Preliminary Investigation (2)
Preliminary Investigation (2)
-Beep-beep-beep.
A short, crisp alarm.
Claire, who had been lying in bed as still as death, opened her eyes.
She sat up, strapped the watch from her bedside onto her wrist, and headed straight for the bathroom.
She finished grooming herself faster and more efficiently than ever, then opened her wardrobe.
Her hand reached for the black suit hanging on the very first hanger.
-Going out on academy business... a suit might be a little too stiff, don't you think?
Lee Ye-sol's parting words from last night flickered through her mind.
Claire's hand moved past the suit toward the next hanger.
A white blouse with an understated beige cardigan.
Black jeans, and a coat draped over her shoulders as a finishing touch. She stepped out of her room.
"Are you feeling all right?"
"I'm fine. If I'm running late, I'll contact you. Leave any documents that need my approval on the bed."
"I shall. And take this."
Lee Ye-sol held out a glasses case.
"These are glasses engraved with Perception Inhibition Magic. They might come in handy, so do take them along."
"...That won't be necessary."
Ever since someone had told her she looked better without glasses, Claire had stopped taking them out of her bedside drawer.
Seeing her esteemed superior about to refuse, Lee Ye-sol gave a peculiar smile and said,
"The design is quite similar to the glasses the professor wears. I thought you two would look wonderful wearing them together."
"......"
Claire stared at the case in Lee Ye-sol's hand for a moment, then quietly reached out and tucked it into her coat.
Lee Ye-sol's smile widened at her superior's action.
"And this."
"...My smartphone is still perfectly functional."
A simple black smartphone, unadorned and plain.
Lee Ye-sol pressed it into Claire's hand and explained,
"Lately, rifts have been discovered that completely disable conventional electronic devices. This model works even inside those rifts. The report I was supposed to submit yesterday happens to contain the details—it's saved on Ha-na."
"...I see."
Claire nodded, removed the chip from her original smartphone, and inserted it into the new device.
The screen lit up. After verifying that all the data stored on the chip had transferred properly, she handed her old phone to Lee Ye-sol. Lee Ye-sol accepted it with a slight bow.
"Safe travels, then."
With Lee Ye-sol seeing her off, Claire left the temple.
As she walked through the quiet Street of Light, pink petals, just beginning to open, drifted gently down around her.
"Hoo."
Before she knew it, Claire had reached the maze. She took a short breath to steady herself.
The embarrassing display from yesterday, the incident the day before—all of it was behind her now.
She had no desire to show herself flustered in front of that person again.
It was simply... far too mortifying.
Although yesterday, a portion of bare skin—
Smack!!
A sharp sound rang out, and bright red marks bloomed on both of Claire's cheeks.
She used her holy power to quickly soothe the stinging welts.
"Ahem. Hm."
After clearing her throat one last time, Claire passed through the maze and opened the mansion's front door.
She changed into slippers and hung her coat on the rack.
The motions came so naturally, so ingrained in her body that she didn't even have to think about them anymore.
The hallway lights were off, unlike usual.
Claire walked quietly past the kitchen and headed straight for the study.
-...Ah.
A small sound escaped through the half-open door.
A few steps closer, and she could hear it clearly.
-Peep.
-Peepy.
The small, adorable, utterly innocent voice of the Fairy was coming from Baek Woo-jin's study.
She crept forward as silently as possible and peered through the gap in the door with one eye.
Baek Woo-jin sat in the chair at his desk, and the tiny Fairy sat perched on the corner of the desk.
The little Fairy placed a ring the size of its own fist in front of the desk clock.
Baek Woo-jin used his index finger to slide it aside.
-Peep.
The Fairy moved the ring back in front of the clock.
Slide.
Baek Woo-jin pushed it aside again.
-Peep.
Slide.
-Peepy.
Slide.
They stared directly at each other, radiating an atmosphere that said neither would yield an inch. The cycle repeated.
"Pfft......"
A laugh escaped Claire's lips.
**
"Are you feeling all right?"
"Yes. Thanks to your concern."
-Peepy! Peepy-peep!!
"Um......"
"Breakfast?"
"Not yet..."
"Rest for a bit."
"That......"
-Peep-aaah, Peepy!!
I rose from my seat. The Fairy, seated on Claire's shoulder and tugging at her hair, had begun chirping up a storm. Claire looked back and forth between the Fairy and me, her eyes silently pleading for help.
I felt a little sorry for her, but I was hoping she'd handle the little creature for a while.
I left the study and prepared something light to eat. I took the honey jar from the cupboard and scooped some onto a wide plate. It had been rampaging for roughly half a day, so if I got it good and full now, it would probably stay quiet until evening.
"Claire."
-Yes.
Before long, she entered the kitchen. The Fairy was still perched on her shoulder.
"I'm always grateful."
"If I can borrow your hands for just one meal, I can prepare it anytime."
"...Still, thank you."
-Peep?
The little troublemaker on Claire's shoulder tilted its head, suddenly taking an interest in her breakfast.
I picked up the plate I'd prepared and set it down beside her.
-Peep, pee-peep?
The troublemaker's head swiveled toward the plate of honey. Its tiny nose twitched a few times, and then it fluttered down to land in front of it. It dipped a hand—smaller and more delicate than a fern frond—into the honey and brought it to its mouth.
-Pya!!
Seeming to approve, it began scooping up honey by the fistful.
Claire watched the scene with a soft smile.
After observing the Fairy for a moment, she lifted her head and shifted her gaze to me, asking,
"Have you decided to let it stay?"
"...That's how it turned out."
A situation I had not intended in the slightest.
I had left the door open so it could leave when it woke up—who could have imagined it would use that door to move its entire nest in? And it hadn't even formed a bond with me, on top of that.
"That's a relief."
She smiled gently again, gazing at the little troublemaker as it chirped away, stuffing itself with honey.
"I was worried someone might be trying to harm it. It seems I can set that concern aside now."
"......"
My eyes drifted naturally to the tiny menace.
Even if verbal communication was impossible, physical communication worked on even the dullest beasts. I had planned to spank its bottom with a few flower petals—but I'd overlooked one thing.
-Peeeew, pyam.
The Fairy species possesses an extraordinarily high affinity with nature. And this particular Fairy happened to be the most special of its kind.
Even the flower petals nurtured by my own mana couldn't bring themselves to harm it. The moment they made contact, they expelled their stored mana and shriveled up into brittle husks instead.
Perhaps because of the petals crumbling in my hand, my desire to communicate with it faded. I used my mana to clean its filthy little body and the mess in the kitchen—along with every scattered trinket it had strewn across the study, for that matter.
Once the creature woke up, we engaged in an exchange of hostilities too embarrassing to describe aloud, which was finally halted by Claire's arrival.
All that chattering on Claire's shoulder was probably the little rascal recounting our predawn battle. Clever little thing.
-Peep-ang... pyak.
The Fairy, having emptied the plate, rubbed its full belly and let out an adorable little burp.
"No, you don't."
-Peepy?
The Fairy blinked up at Claire.
Claire produced a handkerchief, dampened it with water from a cup, and used it to wipe the Fairy's mouth and hands clean.
-Peep-uuu-pya-ang.
"Stay still."
-Peep-ang......
When Claire spoke with just a slight firmness in her eyes, the rampaging little troublemaker stopped its antics as if by magic.
"There. All done."
-Peep-aang~
Once its mouth and hands were clean, Claire smiled softly. The creature opened its tiny mouth as wide as it could and yawned.
Having played its fill and eaten its fill, it was apparently time to succumb to sleep.
"...Professor."
Watching the Fairy nod off, Claire asked me,
"Does it not need to brush its teeth...?"
"Considering its teeth haven't rotted and are still perfectly fine, I'd say that answers the question."
"Ah. Right."
-Peep-aaah....
The drowsy little thing's wings gave a faint flutter, and it slowly floated upward. Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, it flew off toward the study. I'd cleared away everything that might cause trouble, but with a species that curious, it wasn't hard to imagine what new disasters would be waiting when I got back.
It was still supposed to be in hibernation at this time of year, so I planned to tolerate a certain amount of chaos until the weather fully warmed up.
I intended to tolerate it. But oddly, my eyes wouldn't leave Claire.
Judging by what I'd just witnessed, if I could spare just a little time, she might at least keep it from smearing coffee creamer all over its body and flying around.
"...Professor?"
"Get ready to head out."
I spoke to her as she turned her head, having sensed my gaze, and I cleared the dishes and utensils from the table.
I had Claire wait briefly at the front door and went to the study.
-Peepy-yyy......
The little troublemaker had set up its nest on someone else's bed and was sleeping like a log without a care in the world.
It was unlikely to happen, but I left the window slightly open, turned on the hallway light, and returned to the entrance.
I put on my coat from its usual spot on the rack, and Claire, who had been waiting, opened the front door.
I stepped out first, and she followed.
Claire walked a step behind me.
She couldn't have known the schedule in detail, yet she followed in quiet step.
That part of her hadn't changed at all.
We walked in silence, exchanging few words, until we reached the parking lot allocated to the temple and got into her car.
She fastened her seatbelt in the driver's seat and took a small case from her coat.
Click. The case opened, and Claire pulled out a pair of round-framed glasses and put them on.
"I thought I might be a hindrance to your work otherwise..."
Since we were entering a rift, there was no real need for perception inhibition. Still, I nodded quietly and pulled out my smartphone. I marked the rift's location and mounted the phone on the dashboard holder.
"Let's go."
"......"
When no answer came, I turned my head. She was staring fixedly at my phone on the holder.
"Claire."
"Ah—yes... I'll start driving now......"
Claire turned her head, and the scenery began to move slowly.
Her cheek came into view naturally.
A warm blush had bloomed there, glowing softly.