The post town to the south. It was the place where she had treated a foreign lady's cavity the other day. Foreigners who still couldn't return home remained there.
Shiyō
His complexion had improved considerably. The rough-looking man stood before Maomao and grabbed the wine.
"Please don't drink that."
"I'm thirsty."
"The bleeding that just stopped will start gushing out again."
"..."
Shiyō made an exasperated face, set the wine down, and drank water from the bottle placed in the corner of the room. He wiped away the water that dribbled from the corner of his mouth, then looked at Maomao.
"You've got that look on your face like you want to ask how I knew this was the post town."
"Yes."
Shiyō had been carried here in a half-conscious state. There was no way he could know where he was, even less than Maomao. Yet he had been able to state it so clearly—which meant—
"So
Sparrow
—you've been getting along with her, have you?"
"Our interests happen to align."
(That Suzume, I swear.)
She had always suspected Sparrow was hiding something, but she never expected she was connected to Shiyō.
If that was the case, she could understand why they had protected Shiyō.
What she couldn't understand was—
"Why was I brought along too?"
"Who knows. That's not for me to say."
Shiyō drank another cup of water, set down the ladle, and stroked Xiao Hong, who lay on the bed.
"I've done this one wrong.
Da Hong
—is probably making a fuss by now."
Da Hong, judging by the tone of her voice, was probably Xiao Hong's mother. She would be Owl's sister.
Owl, having confirmed his niece was safe, started rummaging through the shelves as though he'd grown hungry. He found a flat...
...bread...
...and began stuffing his cheeks. For someone whose guts had been carved open, he was remarkably lively. His instinct to replenish the lost blood must have been strong.
"I feel like people are making a fuss about me, too."
She'd said she was going to the greenhouse to clear her head, and had ended up gone for over half a day. Sparrow surely knew that bringing Maomao along would cause an uproar, so why had he brought her?
"That sounds rough. But it ain't my fault."
Owl shirked all responsibility and went back to searching the place.
He'd also found cheese...
...and dried meat.
(Owl and Sparrow were connected.)
In other words, the ones who attacked Owl belonged to yet another faction. And if the attack had taken place at the main residence or the government office, there was a strong possibility it was an inside job.
Sparrow had brought Maomao here because—
(To hide the fact that he was connected to Owl?)
No, that was close but off the mark. She had a feeling there was another reason.
And when you added the premise that Owl already knew this place was a post town—
(Had Sparrow originally planned to meet Owl at the post town?)
But for Sparrow, it would have been far more convenient to meet somewhere else. So why was he at the post town? That meant—
(Owl had arranged to meet someone else?)
And if Owl had been attacked before that meeting—
(They attacked Owl because they didn't want Owl and that someone to meet?)
And the meeting place was a post town frequented by foreigners.
The answer came naturally.
"You've got sharp instincts — fitting for the daughter of the Grand Commandant of Han."
"I have no relation to that old man."
"Ha ha ha. Daughters rebelling against their fathers — same story in every household."
Shiō laughed heartily and gnawed on some dried meat.
"You seem clever enough that once you realized this is a southern post town, you should be able to imagine what I'm planning to do."
"I can't. By the way, may I go home soon?"
Maomao wanted to get out of here before things escalated any further. She did not want this to turn into some clan uprising like the last time.
"I won't do anything to harm you. Besides, wait a little until Suzume gets back."
Shiō, paying Maomao no mind, began noisily eating his meal.
"...U-Uncle?"
On the bed, Kōchō had woken up.
"Oh, you're awake. Sorry about that."
"Your wound... are you okay?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine. You're the one who saved me, you know."
Shiō stroked Kōchō's light-colored hair.
"Look, you'll be away from your mother, but you'll be all right with your uncle here, right?"
"...Yeah."
Kōchō nodded. She had grown quite attached to Shiō.
Shiō lightly grilled some cheese and set it on top of a piece of bread, then handed it to Kōchō. Though she hesitated at first, once she heard it was from her uncle, she began stuffing it into her small mouth.
"Very well. Then when will Suzume be coming?"
"She'll be back within a few days. What you're imagining will be settled within a few days too. But until then, consider yourself unable to go outside."
"I don't exactly have anything to do, though."
"We weren't expecting you here either. You must have said something you shouldn't have, right?"
"..."
She had indeed spoken up. If, at that time, she had kept an innocent expression, would Suzume have quietly sent Maomao back to the infirmary?
(Would she have...?)
However, there was one thing Maomao was certain of.
Suzume had been moving around quite freely until now.
She held considerable discretionary authority, but—
since she was Maliang's wife, Maomao had assumed she followed Jinshi's orders.
But if she reported directly to Jinshi, he would never have had her bring Maomao all the way to this post town.
Which meant—
(Suzume's superior was not Jinshi.)
And furthermore,
(there was a high probability she was acting under different motives than Jinshi's.)
That was the conclusion.
And if Suzume's interests aligned with those of Shijou—
Maomao opened the worn book.
On the page that happened to open,
was written: "God, are you watching us?"