Chapter 66 - Morning blues

Before seeing the play with Akito in the afternoon. Setsura spent the morning in the church. When Akito first told her about this place, Setsura wanted to visit right away. It reminded her of the church she attended in the future. She isn't a religious person; however, Setsura liked to help out in these places because ---

"Miss! Miss Setsura." A young girl called out to her.

"Yes?"

The girl extended her hand out; it was a flower. "For you!"

Setsura smiled, "Thank you. Breakfast is soon, so make sure you wash up before then, okay?"

"Yes!"

It's because of the little children. She is glad to find that the church in these times takes care of orphans. Still, it's surprising. According to history, churches or any forms of religion were banned in Japan for a long time. The rules were strengthened during the Tokugawa reign too. After the rebellion in the late 1630's, thousands of rebels were executed, and there was a full ban on Christianity.

It wasn't until the start of the Meiji restoration era, did this ban gets lifted. Many old rules were scrapped and reformed during the start of this era. Still, Setsura knew that the topic of worship was still debatable for people.

While she has gotten used to life here, there is something she won't be able to get used to. Seeing weapons on a daily basis. In the modern-day, one can't carry a weapon in public. If they do, they will end up at the police station in seconds.

'You hate weapons, don't you? Then see if you can find anyone who won't resort to using weapons as a means to protect.'

Was the food supposed to be a bribe? Or was it a compliment? Either way, back then, Setsura didn't want anything to do with rich people.

She could remember how negative her thoughts were; she had always regarded those rich nobles as individuals that probe each other's intentions and drag each other down as being ridiculous.

After Setsura cleaned inside the church, she made her way to the back. Rake in hand, she raked up the leaves in the backyard. It was a quiet morning. It was only 6 am, so Setsura knew that some people were still not awake. She put the rake down for a moment and stretched her arms. It seems like she is settling in at last. Now that she has, she ought to get down to business. She ought to contact Oslo's helper, that man named Katakura. While Setsura enjoyed her current life, it felt like she was ignoring something important.

Akito comes back fatigued these days because he is working hard on the case. That case is strongly connected to her, so she can't ignore it. Besides, she wants to talk to that guy too. When she was in front of Akito, Setsura didn't say much because she sensed the conflict between the two.

At the speed she's working at, though, she ought to be done soon. Maybe when she is done here she can help out with the cooking? Setsura shook her head; the food will be for the children. She can't do any experiment cooking now of all times.

Her thoughts are interrupted when she saw a man standing in the cemetery.

Blue hair, that top hat, and those clothes. Setsura immediately hid behind some trees, 'What is he doing here?' Now that she thought about it, somebody mentioned it, right?

'-- young master, comes every Wednesday with white lilies to place on a grave.'

Setsura recalled the conversation she overheard earlier. The young master they are talking about is Chauncey Long? She looked over; she didn't want to intrude on his private time. Even though it looked like she had some kind of grudge against him, it was only because of Akito. When she heard the story from Victor, she found it completely ridiculous. This man is so stupid, why didn't he just tell Akito the truth? If he did that, then so many misunderstandings would have been avoided.

It would be rude just to ignore him and leave. Setsura looked back at him, should she wait for a bit? It's not like he saw her anyway. So..but still..ahhh. Maybe she should stop messing around with him. No matter how strong she is, there are limits to her strength. If sir Long is serious - and gets angry, she wouldn't be able to face him.

Chauncey Long is a member of the mafia, he's the leader? She still isn't sure if he just leads one group or is the leader of all groups. Either way, she knows a dangerous man when she sees one. Initially, this was the reason why she avoided him. The only reason she summed up some bravery was because of what Victor said. Whenever it concerns Akito, she really does end up doing outrageous things. Setsura sighed, right; she ought to just leave.

Just as Setsura walked away, she accidentally steps on something - a massive crunch sound fills the space.

Chauncey glanced over, and their eyes met. Wah-! As expected, that noise did not go unnoticed at all. He placed the flowers on the grave and walked over. For a few minutes, nobody spoke. Setsura figured that she shouldn't say his name just in case somebody overheard. The name Chauncey Long invites great hate or gossip. In this case, it will be gossip from the people living here and fear from the children? It would be both.

"Miss Setsura."

"Y- Good morning," Setsura managed to save herself from making a complete fool of herself.

"You're awake early…" Chauncey looked around.

Setsura quickly interjected, "Akito isn't here."

"I see, I expected you two to be together."

He did, to do what? Setsura felt very protective ever since she learned about what happened in the past. Still, even though Victor told her a lot, she knew there were a lot of things he was holding back from her as he ought to.. She would rather hear it from Akito herself or the people involved.

"Are you off duty?" His clothes looked slightly different.

Chauncey nodded, "I have my day off."

Ah, so even the mafia's get a day of? That's a bit surprising. Setsura shifted about uncomfortably. So, why isn't he leaving yet? Is he going to finally complain about her bad behavior? Setsura didn't mean to act like a brat; she really didn't. But it couldn't be helped. Just as she was racking her head what to do, a white butterfly emerged from her pocket.

Chauncey's gaze dimmed, and the surrounding aura around him changed in an instance. He pulled his gun out of his pocket and pointed it towards her. "Woman, you really are involved."

Setsura knew this situation was terrible. This is why she made sure she left the butterfly at the mansion. What does she do? Anything she says will look like an excuse.