"The Fountaneblue's are not Alices but they're one of the silent billionaires in Europe that holds special favors and influences over Royalties and countries. That was the main reason why Kaoru was engaged to Martin. Martin and Kaoru were seen as a perfect couple and are great friends. But they said your mom was marrying him only to enact her obligations so the wedding was set on the last day of November, 1987.
"But weeks before the wedding, Martin and his parents got into an accident. Martin was orphaned. Kaoru came to visit him on the hospital. When she returned to Roseville, she confirmed that the engagement was broken and said that it was a mutual decision."
"That sounds like a celebrity love story…" I absent-mindedly.
"From the inside, it's not." Reddie remarked, giving me a disgusted glare. "Please continue…"
"Days after that, Martin filed a case against his own brother – his twin brother, actually, for plotting the death of their parents. No one ever knew that there is a twin brother. And it appeared that the twin was the prodigal son, the blacksheep. His name's Jean Louis. He was arrested when he visited their home three days after his twin filed the case.
"After that, there was a huge change on Martin's behavior. He bought luxury cars and gambled on races, where he won again and again and got the reputation. He threw parties almost everyday and invested on more luxurious pursuits. Almost everyone who knew him thinks that he became his brother."
"Is he that sad to divert his interests all of a sudden?" I asked.
"You know…" Sempai took a lungful of breath and sighed. "It's hard to judge people especially if they've been through a lot. They take… distractions to get a high level of happiness to drag themselves, forcefully, from heavy emotions. I know a lot of people with different stories in the same situation, so yes, he can be that sad."
I pity him. I do. I'm not sure if I've ever been in a situation where I have to drag myself up into a pretentious stage to keep on living after a horrible situation. My eyes caught Natsume. He's not the kind of guy who pretends to be happy but he's trying to live his life after his mother's death, and even he's got stalkers who shoots him. I should be kind to him… sometimes :)
"Then we should find him if he's got the clue…" Reddie murmured.
"I'm not sure what you're looking for but I can tell you… Finding him is easy, but getting near him is another story…" Sempai said. We both looked up to him and gestured for him to continue. "There's a lot of rumors and lost proof that the Martin now, is not the real Martin at all."
"A swap."
"Correct." He smiled at Natsume. "The change of attitude, the gambling, big expenses… he's Jean Louis, but no one can prove it. He's been quizzed on so many legal matters that only Martin knew and the got all the answers right. It's going to be tricky and if you're looking for something that only Martin knows about, it will not be safe to quiz him about it."
"Why? If he's really Martin then he should know…"
"He's been known to conspire with anti-alice organizations… something that only the blacksheep brother would do after he's been cast away by alice-supporting parents."
No one said a thing. It's really a tricky one. We can't just kidnap him and make him spill the beans if he don't have anything to spill in the first place. We need to get to the real one without attracting suspicion and compromise. Heck, this is a unique treasure hunt that I got myself into.
"I can however suggest something which can get you into the inner circle." Sempai said. Both of us left whatever pool of thoughts we're sinking in to listen. "Make him challenge you into a race."
"What if I challenge him instead?" Reddie asked.
"Nope. He'll suspect that you have a motive, aside from embarrassing him." Sempai got up and came back with his tablet, tapping furiously on it. "There… He's hosting a race again, three days from now, of course in the Circuit."
"We should go…" I told him. "Can I borrow a laptop?" I turned to Sempai. "I need to contact Kaname…"
"Sure, here…" and then he handed me a laptop. I quickly sent up an email to Kaname to inform him of our whereabouts and the development on the situation. Two minutes after I hit send, Konan was on the phone with Hayami-sempai. I took the opportunity to change my clothes while they discuss some specifics.
"I've got a plan." Hayami declared as soon as I was back on his mini living room. I sat across Reddie who's busy on the laptop. Konan and Kaname are on loudspeaker and Hayami started. "We'll have to publicize Natsume's presence here."
"Wouldn't that be dangerous for him?" Kaname asked.
"It's the risk but it's the easiest way in…" Konan replied. "How about Mikan?"
"Mikan needs to be able to get into the circle, easiest way in is to be invited on the after party. No one needs to know that they're together so… looks like you're doing a cosplay, dear…" Sempai said.
"What cosplay? What do you mean?" I curiously asked him. Not that I hate cosplay but why should I do cosplay to be able to get myself in?
"It's not exactly what you're thinking, but we'll have to change a bit of your image. I know someone who knows Martin's girlfriend. I've heard that the girlfriend just opened a mall and is in pursuit of a Scottish-French designer to open a store on her mall. My idea is that you'll have to pretend to be that designer and meet up with the girlfriend. Just… do something to be invited on the same party."
For real? A Scottish-French designer? I'm dumb but not totally stupid. "Are you kidding me? I'll have to fake the accent!? How does that become a cosplay?"
"For starters…" sempai grinned. "You'll have to wear a wig." His smile widened.
"Oh, I'm going to love this." Konan remarked and I can feel that she's smiling at the idea.
Kaname let out a small chuckle first which made me glare to the phone. "Brilliant. We'll just have to pull the acts out smoothly. What can you say Natsume?"
I turned my head to look at Reddie. To my surprise, he's smirking as well! "Interesting", and then he looked up from the device and smirked wider.
Oh God. I feel like I'm being made fun of here.
And so I did not had the choice to argue. Hayami-sempai immediately called his connection, which happened to be that guy that we met on the wedding reception, Giuseppe Violle.
"Tell him that I will on agree to be interviewed if he will do this for us" I whispered to sempai while he's on the phone as he's having a hard time convincing Guseppe to help me become the designer's impostor. He agreed in the end, even if he's still nervous to contact the girlfriend and inform her of "my" interest on a partnership.
The plans were then settled and so we decided to call it a night. Sempai showed us to the room, and I immediately plopped on the bed as if it was my own.
"Ahhh!" I moaned. "It's a very long day!"
"Looks like we're going to have longer days after this." Reddie added as he sat on the edge on the bed, and then he heaved a heavy sigh.
"I really want this to be over…" I said. I can only stare at the ceiling, trying to think of a song to make the situation less awkward. Well, I had a salad of a feeling on the rest of the day. I've had a good share of annoyance, adrenaline rush, emotional instability, crazy imaginations of unseen beings and weird feelings around Reddie. I may be stupid but I'm not that dense to be not aware of the tension that I can feel when he's around. It's not as settling as when I'm with Kaname, but it is definitely intriguing… what with the marriage and all controversies.
"I want this to be over too… I want to go back to the real stuff." Reddie said. I can't help but look at him. His head was dropped, and he's obviously tired.
"You know I'm still up for a fight for this bed, but I know we both deserve a good rest after the day…" I sat up and took a pillow and placed it in the middle of the bed. He looked up and observed. "There you go… you're space…" I smiled, "…and mine."
He gave out a dismissing sigh. "Fine." And then he laid himself down, but took another pillow from my head and embraced it.
"Hey!"
"Oh com'on!" he groaned. "Take that pillow between us if you want another one…" and then he rolled to face away from me.
"What a fox." I murmured. But then I'm too tired for a pillow fight so I just laid down too and took the pillow, and embraced it." These past few days, I can't sleep without another pillow to hug, and from what I've read on the internet, it psychologically suggests that I miss someone and hopes that I can embrace that person while I'm sleeping.
I wonder if that's Kaname.
I looked at Reddie. He's tightly embracing the pillow. I wonder if he misses someone that much as well.
"I wanna be back to that reality too…" I said, particularly to no one as I think Reddie is already sleeping.
"You will…" he whispered. "We will…"
