Chapter 55 - I Am Crushing On You

The police station had found the file and handed it to them.

"Listen, boys." The lower-ranking police officer said in a thick accent. "We usually don't give away cases to civilians at all, but I can't have my wife know about... our secret. Read it quickly, and get lost, especially you sly white-haired demon!"

Captain Clerval grinned. "Thank you. Your secret is safe with us, officer."

It was lucky that when the Captain and Stein were strolling at the park, the captain was observant of all the activities happening in the surroundings. He recognized this official's face and saw him with a giggling woman a while ago. There wasn't really anything wrong with that except he was wearing a ring and the woman wasn't.

Using this knowledge as an advantage is really tactless, but Walter Clerval has no sense of tact anyway when it comes to getting what he wants.

He and Stein looked at the records together. It was a witness report of Franklin and the personnel behind the crane itself.

That day, a statue of a beautiful, majestic eagle should have been placed. It was the one that had unfortunately ended Cervantez A.'s life, a foreigner and a student, at the unripe age of 19.

Captain Clerval flipped the page with Franklin's narrative. "We cannot trust anything your master has to say about this whole affair, he's bound to hide some things."

They instead read the personnel's account of the death, and it was very brief and to the point. The handwriting is also a tad crude, and there are a lot of misspellings as this personnel is not really a rich heir like the other witness.

[At lunch, I was asked to bring over this eegle statue, which was supposed to be brought over at the apricot orchard but I got busy. After a weak, my boss had been yapping my ears out complaining that I should git to work alreadi and all that, and I should stop being a lazy bam. I am not a lazy bam, mind you. Luckily, I were hard of hearing and I didn't catch much of it. Anyway, I went to work after a lunch of ham and chiise sandwich.]

[I thuoght I heard some shouting, but again, my hearin's bad from all the yapping I got over the yiirs. I was feeling sleepy from the gud sandwich, and I may have drunk a bit of ale that morning..... But it's the boys' fault, rolling around there like a bunch of dogs! Maybe their hard of hearing too, because the machine is pretty loud, I forget to grease the gears. I shouted them to move outta the way, but it was too late, the rope broke. It was really old. If I got to jail for this, please tell my boss to pay me before I go to jail. Thanks you.]

Captain Clerval, who is not really good at reading German, much more grammatically wrong and drunken German, had to ask Stein to translate. Stein did his best, though his brows did meet a few times because of the impeccable penmanship.

"It didn't say anything about why it was only Andres Cervantez who died, and not Franklin Storitz as well? After all, the drunkard--- er, the personnel did say that he saw them rolling together," Captain Clerval rubbed his chin again like a wannabe detective. "Isn't that suspicious?"

"You're just actively searching for something to implicate the Master, that is why everything is suspicious to you." Stein answered coldly.

"And you only see the good in him!" Captain Clerval scratched his head in frustration, wanting to take a vicious bite on his apricot to calm down. 

Daoist Panda knows he was the one who wrote Stein this way, but it is still so frustrating! He is always so stubborn and snappy, and he already has enough space for one sasser in this life, he doesn't need one more. Ahhh, when will this guy open his eyes already!?

As he rummage his satchel to look for his fruit, he realized that the apricot was gone. Could it have fallen off?

It isn't part of the script that it had fallen off. So there's only one option left.

It was stolen.

Of course, Stein couldn't have been the one who stole it.

He became even more frustrated, but he couldn't curse the robber in his mind in case someone is watching and quickly thought of something else.

"I want to read my Master's account. The personnel was lacking in details and.... and I want to see his side of the matter." Stein said.

He flipped the page, and saw that it was the complete opposite of the personnel's account. It was long, written with the most beautiful penmanship he had ever seen, and it showed much care and expertise in the language.

Just seeing how long it was stirred Stein's heart. It is a testament to how much this lost friend means to his creator.

[My dear friend and I were strolling in the apricot orchard, as we always were. He was telling me about he must leave the country soon, and I begged him not to leave. It grew into a bit of a fight, for I was unwilling to allow him to leave. I was afraid..... that once he leave the country, I will never see him again. And with this fear, I keep on pulling at his sleeves, which he disliked. That is how the tussle came to be.]

Franklin would of course not mention the real reason for the fight, or why he is so fearful of Andres leaving. But even with his simple words to describe it, you can sense this fear as well. This anxiety for the departure of a friend.

[As you may notice, I have sustained an injury to my right jaw from the tussle, and one of my glasses broke. But I know Andres does not mean it, he does not mean any harm, it was only at the heat of the moment. I received his blows, and did not return any of them. I only wanted him to stay. That is all I wanted. We rolled on the grass, and I was on top of him, catching him by the wrist to beg him to change his mind about leaving once more. Then suddenly, I heard the sound of a whirring engine. I turned back, loosening my grip a little, and.....]

[He pushed me away.]

Stein had been translating this to the captain who was disinterested at first, but upon getting to this part, his ears perked up and he went by Stein's side to check if he heard correctly. It really was written there, direct and clear. Andres pushed him away!

[I..... I think the memory is fading a little. It was because you have asked me to take an hour to calm myself. But that hour felt like an eternity to me. It felt like my mind is trying to erase the very scene itself. But it was already imprinted in my mind that at that moment, my vision had blurred. It happened so fast, so quickly. One second, there was my friend, and the next, there was already a big statue on top of him.]

[Crushing him. That statue killed my friend.]

[The only place remaining intact was his head, and his right arm that pushed me so strongly. The rest was.... I see blood everywhere. He did not die immediately from the impact. He struggled, blood churning up to his mouth, as the heavy weight is slowly pressing down his insides. He groaned, calling out to me. He was calling out to me. He was calling out to me.]

This was the only error on Franklin's account. This constant repetition of 'He's calling out to me'.

He seemed to lose his sanity for a bit, and tried to regain it back. 

[That is what happened. I will pay whatever it takes to make the one responsible receive the rightful punishment. I would also like to request to bring the body to me after the autopsy. I am afraid that now.... I am the only one who could receive it. I am the only one who can arrange his burial, for he has no family members now. Thank you.]

Stein finished the account with a shaky breath, putting the file down. He reached out to the counter to steady himself a little.

But his eyes are restless.

Captain Clerval merely scoffed. "See? See how much drama he had to put just to make himself seem like the loving, grieving friend. When in fact, it may be him who pushed Andres directly to where the statue is about to fall down on---Stein!?"

Stein's world turn black again, only to be replaced by another world.

-----------------------

In this one, he was in immense pain. Everything is so heavy.... It's like he is carrying the whole world itself. Like a whole mountain is on top of him.

He can feel it slowly cracking his bones, choking him out. There are flying white and black fairies in the air. They seem like they would take him soon, take him someplace he doesn't want to go to...

Not yet. Not yet....

He still hasn't seen if his Papa and his people were safe. He had not warned them. He had not even.....

Apologized to Franklin for breaking his glasses.

Those glasses... so expensive, that they could cost his life....

"Andres!"

He heard his friend's voice, but he could not turn his head. His spine is being squashed. He doesn't have much time left....

"Fr....a.....n.k.....li....n...."

He can barely say his name, without the liquid pushing forth on his throat, gurgling out.

"Fra...n....kl.....in...."

"Why did you push me away, Andres!? Why!? It could have been me! We could have died together!" He yelled, his tears sprinkling into his hand like fine drops of rain.

His friend cried and cried, but Andres doesn't want that. He wants...

"Ho....ld.... m... my.... ha....hand....."

He doesn't want to die alone. He was already separated from the rest of the Toros, and he cannot die alongside them. At least, he wants to feel...

The hands of a friend dear to his heart.

That was his final wish, and Franklin had fulfilled it. The sensation was too short, because after that...

There was nothing else.

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They had reached Haus Storitz at sunset, and the master of the house had still not arrived. Luckily so.

Captain Clerval had been agitated all the way home. "Are you sure you are alright? I can run to the pharmacy to fetch some medicine for lethargy.... Maybe even a physician if it turns out to be the symptom of a worse disease----"

"I am alright." Stein answered in a neutral tone. Not cold, not warm. "The temperature just affected my head a little, and I felt faint. It must be the clothes. But it is fine now."

"I see.... You should sit down and rest, at least." The captain said with much worry. "I'll go.... fetch you some water."

He did so, and once he returned, Stein drank it in one gulp. As he set it down, he said in the same blank manner. 

"Master is not guilty of Andres' death."

Captain Clerval blinked. "How can you be so sure.....?"

"It is final." He glared at him. "I will not let you sully the Master's name anymore. If you feel unsafe in this household, you are welcome to pack your bags."

Captain Clerval seemed dumbstruck, but the Panda inside him just wanted to roll his eyes. He already knew of this reaction. He also knows....

That Stein is saying the truth.

It really wasn't Franklin's fault. He is a good guy.....

For now.

"Boys, I have arrived!" They heard someone declare loudly from the front door.

It was 'Franklin'...

Holding apricot seeds in his hand. Daoist Panda grumbled internally, but pretended not to notice as Captain Clerval.

But Stein is too overcome with emotion to truly notice, and he immediately came to his master's side---

Tackling him to a hug!

"Master, I know now how much you have suffered."

He immediately held his creator's other hand that was not holding the seeds, clasping it so tightly. He kneeled and spoke with utmost solemnity...

"Please forgive this servant.. This servant had wronged you."