A Whistle in the Dark
"Whoa! Bayul, that was you? Then what about Innocent?"
"Yeah. It just felt wrong to sit back and do nothing... Quinn, I'm sorry. I ended up dragging you into this because of me."
"I thought it was Quinn who did it too. Turns out it was you, Bayul?"
Even Eli seemed genuinely startled, his eyes going round as saucers.
"I didn't even know Quinn was there. I summoned Innocent without a second thought because I was worried Aidan might get hurt, and then Professor McKellen misunderstood, which put Quinn in an awful spot."
It was only thanks to Professor Rothius showing up at the last moment that they'd escaped with their demerits waived—otherwise Bayul would have owed Quinn an apology he'd never hear the end of.
"Well, a water bomb did come flying out of nowhere. Of course people would get the wrong idea. Who would ever imagine a spirit? Quinn will understand. Right?"
When Quinn gave a small nod, Eli added a smug "See?"
"See, this guy actually makes sense once in a while."
"But Quinn, did you come out because you were worried about us?"
"He was in a mood all morning, so his conscience must have been nagging at him."
The thought that Quinn might have come to help them left everyone strangely warm. Ducking the gazes of his grinning friends, Quinn answered stiffly.
"...It was simply noisy."
"Ugh, so stubborn."
"You're terrible at being honest."
Whatever his reasons, the fact remained that he had stood at Aidan's side against Professor McKellen. He was here with them now, after all. That was explanation enough.
"Speaking of which, did you all see Jared's face back there?"
Once the excitement died down, Eli's mind wandered elsewhere.
"Looked like lasers were about to shoot right out of his eyes."
Recalling how the boy had gone deathly pale and trembled from head to toe, Eli felt as if a ten-year burden had finally lifted from his shoulders.
"He spent all that time mocking a pauper, and then suddenly that pauper turns out to be the son of the Leonett Count house. Of course he's about to lose his mind. I wonder where he is and what he's doing right now? I'm dying to know."
Knowing his temperament, Jared was surely not sitting still. More likely he'd given in to his temper and smashed something to pieces, or was taking his rage out on some other unfortunate soul.
"His true identity threw everyone for a loop, I'll admit. But you know what? It felt incredible. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I felt that satisfied."
Bayul thought that alone made the whole ordeal worth it.
"Was it just taunting, though? The moment you breathe the word 'pauper' again, you become the laughingstock. Or wait—have you already become one?"
Jared had made a public habit of ridiculing Aidan. Which meant it was now Jared's turn to be the butt of every joke.
"I can't wait to see what face he makes the next time we run into him. Will he even show up to class, out of sheer embarrassment?"
"With the demerits Professor Janet gave him, skipping class isn't really an option. And exams are coming up soon, too."
"Ha, must feel like death itself. Watching him squirm should be good entertainment for a while."
"Maybe it's better not to pick pointless fights, though? No sense poking the hornet's nest when we don't even know who the culprit is."
"Oh, right. Aidan, how exactly do you plan on catching the culprit? What was all that about nabbing the thief in two days? Do you have some trick up your sleeve?"
That was the most important matter of all, and they'd nearly forgotten it. Professor Rothius had saved them from the immediate crisis, but the real task remained: unmasking the true culprit.
"Of course. I can catch them today if I have to."
"Today?"
"Yep—as long as they make a move."
Where on earth did Aidan get this confidence? Bayul could only stare at him, bewildered by the endless bravado.
And come to think of it, Aidan wasn't the only strange one here. When the boy had declared he would personally catch the thief, the one who'd readily given the go-ahead was none other than Professor Rothius.
"B-being rich is no guarantee you won't steal! Nathan saw it with his own eyes! What clearer evidence could there possibly be?"
As everyone stood frozen, struck speechless by Professor Rothius's shocking confession, the first to recover was—surprisingly—Jared himself. Suppressing his trembling with visible effort, he barked out as though through gritted teeth.
"Nathan! Say something! Back me up here!"
"...Uh—huh?"
"Tell them exactly what you told me. Now!"
Or do you know what happens if you don't?
The venomous gleam in Jared's eyes lanced toward his friend. Nathan, already hesitant and reluctant to step forward, couldn't possibly withstand that pressure. He shuffled reluctantly out in front of the crowd.
"Go on, Nathan. Tell us what you saw."
Professor Rothius asked the question in Professor McKellen's stead. His tone was as gentle as ever, but given the circumstances, a deliberate severity threaded through his voice.
He still smelled faintly of tobacco, his hair a mess and his clothes rumpled, yet Bayul had never found him more reassuring.
From the moment Professor McKellen had learned of Aidan's identity, the man hadn't said another word. The disciplinary committee matter had evaporated on the spot, and Jared's irritation and fury were doubling by the minute.
"...I—I saw it. Aidan was stealing... it."
"Where did you see it?"
"P-pardon?"
"The location of the theft. And what exactly was stolen?"
"Ah, the location was... the, the lecture hall on the first floor of the main building... and the item was a leather bracelet with a green gem set in it... it."
Nathan stammered out his testimony as if reciting a rehearsed excuse, and the whole performance was awkward beyond description. His restless, darting eyes only made it worse. He never once managed to meet Aidan's gaze.
"You also witnessed Aidan selling the stolen goods, did you not?"
"...Yes, sir."
"Do you remember where that took place?"
"Th-that part I don't really remember..."
The further Nathan went, the smaller his voice became, until at last he bowed his head deep enough to avoid even exchanging a glance with Jared.
"You remember the theft perfectly well, but not where you sold the loot? That makes no sense. Chronologically speaking, that happened far later."
At Eli's perfectly reasonable point, heads nodded all around. All except one.
"It happened off academy grounds! In an unfamiliar place—anyone could get confused. Besides, it was the weekend, crowded with people everywhere!"
"Well, you certainly know the details intimately. So it seems you're stepping up as a witness yourself now, Jared?"
"I just said what I heard."
"Liar! If you're going to insist, at least commit! You just want to make Aidan the culprit. Who doesn't know you stole it yourself and staged the whole thing? Use some common sense—what could the son of Count Leonett possibly be lacking that he'd need to steal? Does that honestly make sense to you?"
Eli laid deliberate emphasis on the name Leonett. At this point in time, no rebuttal could have hit harder.
As expected, the murmur rippling through the students swelled louder. Jared, who had been forcing himself to stay composed, flinched visibly at Eli's finishing blow. It was truly a sight worth savoring.
"That culprit—I'll catch them."
That was when Aidan's calm voice cut through the din.
"That's the only way this absurd situation gets resolved."
The boy turned abruptly to face Professor Rothius.
"Professor, I'll catch them myself. Please give me your permission."
"Aidan, what are you trying to—!"
They were rushing to stop him when Professor Rothius cut in unexpectedly.
"How much time do you need?"
"Two days will be plenty."
"Two whole days, is it?"
The way the professor echoed the words—his face wearing an expression that said such a trivial matter is nothing for you—left them all dumbstruck yet again.
"Very well. You've volunteered to catch the culprit yourself, so we shall simply wait. It's only two days. That suits you fine, doesn't it, Jared?"
He didn't answer, but he knew better than anyone that he could no longer keep pushing.
The real culprit.
All I have to do is not get caught.
That fool needs to be taught a proper lesson for acting like an idiot.
Anyone could see the smoldering fire in his eyes—something was being planned.
"Aidan, I don't know what trick you're planning, but Jared isn't going to sit still either. He'll throw every obstacle he can in your way."
"Let him try all he wants. It won't make a bit of difference."
At this point it crossed the line from confidence into recklessness. If he failed to catch the culprit within two days like this, he could end up taking all the blame himself—and that meant suspension at best, expulsion at worst.
"You guys just sit back and watch. I'll handle everything myself."
Whether or not he registered his friends' concern, Aidan remained utterly smug to the very end.
And that night, the moment lights-out was called in the dormitory, the four of them gathered once more. The venue, as always, was the quiet pasture.
"So why'd you call us out here? Don't tell me you're making Bayul train after a day like this?"
"Training without Innocent? Not happening. I already know she's off at the Water Garden."
When Bayul nodded in confirmation, Aidan grinned and added:
"Just wait a minute. They'll be here soon."
"Here soon? Who else is coming?"
"Who knows. We'll see who shows up."
With that cryptic answer, Aidan suddenly pursed his lips and whistled.
"What are you doing?"
"Aidan...?"
The boy's whistling was astonishingly varied. It sang like a melody at times, then stretched into a long, sharp note like a referee's whistle—now fast, now slow, the pitch shifting constantly. It sounded exactly like someone sending a signal.
While the others stood baffled by his inexplicable behavior, the first to sense something strange was Quinn. His keen ears twitched toward a distant point in the darkness.
"Did you hear something just now?"
A beat later, Eli too picked up on an unfamiliar presence and grew wary.
"Pwee!"
Moments later, the source of the sound revealed itself.
"What the—it's just Ingrid?"
Just as the tension was starting to dissolve at the arrival of a familiar friend, something came slicing through the night air straight toward them.
"...A crow?"
And that was only the beginning. A jet-black crow, every feather slicked in darkness, landed perched on Aidan's shoulder like a flagpole. On a nearby tree, a white owl with fierce, piercing eyes took its place, and a yellow cat burst out of the undergrowth, bounding straight for Aidan and rubbing its head against him in an enthusiastic greeting. Not one of these animals had any of them seen since enrolling at the Academy.
How much time had passed since then?
Finally, Aidan addressed them—confronted, in the dead of night, with this bizarre spectacle.
"Guys, say hello. This one's Osmond—the rascal who raids the student cafeteria every night. He's over ten years old, but isn't he adorable? As you can see, his aegyo is nothing to sneeze at."
As though he actually understood the compliment, Osmond lifted his head and let out a loud "Meow!"
"The one sitting on that branch over there is Ariane. Her night vision is excellent, so I invited her specially."
At Aidan's glance, Ariane fluttered her wings without leaving her perch.
"And last but not least—who is this one, hmm? Anyone care to guess?"
Aidan reached up and stroked the crow on his shoulder as though it were the most precious thing in the world.
"Don't tell me that's Sebastiano?"
Bayul had braced himself for a 'how would we possibly know that?' retort from Eli—yet, remarkably, the boy named a name that wasn't unfamiliar at all.
The place where he'd been kidnapped in the dead of night and forced to play chess against his will. The Crow's Nest, wasn't it? The crow that lived there was named Sebastiano.
"Correct answer! You really are Stone Lions, after all."
"It's a crow, so I took a shot in the dark."
Though he'd never laid eyes on the bird himself, Bayul had heard plenty about Sebastiano, the crow that lived in the Crow's Nest.
"The Crow's Nest is your Stone Lion hideout, right? But did you know? Long before you showed up, that place was this fellow's home. Every time you lot got rowdy, he complained so much that I felt bad for him."
"It... complained?"
He'd wanted to ask for a while now. Aidan was treating animals as though they were people. He'd sworn he'd catch the culprit himself to clear his name—so why had he summoned these creatures? No, more than that: how on earth had he called them here in the first place? Explanations were overdue.
"Rye, I asked you once before, remember?"
"...?"
"What ability got you early admission."
"You said back then you didn't feel like talking about it. Changed your mind now?"
"It's this."
"What?"
"Communion with animals. I can talk to these guys. Through their eyes, through their sounds—I can understand what they're saying and what they want."