Read Legendary Detective at the World's End (Volume 1) Online
Authors: Kaye Wagner
“…” Yumi ignored his words and continued to play as if she were possessed, losing herself between the notes of the song.
Listening to her effortless play, the tension in the room died down and was replaced with a sense of remorse that everyone shared as they recalled the violence and deaths of the day, save for Milk though, who danced around the room as Yumi played, ignorant of it all.
“Big sis plays a song, big sis plays a song.” Milk sung.
“That’s right.” Yumi smiled through a pained face.
As the song reached its end, Kara clapped her hands. “Amazing… You should become a DJ.”
“Haha…” Jake chuckled. “From pianist to DJ, that’s a big leap, don’t you think?”
“Why?” Kara shrugged. “Same difference, except the crowds are livelier when a DJ performs.”
Yumi laughed. “Haha…”
“You see,” Kara pointed to Yumi. “She likes the idea.”
“No,” Yumi shook her head. “Because I already am one, a DJ, that is.”
“What? Really?”
“Yeah,” she nodded. “And my brother, he was one of the best, and was a lot like you. He wanted to come to the big city, join the Underground, and make history. What a stupid man…” Yumi scoffed, breaking her light mood. “But he lived for it.” She smiled again briefly.
Kara lowered her head a bit, uncomfortable with Yumi’s sadness.
“Hey!” Jay said bursting through the door. “The Caravan’s ready, let’s go.”
“Alright.” Kara said turning to Yumi. “You ready?”
Yumi got up from her seat. “Yeah…” She said walking over to a smiling Milk, wrapping her hand around his arm. “He’s the only luggage I have with me.”
“Hey, I don’t have that much either,” Kara said looking around the expensive furnishings. “Well, everything here’s my mother’s but, you know what I—I, well maybe I don’t understand.” She said fumbling over her words, uncomfortable with Yumi’s distant eyes. “Anyways, how about we just get out of here?”
“Yeah, let’s go.” Yumi said heading for the door alongside Kara, but before she exited, she turned to Kirin and Jake.
“Thanks, for everything.” Yumi said. “And don’t worry about me.” She said looking at Jake.
“You just be safe now.” Jake said.
“I will be.” She said letting go of the hand of Milk as she walked over to Jake and planted a kiss on his cheek. “You be safe now too.” She said turning around and walking out of the room with Kara and Milk. Jake watched as the door slammed shut. As soon as it did, he let out a big sigh. “Haah…”
“What’s wrong with you?” Kirin asked.
“What the hell did we do today?”
“What do you mean? We finished our first case.”
“It doesn’t feel like it.”
“Hey,” Kirin smiled. “Not everyone lives at the end of the story—the only thing you can hope for is that the question you asked at the beginning of the case was answered.”
“What was even the question at the beginning of this case?”
“If we could keep this agency?”
Jake lifted his head up. “Yeah, we didn’t really progress there.”
“I disagree. With the Captain’s death along with Reese’s, the Union secured a fall guy for the death of the merchant and with the Captain gone, I think we lost our only enemy willing to pursue us consistently under Union guidelines.”
“Wait… How do you know the Captain is dead?”
Kirin smiled and pulled out a radio from his pocket. “Ta-Da.”
“Isn’t that… the same radio the old man in the sewer had?”
Kirin nodded his head. “Picked it out of his pocket, could be useful if we want to find some mysteries for this ‘Agency’ of yours.”
“Rin, so you’re really all in?”
“That rhymed.” Kirin smiled. “I like that.”
“So you actually like your nickname?” Jake smiled.
“I wouldn’t go that far, but I’m getting comfortable with it.” Kirin said nonchalantly. “Now off to find this
Cloud
.” He said walking to the door.
“What?”
“You know—the thing Yumi was telling us about before, at the office.”
“You know she was lying, right?”
“Of course.”
“Then why are you going after it, it doesn’t exist.”
“Ahah…” Kirin said raising a finger. “That’s where you’re wrong. Sometimes lies carry valuable ideas worth pondering, even to search out. And the lie she gave us in that room is consistent with a certain reality in Teigen.”
“What reality?”
“That humans are connected, and always are searching for new ways to communicate with each other. And a cloud, a thing that floats above all humanity, distant, yet inextricably linked to the fall and rise of kingdoms with its information on chemistry between elements and the resource of water it builds within its folds. Such power it has, just like words—weightless but heavy when need be. Doesn’t it seem like the perfect system to do that, to transfer energy through? Maybe even thoughts?”
“Sounds unnatural to me.”
Kirin smiled. “And that’s what makes it so exciting.” He said rushing out the door. Jake, watching him as he exited the room, could not help but smile before chasing him down in wonder and anticipation for whatever new adventure they would take on.