Mystery Girl Spelled Lune - 3

Tsubasa dashed through the Estate, finding herself swiping off the falling books that heeded her direction, even going as far as to step on the ones at the ground.

She wasn't aware of her actions of disrespecting the books.

As a consequence they made her trip before Tsubasa could reach her destination.

The sounds of someone plummeting to the ground occurred. Even so, that wouldn't dissuade Tsubasa as she climbed over the growing books that became obstacles to her, resuming her last few steps by the bronze-ornamented doorway. The supposed pain of falling and clashing against hard-covered grimoires didn't provide her any conscious thoughts whatsoever, not a sound of anguish uttered let alone her thoughts were focused only at the person on the other side.

Finally, it's been so long since I've been in action, I wonder what kind of case today brings me—

"Welcome to the humble abode of the Detective Estate—" Tsubasa exclaimed enthusiastically as she swung the main doorway wide open.

A halcyon face painted her face. Which was surprisingly met with another that matched the positive vibe instantly.

The visitor had the outward appearance of a young girl with a slender and delicate body in comparison to Tsubasa. She had pure white hair with faint shimmers of blue that sparkled ethereally which falls down to her upper-back, with middle-parted bangs and two locks of hair framing her face on each side. Her porcelain skin complemented well with her enchanting sapphire-blue eyes; she was pretty much the same height as Tsubasa, hence their eyes met perfectly. She was dressed elegantly in a white button-up covered by a dark-blue blazer, skirt and tie. Her cherry smile had dimples, an aura of positivity and cuteness was nothing short of contagious. Another noticing feature was the translucent hair-clip shaped in a crescent moon hanging on the right-side of her head. Tsubasa was left speechless after catching sight of her; a shrill chill crept up from heel to head. Just a single glance from her expelled the rising morning that should have glowed brightly behind her. She was the personification of Winter itself.

"So I am at the right place after all." Her voice spoke in such a soft melody that was soothing. She stepped aside to the left only to reveal a falling giant letter 'E' that made an indent on the stoned walkway.

"I'll get that fixed…eventually." Fate truly had a way with messing with Tsubasa because at that moment multiple letters fell from above. The two of them stared blankly at the letters: 'V', 'S' and another 'E'. Not only was the Detective Estate sign ruined but the green garden and walkway was in need of a makeover. Pedestrians and passerby's eyed on the damage giving their two cents such as: "When are they going to finally renovate the place?" "I had completely forgotten this place existed, the Kingdom should just destroy it and replace it with something useful." "Are they still in business? Still wouldn't compete with the Bureau of Investigations, now those guys know how to get things done." "I've only heard bad things about this place, heard they beat up their employees that's why they all left, or so I've been told." Tsubasa pouted, hardly containing her rage. She found it infuriating that people desecrated the name of the great Detective Estate with their insolence and sarcasm.

"Hmm?" The visitor mused turning her attention back to Tsubasa.

"…anyway ignore them for now."

In the next moment, a large white owl descended onto the visitors shoulders. Weirdly, the visitor gave no reaction to it. She just stood there staring intently at Tsubasa, still with a cherry smile plastered on her face. Tsubasa wasn't sure how to proceed, with a giant owl nestled on the visitor, it was hard to make out whether it was a coincidence they came together at the same time or that the owl was the visitors familiar.

Ultimately Tsubasa made the conclusion that it was irrelevant to her whether they came together or not. Her gaze lowered at the visitor as she held document/s, which were clasped together by her two palms in a dignified manner. Bringing her attention back Tsubasa rolled a palm into a fist, fake coughing at it for reasons she unwittingly didn't know why.

"I'm Seijuku Tsubasa, the person who runs the Detective Estate, how can I help you?" Tsubasa flashed a warm smile, she extended a warm welcome hand. The other hand, whereby that wasn't coughed into.

"You should smile more, I bet a great number of our clients don't come to us because you scare them with your intense stare Detective!"

Tsubasa recalled those words from Eleanore, which she had said repeatedly in the past, though not necessary with the exact words used, but still the message was all the same.

Am I doing it right? Am I? This is a lot harder to do!

Is what Tsubasa would have thought under normal circumstances. However Tsubasa was for once genuinely happy to have someone stumble upon their establishment…or could it be that she was entranced by this strangers looks? A small blush escaped her cheeks.

"I am Luna Creselia, pleased to meet you." She exchanged her name and promptly shook Tsubasa's hand back in response.

Luna, too flashed a warm smile, it was more natural than Tsubasa's because it looked like her cheeks couldn't maintain that position any longer thus they twitched.

I can't take it anymore, my facial muscles weren't trained for this. Alas, she stopped smiling.

With introductions out of the way, Tsubasa showed Luna inside the Estate; which may have been a mistake.

There were grimoires that sprawled everywhere. Dust roamed the breathable air which made Luna cough.

"I apologise for that, you caught us in the middle of cleanup." Luna rubbed her eyes and the coughing subsided gradually.

"That's…alright. I simply wish to speak with you."

"Please follow me, this way."

Tsubasa escorted Luna down to her office which was past two large staircases that spiralled upwards on the second floor. There an opened doorway presented itself. Luna examined the room.

"Here, take a seat." Tsubasa gestured to the wooden chair that faced oppositely to a wooden desk with papers and ink-pens mounted over. Tsubasa promptly sat on her office chair, twirling it around to face Luna. The office itself was simplistic in design, the size was average for a room and almost like everything in the Estate thus far; shelves occupied the walls with books, trinkets and papered awards on display. Brass lanterns illuminated the room with a warm glow as there were no curtains nor windows present. There was a large painting above the doorway. It was a painting of a woman. Her body was just a tad larger than Tsubasa's just by eye-balling it from the picture in terms of height. She had a detective attire in brown clothing and a flat-cap and she wore a monocle over her right eye which had a golden strand sticking out. Her eyes were emerald and her hair was hazel-brown. Although Tsubasa couldn't determine the woman's hairstyle since her hair was tucked into her hat, figments of her strands hung out of it. Her eyes looked dead-tired with large black bags underneath them. There was something almost jarring about her from the way her dead-pan face looked like she really did not want to be there. Perhaps it wasn't her idea to get her painted, otherwise she wouldn't look so..annoyed.

"Now then, how can I help you." Tsubasa slouched, her fingers clasped accordingly, a leg sat atop the other and her head tilted slightly, smirking confidently. Luna opened her mouth wide.

"You are 'The person who runs the Detective Estate', that's what you said, am I mistaken?" She repeated the phrase Tsubasa blurted just moments ago.

"Correct. That's me."

"Well you and I both know that's not true, hmm." The girl called Luna declared as a matter of fact. She opened up her docket of papers that rested on her lap and began reading it's contents.

"A total of 168 cases and counting were taken under no permission or jurisdiction by your employer; the actual Detective Estate owner: Seijuku Reia, that's the person in the painting, yes?" Luna pointed a finger above her, referring to Seijuku Reia the true master of the Detective Estate as the person in the painting, they were one and the same. Tsubasa's was at awe, no words escaped her mouth nor did her body dare to serve an answer in it's stead. She remained frozen, her eyes widened, dilating inquisitively at Luna.

"Judging from your reaction I'd say I hit the mark. My, you've performed such a serious employee misconduct." Luna giggled. But Tsubasa found nothing about those claims an iota to be ridiculed of.

"I—"

"You are also charged for asset misappropriation fraud for commandeering the Detective Estate along with it's resources and intellectual properties. Hmm, I see you've also been charged with alleged employee mistreatment and profession impersonation? That sound familiar to you Ms. Detective? Luna's eyes glared upwards peeking from the docket smiling teasingly.

"Well?" Luna's eyes squinted followed by her tilting her head sideways, eager to gauge Tsubasa's reaction.

They had barely just met and the tension couldn't be more palpable. Her looks were just as deceiving as her manner of speech. Tsubasa did not expect to hear an outright report from this person. Her confident posture collapsed right away. If this wasn't the perfect example of an execution to one's ego, Tsubasa didn't know what was.

She was left on the spot, her body jittered with a stir of emotions. Her fingers dug deep into the her chairs armrests, her feet tapped fidgety in the air, Tsubasa inhaled a whiff of air and blowed it all away. Her actions stopped, ceasing to embarrass herself than she should have let her. It was embarrassing for her to take this long enough to figure out who the person in front of her really was.

"So you're the bureau agent appointed to us then?" Tsubasa stared gravely at Luna, her eyebrows narrowed sternly anticipating for a debated counterattack at any driven moment.

"That's right." Luna nodded, still her face remained unchanged. Tsubasa questioned whether this girl had the capacity to reveal any other emotions or facial expressions. It bothered her how lax and nonchalant she behaved whilst Tsubasa was getting nailed with no opening to defend herself from these absurd accusations. They really sent someone this troublesome to grill us ey? Challenge accepted.

"What you said is correct, but it's more complicated than that. I doubt your report covered that part though." Tsubasa fingered at the docket. Luna looked down again at it, then up.

"Hmm, I have no reason to believe an alleged criminal like yourself. But your circumstances in particular are odd. Because the Detective Estate has a history of a well-known place held in high-regard, the authorities would find it difficult to storm in and reclaim everything. It's a legal binding that I'm confident someone in the Estate was responsible for, a long time ago." Tsubasa arched a brow upwards.

"After meeting you in person, I doubt that person could be you." Luna giggled obnoxiously, basically mocking Tsubasa from the get-go.

"Get to the point already!"

"So impatient. I pity this place truly. Very well, I'll explain." Luna pursed her lips with a finger.

"In three months will be your trial in court against your crimes, alleged or not. To make sure you don't do anything drastic for the time-being. The Kingdom advisories have decided to take a watchful eye on you. That's why they sent me here." Tsubasa sighed uncaringly.

"Tell me something I don't know. I was wondering what the Kingdom wanted after their several attempts to plough me to the floor by sending multiple spokespersons, and I'm already rock-bottom here, now you people think I need a babysitter?" Tsubasa scoffed.

"I hope you do understand the severity of your situation. You should have thought more about it before signing that contract; it may have benefited you but only temporarily, now it's coming back to bite you." Luna stood up from her chair, and instantly closed the distance between them, her body leaned forward over the desk now their faces barely apart from each other.

"From now on you are forbidden from going anywhere outside without my say so. The Kingdom has reclaimed any messenger owls to and from the Estate, so you won't be expecting anyone to send you anything. But I'll allow you to perform magic as long as it's inside the Estate, but that's the farthest my kindness will take you."

"I take it that I can't take on investigations either?"

"You catch on quick." Tsubasa glanced away, from the closeness of their proximity, she awaited to grab some space. But Luna gently captured her fleeing cheek with her soft palms before she had the chance; centring Tsubasa's face to focus on hers.

"Any violation of my conditions will of course plead you guilty effectively. Just a letter from me to headquarters and you can consider your defending stance on court forgone by." Luna's cold stare was on par with the face of death, her emotions were non-existent and her lifeless eyes were a testament to that. Tsubasa did her absolute best not to provoke her any further. It was a miracle that from the duration of their encounter in the office she hadn't erupted at Luna. Tsubasa understood the situation, right now she was in no position to talk back. She listened obediently; occasionally nodding in comprehension. Should she make waves that put her against any favour, and if taken into account by what Luna said is true. Her chances of getting out of this would be highly beneficial if she just cooperated accordingly. As much as she wanted to blast this person away, she couldn't.

"But you can relax around me. I won't interrogate you or hurt you. My only job is to simply watch you, making sure you don't cause trouble. You're lucky that some people convinced the authorities to be more lenient with you. After-all to us you're just a minor threat, if not harmless." Luna flashed a radiant smile, the Neptune oceans roamed her eyes once more; her hand moved from Tsubasa's cheeks to her head and proceeded to pat it tenderly. Now it was believed that Tsubasa was not seen as a threat in the first place. Rather they treated her like a dog on a leash. But I'm not gonna shy away and not show my tricks.

"Lastly, you are forbidden from using advanced magic. You are strictly permitted to only use basic-spell casts and wizardry."

"I concur, but…Luna."

"Yes, Tsubasa?" There was a slight pause. Tsubasa half expected Luna to catch on but that wasn't happening.

"How long do you plan on keeping your hand on my head?" Luna kept playing with Tsubasa's head despite the ongoing conversation, as serious as it was. To Tsubasa her case was detrimental to her survival as well as the legacy of the Detective Estate and it's predecessors. But to Luna, she treated it like it was just a game, the fate of Tsubasa danced in the palm of her hands. Making the stance to prove her innocence all the more critical and priority-worthy.

Luna squinted her eyes as she brought her face close to Tsubasa's ears where her whispers were audible. A swift airy breath sent the detective's ear fluttering.

"You're blushing." The words tickled her.

"Iyaaaaaa." Tsubasa retreated, squealing at a high pitch, she then cradled her face in her knees concealing her red face.

Luna laughed in contentment.

"You're so fun to tease."

"Could you not?"

"Now, my first decree for you." Tsubasa eye-balled unenthusiastically, knowing that whether she was about to say would not be good for her in any universe.

"Help me move in my bags." Tsubasa was taken aback.

"You're staying here! With us? What! Why!"

"You already know why! I'm your warden and there's no place in Eldoria where you can escape me." Luna laughed cheerfully. Meanwhile Tsubasa despaired in what things will be like for the next three months.

Warden: Luna Creselia

Affiliation: Bureau of Magic

Class: Magician (Ice-bound)

Class Title: [Classified]

Divine Aptitude: [Classified]