Chapter 8: House of Kidnapped Children.
'Augh... This is awkward... and terrifying at best.'
Osha thought to himself as he nervously fiddled with his fingers while avoiding eye contact. To keep himself occupied, he grabbed the glass of water in front of him and took a small sip, his hands still slightly shaky. After setting it down, he absentmindedly picked up a tissue and began folding it into a small paper crane; somehow, his fingers still remembered the motions perfectly.
'Why do I still know how to do this...?'
The tiny crane slowly took shape between his fingers, but it did little to ease the tension.
On the other side of the table sat Peruere.
Her X-shaped eyes were boring into him like a drill, completely unblinking, as if she was trying to peel apart every layer of his thoughts just by staring. The silence between them stretched painfully long.
It was the kind of silence that made every tiny movement feel loud.
Great idea for Clervie to leave them together.
After walking around the plaza for a while, it quickly became clear to Osha that the city was indeed far bigger than it ever looked in the game. Streets stretched in every direction, filled with shops, busy restaurants, and small stalls selling all sorts of Fontaine goods. Clockwork Mekas marched along the roads in patrols.
Every now and then, Osha would also spot a Melusine walking about, small, colorful, and surprisingly adorable.
The city felt alive.
The only thing Osha found truly familiar was the huge spinning sphere-like mechanism standing in the center of the plaza. That one, at least, looked almost exactly like it did in the game.
After wandering around for quite some time, the three of them finally decided to stop at a café to rest.
Clervie ended up being the one who ordered the food, since, well, when it came to Peruere, only one person in the group could really comprehend her personality enough to handle something as simple as ordering.
"Mm?!"
Peruere placed a small box onto the table with a dull thud, the sound snapping Osha out of his daydream as he had been quietly staring at the marvels of the city around them.
"…Don't do anything stupid with it."
Peruere slowly slid the box across the table toward him.
It was the same box Shuri gave him, the one that held the flintlock.
"How devious of you to bring a gun to a fight."
Peruere said calmly.
Was that… praise?
Osha blinked at her, unsure how to react. Part of him wanted to ask how she figured out the gun wasn't loaded, because even he thought it was. Truthfully, he didn't exactly know how flintlocks worked in the first place. He had just pointed it and hoped she would back off.
He took the box, and everything was still there, even the small knife Hoshiguma gave him.
"I'm back!"
Clervie returned carrying a tray full of food. Seeing her approach, Osha quickly slid the small box out of sight, tucking it inside his now slightly dirty butler uniform.
Clervie set the tray down on the table with a cheerful smile.
She had ordered a slice of chocolate cake for herself. Peruere's choice, however, was… strange, just a single slice of toasted bread topped with minced meat, simple and plain.
Meanwhile, Osha had chosen the only thing on the menu that was familiar to him. Good old bri*ish fish and chips. Just the smell alone made Osha's stomach rumble slightly.
"Come on! Let's eat! Thank you for the food! Awmp!"
Clervie didn't waste a second. She took a huge bite of her cake, practically devouring an entire slice in one go, cheeks puffing slightly as she chewed.
Across the table, Peruere began eating as well. Despite the intimidating aura she carried, her movements were calm and refined like a noble.
Osha, meanwhile, stared down at his plate.
'Oh my Archons… I want some rice so bad…'
Osha stared at the fish and chips with a slightly pained expression, his Asian blood revealing itself in full force. Truly, this was the common tragedy of Asians everywhere, being forced to eat such delicious food…without rice.
"Osha? Is the food not to your liking?"
Clervie looked at him with a hint of concern, her brow slightly furrowed.
"Huh? Oh, no… thank you for the food…"
Osha picked up his fork and speared a generous piece of fish, taking a huge bite.
"Hm!"
'Celestia above! Never have my taste buds encountered such peerless and ineffable delectation!'
The fish was so good, it practically turned Osha Bri*ish in an instant. He didn't even notice how quickly he was devouring his meal, fork moving almost on autopilot.
"Mm!"
He exclaimed, tapping his chest with his fist repeatedly, eyes widening at the flavor explosion.
"Slow down! Here, have a Fonta!"
Osha took the Fonta and sipped it slowly.
'Tastes like… oh, who am I kidding? I've already forgotten what anything tasted like in my old life.'
He thought to himself as Clervie, abandoning her cake, watched him eat his fish and chips. It was like watching someone give a stray cat a fish. Maybe… maybe she's actually doing it right now.
As if guided by some unseen force, Clervie's hand drifted toward Osha's cat ears.
"What are you doing…?"
Osha paused mid-bite, his fork hovering in the air, as Clervie's fingers brushed the soft ear.
"So soft…"
Clervie murmured, completely absorbed in the sensation, paying little attention to him.
"Perrie! You should try this! It's like touching a cloud!"
Clervie called over to Peruere.
"Cats are dirty, Clervie."
Peruere replied flatly, finishing her toast without a second glance.
"Aw, come on! Just once, you won't regret it!"
Clervie pleaded. Peruere sighed and rose from her seat, moving slowly toward Osha.
'No, no, no, no, no… I didn't consent to this!'
Osha panicked internally. Peruere's hand, blackened and precise, looked like jagged claws ready to grab him.
'Wait, wait, wait, wait!'
Just as her hand neared his ears, Osha's cat instincts kicked in. In an instant, he bolted, leaping off the seat and darting across the café.
"Aw, you scared him again."
Clervie chuckled, watching Osha flee.
"Am I that scary?"
Peruere said flatly.
"Nope… just to me, though."
---<>---
The trio finally arrived at their destination, a hotel named Hotel Bouffes d'ete.
'That name seems oddly familiar…'
Osha thought to himself. He felt like he had read or heard it somewhere before, but the memory refused to come to him.
"Let's go."
Clervie said to Osha, though her earlier enthusiasm had noticeably faded. Her tone was calmer now, more serious as she looked at the building ahead.
'Well… here I am…'
Osha let out a quiet sigh before following behind Clervie and Peruere, stepping closer to the entrance of the hotel.
As they entered, the interior of the hotel was notably fancy. Polished floors reflected the warm lights from the chandeliers above, and neatly arranged furniture gave the place an air of quiet luxury. A few normal guests were scattered around the lobby, chatting softly or minding their own business.
But Osha's cat instincts picked up something else.
People were staring.
The janitor sweeping near the corner paused for just a moment too long. One of the servers glanced up while carrying a tray. The bellman by the door subtly watched them pass, and even the registrar at the desk flicked their gaze toward the trio.
It was subtle.
Too subtle to be normal.
Osha quietly kept his head down and continued following the pair as they turned down a quieter hallway before stopping at an out-of-service elevator.
Without hesitation, Clervie pressed the button and stepped inside, with Peruere following after her.
Osha hesitated for a brief second before stepping in after them.
Clervie pressed the button for the second floor. As the elevator began to move, she turned toward Osha before kneeling down to his height, offering him a warm, reassuring smile.
"Osha, if you're having trouble adapting to your new home, please don't hesitate to find us. In fact, if you ever find yourself in trouble, just say 'Clervie called me.' Okay?"
She gently placed both of her hands on Osha's shoulders.
"Remember… you're not alone in this place."
Clervie said softly, her voice carrying a sincerity that made the small space of the elevator feel a little less heavy.
"Okay."
Osha replied calmly, giving a small nod.
"…Clervie?"
To his surprise, Clervie suddenly pulled him into a hug.
She had seen too many children in this place meet terrible ends. Too many faces she once knew had simply disappeared. Of course, she couldn't say any of that out loud, not here, not now.
So instead, she just held him quietly, hoping, silently, that Osha wouldn't become one of them.
"Be careful, okay? Try to make friends."
She said softly.
A moment later, the elevator dinged, signaling they had reached the second floor. Clervie finally let go.
"I'll try."
Osha said before stepping out of the elevator first.
He turned around when he noticed neither of them was following.
"Aren't you coming…?"
Clervie gently shook her head.
"Good luck, Osha."
She said with a small smile.
Beside her, Peruere reached over and pressed the button for the third floor, Crucabena's office. A moment later, the elevator doors slowly slid shut.
Osha stood there watching as it disappeared upward.
"Oh… great."
He muttered under his breath.
He turned toward the hallway, where several other kids were gathered. Some looked close to his age, while others were older, teenagers who watched quietly from the sides.
"Hey, brat. You new here?"
An adult approached him, a broom resting over his shoulder.
"Here, take this and go sweep the floors, will you?"
The man handed it to him before walking off without waiting for a response.
'Ah… this is getting mundane…'
Osha thought to himself. Once again, the first thing he had to do after being sold somewhere was chores for the higher-ups.
He let out a small sigh as he picked up the broom and looked down at the floor.
'Isn't this already clean?'
The tiles already looked spotless, polished enough to reflect the lights above.
Still, with little choice, Osha began sweeping the floor anyway.
'Find some friends, huh? Well, I suppose that makes sense.'
Osha thought to himself as he swept the floor. It was his first day here, and his introduction definitely hadn't been like walking on a red carpet. No one had guided him, no one told him where his room was, and no one had even given him new clothes.
"Hey! Newcomer!"
"Huh?"
Osha turned around to see a kid with black hair and a smug smirk approaching him. Behind him were two others, one lean and slightly taller, and another chubby. The three of them together looked like the classic bully trio.
They all seemed about the same age as him.
'Oh… It's just some kids.'
Osha thought as he turned back and continued sweeping the floor, his body stuck somewhere between fight or flight.
"Huh? Didn't your daddy tell you it's disrespectful to ignore others?!"
The leader of the trio lunged forward, reaching out to grab Osha's shoulder and force him to turn around.
But Osha had a cat's reflexes.
He smoothly dodged the grab, stepping aside without even stumbling.
"Um, can I help you?"
Osha said flatly, finally turning to face them.
"H-Huh?"
The leader looked completely flabbergasted, and even his goons stared in surprise.
"Hmph! Slippery little bastard… but I'll let that slide."
The kid puffed out his chest confidently.
"You're new here, right? Well, here's a little tip. The higher-ups aren't kind to us kids. So you're gonna need protection."
He grinned proudly.
"And I just happen to be a good friend of a strong girl here, named Peruere."
'Why is he lying?'
Osha thought, his brain practically drawing a big red circle with an arrow pointing at the kid.
Peruere? Really?
She probably didn't even know anyone here besides Clervie.
"But."
The kid continued smugly.
"We just need a little offering. Give us all your stuff, and maybe we'll even let you walk with us. With that, no one will bother you."
"Uh, yeah, no thanks."
Osha calmly turned back to his sweeping, as if the trio weren't even there. Sure, this place could be dangerous, but these bums? What could they really do? Newer kids might fall for their tricks, but he could already tell these bums would be the first to run the moment a real threat showed up.
"Y-You… Tsk, grab him!"
The leader snapped, and his two goons started moving forward. Osha let out a quiet sigh, half amused, half annoyed. Sure, he could be a bit of a scaredy-cat sometimes, but these kids?
'Fight or flight? Yeah, right.'
They'd made a huge mistake trying to pick on him here. Why? Because he had a broom in his hands, and he knew exactly how to make it count.
*THUD!*
Osha swung the other end of the broom with surprising precision at the tall kid who lunged first, striking his jaw hard. He watched, wide-eyed, as the kid's teeth flew out before he crumpled to the ground with a thud.
The chubby kid hesitated, frozen in indecision, and Osha didn't waste the moment. He raised the broom high and brought it down like a hammer onto the kid's head, the force making him stumble backward.
*POW!*
The way he wielded the broom had a familiar rhythm, fluid and precise, reminiscent of how Hoshiguma had handled a katana.
Finally, Osha turned to face the leader. Shock etched across his face, the kid's legs wobbled violently, and he collapsed onto the floor.
"Wait! I'm sorry! I-I won't pick on you again! Please!"
The leader stammered, raising his hands to shield himself.
Osha let out a quiet sigh and gently tossed the broom aside. He crouched down to meet the leader's eyes.
"I don't need your protection."
He said calmly.
"But can you at least tell me where I can find my room and get some spare clothes?"
The kid blinked rapidly, panic clear in his voice.
"Uh, yeah, yeah! I know, I know! Just… knock on some of the doors and ask if there's a spare bed! They don't assign you here! You have to find one yourself!"
"That's… annoying."
Osha muttered, but nodded.
"Thanks. As an apology from you, go sweep the floors for me."
He stood up, letting his tail flick lazily and smack the leader as he walked past, leaving the kid flustered and silent.
'That's annoying… the rooms are basically free-for-all.'
Osha muttered to himself, walking down the long hallway, his eyes scanning the doors, wondering which door to knock first.
"Huh?"
He froze mid-step. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone peeking around a corner. The figure immediately darted away the moment Osha spotted him.
'Was that… Freminet?'