theories
You keep using that word.
I do not think it means what you think it means.
Anyway, you can thank my screaming roommates for this segment. >_>
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It was hardly as though much would have changed in the time they were gone. No criminal would have been foolish enough to flee the scene after the police had arrived ? assuming they hadn't fled already. Reimu touched down on the clearing outside of the mansion, Cirno trailing behind.
?N-No fair! Humans shouldn't be able to fly faster than youkai!?
Reimu held out a single finger, waving it at Cirno.
?Aw, mad because a human's beating you at something for once~??
It was these small victories that Reimu had to savour. She knew that if she wanted to Cirno could probably snap her like a twig, so she needed to play to her opponent's weaknesses. After a brief session of pulling faces at each other, the pair decided it might actually be a good idea to get on with their jobs.
This time, though, someone was standing at the doorway. An awkward-looking, surprisingly elegant woman in a green dress stood guard at the door, long red hair hanging down her back. She stood in a stance from some martial art that Reimu didn't recognise, flinching as she saw the detectives approach.
?H-Halt! State your name and business!?
Uncertainty hung in her voice. Reimu, disregarding the threat, simply walked up to her and flashed her badge.
?Reimu Hakurei, Gensokyo Police. I assume you're an employee of the late Remilia Scarlet??
The girl's eyes widened as she looked at the badge, almost enawed by how shiny it was. She shook herself back into reality, though, standing to attention.
?S-Sorry. Yes, I'm the mansion's door guard, Hong Meiling.?
?Hong...Mei...Ling...??
The Chinese-sounding name didn't really slip well off of Reimu's lips. She sighed.
?Yeah, mind if I just call you China??
?U-Um...?
?Good to hear you agree, China.?
Meiling's shoulders slumped, as she was forced into her nickname without getting a say. Cirno simply smiled, finding the name kind of funny. She muttered it to herself, getting excited as Reimu continued to ask the questions.
?So you're the security around here.?
?Basically, yeah. I stand here 24/7, making sure no-one unruly gets in.?
?Then where were you when I showed up a little while ago??
Meiling's eyes looked away from the detective, and her face fell.
?I was...recovering, so to speak. Since I'm the one on duty out here, it was me who found Miss Remilia's body, and...I mean, I'm trained to fight, and all, but I've never seen that happen to a body before...?
Meiling shook slightly, biting her lip. It was probably a good idea to change the subject.
?So, last night. Anything interesting happen??
?Um...?
Meiling's eyes slid around again. Was she nervous, or coming up with an excuse?
?Well, it's a hard job, you know? This is a big place, and watching the whole perimeter at once is pretty hard. Sakuya never listens to me, though, and she just punishes me whenever I mess up.?
One word in particular caught Reimu's interest. Further inquiry was probably deeper into her background than she needed to go, but Shikieiki had more or less given up on arguing that against her.
?...Miss China, mind expanding on this 'punishment'??
Meiling's eyes stopped swiveling around, and she gasped as for a moment she stared Reimu in the eye. Then she sighed, misery running across her face.
?...She's cruel, that Sakuya. Restricts my rations and beats me senseless if I let so much as a fly get in. She's sturdier than she looks, trust me, and give her some knives and she's all but unstoppable.?
That hadn't been the opinion of Sakuya Reimu had gathered from the brief encounter the two had had, but Meiling almost undoubtedly knew the maid better than she did. She made a mental note of it.
?...I see. Did you bring this up with your mistress??
?What would the point have been? Miss Remilia adored Sakuya. She was a lot older than she looked, and she took Sakuya in practically as a daughter. She'd just tell me it was what I deserved or something...but I was never sure about Sakuya.?
Meiling was sitting on the ground now, getting more and more depressed by the second.
?I was always worried, y'know, that she was trying to just get on the mistress's good side and then stab her in the back. There were rumours she used to be some sort of vampire hunter a long time ago, and, well...?
Reimu nodded periodically, keeping track of all of this. People often showed different faces when the police showed up, so this sort of testimony was invaluable.
?...Anyway. Mind if I take a look around her room??
?You'll need to go to Sakuya's first. She has the master key, and the mistress's key is in her own room. Locked, and we haven't touched it since we found the body.?
Meiling got to her feet, still looking a little glum as she led them into the mansion itself.
?...Whoa.?
Something was wrong with this place. It had seemed large enough from the outside, but as soon as she'd stepped in the door Reimu was certain the walls had doubled in height and width. An elegant chandelier hung atop this entrance hall, with dark red paint running across its walls. Meiling seemed undisturbed by the change, and Cirno was too busy talking to herself to care.
?Don't worry about the halls. The mistress liked to have a little fun with time and space. Sakuya helped, too, but most of the time Miss Remilia kept her power in check.?
A little fun?Reimu still stared up at the mansion's hallways, amazed. Even in youkai terms, Remilia would have needed to be pretty powerful to pull this off.
After an insanely long series of doors and corridors, Meiling came to a halt in front of one which looked more or less like all of the rest. A simple nameplate had 'Izayoi Sakuya' written on it in simple, effective handwriting. Meiling knocked.
?Sakuya? You in there??
Silence. Meiling shrugged.
?She's been holed up in there for a while now. Something about seeing the body, but I never thought she'd go look at it herself...?
Reimu glared at Cirno angrily.
?Well, she never locks her door anyway, so I guess you can probably just head on in.?
Meiling took a cautious step back, worry filling her face for an instant.
?J-Just...don't tell her it was me who sent you, okay? I'll lead you to the mistress's room when you're done.?
Reimu nodded, then promptly pulled the door open with all of her might regardless of Meiling's worries. She had never been the type for subtlety.
Compared to the elegance of the rest of the mansion, Sakuya's room was amazingly Spartan. There was a bed, a chair and desk, and a cupboard presumably containing a change of uniform. The maid herself was seated at the desk, staring at nothing in particular. She swirled around a key on her index finger, completely ignoring Reimu's entry.
?...Hey. I'm gonna need that key from you, if you don't mind.?
She threw on those last words as an afterthought. Sakuya stopped the swirling, letting the key hang on her finger. Slowly, she turned her head towards the detective, her expression worryingly neutral.
?Certainly.?
She rose, walking up to Reimu and in an almost mechanical fashion. There was no excess emotion, no unnecessary grace or clumsiness. Just a simple gait, practised and perfected to a near-atomic level of precision. She dropped the key in Reimu's open hand, looking at her with bloodshot eyes.
?You seem to have recovered pretty quickly.?
Sakuya blinked at Reimu, still emotionless.
?Believe me, I've cried myself dry. After so long you just learn to move on, don't you.?
Something in her eyes, cold and empty, pricked up hairs on the back of Reimu's neck. There was a saying that the eyes were the portal to the soul, so what did this say about Sakuya?
?...Well, I hope you don't mind if I hold on to this. For investigation purposes.?
Sakuya nodded.
?Feel free. It's not like I have anything to use it for, anyway.?
With the same automated steps, Sakuya made her way back to the desk, returning to her seat. She began staring at the wall again, head in her hands.
?...Shouldn't you be going somewhere??
Reimu was knocked out of her observation of the maid by a single, calm sentence. She took the hint, slipping back out of the door to leave her to her own mutterings. As the miko left, Sakuya muttered a single sentence to herself.
?...But where do I go from here...??
