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yutasbimil · 1 year ago

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Anomaly

vyn x fem!oc | tears of themis ff. (psychology major!lead) ✦ (3/8) [series fic] !!! also posted on my ao3 acc! { here } tags: angst, fluff, hurt/comfort cw: heavy on the (self) angst; mental anguish; mentions of anxiety and depression // smut is moved again, oops + supposedly this is a 'x reader' fic but got too heavy eventually, I apologize truly ;; word count: 3.5k

do not repost © yutasbimil (2023)

cont.

With all that she's going through right now, Yule knows this is beyond 'normal' or expected of a person. Also, with her views and treatment towards herself, she ought to know that her state turned brittle with little to no regard she feels towards greatness.

She deserves more. But she can't quite get there yet to love herself again. No wonder she feels disquieted, she's her own immense pressure crushing her.

She's not able to breathe freely since.

It has been the third night in a row she's struck awake so suddenly.

It's as if hairs are directly plucked out of her skin all at once, the exchange still lingers on her mind. But his “nice” treatment irked her the most. She’s not used to being attended to, nor brought any interest– his level of keen engulf-ness towards her was unsettling.

No one ever looked at me like that with such focus or care.

But she likes it.

To be frank, she’s scared. Like, is she able to handle this?

For most of her life, her belief is that she’s too much of a mess to keep her relationships intact. That’s what her mother always says. That’s her warning. It’s too painful. All men are pricks. She wouldn’t even be able to maintain responsibilities as she’s helpless as fuck. And it’s always her who has a hell of a personality.

Although, as “awful” as she absolutely is, she’s expected to be a ‘good girl’.

She feels disoriented, she’s neglected most of her time. You shouldn’t do this. You shouldn’t be like that– She’s been warned and reprimanded when she’s showing behavior that dismays them, but they’re showing and doing said ‘bad actions’ as well?

She’s confused.

Yule felt her throat dry, itching for some hydration. The sign of pools of sweat alarmed her to wash off her night terrors.

Her mess of hair reflects what she's going through internally.

Yule recently just moved to Stellis.

She’s not used to the silence of the space. The neat array of items also makes her more disoriented. She’s used to chaos.

Although now, she’s breathing more properly as she’s not much strangled by the shackles of her household. However, she wasn’t ready for the gravity of how it was heavier and bringing her down this much.

The burden of not living on the same roof anymore, makes her feel more lost and disarray.

Its effects remain consistent and persistent.

The sound of the door ringing signaled her senses awake back to reality. A package that she would take in a bit. Her mind shifts again. Add more as her eyes crossed the envelope mocking her line of sight at the kitchen table. Her results just came from her previous clinic, and she requested a physical copy of the psychological assessment. (In case she goes berserk, she can quickly burn them). It seems expected that the words bear weight, despite her previous assumption.

She’s diagnosed with BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder).

“Figures,” she whispered as if with contempt.

She almost tossed the contents back to her desk to make space for her preparing breakfast despite her lack of appetite.

Also with last time, she's pushing people away as much as she's growing attached. She’s quick to erase people off her life at one slip up, or more on directing the blame onto herself when she fucks up. Even almost turning down every opportunity that comes her way now that she's living independently.

What's wrong with me?

At least now the answer slowly unfolds itself to her up front.

Nevertheless, it's still quite difficult to swallow, it’s quicker to swallow her whole first than her comprehending any of this.

She’s late on their appointment, or to say their ‘date’. Yule still can’t seem to accept they’re dating, although starting it slow.

“I'm sorry, Dr. Ritcher.” she huffs, and then sits in her usual space in the tranquil garden of Vyn’s house. She drifts back to her thoughts of this morning, throat dry making it all harder to sink into her system the fact she has a disorder. No amount of water can quench the desert of her discovery.

This should be an easy step after knowing.

Her case is mild so to say, she’s fine on the fact she’s still keeping her close relationships intact as other cases have it worse.

Like her case, it's a good thing, by the looks of it, and she's managing.

But it can't erase the fact that she's having a difficult time.

Yule just gawks, staring into space and Vyn had noticed her presence elsewhere for the last minute.

“You're okay?” Vyn’s low voice snaps her out of her dissociating state. “You haven't touched much of the sponge cake I made.”

Was it served too sweet? Vyn ponders as he retastes his portion.

“It's exquisite actually.” Yule is nimble to regain her ‘usual’ persona, it seems convincing as her avoidance was unnoticed. The cream on her face stole the spotlight.

“You've got cream by your—”

“Oh, I'll get it,” she’s quick to beat Vyn ahead to wipe it off, blushing as Vyn chuckles at her timidness.

She took this chance to ask him, blurting out the thoughts that have been occupying her.

“What would you do if your loved one got diagnosed with a mental disorder?”

“As if they have any other choice as well?” Vyn voiced, concern visible in his tone.

She flushed.

Right, it's his job.

“It's just… what if they did you wrong and is a horrible person, would you leave them?” Yule conceded. It sounded all concluded and sorted out, with no means of being refuted.

Vyn had to look at her directly to check on her expression. It was troubled.

“Not everything is black and white.” Vyn prompts, though, he pauses to articulate his thoughts more. His tone sounded a tad bit reprimanding. “That depends on the whole picture for me to properly assess and answer your question, dear.”

That’s another way to put it.

Yule is so used to thinking of people as ‘absolute’; good and bad. And that of course leads to a disastrous way of thinking.

Though, this was only as of recently. She ponders more.

On Vyn’s end, he tries to objectively view her behavior just now. By the looks of it, it is also safe to convey his view and what he ought to respond to in these instances.

It should be pointed out that people can make mistakes and not everything could be perfect. Not everything could be easily tossed away just because it has some shortcomings. Falling short does not equate to inadequacy. One can have lapses of discrepancies and surges of outbursts. But that does not make them a completely horrible person.

She could only explain it at a surface level for now though.

“I thought at first, it's "mere" Impostor Syndrome when the underlying problems stem from something greater, also this may be the price of being a ‘perfectionist’.” She manages to vent out, her body language helps her express her distress.

Vyn unconsciously mirrors the state she is in momentarily.

“I'll say the same thing for myself as I oftentimes still have left judgment in that regard.” Vyn implored, intriguing the person he was conversing to to further elaborate.

He seems so well put together, with no neurosis, whatsoever. A sound-minded person, unlike me–

Yule still can’t comprehend such displays of tolerance. “Why so?”

“Of course, if I happen to care for them, I'll try to stay by them and understand their complexities to the best of my ability,” he responds, though the slump in his shoulders broads beyond what he’s trying to convey at the moment. “If it was a year ago, I'd say it differently…”

Yule finds it familiar, as if déjà vu.

“Rosa said the same thing, are those her words?” She waits momentarily for him to nod before she speaks again. “Working in the legal field does open you a lot.”

“I don't think that's the case.” Vyn postulated, his fingers meeting his lips as he spoke. “It's how we're raised as well that gave us this factor…”

“Hmmm…?”

It was more thought out loud, but it’s also out of character for him to utter out unconsciously. A Freudian slip.

“Nothing.”

The hesitance was evident minutes ago. As if they’re tiptoeing on what’s supposed to be laid out for the moment, but they’re sure they’re not ready to open up the shadows and etches of the past just yet.

But the tone they deliver gave them a glimpse of both their past. They may be a bit similar in that aspect.

“Is anything wrong, Yule?” Vyn tries to stir back on their supposed route of conversation. Yule heaves in a breath, as in fact, there are many things wrong in her head at this very instance. She just picks honesty to guide her through this.

“Do you happen to know anyone?” She starts out slow with her speaking. “Or residing here at Stellis where… I could get treatment?”

Vyn’s eyes are dilated for a moment before turning distant to think.

“Why can't you choose me though?” Vyn blunts.

“We… we know each other, Vyn,” Yule responds, stating the obvious, but also the fright it gives on violating such ethics in the field.

“Right…” Vyn replies dryly, as if already expecting a response from his intended error. It was indeed bad humor. Though, it isn't like him to let a detail like that slip off his mind.

“And…”

“And?” Vyn’s eyebrow perked up at her.

“It's against the ethics and protocols if you know, or happen to be falling for your psychiatrist— Horney?”

“Pardon?” Vyn blinks, (he heard it differently), unsure as he turns to her again for confirmation. “Hmmm?”

“Uhm no, I don't want the same case with her and Fromm.” Yule clarifies, it then clicked a familiar content atop Vyn’s head.

Before he could add anything else, Yule cuts short his curiosity and advances to ever create a teasing atmosphere.

“Do not give any mind to what I am saying, Dr. Richter.” she ends the topic there.

Vyn just chuckles, he just picks to put a different cake on her plate, smiling. “Okay, focus back on eating. Find another time to compose yourself. By then you can give me the needed documents sometime soon so I can easily refer you.”

Yule sighs, finally able to feel the sweetness of the cake he baked seep over her. “Thank you so much, Vyn.”

"There’s just some distinct smell in hotels I can easily tell." Yule pauses as her eyes darkened scanning through the area. The apparent smell of the casino is filled with smoke in the air. It still tingles her nose as they pass by.

The smell of mixed lemon and ginger filled her senses, it made her itch to the skin.

She and her family almost always check in her teenage years, more on their background and her privileged godmother who almost always seemed to have an extra room to spare for them to stay in distinguished hotels.

And all that went down the drain, the same as the crap-ton of bile that used to be in her system. Depression almost always kills her mood at that time along with the mundane, shallow atmosphere. This is all at naught.

All is not worth it with the cold feet and sleepless nights as she's not comfortable sleeping that's not her own bed.

“You’re quite accustomed to it?” Marius asks, turning her back into reality.

“More on familiarized enough…” she heavily sighs, the exorbitant glamour of the displays almost blinds her, even grazing over it feels burning to the touch. All this, she’s willing to give up for peace of mind.

Or at least she already let go of the moment she moved here at Stellis.

Though, of course, the past can still creep in ways unexpected. Its traces cannot be easily removed, much like a trailblazer, and it can consume one’s senses, going through your memories uninvited. It rummages unwanted thoughts.

It reminded her of the time she spent being hung up on a person. It was truly a dark time for her back then.

The topic shifted as they changed selections on branded bags. Yule merely drifts off with her story. “And now he’s famous, too far for my reach…”

Of course, Marius being Marius, he’s getting cocky.

"Maybe I can contact them?" he starts. Even going along patting his pants pocket for his phone as an easy access.

She snickered at the taller male. "You're only saying that to ease me." She moves through another display of leather belts, her eyes shifted to an array of colored ties, the hues reminded her of her bleak past. "He doesn't even know me to begin with." Her tone was as muted as the peacock blue accents of the tie.

I didn’t let myself known to him, thinking highly of him as out of my league.

"Is this different from the previous one you mentioned to me in class?" Marius confirms, eyes elsewhere on the male accessories, he’s looking for a more… lighter, more appealing blush sheen to be given as a gift.

Yule hums, following along in his stead. "Yes. Again, it's not worth it as they don't even know me." she clarifies, emphasizing for him to no longer bring too much effort into talking about this matter.

"So? You don’t know the power of von Hagens…"

"Bro, I do know but I won’t abuse it… besides that was years ago…" Yule brushes off his offer once again, her voice fades the same as the faded colors they’re looking at, a wide variation of bags.

“And the one I mentioned back then… She now has someone, she’s… " Yule looks at the baby shoes in the aisle across theirs. The immense pressure kicks in on the present day, of milestones or supposed achievements in her age.

‘I’m unemployed, didn’t even bother taking boards, just starting my master's studies, now as alone as the big whale in the vast ocean.

I feel I could be eaten alive by the harsh reality anytime.’

Yule swallows as it stacked more and more on her seemingly empty list in her head.

She redirects her focus, now eyes locked gazing at a Coach bag, comparing it to the mint with hints of yellow accents… Yule feels a tinge of guilt, reminded of someone.

But she feels blown away by the presence near her, she further sees the gap between them.

“Stop moping around and I’ll get that for you.” Marius notices her empty glances, he is quick to swift his hands to gesture to the sales clerk.

Before she could refuse, he already called the lady.

Yule glared, hissing sharply, almost in a whisper. Attempting to hide her flared cheeks behind her hand, she leans into the navy blue-haired man. “Marius von Hagen, don't you dare!”

This doesn’t even reach half of her paycheck tuition to grad school!— Yule torments over the flashy price tag.

“You and Rosa really are friends, come on, don’t be shy.” Marius doesn’t have a hint of remorse in his cheeky face, it’s as rosy as the thought of the Rose he had in mind.

“How easy for you to say that with a straight face to an ordinary person like me?” Yule rolls her eyes, mocking as if on the verge to faint (she will if she were to pay this here and now).

Marius brushes his fingernails, riding along her humor. “What can you do? You’re friends with a celebrity.”

“I’m constantly reminded, thanks.”

So smug, so full of himself but she can’t help but be bashful keeping her mouth shut.

Yule holds back her timidness. She could only sigh in defeat. “Make sure to contact me if you need anything, not that your connections aren't as sparse and vast already…”

“I’ll just need help with Rosa,” he says, diverted with his focus as he found a bag he had in mind. As if on cue, he lifted a rose-embroidered bag.

“Oh wow, it’s as if you aren’t making progress already in sweeping her off her feet.”

Marius looked at Yule, shocked as if any reciprocal interest wasn’t shown to him. But her wide-eyed expression is more on slipping a vital secret. She’s still left mouth agape, to herself like: Gurl, oh shit! She might’ve said something she shouldn’t.

“That is valuable information— important for you to keep it a secret,” she gestures a zip your mouth at him, distancing herself now. She could only cling to her life, as seen clearly by how she’s clinging too much to the bag.

“Also, she kept that picture you did of her in her room?” No, not another slip-up— she continues salvaging the conversation. “Maybe a painted customized bag instead. I think that is what she’ll appreciate a ton loads especially how “every brush stroke is filled with your feelings” or whatever you artists try to encapsulate…” Yule brushes it off casually, ‘barely satisfactorily successful’ if she may add. But her mind is then weighted by something else seeing her reflection.

Man, the gap suddenly pressured her. Rich ass money.

As much as she’s trying her best, knowing they’re at a similar age, she's older than him even (same age as Rosa), yet he has a lot achieved already, considering he’s talented af outside of his responsibilities.

Yule stops herself there from further spiraling, breathing in, she pulls herself together.

No, it disregards his effort, and his background on how separate that is.

Now she has too much freedom thinking all of this now independent and alone, far from her hometown and family. From everything else holding her back.

It is peaceful in comparison.

The comfort of daily life, and considering she also cut her connections… to nothing.

But at what cost? Crap, her pride is even eating her up to ask for help in finding a job. Again, even the connections all got cut. All her damn resources. Nothing.

Alas, one cannot eat pride.

She can at least bite her tongue not to spur sarcasm at this dude. Riches and all, he's still as normal of a guy, annoying even.

Yule could only swallow further with her much-held pride with the next words that came off his mouth.

"Vincent just informed me. Wait tomorrow morning or so, you'd have a call interview coming up." Marius stated, quickly putting back his phone in his pocket. She’s been trailing off for the last minute, they’re already walking out of the shop.

As if at cue, Yule's phone buzzed, indicating an email of the job offer. She has been waiting for a vacancy at any of the von Hagen's businesses. And as much as it was a joke, she knew he's got too much on his plate to even accommodate her, let alone give her a favor in the likes of her. She can't believe he even remembered that minor mention of her job hunting.

So it was a genuine reaction, eyes popping out of surprise as she almost tackled him in gratitude.

"You’re a lifesaver, Sir von Hagen." Yule tries to suppress her mirth. She handshakes firmly instead. She almost hugged him out of glee but it isn't appropriate out in the public eye. She repeatedly bows as Marius shakes his head with a feeble smile.

This means a lot to her, especially as she's starting from scratch.

She’s fucking glad she made friends with his dude. But more on witnessing the push and pull with Rosa, they’re as amusing as watching a Korean drama. Yule keeps a giggle to herself.

"Oh, come on, don’t treat me like I’m a saint." Marius brows perk at the title, waving his hands side to side. "And Vincent took great care of background checking you, I think you've got lots to offer me instead."

"Of course, none of that would slip by you, huh?" She kept a small smile to herself. Her family is known in the business industry, and although not like any of the top-rated ones, it sells well.

Marius gave her a keen look before settling into a nod. Best not to question her further.

"If ever you don't pass, I'll have a list of openings that are hiring, I'm sure one of them would best fit you. Though, HR Assistant best suits you, hmmm?"

Saying as if he's sure she doesn't need to although, just in case. She appreciates his helpfulness, she won't take any of it for granted.

"I wouldn't even face you if I failed any of this, Marius."

"So you better not." He even shots her an encouraging grin.

Finally, none of his overconfidence.

Though, she takes it as a compliment and warmth in her chest as he's able to be this cheeky around her. They both know they've had enough of the CEO mask crap he's putting up 24/7. It might be a similar and close age, but at the end of the day, Yule sees where Rosa is coming from. Marius is Marius.

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catsidhesilvie · 1 year ago

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Cat-Trapped

FMiqoWol/Themis fluff, 6.2 spoilers. I wrote this while trapped under a cat because of course I did.

Wyra let out a heavy sigh as she sunk to the ground. Her back was pressed against a massive tree, the sun-soaked bark warming her skin pleasantly through the thin fabric of her robe.

While she generally preferred clothing that was less bulky in appearance, she had to admit that the ancients had found a way to make their staple fashion items comfortable. The robes, pants, and shoes seemed to be made of the highest-quality leather she had ever seen, resistant to staining and tough enough to prevent tearing – and yet they were somehow still lightweight and breathable.

As her thoughts began to meander, she mused how strange it was that, sitting under a blue-leafed tree on a floating island thousands of years in the past, it would be the magicks of the ancients’ clothing she found herself pondering. If she was honest to herself, she wasn't sure if she really wanted to think about the other things too hard. Having too much time to ponder the marvels of Elpis was likely to either leave her sad at the place's future destruction, or otherwise with a headache from trying to understand creation magicks beyond her ken.

Elpis itself was a wonder. While the facility had zones which put creations to the test in arid or frozen environments, Wyra had yet to see anything beyond beautiful, temperate weather in the greater sections. It was always akin to the nicest day of spring, with a cool breeze that wasn't too cold but also didn't allow those working there to overheat. Despite days spent fighting off various beastly creations and chasing around a bird girl who was a master of hide and seek, Wyra had never felt as though she needed to take a breather just to cool down.

That said, mental exhaustion as well as physical aches were enough to make her want to take the opportunity at hand to rest for a moment.

Wyra had come to Elpis this time to check in on Themis and Erichthonios to see how work towards restoring Pandaemonium had progressed, as well as to see if she could learn anything more about the beasts which awaited them in lower levels.

Pandemonium was… less pleasant than Elpis, if still a magical marvel. The air had been stagnant there, as though it, too, were fixed in stasis, alongside its many imprisoned creations. The temperature was generally uncomfortable, ranging from cold and damp when she fought the hippokampos to miserably hot when she faced the phoinix. Things had improved slightly on the first layer after her defeat of Hesperos, but the knowledge that the other levels were in equal disarray made her dread their inevitable descent. Wyra knew getting to the root of the issue was necessary to protect the ancient and future star, but it didn’t mean she had to enjoy fulfilling her duty every time.

Before checking in with Themis and Erichthonios in Pandaemonium itself, she had decided to journey to the buildings that the researchers lived and worked out of to see if she could locate any material about Pandaemonium herself. Luck was on her side, it seemed, as she shortly located someone who said that she believed she had some logs on the subject. Unfortunately, though, the researcher was in the middle of something or another involving a stack of paperwork which didn’t require the help of a “familiar,” as most people assumed Wyra was. She didn’t blame them, as her miqo’te features and comparatively thin aether were inconvenient to hide in a world where the mandatory dress code didn’t allow for hats and the individuals she worked with were particularly gifted in recognizing aetheric density. It was actually rather fortuitous that things aligned in a way that Wyra could claim to be Azem’s familiar – Azem was apparently eccentric enough that this explanation was plenty to buy Wyra leeway to make social faux pas in a world so different from hers in the future.

In this case, though, her deception had left her lowest on the researcher’s list of priorities. The woman had waved her off, telling her to return in an hour or so.

With no one else around looking like they needed help, for once, Wyra decided to summon her mount to carry her to one of the smaller floating islands nearby so that she could escape the other researchers’ curious gazes for a time.

She was used to being stared at – while being a miqo’te wasn’t hugely unusual in the modern era, she had done enough to become fairly famous in the news and tabloids, and she had a fairly distinctive style of dress that lent itself to being recognized. While most people tended to give her space if they recognized her as the Warrior of Light, she still struggled to deal with the constant feeling of being watched when in a crowd. Being stared at by researchers was quite worse, particularly researchers from an extinct world thousands of years in the past. She didn’t think they would raise a hand to the familiar of a member of their precious Convocation, but she could do without the constant stream of questions about how her aether looked about to fade away. She also wasn’t partial to the patronizing tone many took when speaking to her, though it was better than the demanding voice others used.

Ultimately, Wyra found herself sitting in the wildflowers under the blue tree, staring sleepily into the glittering sky. Other floating islands were scattered amongst the idyllic cloudscape, but they were distant enough she was certain that she was safely out of view of anyone else. With a last glance about, Wyra muffled a yawn with the back of her hand and then pulled her robe’s hood over her eyes. The thin fabric somehow blocked out light entirely, and she closed her eyes appreciatively.

Just for a few minutes. Then I’ll go back and check on those documents, then head down to see Themis and Erich.

Wyra’s eyes felt as though they’d been closed for just seconds before she was startled awake by the feeling of someone plopping down next to her.

“When I told you to take your time to rest for a while before returning to us, I did expect you to do it indoors… not that there is anything wrong with doing it here, I guess.”

Wyra bolted upright in an instant, scrambling to push her hood from her eyes.

Themis sat beside her with his back against the same tree, eyebrow raised and a small grin playing at the corner of his mouth.

"I think this island is being used exclusively to research some new flower concepts, so it is about as safe a place for a midday nap as any."

Wyra looked away sheepishly, her cheeks tinged red. “I was… designed to be crepuscular,” she explained, borrowing a term she had heard used by the scholars in Labyrinthos.

Perhaps it was due to her nature as the child of a Moon Keeper mother and Sun Seeker father, but she always tended to find herself most awake at dusk and dawn and then struggling to focus at midday and midnight. Her eyes, too, struggled with pure darkness or harsh light. With most other people she worked with keeping a day schedule, Wyra tended to try to do most of her work early in the morning and then after a quick midday nap. Most of the scions had noticed, and had long since stopped inviting her to lunch, which she appreciated. Amongst world-ending events like those of the present, though, she had found herself working through her tiredness more often than not.

It seemed like today she would have to, as well.

Themis tilted his head thoughtfully. “You are a fascinating falling star, indeed.” He smiled at the quirk in Wyra’s mouth before motioning to the book sitting to his side.

“Actually, it seems like we had the same idea. I went to speak to some of the researchers to see if I could find more about what other creatures might exist in Pandaemonium, only for one woman to say a violet-haired feline familiar had requested this but a bell earlier and not yet come to claim it.”

“Ugh, I must have actually fallen asleep, then…” Wyra buried her face in her hands, her tail wrapping around her tensely. While she could usually wake up quickly from her naps on her own, her pure exhaustion coupled with the comfortable temperature and darkness of the robe’s hood must have prevented her from sensing the change in time. Now she could clearly see that the sun had shifted its position above by at least a half-hour, and she had little hope she would have awoken anytime soon had Themis not disturbed her.

Themis chuckled quietly and put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. “Fear not, my friend. She had only just finished the assignment that she had been working on when I arrived.” The tension in Wyra’s shoulders and tail eased slightly as he continued. “And in any case, it is good that you are actually resting. If what I skimmed in this thus far is any indication, you shall need to be at your fighting best to defeat what awaits us.”

Wyra glanced and saw that his teasing smile had turned to a gentle frown. She sat up straight again, stretching her spine and wincing before sighing.

She really hadn’t spent much time resting, in all actuality. Shortly after their last adventures in Elpis, she ended up traveling to the Void, meeting – and fighting – several members of the Twelve, and had spent some time training with her new friend Zero to improve her melee combat skills. Any free moment she had lately, she spent helping people in Thavnair or Garlemald, studying with Y’shtola, or helping Krile and G’raha do further research on the Twelve. She had most recently returned to Old Sharlayan after visiting Alphinaud and Alisaie, only to be immediately flagged down by Claudien’s assistant researchers of the Aetherial Sea. They had made some progress with the memory stone, apparently, but nothing worth showing her. Still, she thought it would be a good time to check in on the past, since there was nothing immediately requiring her attention elsewhere for the moment.

“Well, I’m glad that I didn’t leave her waiting too long, in any case.” Wyra smiled at Themis, trying to shake off her residual embarrassment at being caught asleep. “And I guess I am glad it was you who found me here as opposed to a frightening creation.” She frowned. “How did you know where to find me?”

Themis raised an eyebrow slightly. “By sensing your aether, of course. I may not be as skilled as the honorable Emet-Selch with soul sight, but I do recognize Azem’s aether well enough. I sensed that I would find her or you here, and either would be a pleasant surprise.”

Wyra fought to keep her ears from lowering at the mention of Azem. While the reason she was so similar to Azem was obvious to her, it was still uncomfortable to be reminded that something so uniquely hers as an aetheric signature belonged to someone else first. It also reminded her that Themis, too, likely believed that she was just Azem’s familiar – a creation to be judged, or one to be told to do the work none of the ancients wanted to do. Not that she didn’t always do the latter, regardless. It made her feel similar to how she had felt when talking to the Ascians – belittled, patronized, dehumanized, viewed as lesser. She wasn’t sure why it bothered her when she knew that Themis was the same man as the Elidibus of her future. Still, he and Erichthonios had been some of the only ancients to treat her as though she were a real person, so it was an annoying reminder that they probably didn’t believe it.

Themis’s expression was unreadable as he turned back to the book he had brought.

“I will admit, I had hoped you would return soon. I was beginning to worry that Erichthonios and I would need to proceed alone once we finally unraveled the wards on the gate to Abyssos.” His warm smile had returned, and Wyra tried to shrug off her internal turmoil.

“Do forgive my extended absence, other duties have kept me away. Full glad am I that it doesn’t seem I missed anything of grave importance,” she said, eyeing the book herself. It was a handwritten journal, and the page Themis had opened to had an illustration of the hippokampos she had already fought. She grimaced. That had most certainly not been her favorite fight. She could still bring to mind the nauseating smell of the filthy water that had been continually sprayed and splashed onto her before the creature was defeated.

Seeing her interest, Themis shifted himself closer, moving the journal to rest between them on his thigh. “I suppose you had sought this reading material before I did. It is only fair that I share.”

Still somewhat dazed by his initial proximity when she awoke, Wyra’s cheeks flushed slightly. Her tail rested on the grass between them, and she resisted the urge to tighten it against her own body to avoid touching his leg.

Would that I ever knew I would be within arm’s reach of Elidibus himself under friendly circumstances.

Wyra wasn’t particularly abhorrent to the idea of being in close proximity with others, regularly sitting this close to or even hugging the other scions after they became close friends. Themis, though, was still essentially a stranger – despite whatever the feeling in her stomach said. If they really had only known each other through shared duty for a few months, like her head argued, she had no reason to feel so comfortable around him. She had grown to trust him organically to a degree – clearly her prior incarnation had been especially close to him, and Azem’s friends in the time of Elpis had so far not led her wrong. In fact, her own track record was less pristine, if you considered her fondness toward Meteion and Hermes. If Themis had wanted to do her harm, there had been plenty of opportunity while they fought their way through Asphodelos. The way he had talked to Erichthonios when the warder had been freed from his frenzy also demonstrated his friendliness and genuine dedication to the duty of protecting the star. Not that she had ever doubted the latter – the future Elidibus was nothing if not loyal to his perceived duty. It was fortunate indeed that they found themselves on the same side of that duty this time.

Unaware of her internal musings, Themis looked to her expectantly, lifting the edge of the page.

Wyra blinked, then nodded. She hadn’t read a word of it, but was sure that whatever he had would be enough to help them if there was anything of value. Judging by his expression, there wasn’t anything overly revealing on page one.

Themis turned to the next page, and Wyra bit her lip apprehensively. She really couldn’t read the researcher’s excited scrawl from that angle. Despite napping for longer than she had intended, her eyes were still dry and her mind slightly fogged. Curse this beautiful place. She breathed out quietly and blinked a few more times, only improving things slightly. It didn’t help that the side her companion had joined her from was the same side as her damaged eye. While her vision had improved enough over the years that she could once again wield a bow with practiced accuracy, it did struggle when she was already strained and at a weird angle.

Pushing the awkwardness from her mind, she broke the silence.

“I have to readjust, sorry…” Themis nodded confusedly and leaned away with his book, watching as Wyra leaned forward, shifting her tail behind her to rest alongside her other leg. A hint of understanding and mild amusement crossed his face as she settled back down a few inches closer and busied herself by smoothing her tail. He placidly shifted himself to make up the remaining few inches of distance, lowering the book back down to their laps once their hips and shoulders were touching.

Wyra’s face felt like it was on fire, but it was admittedly much easier to read the inelegant handwriting within the journal this way. Fortunately, it seemed that Themis was busy actually reading, or else graciously didn’t choose that opportunity to tease her.

Shifting her focus to said journal, Wyra skimmed quickly to ensure that he wasn’t left waiting. The journal was clearly written by a researcher of high authority in Elpis who oversaw water-based creations such as the hippokampos. This particular entry discussed the decision they had made to send the beast to Pandaemonium after it had flooded an entire research facility. It went on to discuss the process required to have a creation interred within Pandaemonium, which seemed to amount to unending stacks of paperwork.

As Themis flipped through the pages at an easy pace, Wyra found her eyes blinking slower than usual; more than once, she hadn’t actually absorbed anything from the second half of the page before her companion lifted the corner and paused quizzically. The warmth she could feel from his arm and leg against hers, even through their robes, had shifted from unnerving to comforting, and the sleepiness that had caused her to nod off before had returned. I really must have overdone it, lately, she mused.

A low half-chuckle escaped Themis’s breath, and she distantly wondered if what she was supposed to be reading had been humorous. She couldn’t really remember the latest section.

“You know, this is how Azem and I spent many an evening when she joined the convocation. We were both quite young at the time, and I believe Mistress Venat surprised her when she decided to vacate the seat of Azem.”

Wyra’s ears perked up a bit, and she tilted her head to peer at Themis’s expression. He was still staring at the book, and turned the page. She guiltily noted that he didn’t bother to ask her if she had finished it yet this time. She looked at the next page, seeing the illustration of a monstrous beast with shark-like teeth and a serrated fin that the author had noted as “knife-like.”

“Azem spent day and night for weeks after Venat’s announcement, studying the Convocation’s guidelines and rules, to ensure that she knew them forwards and backwards. Not that she follows them strictly, mind you,” he chuckled again. “No, when prompted, she says that she learned them so that she could memorize the loopholes, or at least would know what to expect when she broke them.” He smiled fondly at the page. “And that, she does, without hesitation or remorse. Arguably, things often turn out better that way in most situations. She has quite the refreshing perspective.”

Wyra mustered an affirmative “hmm” as Themis turned another page. The words were scrawled almost illegibly as the author was describing yet another iteration of monster-shark with great excitement. Her companion’s low voice and warmth were enough to cause her mind to drift further.

“We both have duties that keep us apart the majority of the time, but she is always sure to send me letters of her adventures, and I keep her up-to-date with the decisions made in the meetings she misses.”

He paused thoughtfully, glancing at the miqo’te girl who was now leaning more of her weight against his shoulder than before. His eyes narrowed mirthfully as he saw her eyes half-lidded and her ears drooping backwards. Her tail, which had been rigid against her side after she repositioned, curled across her lap like a blanket. Long strands of violet hair fell over her shoulders messily, having been disturbed from their usual waves by the hood she had worn when he first found her. The gentle breeze had caused some to blow across her cheek and his shoulder, but she didn’t seem to care, or maybe she wasn’t aware. He couldn’t help but notice that it was not only violet in color, but also smelled lightly of the flower.

“Azem does always say that knowing when to rest is a great boon, for one who travels and relies upon her own body for so much. Working oneself to exhaustion is not like to win more fights cleanly than if one took an extra few bells before jumping into duty.”

Wyra didn’t respond, but her head slumped forward slightly. Asleep again.

Themis laughed quietly and brushed the hair that had fallen into her face back lightly, his finger touching the scar across her cheek. Where had she earned it, he wondered, and why had it healed with such a mark, when she was so skilled with magic? Clearly she had faced many a foe before coming to Elpis, but she had offered no story other than the bold lie that she was Azem’s familiar. Knowing that to be false instantly thanks to a prior discussion with Azem herself, Themis still avoided asking for fear that Wyra would recoil. Azem had been entertained endlessly by the stories of her “familiar” running about in Elpis with Hythlodaeus, Emet-Selch, and Venat, and made no move to correct anyone. If she claims to be mine and is helpful, then whyever would I mind? She had responded when Themis thought to ask. All the better that she caused any annoyance to Emet.

In his limited time with Wyra thus far, he couldn’t help but agree. While Wyra was quite different than Azem in some ways – she was quieter and less confident, for one, and had a tail, for another – it was clear they must be related. Maybe she’s my great-great grandchild!! Azem had been particularly tickled by that idea, though Themis had doubts. Azem having children was something Themis placed particularly low on his list of predictions for the future. He couldn’t imagine her slowing down long enough to raise one, though he had been wrong about her capabilities in the past. He had begun to wonder who the father would be before cutting his line of thought abruptly.

No, Themis thought, it was far more likely that Wyra was a reincarnation of Azem, in some shape. Now that he was close enough to look at her clearly, his soul sight made it obvious that, despite lacking a fair portion of it, Wyra’s intrinsic aether was purely Azem’s, with no one else’s tinging the color to suggest Wyra was her traditional descendant.

What would change the world so severely that his dear friend would be reborn with furry ears, he wasn’t sure, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know.

He also hadn’t the faintest idea why she would appear then in Elpis, though she had yielded the fact that she was aware of Pandaemonium and had a memory crystal warning of danger surrounding the place. Perhaps she, too, held a role that led her to travel and solve problems for others. Why should this travel be restricted to space and not time?

Wyra sighed in her sleep, leaning further onto him so that his arm was effectively pinned. Holding his own breath, Themis pulled his shoulder back slightly, unsurprised when the girl’s weight shifted and she slumped forward harder at what looked to be an uncomfortable angle. Putting the journal to the side, he braced his free hand against her shoulder gently as he pulled his trapped arm fully free.

“Mhhm…” she mumbled, rolling slightly on her hip towards him. Her tail twitched slightly. Frozen momentarily, he then gently lowered the arm holding her shoulders up, and she responded by curling up with her head in his lap. Her tail promptly curled across her and his legs.

Not what he had intended, but perhaps not the worst thing that could happen, he mused. She quieted in her sleep again, clearly needing the rest, and the only sound left was of her slow breathing and that of the wind through the azure branches above.

Themis smiled. For how long had he wished to do something like this with Azem again? To spend time alone, and relax.

Their duties would never allow it, of course; he was as committed to his as she, hers, and hers required her to travel the star for months at a time while his required him to stay in Amaurot almost always, present circumstances aside. She often would reappear in the city for one day, invite him to help her on an adventure, and they would spend the time inseparable. Then, she would be gone the next day. Her melodious voice would be traded for a scribbly script on letters delivered by one of her flying creations.

He didn’t mind this format of relationship, though he would have liked to go with her more often, if he had the option. Their care for one another was unspoken, but he trusted in it fully. He did find himself alone far more nights than he spent with her, but it gave him more time to focus on his duties as Elidibus and helped him to try to think impartially when Azem herself drew the Convocation's ire. Still, on some of those nights, he found himself daydreaming of how things would be when they both had completed their callings, and could be free from obligation. He fantasized of the possibility of them both returning to the star together, someday in the infinitesimally distant future, so that they could rest in the underworld together before beginning a new adventure in the next life.

Such youthful, romantic fantasies were not for the Emissary at present, though; unbeholden to anyone regarding personal matters, Azem never bothered to deny anyone who assumed they were a couple, but neither did she claim him as more than her dearest friend, nor ask that he not court another. In fact, she had nearly encouraged it herself through her letters to him, poorly illustrating disgustingly cute or even teasingly obscene scenes of him with other people she had befriended through her travels. He was bemused by these letters, of course; he had perhaps less free time than she due to his role on the Convocation, and never yet had interest in another. He was committed to his duty over all else. He did wonder at times, though, if she acted so because she was equally duty-bound, if she had foreseen him with another, or if it was that she truly did value freedom over any kind of binding.

He hesitated a moment before brushing his fingers gently across Wyra’s forehead and ear, moving another loose strand of hair that the wind had dislodged. He reveled in the fact that he had at least been able to quench the curiosity he harbored concerning the softness of her fur.

She sighed lightly at his touch and nuzzled closer, her fingers loosely gripping the fabric of his robe. His hand stroked her hair more confidently this time, and he had to suppress a laugh when he felt a gentle vibration from her weight on his lap. Purring.

Wyra may indeed be somehow related to Azem, he thought, but he doubted that he would ever see the latter bind him in such a way as to make him feel guilty at the very thought of moving.

Themis’s eyes widened suddenly as a thought crossed his mind. Maybe that is why she would incarnate as a cat…

“What a strange guiding star you are,” he whispered, to no reaction. His left hand continued to pet her as he grabbed the journal up again with his right. “Well, then, I guess this is what we shall do until I glean from the book whatever it may have to offer.”

Wyra’s consciousness returned slowly as the sun began to set. The warm, golden light shone under the tree’s branches onto her face, causing her to stir, and she moved an arm to cover her eyes. Her tail stretched behind her as she tensed her spine, her fingers gripping the fabric in her hands tighter as the stretch reached all the way up to her ears.

“Ah, good evening, my friend…”

Wyra’s body flew backwards with enough force that it startled the book out of Themis’s hand. His other hand was still in the air above where it had rested on her head. His robe was wrinkled where her fingers had gripped it, though she was certain the marks would disappear instantly once he stood.

Her face turned as red as a tomato before she ducked it apologetically, and her bushy tail lashed behind her.

“I’m so, so, so sorry!!” Her carefully glamoured fingernails dug desperately into the dirt as she bowed forward on her knees. “That was horrendously rude of me and I promise it will never happen again!!”

Themis smiled diplomatically and shook his head. “Worry not, my friend. I believe you may have already been asleep at that point, but I did tell you that you should get some rest before we descend. I cannot say I expected to be your pillow, but it was not a negative experience.”

Wyra’s blush continued to burn, but she rose back up to her knees and then sat back, her arms placed rigidly in her lap. She struggled with a response before settling on one she thought would be most appropriate.

“Ah, well, thank you, then. I do feel quite a lot better…”

She cleared her throat nervously before motioning to the book, which was still where it had landed when Wyra startled awake. “As you might imagine, I think I missed… all of… the journal,” she grimaced, the fading pink of her blush intensifying again momentarily. “Was there aught of value within?”

Themis frowned for a moment before nodding. “Ah, yes, but only in how some of the spells to capture them were cast. It should improve my rate of success in interring those creations you run into going forward. It was certainly worth the time it took to read it, and I only just finished before you woke up,” he lied cheerfully.

In my house, we have a rule that if anyone asks you to do something, but there is a cat on your lap, you are allowed to claim "cat exemption" and be free from whatever is asked.

Being a kitty fosterer, we get away with not doing a lot ahaha

#themiswol #wyra #my fiction #cringe but cute #fluff #wolthemis #wolship #wolshipping #pandaemonium #What do you expect when you force a cat to use a sword all day #also shhhh I accidentally did the gpose with her sitting on the wrong side and now I can't unsee it aaagh #wyra/themis #Azem/Elidibus is an adorable noncommittal ace couple in my story #Azem being a bad artist who does fanart of friends is hilarious to me because I had a friend in middle school who did that

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tiramisiyu · 3 years ago

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Tears of Themis: Xia Yan/Luke 【暗漪】 Dark Ripple - Birthday SSR Translation

Translation Masterlist | Xia Yan Masterlist | Unsubbed Video

Transcript below cut:

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Part 1

Showroom

There were still 15 minutes until this luxury goods show began.

In the banquet room, the wandering guests’ accessories glittered under the dazzling lights, like an egregiously colourful maze.

MC: (I heard that this luxury goods show has always been a trendsetter, and its tickets are always hard to grab.)

MC: (The law firm’s clients gave me an entry ticket out of good intentions, but… it really is wasted on me…)

I mindlessly walked in the throng. All the bursts of conversation that I kept hearing sounded completely alien to me.

But I couldn’t be bothered to try to understand what they were saying – instead, I was trying to call Luke again…

MC: … He’s still not picking up.

I sighed quietly, inadvertently recalling what he had said before leaving.

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[Flashback]

Luke’s House

MC: Huh? You mean, you want me to live right at your place?

Luke nodded and looked around the room.

Luke: Yeah, the daily necessities should all be here already, and I’ve already washed, dried, and replaced the sheets and blanket covers.

Luke: Just let me know later if there’s anything else you need.

Luke: Oh, right – I’ve made copies of the backup keys. Just remember to leave one at the law firm, so you can get in if you forget your keys.

He left no room for discussion as he talked about his abnormally thorough preparations, leaving me with a bad premonition.

MC: Why so suddenly?

MC: Plus, if I forget my keys… wouldn’t you be around to open the door for me?

Luke: …

Luke’s gaze shifted away for a bit, then focused back on me apologetically.

Luke: Sorry, I have to leave for a while on a special mission.

Luke: I’ve registered my address with the higher departments already, and the security measures here are pretty thorough, so I’ll feel more at ease if you live here…

Luke: So… just endure it for a bit, please?

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

Up until he left, Luke seemed to think that the only thing I had to endure was the inconvenience of a sudden change in living conditions.

That wasn’t actually the case, though.

MC: … Sure enough, he’s not picking up.

MC: I wonder if his mission is going well, and when he’ll be back…

I couldn’t help but sigh.

These worries that left me at such a loss just kept intensifying these days.

MC: …

I looked towards the table, where the package from a few days ago was sitting.

MC: Who sent this package…? Why would they send it to Luke…

MC: Luke… should be fine, right…

The unopened box occupied just under half the table.

Written imposingly in black marker on its side was: “Deceased person’s items”.

[Flashback end]

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

After several indications that no one was going to pick up, I put my phone away, preparing to look for a place to sit.

Right then, a stranger called out to me from behind.

???: Apologies, miss. I just happened to see you looking at quite a loss as you circled around earlier…

???: If you don’t mind, how about sitting at our place?

???: We are sitting at VIP seats right beside the stage. You’ll be able to admire the goods from much closer, in a moment.

MC: Huh? Sorry, I…

I was planning to reject the well-dressed man who’d approached me suddenly…

But when I inadvertently looked towards where his gaze was pointed, I swallowed all my words back down.

MC: (How…)

MC: (I think the person sitting there… is Luke…)

???: Can I take your silence to be assent for now, miss?

???: Ah yes, I nearly forgot to introduce myself…

He courteously handed me a namecard. His smile was kind, yet it made a shiver go down my spine.

Pan Minghao: I am Pan Minghao, a little-known businessman. Feel free to call me Bro Pan, as everyone does.

Pan Minghao then led me near the stage.

The booth was spacious, but black-clothed people who seemed to be bodyguards were all standing around it. Only one person was sitting.

Pan Minghao: Raven, look who I brought over.

Pan Minghao: If I’m not wrong, you kept looking over at this young lady earlier…

Pan Minghao: Meetings are all fated, as they say. As this sort of chance is hard to come by, how about we all get to know each other?

MC: (Raven…?)

MC: (Luke said before that he had to leave for a mission. Does that mean he’s now…)

Luke reclined against the back of the sofa, throwing us a frowned glance.

His eyes were devoid of smiles when our gazes met. All I saw was an unfamiliar indifference, mixed in with a restrained ferocity.

For a moment, I wasn’t even sure if the person in front of me was Luke.

Luke: No need, Bro Pan.

Luke: She’s my woman to begin with. We know each other inside out, and we’ve seen all of the secrets that either of us have…

Note: If I were to literally translate the latter half of the line, it would be “We’ve seen all of the secrets that either of our bodies bear” which is more direct in... yeah.

Luke: At this point, do we even need to refamiliarize ourselves with each other?

MC: !!!

Luke looked askance at us with what seemed to be a near-smile on his face, his voice blunt and flippant.

I wasn’t the only one dumbfounded – even Pan Minghao froze for a moment before he responded.

Pan Minghao: Oh my… so you do know each other…

Pan Minghao: Young master Raven’s probably used to seeing all sorts of beauties, so I figured that there was some sort of close relationship between you both if he was paying that much attention…

Pan Minghao: But speaking of which, why didn’t you say so earlier if you knew her? Why look so serious?

Pan Minghao looked over Luke, then stared at me meaningfully.

MC: Because…

As I tried to come up with a response, Luke suddenly stood up from his seat.

Luke: Bro Pan, you already know, don’t you?

Luke: No one would be happy to see their woman stand that close to someone else, don’t you think?

Luke: Not to mention…

Luke strode over to me, blocking off Pan Minghao and abruptly making an even more intimate move –

MC: !!!

As a strong force dragged me in by my waist, I stumbled slightly, falling straight into his arms.

A blend of elegant frigidity – an unfamiliar, cool scent – lingered around my nose…

But as I held onto his shoulders, the body outlined by the tailored suit was still the one I was familiar with.

Luke: Not to mention, we’ve been slightly at odds earlier, no?

Simultaneously, the hand on my waist drew in tighter, bringing an overbearing, intense feeling that made me tremble.

MC: (… Is he hinting at something?)

I calmed myself down quickly, clinging to him with a smile.

MC: It’s because you always leave without a sound. You never pick up on my calls or respond to my texts…

MC: I thought you went to look for some other woman again, so I tried to follow you secretly. Don’t be mad, okay?

Luke: Oh? So you love me that much?

A slight, teasing smirk graced his face.

I had never heard him ask this sort of question, and my heartbeat sped up inexplicably when he finished speaking.

MC: Of course… of course, I love you.

Luke: …

I heard him release a near-inaudible breath.

He then killed the smile, staring at Pan Minghao as his tone took an accusatorial turn.

Luke: Then, why were you walking so close to Bro Pan? I saw it all, you know.

Pan Minghao immediately tried to calm him down with a smile.

Pan Minghao: Oh Raven, it’s all a misunderstanding. This sort of little issue isn’t worth hurting your relationship over.

Luke: I sure hope it was a misunderstanding. Either way, don’t do this sort of thing next time, Bro Pan.

Luke: I do respect you as my senior, and we are friends, but…

Luke: You know that I’m a possessive person – especially when it comes to feelings. I won’t turn a blind eye to this sort of thing.

Pan Minghao: I understand… it’s my fault for not thinking things through. Let me apologize for now.

Luke: No need to be so serious. And you, too…

Luke drew me in even tighter.

Luke: If you’re so adamant about loving me, you better not betray me so easily, got it?

After I responded stammeringly, Luke released the hand on my waist.

The moment he turned to return to his seat, he shot me a glance, seeming to hint for me to continue putting on the act with him.

MC: …

MC: (I need to stick with this act to not get in his way…)

I looked at Luke, and he beckoned at me.

Luke: Come and sit.

Part 2

Showroom

As the show started, Pan Minghao had people bring over some expensive wine.

He excitedly pushed Luke into tasting the wine with him, looking completely disinterested in those displayed goods.

Pan Minghao: … Here, Raven, another glass.

After having a waiter pour some wine for Luke, Pan Minghao sent the bodyguards away temporarily.

He waved his wineglass, the smile in his gaze deepening as it swept over us.

Pan Minghao: See the flashy goods onstage?

Pan Minghao: It’s quite ironic – those unmentionable goods of mine are mixed in with these…

Pan Minghao: Raven, it took me a lot of effort to ship them in. Your starting price better not be too low.

Luke: Oh? Are you trying to raise the price here, Bro Pan?

MC: !!!

MC: (… Goods? Is Luke’s mission this business deal?)

MC: (But why’s he saying this in front of me now… is he trying to probe…)

Pan Minghao: This deal is quite the dangerous risk that I’m taking, after all. Any amount of money I can get would be worth it.

Pan Minghao: Speaking of which, aren’t you curious about where I’ve put them?

Pan Minghao’s gaze had a faintly discernable hint of scrutiny in it as it coolly swept over the cold atmosphere.

I schooled my expression as thoughts ran rapidly through my head about how to handle him.

How should I react to not arouse his suspicions…

⊳ Listen nonchalantly ⊳ Shift his attention using something else

MC: …

I focused on acting nonchalantly as Luke downed the entire glass of wine at once.

Luke: …

After he tossed the empty glass onto the carpet, he turned around and got closer to me.

Luke: No matter where those goods are, they’ll end up in my hands anyway, right?

Luke: I couldn’t care less about that serious stuff right now…

He grabbed tight onto my wrist, then pressed me forcefully into the booth sofa.

MC: !!!

He leaned down slowly.

Under the impassioned music in the showroom, I heard him whisper into my ear, his breath wet, hot, and tinged with wine.

Luke: … Resist.

MC: ..

As my rationality returned, I pushed my hand forcefully against his chest.

MC: Now… now isn’t the right time for this sort of thing…

But unlike what I had imagined, no matter how much I tried to resist, he continued to press down on me without budging.

MC: (So Luke was this strong all along…)

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⊳ Listen nonchalantly ⊳ Shift his attention using something else

As I watched Luke down the entire glass of wine, I looked for an opportunity to grab that half-filled bottle of fine wine.

I lowered my head, planning to buy time by pouring him wine. Suddenly…

MC: Huh…?!

Something pinched forcefully at my waist.

Though it didn’t hurt too badly, I wasn’t prepared for the sudden stimulation at all, and the bottle slipped out of my hands, onto the floor.

MC: Ah… I-I’m so sorry!

The liquid splashed out onto the ground by his foot, soaking the expensive leather shoes and suit fabric instantly.

Luke: Now look what you’ve done – you got me all wet.

Luke: Talk. How do you plan to make up for it?

His frigid tone, so different as it was from normal, tugged hard at my one taut string of rationality...

Faced with Luke’s vicious questioning, I couldn’t help but tremble a little.

MC: I… I…

Fortunately, the hand behind my back patted me gently in comfort, bringing me back to my senses.

MC: It’s all my fault. I’ll wipe it down now…

Luke: Stand up, walk over to the aisle, get down in front of everyone, and wipe it all up.

As he spoke, he kicked his long legs up onto the table in front of us. The collision of the shoe’s heel against the glass resulted in a ridiculously loud clang.

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Pan Minghao: Raven, you’re not drunk, are you now?

Pan Minghao: We’re in a public place here, and it might be a bit conspicuous if you do something too extreme…

As people turned their gazes over here, Pan Minghao could no longer maintain his composed attitude, rushing to give Luke a heads-up.

Luke scoffed dismissively.

Luke: I’m not drunk.

Pan Minghao: Yes, yes, you’re not drunk.

He waved his hand to summon the black-clothed bodyguards over.

Pan Minghao: There’s nothing interesting at all about these displays. Take young master Raven upstairs to rest – make sure to treat him well.

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

Guest Room

Not only was the hotel’s entire event hall booked for this show – even the rooms upstairs had been completely booked out…

Apparently, they were for guests who’d come from far away.

MC: (Seems like that Bro Pan guy is no average person…)

As I watched the bodyguards retreat from the room, I was about to ask about the entire situation…

When Luke suddenly stared hard at me, cutting me off before I could speak.

Luke: Come. Loosen my tie for me.

He sounded like he was giving me a signal, putting me on edge again.

I walked over and held his tie, and as I tugged it gently, he leaned down towards my ear.

Luke: I tested the floor-to-ceiling mirror in the corner when we came in – it’s a double-sided mirror.

A double-sided mirror…

Which meant that, though it looked like your typical mirror on this side, it was fully see-through to the neighbouring room.

Luke: Since we’re not sure on if there are listening devices here or not, let’s talk quietly.

In my anxiousness, I tugged hard at his tie dazedly, pulling him closer.

Luke: Urk… gentler. It’s too tight.

MC: S-sorry…

Luke laughed quietly, then clasped his hand on mine, his fingers dexterously loosening the tie.

Luke: Don’t worry, I’m fine.

MC: What should I now…

Luke: Try making some moves on me, or else they’ll get suspicious.

MC: !!!

I knew that Luke wasn’t going overboard with his request.

Based on how he acted earlier, it would be too strange if he were sharing a room with me while tipsy.

But… even though I understood this logically…

MC: (Will anyone see on the other side of the mirror?)

I lifted my slightly shaking hand and looped it around his neck. The moment my fingernails brushed over the nape of his neck, I could feel him tremble.

At our close distance, it seemed like some different sort of feeling had tinged his eyes.

Nervousness and another, peculiar feeling flooded my heart, making me forget what to do next for a moment.

Luke: Let me take over.

MC: Huh…?

Luke then carried me over to that normal-looking floor-to-ceiling mirror in the corner.

He then placed his palm behind my head, backing me up against the smooth, cold mirror.

Luke: This way, no one will be able to see your expression, aside from me…

Luke: Just leave the rest to me, and listen to what I say.

Luke leaned towards my ear. The wine-tinged air and the wet, hot, and soft feeling made me forget about my nervousness and fear for a moment.

In this alluring atmosphere, the rhythm of what should’ve been serious whispers was thrown into disarray by our breaths.

Luke: When the event ends, I’ll find a chance to bring you out.

Luke: There’s a lot of media people here. Try to sit under spotlights, so Pan Minghao won’t be able to do anything to you even if he comes up with more tricks…

Luke: There are police waiting outside. When you see a taxi with the license plate AB065, hail it. It’ll take you home safely.

MC: What about you?

Luke: … I’m still on my mission.

Luke: We’ve been watching Pan Minghao for years. We have to get him to bring out those goods, or else we’ll have wasted all of our efforts.

Will it be dangerous?

When I thought of the word “danger”, I thought of those “deceased person’s items” shipped by someone a few days ago.

So I couldn’t bring myself to ask that question when I already knew the answer.

MC: I don’t agree with your method.

Luke: Don’t make trouble…!

The hand he’d circled around me tightened slightly.

His sharp canine glided over my neck like a warning, leaving a slight tingling prick that made me wince.

MC: I can’t leave in this situation.

Luke: You…

Seeing Luke loosen his control on his emotions, I immediately took the chance to control the situation…

Before he could respond, I pushed him down onto a sofa in a blind spot, my hand tight on his tie.

Luke: !!!

MC: I think that he’s a person who’s always wary. He kept trying to probe us earlier.

I leaned down and continued speaking with him quietly.

MC: If you have me leave now, it won’t fit with how you behaved before, and he’ll definitely become suspicious.

MC: If this mission is so important, let me stay here so I can partially handle the suspicion he has on you…

MC: And if anything happens, you can blame it all on me and get out of it safely.

Luke’s breathing grew increasingly faster.

I thought that I had been putting too much weight on him, but when I got up, I saw that his eyes were tinged with red.

Luke: Your ideas are so…

To calm things down, I perked myself up and smiled.

MC: … Feeling emotional now, are you?

Luke: Don’t laugh.

He shot me a seldom-seen glare.

Right then, we heard sounds outside the door. Soon after, Pan Minghao entered.

Pan Minghao: Ah, young master Raven, the bodyguards told me that there were peculiar things happening in the room – are you alright… hm?

Pan Minghao: Oh my, I’m so sorry…

Pan Minghao looked at our positions and Luke’s reddened eyes, chuckling knowingly.

Pan Minghao: I didn’t know that young master Raven had this side to him.

Luke: Bro Pan, shut up if you don’t know what to say.

Unsure of how well our performance had done, Luke glowered towards the door.

Luke: Get out.

Pan Minghao: Yes, yes, I’ll get out now.

Pan Minghao: But you should stop having fun for now. Come with me, and bring her.

Pan Minghao: It seems like some rats have gotten into the event – we have to switch locations now.

Luke: … Got it.

Part 3

Remote Manor

Pan Minghao’s manor was in a remote suburb area. It was surrounded by mountains and rugged roads…

It was evident that this was a well-suited location for sneaky actions, and as a hideout.

MC: (I wonder how Luke is doing…)

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

[Flashback]

Luke: I need to head to the first-floor conference room in a moment to chat with Pan Minghao and dispel his misgivings.

Luke: Wait for me in this room during then, and don’t go anywhere.

He then stuffed a mini pager in my hand.

Luke: If anything happens during then, just press the button. I’ll receive the signal and get over here immediately.

Luke: So, believe in me. Don’t be afraid, okay?

[Flashback end]

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

I sighed, watching the seconds tick by on the wall clock as I grew increasingly anxious.

Right then, I heard a few quiet knocks from outside.

MC: (Who could it be at a time like this…)

I warily held onto the pager in my pocket, slowly approaching the door.

MC: Who is it? What’s the matter?

???: Shh, quieter… I’m someone under Bro Pan. There’s some stuff I need to discuss with you, so please open the door…

MC: Bro Pan…

MC: (Why would he have someone come over while Luke’s away?)

I hesitantly placed my hand on the handle without opening it.

⊳ Ask about his intentions ⊳ Doubt his identity

MC: What is it? Can’t you talk about it at the door here?

???: It’s not like I can’t talk about it here, but if Bro Pan catches wind of this…

???: I won’t be the only one to suffer. You and young master Raven won’t be able to get out of this unscathed either.

MC: (Luke…)

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

⊳ Ask about his intentions ⊳ Doubt his identity

MC: Raven is away. If you really are someone under Bro Pan, why have you sought me out individually?

???: That’s of course because there are some things that I don’t want them to hear about.

???: … I’m sure that you’re a smart person, and won’t miss out on this opportunity.

MC: (What does he have up his sleeve…)

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

After thinking it over a few more times, I carefully opened the door.

He looked fairly young, and was apparently Pan Minghao’s subordinate, Er Hei. He sought me out secretly because…

He wanted to work together.

MC: So you mean…

Er Hei: I heard that you have a close relationship with young master Raven, and I often do work for Bro Pan, so I can get my hands on some special information.

Er Hei: If we act together, we can secretly snatch those goods…

Er Hei: After we get rid of it, we’ll split it 50-50, abandon this life, and live out the rest of our lives without worries.

MC: You want me to betray Raven?

Er Hei smiled mischievously.

Er Hei: Hah, it must be hard serving a young master like that. If you like excitement, you’ll have plenty of people lining up for you when you have money, right?

MC: …

MC: (I don’t know how Pan Minghao explained the whole guest room matter to make him misunderstand things so weirdly…)

MC: (Although, it does seem like Pan Minghao is close to him.)

To convince me faster, Er Hei held out his phone in front of me, winking at me proudly.

Er Hei: Don’t worry, I came prepared.

MC: Is this… surveillance?

Er Hei: Yes, I installed it secretly when Bro Pan wasn’t paying attention. Maybe we’ll hear something useful.

I looked at the screen.

The surveillance camera’s position seemed to be in the corner, facing the sofa and giving us a full view of their discussion.

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

Luke: Let’s stop wasting our time, Bro Pan. When are you planning to bring over the goods?

Pan Minghao: Soon, soon. Don’t rush just yet.

Pan Minghao: Those goods are priceless, and it took me considerable effort just to ship it over here. Who knows how many people are aiming for them.

Pan Minghao: So I had to pick out people that I could be reassured with, to ensure that nothing would happen during delivery.

Luke: Aren’t you afraid of others swapping things out if you leave it for a while?

Pan Minghao: Now, how could that happen? You know how hard it is to get into the north district’s Seven Crossings Warehouse.

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

After he heard the essential location name, Er Hei looked excitedly at me.

Er Hei: In the Seven Crossings Warehouse… it is pretty hard to get in. Maybe we can swap it out after that young master gets it…

As I watched Er Hei figure things out, I felt like something was wrong.

According to Luke, Pan Minghao was a severely wary person. How could he have kept someone like Er Hei, who so easily schemed against him, by his side?

MC: (Could he be testing me again?)

As I pondered over my next course of action…

The surveillance video caught my attention again.

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

Pan Minghao: Speaking of which, have you prepared enough money? Don’t try to swindle me.

Luke: No need to worry, Bro Pan. With how close you were to my father before he passed, I couldn’t have tricked you even if I tricked everyone else.

Pan Minghao: Ah, it really is a pity with your father.

Pan Minghao: Who knows who it was that leaked that information to his opponents, so he ended up being…

In the slightly blurry shot, Luke looked distantly outside the window, his eyes looking as if there was an abyss behind them.

Luke: One day, I will make them pay the price they deserve.

Pan Minghao sighed sympathetically.

Pan Minghao: I heard that you have been doing well abroad during these years. If your father were still around, you wouldn’t have had to return to Stellis so early…

Pan Minghao: You were such a radiant, cheerful child before, but now, even I often can’t see through your expressions. Truly a pity.

Luke: Nothing worth pitying over. It’s all fated.

Luke: But if that can be distorted by external forces, it can be rewritten ourselves, right?

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

MC: …

MC: (Why does Pan Minghao know what Luke was like as a kid…)

Though their dialogue didn’t quite fit with what I knew, I could still match up over half of it.

Luke’s hands were clasped in the video, his expression gloomy…

I looked at the screen. Like how it was impossible to distinguish the inside and outside of a Klein bottle, the border between what was true and false had blurred severely.

Note: The Klein bottle is… to put it very, very simply, it’s a 4D surface with only one side (so there’s no inside or outside) (there’s a 3D “version” that needs itself to intersect). It has some interesting mathematical implications, and if you’re curious about it, I recommend searching it up on Google.

But…

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

[Flashback]

Luke: If anything happens during then, just press the button. I’ll receive the signal and get over here immediately.

Luke: So believe in me. Don’t be afraid, okay?

[Flashback end]

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

MC: (No matter what, all I can do is to trust him.)

Er Hei seemed to have misunderstood my silence as pre-agreement hesitation.

He sidled over with a grin, slinging his arm over my shoulders, his gestures so intimate that it made me want to retch.

Er Hei: No need to hesitate. You won’t lose out at all from working with me.

MC: …

I endured the intense discomfort sweeping through me as I pressed down on the button of the pager in my pocket.

To prevent the wary Pan Minghao from being too suspicious, I could only put on an act…

So I mustered all my strength, screaming out loud enough for my voice to reverberate throughout the whole manor –

MC: Don’t touch me!!

Luke arrived so quickly that the shocked Er Hei didn’t even have time to pull away from me.

He strode up, but as if he had thought of something, he stopped and stared at us in displeasure.

Luke: What happened here?

I saw Pan Minghao follow close behind him, thinking quickly over the response I should make.

⊳ Cry without consideration of appearance ⊳ Immediately explain to him

MC: Raven! He suddenly made a move against me!

I shot up, falling into Luke’s arms as Pan Minghao watched.

I was only planning to fake cry, but when I recalled what had just happened, a few real tears inadvertently flowed out.

Luke: He touched you?

MC: Yes…

Likely due to “Raven”’s personality, Luke maintained his cold attitude, but his actions were visibly much gentler.

He held me comfortingly, speaking softly with a lowered head.

Luke: Are you hurt anywhere?

MC: No.

Luke: Good that you’re fine. Next, then…

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

⊳ Cry without consideration of appearance ⊳ Immediately explain to him

MC: Raven… h-he was the one who knocked on the door…

In consideration of “Raven”’s personality, Luke’s face was cold as he replied.

Luke: He was the one to do so?

MC: Yes, and he tried to make a move against me…

Er Hei: Well, you were the one who opened the door!

Luke scoffed coldly and strode up to us.

I was planning to continue talking when he roughly grabbed Er Hei by the back collar, flinging him to the window nearby.

Luke: You’ll walk in just because the door opened, huh. Well, there’s a window here. Wanna jump out?

Er Hei: I…

Luke: Who gave you the guts to get this close to her while I’m still here?

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

MC: !!!

Before Pan Minghao could hold him back, Luke walked up and kicked Er Hei down to the floor.

He then slammed a foot on his shoulder blade, forcing the collapsed Er Hei to yelp in agony.

Er Hei: Agh-!! Bro Pan… Bro Pan, save me!

Pan Minghao: Ah… Raven, that’s enough now. Er Hei’s also had it hard.

Luke: He better truly have had it hard…

Luke: I only let what happened at the show go because of you, Bro Pan, but this is different.

Troubled, Pan Minghao looked at Er Hei on the ground, ultimately giving in.

Pan Minghao: Then could you let it go for me again? I told Er Hei to do this, actually.

Luke: Oh?

Pan Minghao was ultimately forced to admit his plan –

He had doubts about who I was, so he had Er Hei try to test me for any errant conspiratorial thoughts.

MC: (I hope that I really am the only one that Pan Minghao suspects…)

I looked carefully at Luke.

He reclined on the sofa, his foot still placed firmly on Er Hei to restrict his movements. It was hard to tell if he was amused or angered.

Luke: Harbouring suspicions is completely normal, and I most certainly understand that.

Pan Minghao: It’s great that you think that.

Luke beckoned to me, having me sit on his legs.

Luke: So I can’t help but wonder – is there anyone using “testing” as an excuse for other, malicious intentions…

Luke: After all, Bro Pan, you know that I’ve been away from home ever since I was little, so I have been lacking a little in terms of love… which has made me a little petty.

He patted my back gently in comfort as he pressed down harder with his foot.

Er Hei: Aaarrghhh! Please, lighter… lighter!

Luke’s actions pushed Pan Minghao, who had relaxed a little, back into a frowning, distressed state.

MC: (He shouldn’t be able to have the time to suspect us now…)

MC: (… I never knew that Luke’s acting skills were this good.)

I leaned against him and looked up slightly.

A completely unfamiliar countenance graced that face that I was so familiar with. I found myself subconsciously straightening my back out of nervousness.

Part 4

Remote Manor

Luke did not let Er Hei go easily.

He languidly exerted a “little punishment” on him that wasn’t too painful, but was still enough to add enough psychological pressure.

Thus, Pan Minghao – who knew that he was in the wrong – didn’t say anything else. All he could do was stomp lightly in frustration.

The sound of the phone ringing finally cut this worry-inducing (on his part) situation short.

Pan Minghao: What did you say?!

Pan Minghao picked up, his expression twisting much more than before.

Pan Minghao: Why would the police investigate that place… It’s fine, no need to worry about that warehouse. Let them investigate.

Pan Minghao: Watch what they’re doing. If anything happens, let me know.

MC: (Warehouse… is it that Seven Crossings Warehouse that he just said was where the goods were stored?)

As I pondered over my suspicions, Luke stopped his actions as well, staring coldly at Pan Minghao.

Luke: Bro Pan, did they find those goods?

Pan Minghao: Ahh… no, don’t worry. Seven Crossings Warehouse is just a red herring. The real goods aren’t there, so they won’t find anything.

Luke: If so, were you also testing me earlier by telling me the fake address?

Faced with Luke’s direct questioning, Pan Minghao laughed guiltily.

Pan Minghao: Eh, t-this… well, not exactly… it’s just better to be a little more cautious.

Luke: You better watch out, lest your caution leaves you losing more than you gain.

Luke: Did you not think about how, even though the address is fake, someone real leaked it out?

Luke: Do you have any idea who it was, Bro Pan?

Pan Minghao: !!!

Luke didn’t seem to be giving him any time to think as he pressed forward.

Luke: Rather than bugs who are drawn to the light, it’s the cockroaches hidden in the dark that must be harder to handle…

Luke: Rather than focusing on us, Bro Pan, you’re better off dealing with your own issues.

Pan Minghao: … Indeed.

Pan Minghao put on a calm face, but the droplets of sweat on his forehead completely exposed him.

Maybe everyone was worthy of suspicion when he couldn’t find someone to pin his suspicions on…

Luke: Hurry and bring those goods over. If anything else goes wrong, don’t even think about taking another cent from me.

Pan Minghao: I know, I will get to it right now… just wait a little more.

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

Pan Minghao soon took Er Hei away in a rush, and silence settled back on the manor.

MC: Who was it that leaked that information to the police? Could it have been…

Luke nodded under my gaze.

He stretched tiredly, the gloom vanishing from his face as he returned to the appearance that I was most familiar with.

Luke: I was buying time earlier so he could receive that notification right in front of us…

Luke: At such a critical juncture, I just needed to heap on a sense of urgency for him to have no time to suspect anyone, and to follow my ideas.

MC: … Sounds like an MLM.

Luke: Ugh, kind of. I’ve pretty much thought up of enough horrible ideas to last a whole lifetime.

After listening to Luke’s explanation, I still didn’t feel like we’d been freed from our responsibilities.

My disorderly emotions seemed to buzz in my head, as if they had their own timbre.

Luke: Relax for a bit now. Pan Minghao’s already in a disorderly state, and now that he’s in a rush to deal with those goods, he won’t be able to worry about us at all.

MC: Okay…

Luke: Don’t worry, I’ve inspected this place – there aren’t any listening or surveillance devices here.

Luke: Or are you worried about something else?

This bedroom’s washroom was a half-open concept washroom, likely due to the owner’s personal preferences.

After Luke tossed out that question, he wetted a towel in the sink, giving me adequate buffer time as the water ran.

MC: I heard some of your conversation with Pan Minghao in the surveillance video…

I watched his back, mustering my courage to voice my doubts –

About what he and Pan Minghao had talked about, and – most essentially – how Pan Minghao knew what he was like when he was younger…

Luke turned off the faucet after I finished speaking, walking over to me with the towel in his hands.

He didn’t answer me directly. Instead, he held up my hand and placed the warm towel over it.

Luke: Covering yourself with a warm towel can relieve yourself of exhaustion and help you relax. Do you feel a little better now?

MC: Yeah…

Luke: Sorry for not pulling him off right away when I came in.

He rubbed the towel gently on my arm, letting the heat absorb through my skin into my body.

I fell into a daze for a moment, but I still instinctively shook my head.

MC: Typically, the more someone fears something, the more they keep worrying about that thing.

MC: So to the betrayal-hating, severely possessive “Raven”, his initial instinct would have been suspicion…

MC: When Pan Minghao was there, it was right for you to not have pulled Er Hei away immediately.

Luke: I knew you’d say that.

Luke smiled resignedly as his hand’s movements ceased.

Luke: Aside from your hand, where else did he touch you?

MC: My neck, and my shoulder… I think that he thought that his pitch was successful, so out of excitement, he just…

The last half of the sentence about his unexpected actions remained stuck in my mouth.

Luke: Since you’ve answered my question, it’s now my turn to answer yours.

MC: …

He leaned towards me, gently lifting the drooping ends of my hair. The feeling of the perfect amount of strength he’d applied mixed with the warm air as it billowed over my neck.

His movements made for an unusually pleasant experience, enough to dispel that unpleasant experience before.

Thus, Luke gradually began to tell me about what had happened.

Luke: There’s that saying that goes, “The best lies are half truth”.

Luke: A pure lie can easily be seen through, but it’s a lot easier to trick people with those that are mixed in with true situations…

MC: … Half truth.

MC: (So Luke’s lies have always had elements of truth mixed into them…?)

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

[Flashback]

Pan Minghao: I heard that you have been doing well abroad during these years. If your father were still around, you wouldn’t have had to return to Stellis so early…

Pan Minghao: You were such a radiant, cheerful child before, but now, even I often can’t see through your expressions. Truly a pity.

Luke: Nothing worth pitying over. It’s all fated.

Luke: But if that can be distorted by external forces, it can be rewritten ourselves, right?

[Flashback end]

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

MC: So, you not being in Stellis is true, but you were in the capital during then, not abroad…

MC: And your father…

Luke took over when he noticed my hesitation over this sensitive topic.

Luke: The situation surrounding that “father” is real, but he was actually a senior of mine.

MC: Senior?

Luke: Yes, he said he was an unmarried person, so he chose to apply to go undercover near Pan Minghao. It took him many years.

Luke: To complete his identity, he needed a “son” that was being raised in a foreign country to complete his made-up interpersonal network.

Luke: That wasn’t a job that we could have normal people do, and I just happened to have entered the NSB back then, so my age was about right…

Luke: So I had uncle and auntie send a childhood photo over that he could carry to show as a fake son.

Luke: Pan Minghao has probably seen that photo many times.

After his careful wipe-down, he took away the towel and pulled away from me.

After the hot air dispelled, I suddenly felt a coldness on my neck and shoulders that I hadn’t noticed before – and a strange clinginess.

So I had to focus my attention on our discussion.

MC: But… if you only needed a photo, why did they need your age to fit?

Luke: Probably for today.

Luke: I can finish what he couldn’t using this identity. No matter how wary Pan Minghao is, he probably wouldn’t have thought of this.

I vaguely remembered that, according to their conversation, that “father” had already passed away…

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

[Flashback]

Pan Minghao: Ah, it really is a pity with your father.

Pan Minghao: Who knows who it was that leaked that information to his opponents, so he ended up being…

[Flashback end]

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

Suddenly, I remembered that package with “Deceased person’s items” written on it.

It was already evident where it came from, even if I didn’t ask.

MC: …

Luke: Don’t be afraid, though. This is all almost done, and I won’t let anything happen to you.

Seeing Luke get up to return the towel to the washroom, I reached out and grabbed him without thinking.

I only had one question right then…

MC: You’ve been telling me to not be afraid this whole time, but do you feel afraid when you have to face these dangers?

Luke: Of course I…

Luke turned around to face me. His originally nonchalant smile stiffened after seeing my teary expression.

He opened his mouth, and finally sighed resignedly.

Luke: Of course I’d feel afraid.

Luke: But that’s not a bad thing. Not only is it not bad, but it’s a really important factor that I’ve learned in my training.

MC: Training…

Though I hadn’t seen it myself before, I could faintly imagine it all based on his descriptions.

While we were apart, I often recalled how he looked when he left –

Immature, inexperienced, and spirited.

Luke: When I first started training, I often pushed myself beyond my limits. I didn’t know how much strength I was putting into my moves, so I ended up receiving a harsh lesson from my senior.

Luke: He said that the driving force behind my training was regret that I didn’t have enough strength, and that that wasn’t the right way to feel.

Luke: Because strength has no upper limit, I would never feel satisfied. If I were never satisfied, that would affect how I trained.

MC: Then how did he think you should train?

Luke: He had me persevere out of “fear”.

Luke: For a long time, I didn’t understand what he meant, and I used even more extreme methods to train.

When Luke left home by himself, he placed all his anguish into that lonely fearlessness.

He had enviable aptitude, yet wasn’t able to fully rise to that aptitude… such was the weakness of youth.

That was a side that I almost never saw now.

Luke: Not long after, I saw a bruise like mine on the body of a comrade who was lying on a hospital bed…

Luke: … That was when I understood what my senior meant.

MC: Was it a serious wound?!

Luke: No, it was a light one from training a few days before – one that would heal very quickly.

Luke: But he ran into some unexpected circumstances during a mission… When I saw him under the shroud, I suddenly, finally realized…

Luke: That light, easily healable wound would be branded forever on his body.

MC: So you… felt fear?

Bitterness tinged his voice, but that wasn’t all there was to it.

He spoke from an adult’s view about a youthful past – like a lingering tune from years of accumulation.

Luke: That was the first time I truly knew what fear was.

Luke: I started to fear failure. I feared that you would be sad, if something were to happen to me… there was too much that I feared.

Luke: After this, escaping “fear” became my target, such that I had to learn to act more cautiously.

So this was why he had always been able to do what he did with ease.

While I was unaware, he was accompanied by fear, as he grew into what seemed like a fearless appearance.

Part 5

Remote Manor

I looked at Luke. For a moment, his appearance as a teenager seemed to overlap waveringly with his current appearance.

Without thinking further, I yanked at that towel in his hand…

He didn’t let go in time and stumbled off-guard in my direction, and I reached out to embrace him.

Luke: !!!

Luke: What’s the… matter?

MC: … Nothing.

Luke: Oh, okay. I’m fine too, then. Don’t worry.

He leaned down, burying his chin on my shoulder.

I heard his quiet breaths. After a few seconds of silence, he finally spoke again.

Luke: I used to think that this fear would eventually disappear…

Luke: Because time heals wounds with forgetfulness. After a while, you would probably be drawn to someone else, so you wouldn’t feel sad for me.

MC: That’s nonsense – how could I…

Luke laughed quietly, not letting me go on.

Luke: It is nonsense. I thought I knew myself well, but I didn’t even know what I was truly afraid of…

Luke: After a while, the fear didn’t dispel – rather, it intensified, so much that it affected my own mental state.

MC: Huh?

I didn’t have the time to ask about this when we suddenly heard a ringing sound.

Luke immediately straightened up, taking out an unfamiliar-looking phone from his pocket as his face returned to that cold, indifferent expression.

MC: What’s the matter, did something happen?

Luke: Nothing major. Pan Minghao’s running all over the place, getting things ready. He’ll probably be able to get those goods over before dawn to complete the deal.

MC: That’s great.

Luke: Mm…

Luke frowned as he nodded, shakily retreating a bit.

His phone fell onto the ground. The bright screen was still on the message screen, as stark white as his face.

MC: Luke! Are you alright?!

When I realized that something wasn’t right, I rushed to catch him.

MC: Ugh-?!

He retracted the hand pressed on his temple, flicking my forehead without warning.

Luke: Shh – quieter, I’m fine.

MC: But…

Luke: Don’t worry – they’re just side effects from medicine. They happen each time.

MC: Medicine? What medicine…

I saw Luke reach out to me again and instinctively closed my eyes, but my forehead didn’t receive the same treatment it had before.

He poked my knitted brows, smiling calmly.

These little actions kept happening enough to make me think that he was trying to shift my attention, which put me on guard even more.

Luke: Don’t be so somber. Those meds were specially developed by the NSB.

Luke: You know that I’m not good with alcohol – I black out after a few glasses, and then I start rambling nonsense…

Luke: So when I’m doing these special missions, I’ll eat a few of these to make sure I don’t get drunk.

Luke: But the side effects are… stuff like headaches after five hours.

MC: Do those things continue for a long time?

Luke shook his head.

Luke: Nope. Usually, I’m fine after a shower and rest at home.

Luke: But this mission took longer this time, so the effects happened midway – it was kind of unexpected.

MC: A shower…

MC: (Oh, right!)

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

[Flashback]

Luke: Covering yourself with a warm towel can relieve yourself of exhaustion and help you relax. Do you feel a little better now?

MC: Yeah…

[Flashback end]

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

MC: (He’ll feel better if he takes a hot shower, won’t he?)

I looked towards that half-open concept washroom in the corner of the guest room, which just happened to have a wide tub in it.

MC: Then… want to try it?

Luke: Try what?

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

I used my actions as a response, walking straight over and turning on the tap to the bath.

Luke: What is… this for?

MC: You already know, don’t you – it’s obviously for a hot bath…

MC: There’s still a lot of time before dawn, and Pan Minghao won’t be able to get those goods over that fast…

MC: If you perk yourself up now, you’ll be able to successfully finish the deal later…

MC: Plus, you said before that if the two of us do nothing at all in this guest room, it’ll arouse their suspicions.

As if to cover up my strange sense of panic, I rambled on for a while.

Luke was somewhat surprised at the beginning, but thanks to my awkward reaction, he gradually ended up displaying a suggestive smile.

Luke: You know that there’s no door to the washroom, right?

MC: Don’t worry! I won’t peek…

Luke: What are you talking about? I’m not concerned about you seeing anything.

He loosened his tie as he spoke.

Luke: I’m just reminding you.

MC: !!!

Unlike how I was floundering, Luke calmly unbuttoned his suit.

I rushed to turn around. Amid the sounds of fabric rustling and water splashing, the hot steam gradually spread out from the tub.

Maybe it was because of the increasing temperatures, but I felt a little parched, like things were getting more and more stiflingly hot.

MC: …

MC: (I wonder if Luke is doing better…)

I sat still on the sofa, my back facing the tub as I counted brushstrokes on the wall paintings.

The only sounds in the quiet room were the splashes of water as he shifted positions.

After some time passed, a crisp colliding sound pulled me out of my reverie of chaotic thoughts.

MC: Are you alright?!

I immediately turned and stood up.

MC: Ah…

The cause of the sound just now was a bottle of shower gel that had been on the bath-side shelf and rolled onto the floor.

But I no longer had the ability to ponder over how it had fallen…

Luke reclined in the tub. The moment our eyes met, my mind went blank, with nothing but a buzzing sound reverberating inside.

Out of some sort of mysterious, silent agreement, neither of us spoke.

I walked over in a daze. When I picked up the bottle of shower gel and returned it to its place, he suddenly reached out and grabbed me.

MC: !!!

The water surged, and I felt a hand on my back.

Though I didn’t fall into the tub because of that, I instinctively sat on the side of the tub, meeting his eyes.

In consideration of the current circumstances, he was still in his shirt while in the water.

The thin, wet fabric clung to his skin, faintly outlining his body’s figure.

MC: Are you… feeling better? Does your head still hurt?

Luke: It’s a lot better.

He reached up and brushed at his damp hair, lifting his eyes up to me in the steam.

But despite his attempts to hide it, I could tell that he was trying to hide his discomfort from his furrowed brow.

MC: A lot better… so it’s not completely fine yet. It still hurts, doesn’t it?

Luke: …

MC: I was just wondering what it was that you truly feared. Luke, you must also fear pain, right?

Luke: Don’t worry, my tolerance is really high, so I’m not that sensitive to pain.

MC: Is that so… but I’ve realized that when you’re not feeling well, I feel afraid…

Before he could react, I took the towel beside the bathtub.

Just like what he had done to me earlier, I carefully wiped down his slightly flushed ears and neck.

Luke: !!!

He leaned back slightly. The sounds of the water rippling mixed with his inadvertent gasp.

I then repeated the question he asked me before.

MC: I heard that if you feel discomfort somewhere, you just need to shift your attention elsewhere to alleviate the pain.

MC: Does it feel a bit better now?

Luke: … Mm, it doesn’t hurt that much anymore.

Water dripped from the tips of his hair, his voice tinged with clinginess in the hot, humid atmosphere.

Luke: I’ve also heard that if someone is stimulated in two different ways, it’s easy for them to link those things together.

He tugged on the towel, forcing me to lean down and pulling me closer to him.

Because of these movements, some of the water in the tub splashed out, leaving the whole room full of steam.

Luke: So, for me to recall this feeling when the side effects take effect in the future…

Luke: … Let me deepen the impression it leaves on me.

The damp steam billowed into my face, and I somewhat dazedly squinted my eyes.

My hand reached into the tub. As the heat surrounded me, I faintly felt like the water temperature kept increasing…

Part 6

Luke’s House

After that mission finished and we safely returned home –

The first thing I did was organize that box of items left by the deceased senior with Luke.

MC: He barely has anything… aside from books, they’re all just some miscellaneous items…

Luke: Yeah, my senior didn’t have any family, and most of his stuff was bought for his fake identity. He rarely bought things for himself.

Luke: Oh you… get up, don’t stay crouching like that…

After Luke carried the box over to the table, he looked worriedly at my gauze-wrapped knees.

Luke: Are your knees alright? Do they still hurt?

MC: I’m fine. You saw when you came with me to the hospital – the wound isn’t that bad.

Luke: It was bleeding, and yet it’s not bad?

He put on a rare, severe expression, his eyes full of guilt.

I followed his gaze down to my knees. Though it still hurt slightly, I had no regrets whatsoever.

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

[Flashback]

During the arrest that day, it just happened to be the darkest part of night before dawn.

Pan Minghao knew that there was no escaping. He suddenly threatened to bring us all down with him, saying that he’d installed bombs in the manor before that would explode in a few seconds.

MC: !!!

I instinctively ran over to protect Luke, scraping my knees on the shelf corners as I stumbled.

Under normal circumstances, he would’ve anxiously, heatedly scolded me for my recklessness.

But due to the urgency during the time, none of us had time to retreat, so he said nothing as he held me tight in his arms.

Pan Minghao: Hahahahaha…

After a short few seconds, Pan Minghao, who was being restrained by the NSB members, burst into laughter.

Pan Minghao: How foolish – I was just lying to you. With how much I value my life, how could I do something like that…

Pan Minghao: But I certainly did have the chance to see an interesting display at this final juncture.

Pan Minghao: Raven, you tricked me through, but what’s going on between you and this lady doesn’t look like just an act.

Luke slowly let me go. He stared at the startling wounds on my knees, his face lowering as his body trembled slightly.

Luke: Pan Minghao… with all that you’ve done, you don’t seem to value your life at all.

He ignored the vocal discouragements around him, kicking him down to the ground.

If not for the other people restraining him, Pan Minghao probably would not have simply ended up sprawled on the floor and coughing.

Pan Minghao: Cough cough cough… You’re as prone to losing your cool as always…

Pan Minghao: I keep getting less and less certain about how much of your Raven act is real, and how much of it is fake.

Luke: …

Pan Minghao: Either way, that childhood photo must have been real, at least…

Pan Minghao: You were such a radiant, cheerful child before, but now, I often can’t even see through your expressions. Truly a pity.

This was the second time he’d said that last sentence.

The first time, he spoke to “Raven”, but this time, he spoke to “Luke Pearce”.

[Flashback end]

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

MC: Luke, quit staring at my legs. It’s kinda weird.

Luke: What are you talking about…

After being teased, Luke awkwardly turned around and headed to the kitchen.

MC: Where are you going?

Luke: I’m thirsty. Wanna drink anything?

MC: No need – thanks, though.

After I let out a few laughs, I turned my attention back to the books in the cardboard box…

MC: Huh? This is…

As I took them out one by one, I noticed a photo peeking out from between the pages of a book.

That was a photo of Luke when he was little –

The little boy held a bunch of multicoloured handmade flowers, smiling brilliantly at the camera.

MC: … It was taken on Luke’s 3rd birthday.

MC: (Is this the one that got mailed to the capital?)

MC: (But how come I’ve never seen this picture in the albums before…)

I looked over the photo carefully. It felt overall unfamiliar, but…

I had a faint impression of the bouquet of origami flowers in his hands.

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

Attic of Old Home

That night, after rifling through boxes and shelves at our old home, I finally found what I was looking for in a storage container.

MC: Ah… found it!!!

Luke: What is it?

Luke sidled over curiously, then froze.

Luke: So you ran over all of a sudden to find these…

MC: Do you remember them?

Luke: Of course – I sent these to you, right?

He nostalgically held up those slightly damaged, wilted-looking origami flowers that had endured for so long.

Luke: Do you remember how you were bullied by the neighbouring kids back then?

Luke: They threatened you, saying that if you told your family, they’d beat you up… so you kept silent about it, looking depressed all the time.

MC: Ah… I think that did happen…

My memories gradually became clearer, and I remembered that this issue was ultimately solved because of Luke…

⊳ He sought them out to talk ⊳ He always stayed by my side

MC: Didn’t you seek them out in the end?

Luke: You knew? And here I thought I’d kept the secret pretty well.

Luke: I was planning to beat them up, but before I could do anything, they got scared off.

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

⊳ He sought them out to talk ⊳ He always stayed by my side

MC: I think it was because you were always with me, so they gradually stopped bothering me.

Luke: Yeah, because you wouldn’t say anything at all, I had to use the dumbest method there was.

Luke: It took me a lot of consideration to make sure you never left my line of sight.

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

Luke: And this bouquet was made after everything was dealt with, to make you happy again.

MC: Luke…

For some reason, I had a lot of mixed feelings.

I looked down, inadvertently looking at the box’s contents, when I noticed something else that had been hidden under the origami flowers.

MC: Huh? This photograph frame…

I tried placing the photo inside – it fit perfectly.

⊳ Origami Flowers

MC: You’ve always been good at getting things done. These flowers are so lifelike – they really look like real ones.

Luke: I actually wanted to give you real flowers back then.

Luke: But it was winter then, and I couldn’t find any brightly-coloured wildflowers, so I had to learn it myself.

Luke: But now that I think about it, that’s not so bad. It’s because of this that they were able to remain for so long.

⊳ Frame

MC: The bird on the frame really looks like Peanut…

Luke: Yeah, I kept talking about wanting a myna bird back then. But because I was too young and wouldn’t have been able to take care of one, uncle and auntie didn’t let me.

MC: But they must have remembered – it seems like they specially ordered this frame.

⊳ Luke in the photo

MC: Luke, I didn’t know that you had learned to give girls flowers from such a young age.

Luke: Is that bad? Either way, it was for you.

Luke: Plus, that would mean that the first bouquet you’ve ever received was from me…

Luke: No one would be able to beat something that commemorative, right?

MC: …Yeah.

⊳ End observation

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

I brushed my hand over that tiny myna bird on the frame, feeling somewhat regretful.

MC: It was your birthday that day, yet you had to be the one to make me happy… I really was way too unreliable back then.

Luke: What’s the big deal? It’s not like someone can’t give another person gifts when it’s their own birthday.

Luke took the frame in my hands and returned it to its original spot.

He leaned down and met my gaze. The emotions in his eyes surged like the undercurrents of the deep sea.

Luke: Because of you, I felt like being born was something worth being happy about.

Luke: Up to this point, I’ve lost a lot – but you’ve always been the most precious part of my life… did you know that?

MC: I…

A question had many functions.

As I was faced with a clear answer, it seemed more like an obscured test and a disguised temptation.

MC: I do know…

I stepped up and embraced him, forcing him to lean against the tableside out of habit.

MC: Then did you know that to many people, you’re someone well worth cherishing too?

Luke: …Me?

MC: Yes. I was wondering why I had never seen this photo before, ever since childhood.

MC: Could it be that…

MC: You never said what the photo was to be used for, so mom and dad naturally sent the one that they liked best to you.

MC: This photo was probably placed in a place that would often be seen by people outside the house – their workplace.

MC: They’ve always been waiting for you to return with the photo, to refill the frame again.

MC: That senior probably thought similarly when he treasured this photo, so much that it looks completely new still.

Luke: !!!

He trembled slightly after listening to me.

MC: These are just my guesses, but…

MC: What’s certain is that I have always been waiting for you to return.

Luke: Is that so…

Luke released a quiet breath, then leaned in and placed his head on my shoulder, whispering a little despondently.

Luke: If I knew about this earlier, I wouldn’t have been so scared.

MC: Huh?

Luke: I didn’t tell you before what it was that I feared…

Luke: Not only did I fear that you would be sad – I was even more scared that as time went on, you would forget me.

Luke: As time went on and this feeling festered, I realized that I was a lot more selfish than I had thought.

Luke: … Are you disappointed in me?

MC: Not at all! I should have told you earlier… ouch-

I rushed to explain as I stood up, but the wrapped-up gauze chafed at his leg, leading to a burst of pain.

Luke: Does it hurt?

Seeing this, Luke picked me up before I could even quibble, setting me on the table with my legs hanging down.

MC: L-Luke?

Luke: … Let me see.

He crouched and looked over my knees, his brows knitted tightly.

MC: I’m fine, just a bit of a scrape. The wounds have already scabbed over, so it’s not that bad.

Luke: That’s what you always say. It probably still hurts, doesn’t it?

Under the hazy, warm orange light, I looked down at him, threading my fingers through his hair.

I then said something that shocked even me.

MC: It does hurt a little, but I probably won’t feel it if my attention gets turned elsewhere…

Luke: …

Following my lead, Luke lifted his eyes. The firework-like lights in them seemed to blaze with a single touch.

Luke: Then… let me try.

Luke: You just need to place all of your attention on me.

He stood up slowly and leaned into me. Those unwithering paper flowers were carelessly brushed off the table, onto the ground.

In the dark room, they still bloomed as brightly as they had in the past.

Video Call

You finally picked up… I thought something had happened to you, and was just about to go find you.

You forgot to check your phone at the dinner party? Alright, what did you eat, then… was it with someone that you’re close to?

Only work partners… that’s good.

Ah? No, I didn’t have anything important to say. I was lying on my bed when I suddenly wanted to ask – when are you coming again?

Where else – my home, of course.

Remember when you came to live at my place for a few days? After you left, I noticed that there were traces of your life all over the place.

… Even the pillow still had your scent, so I ended up thinking of you.

I’m acting weirdly…? But I haven’t drank anything – just the drinks you left in the fridge.

What? Those were alcoholic drinks? No wonder… I’ve been feeling a bit dizzy ever since a bit earlier. I thought I was mistaken.

What are you laughing at? Right, you know that I’m not good with these – you weren’t planning to make a move on me, were you…

I’m just kidding. I know you forgot to take them – if that was really what you were aiming for, you wouldn’t have needed to wait until now.

… Sorry, I kinda rambled on. I’ll go sleep in a moment, so this energy should be gone when I wake up.

Huh? You’re coming over after the dinner? So suddenly?

No, it’s not inconvenient… I’m just wondering, aside from worrying about me, are there any other reasons why you suddenly want to see me?

… All in all, I’ll wait for you. Be careful on your way, and you have a key, right – just let yourself in when you get here.

#Tears of Themis #tears of themis translations #xia yan #luke pearce #tot spoilers #tot translation #screaming omfg this is by far the hottest date i've read so far #they rly took the 16+ new rating and ran with it

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readerinsertfanfiction · 3 years ago

Text

Warmth

Fandom: Tears of Themis

Character: Marius von Hagen

Prompt: Prompt #1 - Reader who is touch-repulsed + If you touch Marius’ right arm in your chat with him he will be flustered. Which is what he deserves for being such a brat.

Warning: none that I can really recall? Reader is touch-repulsed.

Word count: +/-1K

Masterlist

The signs were there the first time you met. Easy to misunderstand for childish flippance. Easier to understand as blatant dismissal and a refusal to adhere to basic manners. But Marius always knew there was more than the superficial and he knew that there was more than the misunderstandings raised. Marius knew how to look further and between the fine lines of your subtle gestures when you refused his hand.

“Marius von Hagen,” he had introduced himself, all pleasant and charming as he extended his hand. You hadn’t taken it, rather ignored it with a stiff smile of your own as you gave your name, a bow following instead to show respect for the young CEO. It told Marius that you did mind your manners, but that there was a hurdle. It was why he didn’t address it, leaving you be as he lowered his own hand and returned the bow. The sight of relief on your face was to him just another passing point for the smooth sailings of your business deal.

[Want to go out this weekend?] he had cheekily texted you, accompanied with a link of a city-wide murder mystery event in the city. [You can be my Watson?]

In truth he just wanted a friend and he thought that perhaps you could be that friend. Someone who had a hard time fitting into the world like he did. Though for different reasons. Someone that wouldn’t adjust themselves to his comforts, like the majority did when they heard his name.

[You cross me more like an Arsene Lupin.] Came your answer, which wasn’t a yes or a no, but told him that you weren’t outright rejecting the idea of going out with him on a mock-murder mystery event. It meant that there was a chance, if he could just grasp it.

[Are you calling me a gentleman? That is almost like a compliment, but Lupin has no partner and I want you to come with me.]

The screen of his phone had already turned black, revealing his own pensive reflection back to him when your answer finally came, minutes after that he had sent you his last response.

[Then you are Watson.]

Short and simple and a yes. Marius couldn’t be more delighted when he found that you had agreed, a smile beaming on his face as he sent out the plan for that day before flipping his phone over to focus on work.

“Here!” he called you over that weekend, arm waving and the smuggest grin on his face. In arms he had a coat for you, accompanied with a pipe and a hat while he had a monocle in and a jacket in a similar style. “Or should I say, mx. Holmes?” he teases, a wink following the jest as you rolled your eyes, allowing the male to drop the items in your arms. By now Marius had observed how to move around you, not wanting to discomfort you as he avoided any touch.

“Looks good, doesn’t it?” he beams at you in pride, fixing his collar as he pulls on his own cap. “They also hand out prizes for the best dressed team, so I thought we should go out as a matching pair,” was his explanation to your questioning look.

Of course Marius found it a shame that he couldn’t freely touch you as he wished. There were times when he longed for your warmth, but held himself back. It was part self-discipline, as he didn’t want to indulge himself too much. Most of all, he didn’t want to shatter the trust the two of you had built up. The trust you had in him to respect your boundaries, the same ones that were so often misunderstood and taken for granted. The trust Marius had in you, for staying true to yourself without compromise. It is what he valued more than the need to hold you in his arms.

“Hey, mx. Holmes, don’t get lost!” he called for you cheekily over the crowd, “it is you who should be leading the way!” The city was busy that day, the event attracting quite a crowd accompanied with it being the weekend. Somewhere the fact that the two of you had dressed up as the most infamous detective pairing also hadn’t escaped the eyes of the people passing by who stopped themselves to stare.

It was in moments like these that Marius wanted to hold your hand, to make sure that you wouldn’t get lost. But most of all because crowds made him feel small. For despite his size Marius felt himself a little overwhelmed by the world still, the pressure and rush of responsibilities having come at him too soon and too early.

"Ah, you," a fluster in his voice, wide eyes turned towards you before recovering himself. He hadn’t noticed the tug at his sleeve at first, finding an uncommon amount of people brushing past him. It was something he had learnt to cope with as the second son of the PAX group. But when the tug turned into a hand slipping around his arm, holding it firmly as you came into his vision Marius hadn’t known how to respond quite yet.

The warmth of your hand burned through the fabrics of his clothes, slowly warming up his surprisingly cool existence as Marius found to his great distress that the same heat was crawling up further towards his face. Marius had always believed himself to be more composed, to be more prepared for the eventual moment, confident as he was in winning your friendship at least. Never had he expected that it was him who would grow flustered.

"Finally decided to trust me, huh?" Squishing down the way his heart beat, Marius was quick to turn up his signature smile, his eyes narrowing into a fond look before his hand travelled up, carefully reaching for your hand as he observed your expression closely. It was the lack of flinching and retreating that further encouraged him to carefully slip his fingers across of yours, finding himself giddy like a child about to be given a huge serving of ice cream.

"Let's hold hands," he murmurs, all cockiness and audacity gone out of his voice as a rare moment of gentle acceptance and satisfaction takes over. It was an overwhelming warmth that reached right into his heart.

#tears of themis #tears of themis marius #tot #tot marius #marius von hagen #tears of themis x reader #tot x reader #marius x reader

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cafedanslanuit · 3 years ago

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Rlly random but i just need to get rhis out of my chest LMAO

I've been playing tears of themis for a couple of months now but goddammit im already so tired of the game 😭😭 like i want so bad to like the characters and the game but i just CANT, im forcing myself sm to just keep playing it cuz i already did so much ://

Just so u get it, I've been playing Obey Me! for like,,, 2 YEARS now and i dont even think abt stopping it. Idk why tot isnt sticking with me even if the games r almost the same

(i feel like the fact that obey me is barely 1GB and tot is 4GB is also playing a big fact on me not liking the game LMAO)

nah it's okay 😭😭 i've been playing themis and while i love the boys, i haven't been able to connect to them yet :(( maybe you're like me and you need to connect to a character throughout the plot and well...... there isn't a plot yet on tot :(

i miss obey me sm but i got tired of their gacha system, i couldn't continue reading the story bc i didn't have enough strength for the battles and it was because i didn't have enough points/items to make my cards better 🙄🙄 the card system is better in tot

also, i got overwhelmed with so many messages 😭😭😭 i once didn't play for like a week and there were over 100+ mesages, i never finished reading them :(

#allie answers #lovely lia

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jokertrap-ran · 4 years ago

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(未定事件簿) EVENT! 「眷然恋影」 [Tears of Themis] EVENT: Zuo Ran Birthday 2021- Days to Re-Live Forever (4.24: Exchanging Movie Reviews)

*Tears of Themis Masterlist / Mobile Masterlist *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *Will also be filed under Zuo Ran’s tag #Tears of a Lawyer *The tracking tag for ALL Event Stories will go under: #Tears of an Event

4.18 / 4.20 / 4.22 / 4.24 / 4.26 Messages / Investigations / Call

Location: Live-action Studio

As Zuo Ran's birthday drew closer, the Film Festival gradually approached it's ending, and the scene I was trying to recreate on-set was soon to be complete.

Now, I had to exchange for some other things that could serve as a birthday present, in addition to a variety of props.

For example, the "Collector's Edition: The World-wide Film Script Collection" that was listed under the gift catalogue.

MC: (This is the best of the best! Nothing can be more suitable than this for someone like him, who loves movies so much!)

But in order to get this gift set, I'll need either 200 volunteer points to redeem it, or to clinch the first prize in the Film Critic Competition.

MC: (After calculating the cost of the remaining set props and items I need… That extra 200 points I require looks really hard to obtain…)

MC: (Looks like I'll have to win the Film Critic Competition before I can think about it.)

☆⋅⋆…⋅─────────── ⋆⋅✾⋅⋆ ───────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Location: Cafe

Simply watching a movie won't be enough to clinch victory in the Film Critic Competition.

During this period of time, I ran straight to the Cinema immediately after work in a bid to feed my pool of film knowledge.

But I'd never expected for my actions to have caught the attention of Mr. Li, the director of the award-winning film "Thousand Stars", that had won a gold award this Film Festival.

Director Li treated me as if I was a student in Film School, coming over to make small talk. Again, and again, until we eventually got acquainted with each other.

MC: Director Li, this is Zuo Ran, an Elite Lawyer. He's my partner, and also a movie enthusiast.

Zuo Ran had been absolutely busy with work the past two days, but due to the contents of his work, it was also something that I couldn't help him with by splitting the burden.

I didn't want him to get so "invested" in his work that he ended up burning himself out, so I specially invited him out to introduce him to Director Li, in hopes of getting him to relax a little.

Zuo Ran: It's been a long time, Li Yuan.

Li Yuan: Miss Lawyer here told me that she was going to be introducing me to a friend of hers. I was wondering who; but turns out it was you. It really has been a long while, Zuo Ran.

MC: You guys… Know each other?

A smile broke out on Zuo Ran's face; one that expressed the joy of reuniting with an old friend, one that spoke more than words.

Zuo Ran: Li Yuan and I were from the same batch of students, from the same law school. Only just that he changed his line of work as soon as he graduated.

Li Yuan: But that's only because it's so hard to pass the bar exam! I don't want to be memorizing anymore laws.

Zuo Ran: We're all acquaintances here, no need to be so courteous.

Zuo Ran: (Y/n) is my partner and will be participating in a Film Critic Competition soon. She has watched your movie, "Thousand Stars", many times over.

MC: Wait, how do you know that, Lawyer Zuo?

Zuo Ran: Weren't you playing "Thousand Stars" on your Pad this afternoon, while you were eating lunch?

MC: I've been re-watching it a couple of times lately, yes.

Li Yuan: You really like this movie that much? You've never brought it up in any of our previous conversations.

Li Yuan: I thought you disliked it but didn't dare voice it out to me for fear that it'll embarrass me, so you simply avoided the topic altogether.

MC: You're greatly mistaken! I really love "Thousand Stars"!

MC: But because I'm going to be participating in the Film Critic Competition, I can't help but to feel that talking to the Director of the film before writing the review's a little like playing cheat. So…

Zuo Ran: It's only to understand the Director's creative ideals. Whether it's worth it's recognition, whether or not it's nice to watch; those are things that only you can evaluate and judge for yourself.

Li Yuan: That's right, don't feel guilty for it.

Li Yuan: Look, I put out that many reasons for my shooting ideas back during the movie's promotional period; but yet, there are still people who have split opinion about whether or not this movie's a good one.

Li Yuan: So, come on, hurry and tell me what your rating is. Just think of it as you giving me a spoilery film critic about my work, alright?

MC: If I may be so presumptive to share my own opinions on the matter.

MC: I think that the plotline in "Thousand Stars" is clear, the pacing is just right, and the actors have also managed to portray the characters really well...

MC: Especially the unique setting of having two male leads, I think that's very well done, and they're both very charismatic. But...

Now came the hard part of talking about just what was lacking. I unwittingly snuck a glance at Zuo Ran.

He gave me a reassuring nod. That was when I finally gathered up enough courage to voice my own thoughts.

MC: But, I can’t say I agree with the “Villian’s impactful acting during the explosion” that everyone’s been raving about.

MC: The excitement that stems from the scene between the final showdown between the villain and the protagonist is mostly because the protag was spurring on the villain emotionally.

MC: The explosion scene, and the editing method used to cut straight to the heroine’s scenes also further intensified the tension.

MC: With both of these in play, don’t you think that the acting skills of the villain aren't reflected well enough, on the contrary?

Li Yuan: I see. What do you think of it, Zuo Ran? Or don’t tell me you didn’t watch my film?

He pretended to threaten Zuo Ran with a threatening gesture.

Zuo Ran: My opinion is the same as (Y/n)’s.

MC: Huh? You think so too?

Perhaps we could have seen Robin’s movie review of the “Thousand Stars” if only he wasn’t that busy with work.

But alas, it was much better to hear his live commentary about it in-person now.

Zuo Ran: Yes. This scene is none other than the final decisive standoff between the villain and the hero, where they each have to kill the other party at all costs.

Zuo Ran: The character of the villain is that he is strong, paranoid, but very calm and composed; and that he's also a meticulous schemer. That being said, despite all the emotions running high here...

Zuo Ran: There's no need for such strong physical actions. Rather, it'll have been more fitting if you’d simply rely on the subtlety of actions to influence the audience.

Zuo Ran: But in this case, not only did the villain’s actor exaggerate his sneer a little more when the mood changed, but he’d also used a larger action to make up for the lack of visible expression.

Zuo Ran: He also deliberately raised his voice, so that the character he portrayed no longer retained his calm and paranoia, but instead, falls closer to disarray and madness. This conflicts a little with his initial persona.

Zuo Ran: But, although the performance of the villain’s actor was a tad choppy, he still has unlimited potential yet to be tapped into as a greenhorn.

Li Yuan laughed, clapping.

Li Yuan: Man, oh man, oh man! As one would expect of a Lawyer like you, Lawyer Zuo! Getting straight to the heart of the matter, I see!

Li Yuan: You’re absolutely right. The villain’s actor is a good seedling that has just graduated and requires more experience in the field.

Li Yuan: But I never expected that you’d have such thoughts about the actor’s acting either, Miss Lawyer. Or perhaps… Do you and Zuo Ran share a tacit understanding of each other between normal boundaries?

His eyes “scanned” us, flickering back and forth between us, an ambiguous yet knowing look on his face.

MC: You flatter me. I'm only but an amateur at this, and I haven't watched that many movies compared to Lawyer Zuo…

Zuo Ran: Movies reviews are something where you're meant to express your own views about it; professional experience and how excellent your review is as a whole does not matter.

Zuo Ran: Personally, I think a good movie review is one that resonates well with people.

Zuo Ran: We've watched many movies together now, and there are always points we mutually agree with.

Zuo Ran: In actual fact, I've always got something to learn from your evaluations of the movies we watch.

MC: Lawyer Zuo…

Li Yuan: Miss Lawyer, this is the first time I'm ever hearing Zuo Ran sing this many praises about someone else.

Li Yuan's tone and expression grew increasingly suggestive...

MC: ……

Zuo Ran: Cut it out with the jokes, Li Yuan.

Li Yuan: Yes, yes; alright. You're still the same as ever, huh.

Following that, we all started talking about other movies.

I could literally feel the tension and exhaustion leave Zuo Ran as time went on. His entire being had entered a state of relaxation.

MC: (This isn't a wasted trip at all since it got Lawyer Zuo to relax!)

☆⋅⋆…⋅─────────── ⋆⋅✾⋅⋆ ───────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Talking to both veterans of the field made me gain lots of enlightenment.

I went to polish the movie review I'd already written at night, after getting back home, before making my official submission.

With some twist of fate, my review was actually awarded the first prize; and I managed to redeem the "Collector's Edition: The World-wide Film Script Collection", just like I was hoping to.

☆⋅⋆…⋅─────────── ⋆⋅✾⋅⋆ ───────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Previous Part: (4.22: Dubbing Contest) | Next Part: (4.26: Birthday Celebration)

#Tears of Themis #Zuo Ran #左然 #Translations #Otome #Mihoyo #未定事件簿 #眷然恋影 #Days to ReLive forever #Zuo Ran 2021 Birthday #Tears of a Lawyer #Tears of an Event #weiding shijian bu #tears of themis translations

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sunsiac · 3 years ago

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THATS- I want to play in the Chinese Server but I cant read CHINESE- THATS SOO COOL THO- The MR CARD TOO- Thats not FAIR man Flexing on your Chinese Tears of Themis Cards- I want them soo bad... they look soo prettyyyy- Oh also question- did you get a Birthday thing at your birthday?? Because I dont think here We have the birthdays yet... Legit I didnt get any at my birthday-

i think you meant to send this to my other account by either way!!! it’s sooo worth it if you can it’s so fun 😫 but if you can’t, @ tiramisiyu on here has most of the available chapters + luke’s story translated! i stay repping her lmao but she totally deserves it, she’s an angel for feeding us all this content <3

the MR card i actually just got recently— i was playing for vyn’s birthday last year, but i have a habit where i have no idea what’s going on in a game for at least a couple months. so i just got it in an MR bingo event that ran about a month ago ;-; i gotta flex tho IM SORRY ahdgsj this collection didn’t collect itself 😮‍💨

and yes!! we do get something for our birthday! you get a gift from each of the guys in the form of an item, which then goes to your inventory with a little message from them <3 when you open the gift, i don’t remember exactly what you get, but i’m pretty sure it’s a mix of tears to draw with, coins, the upgrading chips and maybe also s-chips? it’s a healthy reward! we didn’t get birthday rewards until at least may of this year, but maybe it’ll be earlier on global :D

#anon #asks

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tiramisiyu · 4 years ago

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Translation Masterlist

⊳ Status: ON INDEFINITE TRANSLATION HIATUS unless if i want to work on something / at @tirayuanshen / still answering questions

⊳ Frequently Asked Questions

Tears of Themis (items not released in Global yet)

✼ •• ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ •• ✼ Main Story ✼ •• ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ •• ✼

Inspection Chapter - Eve of the Voyage: Intro / With Marius / With Artem / With Luke / With Vyn / Conclusion

Chapter 8 Summary

Chapter 9 Summary

✼ •• ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ •• ✼ More ✼ •• ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ •• ✼

⊳ Xia Yan (Luke Pearce) Masterlist (Personal Story & Dates)

⊳ 2021 Chinese Server Major Events Masterlist

⊳ 2022 Chinese Server Major Events Masterlist

⊳ Other Items Masterlist

Archives

For all Tears of Themis content that has been translated on this blog and has officially been added to the global server, as well as previously-translated Mr. Love: Queen’s Choice 【恋与制作人】 and Light and Night 【光与夜之恋】 content.

#mlqc #mlqc translation #tears of themis #masterlist #tot translation #light and night #light and night translation

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tiramisiyu · 3 years ago

Text

Frequently Asked Questions

As my final and likely most demanding semester of undergrad is around the corner, I may not be able to keep up with all questions on an ongoing and timely basis - so I’ve prepared a Tears of Themis FAQ list for easy reference!

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

♦️ Can I repost [material you have translated]?

I am fine with these for personal use, whether through screenshot or pure text, as long as a link to the place where you got the translation from is included.

♦️ I’ve downloaded the Chinese server but I don’t see the events you’re mentioning!

You have most likely downloaded the Taiwan server, which is also in Chinese (although Traditional rather than Simplified) text and is much easier to enter (Chinese server generally requires Mainland citizen verification and does not allow people to connect using FB, Google accounts (I mean, you can’t even access those in China)).

The Taiwan server is, on average, 2 weeks behind China (with room for error; note that birthday events happen at almost the same time). I recommend staying up to date on their Facebook.

♦️ Is the Chinese (CN) server ahead of the global server? By how much?

Yes, the game was released exactly 1 year earlier in China.

Do note that global has been releasing content on a faster rate, for some reason, so technically it is behind by less than 1 year.

♦️ When will [content released in CN server already] be released in the global server?

Please note that I am just another player like you in the global server, and have no more information than you do regarding when content will be officially released.

♦️ [Question regarding content released in CN but not in global yet]

For information on what & when items were released in CN, and what items (e.g. tears) were needed:

Future Content Details (made by a friend! highly recommended)

♦️ [Question regarding ongoing event on global]

Official social media accounts are great and concise repositories of information, and I also recommend the official Discord for a plethora of fans providing helpful gameplay information for ongoing events or answering questions. However, I will do my best to help out if there’s any other clarification needed!

Social media links: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Official Site | Official Discord

♦️ Will event gacha cards ever return? How will they do so?

Generally, cards from events that do not feature 4 SSRs will rerun in the rotational pool several months after their debut.

Lost Gold (4 SSR) has received a rerun where each ML gets a separate banner, featuring the Lost Gold SSR and a small chance at some of the other SSRs of the ML. Skadi will receive a rerun.

Waiting to see what will happen with Anniversary. (If I had to guess, probably something similar to birthday reruns)

Past birthday cards get rerun with a hard pity of 100.

♦️ [Xia Yan/Luke-related question]

Keep them coming! (except any jokes about his time remaining ;; but serious/sad/etc questions about it are ok)

♦️ [Anything not listed above]

Feel free to drop it in the askbox!

#Tears of Themis #masterlist #this time it's the tianjinbinhai library #i miss going to libraries sm

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tiramisiyu · 3 years ago

Text

【未定事件簿】 Tears of Themis: Main Story 7-24 Translation

Translation Masterlist | Video

Chapter 7 – Rains of Monte Cristo: 7-1 / 7-3 / 7-5 / 7-7 / 7-9 / 7-11 / 7-13 / 7-15 / 7-17 / 7-19 ♦️ ♦️ 7-20 / 7-22 / 7-24 / 7-26 / 7-28 / 7-30 / 7-32 / 7-34 / 7-35

Content Warning: This section contains topics that may be uncomfortable to some readers (mentions of abuse). Please proceed with discretion.

Vincent found out about the relation between Hang Fei and the boss of the Abyss bar through the moon ornament in Room 1001. The boss requested to see Marius and stated that he had important information. After thinking things over several times, Marius and I decided to meet him as agreed upon.

Abyss Bar

There was no one in the bar when Marius and I arrived.

Bar Boss: Master von Hagen, Miss Lawyer, please come this way.

The boss pointed us to a spot in front of the bar table. We sat as he indicated.

Marius: You must be the one that Vincent said wanted to meet me?

Bar Boss: You’re being quite direct, Master von Hagen. Shouldn’t you exchange a few pleasantries with me?

Marius: My time’s precious, and I don’t want to use it to speak in a roundabout way with you.

Marius: Tell me, what do you want?

Bar Boss: Nothing major – I simply want Master von Hagen to owe me a “favour”.

The boss took a document envelope from under the cabinet and placed it in front of Marius and me.

Bar Boss: Including that foster care contract from before, these are all of the Hang family’s secrets.

Bar Boss: As long as you get this, all of your current questions will be answered.

Marius: You told Vincent that you got these because Hang Fei owed you money.

Marius didn’t follow along with the boss. Instead, he changed directions.

Marius: What happened between you and Hang Fei?

Bar Boss: Nothing much. Hang Fei merely spent some money here, but ended up unable to pay up.

Bar Boss: Master von Hagen, you’re also a businessman, so you should get that no one can enjoy a service without paying up, right?

Bar Boss: So I thought up of a compromise for him.

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

[Flashback]

Hang Fei: B-boss, give me a few more days. I’ll definitely get all the money needed.

Hang Fei looked at the few guards around the boss, starting to mumble subconsciously.

Bar Boss: Mister Hang, you’ve been dragging this on for a long time. Time waits for no one.

Hang Fei: No, boss, please just trust me once more and give me more time. I’ll definitely get you the money this time.

Hang Fei: I can go get them…

The boss looked at Hang Fei, his eyes moving back and forth.

Bar Boss: Mister Hang, after seeing your sincerity, I do have another idea to give you time.

Hang Fei: What idea?

Bar Boss: In this world, there are things worth more than money, such as… secrets.

Bar Boss: If you can find a secret like this as temporary collateral… I don’t mind collecting my “service fees” a little later.

Hang Fei: …

Hang Fei went silent for a moment.

Hang Fei: I do have secrets like this – they even have to do with me.

Hang Fei: If this secret were exposed, I wouldn’t even be able to continue living.

Hang Fei: Boss, this is temporarily sufficient, isn’t it?

Bar Boss: Of course. If you give it to me, I can give you more time.

[Flashback]

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

Marius: …

MC: Boss, to be frank, this is extortion.

Bar Boss: Extortion? Miss, you’re exaggerating.

Bar Boss: I merely wanted the money that Hang Fei owed me – this is what I’ve done for so many years.

Bar Boss: And no one’s ever been able to lay a finger on me.

MC: You…

Bar Boss: Plus, what Hang Fei has done is much worse than me.

Marius: What did Hang Fei do?

Bar Boss: After the first time he left these things as collateral, he quickly found Xu Yin and the other “protagonist of the secret”, then extorted them of money.

Bar Boss: He immediately gave this money to me and got his secrets back. But…

Bar Boss: He started to get “addicted”, maybe because of the “sweetness” of that particular experience…

Bar Boss: Whenever he owed me money, he’d leave the “secrets” as collateral, then would once again extort those two of their money.

Bar Boss: At the end, he even demanded money from those two that far exceeded the amount owned, for his own frivolous squandering…

Bar Boss: See, aren’t I much more law-abiding than he is?

MC: …

MC: (Although, this does explain why Hang Fei’s family life didn’t deteriorate, despite his gambling.)

Bar Boss: How about it, Master von Hagen? Want to do business with me?

Bar Boss: You just need to owe me a favour to get what you want – it’s a great deal.

Marius: Oh? You know what it is that I want?

Bar Boss: Of course. What you want…

The boss looked at Marius, then at me.

Bar Boss: Has to do with Hang Fei’s daughter, Hang Jiahe, correct?

MC: …

Marius: How did you know?

Bar Boss: Master Lu, aren’t you curious about why I wasn’t stressed at all, despite Hang Fei’s half-year disappearance?

Marius: …

Bar Boss: That’s because someone was repaying money “for” him.

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

[Flashback]

January 29th.

Bar Boss: You’re right, Hang Fei did leave some things as collateral here.

The boss looked at the woman in front of him, his smile as steadfast as ever.

Bar Boss: But, Miss Hang, you won’t be able to take those things just because you’re his daughter.

Bar Boss: If you want to take those things, then return the money first.

Hang Jiahe: How much does he owe?

Bar Boss: This much.

The boss drew out a number.

Hang Jiahe: This much?!

Bar Boss: I’ll give you those things as long as you repay the money, Miss Hang.

Hang Jiahe: How would I be able to take out this much money right now?!

Bar Boss: Then…

Bar Boss: Like your father, Miss Hang, you can use secrets as collateral.

Bar Boss: You must be someone who also knows many secrets.

Hang Jiahe: …

Hang Jiahe lowered her head in thought.

Hang Jiahe: I can’t. The things I know can be used elsewhere.

Hang Jiahe: Boss, please give me some more time. I’ll definitely get enough money within half a year to a full year.

Hang Jiahe: Within this time, please don’t give these things to anyone else.

Hang Jiahe: I can hand over some money right now as a deposit.

Bar Boss: Ah, alright. I’ve never rejected the pleas of a beauty.

[Flashback end]

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

Marius: …

MC: (Based on Hang Jiahe’s actions, it seems like the boss really does have what we need.)

Bar Boss: How about it, the two of you? Have you thought things over?

Bar Boss: With all I’ve said, you must believe that what I have is what you need.

MC: As the condition you gave to Hang Jiahe was paying money, we can also pay you money.

Bar Boss: That was the condition for Hang Jiahe, not you two.

Bar Boss: My condition for you is something more valuable… that is, a promise from Master von Hagen.

MC: …

I snuck a glance at Marius. But he looked completely calm, even somewhat disinterested.

Marius: Thank you for the information you’ve given us. I will have Vincent compensate you shortly.

Marius: Let’s end things here for today.

Marius then tugged me up from my seat to leave.

Bar Boss: Wait, Marius von Hagen, don’t you want what’s in the bag?

Marius: I do, but I hate being threatened even more.

Marius: I seriously doubt that there’s anything in the world that Pax can’t find out about.

Bar Boss: Of course you’d be able to find out about it with the power of Pax – but you have no time.

MC: What do you mean?

Bar Boss: You’ve already met Hang Jiahe, haven’t you? Plus, I bet that the police have already overturned the charges against Wang Chunchong.

Marius: …

Bar Boss: Then, did you know that Hang Jiahe suddenly came here yesterday with a large sum of money, and bought away a portion of the things in this bag?

MC: !!!

Bar Boss: I saw that she looked very anxious, so I warned her – out of the goodness of my heart – that it would be best to not destroy it for now.

Bar Boss: These are unusual times, after all…

Bar Boss: Based on how she reacted, she listened to me, but…

Bar Boss: Say, if I called her right now and told her everything that just happened…

Bar Boss: How would she deal with those things?

MC: …

Marius: …

Though we didn’t want to admit it, what the boss had just mentioned was at the very bottom of the list of things we wanted to happen.

Marius: …

Marius looked around. When his sight swept over the bar table, he stopped for a moment. Seeming like he’d thought of something, he spoke with a smile.

Marius: If so, boss, would you perhaps be interested in playing a game with me?

MC: !!!

Marius: If I win, you give those things to me unconditionally, but if I lose…

Marius: We’ll go with your deal – I get those things, and I’ll owe you a favour. As long as it isn’t illegal, I can help you once in the future.

Marius: Also, you cannot tell Hang Jiahe about what happened between us today.

Bar Boss: Master von Hagen, you sure have thought things through – no matter what the result is, you can still take those things away.

Marius: But this is your one opportunity to establish a relationship with me and Pax, isn’t it?

Bar Boss: … What do you want to play?

Marius: Since this is a bar, you must have dice here.

Marius: One die per person. Whoever throws the higher number wins. How about it?

Bar Boss: I’m fine with it, but Master von Hagen, I have never lost this game. Are you sure you want to play it with me?

Marius: We haven’t even played yet, so who knows who the winner will be? Plus, isn’t it better if you win?

Bar Boss: Alright, then.

The boss took out two dice and two wooden dice holders, giving one each to Marius and himself.

Bar Boss: One round decides all. Then, let’s…

MC: Wait. I have to inspect the dice and holders.

Bar Boss: …

Bar Boss: Alright, please do, miss.

The boss gave all items to me. I examined the two holders – nothing stood out to me. But when I examined the two dice, I noticed a slight difference between the two of them.

MC: …

MC: This…

Marius: No abnormalities, right, great lawyer?

I was just about to speak when Marius cut me short. He winked at me, as if hinting something. I understood.

MC: No abnormalities. Please start.

Bar Boss: Then, Master von Hagen, one round decides all. Go ahead.

Marius and the boss cast their dice simultaneously. The night-coloured holders flew up and down in Marius’ hand as the die slammed on the walls of the holder, creating a clear sound.

Clack.

Both of them sealed off the holders simultaneously.

Bar Boss: Master von Hagen, open?

Marius: Wait.

Marius pressed down on both holders.

Marius: I will confirm again – you haven’t forgotten the conditions from before, have you?

Bar Boss: Of course. The one with more dots wins.

Marius: Good.

Marius opened the two holders. The two dice displayed a massive difference in dots.

Bar Boss: This… impossible!

Marius: I got 6, you got 1… looks like my luck’s pretty decent.

MC: You won!

Bar Boss: …

The boss looked at the dice and pondered for a moment.

Bar Boss: Hah… as expected of Master von Hagen. I lost.

Marius: Hand those things over.

Bar Boss: Don’t worry, I won’t go back on a deal. Here you go.

Bar Boss: Although… aside from that psychiatrist, it’s been a very long time since I’ve experienced this feeling of defeat.

Bar Boss: I can’t help wondering if you know him.

Marius: You’re overthinking.

MC: …

Marius took the file envelope and tugged me up, preparing to leave the bar.

Bar Boss: Also, I’d like to let you know that there is a portable hard drive and several photos in the envelope.

Bar Boss: There’s a connection between the contents of the hard drive and the photos.

Bar Boss: Hang Jiahe bought a portion of the hard drive’s contents.

Bar Boss: And she appears the most in the photos.

Marius: Noted.

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

In Marius’ Car

When we returned to Marius’ car, I couldn’t help showing how excited I was.

MC: Marius, you were way too awesome just now!

Marius: No big deal – just some insignificant talents.

MC: But how did you win? The boss’s die…

Marius: You probably also noticed when inspecting them that his die was heavier than mine.

MC: Yeah, so I was wondering if there was something placed in it.

Marius: In that die, right behind the 1 dot, there’s a magnet.

Marius: When shaking the die, as long as the boss secretly holds another magnet…

Marius: He’d be able to use the opposite attractive force and the relative locations of the different dots to throw a result he wants.

MC: But if so, shouldn’t he have cast a 6? How did it end up as a 1?

Marius: About that…

Marius spread his left hand at me. There was a little brooch there, with a magnet at the bottom of it.

MC: !!!

Marius: Since I know how he plans to cheat, I naturally have to counterattack.

Marius: So before he revealed his die, I touched his holder.

Marius: Thanks to my magnet, the die will change again.

MC: Oh… then how did you cast a 6?

Marius: About that… even the rich sons of the so-called upper class can’t evade the allure of dice.

Marius: I do have to learn a few things to maintain my indulgent rich son persona.

Marius: There’s a certain method to guarantee a chance of rolling the amount you want.

MC: Is that so…

Marius: Mere little skills – nothing to show off about.

Marius: Let’s not talk about these for now – instead, we should see what’s in the envelope.

I opened the envelope, taking out a stack of photos and a portable hard drive.

MC: H-how could this…

Marius: …

When I saw what was in the photos, my hands started to tremble.

There were many photos of children, most of whom were around 6 or 7, and their bodies were covered in numerous purple marks. The photos were taken in hidden, dark conditions from awkward angles, and those children, who should have been running free under the sun, had faces covered with tears. Each one held old toys covered in dust, and some toys were even missing sections, looking utterly broken.

MC: Marius, aren’t these toys the same ones as the ones we saw in the Room 1001 toy display cabinet?

Marius: Yes.

MC: Could it be that… Hang Fei would collect these toys for his own enjoyment?

Marius: Or maybe these toys were what Hang Fei used to kidnap them.

Marius: But regardless of which it is, based on what the boss said, what’s in this hard drive…

MC: The contents have to do with the photos… these photos come from the contents of the hard drive…

MC: Against these children, did Hang Fei…

Were these children victims of Hang Fei’s abuse?!

I couldn’t even finish my sentence.

Marius: It’s not just children – there are also photos of Qi Yu. The only difference is that she’s not holding any toys.

Marius: Also, just as the boss said, one child appears particularly often in the photos.

Marius: If this child really is Hang Jiahe, then…

MC: We’ve found Hang Jiahe’s motive for murdering Hang Fei.

[Obtained Photos of Abused Children]

[Obtained Portable Hard Drive]

#Tears of Themis #tears of themis translations #tot translations #lu jinghe #marius von hagen #未定事件簿

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tiramisiyu · 3 years ago

Text

【未定事件簿】 Tears of Themis: Main Story 7-34 Translation

Translation Masterlist | Video

Chapter 7 – Rains of Monte Cristo: 7-1 / 7-3 / 7-5 / 7-7 / 7-9 / 7-11 / 7-13 / 7-15 / 7-17 / 7-19 ♦️ ♦️ 7-20 / 7-22 / 7-24 / 7-26 / 7-28 / 7-30 / 7-32 / 7-34 / 7-35

Content Warning: This section contains topics that may be uncomfortable to some readers (mentions of abuse). Please proceed with discretion.

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

After we left Hang Jiahe’s place, Xu Yin hastened off. No one knew what she was thinking, and all she left was a staggering silhouette.

When we returned to Marius’ car, we hadn’t recovered from the confrontation with Hang Jiahe either, so we sunk into silence. I subconsciously realized that Marius seemed… somewhat sad?

MC: Marius, are you okay?

Marius: … You noticed.

MC: If something’s troubling you, tell me. Don’t keep it pent up inside.

Marius: …

Marius: I keep thinking back these days on what Wang Chunchong said to me…

Marius: When I heard Hang Jiahe’s story, I suddenly… felt a little scared…

MC: Scared?

Marius: Yeah. I live in the same world as Xu Yin, Wang Chunchong, and Hang Jiahe.

Marius: But I’m luckier than them, as my brother and dad both love me – so I’ve got a happy family overall.

Marius: So I don’t have to climb up, step by step the way Xu Yin and Wang Chunchong have to, just to live.

Marius: And I definitely am not like Hang Jiahe, who couldn’t even choose her own life.

Marius: But all of what I have right now is built on the foundation of Pax and the von Hagen family.

Marius: As the von Hagen stands at the very summit, we have no problems whatsoever.

Marius: But if one day, all of this were gone, could I still be this happy?

Marius: Would my day still come?

MC: Of course it will.

Marius: Why?

MC: Because whether day comes or not isn’t determined solely by the outside world.

MC: Like this.

I took out my phone and turned on the flashlight.

Instantly, a thin white light cut through the air, lighting up the dark interior of the car.

MC: Even if one is in the middle of the darkness, if you can find a light, even if it’s the thinnest, weakest sliver…

MC: It can still light up the darkness.

MC: Hang Jiahe’s story is a tragedy from top to bottom. No one could find the light to save themselves in the darkness.

MC: But unlike them, you are a light yourself.

MC: Even if you discard the halo of Pax and the von Hagen family, your own light can illuminate darkness.

Marius: …

Marius looked at me quietly, his eyes glittering in the weak light.

Marius: Jiejie, you’re right, but… not completely right.

MC: What?

Marius: Not only can I emit light, but I’ve also found the light that can illuminate me.

MC: !!!

MC: …

Marius: …

MC: … A-anyways, Marius, about what Hang Jiahe said at the end…

Seeing the atmosphere in the car get stranger and stranger, I rushed to change the topic.

Marius: Though I don’t want to admit it, I do think she’s right.

Marius: It’s impossible for us to incriminate her with the evidence we have now.

MC: But the police haven’t found out anything, and Hang Jiahe wears gloves, so she wouldn’t have left fingerprints…

MC: There’s no way for us to prove that she was the one to use the hammer…

Marius: …

Marius: No, we might have a way.

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

Waiting Room

Very appropriately, it was raining in Stellis on the day of the trial for Hang Fei and Qi Yu’s case. I arrived at the meeting room early, preparing to reread all my materials, so I could better face this trial where odds were winning were pretty low.

MC: (Only Marius would have come up with this method…)

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

[Flashback]

Darius Morgan: You want Hang Jiahe herself to admit everything she did in court?

Marius: Yes, that’s the most effective method I can think of right now.

MC: But… how does that work…

MC: …

MC: Are you thinking of imitating the psychological tactics I used against Fannie before in court?

Marius nodded.

MC: But Hang Jiahe’s not like Fannie, so how do we get at her?

Marius: About that… do you remember what we went to her house and you noticed that her glove had broken?

MC: “Looks like this glove design quality isn’t that great either, since it broke on me without me realizing…”

MC: “I’ll look for more durable designs.”

MC: You mean that Hang Jiahe might have accidentally left fingerprints or other clues?

Marius: Yes.

MC: That is possible, but this might not necessarily be of any use against her.

Marius: I got in touch with the production factory of that toolbox. Though the number’s carved on the hammer’s iron core…

Marius: The same number is also secretly carved on the handle, and only the factory itself can identify it.

Marius: They did this to prevent people from making fakes – kind of a trade secret.

Marius: I found out about it thanks to some connections.

MC: Thanks for your hard work.

Marius: No big deal – anyways, back on topic.

Marius: We can send the murder weapon to the factory for confirmation. If all goes as planned…

Marius: Assuming that the number on the core and the handle don’t match, Captain Morgan, we’ll have to trouble you to re-examine the murder weapon again.

Marius: Though this time, what we need to identify are any residues or biological indices on it.

MC: You suspect that there are Hang Jiahe’s fingerprints on the murder weapon?

Marius: Yes.

Darius Morgan: But, Marius, putting aside whether we can even get this examination in before trial…

Darius Morgan: With how much time has passed, it’s highly unlikely that any residues are left, even if they existed back then.

Marius: I know. It’s just…

MC: Captain Morgan… we can only stake our bets on this.

Darius Morgan: And what if we come up empty?

MC: Then I will still confront Hang Jiahe in court with all the truths I have until the final moment.

Darius Morgan: You probably understand that if you fail, we might never catch Hang Jiahe again.

MC: I understand, but I’m sure our effort will display results. I will not give up if we haven’t reached the end yet.

Marius: Captain Morgan, I’m also requesting this of you.

Darius Morgan: … I understand.

Darius Morgan: Within the scope of law, I will do my best to have Wang Chunchong stand in court as the suspect. As for the rest…

He smiled at me.

Darius Morgan: It’s all on you.

[Flashback end]

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

As he promised, Darius dealt with everything after.

MC: (My emotions are a mess… I don’t even know what to say right now…)

MC: (I’ll go through the files again.)

I sunk back into case-file reading. In the middle of that, Marius pushed open the door with a bag full of breakfast.

Marius: You arrived so early.

MC: Yeah, I wanted to go through the information once more before appearing in court, just to ensure that I’m fully prepared.

Marius: Don’t be so nervous, eat your breakfast first.

MC: Thanks.

Marius: No problem. Oh, right, Captain Morgan had me give you this.

Marius handed me a document.

Marius: This is the information Captain Morgan got when they were investigating Hang Jiahe’s alibi.

Marius: There are blind spots in the villa’s surveillance – Hang Jiahe probably used them to come and go from it.

Marius: The police are currently looking for any witnesses around that area.

Marius: Aside from that, the two identical toolboxes were ones that Hang Jiahe bought around January 25th.

Marius: Wang Chunchong was also in the apartment during then. She probably used the opportunity when she said she returned home to get clothes…

Marius: To get the hammer handle with Wang Chunchong’s fingerprints.

MC: Understood.

[Obtained Police’s Investigation Report]

Marius: Also, this is the examination report that the police currently have on the murder weapon.

Marius: The factory confirmed that the murder weapon’s handle is indeed from set No. 22, and the other thing we guessed…

Marius flipped to the second page of the report, where it was clearly written “No results currently regarding residues or biological indices.”

MC: (Looks like we can’t tell whether there are fingerprints on it for now…)

MC: …

Marius: Hold onto this report.

MC: Okay.

Marius: Alrighty, take your time eating, then. I won’t bug you anymore.

Marius: In court, just do what you want – don’t be too nervous.

Marius: Everything will go well.

MC: Yep.

Marius left with a smile. I looked at that examination report, making a silent decision.

MC: (I’ll proceed with all I have!)

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

CRIMINAL COURT

10:00 AM

Judge: Court is in session. The court calls the People of Stellis versus suspect Wang Chunchong for the homicide case of Hang Fei and Qi Yu.

Judge: First, may the prosecution give their opening statement.

Prosecutor: I represent the People of Stellis against Wang Chunchong.

Prosecutor: On the night of January 28th, Hang Fei and Qi Yu, residents of Yaofu Community, were murdered at home. Their corpses were found not long ago.

Prosecutor: Investigation revealed that Wang Chunchong had severe conflicts with the victims due to a betrothal gift issue.

Prosecutor: That night, Wang Chunchong took food items laced with special drug G24D into the victims’ house under the pretext of apologizing.

Prosecutor: After he led the victims to eat the food, Hang Fei and Qi Yu fell unconscious due to the drug.

Prosecutor: The suspect took this opportunity to move the victims to the floor and used a hammer in the room to deal lethal blows to their heads.

Prosecutor: After, the suspect brought the bodies to his home using the apartment’s special fire escape route and placed them inside suitcases.

Prosecutor: After the suspect went to the natural park’s back mountain, then buried the bodies and the murder weapon.

Prosecutor: Investigation revealed Wang Chunchong’s fingerprints on the murder weapon, as well as the DNA of the victims in the suitcases in his home.

Prosecutor: The surveillance cameras where the burial location was clearly recorded Wang Chunchong’s entrance and exit.

Prosecutor: Thus, the prosecution believes that Wang Chunchong had full motive for the crime and that the evidence is conclusive.

Judge: Does the defendant have any objections regarding the prosecution’s statement?

Wang Chunchong: I didn’t kill Hang Fei and Qi Yu! It wasn’t me!

MC: I believe that there are major flaws in the prosecution’s evidence chain. The true culprit of this case is Hang Jiahe, not Wang Chunchong!

MC: First, the natural park’s surveillance footage only recorded Wang Chunchong’s movements at the park’s front door.

MC: It is impossible to judge where he went after entering the park. Thus, this evidence is untenable.

PROSECUTION OBJECTION

Prosecutor: Objection! As the defense lawyer believes that it is impossible to determine that Wang Chunchong went to bury the bodies based on the natural park door’s surveillance…

Prosecutor: The prosecution also believes that it is impossible to determine that Wang Chunchong did not bury the bodies.

Prosecutor: Thus, the prosecution believes that Wang Chunchong is still highly suspect of performing post-murder corpse disposal.

OBJECTION

MC: Objection! The defense has evidence to prove that Wang Chunchong did not go to bury bodies that night.

Select: Recording of Simon’s murder

MC: That night, Wang Chunchong went to the natural park to meet Simon on the north mountain.

MC: This recording indicates when Wang Chunchong murdered Simon, which is the same time as what happened in the park.

MC: Thus, Wang Chunchong could not have been simultaneously discarding the corpses at the same time at the foot of the mountain.

MC: Simon’s murder case is an essential part of this case.

MC: Hang Jiahe knew of Wang Chunchong’s plan to murder Simon, and thus chose the same day to murder Hang Fei and Qi Yu.

MC: Only in this way could she successfully frame Wang Chunchong.

Prosecutor: Defense lawyer, what evidence do you have that proves that Hang Jiahe knew of Wang Chunchong’s plan?

Select: Wang Chunchong’s Recording Pen

MC: Wang Chunchong murdered Simon because Tyson requested it of him.

MC: And Hang Jiahe was the one who introduced Wang Chunchong to Tyson.

MC: Hang Jiahe, Tyson, and Wang Chunchong were all aware of when and where Simon was to be murdered.

PROSECUTION OBJECTION

Prosecutor: Objection! The defense lawyer claims that Hang Jiahe was the one who murdered Hang Fei and Qi Yu.

Prosecutor: But according to investigation, Hang Jiahe, Hang Fei, and Qi Yu were a happy family.

Prosecutor: And the relationships that Hang Jiahe had with her adoptive parents were excellent.

Prosecutor: She has no motive to commit the crime.

OBJECTION

MC: Objection! Hang Jiahe does have motive to commit the crime, and it is stronger than Wang Chunchong’s.

Select: Hang Jiahe’s Hidden Video Records

MC: During the ten-plus years Hang Jiahe was fostered in the Hang family, she suffered inhuman abuse at the hands of her foster father.

MC: This damaged her physiological health and ruined her life.

MC: Thus, Hang Jiahe hates all those who pushed her into the depths.

MC: This does not only include Hang Fei and Qi Yu, but it also includes her biological parents Xu Yin and Tyson, as well as her fiancé Wang Chunchong.

MC: Judge, I request Hang Jiahe’s appearance in court.

Judge: A reasonable request. Summon Hang Jiahe to court.

Hang Jiahe: I did hate those people who made living even worse than death for me, but I never murdered anyone.

Hang Jiahe: Also, when the murder occurred, I was not in the apartment. I have an alibi.

OBJECTION

MC: Objection! Within the time that the crime occurred, you did return to the apartment.

Hang Jiahe: Oh? Do you have proof?

Select: January 28 Apartment Full-Day Surveillance Footage

MC: This is the full-day surveillance footage the day the crime happened.

MC: Based on big data lab analysis, comparison, and person-eye identification, Hang Jiahe appeared for a total of 6 times in the footage.

MC: Individually, these times are: 12pm, 7pm, 8pm, 9pm, 9:45pm, and 10:15pm.

MC: The reason why she was repeatedly entering and exiting the apartment was to complete her alibi.

PROSECUTION OBJECTION

Prosecutor: Objection! According to the forensics identification results, Hang Fei and Qi Yu died on the 28th after 10pm.

Prosecutor: With Hang Jiahe’s physique and strength, it would be impossible to have moved and struck the bodies, then cleaned the scene, within 15 minutes.

OBJECTION

MC: Objection! Hang Fei and Qi Yu did not die on the 28th after 10pm.

MC: They died after 12:30pm that day.

PROSECUTION OBJECTION

Prosecutor: Objection! The victims’ surmised time of death was determined by forensics experts. Defense lawyer, do not speak without grounds.

OBJECTION

MC: Objection! The bodies of Hang Fei and Qi Yu had undergone severe decay. When forensics determined the time of death, aside from basing it on the corpses’ anatomical analysis…

MC: They also based it on the victims’ final movements and the surveillance footage of the apartment on the 28th.

MC: In the footage, Qi Yu last appeared at 9:45pm, but the Qi Yu that appeared was not the real Qi Yu.

MC: Instead, it was Hang Jiahe in disguise.

PROSECUTION OBJECTION

Prosecutor: Objection! A security guard saw Qi Yu who appeared in the grand lobby at 9:45pm, so she could not have been another person in disguise.

OBJECTION

MC: Objection! The Qi Yu that the security guard saw was wearing a face mask and hat, so he could not have seen her full face.

Prosecutor: Even so, the hammer responsible for the murder of Hang Fei and Qi Yu had Wang Chunchong’s fingerprints on them. Defense lawyer, how do you explain this?

MC: That was because Hang Jiahe had switched out a part of the murder weapon.

Prosecutor: Defense lawyer, what proof do you have?

Select: Hammer Photo

MC: The hammer that served as the murder weapon is a dual-purpose hammer.

MC: With similar models, one can switch out the handle while leaving the iron core.

MC: Hang Jiahe used this fact, switching the handle she owned with Wang Chunchong’s fingerprints on them onto the murder weapon.

PROSECUTION OBJECTION

Prosecution: Objection! All mentioned methods are merely the defense lawyer’s conjectures, with no evidence to support them.

OBJECTION

MC: Objection! I do have evidence!

Select: Police’s Examination Report

MC: According to investigation, the set No.22 toolbox in Hang Jiahe’s house and the set No.21 toolbox in Room 1001…

MC: Were both purchased by Hang Jiahe.

MC: Why else would she buy two of the same toolboxes, if not to switch the hammer handles?

Hang Jiahe: You’ve spoken so much, but do you have any evidence that directly proves that I killed them?

Hang Jiahe: If not, then everything you’ve said is just a made-up story.

MC: I do…

I looked at Hang Jiahe, sighing deeply. This moment had finally come.

MC: Just in case, we applied for another examination of the murder weapon, especially the handle portion.

MC: This is the examination report that the police gave.

I took out the last examination report that Marius gave me, showing it for all in court to see.

MC: In this report, we noticed a vital piece of evidence.

Hang Jiahe: What evidence?

MC: The production factory confirmed that the No.21 hammer, the murder weapon, had the forgery-preventing No.22 carved in its handle.

MC: Based on this, we requested that any residues and biological indices on the murder weapon to be examined, and…

I stopped speaking and looked towards Hang Jiahe.

Hang Jiahe: What are you looking at?

MC: Miss Hang, are your gloves alright today? They haven’t split again, have they?

Hang Jiahe: W-what are you saying this for?

MC: No major reason. It’s just that you seemed somewhat troubled about this when we met before.

Hang Jiahe: Of course I’d get angry over my gloves breaking. Can’t I?

MC: Of course you can. But, Miss Hang, have you experienced your gloves breaking on you before?

Hang Jiahe: W-what are you trying to say?

Hang Jiahe’s originally calm face grew agitated, and a bead of sweat slid down her neck.

MC: Nothing, I’m just asking a question. This shouldn’t be a hard-to-answer question.

Hang Jiahe: Whether it has or hasn’t, does this have anything to do with the case?

MC: Whether it has or hasn’t isn’t for you to decide.

MC: But since you’ve said this, I’ll ask you some questions that are more related to the case.

I grasped the file in my hand tight, looked straight at Hang Jiahe, and added some emphasis to my words.

MC: Miss Hang, why did you return so many times to the apartment on the night of the crime?

MC: Why did you buy toolboxes of the same model before the murder?

Hang Jiahe: I… I…

MC: Also, why did these toolboxes just happen to appear in yours and the victims’ homes?

MC: Why are so many coincidences tied to you?

MC: Hang Jiahe, how do you explain this?

Hang Jiahe: No… no way, my fingerprints couldn’t have been on the hammer!

Hang Jiahe looked at me, her eyes gradually growing fiercer.

Hang Jiahe: I clearly confirmed it so many times when I was switching the handle and killing those two beasts.

Hang Jiahe: I shouldn’t have gotten anything wrong, so why did something still slip through?

MC: So, Hang Jiahe, you admit that you did murder Hang Fei and Qi Yu?

Hang Jiahe: So what if I did? It’s Hang Fei’s fault for running into my room that night and raising a hand against me again!

Hang Jiahe: I’ve had enough! I won’t give him another chance to humiliate me as he pleases!

MC: Then why did you murder Qi Yu?

MC: She never stopped Hang Fei? Before, she clearly…

Hang Jiahe: Qi Yu… hah, she did try to stop him that night, but she should have tried long ago!

Hang Jiahe: She’s been a bystander for so many years!

Hang Jiahe: They should both go to hell together!

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

Judge: Per court trial, the prosecution’s accusations against Wang Chunchong lack evidence and are untenable.

Judge: Simultaneously, multiple pieces of evidence indicate high suspicion against Hang Jiahe in this case.

Judge: Defense lawyer, it seems that your guesses were all correct, and the risks you took this time were all quite interesting.

Judge: Leave the rest of the work to the criminal investigation department.

Judge: Court is adjourned!

#Tears of Themis #tears of themis translations #tot translations #lu jinghe #marius von hagen #未定事件簿 #been a long time since i did a new court trial #got a lot of conflicting emotions about this one...

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tiramisiyu · 3 years ago

Text

【未定事件簿】 Tears of Themis: Xia Yan Personal Story 4-1 Translation

Translation Masterlist | Xia Yan Masterlist | Video

Chapter 4: 4-1 / 4-2 / 4-4 / 4-5 / 4-6 / 4-7 / 4-9 / 4-10 / 4-11 / 4-12 / 4-13 / 4-14 / 4-16

Xia Yan’s Home

Our interactions after I moved into Xia Yan’s house had a long-lost familiarity to them, but also… a strange unfamiliarity.

When I walked up to the washroom door, the door suddenly opened from inside – Xia Yan had just finished showering and was just in the middle of wiping off his hair when he pushed the door open.

Just like in the past, he didn’t try very hard to dry it off, such that the white T-shirt that he was wearing was slightly damp, clinging onto his firm body.

Xia Yan: Why are you up so early?

MC: Sphinx said that he was going to contact us about collaborating on the case, right? I was afraid that he’d come over really early…

Xia Yan: Don’t worry, he won’t.

MC: How do you know? Did he contact you alone?

Xia Yan: Oh, he didn’t. I’m just speculating.

Xia Yan: Sphinx has always preferred operating alone in the dark. Even if he needed to work with us right now, he still probably wouldn’t want to reveal his identity.

Xia Yan: Plus, even if he doesn’t mind that, right now isn’t a good time.

Xia Yan: The two of us just appeared in front of Meng Qishan. Even though I’ve already threatened him to not reveal any info on us to Oedipus…

Xia Yan: It’s always best to take every possibility in consideration. If Sphinx seeks us out right now, he just might send himself to Oedipus for nothing.

Xia Yan: If I were him, I’d also opt to work underground. We’re out in the open while he’s hidden, which is more beneficial for the investigation.

MC: Makes sense.

MC: Right, why did you shower so early?

Xia Yan: Uh… I just finished up my morning run, so I took a quick cold shower.

Xia Yan: Right, are you also going to wash your face?

Xia Yan: Wait a bit, I just noticed that there’s no more toothpaste. I’ll get you a new tube.

MC: No need, I brought some.

MC: If you also haven’t washed your face yet, we can just use my toothpaste.

I helped Xia Yan squeeze out the toothpaste. Then, we stood side-by-side in front of the mirror to wash up.

Because we had grown up, and because Xia Yan’s home washroom was comparatively smaller, Xia Yan and I kept bumping into each other.

The steam that hadn’t dispersed yet in the washroom filled the air with the scent of shower gel. This was just a typical scent, but because Xia Yan was beside me, it felt… somewhat different.

Right now, the past commonplace occurrence of us washing our faces and brushing our teeth together… made me feel somewhat nervous.

The mirror in front of us candidly revealed all my emotions with complete clarity. I shifted away my gaze as if in escape, not daring to look at the mirror again.

MC: Xia Yan, are you still using this brand of shampoo?

The items on the shelves, the shampoo, the shower gel… were still the brands we used at home, eight years ago.

Xia Yan: Yeah. I had to buy new daily necessities after getting back, but I’m no good at picking them out…

Xia Yan: So I chose them based on our old habits – easy and saves me from worrying, haha.

In all these years, he still hadn’t forgotten those little habits. I suddenly felt a little happy.

But Xia Yan’s and my mouth-rinsing cups were a pair in the past, while they were now two completely different ones.

MC: What about your mouth-rinsing cup?

Xia Yan: There’s no one who sells that cup model anymore.

The small happiness that had just surged in my heart suddenly turned into a bit of disappointment.

MC: Is that so…

MC: Uh… about that, Xia Yan…

Xia Yan: Huh? What?

MC: A few days ago, I saw a pair of mouth-rinsing cups that look really nice online, and your cup just happens to be kinda worn… how about we change them together?

Xia Yan: Sure.

Xia Yan’s Home, Second Floor

After washing my face with Xia Yan, Sphinx called us, describing his action plan.

Just as Xia Yan had said, Sphinx was planning to continue hiding his identity. We would work out in the open while he remained hidden as we investigated together.

Sphinx: That’s what our plan is.

Sphinx: For these few days, I’ll first confirm whether there are other victims that corrupt detectives are harassing, and deal with their issues.

Sphinx: After confirming that those corrupt detectives have to do with Oedipus, you two can use other methods to investigate while hidden.

Xia Yan: Okay. Then we’ll wait for you to contact us.

Sphinx: Alright, that’s all-

MC: Wait, Sphinx.

The moment before Sphinx hung up, I called out to him.

Sphinx: Does Miss Lawyer have any other questions to bring up?

MC: I have some questions regarding our approaches towards cooperation. Sphinx, I acknowledge the reasons why you do not want to reveal your true identity right now.

MC: But we’ve already started investigating with you. You should at least display your sincerity, should you not?

Sphinx: …

Sphinx: Then how do you want me to display my sincerity, Miss Lawyer?

MC: Return Xia Yan’s box.

I heard a faint chuckle on the other side of the call.

MC: (What’s so funny about that?)

Xia Yan: Sphinx.

Perhaps because the pressure in Xia Yan’s voice, Sphinx’s brazen laughter stopped.

But there was a still faint layer of mischief in his voice.

Sphinx: Of course. I will get in touch with same-city speed delivery right after. You’ll be able to get your box today.

Sphinx: But after receiving it, I’d like to trouble both of you to examine it carefully.

Sphinx: Though you can consider me as a rogue, the point of stealing the box was to develop a cooperative relationship with you…

Sphinx: Logically, I wouldn’t play any tricks on these little things, but the two of you should still personally, carefully confirm it all.

Sphinx: For example, what if something happens with the delivery company and they break the box… then won’t I end up getting a really unfair accusation?

MC: Don’t worry, we will carefully look over the delivery.

Sphinx: If you say so, Miss Lawyer, then I can be at peace.

Sphinx: Although, Detective Xia Yan, why aren’t you speaking? You’re the most important involved party here. You, of all people, have got to be there to look over the delivery.

After Sphinx mentioned his name, Xia Yan’s face twisted very visibly.

Xia Yan: I… will.

MC: (Why does Sphinx sound like he’s messing with him…)

MC: (He hasn’t put something weird in the box to prank us, has he?)

These doubts continued until that afternoon, when we received the delivery Sphinx had sent.

I looked at the delivery box with severe caution.

MC: Xia Yan, could Sphinx have messed with something in the delivery box?

MC: I felt like there was something suspicious about his tone in the call.

Xia Yan: That guy definitely isn’t acting out of the goodness of his heart.

MC: No surprises there, you also feel the same…

Xia Yan: Mhmm… I messaged him after, asking what his goal was, but he just deliberately rambled on without saying anything important.

Xia Yan: How about I open it myself first, then call you over to see after confirming that there’s nothing wrong with it?

MC: That won’t do. No matter what happens, we’ve got to face it all together.

MC: Plus, didn’t you say before that Sphinx is an alright person? I bet that, at most, he’s just pranking us somewhere.

Xia Yan: … But I want to rescind that evaluation on him now.

Xia Yan sighed, then opened the package.

That box with the Sherlock Holmes pipe printed on it was wrapped in layers of bubble wrap, looking like it hadn’t suffered any bumps on the way here.

MC: He sure did give it enough protection. Just based on that, I’m willing to forgive him even if there is a prank somewhere.

Xia Yan: Well, that’s something he should be doing.

Xia Yan scoffed and opened the wooden box. The inside was filled to the brim with various little items.

His biology competition gold medals, the models he made himself… as well as many familiar objects. And what was piled at the very top of everything was a ring.

A ring with very crude worksmanship. The ring had been wound from copper into a circular shape, and a laminated four-leaf clover was sitting on the top.

This was the first thing that Xia Yan had personally made for me.

MC: Isn’t this the ring you made for me during kindergarten?

When we were still in kindergarten, we “played house” often, that popular child’s game.

One time, we got too into the game and thought that the ring braided from dog’s tail grass didn’t look nice enough, so we secretly took mom’s ring.

And then… we were both reprimanded severely.

Back then, I didn’t know how valuable the ring was or what its special meaning was, so I really didn’t understand why mom was unhappy.

MC: Back then, dad explained that the ring was one that he gave to mom, so only mom could wear it.

MC: But in the end, you hollered—

Back then, Xia Yan had earnestly yelled “Then I’ll just give her a ring”…

MC: …!

Xia Yan: …

We were long past those times when children’s words held no weight.

MC: (Does Xia Yan… still remember what he said back then…)

I lowered my head in a fluster, rubbing the ring in embarrassment.

When we were little, Xia Yan accidentally made the clover ring too big, so we comforted each other, saying that it would be just right if I wore it after we grew up.

And right now… I couldn’t help attempting to fit the ring on my middle finger.

MC: It’s on. The size is perfect…

Xia Yan: Yeah… perfect.

Xia Yan repeated the words in a whisper, then stared quietly at the four-leaf clover ring.

I stroked the ring on my hand. Suddenly…

MC: Xia Yan…

Xia Yan: Huh? What’s the matter?

MC: It seems like I can’t take off the ring…

Xia Yan: Huh?

Xia Yan held up my hand, trying to shift the ring, but the ring didn’t move in the slightest.

His brow wrinkled as he snatched a small plier from the toolbox on the table.

MC: What are you doing!

Alarmed, I stared at Xia Yan.

Xia Yan: I’ve got to hurry and cut off the ring, or else your finger will end up swollen.

MC: I refuse!

Xia Yan: Don’t fuss, this is just a toy ring. Your finger’s more important.

As he spoke, Xia Yan had already grabbed my hand. I rushed to cover the ring with my other hand, resisting desperately.

MC: No way! You gave this ring to me, so it’s mine! I refuse to let you break it!

Xia Yan: Jeez, I’ll make you another one in the future, okay? Be good.

MC: The one in the future is for the future, but you can’t break this ring either!

We traded fast verbal shots without realizing anything. Only after coming back to my senses did I notice… something wasn’t quite right.

MC: !!!

Xia Yan: …

Xia Yan: Sit tight, I’ll find some lubricating oil to see if it’ll work.

Xia Yan soon brought the lubricating oil. He applied some to my middle finger first, then tried to rotate the ring gently, trying to push it off.

MC: Ugh…!

Xia Yan immediately stopped.

Xia Yan: It hurts?

Xia Yan: Looks like this really won’t work.

Xia Yan sighed helplessly, then took a small plier from the toolbox.

MC: You’re…

Xia Yan: Don’t worry, I’ll be really careful. I’ll do my best to not break the ring.

Xia Yan: Don’t fidget, I don’t want to hurt you by accident.

To make working on it easier, Xia Yan half-knelt in front of me, holding up the hand with the ring gently.

His actions right now lent a particular ambiguity to the scene all of a sudden.

MC: …!

Xia Yan: What’s the matter? Did I hurt you?

MC: No… keep going.

How exactly… does Xia Yan see me?

Bit by bit, each scene after my reunion flooded my mind.

MC: (Xia Yan’s always carefully held onto this ring for so long…)

MC: (To me… does Xia Yan also…?)

As soon as this thought popped into my head, my heart started to beat wildly.

Although, why didn’t Xia Yan make it clear with me?

⊳ Out of caution ⊳ Because I didn’t give a response

MC: (Speaking of which, there’s often a lot online about long-time friends who are too scared to confess.)

MC: (They were afraid that if the romance failed, they’d lose an important friend.)

MC: (Xia Yan… probably also wanted to be cautious, so he didn’t say anything.)

MC: (If I do a little something, would he… understand?)

⊳ Out of caution ⊳ Because I didn’t give a response

MC: (If I think about it carefully, I think I’ve done a lot of low-EQ stuff…)

MC: (It’s all my fault…)

MC: (I should be able to make changes in time right now… what should I do to get Xia Yan to understand my emotions?)

I was just in the middle of my messy thoughts when I heard Xia Yan’s light voice.

Xia Yan: Alright, it’s off!

Xia Yan: Great Lawyer, hurry and inspect it to see if it’s perfectly fine.

MC: Absolutely perfect! Great Detective Xia, you’re way too amazing!

MC: (Either way… since I’m living at Xia Yan’s house now, I’ve got lots of time to figure something out.)

Xia Yan: What’s the matter? You seem a little absentminded.

MC: Not at all, just wondering about what we should eat for breakfast.

Xia Yan: I know several decent breakfast restaurants. Let’s go, I’ll take you over to try them!

#Tears of Themis #tears of themis translations #xia yan #未定事件簿 #luke pearce #a steel tree has bloomed #yang xiao is cackling rn #this part is a heap of sugar #to balance out everything to come #can you two just get married already

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tiramisiyu · 3 years ago

Text

【未定事件簿】 Tears of Themis: Xia Yan Personal Story 4-4 Translation

Translation Masterlist | Xia Yan Masterlist | Video

Chapter 4: 4-1 / 4-2 / 4-4 / 4-5 / 4-6 / 4-7 / 4-9 / 4-10 / 4-11 / 4-12 / 4-13 / 4-14 / 4-16

North District

Ji Xiaoyu and older sister Ji Xiaoqing originally lived in a two-bedroom apartment in the north district, left by their parents.

After that apartment was forcibly seized by the loan company, the sisters started to rent an apartment.

Xia Yan and I came to the place that Ji Xiaoyu was now renting, according to the address Sphinx gave. However, we waited for a long time, during which Ji Xiaoyu never showed up.

Xia Yan: According to Sphinx, Ji Xiaoyu took on three to four part-time jobs at the same time after Qian Yi’s death.

Xia Yan: Within a few months, she took on a severely high workload from morning to night. Typically, she returns home at around 11:30 at night.

Xia Yan: However, she suddenly left all her jobs two days ago.

MC: Could she be engaging a lawyer for a lawsuit? To repurchase her parents’ real estate?

MC: She’s saved enough money now and needs to focus on the case, so she left her jobs?

Xia Yan: Possibly.

MC: Then I could probably provide her legal assistance to talk to her, right? Perhaps she’ll be more willing to communicate with us then.

Xia Yan: Okay. I’ll say that I received a commission to investigate the Bedo Loan Company trap loan issue, and that I’m preparing to help my client file for a civil compensation lawsuit.

Xia Yan: If she wants to file for a civil lawsuit, she’ll probably be willing to talk to us.

Xia Yan and I were in the middle of talking when we heard faraway footsteps – it just happened to be Ji Xiaoyu.

In the video Xia Yan and I had seen in the afternoon, Ji Xiaoyu’s condition could be called “haggard” or “fragile”.

But now… she was basically skin and bones, surrounded by an air as heavy as death, and her face was completely frozen.

START INSPECTION

⊳ Box and leaflet

MC: (A casket and a cemetery leaflet…)

MC: (So she worked hard to accumulate money to buy a place in the cemetery for her sister?)

MC: (The casket looks newly bought. She’s probably selected a place at the cemetery and is preparing to bury it…)

What are the injuries on her right wrist?

⊳ Wrist slit injuries ⊳ Scrapes

MC: (Injuries layered on top of each other… she must have attempted suicide many times.)

MC: (Though they look like old injuries, she really doesn’t look like she’s come around…)

⊳ Clothes

MC: (Her clothes are splitting at the seams, yet there was no attempt to fix them… it looks like she doesn’t care about herself.)

⊳ Eyes

MC: (Such severe dark circles. She must not have slept in a long time…)

MC: (Ji Xiaoyu’s condition does not look good at all. I should carefully observe some more and think cautiously first.)

END INSPECTION

MC: Xia Yan, Ji Xiaoyu…

Xia Yan: Mhmm, I know. We have to find out what’s going on with her as soon as possible.

Xia Yan and I walked towards Ji Xiaoyu. However, she walked past us expressionlessly, without even giving us a single glance, as if we did not exist.

We could only double back a few steps and block her with outstretched hands.

Xia Yan: Hello, you must be Miss Ji Xiaoyu?

Ji Xiaoyu: …

Xia Yan: I am a private detective who’s received a commission to investigate the case of Bedo Loan Company’s trap loans.

Xia Yan: This case will open trial soon. My client plans to collect evidence to file for civil litigation.

Xia Yan: Miss Ji, may I ask you a few questions?

Xia Yan: With your clues, I might be able to find a few new investigative directions.

MC: Miss Ji, I am Lawyer MC.

MC: If needed, I can provide legal assistance for you and help you file for a civil compensation lawsuit.

Xia Yan and I handed her our own namecards, but Ji Xiaoyu did not take them.

She searched up the employers indicated on Xia Yan’s and my namecards, only stopping when she saw news that involved my legal defense.

She lifted those lifeless eyes slightly.

Ji Xiaoyu: What do you want to know? Do you want me to serve as a witness or write a testimony?

Ji Xiaoyu: I’m fine with it all. Only… my sister will be buried within a few days. Please do not give me trouble during this time.

MC: Understood, we will be careful.

Xia Yan: My apologies, Miss Ji, but we have a request right now.

Xia Yan: Can we speak with you about the progression of events for this matter? Of course… I understand that this will make you remember unhappy matters.

Ji Xiaoyu’s expression remained as numb as ever. Only her lips pursed slightly.

Ji Xiaoyu: … Come with me.

Ji Xiaoyu’s Residence

We followed Ji Xiaoyu into the place she was now renting.

That was a room of a mere ten square meters. The room was filled with a musty smell, as if no air had circulated here in a long time.

Miscellaneous items were piled in the corner of the room. Only the two boxes of corrugated cardboard near the door were uniquely neat and tidy.

Ji Xiaoyu: I’m guessing that you wanted to ask why I ended up in that trap loan?

Xia Yan: We do have some questions about that.

Ji Xiaoyu: Because I wanted to buy something, but was short by two thousand dollars.

Ji Xiaoyu did not wait for us to continue asking and began to speak.

Her tone as she spoke was completely emotionless and smooth, as familiar and indifferent as if she had repeated it many times.

Ji Xiaoyu: I feared being criticized by my classmates if I bought something so expensive suddenly, so I did not borrow from them.

Ji Xiaoyu: Back then, I thought that I would be able to repay it the month after, when I received my wages.

Ji Xiaoyu: I never thought that I would end up trapped.

Ji Xiaoyu: Because I could not pay back the money, they said that if I agreed to take a nude photograph, they would extend the time I had. Otherwise, they would tell my sister and school immediately.

Ji Xiaoyu: Foolishly, I took the photos.

Ji Xiaoyu: So after, I was even more scared of telling my sister, and I didn’t dare call the police. And for my reputation, my sister could only bear the humiliation and not call the police.

She narrated until the end, a heavy self-mocking gradually settling itself into her voice.

MC: (Miss Ji…)

Ji Xiaoyu: What else do you want to ask?

START QUESTIONING

⊳ Qian Yi

Xia Yan: Miss Ji, you once accused Qian Yi and Bedo Loan Company of being related. But the police concluded that evidence was insufficient after investigation.

Xia Yan: What did Qian Yi do during the case?

When this name was brought up, Ji Xiaoyu’s frozen face suddenly distorted as she clenched her fist.

Ji Xiaoyu: He never came to collect debts with that loan company before.

Ji Xiaoyu: He merely kept providing me and my sister’s whereabouts to those people.

MC: Providing your whereabouts?

Ji Xiaoyu: After Bedo Loan Company took away me and my sister’s house, we thought everything was over.

Ji Xiaoyu: But they refused to release us, saying that I still owed them money, pushing me to work at a karaoke bar to return the money.

Ji Xiaoyu: Otherwise, they would reveal that photo to all the people around me and my sister.

MC: …

Ji Xiaoyu: Sister moved houses with me several times to hide, but he kept finding us very quickly.

Xia Yan: After finding you, what did he do?

Ji Xiaoyu let out a strange laugh.

Ji Xiaoyu: Nothing at all.

MC: Nothing at all?

Ji Xiaoyu: He merely appeared near our rental location and smiled at us smugly.

Ji Xiaoyu: After, the scoundrels from the loan company would come to our door.

Ji Xiaoyu: Once, big sister couldn’t bear it anymore and begged him to let us go, but…

[Flashback]

Qian Yi: You say that I’m following you and revealing your locations to Bedo Loan Company. Then… “where’s the evidence”?

Qian Yi: Under the clear heavens, all is balanced. You cannot slander others based on nothing.

Qian Yi: I simply just… somehow always manage to run into you. Maybe this is some sort of destiny?

Qian Yi: Then, I just happened to bring you two up with those that I know.

Ji Xiaoqing: Then… what will it take for you to stop bringing us up?

Ji Xiaoqing: You all have already taken all our money—

Qian Yi: Miss Ji, people are also a sort of financial property.

Qian Yi: According to what I know, Miss Ji, you just hopped to a big company with a pretty decent annual salary?

[Flashback end]

Ji Xiaoyu: Sister originally wanted to move out of the city, but my student enrollment is within Stellis.

Ji Xiaoyu: Which is why we’ve always stayed here.

Ji Xiaoyu: Bedo Loan Company and Qian Yi were basically two colluding villains.

Ji Xiaoyu: But in the end, the police said that there was no evidence and they could only let him go.

Ji Xiaoyu let out a mocking laugh.

Ji Xiaoyu: I’ve heard people call this “procedural justice”. What is justice, then…

Xia Yan: …

MC: …

⊳ Relationship to Qian Yi’s death

Xia Yan: Miss Ji, according to my investigations, you bought a restricted blade the day before Qian Yi’s death.

Xia Yan: That day, you were given a violation ticket from police for carrying prohibited items, and the blade was confiscated.

Xia Yan: After Qian Yi’s death by cardiac arrest, the police also investigated you.

Xia Yan: Back then, a police officer testified for you, saying that he had been keeping an eye on you secretly, and that you did not have the time to commit the crime.

Xia Yan: But if I’ve guessed right, you were following Qian Yi back then, correct?

Ji Xiaoyu: Is how that human scum died that important to you?

MC: It’s like this, Miss Ji. Qian Yi just might be linked to another case that we’re investigating.

MC: So we wanted to ask you whether you noticed if Qian Yi was acting unusually at any point.

Ji Xiaoyu: No need to explain. He’s dead anyways, and I don’t care why you’re investigating him.

Ji Xiaoyu: But you came for nothing.

Ji Xiaoyu: I did follow him for a few days, but didn’t notice anything unusual about him.

Ji Xiaoyu: Even if someone did kill him, they would have just been “enforcing justice for the heavens”.

⊳ Ji Xiaoqing

MC: Miss Ji, we… have a few questions about your sister Ji Xiaoqing…

Ji Xiaoyu: No need to be so hesitant. Go ahead and ask what you want.

Xia Yan: Miss Ji, according to what we know, your sister found out about everything only when Bedo Loan Company seized your real estate.

Xia Yan: After, she was always low-spirited, and then ended up getting into an accident due to drunkenness.

Xia Yan: I’d like to ask you about the details when your sister found out about the trap loans.

Xia Yan: Did she make any unusual actions?

Ji Xiaoyu: Unusual? Under those circumstances, what sort of actions wouldn’t be unusual?

MC: …Could you tell us about where she was different from before then?

Ji Xiaoyu: My sister had always been a very hardworking, motivated person, both in work and life.

Ji Xiaoyu: The year my parents passed just happened to be the one where she was testing for university.

Ji Xiaoyu: Because of limited money and to take care of me, sister gave up on the famous university she’d set her heart on and went to a typical university.

Ji Xiaoyu: Without the halo of a famous school, she worked harder than anyone when it came to studying and work.

Ji Xiaoyu: A few months before Bedo Loan Company found my sister, she had just job-hopped to a very famous company.

Ji Xiaoyu: When Bedo Loan Company had just come knocking, sister still pretended to be lively as she went to work…

Ji Xiaoyu stopped for a moment.

Ji Xiaoyu: But when the police were investigating my sister’s cause of death, they found the people from her company. Only then did I find out…

Ji Xiaoyu: Those scoundrels knew that sister was working at a big company, so they often went to harass her, to make her hand her earnings to them…

Ji Xiaoyu: Sister refused, so those people handed out flyers insulting us at the company…

Ji Xiaoyu: Sister’s mistakes increased in frequency at the company. After, she resigned.

Xia Yan: But you just said that she would pretend to be lively at work? So she went out to…?

Ji Xiaoyu: I don’t know why sister pretended to go to work in the days after.

Ji Xiaoyu: I’m guessing that she just didn’t want to see me at home and think of sorrowful things…

MC: Have you ever secretly followed your sister?

Ji Xiaoyu: … What right do I have to follow my sister?

Ji Xiaoyu: It makes perfect sense for her to want to avoid me, to have time and space to herself.

Ji Xiaoyu: I harmed her so much. Should I not even give her this bit of space?

MC: Miss Ji…

Ji Xiaoyu: But you’re also right. I should have followed my sister.

Ji Xiaoyu: If I watched over her more and worried over her, then at least, I could’ve brought her home after she got drunk, and she wouldn’t have gotten into an accident.

Ji Xiaoyu: But back then, I was only worried about my own sadness and shame. I never thought once for her.

⊳ Other people she’s interacted with

Xia Yan: Miss Ji, may I ask, has anyone found you after you told the police about the trap loan?

Ji Xiaoyu: After sister passed, I dropped out of school.

Ji Xiaoyu: After teachers at school found out, they came to see me a few times.

Ji Xiaoyu: The rest were a few reporters who came to interview me and take pictures for news.

Ji Xiaoyu: After attention on this matter subsided, no one else came.

⊳ Civil compensation

MC: Miss Ji, Bedo Loan Company will begin trial for a case soon.

MC: I read the case details – the real estate that your parents left behind were defrauded away by the company using a fake lawsuit.

MC: After the court comes out with a criminal case verdict on Bedo Loan company, I can help you file for civil litigation.

MC: This way, what your parents left, as well as your assets that were defrauded from you, can be taken back.

Ji Xiaoyu: No need. I don’t need compensation.

Ji Xiaoyu: It’s already pointless…

END QUESTIONING

Ji Xiaoyu: Are there no other questions?

Ji Xiaoyu finished answering all of Xia Yan’s and my questions.

I originally thought that asking these would poke at her emotional wounds, but the whole time, her voice was expressionless, unusually indifferent.

Xia Yan and I locked eyes for a moment, seeing the same confusion and worry in each other’s eyes.

Xia Yan observed the items in the room again, looking at those two cardboard boxes near the door.

Xia Yan: The things in these boxes are…?

Though we could guess what was in it, Xia Yan still acted with caution, avoiding saying anything along the lines of “things left by the dead”.

Ji Xiaoyu: They’re my sister’s things.

Xia Yan: Can we take a look?

Ji Xiaoyu nodded slightly, then opened the cardboard box.

We first saw a journal with Ji Xiaoqing’s name on the cover.

Xia Yan flipped through the diary, giving it a few flip-throughs. The handwriting was beautiful and organized, and the contents focused on work and the comfortable times spent with her little sister.

Xia Yan: Your sister had a habit of writing in a diary, yet she didn’t write anything after finding out about the trap loan?

Ji Xiaoyu: She did. Several times, I saw her writing things in a black leather notebook.

Ji Xiaoyu: I don’t know what she wrote in there. Every time she saw me come over, she would immediately hide the notebook away.

Ji Xiaoyu: She probably wrote a lot about hating me…

Ji Xiaoyu: She clearly should’ve blown up at me, beat me, cursed me, and thrown me away so she could live in another city… but she still put on a strong face in front of me, every day.

Ji Xiaoyu: She also needed to vent, so I didn’t sneak any peeks.

MC: (Miss Ji…)

Xia Yan: Is that black leather notebook still around?

Ji Xiaoyu: I couldn’t find it. Maybe she tossed it away after she finished writing in it, or maybe it dropped somewhere on the day of the accident.

Just when Xia Yan and I were planning to look at some of Ji Xiaoqing’s other items, Ji Xiaoyu brought up a suggestion.

Ji Xiaoyu: You can take these boxes away and take your time going through them.

MC: Can we? These things…

Ji Xiaoyu: I’ll be preparing to bury my sister tomorrow, so I’m very busy. I need to rest right now, and I can’t wait for you.

Xia Yan: I understand – we’ll take these away for now, then. Don’t worry, we’ll examine them carefully and won’t break them.

Ji Xiaoyu: …

Ji Xiaoyu: I’d like to let you know that after my sister’s accident, the police also examined them. But they didn’t notice anything.

After hearing Ji Xiaoyu’s words, Xia Yan and I picked up the boxes with Ji Xiaoqing’s items and prepared to leave.

Ji Xiaoyu: Wait.

MC: Miss Ji, is there anything else you need?

Ji Xiaoyu: Why… why are you treating me like this!

Right when we were about to leave, Ji Xiaoyu suddenly became agitated.

MC: I’m so sorry, Miss Ji. If we have offended you in any way—

Ji Xiaoyu: Why aren’t you condemning me!

Ji Xiaoyu: It’s because I got too greedy and wanted to buy something expensive that I borrowed the money! It’s all because I wasn’t cautious enough that I ended up in the trap loan!

Ji Xiaoyu: It’s because I was a coward who was too scared to tell my sister or call the police that I kept sinking deeper!

Ji Xiaoyu: It’s all because of me… that my parents’ house ended up being defrauded away and that my sister died…

Ji Xiaoyu: You asked me so much, but why didn’t you scold me…

Ji Xiaoyu: Why… did you speak to me so sympathetically… when I committed so many unforgivable mistakes…

MC: …

Xia Yan: …

For a moment, I wasn’t quite sure of how to respond.

Xia Yan: Miss Ji, though this issue started because of you, you were not the one to cause all the misfortune.

Ji Xiaoyu: Have you not heard of the phrase, “flies don’t bite eggs without cracks”? Those who are pitiful must have a hateful side…

Xia Yan: But those who did evil are ultimately those “flies”.

Xia Yan: Whether pitiful or hateful, I have never thought that the focal point of a case should be whether the victim is perfect.

Xia Yan: You’ve already condemned yourself enough.

Ji Xiaoyu: …

Xia Yan: Even if you’ve already bought your sister’s resting place, don’t rush to do anything foolish.

Xia Yan: At least wait for our investigation to end.

Ji Xiaoyu: W-what do you mean?

Xia Yan: I feel like we might be able to find your sister’s black leather notebook.

Xia Yan: No matter how much you just pretended to not care, you must actually want to know what your sister was thinking and doing during that period of time.

Ji Xiaoyu was silent as tears rolled nonstop down her face.

Ji Xiaoyu: If you really find any clue that my sister left behind…

Ji Xiaoyu: No matter what it is… no matter how angrily she cursed… please tell it all to me.

Xia Yan: We will.

#Tears of Themis #tears of themis translations #xia yan #luke pearce #未定事件簿 #pls make sure that if you really need a loan #you get it from trustworthy ppl or reputable institutions;;#highly recommend listening to the voice acting #poor ji xiaoyu

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tiramisiyu · 3 years ago

Text

【未定事件簿】 Tears of Themis: Main Story 7-30 Translation

Translation Masterlist | Video

Chapter 7 – Rains of Monte Cristo: 7-1 / 7-3 / 7-5 / 7-7 / 7-9 / 7-11 / 7-13 / 7-15 / 7-17 / 7-19 ♦️ ♦️ 7-20 / 7-22 / 7-24 / 7-26 / 7-28 / 7-30 / 7-32 / 7-34 / 7-35

Content Warning: This section contains topics that may be uncomfortable to some readers (mentions of abuse). Please proceed with discretion.

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

NXX Base

After deciding on what to do, Marius and I rushed to the base.

Marius: Just import the surveillance footage and Hang Jiahe’s photos into the system.

MC: Okay.

I followed Marius’ instructions, entering the necessary information into the computer and started the program. On the common screen, large amounts of data started to move again. Fluorescent blue lights flashed past, casting a mottled light. Ten minutes later, the data search and comparison stopped, and the final comparative results displayed itself.

MC: Based on the results, the “Qi Yu” who started to appear at 9pm was indeed Hang Jiahe. Plus, she appeared in the surveillance 6 times in total.

Marius: Three of those times were to enter the apartment – 12pm, 8pm, and 9:45pm individually.

Marius: The other three times were to exit the apartment – 7pm, 9pm, and 10:15pm individually.

I carefully looked over the brown silhouette that appeared in the screenshots and confirmed her identity.

MC: That’s got to be Hang Jiahe.

MC: The figure that appeared at 8pm and 10:15pm is wearing the same brown trench coat as the one I saw at Hang Jiahe’s house.

MC: She even rolled up that stack of dry-cleaned clothes she’d brought back, like she didn’t want us to see.

Marius: So we can figure out what Hang Jiahe’s trail of actions were on January 28th.

Marius grabbed a random sheet of paper and started to write as he spoke.

Marius: First, Hang Jiahe returned to the apartment at 12pm. After confirming that Hang Fei and Qi Yu were home…

Marius: She entered Room 1001 using the safety route near its door and murdered the two victims.

MC: At 7pm, Hang Jiahe left the apartment and headed to the suburban villa. After, she disguised herself…

MC: And secretly re-entered Room 1001 at 8pm.

Marius: At 9pm, she disguised herself as Qi Yu, and asked the security guard downstairs to help her move the two suitcases with the bodies in them.

Marius: At 9:45pm, she carried the empty suitcases back to the apartment. The bodies probably were placed elsewhere by then.

Marius: So she had completed the illusion that “Qi Yu was still alive at 10pm”, and her alibi with it.

MC: As for her leaving at 10:15 in disguise, she probably went to dispose of the corpses and then returned to the suburban villa.

Marius: Probably.

Marius: After disposing of them, Hang Jiahe also buried the swapped hammer that she’d long prepared with them.

MC: Then Hang Fei and Qi Yu last appeared at…

I looked at the surveillance footage.

MC: 12:30pm on the 28th. Hang Jiahe had not left the apartment yet.

At this point, we had completely figured out the process of Hang Fei and Qi Yu’s murder case.

Marius: But is the evidence we have now insufficient?

MC: Yes, though the logic’s sound…

MC: We lack objective core evidence to accuse Hang Jiahe with, especially her motive and murder weapon.

MC: The opposition will easily refute a few photos and some inferences.

Marius: …It won’t be easy to solve the murder weapon issue. Hang Jiahe always wears gloves, so she wouldn’t have left fingerprints.

Marius: But for the motive… let’s wait for Captain Morgan’s analysis results on that hard drive.

Marius: If it’s as the bar boss said…

Marius had just spoken when his phone rang.

Marius: Speak of the devil – see, Captain Morgan’s calling.

Marius: Captain Morgan, is anything the matter?

Darius Morgan: We’re finished analyzing the photos and hard drive you gave us.

Marius: What are the results?

Darius Morgan: They match with what the bar boss said.

Darius Morgan: There are many videos of Hang Fei’s child abuse, as well as domestic violence against Qi Yu, in the hard drive.

Darius Morgan: But based on the people featured in the photos, we are missing the videos that feature the child that appeared the most.

MC: (Hang Jiahe must have bought the videos of her abuse…)

Marius: Have the identities of the other children in the photos been confirmed?

Darius Morgan: Aside from Hang Jiahe, the children in the photos are not from Stellis.

Darius Morgan: Hang Fei and Qi Yu traveled overseas, so these children just might be from those countries.

MC: (It’s a transnational case now?)

Darius Morgan: How are things on your end?

MC: We’ve figured out how Hang Jiahe got the fingerprints on the murder weapon and how she created her alibi, but…

Marius: We lack direct evidence.

Darius Morgan: What about the video she took away? That evidence should be convincing enough.

Marius: But the question is, where is that video right now?

MC: The boss said before that he advised Hang Jiahe to not destroy those videos for now…

MC: Undestroyed… but can’t be found by the police…

MC: Can’t be found… so they should be hidden… hidden…

I had a flash of inspiration.

MC: “Liqing Bank”!

I thought of that useless-looking membership card in Hang Jiahe’s house.

Both Darius and us headed out at the same time towards the Liqing Bank in the suburbs, but due to distance, we arrived before Yan Wei. Marius used his own connections to find the manager to ask about Hang Jiahe. The manager admitted that Hang Jiahe had opened an account here and kept things here, but he refused to tell us which was her vault.

Vault Room

Manager: My apologies, but our rules state that unless if our client asks or the police issue a search warrant…

Manager: We cannot allow any others to open the safes.

MC: This…

Marius: We were just in contact with the police in front of you, and he said that he would be bringing a search warrant over immediately.

Marius: Even with that, you can’t let us see Hang Jiahe’s vault?

Manager: My apologies, but we must see the documents first, per our rules.

Marius: …

The male manager looked calmly at Marius.

MC: Then we…

I was about to speak when Marius tugged at me.

Marius: If so, we won’t trouble you anymore. When the police arrive, we’ll come again.

Marius then tugged me to leave, walking out without looking back once. However, we’d just turned past aa row of shelves when he suddenly tightened his grasp on my wrist and took me into the shadows of another row of cabinets.

MC: Marius, what are you doing?!

Marius: Shh, quieter. Don’t let the manager know that we haven’t left.

I took a deep breath and lowered my voice.

MC: What are you trying to do?

Marius: Of course, I’m trying to find Hang Jiahe’s vault.

Marius: Since he won’t show us openly, we can only wait for it in secret.

MC: Are you aiming to open the vault secretly?

Marius: Of course not. Opening vaults in banks like this is usually a complicated procedure.

Marius: Some need two keys, some need biological info… all in all, without the owner, they’re very hard to open.

MC: Then you want to…

Marius: I want to follow the vault.

MC: ???

Marius: Based on how this bank’s operating guidelines, that manager is sure to contact Hang Jiahe that people came for her box.

Marius: And with how cautious Hang Jiahe is, she’s sure to come get what’s in the vault herself.

Marius: I’ve calculated the timing – Hang Jiahe’s place is closer to here than the police station is. Even if she receives the alert and heads out only now…

Marius: She might get here earlier than Captain Morgan.

Marius: To prevent the evidence from getting taken, I decided…

Marius took out his phone and opened up the screen for Darius’ shared location.

Marius: Before Captain Morgan comes, we’ll follow the manager secretly and prevent him from taking Hang Jiahe’s box away.

MC: Can we really?

Marius: Of course, why not? Nothing will happen.

Marius: Jiejie, just trust me this once. If anything happens, I’ll just apologize to them.

MC: Then… alright. If anything does happen, I’ll go with you.

MC: What do you plan to do?

Marius: Look around first.

I looked around, per his instructions. Liqing Bank’s vault room was very large, and there were many vaults in it. Above the room, at set intervals, there was a full-scene camera rotating nonstop to monitor the whole room. Aside from that, there were also bodyguards on patrol in the vault room to prevent suspicious persons from moving about.

MC: There are a lot of bodyguards and surveillance cameras. How are we supposed to follow him?

Marius: Don’t worry, just listen to me.

Marius: I just observed that the patrolling bodyguards will pass by the same place around every 5 minutes.

Marius: As for the full-scene cameras above, I can’t tell if there are any blind spots for now.

Marius: But we’re luckily wearing dark clothes today, and it’s dark here.

Marius: We’ll just stick to the walls where the light doesn’t reach – maybe we’ll get by.

MC: Why do I feel like we’re acting in a spy movie…

MC: Then how should we move? We’re pretty far from the manager right now…

Marius: See that old table in front?

Marius pointed at a table that was around several tens of metres away from us and stacked with random items.

Marius: That table’s in a pretty subtle spot. People outside can’t see in, but we should be able to see out from inside.

Marius: When the nearby guards move away, we’ll head under that table.

Marius: On my count – when I say 1, we’ll move.

MC: Okay.

I took a deep breath, focusing my attention on the table.

Marius: The guard’s almost about to leave.

Marius: 3 – 2 – 1, go!

I held my breath and rushed to the corner.

MC: Huff – huff –

I supported myself against the table, suppressing my sounds as I gasped.

Marius: A-are you alright?

Marius’ breath was also somewhat short, probably thanks to our nervous moods.

MC: I’m alright. You?

I turned around to look at Marius, but the scene before me stole my breath away in the next second.

Marius was awkwardly crouching under the table, and the height that he was usually so proud of had become a sort of sweet “burden”. Maybe because the air circulation was bad, or maybe because the crouching pose was tiring him, but his face was somewhat red. Under his opened collar, there were small drops of sweat rolling down his fair neck. He breathed lightly, and each of his movements and breathing sounds became unusually heavy in this tiny space.

MC: …

Marius: Hm? What are you looking at me for? Is there something on my face?

MC: T-there isn’t…

Marius: Then… did you get fazed from staring at me?

Marius: Though I do like it when you stare at me, since we’re this close…

Marius: Even I’d get embarrassed.

MC: This close…

MC: !!!

My rationality returned, and I belatedly realized just close we were.

MC: S-sorry, it wasn’t on purpose, I was just…

I apologized as I attempted to pull away from him, but I hadn’t moved much when Marius suddenly pulled me back.

Marius: Don’t move. If you keep pushing, you’ll bump into the table.

Marius: This space is tiny – best not to move at random.

MC: …

I could only stiffen my body and not move in the slightest. The tiny space sunk into silence again, and I could clearly feel Marius’ gaze on me, never shifting away. And my heartbeat became more and more intense, along with this gaze.

MC: W-why do you keep staring at me…

Marius: I’m just thinking that right now…

Marius: Your heartbeat and your breaths only belong to me.

Marius: It’s great…

MC: …

Marius: But this is too little. It’s not enough compared to what I want…

MC: !!!

MC: M-Marius, you…

Marius: Oh well, now isn’t the time.

Marius sighed quietly and shifted his gaze away.

I tried my best to calm my heartbeat and refocus my attention. Simultaneously, the manager, who’d been lingering in some shelf row for a while, finally moved.

Manager: Hello, Liqing Bank. Is this Miss Hang?

Marius and I exchanged a glance.

Manager: Two people just came to see the contents of your vault.

Manager: Yes, a man and a woman, and the woman was a lawyer.

Manager: Don’t worry, I did not allow them to open your vault.

Manager: You want me to take a video for your confirmation?

The male manager spoke as he strode to a shelf in the corner, then used his phone to take a photo.

Manager: Look, it’s been well taken care of – no one has opened it.

Manager: Alright, I will send it to the back door for you.

The manager hung up and pressed a button on the side of the safe. After a small electronic startup sound, Hang Jiahe’s vault suddenly disappeared. The manager walked to an elevator on the side.

MC: Where’s the vault?

When the manager had completely left on the elevator, Marius and I carefully got near the vault shelf.

Marius: Don’t worry, it’s been sent elsewhere – should be the back door.

Marius: Let’s follow.

MC: Sure.

Following behind the manager, we boarded the other elevator beside the vault shelf.

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

MC: How did we end up in another warehouse?

Marius: …

Marius: Follow the manager first. If anything else unexpected happens, we withdraw immediately.

MC: Okay.

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

Marius: Where’s the manager?

MC: In front!

MC: We’ve already been following him for over half an hour…

Marius: Is the back door of Liqing Bank that far? We’ve got to get through a warehouse and then a basement…

MC: Marius, could he be leading us in circles?

Marius: …

Marius: … But Captain Morgan’s almost here, and Hang Jiahe’s been held back by him too.

Marius: We can’t just give up here.

MC: Then let’s keep following. If things don’t change, we’ll give up.

Marius: Okay.

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

The manager finally stopped at the back door of the bank warehouse.

MC: Why isn’t he walking anymore?

Marius: …

Marius: This is bad, let’s go back…

Manager: The two of you, stop hiding. Come out.

MC: …

Marius: …

We could only walk up to the manager.

Manager: CEO von Hagen, what are you trying to do here?

Marius: Didn’t I tell you my request before?

Manager: Then I’ll have to reject you once more. No…

Marius: Wait.

Marius looked behind the manager and suddenly laughed.

Marius: This time, you can’t refuse.

Manager: Wh…

Darius Morgan: City Criminal Investigation Police Brigade, Captain Darius Morgan. Please cooperate with our investigation.

Darius Morgan: This is the search warrant.

#Tears of Themis #tears of themis translations #tot translations #lu jinghe #marius von hagen #未定事件簿 #i kinda feel like this whole section could've been avoided #if only they'd been a little more patient lmfao

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