Esme blinked, "Cheated?" "How can someone who cheats die? That is nonsensical.
Sévon did not respond. With a slight, uncaring shrug, he simply raised one shoulder.
Esme gave him one more look and let out a breath. "Unbelievably... Whatever the situation, I'm joining you because I have nothing better to do."
"Joining me?"
"Yea, with the investigation"
Sévon looked at her, sighed. It was like he had expected those exact words… and yet, hearing them still caught him off guard. Esme had the peculiar tendency of making statements that seemed like they were decrees, not necessarily arrogance, but more of an inheritance.
Well, it would take the cake since she is part of a noble family, a family of powerful warriors, all of whom are proficient in the form of Qi, and not to mention she was the heir to the clan head so in other words, the nickname of princess was accurate.
"You do understand that, I'm not doing this alone right?" Sévon asked.
Esme curiosity piqued even more. Here she believed that Sévon came alone to Yorna to deal with the murder case, but now it looked like it was false. This made Esme a little upset but she eventually shrugged it off.
"Then who did you come with?"
"Kiichi and Tasia."
Esme's one second of excitement vanished within that moment.
"Are you serious right now? Tasia I understand, we haven't had a girls night in ages but Kiichi. Why would you bring that fucking Leeroy?"
Sévön said nothing because, alas, everything Esme said about Kiichi was true. The man was reckless. Dramatic. Far too pleased with himself and yet... useful.
Sévön's expression changed slightly. It was a rare, almost childlike pout to his lips. One that made him look slightly annoyed.
Esme's eyes narrowed. "You agree with me."
"I did not say that."
"You made a face."
Sévon did not comment on this.
"Whatever. We will return to that in a moment. Your decision to join us." Sévon said at last.
Esme's demeanor smoothed out at once. "I would normally scold you for abandoning your duties at the academy. However... today is not the day."he said, calm as can be.
Her relief was immediate. It lasted exactly one second.
"You will, of course, be scolded by someone else."
She stopped dead in her tracks.
"You wouldn't."
"I would."
"Sévon."
"Shuren will hear about it eventually."
"No. You're not telling Shuren."
"It would be irresponsible not to."
Esme moved closer to him, her voice taking on a more serious undertone. "If you so much as imply that I skipped lectures because I was bored, I swear I will never return to Kurayamiya again."
"I am still informing Shuren."
Esme's eyes widened in reaction. "Sévon…"
"However."
He waited a moment before he spoke.
"If tonight goes as planned… I may consider that silence is more efficient."
She examined him intently for any sign of deception.
"You're bargaining with me."
"I am laying out the terms."
He waited a moment before he spoke again.
"Fine," she said. "You have a deal."
"Return home. Change."
He turned slightly towards the main road.
"Meet me at the inn that Kiichi and Tasia have been staying at tonight. We're going to the residence that we believe our primary lead will be at."
"Did you manage to find their place of stay?"
"Possibly."
She nodded once before she turned sharply away from him.
"Don't leave without me."
"Not going to."
She ran down the street with a lot less elegance than she would ever admit to. He watched her disappear from sight around the corner.
"Moody girl."
"Changes faster than the seasons."
Night fell on the inn in a quiet manner. In the rented room, Sévon and Tasia sat across from each other, both reading books, and the reflection of lamplight could be seen in their eyes.
Kiichi, on the other hand, slumped back in his chair and looked bored out of his mind.
"Are we going to solve this murder or read it to death?" he complained,
Neither of them looked up from their reading material. It was then that they heard a knock on the door. It was three knocks, measured and deliberate.
Sévon closed his book slowly and looked up. "Enter."
The door opened and Esme walked in. For a brief second, she was composed and put together until she spotted Tasia. And then all composure was lost.
"Tasia!"
She walked across the room in an instant and hugged her tightly. Tasia stood up just in time to be hugged properly.
"It has been too long," Esme said, hugging her tightly.
"It has," Tasia replied softly.
They moved back a little and shared a peck on each cheek, looking very natural and casual.
"We are having another girls' night soon. No excuses." Esme declared immediately.
Tasia's smile was weak. "I have no objections. We just need Taura to complete the set."
Esme nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly."
The atmosphere had a brief moment of lightness before returning to its usual state. She spun around to face someone else. Her eyes locked onto Kiichi. Her smile had changed several degrees in terms of warmth.
"…It has been a while."
Kiichi stood up slightly straighter.
"It has."
Sévon watched the scene unfold without making a comment.
Kiichi's head cocked slightly to the side. "I see you're still making proclamations instead of greeting."
Esme crossed her arms over her chest. "And I see you're still confusing volume with importance."
The atmosphere grew thick once more. Tasia went back to her seat, her work done in terms of the reunion process.