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The Hares and the Hound – Part 06

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Translator: Kell

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Kazuya cried out and rushed toward Ned.

The man’s legs were pointed in Kazuya’s direction. His right hand was hidden under his body, and his left hand was stretched out, palm on his hip like he was standing at attention.

Kazuya took his left hand and checked for a pulse.

There was none.

How?! Why?! What happened?! Was it a trap? A trap set up here?

“K-Kujou…” Victorique called in a low, husky voice.

Kazuya looked over his shoulder and saw Victorique looking at him with an expression of genuine worry, which was unusual for her.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Come here.”

“Hold on. He’s dead. We need to find out what kind of trap did this to him.”

“Just come here, Kujou,” she insisted.

Her tone annoyed Kazuya. “Can you stop being so selfish?”

“I’m scared. Please, I need you by my side. I’m begging you.”

Kazuya was flabbergasted. One knee on the floor, he studied Victorique’s face.

She was staring at him with her usual imperious expression. It was as if she was telling him to get up quick. It wasn’t like her to say what she just said.

Kazuya was confused for a moment, then he decided that Victorique was lying.

She’s not scared. No way. She’s definitely lying. She would not beg me for anything.

He gulped. I get it! She wants me to move. She wants me to get away from Ned’s body!

Kazuya stood up and walked back to Victorique.

He glanced to his side. Julie was standing frozen on the spot. She had her palms over her mouth, and her eyes were wide in disbelief.

“It can’t be… It can’t be…” she mumbled. “It’s the same. It’s the same as back then! What’s going on?!”

Watching Julie, Kazuya whispered to Victorique, “What’s wrong?”

“Listen close,” she said, tension in her voice. “Once we make it upstairs, we hide. We must look for weapons. They seem to be all over the ship.”

“What…?”

Wearing a hard look, she muttered cryptic words, “It’s three against one. But I doubt two kids and a woman can beat one grown man. Letting her throw away the gun was a mistake. Unfortunately, it’s too late for regrets.”

“What are you talking about?” Julie asked in a whisper. “What’s going to happen?”

Victorique looked up. Her emerald eyes widened and quivered with fear. She moved her small, pale lips. “We’ll get killed.”

“What…?”

Kazuya was about to say something, but he shut his mouth. Let’s just do as she says, he told himself. He urged the frozen Julie to move and slowly walked past the corpse and the landing.

“Run!” Victorique hissed.

Kazuya squeezed Victorique’s hand tight.

They were now on the upper level. The floor was covered with a luxurious, soft carpet, and ornate lamps shone on the walls. They entered the nearest cabin, a spacious reading room for first-class passengers. A glittering chandelier hung above, and extravagant bookshelves lined the walls. Watching for traps, they thoroughly searched the bookshelves, drawers, and under the carpet.

Kazuya found two small brass knuckles in a drawer on the shelf. He put them in both hands. Then he turned around and looked at Julie. She was holding a large paper knife, breathing heavily.

Their eyes met. Julie put her index finger to her lips as if to say, “Be quiet.” Kazuya nodded.

Silence descended.

Kazuya’s heart was beating faster and faster. His temples were throbbing.

Several seconds passed, and nothing happened.

Kazuya and Julie glanced at each other, puzzled. Kazuya turned behind him to ask Victorique what was going on, when the door opened silently.

Standing there was Ned Baxter, who was supposed to be dead.

Ned was holding a large axe in his right hand.

Wearing a blank expression, he looked like a different person from a moment ago. The temperature in the room seemed to drop rapidly.

Ned looked from left to right and spotted Julie standing by the wall, glaring at him. He sauntered toward her. Ned swung his axe, and Julie brandished her knife.

“What are you doing?!” she cried. “Get out of here! Get to the radio room and call for help!”

Ned slowly turned around and found Kazuya and Victorique. His eyes were dark and hollow, like two caverns. As he regarded Victorique, they began to lit up.

“It’s a girl,” he said. “A Hare!”

“What?!”

“Must hunt Hare… I’m a Hound, after all!” He raised his axe and leapt forward.

Ned was coming straight for Victorique. Kazuya pushed her to the floor and hit Ned on the side of his head as hard as he could.

Despite the huge difference in their size, the brass knuckles in his hands gave Kazuya’s punch a surprising amount of power. Ned fell flat on his back.

Julie rushed toward Kazuya and rubbed his head. “Great job, kid.”

“Correction. Third son of an imperi—”

“Yeah, yeah. Third son whatever. Let’s get out of here!”

Julie took the axe. As the trio exited the room, they pushed a large cabinet in the hallway in front of the door to block it.

They ran up the stairs. Seconds later, they heard the sound of Ned getting up and ramming the door.

They climbed the stairs, heading straight for the deck. It was gradually turning bright.

Kazuya was running with Victorique’s small body in his arms. She was staring curiously at Ned’s blood on the brass knuckles.

Julie caught up to them. She was racing up the stairs with both hands clutching the axe.

“How did you know?” she asked Victorique with a sorrowful look. “That he wasn’t dead?”

Kazuya was about to say that now was not the time for questions, but he shut his mouth when he saw Julie’s face, distraught and ashen.

Victorique frowned slightly. “Elementary,” she said in her usual tone. She sounded like they weren’t even in any grave danger. “The Wellspring of Wisdom told me so.”

“Please verbalize it,” Kazuya said.

Victorique nodded grudgingly. “It’s simple. The way his body was lying on the floor was strange, wasn’t it? He was face down, and his right hand was hidden under his body. Almost as if he didn’t want anyone touching it. While his left hand was out in the open. Like he wanted his pulse checked on that hand.”

“Now that you mention it…”

“If you accidentally triggered a trap, would you end up in that position? The most natural stance would be to have both arms outstretched in front of you. His position was clearly odd.”

“But he didn’t have a pulse,” Kazuya said. “I’m sure of it.”

“Yeah…” Julie’s face was pale as a corpse’s, and her lips were quivering. “Back then, he didn’t have a pulse too,” she mumbled to herself.

“Back then?”

“I-It’s nothing. Continue, little detective.”

Victorique gave a snort. She didn’t like the nickname. “There’s a way to stop your pulse temporarily.”

“How?”

“You tuck a ball in your armpit.”

Kazuya and Julie gasped. They looked at each other, blinking repeatedly.

“I see…”

Ned was fiddling with a tennis ball the whole time. By putting it in his armpit and closing it tight…

“He stopped his pulse temporarily,” Victorique said, “and made whoever checked for a pulse think that he was dead. Once I realized the truth, I called you, Kujou.”

“You mean when you said you wanted him by your side because you were scared?” Julie teased.

Victorique’s cheeks flushed. “I wasn’t actually scared! I had to say that, or this third son of an imperial soldier wouldn’t have budged.”

“Please stop calling me that.”

“Oh? Do you prefer the brilliant third son of an imperial soldier?”

“Argh! You’re really pissing me off!”

Julie watched the two arguing with sorrowful eyes.

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