"What happened?"
Standing in the doorway, Shirou asked Reines what was going on.
The room before him could only be described as a complete mess.
The luxurious guest room should have been so immaculate that even the most fastidious guest could find nothing to complain about. Now, clothes and various belongings were scattered everywhere.
In one corner of the room, a silver-haired girl sat hugging her knees.
She was Olga Marie Animusphere, the daughter of the Lord of the Department of Astromancy.
Shirou had met her once the previous night and again that morning. She had struck him as a haughty, short-tempered young noblewoman with an exceptionally strong sense of pride.
Yet now, that same Olga Marie was sitting on the floor with her face buried dejectedly between her knees, sobbing so quietly that she was barely audible.
What on earth had happened?
Instead of answering Shirou directly, Reines asked, "What do you think happened here?"
How should I know? You're the one who called me over!
Shirou did not say it aloud, but his expression made his thoughts perfectly clear.
"Now, now. Let's treat it as a detective game and take a guess. What happened to Olga Marie-sama?"
"A detective game?"
Was this really the time for that?
Shirou frowned in displeasure and muttered, "Was she looking for something?"
"Correct."
Reines clapped her hands in delight.
"I'm impressed you managed to think of that. Normally, no one would come to that conclusion, would they? Seeing a room in this state and knowing Olga Marie-sama's personality, most people would assume she was sulking or throwing a tantrum."
"No, I don't think she's the type to take her anger out on the things around her."
"I see. What remarkable powers of observation… No wonder Brother Kayneth and Third-Rank Lecturer Waver Velvet spoke of you that way…"
The blonde girl looked up at Shirou. Her eyes shifted from their original deep blue to a vivid, fiery hue.
"Shirou-sama, forgive my impertinence, but you seem exceptionally skilled at perceiving the deepest parts of another person's mind. It was the same with Rufleus-sama… Is that the power of the Gram Sight? No, in Eastern terms, would it be a supernatural ability known as the Pure Eyes?"
Shirou neither confirmed nor denied it.
Aesc the Savior had called the eyes he possessed the Mystic Eyes of the End.
According to her, Shirou Amamiya's eyes could trace anything back to its roots, reaching all the way to the "end" of cause and effect. In other words, the "origin" of all things.
However, even Shirou himself had yet to fully understand their practical applications.
He could see through a person's true nature, malice, and even their obsessions.
For example, during the Fourth Holy Grail War, Shirou had believed that he was meeting Lady Avalon for the first time, yet he had still sensed that she harbored special feelings for him.
In that respect, his eyes did bear some resemblance to the Gram Sight, which could "shift focus" and "switch worlds."
"Hmph~"
Reines rested her chin on her hand, wearing a thoughtful expression.
"Well then, let's go inside. It's time to question the victim and gather evidence."
With that, the girl grabbed Shirou by the wrist.
Shirou rolled his eyes. Seriously? How long was she planning to keep this detective game going?
...
"Why are you here…?"
Olga Marie looked up. The moment she recognized Shirou, her gaze turned cold.
Her eyes were slightly red and swollen, but her beauty had not diminished. If anything, her somewhat gaunt cheeks gave her an indescribable charm.
Some girls were said to appear even more endearing when caught in tragic and unfortunate circumstances. Olga Marie might well have been one of them.
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
Reines pushed Shirou in front of Olga Marie, leaving him no choice but to steel himself and ask.
Olga Marie froze for a moment before replying, "This has nothing to do with you, does it?"
"Hmm, you're right. In that case, I'll be going."
Shirou nodded and turned to leave while Reines stared at him in speechless disbelief.
"............It's gone."
A low voice came from behind him. Shirou stopped at the doorway.
Still hugging her knees, Olga Marie spoke in a halting voice.
"The amulet I always carried with me… Trisha's memento… I lost it…"
Shirou returned to the room and crouched beside her.
"I understand. You lost a memento from someone important to you, right?"
The silver-haired girl nodded faintly.
"When I returned to my room after breakfast, I realized it was gone, so I searched for a long time… I looked everywhere, both here and in the dining car, but I couldn't find it…"
Shirou asked, "When was the last time you saw it?"
"I hadn't seen it since last night," Olga Marie replied.
So that was why she had turned her room upside down.
The mess covering the floor was not the result of her venting her anger. She had been desperately searching for something important she had lost.
"Olga Marie-sama, Shirou-sama actually possesses a special ability that allows him to find lost objects," Reines suddenly announced.
"Huh?"
Olga Marie and Shirou exclaimed at the same time.
Since when did I have an ability like that?
"Is that true!?"
Olga Marie's eyes widened. She looked at Shirou as though she had found a lifeline.
"Of course it is. Just leave everything to Shirou-sama."
"Hey!"
Shirou glared at Reines.
He had expected to see the smug grin of a little devil whose prank had succeeded. Instead, Reines looked utterly confident.
Was that part of her act as well?
When he looked at Olga Marie again, she had already accepted Reines's words without question.
"Please find Trisha's memento for me!"
Perhaps the sudden glimpse of hope amid her despair had robbed the girl of her usual ability to think rationally. She seemed convinced that Shirou could recover the precious object she had lost.
"All right. I'll try to find it," Shirou said.
"Just as expected of Shirou-sama!" Reines clapped her hands happily.
Beside them, Olga Marie pressed her lips tightly together. They parted and closed several times, as though she wanted to say something.
"You can thank me after I find it."
Shirou reached out and helped Olga Marie up from the carpet.
"So, where should we begin our search?" Reines asked, adopting the attitude of a detective's assistant.
Shirou glanced at her, thought for a moment, and said, "Let's go back to the dining car."
"Do you think Olga Marie-sama dropped her amulet there?"
"Yes. There's a good chance she left it there."
Shirou continued, "There are traces of Mana left in this room. Olga Marie, you already used a search spell, didn't you?"
The girl nodded.
After realizing that the amulet was missing, Olga Marie had calmly searched for it with a search spell. Only after repeatedly failing to find anything had she become agitated and torn the room apart.
"Olga Marie has already searched here for a long time without finding anything, so it's unlikely to be in this room. Let's check the dining car," Shirou said.
"All right, then let's hurry… before someone else picks it up."
Just as Shirou and Reines were about to leave, Olga Marie followed after them.
"I… I'll come with you."
"Olga Marie, you should rest in your room. You must already be exhausted."
Naturally, Olga Marie had no intention of simply remaining there.
"I'll help too!"
"No. Reines and I will be enough."
"But…"
Olga Marie tried to say something more, but Shirou interrupted her.
"I'll find it, so leave this to me. Olga Marie, stay here and get some rest."
"......"
Olga Marie met Shirou's gaze, her eyes glistening with tears.
In the red-haired boy's expression, she saw absolute confidence.
After several seconds of silence, the girl asked, "Can I trust you?"
"Yes. Please trust me."
"All right. I'll trust you this once…"
Olga Marie nodded, then obediently sat back down on the edge of the bed.
This was the first time she had chosen to trust someone since Trisha had left her.
Once she calmed down a little, even Olga Marie found the situation highly suspicious. What kind of ability allowed someone to find lost objects?
And yet…
Why was that?
Olga Marie felt that leaving this matter to Shirou was the right choice.
After a brief hesitation, she gathered her courage and decided that, just this once, she would choose to trust him.
"Let's go, Shirou-sama," Reines urged.
"Right, I'm coming."
Shirou closed the door behind them.
Olga Marie remained seated quietly on the edge of the bed, both hands tightly clutching her skirt.
Shirou and Reines returned to the corridor and headed toward the dining car.
"So much for a 'detective game.' We're just looking for something she lost."
"What else did you expect? Did you think there would be a series of murders, Shirou-sama?"
Reines chuckled. "This isn't a mystery novel. In the real world, a detective's daily work consists of finding lost items and investigating affairs, doesn't it? Still, that was impressive… I've never seen Olga Marie-sama behave so obediently before."
The blonde girl sounded genuinely amazed.
"She must be exhausted. That's why she listened to me. It's not as though I did anything special," Shirou said.
"Then let's do our best to recover her lost item so we don't disappoint her."
As Reines spoke, she noticed that the boy behind her had suddenly stopped.
"Is something wrong, Shirou-sama? The dining car is farther ahead."
She turned around and found Shirou standing in place with one hand extended toward her.
Reines froze, then smiled as though everything had finally become clear.
"Just as expected of you. Now I finally understand why Brother Kayneth and Sola-Ui-sama hold you in such high regard…"
The girl walked over and stopped in front of Shirou.
She then took a pendant from inside her clothes and placed it in his palm.
"And now we've found it," Shirou said, closing his hand around the pendant.
"When did you realize that I had stolen Olga Marie-sama's keepsake?"
"From the beginning."
"Oh my… That truly is…"
Reines elegantly covered her parted lips with one hand.
The moment Olga Marie told him that her keepsake had disappeared and that she had been unable to find it anywhere, Shirou had suspected Reines.
There had been no need to search for evidence as though this were a mystery novel, nor had he needed to catch the culprit making a mistake. His intuition alone told him that she was the most likely suspect.
It was something Olga Marie treasured dearly. She would not have lost it so easily. Even if the possibility of theft was low, it still should have occurred to her.
Yet despite being frantic with worry, Olga Marie had never considered that possibility at all.
Someone nearby must have planted the preconceived notion, or suggestion, that she had simply lost it. That person could only have been Reines.
"How impressive."
Reines smiled and applauded.
"Why did you do this?" Shirou asked.
"Aren't you angry?" Reines replied with a question of her own.
"That depends on your reason."
Without so much as blinking, Reines answered, "It was a test. I wanted to see whether Shirou-sama was truly as remarkable as Brother Kayneth and the others claimed."
Shirou snorted. "I doubt that was your only reason."
"Hehe… I really can't hide anything from you."
Reines spoke without the slightest hint of shame. "I wanted that girl to owe me a favor. This was only a hypothetical possibility, of course, but if Shirou-sama could help Olga Marie-sama as you helped Brother Kayneth and Sola-Ui-sama eight years ago… Then, as the person who introduced you to her, I would naturally earn a favor from Animusphere. I might also become good friends with the next Lord of the Department of Astromancy."
Shirou frowned. "You…"
She was only fifteen, yet her personality was already this twisted and unpleasant?
Despite her adorable appearance, she was already a power-hungry, middle-aged politician on the inside…
Kayneth, your niece really isn't very likable…
"Although I admit that part of me wants to make use of her, my desire to become friends with Olga Marie-sama is genuine."
"Who would believe anything you say at this point?"
"It doesn't matter whether you believe me. I truly am very fond of Olga Marie-sama. Considering her position as the daughter of the Department of Astromancy, I believe she will eventually become an important figure whose every action influences the Clock Tower. Unfortunately, she is currently facing a difficult period in her life."
Reines gazed at the scenery receding beyond the train window as she continued calmly.
"A few years ago, her father's personality suddenly changed, and he stopped paying attention to her. Her only source of emotional support, her tutor Trisha-san, passed away not long ago. Olga Marie is lost and helpless right now. She needs someone to give her a push from behind."
"Then help her yourself. Aren't you the one who wants to become her friend?"
Reines shook her head. "No, no. I could never manage it with my abilities. It might have been possible if Trisha-san were still alive… But the Olga Marie of today won't trust anyone or open her heart to anyone."
"So you think I can do it?" Shirou asked.
"Of course you can."
Reines smiled as she declared it with absolute certainty. "After all, even my harsh and heartless adoptive brother, Lord El-Melloi, changed because of you, didn't he?"
"..."
Shirou was left speechless.
He could understand Reines's reasoning. She could not bear to watch Olga Marie drift through life in confusion and helplessness, so she wanted to give her a push. Naturally, it would be even better if Olga Marie ended up owing her a favor.
Even so, Reines had gone too far.
She had stolen a precious keepsake that Olga Marie treasured above all else. No matter how he looked at it, that was completely unacceptable.
"I never expected you to like me. As long as everything works out in the end, that's enough," Reines said indifferently.
"There, I've told you everything. You may be angry now… Are you going to punish me? Just don't tell Olga Marie-sama that I stole her keepsake. As long as you agree to keep my secret, I'll accept any punishment. In fact, I was prepared for that from the very beginning."
"..."
Shirou raised his hand with a grave expression.
"So you are going to hit me after all."
Reines looked up at him with an amused chuckle.
"Sorry, but could you avoid my cheeks? If you leave any obvious marks, Olga Marie-sama might notice them…"
"Be quiet."
Shirou placed his hand on the girl's head and gently stroked her hair.
"Reines… Can you promise me that you'll never do anything like this again? If you can, I'll keep your secret."
The blonde girl stared at him in astonishment, but the pleasant sensation made her narrow her eyes without realizing it.
"Mm… I understand. I won't do it again…"
She hurriedly escaped from beneath Shirou's hand.
She had been certain that he would hit her this time, but instead…
Physical punishment would never have made Reines reflect on what she had done.
Shirou's completely unexpected response, however, left her deeply uncomfortable and filled her with a subtle, indescribable sense of guilt.
That guilt was both exciting and humiliating. She never wanted to experience it again.
Shirou Amamiya… Phew, what a terrifying… What a sinful man!
...
"You really… found it…"
"I told you Shirou-sama would find it, didn't I?"
Olga Marie herself probably had not expected Shirou to truly recover it. She stared at him in disbelief.
"I found it. Here, and don't lose it again."
Shirou handed the pendant he had taken from Reines back to the girl.
Tears gathered in the corners of Olga Marie's eyes as she cradled the precious keepsake in her hands and pressed it against her cheek.
"I never expected it to have fallen into the gap between the sofa cushions."
Reines wore an unconvincing smile and received a fierce glare from Shirou.
Just as Reines had said, the pendant was now Olga Marie's emotional anchor. That only made the person who had stolen it seem even more despicable.
It took Olga Marie a long time to recover from her emotions.
She carefully put the pendant away, tidied her appearance, then looked at Shirou.
"Thank you for what you did. Name any reward you want."
"That's an exaggeration. It was hardly any trouble."
Shirou shook his head, indicating that he did not need a reward.
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
"Wait!"
Olga Marie called out just as he was about to go.
"What is it?"
Shirou noticed that Olga Marie's cheeks had turned slightly red.
The daughter of the Department of Astromancy fidgeted as she said, "It's almost lunchtime, so… Well, would you like to have lunch together?"
Watching Olga Marie's behavior, Reines thought to herself, He truly is a man of deep sin…