Hotel del Luna

Chapter 31:Marguerite

Seoul was called the night city for a reason, but even during the day it was bustling with energy. Men walked up and down the street accosting girls, and girls strolled up and down the road in fine pairs, waiting to be accosted.

Looking for the address Hinowa had written down for Y/N was hard, but she eventually found herself in front of the plain teahouse the ghost had described. A closed sign hung over the door, but Y/N did not let that deter her.

She knocked loudly on the door. When nobody responded, Y/N pounded on it harder and shouted, "Anybody in?"

"Can't you read?" a voice yelled back. "We're closed!"

"I am sorry to interrupt your grieving," said Y/N through the door, "But this is important."

Loud footsteps approached the door which slid open with a bang. A woman stood on the other side, furious at whoever had come to call.

Y/N looked her up and down. A scar slid down her left eye, and her face was blotched from crying, but she was just as beautiful as Hinowa, dressed in a hanbok patterned in autumn leaves to match her shiny blonde hair.

"What do you want?" she snapped.

Y/N gave a short bow, "My name is Y/N. I'm here to talk about Seita."

The woman's eyes widened at the name. She hurriedly waved Y/N inside the teahouse and shut the door behind her.

"You must be Tsukuyo." Y/N said shrewdly.

The woman's eyes narrowed, "What do you know of Seita?"

Y/N took a deep breath, "I'm a friend of Hinowa," she said, trying to remember the story she had come up with that morning with Hinowa to convince the woman standing before her, "She and Seita were planning to escape to my house last night."

Tsukuyo frowned, "Hinowa didn't tell me anything about that."

Y/N shrugged, "Maybe she was planning to tell you after she and Seita were safe."

After a beat Y/N added, "I'm sorry for your loss. I heard that you two were like sisters."

Tsukuyo nodded tightly. She went into the kitchen and came back with a pot of tea, gesturing for Y/N to sit at one of the tables, "You said that this conversation was about Seita."

Y/N sat down across Tsukuyo and accepted a cup of tea, "I need a photo of him if you have one. I think he's still out there and I would like to put up missing person posters."

Tsukuyo frowned, "Will that do anything?"

"It's better than doing nothing," Y/N shrugged, "I'm planning to ask everybody I know here to help search for him - they will need a photo to know what he looks like."

Tsukuyo debated this for a moment before standing up and leaving the room. She came back with a photo in the hand of Hinowa and a young, bright-eyed boy.

"I have this." Tsukuyo said, sliding it across the table.

Y/N took up the picture and scanned it thoroughly, "This will work," she nodded, and pocketed it with thanks. She looked back up at Tsukuyo who had fallen silent, "Hinowa told me about Housen," she spoke gently. "He is the killer, right?"