Chapter 99
A little later, at the Capital Guard Headquarters.
“What brings you here?”
“Ah, I—”
I pressed the tofu down into my pocket to stop it from raising its head, which was getting frustrating, and pulled out the excuse I had prepared.
“I’m a coachman for hire nearby.”
“A coachman?”
“Yes.”
“Nowadays, even schoolgirls work as coachmen?”
“I’m in my forties.”
“…My apologies.”
The startled receptionist immediately spoke more politely.
“But why would a coachman come here?”
“Someone stole my carriage. I need to report it—where should I go?”
“My carriage?”
The receptionist tilted their head, puzzled. How does someone steal a carriage? Then they raised a hand and gestured inside.
“Go into the first office you see and submit your report there.”
“Thank you. By the way, where’s the restroom?”
“Straight down the hall at the end.”
“Got it.”
“A carriage stolen, huh…”
I shrugged off the puzzled receptionist and entered the building. On the way, I checked the floor map next to the employee.
-
1st Floor: General Report Submission
-
2nd Floor: Interrogation Room (No Entry for Civilians)
-
3rd Floor: Lodging
Caution: Opening the iron gate blocking the stairs will trigger an alarm. If you must go to the 2nd floor, you must be escorted by an employee.
“I’ll stop by the restroom first, then file the report, hahaha…”
I muttered to myself, feeling awkward even though no one was paying attention, and passed the first office. I passed the second and third offices in the same way and entered the restroom.
…The men’s restroom.
☆I’m not a pervert☆
☆There was someone in the women’s restroom, that’s all☆
“Ugh, why is this place so dirty?”
Arden would definitely never use this restroom. I held my nose with my left hand and opened a window. After confirming that no one was passing by outside, I grabbed the window frame and slipped out.
Then I climbed up.
To the second-floor men’s restroom.
“This one’s a bit cleaner.”
I washed my hands, which had gotten dirty from touching the window frame, and was about to leave when…
“…So…?”
“…Do you?”
Clack.
“So, that means you haven’t found any clues about the culprit yet?”
“You’d have to tell me for me to find any clues.”
“Well, there could be other witnesses besides me.”
“Do your work. This place smells.”
“……”
It was Arden.
I froze inside the stall, covering my mouth with both hands.
Almost ran into him head-on.
If I got caught…
I’d be doomed.
Leaving aside the question of why I, who said I’d go home, was at the Capital Guard Headquarters—on the second floor, no less—imagine Arden’s expression if he saw me inside the men’s restroom stall.
He’d probably stare at me like I’m some kind of magical saint.
Luckily, the restroom was spacious, and the man I assumed was a witness hadn’t come this way. I couldn’t even lean against anything in case the creaking sound of the door attracted attention.
While holding my breath and blinking, the man who had finished his business rustled and asked:
“So, what’s the Capital Guard planning to do from here?”
“…….”
“Do they have a guess where the bomb might be? I think…”
“I’m not interested in your opinion.”
“…Is Arden’s social life really okay?”
“Not washing your hands?”
“I didn’t ask, did I…”
“……”
“Well, just wash them already. Jeez.”
Swish.
“Don’t just wet them, wash properly.”
The witness got scolded today. Good. Take this opportunity to get into the habit of washing your hands after using the restroom. While I was nodding,
Plrrr!
The tofu in my pocket sneezed.
“…….”
“…….”
“Ehhk!”
“…….”
“…….”
“Who’s there?”
Arden walked up and stopped in front of the stall I was in. Through the gap under the door, I could see his shoes, not a speck of dust on them.
Sigh.
No choice. I pinched my nose with thumb and forefinger and spoke in the lowest voice possible.
“I’m a coachman.”
“A coachman?”
Why would a coachman be here? A confused reaction came from beyond the door. The witness brightened.
“Must have come to pick me up!”
“You mean that person?”
“I formally complained earlier that I came to testify for free, had no payment, even paid for the carriage going back and forth—why should I take that kind of loss?”
“So?”
“So, they agreed to send a carriage. Looks like they’ve arrived now.”
“Isn’t your house only fifteen minutes away by foot?”
“How can I walk fifteen minutes in this cold?”
Ha.
Arden sighed.
“Coachman, this floor is off-limits to unauthorized personnel. Wait on the first floor.”
And don’t forget to wash your hands after your business, he warned, taking the witness out of the restroom.
Plrrr!
Tofu sneezed repeatedly as if it had been waiting.
“Why are you sneezing like a dog?”
“I’m not a dog.”
“Ugh.”
I flicked tofu’s nose with my finger and carefully left the stall. Peeking down the hall, the second floor looked much like the first.
I crept quietly toward the lit interrogation room, pressing my back against the wall and listening to the conversation inside.
“So, you’re saying you witnessed it or not?”
“How can I be sure? If anything, I think I saw something.”
“Do you realize how serious this situation is? If you interfere with the investigation out of curiosity…”
No useful information came from that.
“Curiosity! The one who brought me here and begged me to tell what I saw was the Captain of the Capital Guard himself!”
I don’t know much about investigations, but this witness doesn’t seem reliable.
They seemed more interested in boasting to their friends about going to the Capital Guard than in the actual investigation. From earlier, subtly trying to find out how far the investigation had progressed, what plans they had…
“I didn’t get much out of it.”
“So, did we come here for nothing?”
“…Or maybe.”
This witness could actually be the culprit.
Tofu, hearing my whispered thought, lifted its paw in surprise.
“Really?”
“It’s more common than you think. Someone shows up claiming to be a witness but turns out to be the culprit.”
“Whoa…”
“Let’s watch for now.”
After waiting fruitlessly, it seemed the investigation was wrapping up, so I ran down to the first floor.
Soon the witness emerged. How did I know it was them?
They immediately got into the carriage waiting at the front gate.
“Couldn’t they have sent a slightly nicer carriage? So stingy.”
The witness closed the carriage door, apparently wanting to enjoy being driven by someone else, opening the window wide.
The real coachman asked the witness:
“Shall I take you home?”
“Yeah, that’s fine.”
“Yes.”
Clip-clop, the carriage left the Capital Guard courtyard.
“Tofu, hold on tight.”
I would catch up on foot.
Whoosh~
“Seraphina! This is fun!”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it…”
After about ten minutes of riding, the witness said:
“Stop here, please.”
“Here? But we still need to go to the address the Captain gave us.”
“Oh, just let me off here. I won’t ask for a refund.”
Even though they didn’t pay…
Before the carriage fully stopped, the witness slammed the door open and jumped out. Lacking athleticism, they twisted an ankle, got frustrated, and ducked into an alley.
They stumbled into a shabby restaurant.
The witness limped inside and collapsed in front of a hooded man already sitting there.
I hurried after them.
“No dogs allowed. Our chef can’t work if he sees a dog, he gets too distracted.”
“This isn’t a dog. It’s a doll.”
“Kyu.”
“…Be careful not to let the chef notice.”
I ordered milk tea from a waiter eyeing tofu disapprovingly and sat at the bar in front of the kitchen.
Pretending to look out the window, I listened in on the conversation between the witness and the hooded man.
“Okay? I told them everything you asked.”
“……”
“And the promised payment?”
Tofu pricked up its ears and whispered.
“Looks like the guy across is the blackmailer.”
“Seems so.”
What does he look like?
I pretended to stretch and turned my upper body to spy.
“It’s cold—could you put a little more fire in the stove?”
I asked the waiter for water too.
“How much?”
“Enough to feel like I might burn up otherwise.”
“Interesting taste.”
A few minutes later, the hood was finally pulled back on the man sitting across from me.
“Seraphina! That guy is—!”
“Yes.”
It was Skeeter, the reporter, looking completely haggard compared to a few months ago.
