บท 19: Can this day get any weirder?

Sitting in Detective Pierce's car, a heavy silence hung between us. Every now and then, he would glance my way, but words seemed to escape him. Staring out the window, my mind raced through the events of the day. With the calming effect of my AuraSync Regulator, my thoughts were clearer, yet the weight of the day's revelations still pressed heavily on me.

As we drove away from downtown, the grimy streets of The Hollows gave way to the towering megablocks of my neighborhood. Each block, a giant monolith against the night sky, stood as a testament to the city's stark inequalities. The streets, bathed in the neon glow from countless signs and billboards, were bustling with life, yet each face seemed lost in its own world.

Pierce finally broke the silence. "I'm not used to working with... girls," he said, his voice trailing off awkwardly.