Like Noel had said, getting a confession from Simone was easy. When the assembled members of Lightning Bite and Sky Winged Knights had surrounded her and confronted her with the truth, she had immediately admitted to her crime in tears. The stolen Skill-books were also found in her apartment, which corroborated the confession. She had been turned over to the military police, so she would probably receive the proper judgment for her crime.
Because she had solved the case, Leisha was treated as a『great detective』by her allies. In truth, it was thanks to Noel, but considering his feelings, she should probably keep the part that he played in this case quiet. It would only be a nuisance to him if he got mobbed by the members of Lightning Bite and Sky Winged Knights.
A few days later, Irene's funeral was held quietly. Ophelia represented Irene’s family at the funeral. As expected, Ophelia was shocked when she learned the truth about Irene. Nevertheless, it seemed that she didn’t think that she had been betrayed. She only said, “It can’t be helped”, as she smiled sadly.
Many people attended Irene's funeral and mourned her death. They were Irene’s fans for the most part. The landlady, Harris, and Lestrade had also attended. Each of them mourned in their own way, but it seemed certain that Irene was loved.
Moreover, there was also an unexpected attendee. ――Priscilla.
The moment Leisha and Ophelia saw her in the distance, they had become openly wary, but their worries were unfounded. Priscilla didn’t try to cause a disturbance like she had last time, but instead thanked them both tearfully for uncovering the truth.
To Priscilla, Irene was certainly a thorn in her side, but at the same time, she was also a good rival. So when she had heard of Irene's death, she had sworn to find the culprit. She had gone to Lestrade’s store because she had thought that he was the culprit. She told them that her real goal had been to shake him up and ask leading questions.
And, even though it was for the sake of achieving her goal, she apologized again and again for making statements that were unpleasant to Leisha and Ophelia. Ophelia also apologized for overstepping the mark, and the two of them buried the hatchet.
As she left, Priscilla gave them two concert tickets. It was a present that served as both a thank you and an apology. She said that she would rather they came to the concert, but if they were busy and unable to do so, then they should sell them. It appeared that they could be sold for a fair bit of money as the tickets to her concert were already fully reserved and were difficult to obtain.
The two of them were very appreciative of her gesture. Of course, Ophelia and Leisha promised that they would definitely go. However, after they had parted with Priscilla, Ophelia handed her ticket to Leisha. Leisha thought that perhaps Ophelia still held a grudge, but it seemed like that wasn’t the case.
「You should go with the person whom you’re indebted to」
「Indebted to, you said?」
When Leisha tilted her head, Ophelia smiled.
「The real great detective」
「Ehh, y, you noticed?」
「Of course I noticed. After all, isn’t it unnatural for you to suddenly solve everything? It’s you, so I know that it’s not because you want to take all the credit. That great detective is probably the type that doesn’t like to stand out, right?」
「Well, it’s not like he’s the type that doesn’t like to stand out, but I just thought that he would find it annoying to be treated as a great detective……」
「Hmm~, I see……」
Ophelia nodded understandingly.
「To tell the truth, I also wanted to thank that person, but that being the case, it seems better if I don’t, doesn’t it? I'll just keep my feelings of gratitude inside my heart」
「Well, if there’s an opportunity, I’ll introduce him to you」
「Alright, I'm looking forward to it」
She didn’t think that they would get along very well, but she supposed that it should be fine if it was just a quick introduction. Noel was also a Seeker. Even if Leisha didn’t introduce him to Ophelia, he would become acquainted with her one day.
If she could have one wish, she would wish that they would become friends with each other.
†
†
Leisha had two tickets in her hand. After agonizing over it, she decided to invite Noel. Given his personality, she knew that there was a high probability that she would be refused. However, she would be a disgrace to women if she didn’t take any action just because she was afraid of being refused.
After all, she wanted to thank him properly. And, if possible, she wanted to get along better with him. It was because she respected him, and there was definitely nothing that she had to feel guilty about.
As a present, she bought a box of chocolates that was famous for being delicious. It was perfect as a gift as it had even been beautifully wrapped. It appeared that people craved sweet things after using their brains, so Noel should like it as well.
The time was 7 am. It was about the time that Noel usually finished his daily run. In the brisk air of the morning, Leisha was humming cheerfully as she made her way to where he was.
Suddenly, someone called out to her from behind.
「Leisha」
When she stopped and looked back, there stood a beautiful blonde-haired woman in a green robe.
「You’re……Tania?」
The identity of the beautiful woman was Tania, a Healer who was a member of Blue Beyond, which was the party that Noel belonged in. Tania ran up to Leisha and suddenly bowed her head.
「I'm sorry, Leisha! I heard that our Noel caused you trouble! But he definitely didn’t mean any offense!」
「Huh? ……Ermm, what are you talking about?」
To Leisha, who had tilted her head in confusion, Tania continued talking with her head still bowed.
「According to what Noel said, it seems that he had accepted Leisha's request, but the way he speaks and his attitude is bad, so I thought that he must have acted very rudely……and so……」
「Th, that's not true!」
Leisha, who had understood the situation, waved her hands in denial. Certainly, Noel’s attitude and the way he spoke were bad. Because of that, she had only thought of him as a disagreeable guy in the beginning. But as she got to know him, she became able to understand his charm. If anything, she thought favorably of him now.
「The case was able to be solved because of Noel, so it’s preposterous to say that he caused me trouble! For me, it’ll never be enough, no matter how many times I thank him!」
「Is, is that so?」
When Tania glanced upwards at her, Leisha nodded vigorously.
「Yes, that’s right! For that reason, can you raise your head?」
「I see……. That’s good……」
Tania raised her head, placed her hand over her well-rounded chest, and breathed a sigh of relief.
「I’ve jumped to the wrong conclusion. I’m really sorry」
Tania’s bashful expression was so cute that it seemed capable of captivating even those of the same sex. Among Tania’s fans, it seemed that there were those who idolized her as a holy maiden. Just a little, Leisha understood their feelings.
「I'm the one who is sorry for willfully asking Noel for help」
「It was a locked-room murder, wasn’t it? I'm glad to hear that it was solved. He's extremely smart, so I can understand the feeling of wanting to ask him for help」
「Yeah, he’s really amazing. Just by listening to my story, he easily uncovered the truth. He’s just like those armchair detectives that appear in the detective novels」
She had heard that the intelligence modifier for Talkers was high. However, it merely meant that they were quick-witted, and the extent to which they could utilize it in real life depended on the individual's talent. Taking that point into account, Noel’s intelligence was outstanding, even considering the fact that he was a Talker.
「For you to have such an excellent ally, Blue Beyond is blessed, isn’t it? Tania is also proud of him, right?」
「Yes, that's true. That way of speaking and that attitude are drawbacks though, aren’t they?」
「Ahaha, I think so too」
It seemed that Tania was also having a hard time with him. Otherwise, she probably wouldn't have come to Leisha to apologize.
「But Noel is really amazing. He’ll probably make it big as a Seeker, don’t you think?」
「Yes, I think so too. That’s why――」
Tania paused and narrowed her eyes all of a sudden.
「Can you stay away from him from now on?」
「……Huh?」
「Leisha, to be frank, you’re a nuisance」
「A nuisance, you said……」
Leisha was flustered by the way Tania had suddenly changed.
「I can understand it if it’s just once. There were circumstances too, weren’t there? But you're going to approach Noel again, right? That's why you’re heading towards where he is. You even have a present prepared」
Tania pointed to Leisha's box of chocolates and her expression turned stern.
「Please don't bother him. How can someone who isn’t even his ally take away Noel’s precious time? I find it hard to understand」
「Th, that is……」
Tania's objection was unreasonable, but she hadn’t said anything wrong. Certainly, Noel's time was precious. She knew that very well because she had watched him. That was why Leisha chose her words carefully, making sure that she didn’t refute her emotionally.
「Ho, hold on, Tania, that's a misunderstanding. It’s not that I want to monopolize Noel, I just want to thank him for solving the case. This chocolate is also for that purpose…… If, if you feel suspicious about me giving it to him directly, how about if you take it instead? There are a lot of them, so please eat them together with Noel and everyone of Blue Beyond. Umm, it’s fine this way, right?」
Leisha tried her best to put on a cheerful face, and then she held the box of chocolates out to Tania.
But――
「No thank you」
Tania slapped the box of chocolates out of her hand roughly.
「I’ve told you what I needed to say. Goodbye」
With that, she turned on her heel and left. Leisha could only watch her back disappear out of sight in stunned amazement. She had never even suspected that Tania was such a quick-tempered woman.
「Oh, it got dirty……」
Leisha picked up the box of chocolates and brushed the dirt off the box with her hand. It could no longer be used as a present.
She could have gotten angry. She could have shouted back at her, “What did you do that for!?”
But who would that benefit, she wondered.
She was sure that even Noel would be troubled by it. That couldn’t be further from Leisha’s intentions. That was why she could only give up.
「I guess I’ll eat it myself……」
Leisha sat down on a nearby bench, tore off the wrapping paper and opened the box of chocolates. She had bought a chocolate assortment, so there were many kinds of bite-sized chocolates in the box. She picked one up with her fingers and tossed it into her mouth.
「Wow, it's delicious!」
As might be expected from high-grade chocolate, its taste was outstanding.
But she felt, just a little――that they tasted salty.
†
†
「Hey, look! It's Snake! It's Wild Tempest!」
As Leisha was walking through the city, someone said that excitedly. Soon after, the other pedestrians also noticed their presence, and began talking eagerly about their successes while looking at them with envy and admiration in their eyes.
Wild Tempest had become the clan that drew the most attention nowadays. The street was filled with the cries of the many enthusiastic fans in the crowd, who were cheering their name.
Leisha also stopped and turned to look at them.
The person who had subdued and was leading the familiar faces of Alma, Kouga, Leon, along with their newest member Hugo, was Noel, the leader of Wild Tempest.
「I had thought that he would make it big, but he built a huge lead over me in a blink of an eye, didn’t he?」
It had been a few months since Noel solved the case. Many things had happened during that time, and the old Blue Beyond no longer existed. But Noel never gave up. On the contrary, he was now the clan master of a major clan, and even becoming Regalia was within reach for him.
Even though Leisha was more senior and ranked higher than him until a while ago, before she knew it, he had built such a lead that it would now be laughable to even speak of him as a peer.
With the way things had turned out, she couldn't even feel jealous, but was only utterly overwhelmed.
But Leisha wasn’t going to let things end with him holding a lead over her. Since then, Leisha also had a change of heart. She had started to think that, just like Noel, she wanted to aim for greater heights.
「Just you wait and see~! I won’t lose to you, you hear!?」
Leisha thrust her fist towards Noel. Of course, Noel didn’t notice. It was a little lonely, but she thought that it was better this way.
He, who had subdued his allies and had kept on marching forward gallantly while paying no heed to others――
「He’s cool after all……」
It was, accompanied by admiration, a love that even she was unaware of. For that reason, no matter how much it dazzled Leisha, it was no longer possible for her to take her eyes off Noel――
What an amazingly ironic wish it was that Leisha had. Lots of stuff would probably have turned out differently if she had actually introduced them to each other.
I’ve never wanted to punch a fictional character as much as I do right now. Leisha~ don’t cry~
That ending! Those last few lines! Sob, it’s kinda sad that there’s zero romance in the main story, but perhaps it’s precisely because of that, that I really loved this story of an innocent love. It’s the innocent love of a 34 year old though lol.
With this, the short story has concluded. We'll be back to the main story and the Regalia Arc from the next chapter onwards. Are you excited!? I know I am. It's going to start with a bang! Stay tuned!
As always, I've updated the ebooks for my patrons. I would greatly appreciate it if you would consider supporting what I do by becoming a patron. All the ebooks of every completed volume that I've done are free for patrons so you can get them just by supporting me once. Though I would greatly appreciate it if you stayed after!
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