The scene from earlier was rather barren; it seemed most of the people present didn't wish to remain in a room with a corpse on full display. And with Alphonse's discretion, most had moved to the room with the billiard tables.
So, Aion found himself with Alphonse.
"You're staying behind, huh?" Alphonse asked.
"Yeah, I'm not good with crowds," Aion said. "What's making you stay?"
"Me? Well, I suppose I wanted some time to process my mother's death."
"Were you close with her?"
"Not exactly. But despite that, I still love her, you know?"
"No, I can get that."
"How about you? Are you close with your mother?"
"What's with the sudden interest in me?"
"I don't think it's sudden."
"...No, I suppose you're right…"
"So?"
"That's…hard to say…"
"How about your father?"
"Never met him."
"He died?"
"No, divorce."
"Di…vorce…?"
"Hm? Oh, right, I guess such a concept probably doesn't exist here. It's basically where the two parents separate, breaking the vow they made when getting married."
"Ah, I see. That happens in the outside world then?"
"Yeah."
"Still, I can't imagine something like that."
"Right…" Aion said with a distant look. "How about you and your father?"
"Well…I respect him a lot. My entire being was shaped by him, after all."
"Entire being, huh?"
"Yeah. Father had made me a great successor to him."
"So you want to be mayor?"
Alphonse laughed and smiled. "Of course, what kind of question is that?"
"Sounds like your future is quite set in stone."
"I guess it is."
"If you don't mind me asking, you're engaged with Juno but you're in love with Esme, right?"
"Oh? You know about that?"
Aion nodded.
"Yes, that is the case. Juno, she's a kind girl."
Aion raised an eyebrow at that statement.
"But I think there is someone better suited to her than me. Just like how I believe Esme is better suited for me."
"I see."
"Do you have someone like that?"
"No."
"Quite the quick response. But still, I imagine you'll find someone someday."
"..."
"You see, it's a strange thing really, but love is—"
"That really isn't necessary. I've heard such things from multiple people."
"You sure?"
"Of course, hell, I even have a friend who got married. I've heard it all before."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah."
"Well, congratulations to them. I certainly hope that I can get married soon."
"...Right…"
Aion looked down, a tense expression on his face as he thought of Esme's death.
"Hey, Alphonse, protect Esme, okay?" Aion said, looking back up into Alphonse's eyes.
"Huh? Of course I will."
"No matter what happens, your first priority should be protecting her."
"What's with you all of a sudden?"
"I guess seeing someone murdered made me think you should focus on her and not the case."
"If I do that, who will solve it?"
"...I guess you have a point…"
"I honestly expected you to say you would take over."
"Yeah, no, I have two people I want to get through the night."
"Oh? Sam and Aira, right?"
"Yeah."
"I guess they must mean a lot to you, huh?"
"...Yeah…they do…"
"I guess even in that small amount of time, you can get close with them. Then how about us? Would you say we're close?"
"No. I don't like you."
"Wow~" Alphonse said and laughed. "But I guess I was quite a pain when we first met."
"Indeed. But at the very least, my opinion of you has gotten just a tiny bit better."
"Just a tiny bit?"
"Yep."
"Well, I guess it's not like I actually want to be close."
"You're being…candid…"
"Is that so weird?"
"Yes."
"What do you take me for?"
"A liar, a piece of shit, an asshole, a—"
"Alright, I get it, or at least I think I do. So what do 'shit' and 'asshole' mean?"
"Nothing really that important."
"Just leaving me out of the loop, huh?"
Aion's eyes seemed to flicker for a moment with some sort of observation, but he continued on like it was nothing.
"Yeah, I guess you really aren't that bad," Aion said, almost as if he were trying to convince himself that it was the case.
"I mean, I would like it if you thought that."
"Yeah, I'm sure you would. I imagine most people probably don't like the idea of having a negative opinion of them."
"I take it you're the same?"
"Nope."
"..."
"Whether I'm liked or disliked, that doesn't matter too much. The most important person in life is always yourself, after all. So even if one person, or two, or three, or hell, even a hundred, a thousand even, if they all hated you, that's not the most important thing, because the person living and controlling your life is you, and no one else. And in the end, all those people will eventually vanish, moving on like they had never despised you so thoroughly. Of course, I suppose if you did something to truly shake them, then things would be different."
"You're quite the independent, huh?"
"Yeah, I guess I am."
Alphonse stared at Aion for several seconds; it was like he was trying to see something behind that blank expression of his. Trying to peer into a world that he could not reach, a place completely separate from him—a place he can never comprehend. Perhaps that was the barrier between Aion the person and Alphonse the character. A barrier that cannot be crossed as they live separately but simultaneously.
"Aion Belial, you…" Alphonse started but stopped.
"You can say it. I gave my honest thoughts to you, I think it's only fair."
"Fair, huh?"
Aion didn't react, simply choosing to stare instead.
Alphonse sighed and said, "Aion, I don't really get you."
"You don't get me?"
"Right now, in this moment, at this instant, you seem like a different person than when we met."
"Well, our initial meeting was sudden, and you were quite pushy."
"I suppose so. So, that means this is you? This is the person you are?"
"Of course. This is the core of Aion Belial," Aion replied with, showing zero hesitation.
Alphonse went quiet for a couple of seconds and turned. "I'll be going to the others. I'd recommend you come with me. I imagine you'd want to be with others with a killer out and about."
"It's fine. If anything, I'm better off alone. I mean, if I die, you can just figure out who did it based on who was missing, right?"
"You're fine with dying like that?"
"No, but I don't think I'll die. Call it confidence or stupidity, it doesn't matter because it's my conviction."
"I see, then I'll get going."
Aion didn't say anything as he watched Alphonse leave the ballroom, leaving Aion with Alphonse's mother's corpse.
Out of some sense of obligation, Aion found himself checking the corpse again, wondering if he could glean any more information. Of course, nothing came of it.
When it came to poison for detective fiction, Aion was, quite frankly, a complete amateur.
He knew a few things here and there, like the trend of using poison is more common amongst female characters or that a motive is very important to consider for a killing like this. Although even that may be conjecture on his part.
Aion cursed himself a little before deciding to go to where everyone else was, perhaps learning more about the woman who died might do something.
No…I shouldn't… Aion thought. He was already considering trying to solve it despite him declaring that he wouldn't bother.
It was like something inside him was trying to compel him forward toward solving this.
Aion thought of a hypothetical one that he wasn't a fan of but one that existed nonetheless. Hypothetically, if he were truly transported into Crystal Machinations, to escape would mean solving the case himself. It was a pretty fair and conventional idea he's seen several times within its genre. But going by that would mean accepting this world as real. And he wouldn't do that.
He absolutely couldn't do that, no matter what.
* * *
Upon arriving, he found that the guests' tensions were rather high; he supposed that because Alphonse wasn't doing some religious ravings so peoples' nerves were much higher in this loop. After all, Alphonse himself was even saying this was a murder.
It was an odd change now that Aion thought about it, but it wasn't one he could solve just like that. Perhaps it's because declaring it that way was easier in the previous loop? When looking at the first murder—Esme—her killing seemed impossible. Hell, to Aion it was impossible. No matter how much he thought of Esme's death from the previous loop, he couldn't think of a solution that would fit under the standard rules of detective fiction. Perhaps his imagination wasn't strong enough to find the solution, but for now he had to just accept the fact that he didn't know the solution to the crime.
The only possible one was the random accusation he made against Alphonse, but that didn't sit right with him. He was confident Pride wasn't Alphonse. But if Pride wasn't Alphonse, then who else could Pride be?
"Hey, Aion!" Sam called to him, snapping him out of his line of thought.
"Huh?" Aion looked at Sam with a surprised expression. His heart even jumped a bit from the sudden loud noise.
"I was trying to get your attention for a while now."
"You have?"
"Yeah, what were you thinking about?"
"Uh…" Aion couldn't exactly say Esme's (lack thereof) death.
"You're thinking of Mrs. Magnatium's death, huh?"
"Uh…yeah…" Aion lied.
"I wouldn't stress about it," Sam said.
Aion's eyes narrowed a bit at the statement.
"Oh no, I don't mean anything by it, or I guess I do, but uh, what I actually mean is Alphonse has it covered. I mean, you even said you'd let him handle it, you know? And honestly, I think I'd prefer that."
"Huh? Why?"
"Well…you'd be in danger…?" Although Sam had been answering a question, he framed it as a question.
"What's with the question?"
"Ah, well, I guess I just thought it was a little…inaccurate to my feelings on the matter."
"Is that so?"
"I would say he's more like a different person," said a new voice entering the conversation.
"A different person, huh? Actually, that's true…" Sam agreed with her and then realized saying, "Wait, Aira?"
"That is me."
"But calling him like a different person is quite apt," Sam continued. "Of course, I suppose such a stressful situation would probably cause something like that."
"That's probably it," Aion said. "I mean, calling me a different person, I think, is a little extreme. I've never really witnessed a murder before, after all."
Aion laughed awkwardly at the end, a pit forming in his stomach making it twist and knot. He felt sick because of his lie, or perhaps because of the concept of murder; he wasn't quite sure himself. Whatever the case, he couldn't exactly explain the fact that he's witnessed murder before.
To a normal person, even one within a nightmare, simply believing whatever Aion said was out of the question. He was sure he'd be looked at with pity or bewilderment at Aion's firm belief in something they could only perceive as insanity.
He'd seen it again and again in looping stories; the character looping would always end up isolated from others, alienated from normalcy, until their mind began to crack and crumble apart.
Of course, in Aion's case, such an event was unlikely. He was sure of that.
Because Aion Belial would certainly never break over something this menial.
"Hello?" Sam's voice pierced through Aion's thoughts, causing him to flinch a little.
"Huh?"
"You just zoned out. I'm really starting to think you shouldn't have come…" Sam mumbled.
"I chose to do so, and I'm fine. I was just thinking a little bit."
"About the case?"
"Not really…"
"..." Sam stared at him like he didn't believe a word Aion said.
"How about this," Aira began, "if you're that bothered, why not just bounce off ideas here?"
Aion's eyes flickered with a hint of surprise. It was a suggestion he hadn't expected from her. It wasn't something that he thought the profiled version of Aira Liana would make.
"Huh?" And that surprise he held had escaped, unintentionally.
"Sorry, that was probably rather presumptuous of me, but I was just thinking that you could discuss it with us, away from any possible suspects."
"I mean…"
"I don't know about that…" Sam said, finally recovering from his shock at the suggestion too.
"It's better than him just thinking about it so much, right, sir? Like you, sir, I would prefer it if Mr. Belial could relax."
"I suppose if all my ideas were shut down, that would be the end of it, huh?" Aion mused.
Sam bit his lip before nodding and saying, "But still…wouldn't that mean talking about, well, suspects…?"
"It's inevitable that would come up, yes," Aira confirmed his suspicions, which only made Sam wince in displeasure.
"I would be willing to do it," Aion said after some consideration.
"Seriously?"
Aion's eyes shifted toward Sam, which only made Sam clench his teeth.
"How about you, Mr. Astra?" Aira asked.
"...Fine…" Sam said without looking at Aion.
Aira nodded and said, "Thank you."
Sam didn't say anything while Aion wondered what there was to be thanked over.
"So, how should I start?" Aion asked.
"However you want, the sooner the better," Sam said, his eyes a little sad.
"How familiar are you with Mrs. Magnatium?" Aion asked.
"Ah, well…" Sam looked stumped. "I suppose I don't really know much."
"You don't?"
"Well, Mrs. Magnatium, from my understanding, came from the Yang family, and she was sent to marry the heir of the Magnatium family at a rather young age."
"The Yang family? I've never heard of them."
"Ah, well…" Sam bit his lip, seemingly not wanting to say anything over the Yang family.
"The Yang family has died out," Aira answered.
"Died out?"
"Yes. You see, after the current generation, all of their possible heirs were all dead soon after birth."
"Huh?"
"I'm sure you've noticed by now, but—"
"Is it really necessary to talk about that?" Sam interrupted, a scowl on his face. His voice had also dropped an octave like he was angry.
"The Yang family might have something to do with the murder, no? I mean, if they were all killed instead—"
"Killed?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, maybe some sort of grudge against the family, and now the killer finally took out the last member."
Of course, Aion didn't believe that was the case. Realistically, if such a grudge existed, the last loop would've displayed it much more clearly. Or perhaps he's reading too much into it.
"I can say for sure that isn't the case."
"How?"
Sam sighed and said, "Fine, I'll tell you. But you know how there aren't any children or anyone younger in this town? I mean, we're all adults at this point."
"Yeah, I've noticed," Aion said, recalling his first day in the first loop.
"Well, ever since the birth of two girls on the same day, every birth after within this town has resulted in failure. Be it dying at birth, stillbirth, or even miscarriages. And so, I highly doubt it is some sort of grudge."
"Every birth has resulted that way?"
"Every single one for twenty years."
"You said two girls, were they…" Aion trailed off as he glanced at Aira.
Aira, picking up on his implication, shook her head and said, "No, it wasn't sister and I."
"Who were they then?"
"Is that really important to the case?" Sam asked.
"...I guess not…" Aion said, disappointed.
He was interested to know the lore of this town; perhaps it had nothing to do with the case, but he doubted that. It probably had something to do with it, but he had no way of making a convincing argument to support his hunch.
"How about the rest of the Yang family? How did they go out?"
"Ah…" Sam looked like he had some sort of realization and went quiet because of it.
"What?"
"It really doesn't matter much, but they all passed away from illness or old age."
Aira narrowed her eyes at Sam's words. It was only a moment before her expression changed back, but it was something Aion picked up on. That narrowing of eyes could mean a lot, so he may as well prod.
"Who was responsible for those conclusions?" Aion asked.
"Huh? Oh, um, I believe Agarus would've been the doctor then."
"You believe?"
"Yeah, I was young at the time, so I forget if he had taken over his father's work yet."
"I see…"
Agarus was aware of poison, but if they were poisoned, would he have any reason to report it?
"I guess we can go ask," Aion offered.
"Ah, no! I really don't think that's necessary. I mean, it would make it seem like we really are investigating as opposed to just shutting down discussion."
"Hm~" Aion hummed a bit, and the noise paired with his expression made Sam stiffen a little. "That's weird. If the goal was shutting everything down, would it not be best to talk to him? I mean, I would still be wondering about that avenue."
"Well, what does it actually accomplish?"
"Let's look at it this way: Anna Magnatium is the last surviving member of the Yang family. And tonight she was killed by poison, something a lot of people in this town are unfamiliar with. And certain poisons could make it seem like it was just illness or old age from an amateur's perspective. So then, the person who truly knows is the one who gives out the cause of death, no?"
Sam's eyes widened and Aira's mouth fell a little open.
"I believe you see what I'm getting at here, so, if you won't confirm things when it comes to Agarus, could you tell me Agarus' relationship with the Yang family? Or even what his father's relationship with that family was?"
"Ah…" Sam started shaking, and he shook his head, saying, "No, I promise it isn't like that."
"You know for a fact?"
"Yes!" Sam exclaimed, jumping at the opportunity.
"Is that so? You know, do you?"
"Yes!"
"So, if you know, what makes you so certain?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, to claim to know something is to assert it as your truth. And to assert it as such, you must have some sort of basis for that, right?"
"Ah, well…"
"And because you have some basis that makes Agarus innocent, I'm sure you could share it so we can move along, no?"
"Well…"
"You see, I'm not making any accusations here. I'm just stating some random observations, that is all. But you see, to me at least, Agarus seems like the prime suspect. I mean, a method of killing that the town isn't familiar with at all? Isn't it just perfect?"
"..." Sam didn't say anything in response.
"But of course, you have some sort of damning evidence that stops it, right?"
Aion's pointed question seemed to stab straight into Sam, causing him to flinch like he'd actually been stabbed. Aion's tone had an edge to it, one similar to his attempted framing of Alphonse. Of course, Sam had no way of knowing that.
Aira sighed and said, "Sorry for imposing, but I can explain if you wish, sir."
"Wait! Aira, this really isn't a good idea…"
Aion attempted to gauge what Sam was thinking through his eyes, but of course, that was not a skill Aion could say he had.
"Why? This will clearly go nowhere otherwise."
"But…I think such a thing is unpleasant to speak about."
"Unpleasant, huh?" Aira's voice dripped a bit with disdain.
The disdain in her voice caused Aion's eyes to drift toward her instead as he seemed to bore into her, searching for something—anything that could tell him what Sam was hiding.
"I just…I just don't want Aion to get the wrong idea…"
Aira laughed bitterly. "The wrong idea?"
"Yes, I'm sure—"
"There is no wrong idea that can be construed about what happened. The rest of the Yang family was killed twelve years ago."
"'Killed' is rather strong…"
Aira, for the first time since Aion had met her, held an expression of contempt toward someone.
"That spawn of evil killed the Yang family, there's no doubt about it!" Aira practically spat.
It was very unbecoming of a maid.
"That was never verified! It was just an unfortunate coincidence…"
Aira seemed to look down on Sam despite Sam being taller than her.
"Whatever." Aira moved along and shifted her attention to Aion, continuing with, "Sir, Agarus wasn't responsible for the rest of the Yang family's end."
Aion felt a question rising to the forefront of his mind. A question that was simple, but one that seemed to hold some sort of invisible weight that would have to be carried for a long time.
And yet…
"Then who was it?" Aion asked because he felt there was nothing that would stop him.
Because Aion's goal needed it.
Even if it was a dream.
Even if it was a nightmare.
Even if it were another world he actually transmigrated to.
Aion wanted to satiate his burning desire to solve this case.
No, "smother" is the better way to put it.
That way he doesn't have to worry Sam or Aira anymore.
So whatever the next words out of Aira's mouth were, he was prepared.
Aira seemed to calm down for a second; a look of hesitation appeared on her face as she opened her mouth for a second before closing it once more.
"Who was it?" Aion repeated the question, affirming his own resolve and pushing Aira to speak.
Sam had looked away, apparently not wanting to see what was about to unfold.
And then, Aira breathed in while closing her eyes and then back out.
Then, her eyes opened, a stern and focused expression that told Aion she was prepared.
And then…
"Luna Amaryllis."
"Huh?"
Aion hadn't expected it, and his face so full of resolve had shattered in an instant.