Komaru was quite satisfied with his new clothes. They clearly suit his face.
I need to remember that I am not good-looking like Ryota. Unlike me, any type of clothes will suit on him. Maybe not the ones made for girls. It is really funny to imagine Ryota wearing girl's clothes...
With nothing else to do, he practiced using his Principle.
When it was nighttime, he went to sleep.
In the middle of the night, the pure white coloured moon was hanging in the sky, looking like a painting made by an artist.
Komaru, who was sleeping soundly, jolted awake, drenched in sweat.
"What the...what happend?" Komaru muttered.
He did not know why he suddenly woke up. Just a moment ago he was dreaming.
"I can't remember my dream..." Komaru slowly got out of the bed.
He went towards the window and placed a chair nearby. He sat on the chair. The chair was previously facing the bed which Komaru slept on.
He silently watched the white moon, being mesmerized by its beauty.
Few cold breezes went on Komaru's face, calming his mind.
He was absorbed by the serene atmosphere in the night.
He thought, Did I dream of a nightmare? That explains why I was drenched in sweat and was feeling afraid. But why can't I remember what the dream was about?
Although forgetting about one's dream is very common, I should have atleast remembered a small part of it.
With a sigh, he muttered, "Perhaps my memory is getting worse..."
At that moment, he thought of his parents, who had not visited him for about an year.
Its been some time since I wrote a letter to them. Now seems like a good time.
Before he went to write the letter, he opened the wooden cupboard and took out a towel to wipe the sweat off of him.
After putting the towel back in the cupboard, he took the same chair and placed it near the wooden desk, which was in the right corner of the room.
He took a pen and paper and thought about what to write.
"Dear Mom and Dad,
"Its been quite a long time since I wrote a letter to you guys.
"First of all, yes, I am doing good. The money you gave me helped me. I have a little amount left, but I don't know if it will last for a long time...
"Mr. Shinunaki taught me about Principles and their rituals. Not long ago, I also did the ritual and created my own Principle. My Principle is based on history. The more I learn about history, the faster my Principle evolves, making me stronger.
"To evolve my Principle, I decided to move to the city of Matalop. I have rented a house, which costs 15 cinders per month. The landlady, Mrs. Donnie was really generous about the price.
"I have also got myself a job. It involves reporting crime details to the police. The salary is around 40 cinders per month. I am also looking forward to getting a spot on the leaderboards.
"As you can see, I am doing great. But I really hope that you guys finish your work as soon as possible and come back. Also, I need some money, so please...
"Your lovely and handsome son,
Komaru Wilson."
Komaru nodded and put the pen down.
I will send this letter to the post office tomorrow on my way to work. I will have to spend another 10 Ryn for the stamp...
In Grazinas, it was necessary to put stamps on the letters. It was used to differentiate between the types of letters.
For informal letters written to family members or friends, a single stamp was used.
For formal letters written to your bosses, or someone with a formal relationship with you, two stamps were used.
This was a very important detail which could not be neglected, as letters without stamps would be just thrown away.
I remember my letter once being thrown in trash because I forgot to put the stamp on it...
Komaru placed the letter under the drawer and closed it.
With nothing else in mind, Komaru once again went back to sleep.
The date which Komaru mentioned in his letter was 21st May, 1494.
.....
The next day, Komaru woke up at 6 am. He quickly brushed his teeth, took a shower and prepared his breakfast-the great speagus soup.
He changed into the clothes he had bought yesterday, specifically the first set of clothes. He had a greater preference towards the first set.
After changing, he went out and through the lift, reached the ground floor.
On the ground floor, he encountered a man who looked in his mid 30s. He had shirt black hair and brown eyes. He had a small nose and small lips. His most noticeable facial feature was his high cheekbones.
The man came towards Komaru and pushed his hand forward for a handshake and said, "Good morning. I believe you are Komaru, the faithful guy who is also my new renter? My name is Chris Dogas. I am Donnie's husband. She must have told you about me I believe?"
Sigh...he also calls me faithful. Its so annoying...
Komaru shook his hand and said, "Good morning, Mr. Chris. Yes, I am Komaru, your new renter. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"I believe you are departing for your job? Ah, if only I had the liberty to choose a more lenient job."
"Mrs. Donnie told me that you are the head of Matalop's Architectural Department. Forgive me if I am being impolite, but isn't being the head of the department more lenient than other jobs like a crime reporter?"
"Haha. Well, the biggest disadvantage is that I will have to attend an emergency meeting even during my free time. Not only that, I have to work 70 hours every week. And the only good thing is the good salary. There is work days even on weekends."
He is complaining even with such a high salary. But 70 hours every week is a lot. Adding the fact that you have to work even on weekends...compared to him, I have a much more easier life.
"That sounds very tough. I hope you do well in the future."
"Haha. I sure hope so. Anyways, tonight my wife has planned to hold a social dinner party. I hope you can take out some of your time and attend the party."
A dinner party? Sure, who doesn't like free food?
Komaru smiled and said, "of course. It would be a shame to miss the party."
"Alright. The party will start at 9 o' clock. Make sure you don't forget about it."
"Yes, I will make sure to arrive on time. Thank you." Komaru bowed slightly.
After bidding farewell to Chris, he went outside and started walking to the pilice station.
When he reached his destination, he greeted the policemen around him and went towards the desk where Ryota was sitting.
After a simple greeting, Ryota stood up and said, "You have a task today."
A task this early...I thought I could stay away from it for some more time...
"A man named Harry Young was found dead in his house in the 5 George Street. Your job is to head to his house and take note of all the details of the crime. Don't worry, I will send one more person with you." After saying that, he dialed a number on the phone present on the desk to call someone.
"Yes. Your presence is needed. Yes, you only have to assist him and he will do the reporting." After hanging up, Ryota gestured Komaru to sit.
After waiting for some time, a woman who looked a little older than Komaru entered through the main gate.
She had long black hair with brown eyes. She was around the same height as Komaru. She had good facial features.
She went up to Ryota and greeted him. After that, she turned towards Komaru and said, "Good morning. My name is Milena Frost. I will be your assistant during your crime reports. Pleasure to meet you."
After introducing himself, Komaru shook her hand. Ryota then said, "The house is in the 5 George Street, at the far end. It has a black chimney. You will be able to recognize it easily."
After taking the location, Komaru and Milena went outside and booked a taxi.
Inside, Milena started speaking, "So, tell me about yourself."
Komaru replied, "I came here from Delergen. My main purpose is to get on the Leaderboards and evolve my Principle. What about you?"
Milena replied, "I was born in Zegaer Kingdom. But due to the poor living conditions, my family constantly shifted from one city to another, until ultimately deciding to send me to Grazinas for studies. And now, here I am, working under Ryota."
"So, how was working under Ryota like?"
"It wasn't bad. Ryota isn't a bad person. Although he is very good-looking, he also is very cunning and shameless. If he gets the chance, he will scam people. But thats about it. I didn't feel like my freedom was restricted at all."
Just then, the taxi stopped. They had reached their destination.
After getting out of the taxi and paying the fare, they wandered on the street for some time.
They kept looking around them in hopes to find the house with the black chimney.
Houses in Matalop which had chimneys were not very common. This was because in Matalop, there was a saying that houses with chimneys were the places where devils resided.
This phrase came from an urban legend in the 2nd world war. People believed that soldiers who were killed in the war were burnt in these chimneys. And this was why the saying went like this.
Aside from that, another reason was the invention of Smoke Collector. It was invented by a renowned scientist from Grazinas.
It was usually very cheap, hence why instead of using chimneys, people bought this.
At that moment, Milena tugged Komaru's sleeves.
She said, "Look, thats the house we are looking for." while pointing her finger.
Komaru nodded, and they both went towards the house.
Upon reaching there, Komaru clearly saw the big black chimney. The walls of the house were also painted red.
There was a policeman standing near the door. Seeing the two, the policeman asked them for their ids.
Milena rummaged through her pocket and took out her id. She said, "This is the guy who will note the details of the crime. Please let us in."
The policeman nodded, and stepped aside. The two went inside the house.