TTRIA 10

“Mr. Lowell?”

Suddenly, he felt a hand pulling at the hem of his clothes. Jeff, whose gaze had been wandering aimlessly, turned his head. Milla, holding an answer sheet in her hand, was looking at him with a puzzled expression.

“Ah… I am sorry, Milla. Are you finished?”

“Yes.”

“Good job. Milla, you may go read in the back until the other children are finished.”

“Yes, sir.”

As Milla smiled faintly and headed for the sofa, Daniel’s eyes grew sullen. The boy was often jealous of the girl’s excellence, but that attitude, which wavered between a desire for improvement and a competitive spirit, also served as a foundation for development, helping the boy to grow. Daniel focused on the test with eyes burning fiercely. Not long after, the boy submitted his answer sheet. Benjamin also completed his test soon after.

“Hey, Milla. What are you reading? Let me see too!”

“Don’t bother me and go play over there.”

Once free from the competitive situation, Daniel started teasing Milla as if he had never been jealous. As always, the girl showed a hint of annoyance. Benjamin, who had been watching them restlessly, finally led Daniel away to a different spot. It was his own way of trying to fulfill his role as the eldest.

In this way, the three children were different in every way. The only things the children, all of whom had different ages, genders, appearances, dispositions, and personalities, had in common were that they were talented individuals sponsored by Gray. And that they shared the same body odor.

Jeff’s questions begin there.

‘Children.’

Did the children have the same body odor even before they came to the Gray estate? Or did this place change them?

“Tomorrow is already the day of the full moon event, are all of you returning home?”

“Yes, we are going down to our homes!”

Daniel was the first to answer energetically. Jeff shifted his gaze.

“Milla and Benjamin too?”

“Yes, all of us are returning home.”

“I see. That is great. You get to see your families after a long time.”

As he spoke with a smile, Benjamin, who had been watching him with gentle eyes, opened his mouth.

“Si, sir, are you going, going out? O, or are you sta, staying at the estate?”

“I think I will just stay at the estate tomorrow.”

Jeff answered calmly. Benjamin’s eyes sparkled for a moment.

“Ah, th, then I will too…!”

“Benjamin.”

“Benjamin.”

Two voices called out to Benjamin at the same time. Flinching, Benjamin timidly avoided their gazes and shut his mouth. He looked like a child who had shrunk back after making a big mistake, which was a rather strange sight from Jeff’s perspective. No matter how timid and weak his disposition was, it was strange to see him being so mindful of his younger siblings who did not even reach his chest.

The reverse was also true. Why did the two younger children stop Benjamin from speaking? How on earth was he supposed to interpret that attitude, which seemed to suppress his words?

“…….”

Jeff silently stared at the children. He paid attention to the fleeting expressions that crossed their flawlessly innocent faces. It was in order to gauge the emotions and inner thoughts hidden beneath the surface. He could not exclude young children from his list of suspects. Rather, since he spent the most time with them, he had to investigate them thoroughly. And so, he finally sensed it.

The sense of incongruity hidden within the children.

“Sir, please show me your wound. I want to see it!”

Daniel, who had approached him at some point, said with shining eyes. Milla and Benjamin, who were reading in the back, sent a furtive glance his way. Though their heads were turned towards their books, he could feel that all their attention was focused over here. As if they were waiting for the answer that would come back.

“Why the wound?”

Jeff replied with his eyes fixed on the answer sheets. The printed letters did not register in his eyes, but he deliberately moved his gaze without purpose.

“Why do you ask? Because I am curious if you have fully healed!”

“It is all healed, so you do not have to worry, Daniel.”

Jeff replied, smiling lightly.

“It was just a slight scratch. You saw it, so you know, right?”

The wound Daniel was talking about was one of the things that had resulted from the commotion in the early morning, but it was not one he had gotten from the dog named Ego. It was simply a scratch from a dry branch while he was rummaging through the forest, but because it happened to be on the back of his hand, it caught the children’s eyes.

At that time, the children’s reaction upon discovering the wound was indescribably bizarre. Their pupils dilated as if a hungry nocturnal beast had found its prey, and their gazes remained fixed…. It was a rather creepy expression to be seen on the faces of innocent children. That was the origin of the sense of incongruity Jeff felt from the children.

Three pairs of eyes staring blankly, their small mouths agape. The way they flared their nostrils as if trying to smell something from the crevices of the healing wound.

The three children, who always met Jeff’s gaze with sparkling eyes, had at some point started staring only at the back of his hand with peculiar expressions. And now, just like this, they checked the wound every day. They packaged it as if they were worried about the wound, but in reality, they seemed disappointed that the wound was healing.

“Did it bleed at first?”

“Just enough to well up slightly.”

“It did not flow?”

Jeff took a short breath.

“That is right. Not at all.”

It really was a shallow wound. As he added that, Daniel nodded his head.

“I see. Do not get hurt like that from now on!”

“Alright, I will not get hurt. Thank you for your concern, Daniel.”

Behind Daniel, who smiled brightly, crinkling his freckled nose, came the sound of a page being turned with a flap. It was a sound that had been stopped for a long time.

Knock knock—

“Come in.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Lowell.”

The servant bowed his upper body lightly. In his hand, which was covered by a white cotton glove, was a box of a familiar size. The box of incense that had not been delivered for a while. Did the fact that the box was being delivered again mean that the investigation into the incense was finished?

“What is that?”

“It was sent by the head of the house, who made it himself.”

“The head of the house himself, you say?”

“Yes. That is correct. He said it was a token of his apology for the inconvenience caused by the previous incense. He added that since you are currently having trouble sleeping, he is gifting you an incense blended with more stable ingredients to help with the quality of your sleep. If you do not like it, please let me know. I will pass the message along to the head of the house.”

“…A new incense, I see.”

Jeff, who had been gazing blankly at the box placed on the desk, asked.

“You previously told me that you would proceed with an investigation into the old incense, did he have anything else to say about that?”

“Of course, he explained. As promised, the investigation is ongoing, but he said it will take some time as he also has to manage the affairs of <Vivreux>. He asked for your understanding on that matter.”

It was disappointing, but he could fully understand.

“I see. I understand. Thank you for letting me know.”

“Not at all. Then, I hope you have a peaceful night.”

After the servant left, Jeff, carefully taking off his glasses, caressed the lid of the box. He had thought it was the same box as before, but upon closer inspection, the texture and color of the surface were subtly different. A beautiful piece of craftsmanship would have been more fitting inside the box, which was covered in a luxurious material, than an ivory-colored cloth.

“Is this also a part of the change Wayne Gray mentioned?”

What did the appearance of a new incense signify? A part of a test? Or simple goodwill?

Discerning a formless test consumed more mental energy than expected. It was because he had to capture every stimulus of daily life with sharp senses and interpret it by tearing it apart piece by piece. Since he did not know what the problem was or what the answer was, he was just hopelessly frustrated. It was to the point where he had developed a headache in the last few days, likely due to stress.

What should he do? Jeff contemplated how he should accept the box before him. Putting aside the intentions of Wayne Gray who sent this, there were two options immediately before him. To open the box, or not to open it. That was all.

Maintaining the status quo by not opening it, and reaching a conclusion by opening it. In truth, in the current situation where everything was ambiguous, choosing the latter would be better. Jeff immediately opened the box. What was inside was not an ivory-colored handkerchief. It was a small glass bottle, about the size of his little finger.

“A perfume bottle?”

An incredibly beautiful glass bottle, its surface exquisitely crafted with vines and flowers. The tea-colored liquid inside it.

“This is….”

Even without opening the stopper, a faint scent drifted out. Among the components of the scent that tickled the tip of his nose, there was something familiar. The scent that emanated from his uncle and Hugo, from the dead young man and the children, and from Ego. What Jeff had been searching for. It was that very ingredient which was the identity of <Vivreux>. But this was the most beautiful among all the scents he had ever smelled. It was a cliché, but there was no other way to describe it.

“Is this the real <Vivreux> that Wayne Gray makes….”

It was surely a molecule of the same ingredient, yet for it to present such a splendid sensation. The scent made him understand at once why people were so enthusiastic about <Vivreux> perfumes. Why all the servants in the estate respected Wayne Gray.

This recognition gave rise to a strange desire. I want to open the fragrance right now and inhale it. I want to possess and enjoy the scent completely. A strong craving surged, like an addict drawn to a drug.

It felt as if the glass bottle, merely the size of his little finger, was whispering to him. To open the bottle now. To open the stopper and entrust his body to the cradle created by the scent.

But reason, which had been hidden by the clamor of desire, spoke. It said this was an opportunity. An opportunity to fully possess and dissect the ingredient of the scent he had been so curious about.

At the same time, a question also reared its head. What was the reason for sending an incense that so openly contained the ingredient? A kind of confidence? An arrogant yet attractive confidence that no matter how much technology one wielded, no one but Wayne Gray could figure out the scent.

“…….”

Jeff stared blankly at the perfume. As expected, he could not let himself be blinded by desire and waste the clue to the scent so futilely. He would preserve it as it was, so that it would not be damaged or evaporate in the slightest. Intact, until the day he leaves the estate.

Drreuk, Jeff pulled a leather notebook from a drawer and pushed the perfume bottle into a pocket. His gaze naturally moved to the inner pages. As his eyes followed the traces of numerous scraps, Jeff caressed the protruding corner of a small note.

“…The full moon.”

Jeff took in the shape of the moon reflected through the balcony’s glass window. Tomorrow was the long-awaited full moon. The day he could determine the truth of the absurd story was finally just around the corner. If the shape of that moon forms a perfect circle as the young man said, would he be able to know its true nature? Would it be revealed through a shadow? Just like that day….

As a fact that had been hidden in a distant memory surfaced, his heart began to pound. That is right, why had he not thought of that until now? Perhaps that day was also a full moon. The form revealed through the flickering shadow might have been its other side, revealed by the full moon.

His mother’s death anniversary is September 13th.

He did not remember the exact date the accident occurred, but he was certain it was before the 13th. He had not been able to be there for his mother’s passing because he had not regained consciousness, but he had heard that she had held on for several days. Even with burns all over her body, his mother had not given up on life easily, he was told. It was to say a final goodbye to him.

“As soon as day breaks, I should call the orphanage. If I get information on the admission date and the detective who handled the case, and find out the date….”

If he could just find out if the day of the accident was a full moon, then one of the clues about ‘it’ would be certain. If even one piece could be fitted, he would be able to uncover ‘it’. Feeling a faint thrill, Jeff pulled up the corners of his mouth. His sharp eyes turned to the paperweight that occupied a corner of the desk.

“You too, as I thought….”

You knew about ‘it’.

That must be why you gifted me that paperweight along with the note. But he would have to wait and see whether it was a ‘favor’ from a ‘comrade’ who had experienced the same thing as him, or a ‘warning’ sent as a being like ‘it’. Regardless of the intention, for now, he was just grateful to the young man for leaving a clue.

In that case, what Jeff needed to confirm now was the exact date of the accident that happened in the past. And the shadows of those who possessed ‘the scent’.

“Excluding the children who will be returning home….”

The targets whose shadows needed to be checked within this estate are narrowed down to the head of the house, Wayne Gray, and Ego. Unlike with the child in the early morning, he could not smell that scent from Wayne when he met him directly, but as he handles the raw material of ‘the scent’, the fact that he is a key figure does not change.

However, it is not an easy thing for a mere tutor to meet the head of the house late in the evening when the full moon is out. Besides, since their first official meeting, he had not once run into Wayne within the estate. He was an artist before he was the head of the house. He would hole himself up in a hidden workshop within the estate and immerse himself in his work, not showing his face easily. Therefore, a valid reason was needed to meet him, but unfortunately, he had no plausible excuse right now.

Then the only one left is Ego, who guards the annex, but it is uncertain whether he could even check the shadow safely. His head ached as he recalled the swiftness of the dog that had rushed at him in an instant, aiming for his nape. He could endure getting his forearm bitten, as long as it missed a vital spot, but would it really end at just that? The creature was only threatening an intruder as it had been trained, and he could not harm a precious life just to protect his own body.

Furthermore, this time he would have to pay the price for causing a commotion. There would be a limit to them turning a blind eye to the sleepwalking excuse.

Even so, he did not consider the option of not visiting the annex. If he was lucky, he might run into Wayne. He had a history of staying in the annex, using external schedules as an excuse.

Moreover, even if he waited until the next full moon, the children would return to their homes, so the number of options would not change. It might be a safer and wiser method to take time and make a plan, but Jeff lacked patience. Did not recklessness sometimes help in gaining momentum?

“…….”

Jeff took out the perfume he had kept in the notebook pocket. If he wears this perfume and faces Ego tomorrow, might he be able to suppress its wariness, even just a little? This was made by its master, Wayne, himself, and it was the same type as the fragment of scent that Ego itself exuded. He had intended not to use it unless absolutely necessary, but for now, this was the only way.

Let us give up the hope of being able to face Wayne. Tomorrow, he must simply confirm the shadow through Ego. If he can gain a modicum of certainty through this, then he would have to meticulously plan for the next full moon. A plan to check the shadows of the children or Wayne.

“…Mother.”

Jeff closed his eyes, hugging the old glasses and notebook his mother had left him in one arm.

“I will find it for certain.”

I will definitely find ‘it’ and prove that the blood on your hands was not a meaningless murder, but a rightful judgment.

“I finally have a premonition.”

A premonition that he could obtain the clue to the case he had been searching for so desperately, right here.

A premonition that everything was not a coincidence, but fate.

The rain that had started to fall in the early morning grew stronger in the afternoon. The weather in Colley, which had been constantly erratic, had changed drastically overnight. Jeff, who had become accustomed to the blessed weather of the past days, found the darkened sky to be particularly novel. Judging by the state of the sky, it seemed it would not be easy to see the shape of the full moon. Unless the weather cleared, he would not be able to check the shadows.

The talented children left the estate early in the morning as scheduled. The thought that their destination was the village belatedly reminded him of the missing child. He had intended to call the old man while contacting the orphanage, but the missing child flyer was nowhere to be seen. It seemed he had dropped it on the day he had fought with Ego. Jeff lamented the fact that he had so easily forgotten about the child.

If I had known it would be like this, I should have tried to contact him sooner instead of just worrying. I should have gone to the village on Sunday when I had no classes. The result of only harboring questions internally and inwardly turning away was this very situation. The desire to not take responsibility for the outcome also contributed to the current state of affairs.

“Why is no one answering….”

Of all times, he could not get through to the orphanage either. In a situation where the discomfort about the child’s existence was soaring, the only action Jeff could take was to head to the village. As expected, finding the old man was not easy. Most of the shops were closed due to the heavy rain, and he asked about the old man’s whereabouts at the few shops that were open, but there was no significant gain.

In the end, is there no choice but to bring it up directly with Wayne? Why the vagrant child was here. Where that child is and what he is doing now.

The most important thing was to make it seem like a question a servant from out of town might have, without touching on Wayne’s past secrets. Everything had to appear as a coincidence, with no intention felt. To do that, he had to create an experience of encountering the child when he was alone.

It would be better to justify unexpected actions in the form of a walk during the day, and in the form of sleepwalking at night. Rather than excessively designing a coincidence, it would be safer to feign a coincidence by utilizing existing means.

However, if he could not confirm the child’s appearance by the upcoming holiday, and if he could not meet the old man in the village, he would no longer pay it any mind. In the first place, Jeff was not a person with a vessel large enough to care about other people’s affairs. Above all, checking the shadows was the priority right now.

Knock knock—

It was when he had returned to his room after spending the whole afternoon in the library. The servant he always saw came with a box.

“Is this from the head of the house?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Did he not have anything else to say today?”

“No, there was nothing else.”

“I see. Thank you, as always.”

As he accepted the box with a gentle smile, the servant gave a light bow.

“You are welcome. Then please have a comfortable time.”

Jeff gazed at the back of the servant who was leaving the room with a flawless, perfect gait. The flamboyant patterned carpet that filled the floor made it difficult to see the shadow. Instead, when he got close to the door while holding the handle, a clear shape was revealed. As expected, it was an ordinary shadow. Because he was a being who did not possess ‘that scent’.

Jeff, who had been rummaging through books at random in the library and digging into the young man’s note, had come to one conclusion. That perhaps it was not the shadow revealed by the full ‘moon’ that was important.

「On the night the full moon rises, the shadow will be revealed, so let the one who has questions chase the shadow. The true form will be revealed.」

Instead of focusing on the shadow cast by the ‘moonlight’ of the full moon, he should pay attention to the shadow that would be revealed at the ‘time’ the moon has risen. No matter how hidden by clouds, the moon still exists. If he artificially shines a light at the time the full moon reaches its perfect form to check the shadow, might he not find out? Thinking back, the shadow of that day was also cast not by moonlight, but by ‘flames’.

Jeff solidified his conviction by finding a book related to the phases of the moon in the Gray family’s library. Although the date of the accident was not yet certain, he had found out that it was before the 13th as a result of provisionally calculating the full moon at the time of the accident.

The full moon of September that year was on the 10th.

Jeff took a flashlight out of the drawer. He had paid extra to get it from a shop he had stopped by while looking for the old man. The light was not very strong, but it was enough to check a shadow.

Shifting his gaze, Jeff checked the box. Inside was a perfume bottle of the same shape as yesterday’s, but the contents were different. It was certain that it contained a fragment of the familiar scent, but he did not feel the same intense shock as yesterday. It was an ironic thing. Now, something of this level did not feel so special anymore.

“If he plans to send one every day, there is no need to spare the perfume, but….”

Since the intention is suspicious, he cannot shake the unsettling feeling. The only fortunate thing is that, unlike the one the butler had chosen and sent, he did not fall into a faint-like sleep after smelling the perfume sent by Wayne. As expected, it seemed that only the perfume chosen by the butler induced the sleepwalking symptoms.

“…….”

The raindrops falling against the balcony’s glass window were still just as fierce. When it rains, he tends to feel his body become heavy for some reason. That would be the same for the servant who tirelessly guards the door. He is monitoring for sleepwalking according to the head of the house’s orders, but since it has been quiet all this time, would he not start to let his guard down?

Jeff, who had been waiting for the right time, finally rose to his feet after midnight. He took off his glasses, which might get broken, and took and hid today’s portion of perfume and the flashlight. And he carefully opened the door. Sure enough, a soundly sleeping servant was visible in a corner of the hallway. Judging by the fact that he was even snoring, it seemed he would not wake up easily.

He did not encounter anyone as he left the estate. This huge estate became excessively quiet and lax in its security at night. That point always struck him as strange, but he had no time to worry about every little thing.

When Jeff went outside, the rain had thankfully stopped. As he crossed the forest, shining the flashlight, he looked around his surroundings. There was no sign of anyone following him. Then he discovered the remnants of the missing child flyer he had not expected to find, but unfortunately, he could not make out the contents.

It would have been better if I had come to look for it just one day sooner. It was at that moment when he was lingeringly holding the pulp-like paper. The faint light of the flashlight died out.