Lately, I have really enjoyed the feeling of her eyes fixed upon me. Those eyes—which proclaim that from now on, she will be observing me closely, so as not to miss a single action I take—are a source of great enjoyment for me. Even after I gave her some of her favorite biscuits from that bakery she loves, she just kept on staring, which really was something.
“Is there something stuck to my face?”
“No,” she said after a pause.
It’s cute, that frustrated expression she makes whenever—in spite of all her dedication—she can’t find anything suspect.. She must have been thinking, I’ll be ready the very moment he does or says anything suspicious. But I don’t intend to indulge her as far as that.
I chuckled internally, then returned to my work sorting the mail like a good assistant. The drawing room we were using in place of an office was silent. Ever since Octavia had begun to suspect me, even her partner Hat seemed to have decided to keep quiet, so it truly was silent.
Octavia had also begun to choose her words carefully. I was feeling somewhat discontented by this, naturally. I was unable to enjoy a typical conversation with her now, and it was like an unopened toy chest; one never knew what might come out.
Still, in place of that was a surfeit of enjoyable silence. Nor was I bothered by the wary eyes of the girl she had brought back from the harbor town.
I said, “Thanks to an introduction from Mrs. Smile, we have a job offer.”
“What is it?”
“To search for a runaway. The young master of a certain household seems to have acquired an undesirable pastime and hasn’t come back home. No wonder I haven’t seen him recently.”
“Do you know him?”
“I suppose, if by ‘know him’ you mean know his name and face. I sighted him once at a soirée. I have some idea of where he might have gone. He definitely had a bar that he liked to go to. I’d say there’s a high probability that he’s there. I guess the parents don’t know about it.”
“If you’ve already solved this case, what am I supposed to do?” said Octavia, sulking.
“This time was just a coincidence. But it’s a special kind of bar. I’m pretty sure that it opens at very particular times.”
“Huh. Do you know when?”
“Um... I’m pretty sure it was only open between eleven and twelve o’clock at night, on the third Wednesday of the month.” Having said this, I realized something with a start. Octavia, sitting on the sofa opposite me, met my gaze. She had realized the same thing. That would be the same date that Crow, the Phantom Thief, had specified in his latest announcement.
We stared at each other in silence. As if testing each other, seeing who would make the first move.
“What do you want to do?” I decided to take the lead for now.
“What do you think we should do?”
Even posed with such a dilemma, as the Phantom Thief, I could hardly withdraw an announcement. It would inconvenience the police, who had strengthened their security preparations in response to my letter.
My prey’s whereabouts was the street of luxury residences where the mansions of nobles and capitalists were densely concentrated, even for the Royal Capital. It was a substantial distance away from any dubious bars. And my prey was said to be a rose that would not wilt. At present, it seemed the gardens and vineyards managed by the estate’s owner were in full bloom in spite of the season, and the grape harvest had been fruitful. This capitalist had made an immense profit from the sale of the wine made from these grapes, but there were reports that the workers in the gardens and vineyards had been seen staggering around as if sleepwalking. Without a doubt, a Demonic Heirloom was involved.
Octavia had doubtless come to the same conclusion.
In other words, she had to prioritize Crow’s announcement. I made every effort to transmit that thought to her with a slight smile. You’ll prioritize the Phantom Thief—prioritize me—won’t you? Such was the message I tried to convey, like a pestering lover. I’m sure she received it. Even if not, considering her duty, it was obvious which of the two options she would choose.
In spite of this, she was staring me down, as if waiting for me to make a move. “Would you like me to prioritize Crow the Phantom Thief?”
I suppressed the reflex to ask, Why are you asking me that?
“I wonder,” I mused instead. “It looks like either job will come with a reward. The amount would be greater if we went with Crow, though.”
“But if we consider the effort involved, looking for a young man who ran away from home would have a better benefit-to-cost ratio.” This detective had a surprisingly strong sense for economic concerns.
I shot back, “If you catch the Phantom Thief, you might become an overnight celebrity.”
“On the other hand, taking a job from an aristocrat will lead to further job offers. Besides, thinking of our success rate, won’t focusing entirely on Crow call my abilities as a detective into question?”
She also seemed to have an excellent sense for risk management.
“It sounds like you want me to prioritize Crow.” She also had enough acting talent to say this with a straight face.
“No, it isn’t that. But if you’re worried about losing to him, and you want to give him a miss this time, I won’t try to stop you.”
However, she couldn’t keep calm when it came to Crow, the Phantom Thief.
“I didn’t say that.”
“That’s how it sounded to me.”
“What about you? Which job do you think we should accept? As an assistant.”
So it’s come to this. I grinned, all the while thinking that she was also quite the skilled negotiator. “I don’t mind which. You’re the detective, so do as you please.”
Octavia’s expression soured, the corners of her mouth turning down. Just getting to see that gave me a feeling of satisfaction. What a cheap assistant to hire I am. I’m surprised at myself. But there was no escaping the truth. More than any jewels or paintings, it was Octavia who continued to steal my attention.
See there—as I blinked, she sighed somberly, uncrossing and crossing those gorgeous legs again. There was a refinement and arrogance in her demeanor that I truly found beautiful.
“All right. We’ll turn down the commission to find the runaway young man. However, include all the details you have about the bar—and anything else you know—along with our letter of refusal.”
“You’re giving them free service?”
“We’re refusing their kind offer of work. Besides, it came through Mrs. Smile. Really, that Phantom Thief is nothing but a thorn in my side...”
Hearing her say that so hatefully, I couldn’t help but laugh. She glared back at me, but I couldn’t bring myself to apologize. Instead, I offered her a better plan.
“What if we split up, and I go to that bar by myself? If I’m only confirming whether or not the runaway is there, I should be able to manage. I know his face, after all.”
“Huh? As my assistant, you have to stay by my side.” Octavia’s expression was so disgruntled that my hands froze in the middle of my work.
If she let me excuse myself from the scene of the burglary, she might miss her chance to grasp the true identity of Crow, the Phantom Thief. That was probably the judgment she had made, but the way she put it was most unfair. It was as if she had said, You need to be with me so I can catch you.
If I’m stuck working alongside her, hasn’t she caught me already? Coming to this sudden realization, I thought I might choke. But no, it hasn’t yet come to that. I haven’t conceded as far as that yet.
“Perhaps if the matter of the Phantom Thief is easily wrapped up, or if he flees in the direction of the bar, we may just be able to fit it in.”
Without even knowing of the conflict in my heart, the detective had made such a convenient request of me. The way her eyes interrogated me was so unfair and yet so cute. It frustrated me to find them so adorable. Very well, I said, nodding plainly.
Then, when the time came, I fled in the opposite direction from the bar.