The next day, the Old Man was going to hear about the triplets.
It seemed like things were moving awfully fast, but when the Old Man made a request, there was no way the eccentric military strategist with a monocle would turn him down.
"Maomao, would you come along and help me put the story into writing?"
"...I get the feeling some weirdo is going to show up."
Maomao shook her head at the idea of the eccentric military strategist being present.
"Rakhan won't be coming, so don't worry."
"Then that's fine, but what about Miss Yao and the others?"
Maomao glanced over.
"I already told them Yao can't do shorthand, so she's out."
(I can't either, but...)
She started to say so, then thought better of it.
If she said the wrong thing, Yao would insist on doing it anyway. And then Yanyan, who absolutely wouldn't allow that, and Yao would be at an impasse.
Yao was the type who, once she realized she didn't have the skill, would grudgingly accept it — so it was wiser to just keep quiet.
For a while now, Yao had been peeking out from behind a pillar, watching Maomao with a frustrated expression. Behind her, Yanyan was waving a white cloth, practically saying "hurry up and get going already."
"Fine, fine — shall we go, then?"
She wanted to finish this quickly and get home.
The prepared venue was a conference room in the military department. It was neither spacious nor cramped — if anything, it was more the size of an interrogation room than a conference room.
"Oh, you're here."
Waiting in front of the room to greet them was a large dog she recognized — no,
Li Bai
it was.
"I'll be counting on you."
The Old Man bowed politely.
"Of course. If any problems come up, call for me right away. I've got another scribe waiting inside as well, but he's a civil official, so..."
Li Bai patted his broad chest with a pat. His easygoing personality was the same as ever.
"Why Master Li Bai?"
Maomao tilted her head as she asked.
"Orders from above. Given who the other party is, it'd be trouble if they flew into a rage. We'd need guards with some muscle. On top of that, I know the triplets, and I know the shepherds, and above all, I'm the one who knows you, so I got picked."
"I see."
It made sense.
"Besides, a job like this every now and then makes for a nice change of pace."
At the waist of the grinning man hung tassel ornaments of a different rank than before.
"It seems you've been rising through the ranks quite steadily."
"Yeah. Thanks to that, lately I've been stuck behind a desk a lot."
She wanted to ask how much his pay had gone up, but that would be boorish, so she held her tongue. She wondered how much longer it would be before Li Bai could afford to buy out...
Shirasu
...his beloved from Rokuseikan.
"Sorry to interrupt the conversation, but may I ask a few things?"
The old man looked at Li Bai.
"Oh, sorry. Go right ahead."
"You said you know the triplets — do you know what each of their personalities is like?"
At the old man's question, Li Bai put a hand to his chin and tilted his head.
"How should I put it... I can say all three of them are cunning. Their faces are nearly identical, and their voices are very similar. As for their personalities, I'd say they're more or less alike. I haven't spent enough time with them to really tell them apart."
"Ho."
The old man nodded.
"Are all three of them on good terms?"
"No, I don't think so."
Li Bai denied it flatly.
"A while back, when a job went wrong, we had to figure out which of the three was responsible. None of them tried to cover for the one who'd failed. If anything, their attitude was more like 'don't any of you cause trouble for the rest of us.'"
"Didn't the three of you try to cover it up so you wouldn't get caught?"
"Do you think that's possible? With Luo... no, with a man like that monocle-wearing fellow, there's no hiding anything."
Li Bai was dutiful enough to remember what Maomao had said before.
The eccentric strategist was, by all accounts, a creature who had collected all the worst qualities a person could have—yet his skill at Go and shogi, and his eye for reading people, were utterly exceptional.
"That was a hoot, back then. Oh, that reminds me—"
"What?"
"I think two out of the three triplets would talk honestly. They've been riding their father's authority to do whatever they please, but they have no intention of being punished themselves. So they have no reason to cover for someone else, and as long as they have nothing to hide, they won't lie."
"Can I trust that?"
The old man narrowed his eyes to confirm.
"Even if I say to trust me, nothing is ever absolutely certain, right? Just take it as a general tendency—they probably won't lie in a way that puts themselves at a disadvantage just to protect someone else."
"You're a very honest person."
"W-Well, I suppose so."
"Thanks. Then I'll have you come running right away if anything comes up."
With that, the old man entered the room.
Maomao followed after him.
There was another person in the room—a man who looked like a civil official. Presumably the clerk Li Bai had mentioned.
The clerk noticed Maomao and the others, rose from his chair, and gave a bow.
"They should be arriving shortly. Please, have a seat here."
"My apologies."
The old man sat down in a chair. A single document lay on the desk.
(Is this some kind of intimidation?)
The document listed the triplets' positions and who their respective family members were. It was as if to say: I came here because the eccentric strategist ordered it, but you have no right to punish me.
"Well, what shall we do?"
The triplets were to be questioned one at a time, separately.
In any case, the first one had arrived, so they had to get started.
Maomao wet the tip of her brush with ink, trying to capture everything she could.
〇●〇
Look, I think there's been some kind of misunderstanding, but I have nothing to do with
Maki's
sister. I'm not involved whatsoever.
The idea that I'd lay a hand on some fourteen-year-old brat is absurd. On what grounds am I even being suspected?
Hm? Where was I the day before yesterday?
Well, after work I was just strolling around town. Everyone has a drink or two now and then, don't they?
The day before yesterday I was in the mood for cheap sake, so I headed south.
I didn't go all the way to the pleasure district. That's not exactly a place for enjoying a good drink.
Thunder?
Oh, you mean that big clap of thunder.
It seemed to strike close by. The sky lit up, and then after a moment a tremendous sound echoed through. Gave me quite a scare.
What time, you ask?
Right around when the evening bell tolled. The thunderclap came right after that.
So, as you can see, I have nothing to do with any of this.
It was one of my two younger brothers who did it, so go right ahead and suspect them.
But you know, if you go around pinning the crime on one of us without any evidence, just guessing — you're well aware of what happens then, right?
〇●〇
The first one was the eldest brother.
His voice carried an air that practically said, "As if anyone could possibly know who did it."
Maomao recorded his words despite her growing irritation.
The old man sat there stroking his chin, muttering "Hmm..."
Even without Maomao or the scribe taking notes, the old man could no doubt recall every word verbatim. He was just that capable.
The eldest brother was replaced by an identical face. According to the documents, the next one was the middle brother. They were apparently coming in order from the top down — nice and straightforward.
◇●◇
You're really doing me a kindness here. Dragging me away from work in the middle of things just for an interrogation — what were you going to do if I turned out not to be the culprit?
Well, I'm clearly innocent, so I'll just say what needs saying and be on my way.
You want to know where I was the day before yesterday, right? I happened to be off duty, so I took a quick ride out on horseback. I had work the next day, so I came back the same day — home by evening.
I was tired, so I went straight home and crashed. You know where my place is, surely? Assuming the old man there knows who my father is.
Is there anyone who can vouch for me, you say?
Even if you ask, you wouldn't exactly trust the word of my household servants, would you?
So that's that.
My room is set apart from the rest, so nobody probably noticed a thing.
What was I doing around the time of the evening bell, you ask?
Oh, that — that was when the thunder struck, wasn't it?
It caught me off guard. The sky lit up right along with the sound of the bell, and then a tremendous clap of thunder boomed out after it.
The person who rang the bell must have been startled too, I'd imagine. Standing up that high, you'd have no complaint if lightning struck you down.
Though it seems that wasn't a worry in the end, surprisingly enough.
Are we done?
I need to get back to work.
Make sure you figure out whether it was my brother or my little brother who did this.
Well, of course, you can't very well get that wrong, so I'd strongly recommend you think it through carefully first.
◇●◇
Another provocatively worded statement.
Maomao narrowed her eyes as she jotted it all down once more.
The old man nodded along, stroking his chin as before.
She wanted this whole charade to end already.
The interrogation of the third and youngest brother began.
Needless to say, it was the same face all over again — growing tedious, but she'd have to endure it.
●○●
So what, I'm the last one?
If my brothers had just confessed, I wouldn't have had to go through this.
Ugh, can we hurry up and wrap this up?
I'm off work for the day already.
You want to know where I was the day before yesterday? I was working all day, that's where.
Yeah, it was time to go home, but I got stuck with some annoying task.
They told me to go fetch books from the archive — they could've just asked a civil servant to do it. Ugh, that weirdo strategist... No, never mind. Anyway, so I went to get them, and wouldn't you know it, there happened to be a very pleasant court lady there, so we ended up chatting away rather enjoyably.
Which archive? You ask.
The western archive. Not exactly the kind of place a military officer would normally frequent. Well, I suppose I should be grateful for the new encounter.
So anyway, while I was doing that, the scheduled time slipped by.
Yeah, I think I was still in the archive when the evening bell rang.
I didn't actually hear the bell, but it was probably around that time.
Now the thunder — that I did hear.
I was holding documents in both hands, and when the lightning flashed all of a sudden, I was so startled I dropped them.
Then when I bent down to pick them up, there was another rumble like an earthquake. That one was really big.
How long did it take to bend down?
I was a bit dazed, but five seconds, maybe?
I'd like to go home, so is this enough?
Great, then I'm heading out.
●○●
All three of them were hopeless in their own ways.
Maomao jotted down everything she could and collapsed in exhaustion.
The old man was the only one who looked satisfied, nodding along.
The scribe's work was only half done — he was busy making a clean copy of the document she had written.
Maomao whispered to the old man, making sure the scribe couldn't hear.
"Old man, did you figure it out?"
"More or less. Do we have most of the materials together?"
He said it as casually as anything.
Maomao's face practically lit up with question marks.
She had learned all sorts of things from the old man, but there was still so much she didn't know.
What exactly was going on inside this old eunuch's head?
"Well then, once we're back, let's sort through the information, shall we?"
Supporting his swaying body with his cane, the old man rose from his chair.
Outside the room, Li Bai's face was visible, looking slightly disappointed, as if wondering whether his chance to participate had come and gone.
The moment they returned to the medical office, what the old man wanted was a map of the capital and its surrounding areas.
She had been thinking they could just borrow one from the archives, but Liu, the court physician, produced one, which saved them the trouble.
"Don't go getting it dirty."
The old man had been about to pick up a brush, but he quietly hid it away.
Instead, he looked around for something and picked up a small, colorful assortment of glazed pastries that had been set aside to keep them from being blown away by the wind.
"What are you going to do?"
Yao and Enen arrived.
The two of them were already off duty for the day. Liu, the court physician, didn't say a word.
"I was thinking of organizing our information a bit. It'd help if you two stuck around."
He worded it with just a hint of expectation, which sent Yao turning away with a slight blush, her expression saying "obviously" without the need for words.
Enen was deeply etching this young lady's reaction onto the canvas of her mind.
"Now then, this goes here first."
The old man placed one of the glazed pastries at the center of the capital on the map.
"What's that for?"
"The evening bell—isn't it rung from around here?"
"That's right, it's placed there. The bells are positioned so they can be heard throughout the entire capital."
Just as the second triplet brother had described, there was a bell in a structure resembling a watchtower.
Next, the old man placed three indigo-colored pieces on the board.
"This is where the eldest brother said he was, this is where the second brother said his home was, and the third brother's western library was here."
"So at the time of the incident, they all claim to have been in different locations."
"That's right. According to Maki's account, his sister was somewhere around here."
The old man pointed to a red piece. It was right in the area where the shops lined up.
"If only there were a witness, but none came forward for any of the three. Can you figure out who's lying?"
Maomao was careful to use a slightly more polite tone this time so as not to be scolded by the old man again.
"Ah. But before that, why don't we gather a little more information?"
The old man looked at the three of them—Maomao and the others.
"Does everyone remember the thunder from the day before yesterday?"
"Yes, it was an incredibly loud noise."
"Our dormitory was close by, after all."
The dormitory to the northwest of the capital was not far from the forest in the northwest.
"It was around here."
The old man placed a blue piece on the map.
"And where the lightning struck—"
He placed a yellow piece.
Maomao and the others blinked rapidly. They still couldn't understand what he was getting at.
"May I ask one more question?"
"Go ahead."
"The lightning's flash, the thunder, and then the evening bell—do you know in what order they came?"
It was En'en who raised her hand enthusiastically.
"First, the sky lit up. Then about three seconds later, the thunder rumbled. I believe the evening bell rang at nearly the same time. The sound of the bell came along with the lingering rumble of the earth."
"You remember it quite clearly."
The old man was impressed.
Maomao was convinced that En'en's memory had been etched into her mind as vividly as the sensation of Yao clinging to her.
There was no other explanation.
(Why would the old man ask something like that?)
Maomao checked the map and confirmed the location of the burned area.
(!)
Maomao reviewed what she had jotted down earlier.
She looked at the testimonies of the eldest son, the second son, and the third son, one by one.
"Maomao, what's wrong?"
"Could you read this and tell me what you think?"
She showed Yao the written accounts, particularly the parts about the thunder.
"...Hmm? Doesn't something seem off?"
Yao studied the eldest son's account carefully.
"En'en, take a look at this. Doesn't it seem wrong? If this is right, the order is different."
Summarizing the eldest son's account, it read: "After the sky lit up, the evening bell rang, and then came the sound of thunder."
"Oh, this one too."
The second son's account stated: "At the same time the sky lit up, the bell rang, followed by a tremendous clap of thunder."
"This part seems to be consistent across accounts. Though I don't know when exactly the evening bell was rung."
The third son's account stated: "Four or five seconds after the sky lit up, there was a thunderclap like the rumbling of the earth."
"Do you think the eldest and second sons are lying?"
"No, that's not it."
Maomao denied Yao's words.
(I see. So that's how it is.)
Maomao looked at the old man.
The old man watched with a soft expression, waiting to see whether the three of them could arrive at the answer.
"If nothing else, at least two of them weren't lying."
If Li Bai's words were to be trusted, it didn't seem like the large dog would get its turn after all. But he had given them some quite interesting information.
The triplets wouldn't cover for each other.
Thinking about it that way, the one who had laid a hand on the牧's younger sister aside, there was no reason for the others to lie if they had nothing to feel guilty about.
So then.
"Maomao, could you explain what this means?"
Yan Yan asked.
Maomao glanced at the old man. He was smiling gently, as if to say, "Go on and explain."
Being told that, Maomao didn't want to give the wrong answer. She let out a deep breath and organized her thoughts on where best to start.
"Yao and Yan Yan, can you tell whether lightning is far away or close by?"
"Well, if it flashes and you hear the thunder right away..."
Yao was fundamentally a sharp girl. With just a little teaching, she would figure out the answer.
"So, the sooner you hear the thunder after the flash, the closer the lightning was?"
The old man gave a small nod.
"That, and if the thunder sounds loud, that also means it's closer."
The three accounts were compared.
Yao furrowed her brow.
"I can't quite follow the timeline. Setting aside the thunder, there's a discrepancy in the bell's sound."
Maomao understood why they were confused.
However, this was how Maomao saw it.
"If thunder rumbles and the sound takes time to travel depending on distance, wouldn't the same principle apply to the bell's sound, causing differences in when it's heard?"
If that was the case, then the reason the thunder and the bell sounds occurred in different orders also made sense.
And when applied to that logic, one person's account stood out as inconsistent.
"The second son, was it? If he claims he was home the day before yesterday when the lightning struck, then there's a contradiction."
En'en checked the positions of the yellow, red, and dark blue markers with her finger.
"It's roughly the right distance, but if he had been at the house, it would be strange to hear the bell's sound almost simultaneously with the lightning."
The bell was far from the house where the second son claimed to be. It was about as far as Maomao's lodgings, so the sound should have arrived several seconds after the flash.
Yet he said he heard it almost simultaneously.
"The place where the second son was—"
—was not far from where the red marker lay.
His account of the thunder was specific and truthful. That became his undoing.
In other words, it was the place where Maki's sister had been approached by one of the triplets.
"......"
The three of them—Maomao included—looked at the old man.
Had he been aiming for this from the very beginning when he asked his questions?
(Who verifies someone's position based on sound?)
It was simply unbelievable.
The other party never imagined anyone would think of such a thing, so he answered the questions about the thunder honestly.
"Well then, we have the clerk's records as well. Let's take this as a gift and head over to Maki's place. Of course, there's still a chance he'll stonewall us, but..."
The old man grunted as he got to his feet.
"...Why is someone that impressive a eunuch?"
At Yao's offhand remark, Maomao silently agreed as she propped up the old man's frail body.
She wished that the culprits who had knocked the old physician down would all be punished—not just the second son.