Miranda

Is everyone ready?

Of course.

As ready as ever!

You're talking to a towel again instead of me...

Whatever. It's dark, so I suppose it can't be helped.

Remember, we can't tolerate any mistakes... or at least not too many.

We can overlook a few mistakes, considering who our target is.

Are we really going through with this?

What if Mir...

*Grrr*

... What if Codename: Orange ends up feeling distraught over this?

To be honest, I'm not entirely comfortable with this either.

But we have to steel ourselves.

It's high time for Codename: Orange to face the music.

You haven't forgotten, have you? We have to settle this once and for all.

All right. I'll summon my courage!

Let's tie up some loose ends!

All right then.

We start tomorrow, just as we planned.

Hello there, Commander.

Good day!

How did you know?

Okay, fair point. However, this isn't any run-of-the-mill case.

Miranda's been assigned a special mission. Would you be able to lend her some support?

Indeed! As a proud member of the A.C.P.U.,

I've finally been tasked with something other than directing traffic! This time, I'm in charge of a criminal investigation.

Thank you!

I have to admit though, leaving this entirely to Miranda makes me a bit nervous.

Could you possibly keep an eye on her?

I really appreciate it.

Yeah, thank you!

Now that that's settled...

Let me brief you both on the case.

The suspect is a rather notorious figure.

Dozens of different charges have been pinned on her.

D-did you say "dozens"?

And those are only the ones we know of. There could be a lot more.

*Gulp*

But she has overextended herself.

She has been active for a long time, and left behind far too many traces of her misdeeds.

Like what?

Physical evidence. Witnesses and victims.

Then we should be able to catch her quickly!

Still, we mustn't let our guard down.

One wrong move on our part could result in innocent civilians suffering.

Do you remember what I told you?

Uh...

"The dead tell no tales", right?

You're not wrong, but that's more like something a criminal or private eye would say.

I was referring to a more fundamental truth. Do you not remember?

Hmm... Oh!

"Everyone is equal before the law"!

... I'd be inclined to agree.

I'll give you a hint. It's related to traces.

Oh! I remember now!

"A criminal always leaves a trace"!

Exactly.

The evidence left behind by the criminal never lies.

They're the consequence of their actions, forever bound by cause and effect.

Make sure to remember that, especially for this mission.

Understood!

Now, could you step outside for a moment?

I have something to discuss with the Commander.

Okay!

Commander, I want you to listen carefully and not freak out.

... Miranda is the suspect.

I've been waiting for you guys.

You're here to take a look at the evidence for the case Miranda is working on, right?

Indeed we are!

Yes. This mission has had a long preparation phase.

We've been slowly accruing various pieces of information and gathering evidence.

Wait, what does that leave me to do then?

Hey, you're right!

I'll reach a conclusion and catch the criminal!

All right! I'll be rooting for you, Miranda.

Here's everything that we believe the suspect left behind.

It's already been sorted and organized. Take your time.

Hmm? What is this?

It's a popped balloon.

The suspect helped a child who was crying

because the balloon she was carrying had gotten stuck in a tree.

That child later submitted the deflated balloon as evidence.

Unfortunately for her, she left her fingerprints on it,

not to mention the child being a witness.

... Was this child a girl, perhaps? With black hair and pigtails?

Yes, that description matches her exactly.

!!

I helped a child like that once! That means...

That means...?

It's possible I encountered the suspect before!

Oh... uh, yes, that may be true.

This still isn't enough to go on though. Could you show me some more evidence?

Of course.

I'm not entirely sure if this next piece qualifies as evidence,

but the suspect reportedly helped a lost animal find its owner.

Precisely!

Hold on... Pet ownership isn't allowed in the Ark. How could this even have occurred?

Pardon? I didn't catch that.

Oh, nothing.

Moving on.

The animal that had been lost was none other than Beatrice!

*Bark*?

!!

Beatrice! Did you get lost again?

Yeah. I found her wandering in the park and played with her.

Before long, her owner appeared, which was a bit disappointing actually.

Hold on.

I couldn't have been the one who helped Beatrice. That was the suspect!

Or maybe me helping her was a separate incident.

*Grr*

It certainly seems that way.

Beatrice is familiar with the suspect's scent,

so she'll be able to confirm whether someone is truly the culprit.

*Sniff sniff*

*Woof! Woof, woof!*

Yes! I'm happy to see you too, Beatrice!

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that Beatrice will be able to lead us directly to the culprit.

Do you have anything else to show me?

Yes, one final item, and it's quite damning.

After I show you that, you can meet the witnesses.

Wha... this is my police badge!

?!

Hold, why is that...?

Oh no! I didn't mean for you to see that...

... I think I can see what's going on here.

I-I can explain, Miranda...

The criminal is...

whoever stole my police badge!

I thought I had misplaced it, and was worried about Poli giving me an earful. Thank goodness it's back!

...

Yeah... I'm happy for you.

Novel said that she'd gathered some witnesses for us in the park...

I sure have!

I, the great detective Novel, am more than happy to lend a hand for your unique mission.

Oh, hey Novel!

Thank you so much! I'm glad to have you on my team.

Greetings! I've been briefed on everything.

This time around, Watson will be assisting Miranda.

Is that so?

??

Didn't Poli tell you what was happening?

Don't worry, Watson.

I, Novel the supersleuth, have planned out everything.

To be honest, you really don't have to do much.

So, where are the witnesses?

Just a moment. I've secured their cooperation, so I'll bring them over.

This is our first witness. Dun dun dun!

Mir—er... I mean,

the suspect had light brown wavy hair, tied into pigtails.

She was wearing a uniform, and was bursting with energy.

Light brown wavy hair tied into pigtails... and a uniform...

Wait a minute.

That sounds a heck of a lot like me!

Hehe, yeah. She did bear a strong resemblance to you.

So much so, you wouldn't blame someone for mistaking you two for the same person.

That's impossible!

I'm no criminal! I'm an officer of the law who's dedicated to protecting our citizens!

... Right.

You're a wonderful officer, and we all commend you for that.

Uh...

Thanks for saying that!

No need to thank me. Let's continue.

This person is always running around and getting involved in all sorts of incidents.

What sort of incidents?

Playing with lost puppies, comforting children who lost their balloons,

picking up litter, catching the occasional criminal...

However, most of her time is dedicated to directing traffic.

Silence!

Puppies... balloons... kids... cleaning... criminals... directing traffic?

...

!!

Well...

I'm still not quite sure. I think I'll need to hear from another witness.

Thank you for your testimony.

Now, onto the next witness.

This individual has actually spoken with the suspect.

That could be immensely helpful!

Please, could you share your testimony with us?

Dun dun dun!

It was during a terrorist attack in the city.

I had been taken hostage,

and was pushed out of a high-rise.

Is the suspect we're after a terrorist? We must apprehend her before she strikes again!

Oh no,

the terrorist was caught at the time.

I'm glad to hear it.

Now then, you say you interacted with the suspect?

Yes,

she caught me just after I had been pushed off the building.

It sounds to me like she's a good person.

But if that's true, why is she a suspect?

Uh... well...

Yes, she truly is a good person.

Although we're regarding her as a suspect, that might be chalked up to a misunderstanding.

In fact, she might have actually been helping us all along.

That's right. Perhaps, rather than being punished, she deserves to be rewarded.

Hmm...

In any case, that's all the evidence and testimonies we have at the moment.

Now it's up to you to identify the suspect.

...

Yes, I do.

The mystery is solved!

Dun dun dun!

The mystery...

is completely solved!

You reached the truth faster than I expected!

Tell us who it is, and we'll haul her to the Police Station.

...

The suspect...

The suspect is Poli!

All of the information

points to me being the offender,

but I'm not!

Therefore, the suspect must be the person closest to me, Poli.

Exactly, and that's precisely why Poli is the guilty party.

Because I'm not.

I'm going to meet Poli.

...

Persuade her.

If Poli is indeed guilty, she will have to accept her punishment.

But then again, both the witnesses and Novel mentioned that the suspect may in fact be acting altruistically.

If that's the case, I'll congratulate Poli on a job well done serving the citizens.

However, if she's guilty, I will make sure she reflects on her actions.

Why not?

The first testimonial...

The suspect had light brown wavy hair tied into pigtails...

!!!

White.

And fluffy, And not tied into pigtails.

... So it's not Poli?

...

I see.

Thank goodness.

For a moment, I was convinced it was her.

Of course. Poli would never go against the law.

But...

Why does all of this point to me?

If things keep going the way they are, I'll mess up this unique opportunity I've been given.

Where?

??

Why?

What?!

Why are the lights off?

??

Poli! Quiry! We're back!

Novel? Is anyone here?

Commander, I don't think there's anyone h...

Congratulations, Miranda!

It's a celebration!

Congrats!

Huh?

Wh-what is this?

It's a surprise party!

You had no idea, did you? I knew that my plan would go off brilliantly.

A... party?

You've accomplished so much since joining the A.C.P.U.

Of course, you've caused a few accidents as well.

I'm sorry...

There's no need to apologize. You helped far more people than you've harmed, and everyone appreciates you, Miranda.

Is that true?

Absolutely.

Not everyone could make it, but we had many other "witnesses".

And here.

Look at how much evidence of your hard work there is.

What is that?

These are the traces you've left behind, Miranda.

All the hard work and effort you've done for the citizens of the Ark.

Traces...

I collected them slowly over time, in order to show you how much you've grown.

When the time is right,

I wanted you to see every single one of them, one by one.

...

And there's this.

This is a sheet of paper where all the people you've helped

have written messages for you.

These are also parts of the traces that you've left behind.

There are so many...

But...

I remember all of them.

Ahem. We'll give you a moment.

No, you should stay, Commander.

There's a reason we asked for your help today.

You have a role only you can fulfill.

Continue to look after Miranda just as you've been doing.

Y-yes?

... I'm fine.

It's just...

... Commander.

Do I really deserve this?

But...

I was just doing my duty as an officer.

I've never done anything to earn such a gift.

Even today, I missed such obvious clues.

Then what should I do?

...

Yes.

I'll keep doing my best!

I hope everyone who made me feel this much joy,

can continue to live comfortably and safely!

Thank you so much, Commander.

You played an important role!

Or, rather, you will.

You'll be a witness to the other witnesses.

All of those people we spoke to today remembered me,

but before I interacted with them and remembered, I had forgotten.

That's why I need someone to be a witness to my own deeds.

And only you can do that!

Yes!

Commander?

What's that?

Ah...!

...

Yes, Commander!