[R1999] Short Stories' Collection

A chaotic incident in Sicily (1)

That was another peaceful day in Vertin's suitcase.

Click was floating inside the blue flower beds in the wilderness when a familiar face approached him. Still wearing the black outfit and small glass cage in her hands, Necrologist nodded slightly to greet him. Seeing her action, he also nodded in response.

Next, Necrologist directly got straight to the point.

"There was an old lady in the tombstone who wanted to see her grandchild's wedding before resting in peace. But her grandchild is living in Italy and his wedding will be held on April 16th,1955. It's about 3 days later, counting from today."

"I can't make up a story about a wedding somewhere I have never been... and tell it to her."

She unconsciously pursed her lips and tightened her fingers when she thought she would fail to fulfill the deceased's wish.

"That's why,... I need someone to help me take photos of the wedding, so that I can accurately describe and tell her in detail the true story."

This time, her consistent yellow eyes looked straight into his eyes.

"Mr. Click, can you accept my request?"

"You're the only one I know who has the ability to record the moments at their best."

Facing her strong gaze, his expression didn't change at all. And this made Necrologist afraid that Click had already rejected her request.

"I have never been to Italy either."

The man suddenly said.

"Maybe this is a good chance to travel there."

He finished his words and nodded to her delight.

"Thank you so much."

She bowed her head gratefully.

When Necrologist was about to tell him more about the details of the trip, not far away, a sound of something falling to the ground attracted their attention. As they turned their sights to find the source of the sound, they found a young girl with black and white-colored braids curiously looking towards them. In her hand, there was an oddly-shaped balloon with mysterious red liquid inside.

"Party?" The girl asked.

"You are going to join a party?"

That girl - Balloon Party asked again and when seeing Necrologist's gentle nod, her light gray eyes sparkled.

"I love parties." She happily said, "Every kid will have a balloon in my hands!"

"Oh, I forgot." As if remembering something, her face quickly became somber and she looked at Necrologist with a pair of pitiful eyes.

"Can I come with you too? I promise that I will be well-behaved and listen to what you say."

Seeing those puppy's eyes, Necrologist gently nodded.

"You can go with us too."

After that, three of them came back to the living room to find Vertin to get permission for their journey. But instead of Vertin, they met Sonetto, who just finished her report on the latest investigation. Before she could greet the three people in front of her, the girl in black took the initiative to talk first.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Sonetto. Have you seen Ms. Vertin today?"

"Good afternoon, Necrologist. Yes, I saw her in Laplace at 3pm." Sonetto replied.

"If my memory serves me right, she may return at about 5.15pm."

The orange-haired girl carefully recalled her previous short conversation with Madam Z. As she remembered, Madam Z told her that Vertin just needed to take a few more tests before her mental health could be confirmed as stable by the Foundation.