Episode 36
Translator: RaidenTL
Episode 36
Startled, the two of them met each other’s eyes and, as if by agreement, stepped back to hide behind a thick tree. Elysia forgot the question she was about to ask and strained to listen.
Marianne Dupre walked into the garden. The skirt of her ankle-length school uniform fluttered in the wind. She was much thinner than the last time Elysia had seen her. A moment later, Rayner Williams followed, a troubled look plain on his face.
“Marianne, calm down.”
“Calm down? How?”
Marianne shot back hysterically, burying her face in her hands. A man with a gentle smile wrapped an arm around her shoulders and whispered in her ear.
“It’s okay. It’s not like you were harmed, right?”
Pale as a sheet, she staggered and looked up at her lover. Tears welled in her eyes and streamed down her parched cheeks. Marianne let out a hollow laugh and muttered.
“How… how could you say that…? Because of something she didn’t even do, that girl is about to be forced out of school…”
“I feel bad about it too, but it’s all in the past.”
Looking up at Rayner with empty eyes, Marianne placed a hand on his shoulder and murmured in despair.
“No, no… It’s not over yet.”
“What are you talking ab—”
Marianne pulled Rayner down by the neck, bringing him to her eye level, and whispered something in his ear. The man’s eyes widened as he heard her words.
Just then, the wind rustled through the leaves with a cool sigh, completely drowning out their already faint voices. Elysia chewed her nails, screaming internally.
Dammit, I can’t hear! Why can’t I hear what sounds like the most important part?!
“…Think carefully.”
Leaving a frozen Rayner standing in place, Marianne turned and left. Sunlight dappled the white shirt of the man who remained. At that moment, Elysia noticed something and tilted her head, glancing at Evan beside her.
A white school uniform shirt, a blue tie, and a beige jacket…
Part of the reason she stood out among the students was that she wore her uniform like a mess, but it was also because of the other students who, strangely enough, wore their uniforms perfectly. Elysia studied Rayner’s attire once more.
White shirt, tie… and that was it. Come to think of it, he had been dressed just like that the first and second times she’d met him.
Her eyes scanned Rayner from head to toe in an instant. A thought flashed through her mind, and she immediately poked Evan in the side.
“Where do you buy the school uniforms?”
“What?”
“No, no. You don’t have to tell me. I’ve got a hunch.”
Elysia stomped her foot impatiently, then grabbed Evan’s bewildered hand, shaking it as she spoke quickly.
“Go to that shop and find out the date Rayner Williams placed an additional order for a uniform. I’m sure he did. I have to go somewhere, so you go on. Now, now. Let’s meet back in front of the Art Hall, okay?”
Giving Evan a push on the back, Elysia scurried off somewhere. Evan frowned slightly as he watched her retreating figure. The hem of her blue skirt, which alternately covered and revealed her ankles, swayed with her movements before disappearing into the distance.
“…What the…”
Though baffled by Elysia’s sudden departure, Evan did as she asked and headed for the uniform shop. His pace was leisurely, but his heart was heavy.
Prying into someone else’s purchase history was not only wrong, but it wasn’t easy either. He recalled the sight of the woman, who he never thought could smile like that, beaming so brightly. He sighed softly and thought.
Well, if you can make a face like that, I suppose it won’t be too difficult…
*
“You want me to show you another customer’s order details?”
His prediction was half right and half wrong. The task itself wasn’t difficult, but getting approval was. Evan gave a troubled smile and asked the clerk, who wore a firm expression.
“Will it be difficult?”
“What do you need it for?”
“It’s related to a theft.”
After a moment of hesitation, he chose to fudge the truth with a bit of honesty. The clerk studied Evan’s face with suspicion, but seeing his neat appearance, seemed to decide he was trustworthy enough. His tone softened considerably.
“If that’s the case, I see no reason not to show you… What’s the customer’s name?”
“Could you please look up Rayner Williams?”
The employee, who had been flipping through the order forms for the name he’d given, rolled ‘Rayner Williams’ around in his mouth before his expression hardened again. He shook his head.
“I’m sorry. I can’t show you.”
“Why not?”
The clerk stammered, unable to give a proper answer. Evan intuitively realized that the clerk was intimidated by the mention of the ‘Williams’ family name. After all, no one wants to get caught in the crossfire when giants fight.
It was frustrating, but he had no choice but to coax him. Swallowing a sigh, he smiled gently.
“I promise you, no harm will come of it.”
“Oh, that’s easy for you to say, but…”
His hesitation showed he was still suspicious. The back-and-forth continued. Evan insisted he would compensate for any damages, while the clerk countered that he didn’t want to create even the possibility of damages.
As the conversation dragged on, the clerk grew visibly exhausted, but Evan’s expression remained unchanged, maintaining the same gentle smile.
He was far more persistent than he looked.
Finally, after three hours of Evan’s pleading, the clerk threw in the towel.
“Yes, yes! Fine! I’ll check. But if, and I mean if, any trouble comes of this, you will compensate me!”
“Thank you so much.”
The clerk glared at his beaming face, sighed, and thrust the order form at him, only to snatch it back almost immediately.
“He came in around 7 o’clock yesterday evening and ordered a new jacket.”
The time he was given to read it was so short it was almost a joke, but for Evan, who was a speed-reader, it was more than enough.
The order form listed the item, time, and body measurements, along with an additional instruction from Rayner. Evan instantly memorized the contents of the form as it flashed before his eyes.
「Customer Name: Rayner Williams
Order Date: 3/16
Item: School Uniform Jacket (Men’s)
Request: Embroider ‘R.W’ on the left inner pocket」
The clerk’s attitude clearly screamed, ‘I showed you, now get out!’ but Evan didn’t mind. It was a little annoying that he’d been given an amount of time the clerk assumed was impossible to read in, but luckily, he had achieved his goal.
With a pleasant smile, he stood up and gave a slight nod.
“Thank you for your help.”
As the bell on the door tinkled, Evan stepped out of the shop and saw the sun was already setting. He hurried toward the Art Hall. Twilight was falling, painting the sky red. It was that time of day when people in the distance were just indistinct shadows.
The man, who had been staring blankly into his own shadow, recalled a memory from within that pitch-black darkness. He flinched and took a step back.
But the shadow attached to him refused to leave. It was only natural, yet even knowing that, why did he always want to run away?
“…Enemy… …forces… …!”
Thump, thump. His heart pounded like crazy. The shouts, the noise, echoed and roared in his head. The ground crumbling beneath his feet, people collapsing helplessly. Whenever he heard this sound, he became powerless.
All he could do was stand there, helpless, and endure until this wave of pain passed…
“What are you doing?”
It was then that someone casually stepped into the deep, abyssal world of his mind.
A woman covered in black soot was standing right in front of him, tilting her head in confusion. Like a man who had just managed to break the surface of the water for a breath, Evan gasped her name. Elysia answered nonchalantly, as if he’d said something utterly bizarre.
“…El, is that you?”
“Who else would it be?”
Her school uniform blouse, which must have once been white, was so covered in soot that its original color was hard to discern. The ribbon tie, knotted haphazardly, looked grotesque, as if it had been tied in a fit of irritation and hastily finished.
The clean line of her neck, the brown curls resting on her shoulders, the sharp upward flick of her eyes that gave her a fierce look.
For some reason, he couldn't help but laugh. A small smile escaped him as he lowered his gaze and thought.
Yeah, it would be you, who else… Who else but you could trample all over my nightmares?
Elysia, who had been watching Evan with a bewildered expression, stood still as he began to brush the soot from her hair. After he had cleared away even the ash on the side of her head, he asked.
“Where on earth have you been?”
If he was going to ask, it was only right to answer, but now was not the time. Elysia, looking noticeably haggard after only a few hours, shook her head and muttered.
“I’ll tell you in a bit. First, there’s someone we need to talk to. And speak of the devil, here they come.”
Leaning on one leg, Elysia lifted her chin toward the front. With a creak, the iron gate of the Art Hall opened, and someone walked out.
Marianne Dupre flinched when she recognized Elysia, whose eyes shone brightly in the darkness. And the man standing behind her.
SYSTEM: Do you wish to name the culprit? Y | N
>
Current Evidence (3)
>
Experience points will be deducted upon failure.
Without hesitation, Elysia selected ‘Y’ and, with a grin, waved at the two of them.
“I came because I have something to say! It’s news you both need to hear. First off, Miss Marianne Dupre? Siene Reve will not be expelled. Nor will she be forced to withdraw.”
“What?”
“Because I caught them. The real culprit.”
Marianne staggered as if in shock, but her expression was calmer than expected, as if she had been anticipating this. With tears welling in her eyes, she began to mouth something to Rayner.
Slowly, Elysia shifted her gaze away from her and smirked.
“And you.”
“Don’t try any tricks.”
“Ugh… you son of a bitch, you have no idea how much trouble I went through today because of you…”
Despite the curse that slipped from her lips, Elysia’s lips curled into a smirk. She pointed a finger at him and said.
“I’ll ask you straight. Why did you tear it?”