Chapter 6
Because of the curtains, no light entered the room.
One bed.
One desk.
One chair.
One small drawer.
That was all.
The room was dark and musty, the kind of place that made you not want to step inside.
[Blegh—.]
Even Kallian, who had been complaining about a strange smell, lingered at the doorway instead of coming in.
“Hey, hurry up and get inside. I need to close the door.”
[I don’t want to go in. It stinks.]
“We need evidence, so this never happens again.”
As I said that, I grabbed Kallian by the scruff and lifted him.
[I told you not to carry me like this!]
Kallian shrieked.
Despite acting offended, his legs hung limply as if the position were comfortable.
Seriously, ridiculous.
“We’re in this together now. If we get caught sneaking into the administrators’ quarters, we’re both finished. So hurry and search.”
[Hmph. I am a great black panther, a divine beast. Mere humans could never—]
He was talking too much, so I took out a ball and showed it to him.
“You’ll cooperate, right?”
[…]
Now his eyes softened.
Humans or divine beasts, everyone moves when there’s a reward.
Kallian obediently started twitching his nose, searching for the smell.
Under the bed.
Behind the desk.
Inside the drawers.
The room wasn’t large, so we searched everything quickly.
But the fruit from the special meal wasn’t anywhere.
“What? Why isn’t it here? Are you sure the smell is from here?”
[I’m sure.]
Even Kallian seemed stubborn now.
His eyes sharpened as he looked around.
For a moment he almost looked like a real black panther.
Though he was still just a fluffy baby.
Sniff.
Sniff sniff.
His little nose twitched even faster than before.
Watching it move was almost cute.
But there’s nowhere left to hide anything.
We had checked everything.
Lifted the blanket.
Checked for secret compartments in the drawers.
Nothing.
But Kallian’s pride in his sense of smell had been wounded.
And he refused to give up.
After sniffing for a long while—
He suddenly raised a paw and slammed it against the floor.
[Here!]
That was just the floor.
[Here, I said!]
I looked at him skeptically.
But he seemed certain.
Really?
I lay flat and knocked on the floor.
Thunk thunk.
It sounded hollow.
Like there was space underneath.
“Oh? Seriously?”
[You doubted me?]
Kallian narrowed his eyes.
He was apparently offended I had questioned him.
“There’s space under here. How do we open it?”
Changing the subject was best.
I lifted the rug and felt around.
Then I found a tiny hole just big enough for a finger.
This must be it.
Eyes wide like a caveman discovering fire, I stuck in a finger and pulled.
The floor opened like a lid.
“Oh… oh!”
[Ohhh!]
We both dramatically shoved our faces closer.
From the darkness came a sweet fruity smell.
“Found it.”
I reached in and grabbed a handful.
Purple bead-like fruits.
Exactly what Kallian described.
“This is it, right?”
[Yes. Blegh. Disgusting.]
“It smells really sweet. It smells rotten to you?”
[Get it away. I feel sick.
Strange.
Other divine beasts had been fooled into eating it.
But Kallian alone hadn’t.
Very strange.
“Anyway, now we have evidence; let’s hurry and—”
Click.
Huh?
Click.
The sound of heels echoed in the quiet hallway.
Someone was coming.
Kallian and I both turned toward the door.
With the exact same expression.
We’re screwed.
“Hey, what do we do?”
[Why ask me?! You’re the one who wanted to come in here!]
We were doomed.
If we got caught inside the administrators’ quarters—
Goodbye, salary.
Goodbye, job.
Now what?
Click.
Click.
The footsteps came closer.
“Get in!”
I shoved Kallian into the dark compartment.
Then climbed in after him with the fruit.
Before shutting it, I even pulled the rug back into place.
Perfect crime.
Click.
The footsteps stopped at the door.
“Shh.”
I hugged Kallian tightly and prayed whoever it was would leave.
Instead—
The footsteps got closer.
Wait… they came inside?!
Don’t tell me the room’s owner returned.
Cold sweat ran down my spine.
The footsteps sounded directly over our heads.
This was worse than any horror movie I’d ever seen.
Even fearless Kallian had gone stiff.
[Damned human. Why drag me into this?
You still have time to be arrogant?
I tightened my grip.
Be quiet.
The footsteps stopped.
A chair scraped.
Apparently someone sat at the desk.
Rustling.
The scratching of a quill.
We held our breath.
Then—
The footsteps moved away.
An old hinge creaked.
The door slammed shut.
“Ha… I thought I was going to die.”
[Let me go! I’m suffocating!]
The second we came out, Kallian darted from my arms.
then stepped on my head and leaped down.
That little—
“Why do you keep stepping on my head?!”
[Forget that. Bring the stinking fruit and follow.
He shook himself.
Fluffy hairs drifted through the air.
This brat.
Does he know nothing about a perfect crime?
Even a single hair can’t be left behind.
I quickly gathered every stray tuft.
Pocketed the fruit too.
Then stood up.
I cracked the door open and peeked out.
No one.
“A clear path. Let’s go.”
[Wait.]
“What now? We have to leave.”
[Take that.]
Kallian jumped onto the desk.
“Hey! What are you doing?”
He came back carrying a piece of paper in his mouth.
“Isn’t that just scribbles? Do we need it?”
[I don’t know. I can’t read human language. You read it.]
I thought he wasn’t interested in catching the culprit.
But he was oddly proactive.
No—
very proactive.
Anyway, we took the fruit, the note, and even the stray fur—
and escaped.
Thankfully we met no one on the way back.
Everyone was distracted by the sick divine beasts.
As soon as we reached my room, I opened the note.
Mission complete. I will wait until further orders.
Very suspicious.
This practically confirmed it.
And suggested accomplices.
Enough evidence.
[Blegh—.]
While I organized the evidence, Kallian kept gagging.
“You okay? Want the infirmary?”
[No. Blegh. Just do something about that rotten fruit!
He screeched.
No matter how much I smelled it—
It only smelled sweet.
“I’m thinking who to tell. What if she isn’t acting alone?”
[Tell a human you trust.]
“…I don’t have one.”
[Tsk. What a socially inept human.]
“Not something I want to hear from you.”
A beast famous for a terrible personality lecturing me on social skills.
Right.
I thought hard.
Who should I tell?
Probably that administrator from orientation.
Yulia.
I was just a recruit, but I had seen my seniors acting familiar with her.
Once I decided—
I packed all the evidence into an envelope.
Grabbed Kallian and tucked him under my arm.
“Alright. Let’s go see Yulia!”
[Blegh—.]
