Chapter 14: Case of the Nutcracker

Act III: The Golden Cage

"Oh, it's such a privilege to have received such an illustrious guest as yourself. Who would have thought that the Ace of Tokiwadai would grace us with her presence!"

Headmistress Genevieve Clavel sat across from us, sipping a cup of tea as she spoke. We were all sitting in the office of her boarding school. Fremea was sitting next to her in the sofa. Her feet were jittery as if she was sitting on a bed of nails. She bit her lips and focused on her fingers. Misaka-san was sitting next to me, sipping her tea while her eyes remained focused on the headmistress. To my left, a young girl in maid costume was serving us tea and biscuits. She had long black hair tied into low twintails, both of which draped below her waist.

The headmistress paid her no mind as she addressed us. "Honestly, I wish our meeting was for some happier purpose. I don't see why you even bothered to investigate such a trifle. Really, I imagine that this is as an inconvenience to you as it is to me."

"Ms. Clavel," Misaka responded, putting her cup down. "We came here on the behest of Fremea-chan. She has already told me about the disappearances of your students. I hardly consider that a mere inconvenience."

The headmistress sighed. "Well, children come and go from this institution all the time now, especially since the new term hasn't started until next spring. All of our student records have been wiped clean, so there's no way we would know anyway."

"Haven't you been keeping a copy of your data?" Misaka asked, "Surely you had some sort of back-up for your files."

"Of course we did, mademoiselle," Clavel-sensei said, "It got destroyed when the Elementers attacked. Then, rioting broke out in the streets, and we dared not to venture out amid all the rabble. We were just starting to repair the servers when the Bank shut down."

"So, you lost everything."

The headmistress shifted in her seat. "Yes."

My gaze shifted to Index, who remarkably was barely paying attention to our interview. She had taken off her white and gold habit and was now wearing the school uniform of her new Anglican school. It consisted of a tartan pleated jumper, worn over a white-starched blouse. Woolen leggings kept her lower body warm, and they ended in a pair of Mary Janes.

All this time, she was examining the room and sniffing the air like a dog trying to catch a scent. Her change in wardrobe afforded her greater dexterity as she combed through the room with a small magnifying glass.

Misaka spoke again. "Tell me about Marie and Friz," she said, "How did they come to this school?"

Clavel-sensei bit her lips "I can't tell you much," she said, "But I can say that they were brought here from Central Europe after their parents had died. They came with a relative who works in this city."

"Who?"

"I've never met him," the headmistress said, "We've only corresponded with letters, from which he would pay the children's tuition and other fees. I don't believe that I've ever met him." She sighed. "Anyway, they were transferred to our school at the start of December and have gotten along fairly well with the other children."

At this point, Index was literally crawling on the floor with her magnifying glass. The headmistress glared with disapproval but looked away when Misaka asked another question. "Who is this Dorsselmeyer character? How did he become acquainted with this school?"

"He works in district seven as a toy maker. I hardly knew him since his shop opened recently, yet seeing his work is always a treat. Somehow, he is combining the technology of this city with the ancient knowledge of toymaking from his homeland. We take field trips to his store, and he always dazzles the children with his creation."

"So is he a foreigner?" Misaka asks, "Do you know where he's from?"

Clavel-sensei shrugged. "I couldn't really say much to that, except that he is either Dutch or German."

"Have you seen him interact with children? Does he talk much to Marie or Friz?"

"I don't know much about that," she said, "Unlike me, he hardly speaks any Japanese, so he rarely speaks to the children. Some of the children help him translate, but Marie especially talks to him in either Dutch or German.

Misaka growled something quietly to herself. Then she asked another question. "Couldn't you tell what language they spoke together?"

She shrugged. "It didn't seem important at the time. While the children frequent his shop, I don't have much time chaperoning them all the time. After all, I am a very busy woman. Usually, I assign one of my girls to do the job."

At this point, Index stood up with a satisfying smile, put her glass away, and sat down next to me. She accepted a cup of tea and thanked the maid for her troubles. "You have a very decent staff here, Ms Clavel," she said, "Did you train them yourself?"

The headmistress snorted. "Why bother when you have a whole school dedicated to the art? No, we hire these ladies from Ryouran Maid Academy."

Misaka glanced towards Index, who merely shrugged. The Electromaster stood up and stretched. "Well! If you wouldn't mind, I would like a tour around the school." She glanced at Fremea, then at me, and smiled. "Shall we?"

We emerged from Clavel-sensei's office and found ourselves in the vestibule. A large oaken door stood on our left, separating us from the outside world. To our right, a long corridor led off to classrooms and lecture halls, all of which were closed for the night. As Clavel-sensei directed us down the hallway, two maids shadowed us. One was tall with long blond hair tied into twin-tails. The other was short, with curly brown hair that fell to her shoulders.

"All of our lessons are conducted here on the first floor," Clavel-sensei said, "Here, we teach subjects like Japanese reading and writing, Mathematics, Science, and English. We also employ teachers for the arts, including music, painting, calligraphy, and drama."

"What about social sciences?" Index asked, "Don't you teach things like History or Philosophy or Religion? What about other languages?"

Clavel-sense rolled her eyes. "We have tutors from the new liberal arts schools coming in for those subjects. The children are free to choose these subjects as supplementary material, but they are completely optional and paid for by the parents."

She snorted. "You won't see us supporting such frivolous subjects here."

Index grimaced. Misaka and I exchanged worried glances, but Fremea, walking next to me, just shrugged. "Nyah-nyah! It's okay," she said, "Shiage-onichan signed me up for most of those classes, and most of the kids take some form of world history."

"How are the teachers though?" I asked, "Are they strict or mean?"

Fremea shrugged, "Nyah-My biology teacher, Alphonse-sensei, is my favoritest teacher in the whole wide world! He explains things so well, and he's always there to answer our questions. He treats us like little adults. Nyah-but his brother is another story. He teaches chemistry, but he's always screaming at us whenever we call him short."

I laughed. May be this school wasn't so bad after all.

Clavel-sensei turned the corner and opened a pair of oaken doors. Above us, a large wooden sign saying "Dining hall" hung over our heads. Passing into the room, we came upon a large open space with rows upon rows of benches.

It was easily two stories high with four chandeliers hung in a line under the arched roof, bathing the room in warm glow. At once, the sound of kids screaming and laughing filtered downstairs and filled the the air itself with incessant cacophony. Clavel-sensei wrinkled her nose at the Sound.

"Right! I'm going back to my office now."

She turned and barked at the maids. "Kaho! Mafuyu!"

"Yes Miss Clavel?" They intoned.

"Take these girls upstairs," Clavel-sensei said, "Show them to the girls' bedroom or anywhere they wish to see."

"At once my lady!"

Satisfied, the headmistress strolled outside and slammed the door behind her.

The tall, bubbly blonde girl beamed at us. "How do you do? My name is Kaho Hinata! Please call me Hinata-chan. This is my senpai, Mafuyu Hoshikawa. It's nice to meet you!"

The shorter brunette bowed to us. "Please call me Mafuyu. It's nice to meet you."

We all bowed. "Thank you, Mafuyu-san," I said, "My name is Otohime and these are my friends, Misaka-san and Index-san. It's nice to meet you."

I looked around.

There was still traces of dinner being cleared away. Everywhere I looked, there were maids bustling about, mopping the floor, or wiping the tables, or carrying dishes away. On either end of the chamber, there were a pair of staircases leading to the second floor. Here too were staff members coming up and down the stairs, carrying soiled laundry, or bringing fresh new linens. As I watched, one of the maids stepped on a tile, and the whole panel in the wall opened.

"Wha!" I cried, tugging at Hinata's sleeve and pointing at the hidden door, "Ne-ne! Where does that lead to?"

"Oh, that's where the kitchen is," Kaho said, "It leads down to the basement and splits off into the kitchen and laundromat."

"Wow!" I cried in amazement.

Hinata-chan nodded with approval. "Now then, shall we be off?"

The maids escorted us upstairs.

I turned to Mafuyu-san. "So why isn't Clavel-sensei coming with us?"

She shrugged, "Even though she is the headmistress, she has never been comfortable with the children. She tries her best, but the mere sound of their rowdiness makes her green."

"Jou-to!" Hinata protested, looking around anxiously, "You shouldn't speak of Miss Clavel like that. It's not right!"

Mafuyu shrugged. "If that lady cared a little more for the kids, these incidents would never had happened!"

Misaka and Index traded glances. Fremea squeezed my hand.

Coming up the stairs, we passed a maid with red braided hair carrying a large pitcher of water. Suddenly, a little boy without any clothing appeared at the top of the stairs. I watched mortified as he came screaming past her. She was barely able to keep her balance, when another maid with silver hair raced down after the child. Somehow, she managed to squeeze past both me and the maid with the pitcher without knocking us over. It helped that Mafuyu had immediately shoved me to one side while Hinata rushed up to steady the red-headed maid. I thanked my savior, and we were off again.

Once we reached the second-floor landing, there were kids everywhere, screaming and laughing and running around in various states of dress. Some of them were of my age, but most were much younger than me.

The two maids ushered us into a large bedroom, a long chamber with dozens of beds placed next to each other. Their headboards were pushed against the wall on either side, forming a long alley in the middle. Each bed had a little nightstand placed underneath a wall-mounted candle-like light fixtures. A large green trunk sat at the foot of each bed, serving as storage for each kid's belongings.

"This is the girls' room," Hinata-san said, "This is where our children stay at night. We also have bathrooms and shower. Of course, Boys have their own facilities too."

Index broke off from our group. Like a dog drawn to a scent, she made a beeline towards a lone bed. Unlike the others, it was perfectly made and undisturbed by the other kids. She dropped down to all fours and sniffed around underneath the nightstand.

Hinata-chan watched with confusion. "Ano-sa," she said, "What is she doing!?"

Misaka smiled. "I take it that this must be Marie's bed."

"Y-yes it is," Hinata-chan stammered, "B-b-but this is highly irregular!"

At that moment, Index pulled back and turned to Hinata-chan. "Was there some kind of object here? Something she kept hidden from the other kids?"

"W-why yes," The maid said, "Miss Marie always kept a small box underneath the nightstand. Strangely, from the time she came into our care, she's always kept it there unopened."

From her pocket, Index pulled out her trusty magnifying glass, "Aha!" she said, "Clearly, it hasn't been moved for a long time!"

Misaka took off her blazer and handed off to Mafuyu-san. "Hold this."

She pulled out a little camera and a small plastic square ruler and squatted next to Index.

"What do you see?" I said, squatting down next to them. Index held her lens for me.

"Look, don't you see the outline of a box here?" She traced her fingers on the ground. The floor was spotless, but seeing through the lens, I noticed the faint line where dust had gathered. It formed a rectangle, so faint that I barely registered its presence.

I gaped at Index. "How did you notice that?"

"Because I was looking for it," Index replied, "I sensed strong traces of mana coming from this spot. There was definitely something magical here."

Misaka laid the ruler down next to the outline. "I say that the box was about six centimeters wide…and eight centimeters long. You couldn't hold much in that."

She took multiple pictures, then looked around, "It may still be around here somewhere."

She stood up, pocketed her items and turned to the bed. One by one, she lifted the duvet, blanket, and bedsheet, rifling between each layer. Then, she picked up the pillow and pulled out the case. She squeezed the pillow between her hands and looked inside the pillow case.

"Nothing," she muttered as she laid the pillow on the trunk with the other bed linens. Finally, she stripped the cover off from the mattress and examined both. She grunted. "Nothing at all!"

Sparks leapt from her bangs. Then, she was alight with electricity.

Hinata-chan shrieked and leapt back. "Misaka-san! What are you doing?"

Misaka smiled at her. "It's okay," she said, "I'm not trying to fry your bed or anything."

Indeed, the mattress remained unharmed even as electricity enveloped it. Miraculously, it lifted from the bed and hovered in the air.

"Hey silver sister," she grunted, "Can you see anything under here?"

Index groaned. "I wish you would stop calling me that. My name is Index."

Nevertheless, she ducked beneath the hovering mattress and examined its underside.

"I don't see anything underneath. There's no way she could have lifted this mattress by herself. It's much too heavy."

Then she examined the bed frame. "No, there's nothing here either."

She pulled back from the space, and Misaka lowered the mattress. Minutes later, the bed was restored to its pristine state. Misaka sighed.

"Well, I guess there's one place we haven't searched."

The trunk lay on the floor at the foot of the bed, and the lid was shut. A combination lock kept the latch in place. Misaka flipped it around and found an ordinary keyhole in the back. She turned to Hinata-chan. "Do you have the key to this lock?" Misaka asked.

Mafuyu responded, "Yes, but it's stored in the basement. Besides, we can't just let anyone access to the children's belongings without permission. If you're JUDGEMENT or ANTI-Skill, you have to obtain a search warrant."

Misaka smiled. "Fortunately, we aren't either of those things. This will be filed under 'probable cause'"

She lifted the lock with one hand and closed her eyes. Electricity flowed down her arm and energized the lock. Though the dial remained still, we could all hear the clicking of the lock's mechanics. It wasn't long until there was a loud "Sctick!" and the shackle came loose. Misaka smiled, and her eyes flew open. Quickly, she removed the lock, loosened the latch and threw open the lid. Her smile widened.

"Bingo!"

There, among the clothing, was a wooden box, measuring six by eight centimeters at the base and ten centimeters tall. The lid was curved like an arch, and the hinges and latch were made of shiny brass.

Misaka took out the little box and then gave it to Index.

"Can you see anything?"

Index peeked inside and smiled. "Yes! Wonderful things!"

Opening the lid, she showed a large round golden cage with runes etched into the tiny bars. It sat snuggly in the middle, where the rich indigo velvet flowed into a large hole.

Index pulled out the golden ball and held it in her hands.

"I can feel the mana concentrated in this cage. Obviously, something magical and powerful was kept in here! Yet I don't sense any malice or evil intent.

She turned to Mafuyu. "Can I borrow this for a while?" she asked, "I'll give it back once I finish studying it."

"Well, it's not mine to give," Mafuyu said awkwardly, "But if it helps you with the case, then…"

Index's smile broadened "Thank you! I promise to give it back unmolested!"

She pocketed the little box and stood up.

Then Mafuyu spoke again. "Well, I'm sorry to interrupt your fun but…"

Somewhere in the hallway, a clock struck nine o'clock. All of a sudden, the room was flooded with girls. All of them were changing into night clothes, and maids were coming in to tuck them in.

"A-re," Misaka-san said, "Is it bedtime already?"

"That's right," Hinata said, "The kids must be in bed before the lights shut off automatically."

"Unfortunately, this also means it's time to wrap things up," Mafuyu said. She handed back Misaka's blazer.

She turned to the other maid. "Hinata, would you please help the Fremea to bed? I will escort our guests downstairs."

"Bye Otohime-chan!" Fremea hugged me tightly, "I'm so glad you could come."

"I didn't want to leave my new friend hanging," I said, "You came to us for help, and I couldn't let it go."

Fremea beamed. "Thank you! That was so nice of you!"

I hugged her again. "Good night Fremea-chan!"

"Good night! Come back tomorrow okay?"

"Umm!" I nodded as hard as possible.

We waved taller goodbye and followed Mafuyu down the hall. Coming to the second floor landing, I saw an old fashioned grandfather clock. Its pendulum was swinging, and it was still chiming for all to hear. Next to it, a winding staircase led up to another floor.

I pointed this out to Mafuyu. "Where does this staircase lead to?"

"To the top floor," she answered, "It's really the attic, but we've built a play area. It's where the children keep all their toys."

"Including the Nutcracker?"

"Yes, he's up there," Mafuyu said, "But we don't have time to see him, now. It's time for you to leave."

Soon, we arrived in the vestibule. Index pull her nun's habit over her school uniform, and we all put on our scarves and coats. Mafuyu opened the door, and showed us out.

"Good night ladies," she said, "In just a few hours, the clock will chime midnight. Sleep well, for it is a time of magic and of dreams."