A/N: I am still unsure about how many fanfics I want to keep writing for this series. I've already written the entire plotline for the sixth (the one I'll write after I finish "Blood Vessel"), but I am thinking about adding a seventh. The one thing I am unsure about is whether to carry on writing mysteries or go back to writing romance/adventure. I have another Toji No Miko vampire-romance story in mind. Lol.

PM me for any input or tell me in the reviews. I'd be happy to hear all of your thoughts. What do you guys think? Which should I do after the sixth fanfic? Should I...

1) Write a seventh Toji No Miko mystery fanfic?

2) Or write another Toji No Miko vampire-romance fanfic?

Chapter 9: Louis Moreau

The cool breeze lifted Hiyori's long ebony locks, carrying the salty smell of the sea with it. Just a few minutes ago, Sergeant Tanaka suggested that they go outside onto one of the decks. They could look over the notes they took so far while enjoying the sunshine and fresh air, before questioning their last suspect. Hiyori had an inkling though that he really just wanted an excuse to smoke a cigar. They were literally doing more standing around aimlessly than reviewing notes. With an impatient sigh, the Origami Head adjusted her tie, before shoving her hands into the pockets of her black slacks.

"Done smoking like a chimney yet?" Hiyori asked, not bothering to be polite.

The sergeant held up a finger, puffed out his last exhale of smoke, and tossed his cigar overboard. "Yep. Sorry for the wait. Let's see here...last of all, we have Louis Moreau to speak to. Some French gentleman from the sound of his name. He should be able to speak decent Japanese, right?"

Judging by Sergeant Tanaka's dithering tone, Hiyori could tell that he was uncertain. In truth, the sergeant had a bad experience where he had to interview a foreigner once. Cringing in remembrance, his mind was plagued by how he unintentionally offended the woman so much, she created such a scene in the streets. And that was how Sergeant Tanaka learned the word "tart" in English could mean more than just a pastry. He still had not fully recovered from his abashment, despite the event being five months ago.

Sweatdropping a little, Hiyori closed her mouth into a straight line. Seemed like she was going to have to take charge again.

"I can speak with Louis Moreau for you," she groaned, at last. "I know a bit of French."

"Well, that's convenient," Sergeant Tanaka said, trying to contain a sigh of relief.

Going back inside, they found Louis Moreau sitting at the bar area, knocking back a stiff whiskey. He was a handsome man with bronzed skin and a goatee. His eyes were as blue as the sea outside.

'He must've had his fair share of admirers before he married,' Hiyori thought.

Clearing her throat, she asked, "Vous êtes Monsieur Moreau, n'est pas?"

She thought she'd never before seen so much surprise and delight as she did in the man's face. Having lived in Japan, miles away from the homeland he loved, the homesickness Louis always felt vanished at the sound of Hiyori's voice. To hear this charming Japanese girl speaking his own tongue was like a miracle to the Frenchman. He immediately poured out his respects.

"Vous avez raison, mademoiselle. Enchanté de vous rencontrer. Et vous êtes Mademoiselle Juujou?"

"Hiyori, s'il vous plait."

Sergeant Tanaka looked back and forth between Hiyori and Louis, baffled at the rapid flow of French going between them. It wasn't until the Origami Head gestured for his notepad and pen that the sergeant took the hint to not intervene.

"So, you are from France. Where do you live now?" Hiyori asked.

"The outskirts of Tokyo. My wife and I have a large mansion there," Louis said.

"Could you please write down your address?"

"Certainly."

"You interacted with the victim last night?"

"Yes."

"In Japanese?"

"Oh yes, I speak fluently," Louis said, with a nod.

Hiyori didn't bother frowning at Sergeant Tanaka but continued speaking in Louis's native tongue for the sake of it. She could at least practice her language skills while she had the chance.

"What did you and Yanase Chisaki talk about?"

"Let's see. We were all in the lounge at around ten o'clock. This happened after dinner. And Mademoiselle Yanase came up to me, saying that she recognized me from when we were both on vacation. She apparently stayed at the same hotel that I was at. I can't say that I remembered her though. One meets so many people from different backgrounds these days. But I thought she was a very lovely girl. So sweet and so respectful. There was something about the way Mademoiselle Yanase spoke that just makes a person want to talk with her more. Very different from the typical quiet Japanese girls here.

"And as for what we were talking about specifically, we talked about what countries we travelled to. I remember asking if she ever considered studying abroad for university, but then my wife interrupted me. Mademoiselle Yanase too seemed rather hesitant to tell me—I didn't blame her. There's just so much pressure these days to get into good schools. Why should it matter in my opinion, whether one goes to a good university or not? One should just chase one's dream however they want."

This was not a man who needed information forcefully extracted from him, as Hiyori observed. It gushed out full-flow. Within the next few minutes, she learned everything from Louis's interests, his business, and what he thought about living in Japan. She struggled to keep up slightly, due to how fast he spoke and also because of his abnormal dialect and accent.

"And what about your whereabouts, Monsieur Moreau?" Hiyori asked, trying to keep him on topic. "From 12:30 to 1:00, where were you and what were you doing?"

"That's easy. At a quarter past midnight, I was with my wife and Mademoiselle Chen in the lounge. We were talking over some wine, mostly about casinos in China. They have big money over there. Makes me want to perhaps start a firm over there. No doubt it'll boost my economic situation."

"Yes, Monsieur, but as you were saying...?"

"Oh right, sorry. And then at 12:40, Mademoiselle Chen departed for some fresh air. Ichika was already starting to get sleepy, so both of us retired to bed," Louis said. "And that's it."

"If you don't mind my asking, where in France are you from, Monsieur Moreau?" Hiyori asked.

"Some small village up North. Not very well-known, I'm afraid," Louis said. "That's why I started my business in the big city of Paris and since then, it has expanded internationally."

"Ah," Hiyori said, with a smile. "As a businessman of an entertainment business, you must have firms all over the world."

Leaning back in his chair and taking another sip of his whiskey, Louis said, "Oh yes, indeed."

"Have any in the United States of America? Big businesses seem to always want to set up their firms there," Hiyori said.

"Oh yeah, of course. That's the country where the real gold mine is."

"The other people on board this vessel...do you know if any of them have company establishments over there?"

Louis pulled his goatee a little in thought. "I believe Takanori has one in Los Angeles and Mademoiselle Chen, I know, has at least ten corporations across the States. One of her finance businesses I think is in New York. The economy is down around the world however, what with the pandemic, and businesses have been slow for mostly everybody. I regret not figuring out sooner with my employees how to get things online more quickly."

"The crash hit us all hard," Hiyori said, frankly.

"Not that I mind talking about business, but I fail to understand what it has to do with the murder of that poor girl," Louis said, with a raised eyebrow.

Hiyori explained, "We have reason to believe that she may have been double-dipping with money—and something tells me she didn't just get it from her father. I was wondering if perhaps any of the other people on board the vessel had a bad experience with Yanase Chisaki's...greed. Something tells me that she may have made a lot of enemies and not just here in Japan."

"Is that so?" Louis exclaimed. "I've heard that Yukimura Kaito boy was one of her favourite victims. But that's just what Mademoiselle Chen mentioned to me last night when we talked in the lounge—that lady just loves to gossip. She said she witnessed the lad having some sort of a temper tantrum in his room earlier. If that's true, I can't imagine the kid being related to his mother! Such a contrast—that weird grey-haired lady, Madame Yukimura. Looks as emotionless as a statue."

"Last night, I was sitting next to her at dinner and the woman wouldn't even speak more than three words to me in each sentence," he added, holding up his three fingers.

Hiyori narrowed her eyes slightly at this, making Sergeant Tanaka wonder what was bugging her. Could it be possible that she was suspicious of Yukimura Rina? Not speaking more than three words in each sentence was strange enough...but enough to start having a weird feeling?

"Is there anyone you think might've had a motive to kill Yanase Chisaki?" Hiyori then asked.

"Well, the Kaito lad for sure. If what you said was true about the double-dipping thing and he was subjected to it, then I shouldn't wonder if he wanted to kill her. Sad that such a thing happened though," Louis said, draining the last of his drink. "She seemed like a good kid when I first talked with her."

"Mm. Thank you for your time, Monsieur Moreau."

"Not at all. Not at all. It was a pleasure to talk with you, Mademoiselle Hiyori," Louis said, before kissing her hand.

"Hiyori-sama, I can't thank you enough," Sergeant Tanaka burst forth after they had departed. "I apologize for the inconvenience but—"

"Do not speak to me yet," Hiyori interrupted. "I need another cup of coffee."

A/N: I wanted Hiyori to have a more active role in this chapter. Since I had her speak English in "The Mystery of Jacklyn Ripper", I thought it would be cool for her to also be able to speak French. Man, I really need to brush up on my French...

In the next chapter, Kanami and Inspector Etou will question the last suspect, Moreau Ichika.