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Kazuma left the office early that morning to investigate a crime scene with Gina. It was a pretty straightforward case, and thankfully, the victim was already hospitalized and out of danger, and the aggressor safely behind bars.
“It’s been a while since we had some interesting crime to solve,” said Gina as they left the area.
Kazuma furrowed his brow. “Shouldn’t that be a good thing, though?”
“Yeah, sure.” Gina sighed. “But at least you don’t get bored trying to solve a bloody murder.”
He almost laughed at her honesty. “I don’t think an officer of the law should be saying that. But I know what you mean…” He sighed. “It’s been a while since I had a challenging trial.”
“Right?” Gina lightly elbowed him. “You’re gonna get all rusty like this. ’Oddo’ll have it easy when he comes back.”
In response, Kazuma grunted and bumped his shoulder against Gina’s, who then slapped his ass with more strength than necessary. Kazuma knew her well enough to know what that meant—not that she even tried to be discreet about it anymore.
“You took my wallet, didn’t you?”
He looked at her and, as he thought, she had his wallet in her hand and a wide grin on her face.
“What?” she said. “Someone needs to keep you on your…” Her words faded into a disappointed grunt when she looked inside his wallet. “Shit, Kaz… You’re poorer than me. Even I got some coin in my pockets.”
“Very kind of you to point that out.”
Gina ignored the comment, shaking her head. “Is the boss even paying you? I mean, even I got paid when I started.”
“Of course he is. I just don’t go around carrying money.”
“Why not?”
“Because if I do—” Kazuma narrowed his eyes at her, “—someone will try to pickpocket me.”
Gina rolled her eyes. “Man, you’re so bitter.” She thought for a moment. “But, y’know… If your pay’s that bad, you should try working with something else.”
Kazuma could tell she wasn’t being serious, so he chose to humor her for the moment. “Like what?”
“No idea… Maybe you could be my helper? Second helper, I mean,” she corrected. “Toby’s still number one.”
Kazuma tried to ignore the fact that he lost to a dog. “Why would I still need to work with you?”
Gina grinned. “You know you’d get bored without me.”
“No way…” Kazuma crossed his arms. “If I really had to work somewhere else, I wouldn’t want to deal with any troublemakers this time.”
Gina mimicked Sholmes’ habitual tapping of his deerstalker before pointing at nowhere in particular. “Why don’t you become a great detective’s partner, then?”
“Did you even hear what I just said?” Kazuma sighed, shaking his head. “And no… I already have my hands full with Barok. If I left that man alone, I’d just spend the entire day worrying about him, so I think things are better the way they are.”
For some reason, his words seemed to amuse Gina, who looked at him with a barely contained grin.
“What?” asked Kazuma.
“You really like the boss, don’t you?”
He should have expected that comment… Gina never wasted a chance to point out how much Kazuma cared for Barok—and, while she wasn’t wrong, it was still pretty annoying.
“Not more than you like Maria, I’m sure,” he answered.
Gina’s eyes widened. “Who told you?”
“You just did.”
She stared at him for a long while. Then, a red flush covered her entire face.
“You… You piece of shit!”
She aimed a kick at the back of Kazuma’s leg, which he only barely managed to avoid.
“Who started it?” He shrugged with a slight smile. “And you don’t need to worry, I won’t tell anyone.”
“You better not!” Gina lowered her head, pulling her hat down to cover her red face. Then, after a while, she spoke in a low voice. “It’s weird, right?”
Her reaction made Kazuma wonder if he had gone too far. He couldn’t really take those words back, though, so he simply responded in a casual tone.
“Not really.” He showed a half-smile. “But maybe that doesn’t mean much coming from me.”
Gina raised her eyes, the playful grin back on her face. “Cause you like the boss?”
“You won’t let me get away with it, will you?”
“No way.” She laughed. “And, if you two get all gross with each other, you can even ask him for a raise.”
“You make it sound like I’m trying to extort him…”
“Nah, it’s just part of liking a rich bloke.”
“Maybe. But that man already pays for everything I need without me asking… I wouldn’t want it to get any worse.”
Gina stared at him. “Wait… seriously?”
“I wish it wasn’t…”
That made Gina laugh loudly. “Well, shit… I already knew the boss is always fussing over you, but this makes it even funnier… He treats you like his spoiled side woman.”
“If you really had to make that comparison, you could at least have called me his wife.” Kazuma sighed. “But it’s embarrassing, really… I told him to stop, but he keeps saying it’s his responsibility as my mentor, and I just can’t win an argument against him.”
“Cause you’re poor,” said Gina.
“That’s not what I meant by it.”
“You’re still poor, though.” She sounded far too pleased to point that out. “But, anyway… that’s a good thing, right? If you need something, you can just ask him and not worry about it.”
“I’m not doing something like that.”
Gina shrugged. “I would.”
“I know you would. But I have my pride, you know?” Kazuma looked away. “And I don’t want him to be the one doing everything for me.”
“Isn’t it your job to help him, though?”
“Yes, but… It’s different.”
“Yeah?”
“He accepts my help in the office because that’s my job,” Kazuma explained. “But when it comes to everything else, he always tries to do everything on his own, even if I ask him not to.” He made a small pause. “He’s a sweet man, but he can also be really stubborn when he wants to. So, all I can do for him is make sure he’s taking proper care of himself.”
“Cause you love him?”
“Yes…” Kazuma couldn’t hold back a slight smile. “That too.”
Gina stared at him, surprised. “Ah, you said it.”
“You already knew it, anyway.”
“Still… Kinda weird to see you being this forward.” She smiled. “But that’s pretty sweet… And I think the boss likes what you do for him.”
“I hope so.”
“You hope?” She furrowed her brow. “For fuck’s sake, Kaz… If you two get even more gross, I’ll puke my guts out.”
Kazuma grinned. “Now, that’s something I want to see.”
“You’re an ass…” Gina stopped talking, hesitating for a moment. “Hey, uh…”
“I think Maria likes having you around too.”
She pouted at him. “That’s not what I were about to say!”
“Ah, really?” Kazuma did his best to contain his laugh. “What was it, then?”
“I just thought…” She paused, continuing in an uncharacteristically low voice. “She really likes them stuffed bears, and all that, so…”
“What? You want to give her one?”
Gina nodded. “I just thought maybe I could ask Iris to help me make one…”
Suddenly, Kazuma could understand better Gina’s amused reactions to his sudden honesty. He grinned.
“So, even you have a cute side.”
“Shut it!” Gina punched his arm. “It’s so annoying to talk to you.”
“Sorry, sorry…” said Kazuma. “But I like the idea. I’m sure Maria would be happy to get something you made for her.”
“You think so?”
“Well, I would be pretty happy in her place.”
Gina’s expression brightened a little. “I can make you one too, if you want it that much.”
The offer caught him off-guard. “Really?”
She nodded. “I need to practice on something before I make Ria’s.”
“I should have known…”
“C’mon, you should be happy that you’ll even get something.”
“Sure, sure…”
Forcing a sight, Kazuma threw his arm around Gina’s shoulders, and she playfully bumped against him as they walked their way back to the office.
Barok was absorbed in his work when the sound of someone knocking on the office’s door grabbed his attention.
“Come in,” he said.
A moment later, Maria Gorey walked inside, approaching his desk with a document in her hands.
“I brought the autopsy report you requested,” she said.
“Thank you.”
After handing him the report, Maria glanced around the office, and Barok observed her for a moment. Lately, Kazuma or Gina were the ones interacting with her the most, so it had been a while since Barok had last seen her.
“There is only you today,” Maria observed.
There was a hint of disappointment in her voice.
“Were you hoping to see Kazuma?” Barok asked, aware of his apprentice’s efforts to grow closer to that girl. “He is with Lestrade at the moment.”
That name made Maria look at him. “Gina.”
That wasn’t a question—if anything, there was a hint of fondness in how she said that name.
“You two have become quite close, have you not?” asked Barok.
Maria nodded. “Quite.”
At first, those short responses made Barok wonder if Maria wasn’t interested in holding a conversation, so he did his best to be as professional and straight to the point whenever they talked. Now, however, after Kazuma talked about her a little more, Barok understood that, instead of lack of interest, Maria simply wasn’t that used to social interactions—ironically, much like himself.
“If you are not busy,” Barok said, “you can wait here for their return. I am certain Lestrade will be glad to see you.”
Maria considered it for a moment. “I think I will.”
Barok gestured toward a chair, and Maria took a seat. It wasn’t common for Barok to try to initiate a conversation, but he still gave it a try.
“Are you doing well?” he asked.
“At my job?”
“No, I meant…”
How was he supposed to clarify it without sounding indelicate? Thankfully, Maria seemed to understand what he meant.
“I visited Mama last week,” she said. “She never says it, but I think she likes to see me.”
“Of course she does. Are you living well on your own?”
“Yes.”
“Is there anything you need?”
“No.”
Barok nodded. “Very well. Let me know if you need anything.”
He thought that would be the end of the conversation. However, to his surprise, Maria soon spoke again.
“Are you lonely?”
Barok looked at her, surprised. “Pardon?”
“Without Kazuma here,” Maria clarified. “Are you lonely?”
It was strange to think about it, considering the many years he spent working alone at that very place. When he gave it some consideration now, however, he couldn’t deny that he couldn’t imagine himself going back to those lonesome days.
“It does get very quiet without his presence,” he said. “But knowing that he will be back later is already a reassuring thought.”
Maria nodded.
“And you?” Barok asked. “Are you lonely working on your own?”
“A little.”
Her honesty was surprising—and a little sad. Yet, hearing those words was still better than receiving a polite but untrue response.
“You are free to come here whenever you want to,” said Barok. “Even if your visit is not related to work.”
“Kazuma said the same thing.”
Barok smiled. “I thought he would.”
“And Gina…”
Maria stopped talking for a moment.
“Yes?” Barok encouraged her.
“She said we should spend more time together.” Maria slightly tilted her head. “But she said it in a strange way… I don’t know if she wants me to do it or not.”
Oh… Barok had the feeling he had been through something similar before, when he first tried to ask Kazuma to spend some time together out of the office. With that in mind, it was hard not to sympathize with Gina’s situation.
“I don’t think that is the case,” he said. “Miss Lestrade is a competent officer, but she is still young. And, among her co-workers, you are also the one who is closest to her age, so I suppose she wants to get to know you better.”
Maria lowered her eyes. “I want the same thing…”
There was a hint of hesitation in her voice.
“But?” asked Barok.
“I’m not good with people,” she said. “Living people, at least. I never know how they will react to what I say. Or if they want me to say anything. It’s easier when it’s about work, but everything else is…” She paused, adding in a lower voice. “It’s hard.”
Barok understood that feeling way too well, especially after those ten long years of solitude. If Kazuma and Iris hadn’t made such great efforts to grow closer to him, Barok imagined he would be a very different man—more bitter and much less hopeful.
“I can understand the feeling,” he said.
“Can you?”
Barok nodded. “I am not the easiest person to be around. There are few people I feel close to, and even with them, I don’t always know what to say.”
Maria looked at him for a moment. “I think it’s easy to be around you.”
That response made Barok smile. “Thank you.”
Maria stayed silent for a while, thinking. “Is it… Difficult to be around me?”
Barok considered the question. “If you don’t mind my opinion… You seem much more open now.”
“Am I?”
“I believe so,” said Barok. “A year ago, we probably would not have succeeded in having a conversation like this.”
“One year ago, mama was the only one I really talked to,” she observed.
That was a sad thought. Barok had been quite the sheltered child, but he always had Klint, who did his best to be a good brother to him. Despite having her mother, it shouldn’t be good for a child to grow up surrounded by the dead.
“But now you have friends, don’t you?” said Barok.
Maria didn’t answer immediately. “Am I their friend?”
“If you have doubts, why don’t you ask them?” he suggested. “It is quite possible that they are wondering how you feel about them, as well.”
“Do you think I should?”
“I do.” He took a moment to think about his next words. “It is not always easy to be honest with those you care about the most. You never seem to find the right words, and yet, you wish they can still understand how important they are to you.”
“Is it like this for you?”
“Unfortunately.” Barok sighed. “Perhaps I should take my own advice, and be more honest as well.”
“With them?”
“Yes.” He lowered his voice. “Especially with him.”
Maria nodded, staying silent for a second. “Kazuma makes a funny face whenever Gina says your name.”
“Funny face…?”
Maria nodded. “I think he looks quite happy.”
Barok didn’t know how to respond to those words, but they still brought a warm feeling to his chest. Maria looked at him, and a tiny smile took her lips.
“You are making the same face now,” she said.
Barok’s heart jumped. “I see…”
He did his best to keep his expression calm, but could feel a strong warmth spreading through his face and neck. His sudden awkwardness seemed to affect Maria, whose smile quickly faded.
“Have I said something strange?” she asked.
“No,” said Barok. “If anything, I was glad to hear it.”
She relaxed again. When Barok paid closer attention, despite her unusual characteristics, she wasn’t that difficult to understand—maybe not as vocal and spontaneous as Gina, but not as hard to read as Barok had once judged her to be.
“Speaking of which,” he said, “you should know that I enjoy your company, Miss Maria.”
She simply looked at him for a moment. Then, that small but honest smile found its way back to her face. “I enjoy your company too, Lord van Zieks.”
And he was glad to hear those words.