Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Out of the Island (1)
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As soon as the sound of footsteps echoed, Asher and Theodore dropped low and crawled toward me.
I was standing in a blind spot where I couldn't be seen from the direction the sound came from, so I didn't need to hide like the two of them crawling over.
But Asher's head turned bit by bit, checking if the person making the noise was approaching.
*Tap tap.*
Asher tapped his fingers on the floor to catch my eye, then gestured toward the wall hidden by the curtain.
"Hide?"
I looked back and forth between the wall and Asher to confirm.
Asher nodded and crawled over in a prone position alongside Theodore.
"Even if I hide behind the curtain, it'll bulge out... Ah!"
I checked that Inspector Julia's notebook, tucked into my pocket, wouldn't fall out, then carefully lifted the curtain just enough not to shake it too much and slipped behind it.
The wall I thought was just covered by the curtain had a recessed space inside—it was a storage area meant for stacking firewood.
Fortunately, Inspector Julia had used up all the bundled firewood she'd prepared for the stove, leaving it empty.
"You guys are coming in too? Isn't that too cramped?"
The problem came next.
No sooner had I hidden than Theodore and Asher lifted the curtain in turn and squeezed into the narrow space. It was barely big enough for someone Theodore's size to crawl in; anything more was impossible.
"Hair—!"
The hiding spot was so tight that the three of us had to press our shoulders together against the wall.
Theodore facing the wall was fine up to that point, but his bound hair was sticking out.
I quickly slipped my fingers into his protruding half-up ponytail and undid the hair tie.
*Creak, creak.*
And then a suffocating wait.
With my vision blocked, my sharpened hearing picked up the presence of someone pacing outside the door even more clearly.
After a few minutes like that.
The presence pacing outside didn't enter the building.
Only after it completely vanished did Asher cautiously lift the curtain and step out.
"Who was that just now?"
"Doesn't seem like staff. Their stealth was too sloppy for that."
"...Did they really not notice us?"
"Probably. They likely know an outsider is staying here but have no idea where."
"Yeah..."
No matter who it was, getting caught that we'd come here wouldn't do us any good.
Inspector Julia's sudden disappearance without a word was clearly suspicious, but we still didn't know if it was some incident or her own decision to leave.
"She promised to help find Makina and then just vanishes like this?"
Everything felt awkward and strange.
I slipped my hand inside my coat and unconsciously checked Inspector Julia's investigation notes before closing my collar again.
"Three accomplices..."
The case was over.
Kael Ace's family had passively declared no intent to resolve it by incinerating what could be seen as the last remaining evidence—Kael Ace's body.
But as a murder suspect, I'd desperately tried to clear my name, and I hadn't wanted the case to end so anticlimactically.
Even if everyone else had forgotten in an instant, a murderer was still brazenly walking around this academy.
"I even thought it might be me..."
But there were too many circumstances making it impossible for me to have killed Kael Ace.
I still had no idea why I'd been dragged there and ended up in that state.
That's probably why Inspector Julia suspected accomplices.
"Let's head back."
Leaving empty-handed like this.
It left a bitter taste, but there was no choice.
Fortunately, Inspector Julia was an official dispatched from the mainland.
She called it a demotion, but no matter what, if a dispatched official went radio silent for too long, her superiors would send someone else.
"It'll be fine..."
Just one day.
I'd watch for one more day and decide what to do.
We returned to the dorm utterly fruitlessly.
"Theodore."
Before heading to the student council room, I stopped Theodore, who was bowing and going to his room.
Theodore looked at me with his usual inscrutable expression.
"Here."
"Ah."
What I handed him was his hair tie.
I'd taken it off while undoing his protruding ponytail to hide in the tight space with him.
"Thank you."
"Not really something to thank me for."
Theodore fiddled with the velvet hair tie he'd gotten back, then turned away without a word.
That night, we agreed with Makina's suggestion—since everything was verified, we'd return to our dorms at dawn and prepare for spring semester—and spent our last night.
***
Spring semester ran from March to May, the first term of the four-semester system at Aegis Academy.
Unlike the mainland's usual three-semester system, it was because Aegis graduates had to go through commissioning.
Commissioning usually happened at the end of March, so graduates would give welcoming speeches to new students and head straight to commissioning—a unique sight.
"Makina was supposed to give this year's speech, but since she didn't graduate, who knows what'll happen."
I thought she naturally should, but after seeing Chancellor Reynolds's deeply suspicious attitude, I doubted it'd be that simple.
We each carried our belongings in both hands and left Black Lily House at nearly the same time.
"Arma Cruise."
Then Theodore called me back.
Theodore approached, holding a large, boxy leather trunk.
"What?"
"I have a favor... There's an experiment I want to try."
He pulled a wax-sealed letter from his coat's inner pocket.
I took it reflexively and examined the envelope front and back.
"What's this?"
"I can't tell you the contents—afraid it'll contaminate the results. Need a safety measure, so please take it and handle the aftermath."
"...Is this a bomb?"
It looked like a normal letter...
I frowned at Theodore, who shook his head.
"It won't explode. But it might catch fire, so put it on a wide plate and pour water over it for storage."
What the hell experiment is he planning?
What if I mess up and lose a finger?
Feeling uneasy, I pinched the letter's corner with my fingertips and scowled.
Theodore stared blankly, not getting my reaction, then added,
"The water itself blocks the letter from harm, so please do it."
"Okay..."
I almost asked what it was again but gave up.
If he's not telling me this much, there must be a reason.
Shirley, who'd been listening to our contextless exchange, quickly chimed in.
"Senior. Theo's going home briefly before spring semester. He leaves tomorrow, so let's all have tea together today."
"So suddenly?"
"Not suddenly. I already applied for leave before spring semester. Now that I'm of age, I'm going for a simple coming-of-age rite to receive the family crest."
"Ah, you're turning twenty soon."
Come to think of it, four years ago around this time, I'd gone home for the same reason as Theodore.
Receiving the family crest meant formal recognition as an adult, signifying you were old enough to take responsibility for yourself.
Nineteen-year-olds that year would officially enter the family registry stamped with the crest and hold a rite declaring themselves adults.
Shirley had passed the Spencer family's special task last year and completed her rite successfully, but it was so bizarre I hadn't pried.
"Alright, anyway, I'll do as you say. We'll say goodbyes later."
Spending the latter half of boyhood trapped on a remote island, then leaving for the mainland on the cusp of adulthood—it was a profoundly special experience.
I'd had it too and struggled with an ineffable emptiness, a bizarre sense of liberation for a while.
'Come to think of it, even those memories are fading already.'
I'd thought my coming-of-age rite—where I declared full withdrawal from the family head succession—would be unforgettable, but time blurred it.
In any case, unlike me with my relatively okay family ties, this was Theodore's chance to escape his family's shackles.
I patted his back to encourage him, then turned toward Wooden Cross House.
Theodore, not catching the meaning, tilted his head for a while before vanishing with Asher.
A moment later.
After setting down our heavy loads in Wooden Cross House's reception room, we gathered and sipped tea and snacks to our tastes.
Theodore seemed to have no appetite, his face pale as he took a sip of cold tea and set the cup down.
"By the way, is Usher senior going home too?"
Shirley, who'd been drinking overly sweet honey tea that numbed her tongue, set her cup down and asked.
Asher glanced at Theodore beside him and shook his head.
"The Ushers won't welcome me."
"...Really?"
Shirley, unable to imagine how the prodigy Asher was treated at home, widened her eyes in surprise.
I knew all too well how Asher had been abused there against his will, so I could only give a wry smile.
Theodore stared silently at his cold teacup before speaking softly.
"While I'm out, I'll look for people or means to help us."
"Good idea."
It was still before spring semester, so if Theodore could seek aid on the mainland, it'd save us a ton of hassle.
Plus, since I wouldn't be going myself, the risk of guardian angel leaks was low.
Theodore briefly outlined his schedule (about a week, planning to return before spring semester started) and stood.