"So, 'Famous industrialist saves hundreds,' huh? You are famous now, even more than before. I wonder what went in your head when you decided to deploy your fleet." Klein, who was sitting with his legs crossed in front of Kiyotaka, spoke as he read the newspaper.
Kiyotaka looked at the back of the newspaper and sighed. "I did not expect the act to garner so much attention."
"Sure you didn't." Klein scoffed in a non-patronizing manner, causing Kiyotaka to shrug indifferently. "So? You're hiring? What for?"
"Engineering students, mostly." Kiyotaka replied and leaned back in his seat. "It's a form of investment in the future. Other than that we are also looking for an accountant or two. After the Great Smog, Prometheus and Janus have been under quite a lot of workload. Leppard can no longer handle everything alone."
Klein, who was using his Gehrman Sparrow persona's appearance, chuckled. "Yeah, give the poor guy a break." Then, he looked around. "I am staying in Backlund until tonight and I leave early tomorrow morning, so you better host me properly."
"Hm, you said you were leaving to find mermaids, correct? I am assuming you have digested your potion already?"
Klein moved his head sideways. "More or less. Some of it is still undigested, so I will use the time left to complete that and then head over for the ritual. What about you? You were holding off your advancement, right? How's your mental state now?"
'That confirms it. If he was able to digest most of his Faceless potion as Sherlock Moriarty, then that too was a fake identity. It was quite apparent anyways, given people of this world wouldn't name their child by mixing names of the greatest detective and greatest criminal. That said, how did he manage to pull it off? He was confirmed dead by the Church of Evernight Goddess. Did he actually die or was it a ruse? The question 'how' and 'why' remain regardless of either possibility.'
"It's better than before." Kiyotaka picked the different bundles of paper and began stuffing them inside the drawers.
"I see. Well, congratulations on your advancement. I could already tell that you advanced."
"Thank you." Kiyotaka reached into the bottom drawer and took out a bottle that had a crystal clear liquid inside with hues of silver floating at its edges under the natural sunlight. At the same time, he took out two small shot-glasses and placed them on the table.
"What's that?"
"I believe it's called tequila."
Klein seemed shocked as he picked it up and inspected it. Removing the cork, he smelled it and his eyes twitched with how pungent it was. "That's tequila alright... where did you even find it?"
Kiyotaka shrugged. "Well, I have been looking into the local products of Balam. Apparently there were agaves in East Balam so I imported a batch."
"That takes a lot of time. When did someone like you even have the time to make it?"
Kiyotaka looked up as he poured two shots. "What do you think I have been doing inside my house for the past month?"
A smile found itself on Klein's face as he palmed it. "Fair enough. That makes sense. Well, what are we toasting to?"
"To your successful adventures at sea." Kiyotaka pushed one of them towards Klein who took it and raised it.
As they clicked them together, Klein smiled again. "And to you not losing control."
"How encouraging."
"You're welcome." Klein chuckled and the two of them downed the liquid in one go.
With that out of the way, the two sat back and Klein began talking first. "Phew, that was a good one. So, I was curious about the whole saving people thing. I thought the cars were made on demand?"
"After Liv died, I instructed one of the people I knew to gather whatever finished products we had. It cost a little over £150 in fuel, but regardless, a lot of people were saved, so that's something."
Klein's tongue licked the inside of his lower lip. It was as if he was not buying what Kiyotaka had to say.
It wasn't particularly that Klein did not trust Kiyotaka— No, that was not the case at all. They had fought together and in more than one instance Klein had entrusted his back to Kiyotaka. However, the thing that made him not buy whatever he was saying was his understanding of his character.
In the little over four months they had together, this much was clear that Kiyotaka was not the kind of a man to do something good without getting something double in value in return. That was what a Briber was, after all.
However, Klein was not entirely bothered by it either. While not knowing the specifics, he could tell this much that Kiyotaka was increasingly getting pulled into politics— It would be strange if he was not. And if he helped hundreds of people by escorting them away from the danger zones, then who was he to say anything.
"That's a lot of money."
"It is."
Klein nodded and looked down at the newspaper. Underneath the headline was another column which said that Parliament had approved the Backlund Emergency Transportation Act. His eyes narrowed at it as he looked up at Kiyotaka.
"Do you know what this is?"
"The Emergency Act?"
"Yep." Klein tapped the section of the newspaper again.
"No, I do not. At least not yet." Kiyotaka looked outside his window and then took out the golden pocket watch from his coat. As he stared at the time, he looked up. "Do you want to eat something?"
Klein shrugged. "Sure."
"Let's go out for a walk then." Kiyotaka said and stood up as he looked outside the window once more. "And leave through the window." He motioned towards the glass pane.
*****
Having taken their seats by the window at Intis Srenzo Restaurant in West Borough, which was quite some distance away from Prometheus Motors, Klein looked towards Kiyotaka.
Klein had changed his appearance to that of a middle-aged man with grey eyes after Kiyotaka told him to do so.
Currently, a waiter was standing beside them, introducing them to the menu. "We have three kinds of chef set meals. What would you like to order?"
Kiyotaka turned. "Two £15 sets, please. And three servings of ice-cream once that's done."
The waiter smiled in an amicable manner and pressed the notepad against his chest before turning away. Once he was a considerable distance away, Klein almost fell down his seat. His heart ached just thinking about spending £30 on lunch.
He was going to reprimand Kiyotaka for doing so, but remembered that he had to act like an old businessman and instead steered the conversation towards the more pressing matter at hand.
"What is all this about? There was no specific danger back there."
Kiyotaka tapped his finger against the wine glass as it produced a strange sound. Then, he looked up, and said: "Maury Macht is investigating you."
Klein frowned. "Due to me coming alongside you?"
"Yes." Kiyotaka gave him a small nod. "I am not privy to the details, but that is the general direction of things taking place. Fabricated identity is enough grounds for undercover MI9 agents to arrest you."
"And what about you? Didn't you introduce yourself as my friend?"
"I am an unfortunate soul who is being manipulated by a shapeshifter." Kiyotaka looked up at him as the sunlight caused his blonde hair to glow and his eyes to appear much lighter and deeper than they were. "I am a victim of deceit."
Klein suddenly scoffed. "Of course... Well, in any case, as long as they can't make the connection back to Sherlock."
Kiyotaka did not respond as the waiter arrived a moment later and brought the appetizers. Intis Srenzo Restaurant was famous because it was said that they served food from Emperor Roselle's palace.
The appetizer consisted of Intis Foie Gras which was basically served over toasted bread with a slightly sweet fruit preserve and reduced wine sauce. And alongside it was Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup.
"£30 for this bullshit..." Klein mumbled under his breath. He picked up the Intis Foie Gras and took a bite out of it as his eyes sparkled.
Kiyotaka tilted his head as he left his own untouched.
"I'll admit it's better than most stuff I have eaten but it's so not worth £15" He took another bite out of it and finished it before turning towards the soup. "So, what are you going to do now?"
"Probably go back and attend the gathering at Prometheus and then think about what to do next. There are quite a number of things which require my attention." Kiyotaka paused, causing Klein to look up.
Picking up a handkerchief, he wiped the grease from his lips. "What about the vacation you talked about? To Desi Bay."
"I will leave by New Year's Eve, if nothing comes up."
Klein nodded and finished his bowl as the waiter pulled the trolley and brought the main course. The first dish was Butter-Seared River Trout which was basically trout fillet cooked in butter with lemon, parsley and a light white-wine sauce, served with a few vegetables.
The second one was Red-Braised Tagia Beef Short Ribs. This was one of Srenzo's specialties, consisting of slow-cooked beef ribs in a rich red sauce until the meat fell off from the bone. It was served alongside porcini mushrooms which were sautéed in butter with thin pieces of black truffle.
Meanwhile, Kiyotaka was served crispy-skinned duck breast with a dark wine-and-herb reduction and Red-Braded Tagia Beef Short Ribs.
Once the waiter was gone, Klein and Kiyotaka did not talk much and ate in silence. Klein did not complain much since the taste caused him to reach heaven—figuratively, of course. Kiyotaka took a few bites of the duck and ate a few ribs but mostly his set remained untouched.
As the lunch closed to completion, Klein looked up as if he remembered something. "What about those...BC." He said in a half-decent English.
Kiyotaka looked around from the corner of his eyes. He understood what Klein meant by 'BC,' which referred to Beyonder Characteristics.
"I had them taken to Miss Sharron earlier." Kiyotaka replied and Klein nodded.
"Really? That quick?"
Kiyotaka simply nodded. Once everything was done, he paid the bill and the two left the restaurant.
On their way, Klein turned towards Kiyotaka. "It's better if I leave now, I think."
"It is."
Klein nodded, then seemed to hesitate for a second. Before Kiyotaka could say anything, he stepped forward and pulled him into a brief hug. "Take care, yeah? Don't die or lose control while I am not here."
Kiyotaka kept his eyes low, on his shoulder as he placed his hand on his back and tapped it. "You too."
Stepping away, Klein smiled and waved his hand and ran into an alley. When Kiyotaka took a few steps forward to look, he had already disappeared amidst sparks of crimson as his body burnt away, reduced to ash.
Kiyotaka looked at the ashes which were whisked away by the wind and then looked down at his pocket watch. There was still an hour left until the gathering.
There were a few things bothering him though. Over the past one month, he had observed some slight changes in Maury Macht's behavior. They were too subtle for most people to notice, but for someone like Kiyotaka who had his intelligence further boosted, it was not that hard to discern.
There was no hostile intent behind it, no, but there was definitely something strange going on. The most obvious giveaway was that while Maury was looking into Gehrman Sparrow through his informants — which in extension worked for Zmanger Gang — he never mentioned it to Kiyotaka directly.
From his observations of Maury's character, Kiyotaka inferred that he would have asked him directly about any suspicions. By carefully avoiding it, Maury created an even deeper well around himself.
Realizing what needed to be done, he looked at the watch once more.
Only fifty-nine minutes remaining to the gathering, he noticed. Then, without wasting another second, he began walking and caught a carriage towards North Borough.
*****
A carriage came to a smooth stop at Böklund Street in North Borough, roughly twenty minutes after Kiyotaka had left the restaurant. He stepped down and closed the door after himself before looking towards the house for several seconds and then checked his pocket watch again.
Thirty-seven minutes.
Walking towards the entrance, he rang the bell and waited until one of the servants opened the door. The middle-aged man seemed slightly surprised to see him. "Mr. Holmes."
"Good afternoon. Is Mr. Macht home?"
"I'm afraid not, sir. Mr. Macht left earlier this afternoon."
Kiyotaka nodded and then said dryly. "And Miss Hazel?"
"Miss Macht is upstairs. I can inform her that you've arrived."
"That won't be necessary." The servant paused as Kiyotaka removed his hat and held it underneath one arm. "Is Mrs. Macht available?"
"I believe so, sir. Please come in." There was another, considerably shorter pause before the servant nodded and stepped aside, letting Kiyotaka enter.
The servant disappeared deeper into the house while Kiyotaka remained near the entrance, looking around without appearing to do so.
Nothing seemed particularly different from his previous visits as the umbrellas were still near the door and several coats were hanging farther inside while the vase containing fresh flowers had been placed on a small table beside the staircase.
A minute or so later, footsteps eventually descended from above as Riana, who appeared halfway down the stairs, slowed slightly when she noticed who was waiting below. "Mr. Holmes?"
There was genuine surprise in her voice as Kiyotaka turned towards her. "Mrs. Macht."
She continued down the remaining steps while one of her hands remained on the railing. Compared to the formal clothing Kiyotaka had seen her in before, she was dressed considerably more casually today.
Her black hair had still been arranged neatly, though there was none of the heavier jewelry he had previously seen her wearing.
"I wasn't aware you were coming." Riana spoke, looking back at the butler who lowered his head and left.
"I didn't inform anyone."
"That explains it." Riana reached the bottom of the stairs and moved her dress forward, covering herself. "Did you come to see Maury?"
"I did not."
That made her look back intently at him. "Oh. Well..." She gave a nervous chuckle. "Hazel is upstairs. I can have someone call her."
Kiyotaka shook his head slightly as his eyes looked deep into hers. "I came to see you."
Riana stared at him for a moment and then looked back, as if seeing someone had heard him. However, after confirming that no one was there, she looked back at him. "Me?"
"Yes." There was nothing suggestive in Kiyotaka's tone, which somehow made his words even harder for her to interpret.
"Is something wrong?"
"No."
"Then..." Riana stopped herself before completing the question and gave him a faint, slightly uncertain smile. "Well, you're already here. Would you like some tea?"
"I only have twenty minutes."
"Twenty minutes..." She repeated in a low voice. Apparently, just saying "twenty minutes" seemed to make the situation even stranger to her. "You came all the way to North Borough for twenty minutes?"
Kiyotaka tilted his head slightly and did not reply. Instead he stared at her for some time.
Riana cleared her throat and nervously looked back. "Anyhow... Come inside, please. My husband would not like it if I did not entertain his favorite person these days."
Kiyotaka did not reply and kept staring in her eyes as she turned around and led him towards one of the smaller sitting rooms rather than the larger reception room Maury usually used for guests.
He followed and sat opposite her while a servant brought tea about three minutes later. Riana poured it herself after asking how he preferred it.
"Nothing."
"No sugar?"
"No."
She raised her brows slightly while pouring his cup. "Maury would consider that a crime."
"He would." Kiyotaka responded as a light smile escaped her lips.
Kiyotaka took the cup while Riana settled back into her seat and for a few seconds neither of them spoke. Riana eventually looked towards him. "So..."
She said and went silent. It appeared that she was expecting Kiyotaka to fill in the silence, but after seeing him just stare at her silently, her lips twitched. "You were the one who came to see me."
"I know."
Riana took a small sip of her tea. "I assumed there was a reason."
"There is."
Riana waited again, eager to listen to what he had to say, but Kiyotaka went silent again and took a small sip from his cup of tea. Her expressions slowly became more amused despite herself. "You're doing that deliberately, aren't you, Mr. Holmes? Making me ask."
"I wasn't aware I was."
Kiyotaka placed the cup down as Riana looked down at her tea. Kiyotaka picked up the small plate with sugar on it and held it towards her, who took her. The moment she did, Kiyotaka sank back into the couch. "I wanted to invite you to Prometheus sometime."
Riana's expression changed to mild surprise. "Prometheus? That... would be wonderful. Now that I think about it, I have never actually visited it, despite Maury talking about it all the time." She shook her head. "I mean, I have seen the cars, obviously, but I've never been inside the factory."
"Then you should."
"Why?" Riana's reply was a little stern in tone.
Kiyotaka considered that for a moment and said casually: "I believe if you have been forced to hear about it so much, then you deserve to see it in person as well. It might serve as a good bonding time with your husband."
Riana chuckled, however, it felt more of a scoff. "Forced is a strong word."
"Is it inaccurate?"
Riana looked down into her tea and took another sip. "...Not entirely."
Kiyotaka leaned back as Riana seemed to consider the proposal. "I suppose Hazel would enjoy it as well."
"She can come."
She suddenly looked up. "So this invitation is for both of us?"
Kiyotaka met her eyes and suddenly, his long hair which now reached to his shoulders and the sunlight behind him made his eyes look even more enchanting. "If you want it to be."
She was suddenly caught off guard and she peeled her eyes away from him and looked down into her reflection on the surface of tea. "You're rather... difficult to understand."
"I've heard that before."
"I imagine you have."
After that, the conversation drifted towards ordinary things as Riana asked about Prometheus, whether the newspapers had exaggerated the evacuation efforts and whether Kiyotaka genuinely intended to expand production after everything that had happened during the Great Smog.
Kiyotaka answered enough to keep the conversation moving, although most of his attention was somewhere else. Eventually, however, Riana mentioned Maury herself. "He has been unusually busy lately anyway. I'm not sure when he'd even have time to visit Prometheus."
Kiyotaka's gaze remained on his cup as he said: "The tea's recipe is wonderful. Busy with parliament?"
"Thanks and yes, partly." She blurted out but after looking at him staring at her so intently, she continued. "He's hardly been home before dinner for the past week, and when he is, someone eventually appears asking for him."
Kiyotaka nodded thoughtfully before lifting the cup again. "That's understandable. After what happened in Backlund, I can imagine half of Parliament is visiting the other half. It must be hard on you. Hosting so many of them."
Riana hummed in agreement and felt a little more comfortable. "You would think they had offices for that."
"Inconsiderate fools." Kiyotaka commented.
A small laugh escaped her as she looked down and stirred her tea. Kiyotaka allowed the conversation to slow down for several seconds, while his eyes drifted towards the window.
"General Hargreaves?" He asked eventually.
Riana looked up. "Hm?"
"The one visiting Mr. Maury."
"Oh, no." She shook her head immediately. "General Hargreaves has only been here once recently. It is Colonel Bell who keeps coming. He's so stiff as well. Makes me uncomfortable."
Kiyotaka's fingers continued moving around the edge of his cup. "Arthur Bell?"
"You know him?"
"I met him when I attended the high-tea. It was a wonderful party, must I add. All thanks to you."
Riana smiled and looked down. "Well, it was nothing. The butlers and maids did all the work."
"A shepherd-less herd isn't a herd." Kiyotaka commented, causing Riana to flick her head slightly, as if agreeing with his words. "Mr. Bell doesn't seem like someone who enjoys making social visits."
"He doesn't." Riana rested one elbow against the arm of the chair. "He's perfectly polite, mind you. Almost painfully so. But he comes here, asks for Maury and disappears into the study."
"Well, stealing your husband away for a while once doesn't sound too bad."
"Three times in the past two months." Riana paused before correcting herself. "No, four. He came the evening after the disaster as well."
Kiyotaka looked at her. "Perhaps Mr. Macht is joining the army. A sudden burst of patriotism perhaps?"
Riana suddenly laughed. It wasn't graceful but it was sincere as she placed the cup and saucer down. "Can you imagine?"
"No."
"Neither can I. He complains when his shoes get muddy." Her shoulders had relaxed considerably by now as Kiyotaka took another drink.
"What do they discuss?"
Riana's amusement diminished slightly as she replied. "I wouldn't know."
Her answer was not defensive but there was a faint irritation in the undertones. Kiyotaka did not ask anything again and instead looked towards the tea. "Too strong."
Riana blinked. "The tea?"
After not getting a reply from him she took a sip of her own and frowned. "It's not that strong."
"I wasn't talking about the tea." Then, before Riana could formulate any thought, he changed the subject. "I assumed Mr. Macht told you most things.".
"He... usually... does."
"Usually?"
"Before recently, yes." She looked towards the doorway for a moment before lowering her voice slightly, though there was nobody nearby. "He's been strangely secretive since Colonel Bell started visiting. If I ask, he says it's related to work. Which is probably true."
Kiyotaka almost understood the complaint. Maury was not naturally secretive and that was precisely what had bothered him.
"What did you mean by that previous comment?"
Kiyotaka picked up a biscuit, dipped in his tea and took a bite from it.
He had already confirmed the important part. Arthur Bell had met Maury repeatedly and privately and Maury had deliberately concealed the subject of those meetings even from his wife, but apparently had not taken additional precautions around documents or his study afterward.
That reduced the likelihood of some larger conspiracy considerably, but there was still one missing piece.
He glanced towards one of the framed photographs placed near the fireplace where Hazel stood beside her parents in it, several years younger. "How is the relationship between Mr. Macht and Hazel? Is he overprotective of her?"
Riana's brows rose at the sudden change. "And why might you be interested, Mr. Holmes." She picked up her cup and sipped. However, her eyes stayed focused on him.
"Curious." Kiyotaka replied.
"Well, most fathers are protective of their daughters, if not all."
"True." Kiyotaka inched a little closer. This caused Riana to frown as he spoke. "Your father must have been really protective of you."
"How did you know?" Riana replied as her lips quivered.
"I would have been."
"What?"
Kiyotaka suddenly stood up and tapped his thighs. "I should leave. It was lovely talking to you, Mrs. Macht."
Riana's lips parted slightly and her face appeared a little sullen. "Already?"
Kiyotaka looked down at her and she seemed to realize how quickly she had said it and reached for her cup. "You did say twenty minutes. But well, I assume you're a man of very strict appointments."
"Usually."
Kiyotaka adjusted his coat while Riana did the same. They walked back towards the entrance without rushing, though by now Riana appeared far less uncertain around him than she had when he first arrived.
As they reached the door, she spoke again.
"So when should I visit Prometheus?"
"Whenever you wish. Just send me a letter an hour before your arrival."
"That's a terribly vague invitation." She smiled and then looked up at him absentmindedly, watching him put his hat on. But there was still something bothering her. "Mr. Holmes...?"
"Williams is fine."
"Williams, then." The name sounded unusually careful coming from her. "Why did you come?"
Kiyotaka remained quiet as he stared down at her. Riana's confidence faded slightly under the silence, and her thumb moved repeatedly over her wedding ring, slowly turning it around her finger until Kiyotaka got a little closer.
"I needed to see you."
Riana's expressions suddenly changed. "For what?"
By that time Kiyotaka had already opened the door and the afternoon air entered the hallway as he looked back. "Not sure."
Riana blinked, since that was clearly not the answer she had expected. Right as he stepped outside, he added in a calm tone. "I am now. Thank you for the tea."
Then he turned and walked towards the street.
Riana remained at the doorway considerably longer than necessary, watching him leave while trying to determine exactly what had just happened.
Meanwhile, outside, on the street, Kiyotaka checked his pocket watch. "Now this is troublesome."