Chapter 107
Chapter 107
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: Memo in the Incident Notebook
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“Senior, really nothing happened?”
“…Yeah.”
“So you’re saying you did that incredible sleep-talking for absolutely no reason?”
“…….”
In the deep predawn hours before the sun had even begun to rise, Shirley’s nagging started the moment I woke up, leaving me speechless.
I’d tossed and turned all night and only finally fallen asleep near dawn, but according to Shirley, that’s when something bad must have aligned, because I apparently shouted, “Makina Christi must graduate.”
“You’re such a worrywart. Makina said she got it, so why were you freaking out like you’re the one who didn’t make it…”
“…”
“I thought something huge had happened, so I climbed down from the window. And there she was, Makina Christi, sitting at the desk, our eyes meeting.”
“I don’t remember any of that… Don’t frame me, go take care of your business…”
Makina Christi sitting at the desk in that dawn hour, hearing my yells, and Shirley Spencer climbing over the window after hearing the noise—it all felt utterly unreal.
‘A dream…? Is this an unending nightmare…?’
Unfortunately, I wasn’t waking from a dream, and Shirley wasn’t going home.
While I cradled my head in despair, groaning, Yudit took a sip of her cooling tea and set the cup down.
“Shirley, you need to realize there’s a full four-year age gap between Arma and you. Arma, you need to seriously think about what a senior should look like.”
“I agree with you to some extent… but this happened in my sleep. It was outside my control.”
“If you were an aspiring swordsman, I could fix that for you.”
“How— No, I don’t want to hear it. Let’s drop this now.”
If Shirley kept harping on it even a little more, I was ready to drop to my knees and beg.
But thanks to Yudit cutting in at the right moment, Shirley just smirked like a wicked little fairy.
“Anyway, I get that something about Makina’s graduation is bothering you.”
“…”
Yudit finished the rest of her tea and got to the point.
This had become our recent pattern.
When I beat around the bush or changed the subject, Yudit would keenly pick up on it, testing whether to dig deeper or pretend not to notice.
“Senior’s more hung up on Makina’s graduation than I thought? No bad feelings left toward her at all?”
“…Bad feelings?”
At my words, Shirley plopped down next to Yudit, kicking her legs like a child as she spoke.
“Makina let you get bullied for years. Even admitted she used you. I figured you’d only have bad feelings left, but you’re so clean about it—it’s unexpected.”
Sure, in a normal situation, that would be plenty of reason to hold a grudge against Makina.
I didn’t know about other organizations, but at least at Aegis Academy, Makina could pull it off.
But I’d observed the situation myself, so blindly resenting Makina—a total stranger—for making that choice felt ridiculous.
‘I never had high expectations for Aegis Academy to begin with…’
Coming here had been pure escapism for me.
Escaping my family, my mother, my life.
Since I hadn’t staked my life on this place, how many people would hold onto grudges from minor incidents at a mere refuge?
“Well, Makina was trying to help me in her own way, and that’s how it happened.”
“You believe that?”
“I do, yeah.”
“Hmm…”
Shirley narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing my face, so I met her gaze head-on.
I don’t back down easily in battles that require shamelessness.
As expected, Shirley looked away first and let out a short sigh.
“I can’t read your mind at all.”
“It’s a bit suspicious, but I want to believe Makina wasn’t completely lying.”
“No, not Makina—you.”
Yudit set down her empty teacup and stood up.
“Now that the dreadful winter makeup classes are over, let’s think about how to spend the rest of winter break.”
Normally, break time was for remedial lessons or special advanced courses to progress a semester ahead, but this time, with the entire academy doing makeup, that wasn’t happening.
So they’d decided to add a zero-period and an extra final period just for spring semester, offering extended advanced lectures for any cadets who wanted them.
‘She’s already in a slump and looking stressed… Talk about timing.’
I watched Yudit stretch as she stood, lost in thought.
She’d signed up for winter advanced courses originally, so this unexpected break wasn’t making her happy at all.
Yudit seemed to need alone time to think, just like me.
“Oh, I’m heading out for a bit.”
“Out? Where to?”
“Well—, when Makina went missing, I asked the detectives who came from the mainland for help. I need to tell them there’s no need to search anymore.”
Yudit casually picked up her sword belt from the chair, as if it were natural to come along.
I quickly dissuaded her and pointed at the ceiling.
“There’s two people up there who look free. I’ll go with them.”
“Hmm…”
“You were planning to train anyway, right? Go ahead. I’ll just handle my errand and come straight back.”
Only then did Yudit catch my intent and nodded briefly.
“Oh, perfect timing.”
Just as the conversation paused, the door opened, and Theodor and Arthur walked in.
With me here, the student council room had turned into a sort of parlor.
It helped that it was break time, and Makina was grounded after yesterday, so no other council cadets were barging in.
“You two are just in time. I was going to visit a place today anyway—want to tag along?”
“…”
“Understood.”
Theodor had a habit of talking less when with Arthur.
Arthur nodded on his behalf.
“Grab your coats and meet at the first floor?”
“No, we’ll come here.”
“Alright.”
I said goodbye to Yudit and Shirley, went back to my room to get ready, and headed out.
A fur-lined cloak was enough if it wasn’t too cold, but today was pretty chilly.
I stepped out in a gray cashmere overcoat and black scarf, where Theodor waited in his purple double-breasted frock coat, and Arthur in a black tweed coat that reached his knees.
“So, where are we headed?”
“You’re late with that question.”
Following me so eagerly without even knowing the destination—grateful, but these guys were unique.
“Out to the civilian homes outside the academy. Gotta report to Inspector Julia too.”
“Ah.”
Theodor finally recalled Makina returning on her own and nodded.
‘Been a while since I’ve gone out.’
Truth be told, the academy was its own little society.
Monthly supplies overflowed, dorms were always spotless, and clothes and food came without shortage thanks to the staff.
So unless there was special business like today, trips outside to the civilian areas were rare.
The civilian homes clustered at the northern tip of the upside-down star-shaped island, and since that corner was the thickest and longest, it took quite a hike.
“There it is.”
Most visible plants were halophytes, thriving despite the salty winds. By now, my time off-island nearly matched on-island, making this scenery feel more familiar.
The civilians were mainland transplants, so true Hazard Island natives numbered fewer than twenty households. Inspector Julia’s “lodging”—a small annex left by locals—was one of them.
*Knock knock knock.*
“Anyone home?”
The small cottage with its garden was laughably unsecured.
You could see right inside the windows from afar.
I’d noticed it was empty the moment I stepped into the yard.
Despite knowing better, anxiety won out—I twisted the knob, and the unlocked door creaked open.
*Creeeak.*
“…”
Unease flooded me.
No signs of combat inside, but it didn’t look like someone had just left either.
Cold, dead fireplace, bedding without a wrinkle.
Arthur, who’d dashed upstairs and back, shook his head.
‘Something’s wrong…’
I scanned around and approached the desk near the fireplace.
There lay an open notebook, its corners worn shiny.
“Doesn’t seem like someone who’d leave this spread out.”
Anxiety surged.
I strode to the desk and read the notebook out of that ominous impatience.
〔Recollections on the Cale Ace Murder Case〕
〔Amid suspicious circumstances, the prime suspect Arma Cruise shows no signs of guilt.
He’s in a highly sensitive state but has a thoughtful, exceptionally patient personality.
Likely suppressing himself to avoid consciously displaying anything.
From the recorded scene and traces, this murder was almost certainly human-perpetrated.
However,
1. The body was cremated with family consent
2. The scene was damaged by Hazard Island’s seasonal winter storm
3. No prior connection between prime suspect and victim
Further investigation seems pointless.
Above all, it’s hard to imagine a suspect with a pre-existing heart condition self-administering stimulants that spike heart rate and sympathetic nerves until unconsciousness, logically speaking.
That said…〕
The memo had thick lines struck through here.
The next intact paragraph resumed below.
〔The oddity of this case: signs of at least three people collaborating, yet none named.
Evidence of organized concealment within the island.
Civilians suspicious.
Investigate more upon return〕
Inspector Julia’s notes ended there.
Seeing the messy house like she’d left in a hurry, her belongings untouched, I realized something fishy was afoot.
“Any chance a mage or swordsman attacked?”
“No. Inspector Julia and Investigator Henry left on their own—door opened from inside. No signs of struggle.”
I handed the memo I’d finished to Theodor and Arthur; their faces hardened like mine.
I tucked Inspector Julia’s investigation notebook into my coat and drew my pistol from its holster, chambering a round.
“-For now…”
Just as I gestured for them to leave the cottage—
*Creeak.*
The gate at the cottage’s small garden fence swung open from outside.