The next day, Kikyo washed herself and her worn-out clothes in the canal that ran through the city. She managed to gather a small amount of food, but most of it went to Shin and Miyu.
It was afternoon, yet the snow continued to fall steadily, as it always did.
Around 1:30 pm, Kikyo glanced toward the entrance of the alleyway. There, she saw Kaitou standing in his formal attire, a bag in hand. He gave her a silent signal to get going.
Kikyo knelt to embrace Shin and Miyu, her heart heavy. "Don't leave the building too much, okay? Only go out when you really need to. And make sure to keep warm at night, it gets so cold. I'll send you both letters and money as soon as I can. Use it to buy food—and, if you can, better clothes," she said, her voice filled with sorrow.
She gently patted Miyu's head, her tone softening. "You're the big sister now. Take care of Shin for me, alright?"
Miyu nodded, struggling to keep her tears at bay.
Before leaving, Kikyo kissed both children on their foreheads, lingering for a moment. Shin stood still, Though the urge to cry was strong, he couldn't bring himself to do it, not with Miyu watching. They both stood silently as their mother walked away.
That was the last time they saw her.
Kikyo approached Kaitou. "Are you ready?" he asked.
"I am. I hope I'm not late. The express train leaves at 3, right?" Kikyo replied.
Kaitou's voice was soft as he nodded. "Yes, it does, but before we go—" He reached into his bag and pulled out a hooded shawl, handing it to Kikyo. "Please, wear this. Don't misunderstand me, miss. You look lovely in your dress, but where we're going, people might not share my view."
Without a word, Kikyo took the shawl and put it on. She understood what he meant. Her dress was worn and tattered, and wearing it in places like the express train could easily be seen as improper or disrespectful by the upper classes.
After about twenty minutes of walking, they arrived at Wickham Station. The moment Kikyo stepped onto the platform, she heard the sharp hiss of steam from an incoming train. The bustling footsteps and noise of the crowd made her feel uneasy.
"Don't worry, I'll handle everything," Kaitou reassured her, walking toward the long line at the ticket counter. But instead of waiting, he bypassed the entire line, heading straight to the counter. He showed his business card to the ticket master, who nodded in acknowledgment and handed over two luxury class tickets.
Kikyo wasn't particularly surprised. She didn't know exactly how high Kaitou's social standing was, but she had a faint idea.
They boarded the train, found their private compartment, and settled in for the journey.
The compartment was elegantly furnished with polished wood and soft, plush seats. Through the large windows, the countryside blurred past.
Kaitou stared out the window, his right hand resting on it as he took in the view. "It's beautiful, isn't it? Would've made a great social media post," he said, glancing at Kikyo, who sat across from him.
Kikyo hesitated before replying, "A social media post?"
"Back where I'm from, we have these things called smartphones," Kaitou explained, his voice soft with nostalgia. "You can take pictures and share them with people all over the world. There are apps like Instagram, Twitter, and many others."
Kikyou stared at him in puzzlement, smartphones? Apps? Insta? Twitter? What are these weird words? He must be from a distant country where technology is far more advanced. Kikyou made a judgment in her head.
Noticing her confusion, Kaitou smiled reassuringly. "Oh, it's fine if you don't understand. I'm from a distant country, and these things are pretty common there."
Kikyo blinked, then smiled faintly. "I see. It sounds like a wonderful place. I'd love to visit it someday," she said, her thoughts lingering on the idea, though she'd never even left the city before.
The two of them exchanged idle chatter as the steam train continued on its journey.
Back to the present. In Ricky's cell under the bar
"And that was the last time we saw our mother before she left with this Kaitou Kurozawa guy. I still don't understand why he'd name this bar after her," Miyu said, furrowing her brow as she finished her story.
Ricky listened intently, his mind racing to connect the dots. After a moment, he spoke up. "On the surface, it might not seem like much, but there are a few odd things about your story," he said, tapping his finger against his chin as he thought.
"For one, why would this Kaitou guy follow you two all the way home? People like him—rich people—usually go straight to the authorities. And even if he did follow you on a whim, why didn't he approach Miyu right away? Then, that strange pressure you felt when he offered your mother work… that's the strangest part. No mother would ever leave her children like that. No matter how tempting the offer, leaving your children is like abandoning them to fend for themselves—especially when they're as young as you two."
"Maybe that weird pressure had something to do with her decision," Ricky added, his voice quieter, as if the realization had hit him just as hard.
Miyu frowned her eyebrows, similar to Ricky, and started thinking while mumbling "Now that you mention it, it is strange. Mom stopped sending letters and money four months ago. That's why we came here to search for her, but when we arrived here, the bartender said that she was working at a noble's house. But even if she did start working at a noble's house, why would she stop sending letters? Mom is not the kind of person who would forget about us"
Suddenly one of Miyu's words caught Ricky's attention "Did you say a Noble's House?" Ricky was a bit shocked
"...Y-yes, why?" answered Miyu suddenly concerned by Ricky's reaction.
Ricky thought for a second before asking "Do you guys even know who the nobles are in this city?"
"No, why? Are they dangerous?" said Miyu
Shin was about to ask the same question but decided to listen to the conversation silently.
"Noble's, are the wealthiest and most influential figures in society. Each country has its own set of noble figures with different ranks. While nobles of other countries are all human, this country is different. The nobles in this country are all vampires and there is no rank amongst them. They are simply treated as figures with the highest authority. The value of a single noble is higher than the whole country combined"
Shin suddenly spoke up. "So that's why we saw all those vampires roaming the city when we tried to escape. They were walking around with human slaves, their collars around their necks, and buying blood and flesh from different shops like it was nothing unusual." Miyu shared the same thought.
Ricky nodded, continuing, "Yes, they can't survive without consuming human blood and flesh. That's their only food source. And the reason they only come out at night is because, like most fantasy stories say, vampires can't stand sunlight. If they're exposed to it, they'll burn to death. That's about all I know. Most of my knowledge comes from the academy's history textbooks. We even have a whole chapter on vampires, though it mostly glorifies their power. No one knows where they came from. The textbooks only mention that they appeared suddenly after the war—Miseria."