you must have arrived quite early today, right?"
Raphael nodded and said:
"Of course."
"At around eight o'clock in the morning, I watched my letter being thrown into the mailbox here by the post office."
"..."
Hearing these words, Ronald staggered.
He glanced at the other party with an incomprehensible look, and then he asked:
"Are you so free?"
"You don't do anything in broad daylight. You just stay in front of my house!"
Hearing Ronald's complaints, Raphael showed a satisfied smile on his face:
"Ronald, don't look down on yourself."
"A person who owns books is the highest-level target of my attention. In other words, no matter where you are, people like you will be watched. You have to get used to it in advance."
Ronald immediately heard the hint in Raphael's words.
Nodding slightly to show that he understood what the other party meant, he then changed the subject:
"By the way, your other identity should be more busy, right?"
"Is this really okay?"
"Of course it's no problem." Ronald in front of him knew that he had multiple identities, so Raphael didn't intend to hide it. She simply nodded and explained, "I'm not the only one in our school."
"Except for the actual performances when I need to appear, other times there are people who will cover for me, so you don't have to worry about this."
Your school of thought is really convenient...
Hearing such an answer, Ronald instantly had some bad associations.
Quickly pushing those strange images out of his mind and continuing to remember the surrounding environment, Ronald said casually:
"By the way, Raphael."
"I want to ask you something."
Raphael nodded and said:
"You said it, I'm listening."
So, Ronald expressed his problem:
"About Elva Sherwood, do you know his origins?"
"..."
Raphael's steps hesitated for a moment.
Although it was difficult to notice, Ronald, who was walking side by side with him, still noticed this keenly.
When she heard this name, Raphael was obviously concerned.
Next, there was silence that lasted for several breaths.
It wasn't until the two of them walked more than fifty meters side by side that Raphael asked in a low tone:
"Ronald, where did you know this man?"
"..."
Hearing the complexity in the other person's tone, Ronald also understood that there might be something fishy about this matter.
He simply stood where he was, looking at Raphael with serious eyes and said:
"As for Elva Sherwood, I learned his name from a rather special channel. Is it inconvenient for you to say more?"
"..."
Rapel also stood there and looked at Ronald.
After the two looked at each other for a few seconds, he shook his head as if giving up.
"well--"
"It's not inconvenient."
"Elva Sherwood, this guy is an academic scholar who studies history and sociology. His daily habits are regular, and there is nothing particularly eye-catching in private."
Ronald asked tentatively:
"Is this on the surface...?"
"Yes, this is on the surface." Raphael nodded generously and admitted. Now that the words had been spoken, he did not intend to hide any more, and simply continued, "In fact, secretly, I have information here
On the surface, this guy is also a mysterious guy, maybe even a guy with a book!"
"But the problem is that this guy has no contact with the mysterious side at all. At the same time, he has not had any contact with anyone from the mysterious side for a long time."
"Ronald, you can probably understand my attitude?"
Ronald nodded and responded:
"Understandable."
At this point, the situation could not be clearer.
For Raphael, this is a guy whose experience is a mystery, whose background is unclear, and he may even be the holder of the original code.
It is natural to show such a cautious attitude.
But for Ronald, the situation was completely different.
After experiencing a series of events in Burrenwich, he was very curious about this mysterious organization that delivered messages to him.
Now the scholar to whom the information ultimately points...
It is very possible that he is also an original code holder?
Although he had made preparations before, Ronald was still a little surprised to hear such news from someone he could trust.
At this time, Lapel, who was standing next to Ronald, also noticed the look in his eyes.
While turning around and continuing to walk forward, he asked Ronald:
"Ronald, it's time to answer my question now."
"How do you know this guy Elva?"
"Besides, I remember that when we separated, you were still an ordinary person new to the industry. How come you suddenly changed and picked up a book in just two months?"
"Tell me all this!"
"..."
Do you want to hide the coded letter from Raphael?
Regarding this question, Ronald did not hesitate for too long.
Since Montenegro, this guy has provided him with a lot of help, and the two of them can be regarded as trustworthy friends.
It's absolutely fine to tell the other person this kind of thing.
So while catching up with Raphael's figure in front of him, Ronald lowered his voice and said as much as possible in a voice that only the two of them could hear:
"It all started with a coded letter."
Hearing Ronald's words, Raphael's eyes became curious: