I-I didn’t tell you so you could do it, Alice-san—!
What a horrendous misunderstanding. …Or was it that he hadn’t explained it right?
As the men kept hopping, their faces crumpled with tears, Alice pointed at them sharply.
“Yeah, ‘mugging’ is too slow. Give me meat, you lot!”
“A-Alice-Alice-Alice!”
Oz practically tumbled out of the front row, hurrying to stand in front of Alice. When she saw him, Alice responded: “Oho.
“Oz, huh? Where were you, and what were you doing?”
“No… That’s my line…”
As Oz spoke, his shoulders slumped.
AFTER THAT.
To get Alice to let them go, the men brought out what little money they had, but Oz politely refused it. In exchange, perhaps, or possibly as a thank-you to Alice for having punished the hooligans, the spectators gave her a mountain of meat dishes.
She was treated as a real hero.
“Here, Oz. I’ll share with you, just this once.”
As she walked down Hodgepodge Street with Oz, hugging all the meat to her chest, Alice held out a skewer of grilled chicken.
She was obviously in a good mood. “Thanks…” Oz said, accepting it with a complicated expression on his face.
Apparently, in that last incident, the men really had been the ones to start trouble with Alice, and when he thought of what could have happened if she hadn’t been so strong, he was just glad she was all right. Besides, as the people on the street had pointed out happily, as far as results were concerned, Alice’s actions had proved to be a good deed.
However.
I did want something to happen, but I never thought Alice would make it happen…
He completely hadn’t expected it.
Well, no, you could probably say that, when traveling with Alice, you could fully expect to see things you weren’t expecting.
“Nom-nom-nom-nom-nom-nom-nom… Mm, yum!”
Alice was enthusiastically stuffing her face with a grilled skewer, and she seemed blissfully satisfied, as though she’d already forgotten the men.
As he walked along next to Alice, Oz also brought his skewer to his mouth.
“—Oh, you’re right. It really is good.”
Alice kept silently munching on grilled skewers, taking them out of their paper wrapping one after another.
It happened just about the time the number of skewers was set to go into double digits. Alice’s stomach must have calmed down a bit: The pace at which she was eating slowed, but even so, she had a new skewer in her mouth when she spoke:
“And? What about you? Did you find what you came for?”
“Huh?”
Oz looked blank. Alice continued, her tone casual:
“If you haven’t yet, then I suppose I’d better start helping you seriously.”
“……Huh?” Oz repeated.
Alice glanced at him.
“You’re looking for those, right? Gloves like the black leather ones in that book. To give to somebody.”
“?!”
This extremely frank statement bewildered Oz.
Questions swirled through his mind: Why?! How?! He hadn’t told anybody about his reasons for coming to Hodgepodge Street. He’d kept his plan secret the entire time. Strictly. Carefully. He’d been sure he hadn’t let anything slip. And yet… Why?
Could she possibly have deduced it from some incredibly faint, infinitesimal clue?
If she had…
Is Alice actually a great detective?!
Involuntarily, Oz drew closer to her.
“How do you know about that, Alice?!”
At that, she answered:
“You went to bed early last night, remember? When I went to your room, you were talking about it in your sleep.
“As plain as day,” Alice said, finishing him off.
…………………………………………………………………………………I’m an idiot.
Oz went down in flames.
5
Oz, where are you?!
It was after lunchtime, and Gilbert was walking rapidly along Hodgepodge Street. His expression was tense with impatience.
He’d forcibly yanked his coat out of the boy’s hands, and the kid had burst into tears; while he was soothing him, he’d lost sight of Oz. He can’t have gone very far yet, he thought, and he was looking into the shops all down the street with a feeling as if he was praying.
That said, as long as they kept to Hodgepodge Street, he wasn’t all that worried. He’d said it was dangerous to come to Old Town, but there were lots of people in this area, and, maybe as a result, it was safe. If it hadn’t been, Gilbert wouldn’t have rented an apartment for himself nearby.
The place it wasn’t all right to go was a corner of Old Town.
It was an area known as “the Bottom,” and it wasn’t all that big. It was the dark side of Reveil, an area that was practically lawless, where the neighborhood’s very poorest and those who couldn’t live in ordinary society anymore tended to wind up.
At each and every one of the shops he stealthily peeked into, he struck out. If he still hadn’t found Oz after he’d checked a few more…
No, he can’t possibly have gone to the Bottom…but…
If he only knew what Oz had come here to buy, he thought, he’d be able to narrow down the possible destinations.
The rising impatience made the buzz in his chest grow stronger.
Be at the next one, Oz!
His excuse for himself—that he just happened to have an errand here—had vanished from his mind.
The next place Gilbert peeked into was a secondhand clothing shop.
It was a comparatively large store for Hodgepodge Street, a popular shop with a wide selection of merchandise. It also seemed to have a lot of employees.
Praying that Oz would be in the shop, he peeked through the door, quietly, so as not to be noticed.
…………There he is!
Oz was unexpectedly close. He was standing just inside the shop, with his back turned toward the door, and Alice was a short distance away from him. Beyond Oz were two young men who seemed to be employees.
Oz hadn’t noticed him yet, but there was no telling when he might turn around. Gilbert hastily pulled his head back out. He held his breath.
Faintly, from inside the shop, he could hear voices in conversation.
It was all quite simple.
“………Ah. The guy they call ‘the Prince’ or whatever it is.”
Oz had brought up the Prince at the secondhand clothing store, too, and the young employee had responded in a bored voice.
Oz’s shoulders twitched. He’d sensed the barbs in the man’s words.
Oh, he thought. That might’ve been a mistake.
The young employee, who seemed like a frivolous type, continued without noticing Oz’s slight reaction:
“Yeah, y’know, I haven’t seen him around lately. Not that that’s bad news.”
“You said it.”
Another employee who’d been straightening merchandise nearby joined the conversation.
“He takes too much time to decide what he wants. He’s a pain.”
“That he is. I don’t get why people make such a fuss over that guy.”
“Same here. Looking at that gloomy mug of his ticks me off.”
“And all the women squealing about him… Are they stupid or what? What’s so great about him anyway?”
The two employees were enthusiastically badmouthing Gilbert and neglecting Oz. Although he didn’t let it show in his expression, Oz felt annoyance building inside him.
He wanted to complain, but it was partly his fault for bringing up the subject without giving it much thought, so he choked it down.
Old Town and Hodgepodge Street held a Gilbert he didn’t know. Learning about him was fun, and Oz had brought him up everywhere he’d gone. Between leaving the greengrocer’s and finding this used clothing stor
e, Oz had asked about “the Prince”—Gilbert—at several shops.
Every one of them had spoken favorably of him. The people on this street liked Gilbert so much, it made him a little jealous.
Yes, it was quite simple:
Since that was the case, it wasn’t odd that there were also people who harbored ill feelings about it.
Ah… I should’ve known better…
Secretly, Oz was sorry he’d asked. He decided it would be better to hurry and find out whether they had any black leather gloves for sale, then leave the shop.
The place was crowded with clothes, and Alice, who’d come in with him, was wandering through the shop, looking around curiously.
The two employees were continuing their conversation, peppering it with unpleasant smiles. Put simply, these two were jealous of Gilbert’s popularity with women. Oz didn’t want to talk to them, and he looked around the shop, searching for another staff member to ask.
“When the tavern girls collared that guy and forced him to drink, one watered-down round was enough to wipe him out. That’s just sad. How lame can you get?!”
The words hadn’t been directed at Oz and Alice, but the voice was so loud they couldn’t help but hear.
…Ignore it. Just ignore it, Oz told himself, silently. For now, he started walking, beginning to move away from the pair.
The employees’ voices grew a bit louder.
“Oh, and by the way, I heard something funny. Next time they see that jerk in the tavern, some guys are planning to make him drink himself senseless, then take him someplace private. Somebody’s gotta teach him a lesson. Show him if he gets too full of himself, he’s gonna get hurt!”
The two employees burst into coarse laughter.
.
Oz stopped. He turned around. He walked up to the two, his footsteps sharp, and stood in front of them.
He looked straight at them. His gaze was quiet—Or rather, ice cold.
At the pressure in that gaze, even though he hadn’t actually glared at them, the employees flinched back.
However, they soon broke into dry smiles—“…Yeah? What?”—and acted as if they were ready to fight.
Oz took one small, deep breath.
“Listen. It’s true that he can’t hold his liquor, and he’s tried and failed to quit smoking lots and lots of times, and he cries pretty easily, but he’s important to me. You can talk about him behind his back all you want, but if you do anything weird to Gil—”
His tone was calm and very polite. However, it held a blade of clear, serious anger.
“I’ll never forgive you.”
Oz was a head shorter than both of them, but at his words, the employees muttered in mingled bewilderment and fear. Oz stared at them steadily for a little while. Pinned down by his force, the employees took a step back and spoke, sounding flustered:
“Wh-what gives, all of a sudden? …What are you to that guy…?”
“Me? I’m—”
Oz thought about what answer he should give, and immediately hit on the perfect word.
Putting his hands on his hips, he puffed out his chest and declared with dignity:
“I’m—his guardian!”
Oz looked satisfied.
Maybe they hadn’t expected the word: The two employees were dumbfounded.
Watching the two of them out of the corner of his eye, Oz raised his voice, calling for Alice. She came trotting out of the depths of the shop.
“What?” she asked.
“Let’s go, Alice,” Oz told her, simply.
“…Nn? Are you sure? Don’t you need to look for that thing?”
“I don’t feel like buying anything from this place anymore,” Oz said, flatly.
Oz took the lead, leaving the secondhand clothing shop a step ahead of Alice. True, as a used clothing shop, it was the place that was most likely to sell leather gloves. However, he was sure they’d find them for sale somewhere else if they looked.
Oz and Alice left the shop.
Then, just outside, they came face-to-face with someone unexpected.
“—Why, hello there, Oz-kun and Alice-kun. Fancy meeting you here.”
Oz blinked a few times. Beside him, Alice pointed: “You’re—!” The someone wore a cloak and was leaning on a swordstick; he raised the stick in a light salute, smiling brightly. “Good afternoon. ”
Oz called his name:
“Huh…? Break?”
It was true. Standing right there…
Was someone who brought the question “Why here?” to mind: Xerxes Break, in person.
Although it was ordinary for him to appear in unexpected places, Oz couldn’t imagine why he’d be on this street.
“Why are you here, Break?”
At Oz’s question, with a significant look, Break began to speak: “Well, you see…” However, before he could continue, Alice spoke up cheerfully:
“I bet you’re here for the snacks, too, you old clown. This really is a magnificent place!”
“…He isn’t you, Alice.”
Oz looked mildly appalled. Then:
“Oooh, it’s Zeke-sama!”
Someone called out from behind Oz. It was a young woman’s voice. When Oz turned around, several women in gaudy clothes were standing there. Zeke? Oz cocked his head, puzzled.
The women waved at Break and ran up to him. As they passed Oz, the floral fragrance of perfume drifted behind them. When Oz turned back, the women had surrounded Break and were talking to him in an overly familiar manner.
Break was greeting them amiably: “It’s been a long time.”
“It truly has, Zeke-sama! Honestly, you never come by the shop.”
“Ha-ha-ha, my apologies.”
“Mama’s lonely, too. You will stop by today, won’t you? We’ll give you all sorts of extras.”
“Well, well. Hmm, what should I do?”
“The shop opens in the evening. Do come.”
At that, the women moved away from Break and left, waving and winking at Oz as well.
Gradually, Oz understood. The women probably worked at a tavern somewhere on this street. In other words, Break was one of its regular customers. In that case, Break had come to the street today in order to put in an appearance at the tavern—
Sensing that Oz seemed to want to say something, Break spoke, smiling:
“You will keep this a secret from my lady, won’t you?”
“…So it’s something you can’t tell Sharon-chan about. Not only that, but ‘Zeke’… You go there under an assumed name? How about that…”
As he spoke, Oz’s eyes were reproving. When he continued, his voice was even more ironic and slightly scornful:
“‘We’ll give you extras,’ huh? I see.”
Alice, who was standing beside Oz and Break, listening to their exchange, grumbled: “Hrrrnnn?” Apparently she didn’t quite understand what they were talking about. Although he would have been hard-pressed to explain, Break didn’t seem at all abashed.
“I suppose you could call it a mature pleasure. Ah, you children are a bit young for that. You mustn’t, Oz-kun.”
Oz grew mildly irritated at finding himself treated like a child. With a taunting expression, he said:
“Listen to you. Ahh, you know, maybe I will tell Sharon-chan.”
“My, my. That would be a problem.”
Although he said it would be a problem, as Break spoke, his gestures indicated that it wouldn’t really be anything of the sort.
Then, his expression grew a bit thoughtful. In the tone of one speaking in riddles, he asked Oz a question:
“Do you know where ‘information’ tends to collect, here in Reveil?”
“…Information? What sort?”
Oz hadn’t expected the question, and all he could do was answer with one of his own. Break lowered his voice a bit, so that it would blend in with the noise from the crowd.
“For example, in a corner of this street, there’s a tavern. Its proprietress is so influential
that there’s no one in underworld society who does not know her. Her intelligence network reaches into every corner of aristocratic society, and it’s said no information fails to find its way to her.”
“……Huh?”
“The ladies who work at her tavern have secured the favor of many nobles, as her pawns. ‘We’ll give you extras’ is a code phrase…meaning that new information has come in.”
“”
Oz couldn’t find a response. He swallowed involuntarily.
“…Wouldn’t it be marvelous if that were true?”
Break smiled significantly, mischievously, as he twirled his swordstick.
Oz glared at Break, thinking he’d been teased again. However, Break’s tone and expression were vague, and it was impossible to tell whether it had really been just a joke, or whether he’d disguised the truth as a jest. As he realized he couldn’t match Break in this sort of battle, Oz’s shoulders sagged.
“…Never mind. I’ll pretend I didn’t see you, Break.”
“That would be quite helpful.”
“All right. I’ll be going, then.”
Oz waved to Break, turned his back on him, and walked off with Alice.
As Oz’s form grew smaller with distance, Break murmured quietly.
Turning to look at a narrow alley beside the secondhand clothing store, he said:
“…Now, then. I think I’ll go loan him a handkerchief.”
6
In the alley Break had turned toward…
He got angry for my sake. Oz did. My master…got angry…for me…
As a valet, how could he not be delighted about that?
Gilbert leaned against the alley wall, basking in the emotion. Oz’s voice rose again in his mind:
“If you do anything weird to Gil—”
His voice had held real anger.
When he’d heard Oz’s words in front of the secondhand clothing store, for a moment, he’d very nearly forgotten himself and run to him.
However, seeing Oz and Alice preparing to leave the store had brought him back to his senses, and he’d hastily dived into a nearby alley.
They probably hadn’t noticed him.
“If you do anything weird to Gil… I’ll never forgive you.”
Oz’s voice played over and over in his mind, like a refrain.
PandoraHearts ~Caucus Race~, Vol. 3 Page 7