Nearly a week later, West District, Beklund.
If there was one district in Beklund known for having the strictest order, it was the West District and the Queen's District to the northwest — the former home of the nobility, the latter a concentration of the city's wealthiest merchants. The wealthier residents tended toward the West District.
Naturally, the industries that catered specifically to the upper class and wealthy clientele clustered there as well.
Zoe Freya was one of them. Twenty-six years old, with golden hair and blue eyes and a pleasantly pretty face, she had grown up watching her mother at work and was now a skilled makeup artist in her own right, primarily serving women of moderate-to-upper-middle-class households.
But though it was still well before noon, Freya had finished tidying up the shop early and was getting ready to lock up, an expression of worry on her face.
"Excuse me — closing already, ma'am?"
Freya had just locked the door when a clear, bright female voice sounded behind her. She'd heard someone pass a moment earlier, so she wasn't startled — she turned around ready to explain, and found herself taken aback by the speaker's height.
Even in a poor mood, and accustomed to seeing many beautiful women, Freya couldn't help a flicker of genuine admiration.
Lustrous, well-behaved hair. Features nearly without flaw. Smooth, clear skin. Any one of them was something women envied.
The makeup's a bit unfortunate, though… Under other circumstances, Freya would have immediately launched into a professional consultation about technique. But with her current state of mind, she only explained:
"Sorry — my cat has gone missing. I was just about to go look. If you're not in a hurry, you're welcome to come back this afternoon."
"That's terrible news, ma'am. Let me introduce myself — I'm Ais Fal, a private detective. I'd be very happy to help. What do you think?"
Ais removed her deerstalker cap, revealing the short hair she'd just had cut a few days ago, held the cap to her chest, and gave a slight bow.
"A detective?" Freya couldn't help blurting it out.
She'd already suspected something along those lines, given the practical but decidedly plain outfit — but the quality of Ais's skin had kept her from going there.
Realizing she'd been impolite, Freya quickly covered her mouth and rushed to explain:
"I'm sorry, Ms. Fal. I didn't mean to question your credibility — it's just that your skin is extraordinarily well-maintained. I couldn't help being a little surprised."
You're not surprised by just the skin, are you… Ais replaced the cap and pretended not to notice Freya's continued sideways glance at her chest:
"No worries. Either way, having an extra person helping with a search always makes a difference, doesn't it? I haven't had any cases lately, which is honestly why I came to the West District for a wander."
A second surprise was enough to bring Freya back to herself. Looking at this woman of roughly similar age, she didn't hesitate long before nodding gratefully:
"Then I'll say thank you in advance, Detective Fal. I'm Zoe Freya — how much should I pay you?"
Ais shook her head:
"Not at all, Ms. Freya. For something that relies on the Evernight Goddess's blessing, we can talk about payment if there are results. I can't make you any promises."
Though the phrasing puzzled Freya slightly, she was too anxious to dwell on it:
"Then please allow me to thank you properly afterward, Detective Fal. My Hammond has golden eyes, blue short fur, and he's quite chubby. I tied a bell around his neck, so he should be easy to spot. But I haven't seen him for three days — he never used to do this…"
Freya's voice began to waver, but Ais wasn't fully listening.
Because the previous afternoon, she had already spotted this woman as someone who fit what she was looking for. With the intention of building a friendly rapport, she'd slipped into the shop that evening and, using cat fur she'd found as a divination medium, attempted to locate Hammond.
What she hadn't expected was to track him to over a kilometer away — and then discover that the normally sociable cat, apparently in a state of deep fright, refused to let Ais anywhere near him.
As events had demonstrated, neither a Witch's natural charm nor the Instigator's Captivation worked on cats. Not wanting to distress him further, Ais had settled on bringing his owner there today and hoping that would calm Hammond down.
Looking at Freya, who was on the verge of tears, Ais stepped over and gently patted her shoulder:
"Try not to get too discouraged, Freya. Not finding him anywhere isn't good news, but it's not the worst news either. Maybe under the Goddess's protection, Hammond will turn up right in front of us."
She watched Freya nodding, sniffling, then added:
"By the way, Freya — could Hammond have wandered very far?"
Freya shook her head:
"He hardly ever goes outside to begin with. He wouldn't go too far."
Ais nodded:
"Then let's start by splitting up and checking farther out — areas you haven't covered yet?"
After Freya gave her a rough area to focus on, the two set off separately.
Half an hour later, "Ais," returning from her assigned area with appropriately deflated posture, looked at the discouraged Freya and said with careful hesitation:
"Freya… actually, on my way over here, about a kilometer away, I spotted a blue short-haired cat that was a bit dirty but didn't look as lean as a stray. No bell on its neck, though. Since we haven't found any trace of Hammond around here, we might as well check — I'd think the odds of someone else having a cat of the same color and breed missing at the same time are fairly low."
Freya's head had dropped at the mention of no bell — but the last sentence gave her just enough hope to make up her mind:
"You're right… Let's go look. Maybe your coming here today is the Goddess's guidance."
"Then let's go."
Ais nodded and led Freya by carriage to the location where she had found Hammond the previous evening.
After getting out and getting their bearings, the two set to searching.
Why does being a detective always involve finding cats — and this one I brought on myself… Ais muttered inwardly as she quietly produced the cat fur, intending to wrap this up quickly.
Meow~
To her surprise, she had barely finished three repetitions of the divination phrase when a cat's cry sounded nearby.
She turned — and there was Hammond, who had been hissing at her all last night, now calling out as he ran straight toward Freya.
"Hammond! Thank the Goddess, it really is you!"
Freya, who had been calling the cat's name, spun around at the sound. She hadn't dared hope too much — and promptly burst into tears, scooping up a fairly dirty Hammond without a second thought about the mess, and holding him close while she soothed the visibly distressed, meowing cat.
Ais watched from nearby. When both cat and owner had calmed down, she patted Freya on the shoulder and held out a tissue.
Freya didn't take it. She put Hammond down and immediately threw her arms around Ais instead, pressing her face to Ais's cheek repeatedly while saying thank you over and over.
Ma'am, I suspect you're taking advantage of me… The hug kept tightening. Ais, resigned, patted her on the back — and quietly released a little of the ice holding things in place at her chest, to avoid any awkward contact with the enthusiastic Freya.
"I'm so sorry, truly — I was just a bit overwhelmed in the moment."
Now I understand why you like rubbing your face on people… About ten minutes later, back in the carriage, Ais watched Freya apologize for her behavior while simultaneously nuzzling Hammond — who was now renamed Harold in Ais's head — and shook her head with a helpless smile:
"It's fine. I completely understand that kind of overwhelming relief."
Author's Note (this chapter):The hug kept tightening. Ais, resigned, patted her on the back — and quietly released a little of the ice holding things in place at her chest, to avoid any awkward contact with the enthusiastic Freya.
寒枫落雪Shoulder sore, is it.