-~*~-
~The Next Day~
After Yanyi had clock in to her work, she saw Luyao coming out from his office with his coat on. Curious to him getting out so quickly in the morning, Yanyi ask where he is going. He just tug on her arm and drag her into the vehicle. It seem like whatever is going on, he can't wait to go and very important it seem. She just wait until they are inside to demand for explanation.
After closing the door and the window in between the passengers and the driver, Luyao explain the premise of his quick pace. "A dead body was discovered early in the morning around 5. I just came from the manor and got inform of it 5 minutes before your arrival." He tried to tidy himself up and check that every piece of equipment is within his grasp.
Yanyi — "Why didn't they inform you when they first discover it? I know that you're at home, but a dead body is a concern to the citizen."
Luyao — "I would love to know that as well, but I can guess why they did so."
Yanyi — "Explain."
Luyao — "They inform the nearest police station around the area and the info arrived at the headquarters just as people are about to clock in. Everyone just got to work and of course it would be chaotic."
Yanyi — "This happen at another district?"
Luyao — "Yes. The marketing district where most people walk over to work. I reckon that it would be crowded once we got there. People's curiosity is powerful than their hardworking mind."
After 45 minutes with full speed, of course making sure that they take the route with almost to none civilians, they arrived at the scene of the crime. Yanyi found a familiar brunette hair walking all over the inside of the police tapes taking pictures. There aren't a lot of people that can duck under even with authorities approval, and them being a reporter at that. Yanyi can think of one and one name only.
The girl turns her head when one of the officers on duty of safe keeping the scene make a salute of Luyao's and Yanyi's name. "Yanyi, Luyao. You've arrive." Kazuto came out from behind her, now it made senses that her being here is all because of Kazuto. Every now and then, he would walk Irene to her office because they use the same route and it makes time going to work much less boring.
Irene drag Yanyi over to where the body is supposedly and Kazuto went over to talk with Luyao about something. Daniel had arrive and is working with a few of the forensic teams doing a post mortem before going on a detailed autopsy back in the station. Seeing the two approaching Daniel had already talk with a few other colleagues away from the body.
Yanyi was curious as to why Irene suddenly drag her to the body so quickly, she's going to look at it anyway. But soon enough she understood her urgent essence. Sitting on the cold cement tiles and leaning against the structural red brick wall is a face she hasn't seen for over 2 years. It was back when she was 19 years old did she learn from him. That scar on his neck that she remembered occurred because of her in their chemistry lab.
"... Prof-Professor... Professor Owil...?" Her tone shows disbelief and slight shock. Irene knew with a single glance into her eyes, that dilated pupils as well as her downcast and unflinching eyelids. She is grieving inside, sorrow hidden right behind those eyes. Perhaps it is because the person who she sees right now is the person who taught her to be strong and mask her fragile feelings.
Irene — "Di-Did you get any memo from Dev when he sent letters to you?"
Yanyi — *nods* "He did say that one of our beloved Professor is going to come for a visit. I thought that they would be arriving this week and travel during the day... I didn't expect..."
Irene grip onto her left hands and slowly crease her backhand. Professor Owil is their chemistry teacher when they study in Soter Academy. Yanyi is the most wildest when it comes to her days in the Academy and Prof Owil is one of the teachers that never gives up on making sure Yanyi is able to stay in school as well as keeping her free-spirited life.
"Can we get the verdict of the incident?" Irene ask an officer standby and he handed the verdict that Daniel had just finish organizing. She knew that Yanyi is more willing to read them than hearing the horrendous state that he must be before he was found dead.
An officer who had been handed out the documents gives them out as well as the bag which contains the evidence that they found. It is a broken Azure Signia that presumably belongs to the murderer. An Azure Signia... Ironic isn't it. The Cryst that symbolizes justice is the one to make the crime.
The report says that the body was discovered at around 5 in the morning by the boss of the restaurant while he was out to take the trash and prepare for opening. He stumble upon the body when he discovered a very disturbing smell coming from the entrance of the shop. Low and behold, he found a newly decomposing body by the side of his doorstep wall.
He immediately call the nearby police station and reported a murder case. Soon after it was transferred to the main station for further analysis. And here we are, standing in front of the body. By the results that Daniel had compose, the body starts to rot 6 to 7 hours before the discovery, which would be at midnight. Every store would be close and inoperative at the time, so what is he doing here at such late hours?
.
.
.
Luyao walk over with Kazuto to where the red boy found something rather suspicious. On the floor where they had been standing at is a brick tiles that has either cracked or misplace. "Crack floors? Aren't they always maintained by the road development team?" Luyao voice out his thoughts. He had been living with the Ryuichi since he was a toddler and he learn and heard a few of the working quota. Even when he's an adult he still keel in touch. That is him, what about Kazuto, he'd be more suspicious of it than him.
Kazuto — "Yesterday, I happen to overseer some of the road developers teams project in the filing room. The latest one that they has been tasked to is this area. It's often come into contact with carriages, vehicles and pedestrians, the road is bound to get easily damage."
Luyao — "It takes a long time for something as hard as a brick to crack on it's own. How long ago was the project finish?"
Kazuto — "Three days ago."
Luyao is quite speechless. How can a brick pavement floor crack in under three days?! He didn't have much time to think when Kazuto says a much bigger clue. "And this isn't the only one here. There's loads of them around the crime scene." Luyao look over to him and saw the look that he hadn't seen for a long time. The face where Kazu suspect that it is a part of the crime.
After confirming the location of the unusual bricks pavement they went over to the girls and check on what they are doing. "Have you girls found anything?" Luyao asks, he sees that Yanyi wasn't responding to neither him nor Irene when she's explaining everything that they found so far. Except the part where they knew the victim.
Luyao — "The broken signia... we can check over the weapon log in the manor for the owner."
Irene — "Great. Then we can clear this throughly right, Yan-!"
Yanyi — "We'll be taking our leave."
Without a word, Yanyi get a hold of Kazuto's jacket and drag him away from them and eventually the crime scene, following a single road where she knows who she's finding. It was quite far so they stop for a public carriages for a ride. The silence on the ride is quite uncomfortable but both of them knew so. "You have my condolences, Yanyi." Kazuto said in a quiet vocal.
He knew from a glance at the face that he was the renowned Professor of Soter Academy. While Luyao is away to take his police training, Kazuto was tutored by a few people and Professor Owil is one of them. He somehow remembered how he use to say that one of his student is such a troublemaker that he himself has to make sure she didn't get suspended.
Yanyi — "The one who should receive your condolences are his family members."
Kazuto — "You mean all of his disciple that he had saved and teach throughout his career as a teacher, lecturer and a Professor? Then doesn't that makes you one of his family."
Yanyi — "I ran away from my responsibility and problem. I make him worried till the point of death. Would you consider them family?"
Kazuto — "As long as you has yet to plan anything that could harm them, even if you disowned them, then yes. In my book, you still count as family."
Yanyi — "..."
Nothing is said later and they continue on until they reach a rather heavy metal punk street style. Gears, lever and motor covered the area. It almost like an entirely different city. This is the Hephaestus Smith district where most people go to to search for gears, weapon or more commonly known among the higher birth, signia.
When you earn a cryst from the Aurilians, you wasn't bestowed with a weapon, rather it must be forged with the cryst that you've earn for it to fit your fighting style. Yanyi isn't here to forge a new signia or shopping for a new weapon or gear. She is looking for a rather familiar face among the Lord General rank that has work for his family for generation.
She then caught the ever familiar store that she had heard before from this acquaintance of her. Such a long time ago, she remember begging for him to make one signia for her. The bell on top ring to show that there's a customer entering which means they'll get even more sales. The cashier stare at the two and slowly lowered his head, greeting Kazuto as a sign of mannerism.
Cashier — "Is there anything I can help you, our dear customer?"
Yanyi — "We're here to meet the owner of this shop. Can you perhaps ask for his time. If he ask who is coming just say an old child."
Cashier — "Very well, I shall fetch the owner right away. Make yourself at home miss, Young Marquess Ryuichi."
The man walk to the back of the store where most of the workers stay for smithing new products. If I'm not mistaken you can actually hire a few temporary guards from this shop. They train people on how to fight and keep their clients safe as well as ensuring that no products came to waste of use. Really good business idea.
Kazuto is looking over the gun rack while having a conversation with Yanyi. She never really said anything about this person that they're going to meet. "So... who is this person that you want to ask help from?" Whoever she is planning to ask is clearly someone of higher education in weaponry. Even Kazuto can't help but be impress by the quality of the guns and snipers that he see.
Yanyi is looking over a few of the signing weapon choices in their personal magazines while waiting and answering his curiosity. "You'll know when you meet him. All I can say to you is that his family is a great acquaintance to mine." She whistle when her eyes caught over a new design to which a sword and dagger switch places. Quite nice in her opinion.
"You're making me go on a goose chase for answer on purpose, right?" She stayed silent and that left Kazuto to ignore his own question. In less than 10 minutes the cashier went away, a pair of new footsteps came across the front of the shop. It is much heavier than that of the cashier so this person has a bigger bodily structure. "Ah~. It has been so long since I've seen you, Lil' Yanyi."
She slowly close the magazine and turn her head towards the counter with a heart warming a gentle smile, greeting the man behind the glass rack. "It's my pleasure to see you once again... General Jerad Hiryon." The man in question has a dark black locks and a pair of bright hazel eyes. If he was in his prime years by which I mean in his twenties, ladies would be swarming all over him.
Jerad Hiryon is a man full with dignity and put his thought on his loyalty. He is the former General of the Xue's soldier and his family has been serving under Yanyi's family for 6 consecutive descendants. Though, the man standing in front of her now is still single even in his 40's. He was acknowledged for bringing peace and winning the war against the Kingdom of Anderil when the Southern Coast war happen 20 years ago.
"So~ this is where you've been hiding. Take quite a long time for the Marquess to search for ya." He indulge in a calm and teasing chat in order to not be on her bad side. He had been teaching her fighting since she was a tiny toddler, if anything he knew most about her angry side. And a quote from his experiences 'If I have to choose either to be killed by a man-eating dragon or being stared deathly by the Young Marquess, I will choose the former.'
Yanyi — "If he really is worried, he wouldn't be taking this long to search for me. He has many acquaintances all over Volparine, finding me should be as easy as sitting on a chair in his own office."
Jerad — "Hahahahaha... Young Yiyi is still as bold as ever. Now, what can I do to help you and Young Marquess Ryuichi today?"
Kazuto finally involves himself into the conversation once his name is brought up, though I'm sure he is complaining 'Took you long enough to see me.' He explain the case that they are currently working on and leave the rest to Yanyi who's the one that plan this whole ordeal.
She pulled out the bag of evidence containing the broken Signia and slide it across the glass cabinet. Jerad take the bag with his hands being in gloves. If anything he hates to be involves as a suspect in any police cases. It's already hard for him to have an early retirement anyway. "This is the evidence that we collect at the scene. I would like to ask for your help to-"
"-Check who the owner is and potentially narrow down your suspects list?" Jerad stated, as if reading her mind. Yanyi points a finger upward with a rather smug grin. "Correction. Giving us a potential suspects list. We can work ourselves from there." A 'Tch' came out of Jerad's mouth, somewhat annoyed and expected of his Young Yiyi. Always trying to point out other people's mistakes to make her words sounds true.
"Very well then, I shall has them ready as soon as possible and send them over to the Police Station as fast as two days." The to youngster leave their greet and make way to go back to the crime scene. Time is ticking and everything is moving, there's no time to waste. After the two figures are away from the window shop, the smile on Jerad's face disappear into a frown.
He look to the bag in his hands, the broken signia is not that hard to repair and with Luyao and Kazuto by her side she shouldn't be searching for him. That is unless there's two possibilities. One, they are in a time cram and this order is given directly from Luyao, her boss. But with Kazuto that doesn't seem to know the reason they came he suspects that it was the second one. Someone that she owes everything to is gone.
Nevertheless, if that is the case then she is coming here not as Young Marquess or even Lady Yanyi, but as Xue Yanyi. Just a girl. And he shall do his duty to protect and fulfilled her wish as a client, not as his Lord's daughter.
.
.
.
After arriving back at their previous location, citizens started to diminish as it was already working hour. There are a few passer-by that lingers but they didn't stay long and continue on with their day. There is however a flock of people outside and barely touching the yellow line talking to Luyao and there's two people talking to Irene. She isn't an official service employee so Kazuto had to walk over to for assistance.
Yanyi strode her way to Luyao who is tentatively speaking or rather listening to everything that the crowd has to say. Yanyi sneak up on him but he can sense that she had came back just a minute ago and let her play her game. It wasn't a game when your target know so she quit and listen to what is happening.
From what she vaguely heard these people are concern parents that are looking for their daughter that has yet to return home from last night event. It all came with the same plot though. They all went to the concert together and plan on going home the same and suppose to come back before midnight, which is a questionable curfew for girls that has barely any real life experience.
They waited until 2 in the morning but still no sign of any of them and declare that perhaps they all have a sleepover at one of their places and will check in tomorrow morning. When waking up they contacted each of their friends house and the same answer flow through each lightcom. "Aren't they sleeping over at your place?" With everyone saying the same thing suspicion starts to build up and eventually lead to a wide search.
And they stumble upon this crime scene and without a second thought they went over and scream for help. Then one recognise Luyao from a distant and shout his name which then lead to this scenario before them. Yanyi question the validity of the case since they could possibly went to a hotel for a night and share a room thinking that night is not a suitable travel time.
But with more than 20 worried adults that came running out of their home in their pyjamas or night gown she redoubt her doubt. Closely she lean in to whisper near Luyao's shoulder where she figure that he might have came to the same conclusion as her. "This is quite the serious case, right? But shouldn't a missing person report be made after 24 hours of disappearance?"
Luyao — "True, but with 20 adults that is clearly as old as our parents, we don't really have a choice but to take the case."
Yanyi — "Why not hand them over to the station and let the officers there take it. We can focus on this one and if they seek guidance or in a turmoil than we can lend a helping hand."
Luyao — "... Right. Misters, Madams we will take this case into our hand and will resolve them at our best effort and speed. However, an official missing reports still need to be made. There will be an officer just behind me that will take you all to the station and help you file in a report. Please if you would."
He said if you would like he is giving them a choice but in reality they have no choice. If they really want these girls to be found they have to do as he said or he won't on them as Yanyi had suggested. The parents saw that an officer is leading them into the truck in which the police use to transport officers and taking them to the station as per Luyao's order.
After all of them went away the two walk over to Kazuto and Irene who is noting everything that came out of the person's mouth. Kazuto in the other hand is watching to find any sign of lying in the man as people tends to make story to make themselves seem innocent. The other person standing beside the man is an old woman that presumably be around her late 50's in her cardigan.
Just as they are approaching Kazuto saw the two and play for them to retell the story for a full clarification of not lying or running away when being face with Luyao. The man is somewhat annoyed by his wish but still did as he's told but they all can tell how he's slowly grumbling inside with the inconvenience. "Can you start again with your story ma'am? I wish to check back all the detail." Irene take the heat off the man and focus on the old woman who is clutching her cardigan in a symbol of comfort.
Old woman — "Oh sure... Last night I was up quite late in order to complete all the sell placement with my small business. I live near this area and my working space overlook this street and I stay there until 12:00 midnight. I usually left my blinds open to clear my mind from the stress by looking at the sky. But when I look out the clear sky turns into a dense fog, I had only look out not more than 10 minutes and the scenery change drastically."
Kazuto — "Is there any sign of weather change or anything that could proof it happens out of the blue?"
Old woman — "As far as I recall from the weather forecast from that evening, nothing drastic is about to take over. And the sky is as clear as the deep ocean, you can even see the stars twinkling from the ground. Even the moon is so beautiful it would take a long time to see it like that again."
Irene — "Can you continue ma'am?"
Old woman — "Oh, of course. I feel like something is really out of place so I close the blind and continue working but then I heard a faint yet loud scream of multiple female voice coming from far end of the street. I was scared in my boots and so I change my workspace to my room and lock the door and make sure that the only light that is visible is my bedside light. As much as I know that my eyesight will be affected I still work. Then..."
Kazuto — "..."
Luyao — "..."
Yanyi — "..."
Irene — "Take your time ma'am."
Old woman — "... Then the scream came back with an even bigger range. Though it stop really abruptly and that scare me so much I close my light and cower in my duvet and close my side lamp and lock the door of my room with a chair. Because so much is happening at one time I was scared to go to sleep and stayed up until 3:00 in the morning. Nothing happen during that time."
Irene move from her spot after giving her note to Yanyi who is reading the said small book with Luyao behind her, overlooking the writing inside. Irene went over to soothe the woman with her anxiety attack and teach her how to maintain her breathing pace while keeping focus with her surrounding. "I have a hunch that this two cases are somewhat link."
Luyao — "Your hunch or are you sure about it?"
Yanyi — "Tch! What are your problem with trying to test my patience?"
Luyao — "We'll if you only have a hunch you can't possibly relay on it for if you stray away it might cause more trouble than you think."
Yanyi — "Fine! I'm sure of it, okay?! Now quit pestering me."
Kazuto — "Can you dumbass stop your tongue war!"
The two of them went quiet and focus on what Kazuto is about to get from the man that had grumble because of retelling the story. Though that didn't stop them from secretly elbowing each other on the shoulder quite discreetly to not have Kazuto notice, and mind you, this man has an eagle eye that can shot through anything without a scope from 100 of yards away. Guess it's just in the vein of being a Ryuichi.
That's all a lie to have them fighting without him noticing, even Irene can sense something off. He ignored the childish adults behind him and stare directly into the man's eyes to force him to tell the story again. It turns out that this reporter is also a civilians living nearby and he lives directly above his own restaurant.
Wonder how he never notice the shenanigans that even the old lady can hear?
Earplug...
He wears an earplug. An earplug that prevent noise from coming in and ruining his night...
Let's not blame anyone here. Back on track.
Store Owner — "I was sleeping with my earplug and I didn't hear anything at night. People would use this junction from going to work all the way to going back home. It's a really good place for business but the amount of noise that we human makes are so unbearable that I hear my earplug almost all the time after closing."
Kazuto — "We're going off track here."
Store Owner — "Right. Anyway, I would wake up at 5:00 in the morning to make some time for preparation of opening. The first thing I do is to throw away all the garbage that has been piling up from customers consumption and I would use the back door to the back alley to flung it into the trash container."
Store Owner — "I then went inside to flip the sign and open the lock that I place to prevent theft at night. I turn on the side lamp to give the door some light and at that moments I saw someone at the side of my door. At first I thought that it was some random drunk man that somehow slept by the side of my door. Though the smell that came from him is really off."
Kazuto — "Mhm."
Owner Store — "I smell something rotting and I look through the area but found nothing close to a dead. I figure that helping the man is important so I approach him. When I came close I realise that the smell came from the man himself. I look closely at his figure and see that he is bathing in his own pool of blood. That's when I panic and use the restaurant's phone to call the nearby police station."
Yanyi nodded with every sentence coming from him, agreeing with his storyline to what Irene had taken note. She has a really sharp hearing and it is rare for her to not catch up to anyone's gossip. Guess it makes sense how she wants to try journaling to maybe put her skill to use.
Luyao told the man to follow the old woman and went to the station to fill out the witnesses form to make their investigation much easier. The four of them gather in silence thinking what could possibly give them more clue on what had happen here exactly. Murder and Missing case that happens simultaneously? That would be a hard thing to pull of.
Irene felt her shoulder being tap and tilt her head to look at Kazuto's Baby Blue eyes that has his index finger pointed towards a street lamps not far away from them. She squint her eyes tightly and saw that there's a LCTV (Lumo-Circuit TV) devices on the said lamps. "The range of those LCTV are at least 3 miles with the monitoring technology our current time provide. Each four lamps has at least one of them."
"Your point?" The sky blue locks swing from side to side looking questionably towards the man that had pose the sudden idea. She got what he is pointing out but frankly want him to be a fool of himself and tease him with his leadership skill. It's not bad but he ought to improve them.
They have this silent staring contest that just ended up with the other two face-palming. "My point is to have you both go and check the LCTV recording at the Lumo-Communicative headquarters and search for any valuable clue."
Yanyi — "And what are you both going to do? Not slacking I hope."
Kazuto — "Me? Slacking? Well, I'm not like someone who literally ran away from their homework?"
Yanyi — "What did you say?"
Kazuto — "I'm not the one that start it."
Yanyi — "I will get you one day!"
Kazuto — "I'd like to see you try!"
"OKAY! THAT'S ENOUGH!" Luyao and Irene drag them away with Irene pulling on Yanyi's ears and Luyao knocking Kazuto's skull with a stare that clearly says 'Do you want me to smack you with my gauntlet?' Which he immediately shake his head to. And so the two that act like an actual adults drag their corresponding partners away from the scene and went their corresponding path.
Let us see what the next instalment has for our heroes adventure.
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