PandoraHearts ~Caucus Race~, Vol. 2

by Shinobu Wakamiya

  Why, hello. Here we are again.

  This is the third…no, the fourth time I’ve run into you here, I believe.

  Hmm? Ah, it’s the fifth? Beg pardon. I forgot.

  I’m quite easygoing, you see; I’m no good at remembering times and things. Don’t be angry with me.

  That’s right, it’s my temperament.

  Well, well. You even have a rather fine tea ready for us today.

  Such consideration really lifts the spirits. Yes, it’s delicious.

  You know, I didn’t think you had it in you to be this considerate.

  …Whoops. My apologies. I shouldn’t have said that, even if it was exactly what I was thinking.

  Ah, and I see that may have been best left unsaid as well. I do apologize. Don’t be angry.

  I tend to say just what I’m thinking, without softening the edges. Yes, that’s temperament as well.

  Oh, I see. You didn’t prepare this tea? It was a present?

  Hmm. Then you really are… No, never mind.

  Now then, you were waiting for me. What sort of story did you want today?

  …………

  I see. About life, hmm? That’s a rather broad topic…

  Is something troubling you?

  Oho. You may have found your life partner.

  That’s wonderful. My sincere congratulations.

  Ah, but you aren’t sure whether you should accept this individual’s suit?

  Hmm, yes, that’s a knotty problem.

  Life is long and filled with hardship. In order to see it through without regret, you need a partner who’s irreplaceable.

  If you choose the wrong one, though… That’s right, it will all come to nothing.

  Well, now. Let’s see.

  …In that case, why don’t I tell you about several examples I’m familiar with, stories of individuals and their respective partners?

  You might not think it to look at me, but observing such people is a hobby of mine.

  Use them as references, if you would, to help make your own life a happy one.

  All right. Then I’ll begin.

  Behold that flower

  Blooming in night’s shade,

  its petals tinged with blue,

  yet noble still…

  Elliot Nightray

  ONE WEEKEND.

  It was after school, and soft sunlight streamed into the library.

  Lutwidge Academy set great store by tradition and formality, and none of its students were the type who made noise in libraries. There were many students in the hall, with its rows of stacks, but the only sounds were hushed conversations and soft footfalls, and nothing disturbed the tranquil atmosphere.

  Boys wore white swallowtail coats, navy blue vests, and white trousers, while girls wore white blazers and skirts.

  The sun-warmed library was filled with the distinctive scent of books.

  “You’re borrowing that one again. You really like it, don’t you?”

  A boy with one tuft of hair that flipped straight up, right in front, pulled a book from one of the shelves, earning that remark from the shaggy-haired classmate who stood next to him.

  The boy drew his eyebrows together slightly, directing a sharp glance at his neighbor.

  “…What’s wrong with that? Good stuff is good no matter how many times you read it.”

  “The title’s fairly hackneyed. Holy Knight.”

  “Classic. Call it classic.”

  As the boy argued back, he tucked the book he’d taken under his elbow.

  He had no way to see his classmate’s face, hidden as it was by his long, untrimmed hair and glasses. However, after spending two years with him, the boy knew his expressions like the back of his own hand. …He knew he’d be feigning ignorance, straight-faced.

  “Don’t be mad. I was just stating my opinion, Elliot. I’m not criticizing your tastes.”

  At his classmate’s nonchalant answer, the boy—Elliot—clicked his tongue irritably.

  Elliot Nightray, aged sixteen.

  He was a son of the House of Nightray, one of the four great dukedoms that held tremendous power in this country, and, at present, he was a fourth-year student at Lutwidge Academy.

  He was high-minded, severe, and outspoken.

  He had strong-willed eyebrows, sharp eyes, and platinum blonde hair that took on a blue tint when the light hit it just right. All these things combined to make this boy, in his Lutwidge Academy uniform, seem somehow difficult to approach.

  Some considered the teardrop mole at the outside corner of his left eye to be one of his charms, but it didn’t do much to soften his sharp appearance.

  “Listen up, Leo. See, the Holy Knight series is…”

  Elliot began to speak, his voice filled with enthusiasm.

  However, his classmate—Leo—briskly put out a hand and cut him off, saying, “I don’t need to hear that again, thanks.”

  Leo was also sixteen.

  He was from the House of Fianna, a home for orphans operated by the Nightrays.

  Two years before, Elliot, who’d been having trouble choosing a valet, had encountered him in the House of Fianna’s bookroom. Immediately thereafter, they’d quarreled at the top of their lungs… Following that worst of all possible first meetings, after several twists and turns and over the objections of those around him, Elliot had chosen Leo to be his valet.

  Leo might have been a valet, but he treated Elliot like an equal and did just as he pleased. He never gave a thought to his master’s convenience. He looked calm and collected, but in Elliot’s words, he was actually “touchy and quarrelsome,” and it wasn’t at all uncommon for him to pepper his master with sharp words.

  The phrase that best described Leo would have been “incurable bookworm.”

  Actually, even “incurable” might have been an understatement.

  Leo picked up the sentence he’d made Elliot drop:

  “The Holy Knight series is an ode to heroism that sets up an ideal for nobles, knights, and other chosen ones by following the footsteps of the protagonist, Edwin, and is a textbook for ‘how men should live,’ et cetera. You’ve told me a million times, and anyway, I’ve read through it myself, so I know.”

  On hearing this, said indifferently and all at once, Elliot looked a bit daunted.

  He snorted crossly, then sent a mild glare at the five thick books Leo was hugging to his chest.

  “So, what are you borrowing? Five of ’em at once…”

  “Oh, these?”

  As Leo explained, a cheerful buoyancy shone through his unaffected words.

  “This one’s a mystery novel, Festival of the Double Helix. People say the author’s style is old-fashioned, but his descriptions have real depth, and I like that. This is a classic about logic, this is a biology text about the ecology of reptiles, and then there’s a dictionary of names, and—”

  “Hold it. I already know you read crazy stuff that’s all over the map, but what’s the point of reading a dictionary of names? It’s just…names.”

  Elliot cut in, looking dumbfounded. Leo smiled.

  “It’s interesting. When I’m reading, I think about the names and imagine what sort of lives the people lived. This will keep me entertained for a week.”

  “……Book nut.”

  Leo seemed mystified by Elliot’s mutter. “What’s odd about that?”

  Everything, Elliot thought, but he grimaced and said, “Knock yourself out.” The two moved away from the stacks. Leo already had a book open and was starting to read. “Control yourself until we get back to our room,” Elliot warned him.

  The two of them went to the information corner and completed the check-out procedures. Ell
iot finished first, and while Leo was checking out his five books, he stood a little ways away, looking cross.

  “………”

  Abruptly, Elliot turned back and took a long look at the shelf that held the Holy Knight series.

  The volume he’d taken had left a gap like a missing tooth.

  “What’s the matter, Elliot?”

  Leo spoke to him; he’d finished the procedures. Elliot shook his head, absently.

  “Nothing. Let’s go.”

  He and Leo left the library.

  The corridor was filled with students spending their afterschool hours as they pleased. Unlike in the library, loud, cheerful, lively voices joined in animated conversations here and there. Several students sneaked surreptitious glances at Elliot. Evading them coldly, Elliot began to walk.

  Just then, from beside him, Leo murmured, “Oh, that’s right.”

  When Elliot glanced at him, Leo was awkwardly balancing his stack of five books, with one hand in the back pocket of his coat. Then:

  “Here, this is for you.”

  Carelessly, Leo held the object he’d extracted out to Elliot.

  It was a deep blue leather bookmark, with a design stamped on it in gold foil.

  “………What’s this?”

  Elliot took the bookmark, looked at it, then realized the design was linked to Holy Knight. It showed the silhouettes of Edwin, the protagonist, and his valet, Edgar. For a moment, Elliot looked pleased, but he soon grew dubious.

  “I bought it yesterday. …Since you’re the type who takes time to read a book.”

  “Was today something special? It’s not my birthday.”

  “No, it’s nothing like that. I just wanted you to have it.”

  Leo smiled cheerfully. In contrast, Elliot’s expression clouded rapidly.

  “…What are you plotting? Getting presents from you is creepy.”

  “Elliooot! If you can’t accept kindness from others gracefully, you won’t grow into a decent adult.”

  “Everything you do every day is making me like this!”

  As he retorted, Elliot’s brow was furrowed. He glanced at the bookmark in his hand.

  For a while, he gazed at it as if it was something suspect and dangerous, but finally he shoved it into the back pocket of his coat. Walking in front of Leo, Elliot started down the sunny corridor. He didn’t look back. With a little snort, he said:

  “…Well, I guess there’s no help for it. I’ll take it for you.”

  Lutwidge Academy, Elliot and Leo’s school, was considered to be the most prestigious of all prestigious schools.

  The sons and daughters of the nobility, the nation’s elite, spent six years here, from ages thirteen to eighteen, being trained to become the future leaders of society and those destined to support those leaders.

  Lutwidge Academy was a boarding school, and during their six years of attendance, male and female students lived in their own dormitories.

  In the dorms, students were placed in rooms of six from the first year to the third year, in order to learn the manners and attitudes required for group living. Students in the higher forms lived in rooms of two. The only ones to receive private rooms, even among the upper forms, were a handful of students known as “prefects.”

  “…Tch.”

  They’d left the school building and were walking toward the boys’ dorm when Elliot clicked his tongue softly and stopped in his tracks.

  Leo, who’d been walking beside him, stopped as well.

  The brick path that led to the boys’ dorm wound through a sparse grove of maple trees. About halfway down that path, right where it entered the grove, was a group of male students: four or five boys surrounding one smaller boy.

  They were standing in a ring, throwing a little bottle to each other as if playing catch, while the boy in the center of the circle chased after it.

  This wasn’t a fun, friendly game. The smaller student looked as if he might cry at any moment, and the boys who surrounded him wore sadistic smirks.

  Elliot knew all of them.

  “A~ah, they’ve got him again, don’t they.”

  Leo’s voice was calm. He’d followed Elliot’s gaze and seen the students.

  “…Stupid…”

  Elliot spit out the word in a low voice, then took Holy Knight from under his arm and held it out to Leo. Leo accepted it with a practiced motion and a “Yes, yes.”

  Elliot stepped into the grove. He walked toward the students, crushing fallen leaves underfoot.

  Even as the two of them approached, neither the smaller student nor the ring of students who were teasing him noticed.

  The student who had the little bottle tried to throw it to his friend, but his aim was off, and it went toward Elliot instead. It flew in a high arc, and Elliot caught it. The texture of hard glass. The swaying, splashing black liquid inside it.

  It was a bottle of ink.

  Elliot had caught it one-handed, and as he rolled it around on his palm, a low murmur rose from the boys. Their voices were startled and bewildered, and every eye was focused on Elliot. Some said his name, while others said the name of the House of Nightray.

  Although Nightray was one of the four great dukedoms, the nation’s heroes, the family was suspected of betrayal during the Tragedy of Sablier a century before, and even now, dark rumors clung to its name. This was the family to which Elliot belonged.

  The students and teachers around him held awe and envy for the dukedoms…but at the same time, there was a feeling of distance with regard to the House of Nightray that was unlike anything directed at the other families. This was the sort of atmosphere that surrounded Elliot at school. Many people looked at him, but very few approached him.

  Of course, Elliot would never have chosen to keep his head down and live quietly for fear of false rumors and backbiting. As a result, many of the school’s students saw Elliot as “aloof” and difficult to approach.

  “You guys…are an eyesore.”

  Elliot’s declaration was ruthless. Possibly they were overawed by his imposing attitude: As he strode into the ring of students, the circle broke.

  Elliot walked right up to the smaller student, who’d slumped to the ground in the center of the circle.

  He sent one piercing glare at the students who surrounded them. —Then, from near his feet, a faint voice said, “E-Elliot-kun…”

  Elliot lowered his glowering eyes. A timid face was looking up at him.

  Like Elliot, the boy was a fourth-year student, and they lived in the same dorm. His name was Marcel. His build was so delicate that he seemed better suited to the girls’ uniform than the boys’, and as a result, he was often teased.

  “Here.

  “It’s yours, right?” Elliot said, and he tossed the little bottle at him. Marcel caught it with both hands.

  “Uh, uh-huh. —Oh, no, I, um…”

  At that noncommittal response, Elliot instantly began to radiate prickly irritation. Marcel shuddered and gave a small “Eek!” Just then, Leo—who’d followed Elliot and was standing behind him—put in an astute word for Marcel.

  “I think that’s probably Gerald’s.”

  “Ahn?” Elliot turned to look back at Leo, prickly aura and all.

  “Marcel is Gerald’s assistant, you know.”

  “Hm? Oh. Right. —So, what, you’re on an errand?”

  As he spoke, he turned back to Marcel. The boy was nodding vigorously.

  Gerald was one of the handful of prefects for Elliot’s dorm. The many students who lived in the dorms were split into several groups, with one prefect placed in charge of each group and expected to give everyday guidance. Gerald was the prefect in charge of the group Elliot and Leo belonged to. However, possibly because he felt daunted by the four great dukedoms, he didn’t want much to do with Elliot, and they hardly ever saw each other. Elliot thought things were more comfortable that way, too.

  Prefects were given the right to choose one student from a lower grade as an assistan
t to handle personal tasks for them.

  Gerald had chosen Marcel.

  “Um, Gerald-san told me to go buy some ink for him, because he was out…”

  “He did, huh?”

  Elliot waved one hand, uninterested, as if to say, That doesn’t really matter.

  “…Never mind that.”

  Sheathed in cold anger, once again, he glared at the students around him.

  Every face belonged to a student who lived in Elliot’s dorm, from first-years to third-years. He’d interrupted the younger students’ hard-earned fun, and they couldn’t quite keep their displeasure out of their expressions, but no one said anything aloud.

  They were edging back, sure from the glitter in Elliot’s eyes that they were about to be lectured.

  However—

  “You little—!! You’re an upperclassman! Don’t let junior students push you around!!”

  Looking down at Marcel, Elliot roared at him furiously.

  “Fweh?!”

  “Don’t give me ‘fweh’! When your family sent you here, they entrusted you with their honor! That means you don’t let younger guys— No, it doesn’t matter who they are! Don’t disgrace yourself like that in front of anybody! You’re a nobleman! Have some pride! Walk tall! Work on your swordsmanship! Take your scrawny—”

  “Elliot. Elliot.”

  From behind Elliot, Leo tugged at his sleeve.

  “What?!” Elliot answered, still roaring.

  “Quiet down,” Leo said, covering his ears.

  “You’re scolding the wrong guy. I’m not saying Marcel isn’t to blame for any of it, but…”

  “Who cares?! I—This guy’s—”

  “And besides, you’re attracting lots and lots of attention. You don’t mind?”

  “……Huh?”

  Elliot looked around. Several students stood on the path that linked the school buildings with the dorms. It was a rather sizable crowd.

  Most of them were probably students who’d just happened to be passing by when they stopped. They kept their distance, and although the looks directed his way were nervous, they were all intensely interested. Elliot stood out even when he wasn’t doing anything, and now he was the solid center of attention.