The Third Act

"Hah..."

Scattered around his dark office were computer parts that are mostly still intact. The hardware was sorted evenly through the compartment and there were multiple shelves hanging in the corner full of documents and folders.

"That Natsu... forcing me to dig through all of this..." heaving a sigh, Haru leaned forward on his screen as he browsed through several records and case files organized last year. "Why does he need this anyway...?"

After hacking and breaching multiple systems with his genius mind, Haru was able to download and save all case records that were not released to the public for legal reasons. It was apparently archived on the government's official website and only those with permissions from the higher-ups can access it.

"Let's see... is this the one?"

There's a case labeled "Infinity" on the list. Nathan marked that up as his top priority but Haru doesn't know the reason why he needed information about the syndicate's incident last year.

"Ugh, this case's complicated. And it's dangerous as well..." Haru made a frightened expression as he read the details and the police records.

The unreleased document was full of intricate information and details about what happened. It comprises of interviews and the process which explains the clear outline of the operation. Other than that, there are also pictures of the transaction making it a piece of portable evidence to arrest everyone present during that case.

"Alright, I don't want to get involved in whatever Natsu is planning with this information. I hope he's fine digging through this dangerous organization..."

With a single click of his mouse, Haru sent all of the records to a private domain that he created for Nathan's convenience. Only he and Nathan have the key to access the domain. Authorities won't be able to trace his doings as well even if they execute backtracking on the breached data.

"I'll leave the rest on you, buddy..."

***

I moved my arm swiftly as I can to waver the person away from me.

I adjusted my position and pushed her back to the wall near the corner, my other arm was holding her right shoulder. She had her hand placed on my mouth but I can see that she got scared by the way I cautioned myself.

"Shhh..."

"You're..." the one who tapped me was none other than the pretty lady that I met at the nightclub last time. "Hah, you scared me..."

It didn't seem like she was involved in the secret dealings that were unfolding on the back so I gently let her go. She was wearing a dress similar to the one she'd worn last time as well. But I wonder what she's doing in a place like this.

"S-Sorry... I noticed someone sneaking in so I tried to follow you, what are you doing here again?" she asked.

Before things gets worst, I decided to pull her away from the transaction. I don't think she noticed what I'm doing back there.

"Why are you looking back? Is there something wrong?" she asked.

"Ah no, nothing... I thought I saw something but it was just a cat..." I replied. "Anyway, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to entertain the guest tonight?"

Seeing that she was dressed up, I figured that she was serving the guests again. I don't know the work process inside the nightclub but it's weird that she can find the time to go outside and lurk around the establishment.

"I'm on break. I came outside to get some fresh air, you know that it's suffocating inside with all that noise and people..."

Fair enough.

"How about you? Why are you here again? I thought I already made myself clear to not wander around anymore since you're underage..." she leaned forward, trying to extract information by intimidating me.

It didn't work of course. That's because she's dealing with the same problem as I am.

"I didn't come here to go inside the club. My home is just on the opposite side of this street so I'm taking a shortcut through the alley." I answered.

"Really...? I don't buy it."

No no no, why aren't you trusting me?

"Anyway, stop wandering around. You're breaking the curfew, you know? I heard that it's dangerous to go outside during the night so I'm warning you..." she said.

"What about you? You're underage as well, right?" I asked.

"Wha—!" she stopped in her tracks while looking perplexed. She's probably thinking about how I know that she's underage. "W-What are you saying? I'm not underage, I'm a complete adult!"

"Adults wouldn't say they're adults and will simply show me their credentials and IDs..."

"Ngh..." she hung her head. "H-How did you know...?"

There are many factors implicating that she's not an adult. From the way she dressed and how she interacted with the guests. I've been trying to observe how a hostess serves their customers but she doesn't do the same as them.

"Normal people won't probably notice this but you're not doing what's standard for a Hostess like yourself..."

"What do you mean?"

"First of all, you're not drinking. I know that Hostesses are to remain sober as they work but if a guest were to invite someone, they should serve them and drink for a short time at least. Accommodating is part of your role..."

I actually don't know what I'm talking about... I'm just expressing what I observed when I came last time.

"W-Wow... You deduce all of that just by observing?" she asked, looking astonished when I explained it.

"Well, I guess you can say that I'm quite observant..."

Growing up alone and observing the world through a perspective that isolation has prepared for you improves anyone's ability to see right through everyone's facade. Be it human behavior, wildlife, or nature.

"Hah... if that's the case then there's no point in hiding anymore." she heaved a sigh of relief. "You're right. I'm underage as well and I'm working secretly."

Hmm...

"Isn't your job kinda risky? What will you do if everyone finds out?" I asked.

"It's not something I should worry about since the Manager of this place referred me."

"Referred you?"

"It's not like I'm doing something indecent, you know? My job here is to entertain the guest through performance. Just because I'm dressed like this doesn't mean that I have to accompany everyone in drinking. And I don't drink," she added.

"You mean like singing or dancing?"

"That's right. The manager hid my information from the other staff and he lets me perform on the stage with the invited bands. I really need the money for my family, that's why I started working here and it just so happens that the pay is good..." she looked at the sky.

I'm not sure what to think of this but I have a feeling that she doesn't enjoy working in here despite having good pay. Some of the things that she said pointed out exactly the problem that we tackled in the council.

Not to mention that she likes to sing as well, similar to that girl.

Are you Angelica or not?

I thought that for a moment but I'm not sure if it is correct to assume that she is. It might be another person or perhaps she's a regular.

"The manager is a good person then? I mean he helped you hide your identity and he's paying you to solve your financial problem..." I responded.

"Good person, huh...?"

"Hmm?"

"Nothing. I need to get back to work. Please don't tell this to anyone..." and so she left.

"Ah wait! Can I ask what's your name—"

Before I could reach her, the Hostess already turned around and talked to her other workmates.

Still, the way she phrased that earlier seemed a bit suspicious if you ask me. You wouldn't normally accept an underaged staff just so you can earn more money. There are a lot of ways you can do to manage the nightclub such as hiring popular bands and artists around the internet.

If people find out that they're accepting underage people as staff to work in a mature establishment, there's no guarantee that they will be able to escape authorities. It's far too risky to accept someone like her.

And also... although there's no evidence, that hostess was probably Angelica herself.

But I don't know if I should tell this to Chesca or Joey. If they find out, Angelica will lose this job and she won't be able to fix their problem. And it's not like Angelica wanted to leave either.

However, I couldn't help but doubt whatever is happening around this case. It just seems fishy to me...

"Guess I should go home..."

***

"What is it? I'm in a hurry..."

"Eek!"

Angelica exuded her usual haughty attitude toward her timid teacher—Sir Raymond.

"I-I apologize for the sudden call, M-Miss Angelica but umm... your best friend and your brother asked me to talk to you about what's going on." Sir Raymond tried to act professionally for once but he failed.

Despite his pathetic outlook, he remained calm but he was scared deep inside. Sir Raymond couldn't really handle problematic students like Angelica nor does he have the confidence to reprimand someone enveloped by a vain and snobbish attitude.

"Hah... how many times do I have to tell this. I told them that I'm fine and there's nothing to worry about." Angelica snarled.

"B-But... if there's nothing to worry about t-then, why couldn't you tell them what you're doing...?" Sir Raymond asked.

If Angelica says it's fine then there's no reason for her to hide what she's doing late at night. She could just freely say that she's working part-time in order to help her family but that kind of approach was rendered useless.

Everyone in the council suspected that she might be doing something indecent or not appropriate for a teenager. Nathan also dropped the possibility that whatever she is doing is dangerous and could affect their everyday life. Sir Raymond considered all of those factors that's why he's fired up to initiate this one-on-one meeting.

However...

"If I tell them, they're just going to pester me. I don't want anyone bothering me at work. Just tell them that I'm volunteering or something in a community..." Angelica suggested.

It may or may not be a good excuse but Angelica knows that if she revealed whatever she's doing, it will be the end of her. The admiration that she's receiving from her brother will collapse and rumors will start to circulate that she's a dirty woman.

She didn't want that to happen of course. The reason why she's working is that she wanted to take care of her brother and fix their financial problem. And she's going to do whatever it takes to sustain themselves—even if that's illegal.

"I-I don't think that will work... Miss Angelica—"

"Enough! I don't want to talk about this anymore. I'm going now!" Angelica grabbed her bag as she huffed.

"A-Ah! Wait! Miss Angelica—Agh!!!" he fell.

Angelica closed the door and left Sir Raymond's frail body on the ground.

"huhu... it's hard being a teacher..."

***

"So she remained secretive and even asked you to devise an excuse for her convenience..." Fuyumi spoke up after hearing Sir Raymond's explanation.

Apparently, he tried to obtain more information by asking her but Angelica lashes out. She even asked Sir Raymond to prepare some kind of excuse so that her best friend and brother wouldn't bother her.

To be honest, I'm not sure if I should tell them about the encounter that I had last night. I couldn't get a good look at her face but that pretty Hostess resembles Angelica based on the picture that Chesca and Joey sent.

If I told them that I have met her at a nightclub, things will get crazy. But still, not doing anything will only impede our progress in solving this case. It's not like Chesca and Joey will settle down even after hearing from Angelica that she's okay. Her being secretive invokes suspicious acts that might stir things up.

"Ow...!"

"Oops... Sorry, Sir." Kylee and Chesca were patching Sir Raymond's wound.

"I-It's fine... it's my fault for being clumsy..."

"Ah wait, Sir Raymond! Let me wrap your wrist as well—"

"Ah no no no, it's fine. My wrist doesn't hurt..."

"O-Oh, okay..." Chesca nodded.

Hmm...

"Is there anything wrong with her behavior, Sir?" Fuyumi asked.

"W-Well umm... I get the feeling that she's always wary about the time and she gets easily irritated when I talked to her. It looks like she's late or something..." Sir Raymond answered.

That's not surprising, I guess. It's already six and the nightclub starts at eight. She needs to attend the party early in order to prepare and serve the early guests. And those who are assigned to the entertainment department would have to contact the bands that will be performing tonight.

Angelica being frantic about time is not unusual for me. But I guess the others will find it suspicious.

"...I can't..." someone muttered.

Silence surrounded the room for a second and everyone stared at the boy who whispered.

"...I can't take this anymore! I need to know what's going on! I will follow my sister!!!" Joey finally broke.

He stood up from the sofa and grabbed his bag. His face was nothing like that of a calm person. He might've considered that everything we do from now on will be useless. That's why he's taking the initiative to confront her sister.

I already expected this outcome of course. If the problem became stagnant, the reporter themselves should fix it. I don't know if my information would help them. I decided that it would be better if Angelica and Joey confront each other instead of asking to meddle.

This is a personal problem after all...

"A-Ah! Joey! Wait!" Chesca also grabbed her bag. "I'm going to follow him!"

"Hold on... I don't think it's a good idea to follow her." Fuyumi said.

"No... I've had enough of this stalling. I know that Angelica will resent us after this but we have to know." Chesca answered.

Fuyumi, Kylee, and Sir Raymond couldn't do anything. It's their decision and we have no right to stop them even if we know that it will only make things worst. This kind of confrontation is the only solution to their problem. Once they place all of the cards in, they'll see the light of day.

Angelica won't have to shoulder that secret. It's up to her close friend and her brother if they'll accept her.

"Ngh... they didn't listen... I'm a failure as a teacher aren't I?" Sir Raymond hung his head, looking gloomy.

"I-It's fine, Sir Raymond! I think they'll be okay. We did our best to fix things...." Kylee comforted him.

"Yes. There's no other way..." Fuyumi concur.

 If this confrontation will fix their problem, then that will be great.

However, my role here is not yet done...

Buzz

I picked up my phone and noticed that Haru sent something from the domain that he created. It is a compressed zipped file full of case records from a year ago.

I can't help but doubt things as they are. One would surely think that everything is just a coincidence but I don't want to believe in supposition until I obtain adequate evidence to prove that it doesn't have anything to do with the current issue.

"President, Kylee, Sir Raymond... I'll follow them to make sure they're safe. I request permission..." I bowed in front of Fuyumi.

"I'll leave it to you..." Fuyumi smiled as she nodded.

After packing up my things, I left the council and proceeded outside to follow Chesca and Joey.