Reim thought back to the uproar that had occurred the previous week. It had turned Pandora Headquarters completely upside down. Reim had been at headquarters at the time, and of course he’d been pulled in as well.
…I’ll leave that aside for now, Reim decided, and hailed Alice.
He’d been startled that Oz knew about “the curse of Mahani,” and he didn’t think Alice would know anything. Even as he thought this, he called, “Alice-kun, do you have a minute?”
Alice turned to look at Reim.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
• Respondent: Alice
Time: 1740
Place: Pandora Headquarters, second floor, west corridor
Notes: Respondent was eating a sparerib at the time, and her speech was unclear.
Q. Do you have a minute?
A. (Nom nom) I’m in the middle of savoring sheer bliss. Can’t you tell by looking?
Q. This won’t take long. Do you know the word “Mahani”? If you don’t, it’s perfectly all right—
A. …Hmph. Of course I know that!
* Note 3: This was yet another unexpected answer, but this time the interviewer kept his composure. This was due to the fact that it was immediately apparent that the respondent was bluffing. However, as if in refusal to acknowledge this, the respondent answered on momentum alone. It was charming.
A. I-it’s a kind of food! A meat dish! Yeah, I love that one!
Q. Unfortunately, I’m quite certain it isn’t food. Thank you; in that case, I’ll be—
A. Wait!
Q. ???
A. I answered your question. Now you answer mine!
Q. Of course. What question would that be?
A. Hrrnm… Oh, yeah: Is it normal for two women or two men to bite each other’s cheeks and put their skin together?
Q. (Unable to understand) Wh-where did that come from…?
A. Well, in Sharon’s room the other day— (The remainder has been voluntarily redacted by the interviewer.)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
After parting with Alice, Reim headed toward the Pandora library.
I’ve just learned something bloodcurdling…
Reim’s face was rather gray.
Who would have thought that Sharon-sama… No, I’d better forget about this. I didn’t hear a thing! Never mind that, there’s a curse to investigate!
As Reim walked down the corridor, shaking his head hard, passing Pandora employees glanced at him as though they were seeing something very odd. Reim didn’t notice. Finally, when Reim had managed to calm himself down, he saw a lone woman standing at a corner in the corridor, up ahead.
It was rare to see this particular individual at Pandora Headquarters. It was Ada Vessalius, Oz’s little sister.
Oscar, Oz and Ada’s uncle, was one of the four great dukes, and as the current head of the House of Vessalius, he held an important post at Pandora. It was plausible to assume Ada was here because Oscar had summoned her for something.
Ada seemed to be hiding at the corner of the corridor, stealthily peeking into the other hallway.
??? Reim thought, puzzled, and walked up to Ada from behind.
Doing his best not to startle her, he called her name softly, laying a hand on her shoulder. “…Ada-sama?”
“—?!”
Ada flinched violently, giving a soundless scream. She whirled around as if she’d been struck.
I don’t think I could have startled her worse if I’d tried…
“I beg your pardon,” Reim said, bowing. “But…could I ask what you’re doing here?”
“Oh, n-n-n-n-n-no… It—it isn’t like that, I was—” Ada insisted. Her face was bright red, and her eyes were full of tears.
Hearing right off the bat that “it wasn’t like that” told Reim absolutely nothing.
On closer inspection, Ada was holding a book with a black cover to her chest, as if it was something very, very precious.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
• Respondent: Ada Vessalius
Time: 1750
Place: Pandora Headquarters, second floor, north corridor
Notes: Respondent seemed terribly flustered.
Q. You’re acting strange. Are you all right?
A. I’m fine! It’s really nothing, I…um…
Q. Is there something around the corner?
A. No, nothing. That wasn’t it, I wasn’t…peeking, or anything like that!
Q. I see… By the way, what is that book you’re holding so carefully?
A. This is… It’s… I was planning to recommend it to…to Vincent-sama…
Q. Recommend it…to Vincent-sama?
A. Listen, I’m sorry, it isn’t like thaaaaaaaat…!!
*Note 5: At this point, the respondent left the scene at high velocity. I was unable to follow her, and failed to ask her about “the curse of Mahani.”
*Note 6: The respondent seemed to have dropped her book. It was discovered at the scene after she departed.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ada vanished like a whirlwind down the corridor Reim had just come up.
“…What was all that about?”
Murmuring to himself, Reim picked up the book that had fallen where Ada had been standing. The cover was made of plain black leather. When he opened it, he saw that the book’s title was written on the first page. The title was: A Children’s Primer—Easy Black Magic—Elementary Ceremonies Edition.
Easy? Black…magic…?
It was a book far removed from Reim’s mental image of Ada.
Pushing his glasses up with his index finger, Reim flipped through the pages. Although the book claimed to have been written for children, its contents seemed fairly professional.
What could it mean? Reim thought. Ada-sama is, well…a bit naive… Erm, I mean, she has unique sensibilities. She must have mistaken this for a slightly eccentric volume of poetry or something similar.
The suspicious spells and mysterious jargon the magic book held weren’t entirely unlike fantastic poems. Reim decided that must have been it.
I’ll return this to Ada-sama later, he thought.
Magic book in hand, Reim turned the corner. Then he stopped.
While not as unexpected as Ada, a person whom it was quite unusual to see at Pandora Headquarters stood just around the corner. Reim had guessed as much from Ada’s words, but it was Vincent Nightray and his valet, the girl Echo.
Vincent was a son of the House of Nightray, another of the four great dukedoms, and he was also affiliated with Pandora.
However, he was notorious for almost never leaving the Nightray mansion.
Reim remembered that Ada had said she meant to recommend the magic book to Vincent-sama.
He considered passing it on to Vincent himself, right there, but almost immediately thought better of it.
No doubt Ada-sama wanted to give it to him personally.
Reim decided not to do anything too forward. He drew a small breath.
“—Vincent-sama,” he addressed him, bowing. Noticing Reim, Vincent smiled.
It was a decorous smile. However, it held no sense of affection for the other person. Echo was standing next to Vincent, and as he spoke, he stroked her head.
“We just came by for a bit of fun. Was that all right…?”
“Of course. I’m afraid I can’t personally accommodate you just now, though.”
Vincent only murmured, “I see.” He smiled tranquilly; he didn’t seem to mind.
Simply having Vincent smile at him made Reim feel as if it was a bit hard to breathe.
I’m really no good with this person…
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
• Respondent: Vincent Nightray
Time: 1755
Place: Pandora Headquarters, second floor, north corridor
Notes: Respondent’s valet Echo was essentially silent.
Q. Could I ask you a question, perhaps?
A. A
sk me what…?
Q. Have you ever heard the word “Mahani”?
A. It doesn’t ring a bell. What about you, Echo? …She doesn’t seem to know it either.
Q. I see. I apologize for taking your time.
A. Would you mind if I…asked a question as well? Where is Gil? I came out just to see him, but…
Q. I’m afraid I couldn’t say. I haven’t seen him today either.
A. I see… That’s a pity. All right, Echo, shall we go?
A. Yes, Vincent-sama.
A. No, no, Echo. I insist you call me “Papa,” too…
A. …
A. —Echo.
A. …Yes. Puh…Papa.
*Note 7: They’re blood relations?! I had no idea!
A. …Please kill me.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Vincent left Reim, and Echo followed after.
“Papa,” she said… I’ve heard something shocking, Reim thought. Still, he didn’t want to get too involved with the House of Nightray, and especially not with Vincent. He swore to forget what he’d heard, and chased the word from his mind.
His eyes fell to the magic book in his hand. He did have a curse to investigate, but first he thought he should find Ada and return the book. He turned on his heel.
Ada was standing right behind him.
“—?!” Reim was so startled that he froze up.
Ada seemed terribly flustered and anxious. She looked at the book in Reim’s hands, pointing.
“Umm…umm… I… That…”
“Oh. Oh, this? Yes, I’m afraid you dropped it. …Here you are.”
Reim handed the magic book to Ada, who was looking truly desperate. Ada hugged the magic book to her bosom and gazed at Reim. She seemed to want to say something. Reim cocked his head, puzzled, and asked her what was wrong.
“Umm…I…this… This book. Did you…look inside…?”
“Ah—” Reim responded, just to show he’d been listening. Ada’s whole body seemed to be radiating the wish Say you didn’t see it! Say you didn’t see it!
Reim’s understanding was that Ada had mistaken a magic book for a book of poetry or some other romantic volume, and he interpreted the situation based on that understanding: Ada-sama must be embarrassed by the idea of anyone knowing the contents of the book.
Reim smiled and—kindly—lied: “I didn’t look.” The instant he did, Ada heaved a sigh of relief so great that her shoulders sagged.
Ada thanked Reim over and over for picking up the magic book. Reim told her she’d probably find Vincent quite soon if she went after him now, but Ada only shook her head, red-faced, and walked away. Women are complicated, Reim thought.
Mentally switching gears, Reim returned to his investigation of the curse. Thinking he’d try Pandora’s books as well, he headed for the library. When he entered, Break was already there.
“Hullo, Reim-san.”
His friend—a “friend” he couldn’t shake, no matter how hard he tried—waved at him cheerily. For some reason, the moment he saw him, Reim thought:
That little… Was he waiting for me?
If asked why he felt this, Reim couldn’t have answered. It was just instinct.
“Wasn’t today your day off?”
“As it turns out, no. …Rufus-sama had a request for me.”
“My, my. May blessings be upon you, industrious Reim-san.”
“Don’t mock me. Never mind that, do you have a minute?”
Did Break know? If not, Reim would end the conversation quickly. He didn’t have time to waste joking around with this amiable bad influence.
“Sure. What do you need?” Break cocked his head.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
• Respondent: Xerxes Break
Time: 1810
Place: Pandora Headquarters, library
Notes: Respondent smiled the entire time.
Q. Do you know the word “Mahani”?
A. Hmm… I might. Then again, I might not. Which could it be?
Q. Understood. See you later.
A. Ahhh, I remember, I’ve got it now! You mean “the curse of Mahani,” don’t you?
Q. …If you know about it, tell me everything, right from the beginning.
A. Let’s see… If you dress in drag and give me a cute little ‘Tell me ,’ I’ll—
Q. I will broadcast every single thing I know about your embarrassing past throughout Pandora.
A. Ah— Oh, come now! You’re no fun at all today, Reim-san!!
Q. I don’t have time to play along with your jokes, particularly not today.
A. Hmmmm, that’s a pity. I thought the dress I wore the other day would look good on you, too, if it were a bit bigger.
Q. You wore one?!
A. Well, never mind. In light of our long acquaintance, I’ll make an exception and tell you, so just rub my shoulders, would you?
Q. …Why your shoulders?
A. Oh, my lower back would be fine, too.
Q. That’s not what I meant.
A. It’s the price of the information. What your master’s always bringing up. Go on. You’re in a hurry, aren’t you?
Q. Blast you… Look, you can talk while I’m rubbing your shoulders, so talk.
A. Ahhh, that’s the spot. No, I don’t know it.
*Note 8: At this point, the interviewer momentarily considered strangling the respondent.
A. My lady does, however. I do know that.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Reim’s conversation with Break had left him more tired than before.
He hesitated, wondering whether he should continue with his planned investigation of the library’s volumes as well, but in the end he left the library and headed for the third-floor office where Break had said he’d find Sharon. As he climbed the stairs, on the landing between the second and third floors, Reim spotted Gilbert.
Gilbert was looking out through the window on the landing.
The sky was already fading from sunset vermillion to the dark blue of night, and the moon was up.
Apparently, that night was the full moon.
A hazy memory rose in Reim’s mind. Something Rufus had said.
To a moonlit night like this…
What had they been talking about? He couldn’t remember.
“Reim?” Gilbert ended up speaking to him first.
Gilbert had worried wrinkles between his eyebrows, although that was nothing unusual for him. He seemed to have been deep in thought as he gazed outside.
Although Reim was on his way to the office where Sharon was, he thought he’d ask Gilbert as well.
“Gilbert-sama. Would you mind if I asked you a question?”
Before Reim could ask his question, Gilbert asked one of his own:
“Reim, what exactly are ‘women,’ anyway? I really don’t know.”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
• Respondent: Gilbert Nightray
Time: 1920
Place: Pandora Headquarters, staircase landing
Notes: Respondent seemed to be worried about a profound topic.
Q. Has something happened recently? …To do with women, I mean.
A. Venemous spid— N-no, nothing. There’s no way a woman and I would… It’s not even possible.
*Note 9: The respondent was incredibly unsettled. Something must have happened.
A. If only… Why can’t all women be like Ada-sama…?
Q. …
*Note 10: Interviewer began to feel a bit concerned for the respondent. Was he all right?
A. I don’t understand.
Q. Erm, could I ask you a question? I’m afraid it’s about something else…
A. I don’t understand, Reim.
Q. The word “Mahani.” Have you…?
A. …Never heard of it.
Q. All right. If you’ll excuse me, then.
A. (sigh)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
When Reim left Gilbert
and stepped into the third-floor office, there was Sharon.
Sharon was seated at the desk, her pen skimming over a document of some sort. He’d caught her at work.
She returned the pen to its stand and looked up at Reim.
“Reim-san? Did you need me for something?”
“Well, yes, but it isn’t all that important. If this is a bad time, I’ll come back later.”
“It doesn’t matter. I was just thinking it would be nice to take a break.”
Sharon smiled. From her expression, it was clear that she wasn’t just being polite.
“Shall I order tea?” she asked, reaching for the bell on the desk.
PandoraHearts ~Caucus Race~, Vol. 1 Page 16