-~*~-
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Seeing the stunned face of Lazar, the tight and angry face that belongs to Kazuto softened a bit. He never really was well with betrayal. Especially after he had promised something in return.
He then sat down on the ground. His eyes are on the same level of Lazar. The boy is stunned beyond comprehension.
He can't even form a proper sentence.
"Look Lazar. If you can tell us whatever that you know about this person or what happened last night, I will help you with overcoming whatever hurdle that you will face in the future." He placed a soothing pat on the boy's shoulder.
"B-But… they murdered someone… I'm an accomplice. I can't-I can't be put in jail… My sister and my brother…." The boy is panicking. Gripping the side of his head as if he is protecting his vital part.
Kazuto didn't want to stress the little guy anymore but also wished to move quickly with the case. 'Sorry Yanyi. I'll owe you one in the future.'
Lazar — "You will not be put to prison if you help us. I promise. We happen to know a person who is so good in court that she will be able to free you from any conflict."
Irene — "That's right! She has put many guilty people behind bars and even freed those who had been falsely wronged. She'll help you for sure."
Lazar — "R-Really?"
Kazuto — "Really. Beside what I can tell you right now is that you have no knowledge that your helping is assisting a murder right? By logic of criminal intention, you have none. So with no intention, you'll have a lower charge."
Irene — "Yup! And with her help, you'll be a free boy again."
Lazar's panicked face starts to warm up. His breathing is becoming even more even. "So can you tell us everything you knew?" Kazuto looks into his eyes with a plea. The boy understood.
He spills everything.
He stated all that had happened that night. He had been instructed to stand underneath the tree that night. When he first went out the weather was not that rainy so he hadn't brought any raincoats with him. However it started to downpour heavily which caused his whole garments to be wet.
He was instructed to look for any open window and shoot the window lock close. He would then meet the person and agree on the next deal.
When he saw the second floor bathroom window opening and a figure falling down from the window he shot the window close. He had thought that the figure would meet with him to discuss further but he just ran away.
Not wanting to be in the storm any longer, Lazar eventually takes his leave and goes inside. That is how he manages to get mud on his shoes and get his clothes wet.
"That's all that happened to me last night…" Lazar said, a bit of guilt laced in his voice. Irene patted his head in reassurance that everything is going to be fine. Even Kazuto gave him a 'good job' for his bravery of telling the truth.
"Can you tell us where this person had run off too?" Kazuto asked.
"He ran to the dense woods at the back of the manor. I didn't really see if he went anywhere else after that because of the storm." Lazar explained. He even pointed out where the guy had run off.
"Thank you, Lazar. And that promise of a spot in the Ryuichi's personnel still stands. But that's for another time." With excitement, Lazar hugs Kazuto so hard that he can hardly breathe.
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After that whole ordeal Irene and Kazuto move to where Lazar had pointed towards. Irene had also given Lazar her family pin which would deter the Xue soldier from being too aggressive to him.
She had also provided him with all the testimony that he had spoken and a pair of instructions. If he didn't want to speak with the soldiers then he can give the testimony to them without worrying about anything else.
The boy is relieved beyond expectations.
The two had already prepared with climbing gear knowing full well what hid behind those high cliffside. With that they strode to the back of the orphanage as the sun started to get lower.
Their timer for the day is getting counted for.
After arriving at the edge of the cliff, they look down into the deep woods. "We'll need to prepare carefully before we go down. Let's find a stable tree to-!" He was cut off when he saw Irene had already tied herself to a pretty sturdy and big tree.
She is ready to go down. "Are you sure you can go down on your own?" Kazuto asked, intrigued with this side of Irene. He had never encountered a woman so versatile in many different skills.
Survival skills.
"I have my fair share of wilderness excursions and mountain climbing. Thanks to a certain blue girl I know." She complained while positioning herself in the perfect angle. She then slowly descended down the cliffside.
Kazuto was a bit stupor with awe for 30 seconds before hearing the "are you coming down or not?!" from Irene. He moved quickly and tied himself to a tree before going down to catch up with Irene.
After reaching the bottom of the cliff they start to search for anything that could be a sign. Any footprints, weapons. Even broken sticks could be accounted for. Of course making sure not to stray far away from each other.
The further they walked forward the more they nearly lost hope. The woods are massive and they don't have enough time to search the entire thing. Thankfully they don't have to.
They stumble upon a swamp and just before they could walk further, Irene spotted a weird handle at the side of the swamp. After picking it up it was something they had been searching for.
The weapon.
Kazuto took the drill and inspected the name of the production. "Yup. This is the one that had been missing. We found it."
"There's something attached to the end of the drill." Irene pointed it out.
Kazuto took a look at the tip of the drill and found a piece of navy cloth stuck to the drill mouth. "A piece of cloth."
"Highly likely it belongs to the culprit. We can send it over to the forensic department and hope that they can search for anything on it." Kazuto suggested to which Irene nodded too.
Their little excursion ended there and they went back to the manor. It was already sunset and their timer had come to a stop.
They handed over the piece of cloth to the forensic team and gave them a clear instruction. Not only that Irene had also instructed them to find from what piece of clothing does it come from.
And with that the first day of their little detective day comes to an end. They shall continue it tomorrow.
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The next day.
Irene and Kazuto didn't leave the orphanage and instead spent the night with them. They didn't want anyone to think that something had gone bad. Aside from those who knew.
It is also much faster for them to start working the moment the sun starts to rise.
They would have to wait for the forensic department news before they could continue. This only occurred after breakfast. "May we speak with Young Marquess and Lady Irene?" One of the forensic department workers had come to the orphanage.
He explained everything to the two people standing before him. They had worked the entire night to trace everything they could from the drill but unfortunately the condition of which the drill was left at for the entire night and day had already wiped off or interfered with the detection.
Even the piece of cloth isn't traceable.
"What about the types of garments? Did you find anything about that?" Irene asks as she starts to ponder about their next move.
Fortunately not all hope is lost. The officer explained that through the structure of the fabric and little stitching they found, they had figured out what the type of fabric is and what it is used for.
He then handed out a document which told all the details they had gathered. Irene gladly takes it and thanks the officers before they take their leave off the property.
Unlike Irene, Kazuto is not very optimistic about the clues that they have gathered. "Now what?" he asked the girl. She had specifically given the instructions for the fabric types so he'd hope that she can come up with some sort of plan.
"We'll have to go somewhere today. You prepare the vehicle while I go and tell the nannies. We'll depart in 5 minutes!" She ran off leaving Kazuto alone and perplexed. He didn't even know where they were going.
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After 5 minutes of waiting, Irene returned and they immediately went off to whatever directions Irene had given him. He asked for an explanation which she gladly stated.
She stated that she had an acquaintance that works really closely with the fashion industry. They are basically the fashion encyclopedia so it is easier for them to ask this person.
She explains that certain fabrics are only accessible for certain parts of the world. She isn't as versatile in this fashion circle so she can't help tracing who had bought what. But this acquaintance of hers is and would help them a great deal.
He didn't argue with her and drove to wherever this place may be.
He trusts her completely.
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After parking the car they came face to face with a large clothing shop. One that is so big it could be a factory at some point in their investment.
Upon entering they are greeted by the receptionist. Upon seeing Irene and Kazuto and hearing her little inquiry of wanting to see this person, the receptionist folded and guided them to a room.
"Please wait for a moment while I call for the owner, Lady Irene, Young Marquess Kazuto." The receptionist went away and left the two alone in a waiting room.
After waiting for 5 minutes the door flew open and in came a rather large structure for a woman. "Ah~ Lady Irene! It has been a while since I've seen you. How have you been my dear!" The person said ecstatically.
He proceeds to walk forward and give a simple kiss on the cheek to Irene. Who returns it with a warm smile. "Everything is fine Lady Hira. I have to say your outfit for that friend of mine is stunning! I would have to return for another set before I leave Kinsel in the future."
They continue to gossip for about 10 minutes before the person named 'Hira' notices another person seated in the room. Upon recognizing his face, he bowed down and greeted Kazuto. "Apologise for not greeting you earlier, Young Marquess Ryuichi. I was so into our little conversation just now."
"It's okay. May I know who you are?"
"Ah. My name is Hira Kiran. The owner of this lovely fashion boutique. Quite the pleasure of having you and Lady Irene in here, Young Marquess."
"The pleasure is all mine. Irene, may I know why we are here?"
"Oh right! Hira is the person I have been talking about. They can help us find the next clue hopefully."
Hearing the word clue and their name in a sentence, Hira was a bit puzzled. He looked towards Irene without a word uttered. Hoping that the girl would explain a little bit more to them.
And she did.
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After hearing everything, Hira was in a daze. They were a bit honored and perplexed as to why Irene would have come to them for further clues.
"So why did you seek my assistance, my lady?" They ask, quite curious as to how Irene's plan will work out.
"I was hoping that you could help us identify this thing." She slid the documents that they had received from the forensic department across the coffee table alongside the piece of cloth that they had discovered yesterday.
Hira took the document and read it with interest and focus. The moment the sound "Ahh~" escaped their lips, he went out for about 30 minutes.
The other two are waiting inside.
"What are you planning exactly?" Kazuto can't help but break the silence. He never likes being left in the dark for too long.
Irene — "The reason why I ask for the type of fabric tied back to the fashion industry. Basically certain fabrics have a specific vendor and it would be easier for them to track the person's origin to narrow down their suspect."
Kazuto — "And?"
Irene — "In the fashion circle, at least those who are very well versed, they can track down the name of the buyer of a certain fabric. From the amount they bought to the quality that they bought."
Kazuto — "Continue."
Irene — "With this we can directly pinpoint the culprit. Just like our little speculation yesterday. Not everything is pointing towards Niclas. It could point to someone else."
Kazuto — "And this is helping to blur the line of suspect from Niclas onto another person from that list right?"
Irene — "Correct!"
Kazuto — "And I figure that Hira is our middle man. Working on behalf of us to search for the fabric's recent buyers."
Irene —- "Yup! If we can't find the DNA then we find the old records of purchase. The fashion circle can pinpoint it further back if they need to."
"Intelligent." He praises her little plan. She smiles warmly with a simple "Thank you."
When Hira came back, they brought with them a small roll of fabric alongside a book detailing their buyers. "This is the type of fabric that matches with the quality of the one you have provided as well as the list of buyers that we have from the past 3 months over in Kinsel."
While Irene and Kazuto read the book log, Hira continues to tell about the fabric's history and information itself. "The fabric is quite rare in Kinsel as most of them are actually sold in Ashrin, the original place."
"Ashrin?" Irene hearing her home state she paused for a moment to continue her conversation with Hira.
Apparently they only supply the outer chain of fashion boutique with grey coloured fabric of this material. It is quite hard to get the coloured version and shipping it can cause them a lot of shortage in supply. That is why coloured versions of the fabric were only sold in Ashrin and nowhere else.
Now that is interesting.
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-~*~-