Halfway to Kiichi's mouth, his chopsticks froze.
He blinked at Sévon and said slowly, "Wait.What was that?"
Sévon sighed quietly, as if he had anticipated the response.
"I may have discovered who our suspect is," he repeated calmly.
The velora flower, its crimson petals soft but eerily vivid in the morning light, remained on the table between them. It didn't seem appropriate for a breakfast table. It appeared purposeful. Unsuitable.
Kiichi squinted at it as he leaned forward.
"Are you basing that on a flower?"
Tasia did not respond right away.
Before she spoke, she carefully set down the cup after finishing her sip.
"Where did you find that flower?" she inquired calmly.
For a moment, Sévon's gaze moved to her.
"At Masao's estate," he answered.
After a brief silence, he continued, "Quieter,
"But more precisely... on his body."
The room became silent. Kiichi's face fell instantly.
"On the body?" he repeated.
Tasia's fingers completely stopped moving. Her calm manner became more analytical as she looked down at the velora, studying it more intently.
"That's not possible," she muttered.
Kiichi gave a blink.
"Is it impossible? Isn't it just a flower?
Tasia gave a single shake of her head.
She clarified, "No, Velora does not naturally grow inside noble estates." Not in bed rooms, in particular. Deliberate cultivation, shaded humidity, and regulated soil conditions are necessary.
Her eyes narrowed a little.
"If one is discovered on a corpse, it indicates that it was positioned there. purposefully.
Kiichi leaned back in his chair slowly.
"You mean someone left a calling card for a deceased nobleman?"
Sévon took a moment to respond.
Rather, he leaned his elbow lightly on the table and looked toward the shoji window, which let in the dim morning light.
"The doctors were concentrating on the cause of death when we got there yesterday," he said.
He lowered his gaze a little.
"No injuries. No signs of poison. Absence of internal rupture
The thought was completed by Tasia.
"A death that is hollow."
Kiichi leaned in closer to the table and squinted his eyes as he looked closely at the velora flower. At first, he didn't touch it. Instead, he tilted his head to the side and looked closely at the petals' curves, layers, and unnatural deep red color, as if he thought it would suddenly show him a hidden clue.
"...It really does look out of place," he said quietly.
He finally looked up at Sévon after a few seconds.
"How did you even find something this small?If it was hidden like you said, the doctors and servants should have missed it completely."
Sévon, who was already sitting properly, picked up his chopsticks with an air of indifference.He didn't answer right away.
He just moved his sleeve a little and then started eating as if they were talking about something boring instead of a possible murder clue.
"I found it at the nape," he said calmly as he chewed.
Kiichi blinked.
"The nape?"
"Behind the collar line,it was stuck between the folds of his skin. Not visible to most people. Sévon said to make it clear
Tasia's eyes got a little sharper.
"That is an extremely deliberate placement."
Sévon gave a little nod.
"It wasn't clear unless the body was looked at closely."
Kiichi crossed his arms.
"But you said no one saw it. Not even the staff at the estate.
"They wouldn't," Sévon said.
He put one elbow lightly on the table.
"I used a light breeze to look over the body."
Kiichi hesitated for a moment.
"You what?"
"Just enough to trace irregularities along the surface without disturbing the corpse," Sévon added matter-of-factly. When something is hidden underneath fabric, it moves differently.
He gave the table one tap.
The collar area was caught in the airflow. That's how I verified it.
Kiichi merely gazed at him.
then leaned back slowly.
"That is both amazing and a little scary.
Sévon remained silent, eating as though that degree of accuracy was entirely typical. Tasia was still across the table.Her eyes stayed fixed on the velora blossom. Her eyebrows knitted.Tasia took a while to respond.
"I am positive that this flower symbolizes a certain group or faction," she said slowly.
Kiichi immediately leaned forward.
"Oh? That seems significant.
Tasia lightly touched her temple with her fingers.
"I've seen it previously.The hue, the method of cultivation, the use as a subtly noticeable marker...I'm thinking about it a lot.
She closed her eyes, obviously trying to get her memory to cooperate.Her face tensed.She stood motionless, lost in thought, and both Kiichi and Sévon watched in silence.Some time passed and she was still in deep thought.
Then all of a sudden she just gave up, after all of that hard guessing she stuck out her tongue in defeat.
"My brain refuses to cooperate," she said flatly. "I tried."
There was a brief silence.
Then Kiichi exploded into laughter.
"Pfft...you looked so serious just then!"
Even Sévon couldn't help but make a faint, quiet snicker under his breath, but Tasia didn't seem to mind.
"I made an honest effort," she said with all due dignity, her tongue poking out for an instant before she corrected herself.
Kiichi wiped at the corner of his eye.
"That was the most intense thinking failure I've ever seen."
Sévon set his chopsticks down carefully.
"You were almost there," he said.
Tasia blinked.
"...Almost?"
Calmly, he stated, "They are not working alone." With half-lidded eyes, he continued, "We are dealing with a team and Esyn is part of their roster."
Kiichi's eyes instantly became more focused.Tasia straightened up, her playful demeanor vanishing as her instincts took over. Both of them fell silent, prepared to hear Sévon's forecast.
Then, rather than hurrying his explanation, he took another bite of his food, chewing slowly as though organizing his thoughts. Then he raised his drink, took a slow sip, and sighed quietly before uttering the name.
"The Puppeteers."
Kiichi's fingers gripped his cup more tightly.
"You're not kidding."