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A place where the lights of the shops finally flicker to life in the dark of night, rather than the dazzling morning. That is Neon City.

In this society, weakness has become a vulnerability, and those without the ability to survive are no different from nutrients or stepping stones for others to climb higher.

Those who are not qualified for protection in Neon City. Here, they are called the Lost Ones.

They are beings that can be conveniently used and discarded for one's own success, without any cost or guilt. They are little more than empty cans rolling around on the street.

For those Lost Ones to survive, they struggle by plundering the property of others and dragging down those who try to step over them.

And, there are those who exist to stop them.

A job where you catch the Lost Ones, put them in prison, and the pay varies depending on the number of Lost Ones caught.

People called them Inspectors.

...Sigh, is he ever going to show up?

And that is exactly what my job is.

On a day of heavy monsoon rain, I was lying in wait at an entertainment establishment, my black cap pulled down low, predicting the appearance zones of the Lost Ones as usual.

However, the rain outside only grew heavier, and no one who looked like a Lost One could be found anywhere.

Just as I was about to stand up with a deep sigh, a foul smell from someone passing by me made my head turn instinctively.

...Ugh, just now—

Frowning at the nauseating smell, I turned my head to see a man in a black mask hurrying toward the safe.

Holding my breath, I began to follow him cautiously. I lost him a couple of times in the large crowd, but the place he finally arrived at was the safe of the establishment. A place where mountains of money were gathered.

At the sound of a cynical laugh as he unlocked it quickly, as if he had done it many times before,

BANG—!

I pulled out my club without hesitation and struck him across the back.

Just as I was about to pull out my handcuffs along with the sharp thrill traveling up the club, he vanished into the crowd in an instant, clutching only the money. Another failure today.

..Dammit.

Suppressing the boiling emotions inside, I was heading back through the monsoon rain, racking my brain for how to report this to my superiors.

When I was almost there, I looked up and saw a figure sitting under a streetlamp in the alley in front of the headquarters.

I don't know where the umbrella went, but their hair was limp and stuck wetly to Guest's cheeks and neck.

Without even a moment to think, I ran until I was out of breath and placed my black cap on their head.

...Are you an idiot? Why are you out here in the rain?