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Alone Together on New Year’s Eve – Part 03

Kazuya, engaged in a tussle with Inspector Blois, trudged through the cobblestoned plaza at the village’s heart, where the police station and shops were.

The plaza, which bustled with market stalls in other seasons, stood quiet now. It was chilly, with snow blanketing everything.

The weather was pleasant, typical of the morning of New Year’s Eve, but there was hardly anyone around. The laughter of children engaged in a snowball fight came from the distance.

Casting a glance at them, Inspector Blois said, “Kujou, let me borrow your scarf.”

“Why?” Kazuya asked.

“It’s cold.”

“No way. I’m cold, too. This is only my second winter in Europe, and I’m not exactly used to it yet. Brr… Oh?” Kazuya, noticing something, stopped in his tracks.

Two carriages, their gleaming roofs fashioned in the latest urban designs, pulled up in front of the inn. Ladies in luxurious coats disembarked, some accompanied by children, and entered the establishment.

Kazuya chased after Inspector Blois and fell in beside him. “What is happening here, Inspector?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Over the past five to six days, we’ve been seeing a lot of nobles and wealthy folks arriving from Saubreme,” Kazuya said grimly. “I hear even the inn is full. Oh, and speaking of which, Victorique hasn’t said a word about this whole thing. It’s the tenth mystery, and she’s keeping quiet. Also, she told Avril to bring the Penny Black with her. Avril mentioned she looked worried. Besides…”

“Enough already!”

“Those people you only refer to as A, B, C, and D are all from Saubreme, right?”

“…”

“A fragment of chaos. But I can’t make heads or tails of it. And you…”

Kazuya shot an annoyed glance at Inspector Blois, who was completely ignoring him. His drill was pointed towards the sun.

Kazuya sighed. “It doesn’t look like you’re gonna tell me anything. What exactly is going on in the village?”

“We’re here.” Inspector Blois stopped abruptly in front of the inn, his demeanor still sullen.

Kazuya peered from behind, studying the inn’s entrance. Suitcases adorned with striking scrollwork, tin embellishments, brass studs, all unmistakable signs of luxury, were stacked like enormous wooden blocks. Inside were numerous ladies and their children trying to check in, while young maids scurried about, busy as bees.

Kazuya shifted his gaze to Inspector Blois. “Something’s really wrong here.”

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s go, Kujou! I need to solve this murder case posthaste!”

“But, Inspector… Ugh, fine!”

Though still puzzled, Kazuya entered the inn, dragged along by the inspector.

The frayed, modest carpet that covered the entire lobby shook. All sorts of noise filled the inn, and the shabby building itself appeared quite taken aback by all the commotion.

---

“And that’s about it. Hey, Victorique, are you listening?”

St. Marguerite Grand Library.

Returning to the academy, Kazuya struggled up the labyrinthine stairs of the library, until he finally reached Victorique.

Kazuya watched her bitterly. She was the one who told him to investigate, and yet here she was, reading her book with an air of disinterest.

“As promised, Inspector Blois bought cookies and jam. You want some?”

“Why, of course.”

“Ugh, so arrogant.”

Keeping her eyes on the book, Victorique set down her pipe and reached for the cookies. Kazuya sighed.

Soon, footsteps came from the direction of the elevator hall, announcing Inspector Blois’s arrival. Leaning against the wall, he crossed his arms and gave Kazuya a stern glare, urging him to hurry up. He was tapping his foot restlessly.

Kazuya’s gaze darted between the impatient older brother and his preoccupied sister. His shoulders sagged even further.

“According to a maid at the inn, last night went something like this… Hey, are you listening?”

“I am.”

“The four guests who came from Saubreme—two men, A and B, and a married couple, C and D—booked a room each. They met for the first time at the inn, but they seemed to get along. There isn’t much to do around here, so they decided to go to the woods. The maid saw the four of them leave together.”

“…What about when they came back?”

“That they didn’t see. But after they returned from the forest, the couple’s room was left open, and a maid saw all four of them chatting inside. They had gotten quite close. That maid thought people from the city just got along well.”

Victorique exhaled sharply.

“Later that night, the couple, C and D, came down to the dining hall and were listening to the radio intently. As for A and B, it’s unclear when they went back into the forest, but witnesses reported seeing C and D in the inn the whole time. Afterward, the bodies of A and B were discovered, both shot dead, and the village was thrown into chaos.”

Birds chirped. The wind sighed through the conservatory.

Victorique lifted her face and threw an annoyed glance at Inspector Blois, who stood at a distance.

“I’ve got it.”

“Huh?”

“To sum it up, even though it’s clear that the couple didn’t leave the inn and the pair were found far in the woods, my brother insists on labeling the couple as suspects.”

“That’s right. Why do you think that is?”

Kazuya turned to look at Inspector Blois, who was actively ignoring them.

Victorique snorted. “Let’s leave that aside for now.”

“Okay.”

“You have more to say, don’t you?”

Kazuya blinked in surprise. “That’s right! How did you know?”

“That couple…”

“Yeah!” Kazuya nodded repeatedly and sidled up to Victorique.

Immediately Inspector Blois, keeping his arms crossed, bent over to eavesdrop on their conversation. Victorique frowned in annoyance as she pulled herself back from the two.

“Remember what I told you a few days ago? When I went to the village to look for mysterious events, I saw a man and a woman at the store. You know, those customers who looked like they were from the city.”

“I remember, yes.” Victorique nodded, nibbling on her cookie. “A man with a high-pitched voice, and a woman with a foreign accent. They made some strange purchases.”

“Yeah!” Kazuya affirmed. “The man, despite wearing a stylish coat and having long hair, bought hats that didn’t match his look at all. I found it weird, like why wear such a hat with that hairstyle and outfit? And then, the woman bought a thick fishing vest when it’s the middle of winter.”

“Hmph.”

“Other customers were buying clothes or towels, so it struck me as very odd.”

“Ahuh.”

“Then, when I came back and told you about it as the eleventh mystery, you said there weren’t enough fragments of chaos.”

“Indeed. However, now the fragments have finally come together.”

“Huh?”

“…What?”

Kazuya, and a second later Inspector Blois, were taken aback.

A refreshing breeze rustled through, ruffling Victorique’s and Kazuya’s hair. Large tropical leaves rustled as they brushed against each other. Colorful birds glided overhead.

Victorique reached for the dollhouse beside her. She had been playing with it earlier; dolls were scattered all over the large room inside.

Pulling the dollhouse closer, she got down on all fours like a cat and peered inside.

Kazuya wondered what she was doing. Was she playing again?

Victorique glanced at him. “You should come too.”

“Huh, why?” Kazuya crouched down next to Victorique.

Golden hair rippled magically on the floor, glittering like a river of gold under the light of the sun.

Inspector Blois also approached hesitantly. He got down on all fours a bit away from them and peered into the dollhouse.

“Rhinoceros,” Victorique remarked.

“You little!”

“You really do look like a rhino,” Kazuya said. “C-Come on. You don’t have to glare at me like that. It was Victorique who said it, not me. Why is it always me?”

“Kujou, look over here.”

Victorique grabbed four dolls, two in each hand, and took them out of the dollhouse.

Kazuya looked over his shoulder.

Victorique swung her hands playfully, as if going out with the dolls, then slid them across the floor.

Kazuya and Inspector Blois exchanged glances. Realizing she was illustrating the case, they nodded and shifted their gaze back to Victorique.

“The four of them—A, B, C, and D—went to the woods,” Victorique said.

“Yes.”

“While I don’t know who killed A and B, if we assume my brother’s conjecture that C and D are the culprits is correct, then the murder was already committed at this point.”

“Huh?”

“What?”

“See, they’re shot!”

Victorique clapped her hands together, then opened one hand. Two male doll figures lay eerily on the floor as if they were dead.

Kazuya and Inspector Blois looked at each other. The wind blew.

“But Victorique,” Kazuya said, “the maid saw the four of them talking in the couple’s room.”

“This is only speculation, of course. However, if we are to support my brother’s theory, then this is the only scenario we have.”

“Okay.”

“Moving on. The two returned to the inn. I believe no one saw them when they returned. If that’s the case, no one would’ve noticed that the number of guests decreased from four to two.”

Grimly Victorique put the two dolls back inside the dollhouse. The three watched from outside. Inspector Blois’s hair glimmered dazzlingly in the sunlight.

Inside the dollhouse were two dolls, one standing with its back to the door, the other seated on a chair.

“See?” Victorique said in a deep and emotionless voice.

Inspector Blois shuddered, as if he found his sister deeply disconcerting.

Kazuya gazed into the dollhouse with great interest. Victorique was staring straight at the dolls.