the death of a bachelor

eight | counter

Schooldays in Carmine were normal. Reiju hated to admit it but the students were all about sizing each other up, picking out the strong amongst the weak, planning their next move, and so on.

The three months she had planned to wait for the supply ship was getting much harder now that she was deep into the school system. Sometimes, she wondered if heeding Professor Shah's advice was the right choice. If she had kept her head down and exited the school quietly... if she had accepted the clans' offer...

But at that moment, Dion Di Lauro strutted inside the cafeteria. Unlike most students here, his uniform was hidden under a black trench coat that was tailored to his elegant form. He took a seat, clasping his gloved hands in front of him.

Reiju's regrets evaporated as her cheek ached in response to his presence. She would give everything to hit his pretty face at least once.

Dion's dark eyes flitted towards her. He shot her a mocking smile before one of his lackeys gave him a plate of food, causing their eye connection to break.

Reiju shook her head. She had many things to do like protecting herself from a supposedly deranged murderer. Her revenge would have to wait. Right now, she was more interested in her professor's notes. The murders after the second world war might be related to the man in the labyrinth. But she had no leads since the garden's secret hatch turned out to contain rusty garden tools.

Should she ask him to work together?

No. He would surely refuse in the guise of protecting her and other shit like that.

She ate the last of her ramen when she noticed that her table was fuller than usual. Reiju recognized Maggie and Billy who talked softly in front of her. But the other faces were new.

"What the hell? Why are you all sitting here?" she demanded.

Maggie kicked her leg from under the table. "They want to join your clan."

Reiju blinked a few times before the words hit her. Right. This was her other problem.

She scanned the expectant faces. Reiju pitied them a tiny bit but she wasn't keen on embracing this school yet. She still wanted a way out. No matter how long she needed to wait for the damn ship.

"Well..." She cleared her out. "If anyone could give me their pinky finger, I'll accept them."

Gasps echoed in the table. Arguments and discussions combined together but Reiju was no longer interested. She had delayed her decision. That was enough for now.

She got up, throwing her tray in the trolley before making her way to the library. It was a separate building from the rest of the school castle located on the west. Reiju was supposed to be in History class but with Professor Huxley's untimely demise, it was a free period. She decided to spend it on research.

Like the rest, the library was in an English gothic style of architecture. The black and copper-colored edifice rose high with mansard roofs and assorted dark towers.

Reiju passed between two ornate pillars and into a long hallway with a thick crimson carpet. Above was a rib vault with intricately carved bosses. Towering bookshelves were arranged horizontally on both sides. She glanced at the library's sorting method before marching forward to the winding stairs at the end.

The second level was similar though it was more packed. The light was also minimal, coming from a handful of windows on the sides. She entered the archives where it grew even gloomier aside from a few hanging lamps here and there. Reiju began searching for Carmine's school records.

"Shit," she muttered a curse as her eyes took in a tall shelf. "I better get started..."

The clock ticked with Reiju inspecting all of the documents after world war two. But so far, she hadn't found any connection to murders. She switched her attention to the student lists, hoping she could point out the author of the diary she had found.