Volume 3 - CH 4.4

Kazuya returned to the police station with Luigi.

When he barged into the conference room, the detectives all rose to their feet, startled. They stared at the dirty street urchin, covering their noses, looking like they wanted to get out of there. Kazuya pulled Luigi to the middle of the conference room.

Inspector Blois, too, was stunned. “Who’s that, Kujou?”

“A witness.”

The detectives shared looks.

“His name’s Luigi,” Kazuya continued. “He’s been in front of Jeantan for years and has seen a lot. And he has incredibly good memory. He can testify.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Luigi, how many detectives are in this room?”

“Forty-two,” the kid replied boredly.

The inspector stared at Kazuya with a puzzled expression. When Kazuya signaled with his eyes, the inspector reluctantly started counting the detectives. It was surprisingly difficult to count them all since they were sitting in different spots. Not only that, but some moved, and others came in and out.

“Line up and count off!” the inspector ordered.

The detectives glanced at each other and began forming a line. “One, two, three…” When there were only a few detectives left, a stir ran among them.

“Forty-two,” the last one mumbled.

The detectives regarded Luigi.

Kazuya nodded. “Smart kid, huh?”

“I don’t like smart kids,” Inspector Blois muttered.

He sat Luigi down in a chair and showed him photos of girls. Luigi shook his head at the first few photos and brushed them aside.

“I’ve never seen these girls before,” he said.

Inspector Blois gave Kazuya a reproachful look.

“I know this lady,” Luigi said, pointing to a woman’s photo. “She comes to Jeantan three times a week and buys lots of stuff. She’s still alive and kicking. Saw her yesterday.”

One of the detectives looked distressed. “He’s right…!” he mumbled.

Kazuya had no idea what it was about.

“We ran out of random photos to throw into the mix, so I confiscated photos of the detectives’ wives and daughters that they carry around,” Inspector Blois whispered. “The woman seems to be his wife. Must be rough having a shopaholic wife.”

“Ah, I see.”

When Luigi saw the next photo, he suddenly took a big breath. All gazes were on him. His eyes and lips were partly open, as though in a trance.

“Last winter. February 12th. 3:05 PM. She entered Jeantan, and that’s it. She never came out.”

One of the detectives compared the photo with some documents. His face paled visibly, and he handed the document to Inspector Blois. The inspector’s face turned red.

“This girl right here,” Luigi continued. “Spring this year. May 3rd. 7:12 PM. She never came out.”

Another document was passed around.

“Summer two years ago. August 30th. 11:02 AM. Never came out.”

The detectives stared at Luigi’s half-open eyes like they were looking at something horrifying. One after another, documents were handed out, and those who looked through them were rendered speechless.

Kazuya stood up and peered into the documents.

All the women in the photographs Luigi had selected were those who vanished in the darkness. Women who suddenly disappeared somewhere in Saubreme and have yet to be found. The time of their disappearance matched with the date and time that Luigi recounted.

Inspector Blois groaned. “So these people really did disappear in Jeantan?”

The conference room was filled with a strange silence.

“What’s going on, then? Why do people disappear in Jeantan? What’s their purpose? We need clues.”

This would be the time when the inspector would come to St. Marguerite Academy, climb to the top of the library, pretend to be talking to Kazuya, and use the Wellspring of Wisdom of the little detective, Victorique. But that wasn’t possible at the moment. They were in a city far from the village, and Victorique was not around.

Kazuya wanted to solve this mystery. But no matter how hard he tried to wrap his head around it, he didn’t know what to do.

“I know!” Kazuya exclaimed.

Inspector Blois turned to him. “What is it, Kujou?”

“I called Victorique earlier. Though I wasn’t really able to talk to her… Let’s explain everything that’s happened to her and ask for her help. I’m sure she can clarify things for us.”

“No.” Inspector Blois’ response was immediate.

“Wh-Why not?” Kazuya asked, confused.

“Because the price is too great.”

Kazuya cocked his head. “Price?”

Inspector Blois did not answer. The clock ticked away.

In the corner of the conference room, Kazuya heaved a deep sigh. “Let’s call Victorique, Inspector. I’m sure she can help.”

“No! I don’t wanna!” the inspector shouted.

The childish remark caught Kazuya off-guard. “Why are you so against it? And what exactly do you mean by price?”

The inspector pouted like a child and remained silent for a while, but eventually he opened his mouth, albeit with hesitation. “If you really want her help, then you ask for it. Do not mention my name.”

“What?!” Kazuya snapped.

The inspector was doing the usual thing, and it pissed him off. He would rely on his sister’s help, but when the case was solved, he would insist that he did it on his own and take all the credit. And for some reason, he was always scared of Victorique.

“Be reasonable,” Kazuya said. “You ask for her help.”

“You can ask for help all you want, and you’ll be fine. But not me.”

“Huh?”

“You don’t understand, Kujou. That… thing is a… Gray Wolf. A terrifying creature. You don’t know anything yet. I’ve learned the hard way that the cost of asking for help is terribly high. And I’m not alone on this one. It’s everyone from the Blois family.”

“Victorique is a terrifying creature?”

Kazuya laughed a little. He remembered the time when Victorique tripped over his foot and fell flat on her face, how she looked teary-eyed when he flicked her forehead, and the way she glanced around in wonder at the things she’d never seen before.

It was, however, true that Victorique was incredibly smart and had a very complicated personality.

“You’re just exaggerating,” Kazuya said.

“You don’t know anything yet,” the inspector repeated.

Kazuya chuckled. “You’re talking about her devilish demands, right? You pay a price for her help. I think it’s adorable.”

“No, it’s not!”

“Isn’t it just bringing her some rare snacks, or finding mysterious cases? Sure, Victorique can be a little bit mean at times…”

“Snacks? Cases? Are you stupid?”

“What did you say?!”

The inspector sighed heavily and pointed to his head. “Do you know why I’m wearing my hair like this?” he asked with a serious face.

Kazuya had no answer. He stared at Inspector Blois’s blonde hair, twisting like a drill and fixed using hair gel.

“I thought you liked the style,” Kazuya said.

“Of course not! Are you insane?!”

“Victorique said it was genetic.”

“That little twerp…”

Inspector Blois stamped his feet like a child. In a way, his immature and feisty response was oddly reminiscent of Victorique.

Yup, they’re siblings all right, Kazuya thought as he watched the man.

Eventually, Inspector Blois calmed down a bit. “It happened five years ago,” he began. “She was still in the Blois family’s tower back then. I went to check on her from time to time. She was a creepy Gray Wolf, but she was my sister. I was curious how she was doing.”

Kazuya recalled what Victorique had said about her brother Grevil de Blois when she showed him the “magic ring” yesterday.

“I was locked up in the tower, and for some odd reason Grevil came to see me every day and silently observed me, which I found quite creepy.”

“Victorique told me just the other day about how her brother was so creepy back then because he would stare at her without saying a word.”

“She’s the creepy one! She’s too smart! Apathetic, showed no interest about her family, and just indifferent. She was terrifying.” He breathed a deep sigh. “One day, I had to ask the horrid creature’s help… It was for a certain lady.”

Inspector Blois’ face turned a little red. “I really wanted to solve the case. The lady was about to be charged with a crime she did not commit. I steeled myself and climbed that dark and eerie tower to ask for her help. The mind of a Gray Wolf is a horrifying thing. The case was solved in no time at all.” Inspector Blois pointed to his hair. “As payment, I’m to forever keep this hairdo.”

“Did you know it was weird?”

“Of course I did! But I made a promise!” He heaved another sigh and took his pipe out from his pocket with shaky hands. He lit it, took a puff, and let out a smoky sigh. “That’s not all. I asked for help again two years ago. She was already in St. Marguerite Academy then. I had just become a police inspector and I really wanted to make a name for myself. The case was quickly solved with her help, of course, but ever since then, my two men have to hold hands at all times.”

“I thought they were just close.”

“That one wasn’t so bad. They’re childhood friends, though not close enough to walk hand in hand. I mean, we’re talking about grownups here.”

Kazuya could not believe it. He was finally beginning to understand what the inspector meant when he said, “The privilege you enjoy is so odd, it’s like getting free money from an unscrupulous loan shark.” At the same time, he was stunned at how childish Victorique’s demands were despite her claims that they were devilish.

Why did she help him when they first met?

Sure, she asked him to bring her some rare delicacy, but it was not a taxing demand, and more importantly, there was nothing devilish about it at all. The spite that she usually wielded with all her might in her small hands was nowhere to be found.

Perhaps Victorique actually treated him way nicer than most people? By her standards, of course.

Then he remembered the reply he received before he left the academy. It contained only the word “Idiot.” And when he called her earlier for help, she just said idiot. Anger flared within him.

“You keep pestering me for cases, saying you’re bored, but when I got one for you, you’re too grumpy to even listen!”

“What are you talking about, Kujou?”

“N-Nothing…”

Kazuya sighed.

The detectives were whispering at each other, staring in their direction. They were getting impatient.

Kazuya stood up and asked a nearby detective if he could use the phone. “I just want to call a friend,” he said.

Kazuya turned to the inspector, who kept mumbling under his breath. “Fine. I’ll ask her myself. But this is the last time I’m doing this.”

“Remember: you’re the one asking her for help.”

“I get it already. A man does not go back on his words. You look like you do, though.”

Kazuya grabbed the receiver, and asked the operator to connect him to St. Marguerite Academy.