NOVEL NEXT Book 1: Chapter 6.1
「The secret to pouring a perfect cup of rosehip tea, Tilarna-chan…」
Inside the Special Vice Squad Offices, Detective Tony McBee spoke.
「…is the same as fighting for love! You can’t be too hot or too pushy. Neither can you be too cold nor too blunt. Properly warming him up, and then directing your irresistible charms at him are the most important. That’s why I’m so fussy over the cups and spoons I use. No matter how fragrant your tea may smell, if you end up using some ugly paper mug, wouldn’t it just be a waste? Understand?」
「I kind of get it, I kind of do not……」
Tirana replied with a sullen expression.
In front of her eyes, faint steam accompanied the fragrant aroma that wafted out of the teacup.
Tony continued on, saying that the city called Copenhagen hid intricate tableware made by the leading craftsmen in all of Dorini¹.
Such forms of pottery were all well and good. And yet to Tilarna, the plastic containers one could find at any local burger joint for take-out were much more intriguing.
Even so, there was no denying the comforting smell of Tony’s laité². She also found its refreshing taste to her liking. Compared to the viscous coffee Matoba made this morning, the difference was like heaven and earth.
「This is a fine tea.」
「Isn’t it? I know a good place. Tell you all about it next time. It’d be a great souvenir to take back home to your country. I’m sure your Mommy’ll be glad to see it.」
「I do not have a mother. She died soon after I was born.」
「Oh my…… my bad. I’m sorry.」
「It is fine. I am used to it. Do not worry yourself.」
「Oi, alien.」
Matoba called out to her as he was doing his paperwork two desks away,
「It’s good to make friends and all. But actually look through the documents for once. There’s plenty of Semanese in our criminal records after all.」
「I understand that. I am simply learning the method to operate this so-called ‘beesee’ from Mcbee.」
「It’s PC, P-E-E-S-E-E.」
「Still, Kei. For a kid who doesn’t even know what a Nintendo is to suddenly start using a mouse to ‘move files from here to there’. There’s no way she’d understand, right? Right?」
「Yes. I do not understand.」
「Don’t be proud of it…³」
It had already been three days since Tilarna came to this world, yet still the investigation into the fairy remained stagnant. Yesterday afternoon, they had hit the case files as always. From the evening onwards, they made their rounds around the city, visiting Albares’s various connections in their effort to uncover a lead to the whereabouts of the fairy. Through the warrant issued by the court, they were able to pull out his phone records from the telephone company. And yet, nothing came of it.
「Will today be the same as the day before?」
Tilarna asked Matoba.
「Probably. Plus some minor details here and there.」
「I am most concerned about the body of that fairy. We do not have much time.」
From what Matoba saw, the fairy was weakening. It had been three days since then. It would not be hard to imagine that it had exhausted its energy by now. After all, it was said there was a possibility that the creation of that ‘drug’ involved some rather unsavory practices.
It was clear from Tilarna’s tone that she held some degree of irritation and impatience towards the San Teresa Police Department. Sensing that was the case, Matoba spoke up.
「It’s not as if we’re slacking off here. We’re just trying to keep a low profile, that’s all. If we hit the water too fast, we’ll just end up scaring all the fish away.」
「Is it not possible to round up all the suspicious people and interrogate them right away?」
「See, here on Earth, we’ve got a god called ‘basic human rights’. EVEN for a knight like you, you wouldn’t be able to go against the word of god, would you?」
Matoba stood up with a sigh. Grabbing a hand mirror from Tony’s desk, he used a portable razor to shave off the stubble on his face. As he readjusted his tie, he said to Tony.
「It’s about time.」
「……You’re right. Shall we go?」
Tony replied in low spirits, standing up from his seat. The other detectives did the same, each one of them preparing to head out, somber expressions plastered on their faces. Everyone did.
「Where are you going?」
「His funeral.」
Inspector Rick Fury’s funeral was to be held at the city’s ceremony hall.
His will had dictated it be a modest affair. Matoba participated as one of the six pallbearers carrying the casket, slowly walking by as the sorrowful tune of the bagpipes sounded in the distance. He was not wearing his usual uniform. It was no problem; S.T.P.D.⁴ did not have such a tradition. 「I wouldn’t wear a uniform even if you died. I’ll just come in a Hawaiian shirt and some beach sandals.」 Rick had laughed as he said this to Matoba, back when he was still alive.
The coffin had been brought over from headquarters. The attendees could only watch over it as the burial took place. In the midst of all this stood the widow and the two children. The command was given. Clad fully in blue ceremonial dress, the honor guard presented arms and, with perfect timing, shot their blanks into the air.
Tilarna also attended the ceremony. As could be expected, her white Semanese attire would most definitely stand out. Wearing a black coat lent to her by Cecil, she stood at the end of the procession.
Matoba could be seen trying to comfort the unabashedly crying figure of Amy Fury, lending his shoulder to her tears. The widow picked up his hand and lashed out at him, unleashing the grievances hidden deep inside. Seeing that, Tilarna stood speechless at the back of the crowd.
With the funeral over, the attendees began slowly leaving the premises. Alongside Chief Roth, Matoba lined up to head back to HQ. They had parked their cars about twenty meters away on the street nearby.
「This isn’t my first rodeo. Still, it doesn’t make it any easier. I can’t take it.」
「Just this once…」
Chief said. He had also carried the coffin along with him.
「Y’know, Amy said to me, 『Why couldn’t it have just been you?』Harsh, ain’t it? Too harsh.」
「You couldn’t have done anything about it. Such is the road we take.」
「I understand her reasoning though.」
The two of them silently walked on. The only sound ringing through their ears was the crackling of dead leaves piling up in front of the base.
As they approached the line of cars, the Chief spoke.
「Any progress on the investigation?」
「Couple of names in their inner circle. But the thread remains thin. I’m going to look around a bit more after this. There are quite a few interesting dealers sprinkled here and there. If I find anything on the fairy, I’ll tell you about it, sir.」
「Good. How’s Exedilika?」
「She caused plenty of problems on the first day, and she’s getting impatient. Worried about the fairy, it seems.」
「Don’t take your eyes off her.」
「Yep.」
Putting both hands in his pockets, Matoba shrugged. After a little while, he resumed talking.
「Chief… Just this month, two of us were killed in the line of duty. Rick makes three. Morale is at an all-time low. It’s all good for now, but it’ll get out of control before long.」
「I know that. I’ve already made clear the need to hire more people and increase our budget for quite a while now. The local government just doesn’t care. Their sole priority is redevelopment; they claim so long as the economy benefits as a result, public order would naturally return to the city.」
「Bullshit. These contractors are getting all these damn subsidies, while we’re left with nothing but scraps. Are they telling us to die like dogs?」
「They’re not looking at the bigger picture.」
Grumbling like that, it was clear that the Chief was extremely exhausted.
His shoulders seemed to shrink, suddenly revealing the aging face of a battle-hardened veteran. Not only did he butt heads with the brass over the budget, he also had to deal with Rick’s sudden passing.
「So long as criminals stay out of Queen’s Valley, the mayor and his lackeys probably won’t change their minds anytime soon.」
Queen’s Valley was a luxury residential district located in the western part of San Teresa City. It was a calm, scenic neighborhood. Unlike downtown, public order was maintained extremely well.
「*sigh*. At this rate, Central’s gonna be brimming with crims before long. Wouldn’t you say, Chief?」
「I won’t let that happen.」
His pitch-black eyes, hidden under a pair of sunglasses, glared at Matoba.
「No matter what, I’ll never let that happen.」
Chief repeated. It was the voice of a man with a quiet determination, and yet, for some strange reason, Matoba could not help but be left with a sense of discomfort. Of course, his words could not be said to be a lie. They were most certainly sincere. Still, he felt as though there was a hidden meaning in the declaration.
「…… Of course, sir. But first, we must avenge Rick.」
「Right. I’m counting on you.」
Nodding, Chief Roth got into his own car and drove off.
「What the hell was that? Geez……」
Complaining to himself, he turned back towards his ride. Tilarna was already waiting there. His silver-grey hood clearly reflected the withering branches of the roadside trees. Laying her hand on the edge of the car, she stared in his direction.
「Are you finished?」
Tilarna hesitantly asked.
「It’s fine. What’s up with you?」
「Nothing……」
「Let’s go.」 Getting into the car, they left.
As they left headquarters, Tilarna inquired.
「Were you with him long?」
「Who?」
「The deceased. He was your partner, am I right?」
「I guess. Rick taught me a lot. Easygoing guy. Though when it came to baseball, he was a fanatic to the end.」
He was sitting in your seat just the other day, y’know ⸺ he was just about to say, before realizing the implications of his words. The thing he hated more than anything else was falling into a pit of disappointment, tied down by his feelings of self-pity. Men nowadays may find that completely okay. Sharing their pain with their friends and family, or perhaps a psychiatrist, saying things like 『Just be yourself』and patting their own backs. If you can live with that, then that is fine. There was no reason for him to find fault with that way of thinking.
But Matoba was different.
Everyone has someone to whom they are indebted. Failure is simply a part of life. But even so, the only one who can save your soul is nobody but yourself. That was what he believed. On the one hand, this path would doubtless cause him much greater suffering. On the other, he would not have to depend on others to stand up for himself any longer. A man’s dignity is not something to be taken lightly. He stubbornly believed that achieving such a privilege was the result of one’s blood, sweat, and tears. While he truly understood the difficulty of such an undertaking, he had no intention of quitting that way of life.
In that sense, Matoba could be considered a remnant of the ancient past ⸺ a relic, so to speak.
That was exactly why he could not say anything more about Rick.
「In my country⸺」
Tirana began to speak.
「⸺for so many to grieve over the dead… It is enough to send them over to the Land of Everlasting Spring. Inspector Fury was probably the same. 」
「Are you trying to comfort me?」
「Is that bad?」
Staring out the window on the other side, Tirana sullenly replied.
[No. I’ll thank you just this once.] [You know what to say then?] [Daash Zanna⁵, right?] [Good.]That marked the end of their discussion on Rick Fury.
Five minutes of driving later, they grabbed fried chicken for dinner from a nearby drive-through. It was then that Tony contacted them.
「What’s up?]
『The night before yesterday, did you know that one of our patrol cars went missing? 』
[Yup. They’re the guys with the 22nd Precinct right?]Matoba had heard about it. They had reported heading out to the freeway under construction over by East Side. After that, there had been no further sign of them.
『Seems they were spotted in the pond by Eastrock Park. The bodies of the two officers were found together.』
Translator’s Notes:
- TL Note: Farbanian for ‘Earth/earthlings’.
- TL Note: Farbanian for ‘tea’.
- TL Note: Tilarna says it in a smug, almost proud manner.
- TL Note: San Teresa Police Department.
- TL Note: Farbanian for ‘thank you’.