Upon hearing Furina's words, Yuto nodded slightly, then looked at Sedene, who had been standing beside him, staring at him expectantly for a while.
"Sedene, we need to borrow Miss Aurett's personal belongings and this notebook for a day. Do we need to complete any other procedures?"
Yuto tried his best to soften his voice, saying this while gently rubbing Sedene's head.
Feeling the warmth from above her head, Sedene quickly nodded her small head and softly replied:
"Yes! Please wait a moment, I'll go make a special report. But... please make sure to return this evidence before tomorrow's closing time, okay?"
"Of course, thank you for your hard work, Sedene."
"It's nothing, Lord Yuto, this is what I should do."
As Sedene spoke, she picked up the remaining documents and evidence and slowly walked towards the archive room, then began processing the borrowing procedures for Yuto.
Paimon, who had observed the entire interaction between Yuto and Sedene more than once, tilted her head at this moment and said with a touch of emotion:
"Looking at it this way... Yuto and the Melusine really have a good relationship~"
In response, Traveler also nodded in agreement, as if what Paimon had just said was not a simple sentence, but a truth that could involve the reality of the world.
Watching their reactions, Furina put her hands on her hips, a proud smile appearing on her tender, fair face.
"Of course~ Yuto and Neuvillette put in a lot of effort to help the Melusine integrate into Fontaine society~"
Hearing this, Paimon narrowed her eyes slightly, looking at Furina, who seemed to take pride in this matter, and asked somewhat strangely:
"Speaking of which... Furina, why do you always sound... particularly proud whenever you mention Yuto? Even if you two have a good relationship, it shouldn't be to this extent, right?"
Furina blinked slightly, then responded in an equally peculiar tone:
"Of course I feel particularly proud~ After all, both Yuto and Neuvillette were personally recruited by me."
"The contributions they've made to Fontaine and the achievements they've gained, a small part of that credit is mine. Of course I can feel proud, right?"
Paimon blinked, then scratched her head, choosing to remain silent.
Furina, meanwhile, smiled slightly at Paimon, then turned to Yuto, who had just received the relevant documents, and said:
"Yuto~ Can we leave now?"
"Of course, just return it to Palais Mermonia before closing time tomorrow."
"But... speaking of which, among all of us here... does anyone know where the theater group lives?"
Yuto's words made the faces of the three present stiffen, and then they fell into a long silence. After a while, Traveler finally spoke:
"I remember... when Claude asked us to deliver the script earlier, he gave two addresses. One seemed to be the theater group's location, and the other was the training ground."
Hearing this, Furina put her hands on her hips and nodded with a smile.
"Then the important task of leading the way falls to you~"
...
Led by Traveler, the group arrived at a storefront on the same street as Hotel Debord.
Looking at the rather exquisite wooden door in front of her, Traveler lowered her head to look at the location Katheryne had circled on her map earlier, and nodded gently.
"Hmm, this is it."
Hearing this, Furina took the notebook from Yuto's hand, then slowly closed her eyes, seemingly adjusting her emotions.
"Hoo..."
Furina slowly exhaled a breath, seemingly having prepared herself for the various emotions the theater group members might display upon seeing this notebook.
Knock knock knock—
Almost as soon as Furina knocked on the wooden door... the door opened.
"Excuse me, are you looking for— Eh? Lady Furina? And Lord Yuto and Traveler, why are you here?"
The person who opened the door was a somewhat haggard Lauvik. There was a hint of fatigue in his eyes, but his heart wouldn't allow him to rest at this time.
For him... he wasn't just looking for Aurett's notes or clues, but in a sense... himself.
Since childhood, he had been called a murderer's son by his peers. If Aurett hadn't pulled him out of that, he probably would have been locked up in Meropide long ago.
This was not only to make up for any regrets she might have left behind, but also to find a suitable opportunity... to allow himself to walk more firmly on this path of performance.
Including her share.
Lauvik's cry not only woke him up slightly but also attracted the other theater group members who were rummaging through everything looking for the notes.
"Lauvik, I know you're tired, but don't use that kind of talk to— Wait? Lady Furina?"
"Eh? Lord Yuto is here too? Didn't we say we'd meet at the small theater tomorrow noon?"
"Look! The notebook in Lady Furina's hand... isn't that the one Group leader often reads?!"
"Of course it is! Every time Group leader explains stage layout and props to me, she takes out a few pages from that notebook to draw diagrams for me!"
...
Listening to the distinctly noisy sounds, Furina tried hard to force a smile, seemingly wanting to show it to the people in front of her, but...
She couldn't.
Although she had prepared herself to face them before opening the door, when she saw their faces, a mix of excitement and apprehension...
She hesitated again.
Furina gently shook her head, giving up the idea of forcing a smile to reassure them, and instead directly handed the notebook in her hand to Lauvik.
"This is Miss Aurett's notebook that we found in the archives of the 'Serial Disappearance of Young Girls' case. It records... many things."
Furina's voice was slightly hoarse, as if something was stuck in her throat, and her words came out a bit haltingly.
"I think... some things are best seen by you, the people involved."
Lauvik nodded gently, then solemnly took the notebook from Furina's hand, and surrounded by the others, he flipped through it page by page.
As time passed little by little, Lauvik's previously steady breathing suddenly became rapid, and the once quiet room... now echoed with faint sobs.
Furina, meanwhile, turned her head slightly, trying her best not to look at them.
She... couldn't bear to see such scenes.
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