Novel "Let's Get to Work!" (12)

15. Previous Guests

At the excavation site, Professor Otohata, students from Kinkinki University, municipal staff, and volunteers had already gathered, and the site had already been staked out.

The "topsoil removal" and "discovery of remains" that preceded this seemed to have already been completed, and from now on, they would be digging down into each "staked-out area" divided by yellow string. If any artifacts were found there, they would be reported, recorded, and then completely excavated and stored.

The condition of the soil cannot be overlooked either. In the areas with remains, the color of the ground is clearly different, and one can see signs that it has been trodden down. Sometimes soil was transported by human labor from somewhere else for construction, and if it had encountered a fire, the soil might be scorched. In yesterday's explanation, it was mentioned that about one-third of the entire site contained soil carried down from the mountains by a debris flow, so this is one of the important confirmation tasks to clarify that range.

Professor Otohata had assigned the very center of the staked-out area—that is, the place where there was a high possibility of discovering some kind of artifact—to Associate Professor Watanabe and his five subordinates. Associate Professor Watanabe felt humbled and suggested another location since some were absent due to illness, but Professor Otohata just laughed and refused, instead assigning two students who were participating in an excavation for the first time to "provide guidance." It was truly thoughtful. This one example alone shows Professor Otohata's character. I feel like I want to take home some of the dirt from under his fingernails for a certain associate professor.

"That being the case, let's do our best! Don't rush, be careful!"

"Yes."

Associate Professor Watanabe also seemed to naturally put more effort into it. Finally, the actual excavation began. They formed three pairs, and Associate Professor Watanabe oversaw the whole thing while taking records.

Within 30 minutes, a fragment of pottery was unearthed. While removing the soil with a bamboo spatula and brush, once the rough shape was determined, they took records and carefully dug down around it. If it had broken here, the remaining pieces should be nearby, and by matching them, it would be possible to restore the original shape. As expected, several pottery fragments began to appear, spreading radially from the surroundings. What was found first appeared to be the rim of a bowl-shaped piece of pottery.

As far as Yoshino could see, it felt similar to the style of the middle to late Yayoi period. Of course, she didn't say it out loud. Associate Professor Watanabe also picked up the excavated fragment and checked it with a magnifying glass, but he hadn't been breathing for a while. His excitement was palpable.

Professor Otohata took off his work gloves and approached while putting on brand-new white gloves. When looking around, everyone stopped what they were doing and watched the situation with bated breath. Associate Professor Watanabe, who noticed Professor Otohata, handed him the pottery fragment with a touch that could be considered reverent.

"...Yeah, I can't say for sure until I do some dating, but... it resembles the Yayoi style. No, I could even say it bears a striking resemblance... This is... this might be something."

Professor Otohata opened his mouth while repeatedly comparing the remaining fragments still in the soil, whose shapes were just visible, with the fragment in his palm.

Applause erupted from the surroundings along with voices of surprise.

"Ah! No, no, it's too early for applause! Everyone! It only looks that way, that's all!"

He hurriedly waved his hands to correct the content of his statement so there would be no misunderstanding.

"But, we have certainly seen a glimmer of hope! If this is what we have right at the start, we can have high expectations! Now, everyone, let's continue! If you find anything, let me know immediately!"

Clearly, everyone's morale had risen. The three from Koyo-kan University also had shining faces, and they continued their work, leaning in so far that their faces were almost touching the dirt.

"See? It's fun, isn't it? Fieldwork. Of course, it's not like this every time. You guys are very lucky, you know? When it turns out like this, I feel sorry for the two we left at the hotel... It's such a great opportunity, and they had to go and get sick..."

All three nodded broadly and clearly. The fact that they no longer had to go along with the behavior of those two erased their guilt. On top of that, this auspicious event. At the very least, if you are a person who aspires to archaeology, there is no way you wouldn't be happy. Moreover, they might have witnessed a discovery that could rewrite history. There is even a possibility that they will be officially recorded as one of the excavators.

From Chie's investigation, it was confirmed that two of these three male students had enrolled from the same high school as the male student sleeping at the hotel, and that they had been in the same club during high school, with a senior-junior relationship. It was likely due to that power dynamic that they were asked to join. The last student, a female, was a student who had recently started dating one of them.

Given that background, Yoshino decided to overlook the previous actions of these three. On the contrary, she thought she would take this opportunity to bring them over to her side. By building a solid relationship here, she could have them casually pass on information about Associate Professor Okuda. Through casual daily conversation with Yoshino, the three would end up playing the role of spies without even knowing it.

So, Yoshino decided to play the part of a "good senior" even more than usual. She gave appropriate advice at the right time and exaggeratedly praised even the most trivial things. There was no way they would feel bad about that. If they started coming to her for advice on everything, she would have them right where she wanted them.

After that, artifacts were discovered here and there, mainly deep bowls and jar-shaped pottery. It started to look like this site might have been a settlement of considerable size. The entire site became more lively, and the town hall staff became busy making calls to various places. A local TV station came to cover it, and bigwigs even came to inspect it, bringing refreshments.

Then, at 4:00 PM, today's excavation work ended, and blue tarps were spread out over the site. It seems that from tonight, a security company will be in charge of guarding it.

On the minibus ride back, everyone was smiling. Those three had also started to speak up more actively, and Associate Professor Watanabe looked happy as well.

Back at the hotel, the conversation didn't run out even at dinner. Confirmations for tomorrow were also made. It seems the two who had stayed at the hotel didn't end up going to the hospital and stayed quietly in their room. Yoshino had intentionally asked those three to take on that role. They had likely been told about today's discoveries as well. They must have realized, deep down, just how much of a gap had formed between the excavation team and the ones who stayed behind in just half a day.

At 7:00, everyone returned to their rooms. Associate Professor Watanabe was apparently going to head to Kinkin University soon. Yoshino was invited too, but since there were people who were feeling unwell, she decided to stay behind and suggested taking one of the three students instead. Associate Professor Watanabe agreed with that opinion and headed to Kinkin University accompanied by one male student who had raised his hand.

Returning to her room, she contacted Chie. They reported on their day to each other and confirmed their future moves. They would move after everyone was fast asleep. This hotel had an after-hours service entrance, and from there, people could come and go without going through the front desk. It was likely a form of "omission service" to free up employees from people providing various services or people going out to the downtown area until late.

In the meantime, Yoshino decided to take a nap to prepare for the long night. Associate Professor Watanabe had said she would be back by 10:00.

A little before 10:00, someone visited her room. When she went out, it was Associate Professor Watanabe.

"I'm back now. Was there anything unusual?"

"Yes, it's fine. How was it? Kinkin University?"

"Yeah! It's a wonderful university! Setting aside the new facilities, how should I put it, it feels full of vitality. I got the impression that it would continue to develop further."

After that, they discussed tomorrow's plans and parted ways. Yoshino did some careful stretching to reset her body for the upcoming actions.

After 12:00, Yoshino erased her presence and quietly stepped into the hallway. She took the elevator to the first floor, passed the unmanned, unlit front desk, and headed to the back service entrance. Without going around to the front, she exited the premises through the loading passage, and a Ford was stopped on the road. Through the side mirror, she made eye contact with Chie. She got into the car through the side door.

"Nice timing!"

"Really? It was just a coincidence, but I'm glad!"

The car started moving. Yoshino began changing clothes in the rear cargo area. It was about a 30-minute drive from here to the museum. After changing, Yoshino slid into the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt.

"Are you ready?"

"Perfect. Everyone will be out of the building by 7 o'clock. I've already confirmed the camera frequencies. I can disable them with a single keystroke. The traps for the shutters are set, too."

"That's my girl! Thanks. ...By the way, how did it go after that?"

She had wanted to ask that for a long time, but there had been higher-priority conversations, so she hadn't been able to. Now, she had a little breathing room. Chie just grinned and didn't start talking right away, as if to tease Yoshino.

"What's with that look! Was it that funny?"

"Yeah! It was amazing! I recorded it, so why don't you watch it later?"

"Oh! Can I get a digest version, please!"

"Oh man, it was just one string of profanities after another! They were blaming each other so fiercely over who had transmitted it! And then, get this, that male student said it was actually his first time! So he kept insisting it absolutely couldn't have been him!"

"Whoa, he sounded pretty experienced when he was talking, didn't he?"

"Exactly! He talked like he was totally used to playing around, right? He was just desperate to get rid of the blame! It was so funny, I couldn't stop laughing!"

"And, and, what did they say to that?"

"They countered that just because it was his first time didn't mean he didn't have it to begin with, and he was like, 'Wait, really?' They asked him if he washed it properly every day, and he just stammered! He definitely doesn't wash it every day, that's for sure."

"So, the tables turned, then?"

"Yep, yep, from there on, he was just being attacked one-sidedly. By the end, he was almost crying and apologizing. He kept saying, 'Anything but Professor Okuda finding out...' Apparently, his credits are in real trouble."

"Ahaha, what an idiot!"

"To be playing around so much that your credits are in danger, and then to claim it's your first time—that's just too pathetic!"

"Well, looking at him, that's impossible, isn't it?"

After that, the male student reportedly bought a large amount of anti-itch cream and cooling spray at a drugstore. He probably isn't suffering from maddening itching anymore. That said, he'll still be squirming for a while. If he breaks a sweat, it should become unbearable.

Now, it's a question of how Associate Professor Okuda will react, but there probably isn't much he can do anymore. The report of today's discovery should have already reached Koyo-kan University. I'd like to see the look on Associate Professor Okuda's face when he hears the news.

Chie repeated the scene while mimicking them, and Yoshino held her stomach and laughed. The time until they reached the site passed in the blink of an eye.

I performed a thermal scan while circling the perimeter. The museum this time had large grounds, so I couldn't cover the whole thing. However, there were no cars parked in the lot or nearby, and judging by the situation, there was zero chance of anyone being inside.

Chie parked the Ford a short distance from the service entrance. This parking spot had also been carefully considered; it allowed them to reach the point of entry in the shortest distance while also having the lowest probability of being caught by cameras. While cameras can be disabled with jamming, disabling them all at once could invite unnecessary caution. Unless it is an emergency, it is most desirable to keep jamming to a minimum and, if possible, finish everything using only blind spots.

This time, in addition to the usual gear, they were bringing a CO2 gas cylinder to inflate the air jack. With this, they could inflate the jack instantaneously and create a gap of several dozen centimeters in the shutter.

"Ready?"

"Ready!"

They checked each other's equipment in turns and finally put on their night-vision goggles. The two quietly approached the fence, vaulted over it in one leap, and ran silently across the premises toward the shutter.

The air jack unit that Chie had finished setting up looked like an ordinary plastic bag at first glance. It was only a few millimeters thick, but it was a special item sent by Sei that could easily lift a standard passenger car.

When she connected the cylinder and opened the valve, the unit inflated into a perfect sphere in just a few seconds, lifting a portion of the heavy shutter. Yuno slipped her body through the gap first. Chie followed immediately after.

They moved across the concrete floor, crossed the step at the truck berth, and arrived in front of a steel door with an emergency exit sign above it. It was locked with a cylinder lock and equipped with a magnetic security device. While Yuno worked on the cylinder lock with a pick gun, Chie took out a thin magnet and slid it into the sensor section.

Click.

The sound echoed, and Yuno nodded. She opened the door slowly. The alarm did not sound. The magnet Chie had attached had successfully fooled the sensor, making it believe that the door was still closed.

Passing through the door, they emerged into a corridor that continued to the right and straight ahead. The door was located at the junction of a "ro"-shaped corridor. The storage room they were targeting was behind the wall on the right, but there was no entrance on this side. They had to go around to get to the other side.

Yuno walked along the wall down the straight corridor. She hit a T-junction at the end. Turning right would lead to the entrance of the storage room, and turning left would lead to the exhibition room. Without hesitation, she turned right and knelt in front of a door labeled "Storage Room 3." This door was also locked. Following the same procedure as before, she opened the door and went inside. Shelves lined with thin drawers, like those for kimono chests, stretched up to the ceiling. Checking the labels, she found the target number and opened the drawer.

The target item was not there. Only the cotton padding where it should have been placed was indented. Yuno looked back at Chie. Chie also shook her head, as if she didn't know what had happened. When she opened the drawer below that, two ancient documents were there, still in their wooden box. Just to be sure, she opened another drawer. A wooden box was placed there as well.

They checked other shelves, but there was nothing else unusual. In other words, only the target item was missing.

"Something is wrong."

Feeling this, Yuno signaled for an emergency withdrawal with a hand sign. Chie nodded and immediately began to act. Finally, Yuno checked the shelf to make sure it was back to its original state. Chie took a position by the door so she could lock it as soon as Yuno came out. As Yuno closed the door, she removed the magnet attached to the sensor. Just as Chie was about to lock it again and stand up, a figure appeared from the door of the storage room opposite them.

For a moment, they didn't know what had happened, and each of them froze in front of their respective doors. There was one person. He was a very tall man, but they couldn't confirm his features with the night-vision goggles. Since he was wearing sunglasses, a mask, and had the hood of his hoodie pulled deep over his head, they probably wouldn't have been able to confirm them clearly even with the naked eye. He was holding several thin wooden boxes in his hands.

The man suddenly turned on his heel and started running. He turned right at the end of the corridor. Chie started chasing him without a word, and Yuno followed. If they continued like this, they would end up in front of the steel door they had entered through, circling around the storage room. If they split up, they could have cornered him in front of that steel door, but the opponent was clearly stronger than them. She couldn't leave Chie alone.

She turned right a little behind Chie. Chie was about 10 meters behind the opponent, and the opponent was another 5 meters ahead; despite carrying luggage under his arm, his speed was quite fast. They soon hit another right-hand corner, and the man kicked off the left wall to change direction, turning the corner at tremendous speed.

By the time Yuno turned that corner, the man had opened the steel door and was about to step out into the truck yard. She reached it before the door closed and jumped out into the truck yard, where the man had already reached the shutter and easily lifted it with one hand. The metal fittings holding the shutter rail flew off with tremendous force, and the shutter itself, made of aluminum and steel, was severely distorted.

At that point, Chie came to a sudden stop and turned to look at Yukino with a surprised expression. Yukino shook her head vigorously. The pursuit ended there. Yukino hurriedly grabbed the iron door, locked it again, and removed the magnet. Chie approached the shutter cautiously and pulled in the air jack. The two of them hurried back to the car and left the scene promptly in silence.

Who on earth is that guy!? That shutter weighs at least 300kg, right? I can't believe he did that with one hand!

I was surprised too. And the part of the shutter he grabbed was crumpled up like aluminum foil... 'Adrenaline-fueled strength' doesn't even begin to explain it...

That's it! Try turning on the navigation. I threw a tracker at him.

Really!? Nice one, Chie!

She activated the navigation and pulled up the tracker screen. There was an immediate response, showing that it was moving at about 40 km/h on a road about 800 meters away from their current location.

We did it! It looks like it's working!

Amazing! I can't believe you thought of that in that situation! I had even forgotten about the tracker!

No, actually, I just happened to perform maintenance on it earlier today. If I hadn't, I think I would have forgotten about it too.

The two of them high-fived and began to follow from a distance. First, they needed to confirm where he was going. They couldn't afford to engage him directly in their current state.

How long does the battery last?

I just changed it today, so it should last for 10 days.

That should be plenty... Still, though...

Yukino fell into deep thought. But the more she thought about it, the deeper the mystery became. First, there was the opponent's physical ability. It was clearly beyond that of a normal person. If they used the 'Zessoku' technique they had mastered, it might be possible to lift the shutter. But the way the surface was distorted—she couldn't even guess how much grip strength that would require. Besides, why was he targeting that artifact? It was hard to imagine anyone other than them being interested in it. It was an item that had been 'pickled' for 20 years. It wouldn't be strange if even people who knew about it back then had forgotten it.

Judging by his height, could it be the work of some foreigner?

Yukino took out her smartphone and started a call to someone. The person on the other end answered after three rings. It was an inorganic female voice.

Yes.

This is Sasanami. Code LVN4401000A, 'Cocoa Cigarette 277'. ...One inquiry: foreigner, one person, male, height 180 to 190, NRM1015, unusual behavior. Please check for the same conditions for a Japanese person as well.

Understood. Please wait a moment... No matches found.

Thank you.

Holding the smartphone to her mouth after ending the call, Yoshino fell into deeper thought. The person on the other end was the 'Guild's' inquiry center. After providing her name, assigned code, and the day's password, she had confirmed whether there was any scheduled theft by a relevant person today at the Nara Prefecture 1015 Museum (not its official name, of course, but a code). As she had expected, the answer was negative. In other words, it was not a theft reported to the Guild, at the very least.

The mystery deepened further. That archaeological artifact had practically no concrete monetary value. Conversely, if someone wanted it, they might pay any price, but she couldn't imagine anyone pouring a large sum of money into something whose purpose was unknown. There had to be another reason.

"It looks like we're entering an industrial zone, what should we do? There's almost no movement from here on out at this hour, you know?"

"I want to avoid the possibility of being discovered, so let's keep an eye on things from nearby."

"Understood."

They stopped the car on a road about 300 meters away from the target they were tracking. She adjusted the scale of the map displayed on the navigation system. The area the target had entered was a district with warehouses and various processing factories. The target's movement speed gradually slowed, dropping almost to walking speed, and eventually stopped. When she zoomed in on the map to check, it appeared to be a metal processing factory, but upon investigation, the factory had gone bankrupt several years ago, and now only the building remained, with the inside appearing empty.

"It's a perfect place to hide out, isn't it?"

"Yeah. It's basically an uninhabited zone during the night, after all..."

They watched the situation for a while, but the red dot on the map showed no signs of moving. The clock had just passed 3:00 AM.

Thirty minutes passed since then, and while there were signs of movement inside the building, there was no movement indicating anyone was leaving. In a little while, people arriving for early morning shifts would start appearing here. It was unlikely they would move after that.

The two decided that this was the target's base and chose to withdraw for the day. In the car on the way back, they listed every possibility they could think of, but they didn't arrive at any plausible answer. It was their first setback since they started working together.

Not only had they been beaten to the punch, but even though it wasn't them, the building had suffered significant damage. It would likely be on the news tomorrow. Naturally, they would also notice that the item was gone. They shouldn't have left any evidence behind, but anxiety still remained.

It also didn't sit well with her that she didn't know the target's identity or purpose. She hadn't told anyone about this target. Was it just a coincidence? Or perhaps...

Without being able to sleep a wink on her bed, the long night came to an end.

"Let's Get to Work!" (12)
End.

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#NobleThief#Thief#YoshinoYuasa#ChieKamisugi#YayoiYagami#Novel#MiniCooper
#Theft#Archaeology#ArchaeologicalArtifact#AncientDocument#Ford#MakimukuRuins