"I need to shut the door, you know," said Mr. Bonnefoy.
Most students had left the classroom, leaving nine behind, not including Alfred, who had just rushed out in a hurry. Herakles was asleep; Elisaveta was still looking at him with some sort of fury, while Roderich was still attempting to calm her down. Vash and Matthew were just watching. In the back corner of the classroom, Vladimir and Milen were gaping at Elisaveta (Vladimir was laughing; Milen was not). Closer to them, Ludwig was staring at Herakles, looking horrified, and Feliciano was tugging at him, trying to get his attention.
"Ludwig, Ludwig, come on! Classes are over! We can have fun now! We can make pasta! Or I guess you can boss me around at the training field if you prefer... Ludwig, what's the matter?! It's such a nice day today! The sun is shining..." But Ludwig barely even heard him. Feliciano took a piece of white cloth out of his bag and put it over Ludwig's shoulders as a blanket. Then he went over to Elisaveta and Roderich.
"And what's the matter with you? Can I help?" Neither of them responded. Feliciano waved his hand in front of Elisaveta's face without much impact, and then added:
"Hey, remember when I was little and you put me in a dress?"
Now Elisaveta turned to him and smiled. "Yes, we did have good times. That was fun. Thank you, Feli."
Vladimir smirked. "Good times, weren't they, Lizzy? Just like the time when you were little and you used to dress in boys' clothing and actually believed you were a boy! That was fun, wasn't it, Lizzy?"
Elisaveta gave Vladimir the evil eye and turned back to Feliciano. "Come, let's help Ludwig. I was going a bit nuts." She walked over to Ludwig and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry for yelling all those things, Ludwig. It must have been hardest of all for you, and then here I am, reminding you of... of that..."
"It wasn't your fault, Elisaveta," Ludwig answered. "I wasn't angry at you."
"You were angry at Herakles, and I don't blame you," Elisaveta answered. "You were angry for the very same reason I was."
"If I may mention my opinion," Roderich added, "I think you were both overreacting. Herakles never mentioned anything about the events in question, so there is no need to bring them up all of a sudden."
"What events?" Feliciano asked, but before anyone could answer, he clamped his hand in front of his mouth. "Oh! T-those events... That was sad and scary!" He gave Ludwig a hug while Roderich finished his explanation.
"Herakles has nothing to do with those events and need not be brought in comparison with them. He was simply sad about his cats. I would be devastated if my piano was stolen, so I understand that someone could feel that way about his cats..."
Elisaveta nodded, muttering, "Yes, I know, I'm sorry", but Ludwig jumped up and shouted:
"You don't understand. It's not about his cats! This has nothing to do with his stupid cats!"
"Of course it doesn't," said Elisaveta. "It has nothing to do with him at all."
"Maybe it is time we left now," Milen said softly to Vladimir, and the two of them headed off.
"Perhaps it is time we all left now," said Mr. Bonnefoy, tapping his foot impatiently on the floor. "Classes are long finished and I need to get my daily exercise!"
"Daily exercise, huh?" Elisaveta raised an eyebrow, and along with Roderich, she walked out the door. Mr. Bonnefoy went in that direction as well, holding the door open to rush the others out.
Ludwig and Feliciano went over to Herakles.
"Mmm," said Herakles, barely awake, as Feliciano shook him and poked him to wake him up.
"Listen, Herakles," Ludwig said clearly, but a lot softer than he usually spoke. "Answer me. Were you dreaming something or just fooling around?"
"I was dreaming..." Herakles muttered, "but I don't really remember..."
"The key to freedom is what?" Ludwig asked, this time sounding more threatening, more intense. "The key to freedom is what?"
"I don't know..." said Herakles. "I don't remember what I thought or said..."
Ludwig's fists tensed. "Then stop bringing it up. This is not about you. Either don't dream at all, or finish your sentences." He marched out of the classroom. Feliciano ran after him, and then the three remaining students followed: Herakles immediately lay down in the hallway, curled up like a cat with his bag as a pillow, while Vash and Matthew left him there and continued their own plans.
"What was that about?" Matthew whispered. Vash didn't know, and they didn't have much time to talk about it, because Matthew immediately went off to question their suspects. Meanwhile, Vash went outside where he did some homework and collected rocks. He brought the rocks to the machine and got a few small, useful items, though they were nothing too interesting and it took a long time before he received anything at all (he kept getting his own rocks back).
At the same time, he contemplated Elisaveta and Ludwig's strange behavior. It seemed completely irrational to Vash that Elisaveta had warned him against the machine. What was she afraid of: that it would malfunction? That would definitely be a shame, and a waste of money, but it was not something to be so worked up about. And then there was the big deal she and Ludwig had both made about Herakles and his cats: what exactly was the problem here? Their getting angry about the cats was definitely suspicious... But then they had said that it had nothing to do with the cats, and Ludwig had made it sound like it was Herakles' dreams that were bothering him. Elisaveta on the other hand had screamed at Herakles before he became drowsy and started dreaming, and yet afterwards had claimed it had nothing to do with the cats or even with Herakles himself. According to Matthew, she had a problem with stray animals, which in combination with her outburst made her very suspicious. Thinking again about how she had attempted to keep him away from the machine, the thought arose in him that perhaps he might start to dislike her as much as he disliked Emma, but at that same moment, Emma strutted by in such a manner that Vash knew he couldn't possibly dislike anyone as much as her: she looked so fake and full of herself that he wanted to throw up. Her entire clique followed her, consisting not only of the friends she always gossiped with, but also a whole horde of other students from all years, and even a few of the teachers! He recognized the French teacher, the English teacher, the music teacher, the gym teacher...
"Is Antonio coming?" Lovino asked Emma.
"Of course he is," said Emma.
"No!" yelled the English teacher. "I won't allow it! Mr. Hernandez was fired for a reason!"
"And who are you to decide that?" Emma asked. "This is a club meeting, not class. Don't worry about inappropriate acts, because I won't tolerate bad behavior in my meetings. There'll be nothing to fuss about. Come along now, Arthur."
What was she thinking, calling a teacher by his first name? Didn't she have even the slightest bit of respect? And how big was this club supposed to be? He saw more than twenty people following Emma around, including six teachers and at least two middle schoolers! In the distance, he noticed Matthew talking to an older guy in a mask, probably for the suspect interviews. That must be Sadik, Vash thought to himself, since Sadik was the only person on the suspect list who was not in their class. He was going to watch their conversation, but when Emma's horde walked by, the masked senior suddenly turned away from Matthew, mumbled something, and went after Emma. Was he in Emma's club? What kind of things did they even do there, besides throwing parties and having useless debates?
Vash suddenly realized he was following them. He stopped. This wasn't his business. But then again, aside from Alfred, all the Stolen Cat Case suspects were going there, so if he went after them to watch, he could figure out some more things about them. He caught Matthew's eye and beckoned him to come along, and together, they trailed behind the horde of people, watching from a distance. When they went into Emma's meeting room, he stood behind a column so he wouldn't be noticed. Matthew sat down on a chair, but when a very strict-looking teacher didn't see him and almost sat on his lap, he quickly seated himself on the floor instead.
"Antonio has arrived! We are complete!" the French teacher shouted. Lovino, who was sharing a seat with Feliciano, jolted slightly and almost fell onto the floor. Feliciano giggled. Emma wiggled her fingers in a mischievous wave at the man who apparently had been the previous gym teacher, but she quickly stopped, and her face became serious.
"Enough of that, Lovino, Wally, Francis," she stated. "I hereby commence the meeting. We will discuss the following topics in order: cleanliness, Herakles' debts, and the admission of a new member into our club." She paused, then added in a firm voice: "No snacks during my meetings." She blushed slightly and put the waffle away that she'd been munching on. What a hypocrite.