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Part 2

Kazuma did not appear the next day despite the invitation. Ryunosuke was not precisely surprised, but he was disappointed. Some chasm had opened up between him and his friend, and he had not yet figured out how to breach it. Time, maybe, and continued effort. Perhaps the only thing he could do was keep reaching out until the effort was accepted, as van Zieks had advised. That was all well and good, except that Ryunosuke was supposed to be traveling back to Japan in a matter of days, so it would be preferable to expedite the process. He wasn't even sure if Kazuma knew yet that he would be leaving.

"I'm sure he'll come around before you depart," Susato said.

Ryunosuke gave a violent start and looked up from the pile of paperwork he had been pretending to organize while he silently—or not-so-silently, apparently—worried. Susato was wiping a cloth along the books and bric-a-brac that had accumulated on every surface of the Baker Street attic over the past months—"You wouldn't want to pack dusty souvenirs," she had said reprovingly. "You've enough to transport across the ocean without bringing half of London's dust with it."—but paused to glance back at him.

"Ah," Ryunosuke said awkwardly, rubbing at the back of his head. He still couldn't tell when he was mumbling aloud and when she was reading his mind. "Of course he will. I just…wish he would do it a little sooner. Or gave me his address so I could call on him."

Susato's gaze shifted away, and she went back to dusting. "I'm sure he'll come in his own time."

"Sure, but we don't have much time left. I…worry about leaving him here alone. I mean, ah, unless you're staying behind with him, of course. Then I suppose the timing doesn't matter so much."

Ryunosuke got the distinct impression that Susato was watching him from the very corner of her eye.

"Is that what you want me to do?" she asked in a perfectly neutral tone.

"Er… What?"

"Stay behind with Kazuma-sama?"

Ryunosuke shifted uncomfortably. He had agreed to return to Japan with Susato's father, but Susato herself had not committed one way or the other. She had originally been coming to England as Kazuma's judicial assistant, and Kazuma was now back and practicing law again. Ryunosuke had only been his replacement, and it didn't feel right to ask Susato to come with him when their partnership might be coming to an end.

But he did wish she were coming back with him. He had grown used to relying on her assistance and support and quiet strength, and he had missed her a great deal when she had been recalled to Japan previously. Still, he couldn't pressure her into abandoning Kazuma and the role she had originally meant to take on.

"Well… That's what you originally came here to do, isn't it?" he asked carefully. "That is… You've been a really wonderful judicial assistant, and I enjoy working with you both as a professional colleague and as a friend, but I know you have other priorities too. Kazuma would be lucky to have you."

Susato didn't say anything for a long moment, her lips pursed and gaze distant. Then she put down her cloth and stepped closer.

"Let me do this," she said, reaching for the messy stack of pages Ryunosuke was fiddling with. "You're hopeless with organizing the paperwork. All of the important documents are already filed away, you know. These are just the last dregs. I'm sure your time could be better spent on packing more important things."

Ryunosuke stood and shuffled back, suitably chastened. "Oh… Yes, of course. Do you…?" He trailed off, not quite brave enough to ask.

"What is it, Naruhodo-san?" she asked without looking up from the papers she was shuffling.

"Er… Nothing. Thank you. I'm afraid I'm still not very good at organizing much of anything. It all just sort of jumbles together."

Susato clicked her tongue, although one corner of her mouth quirked upwards in a tired kind of half-smile. "You will need to learn eventually, Naruhodo-san. You might have to do it for yourself one day."

Ryunosuke couldn't tell if that meant she wasn't coming with him so he had better learn fast, or if 'one day' meant a day in a more distant future because she would be around for a while longer. He wasn't sure if she knew either. Maybe she hadn't decided yet.

He looked for something else to occupy his hands and resorted to fiddling aimlessly with the things Susato had already dusted off. It would be strange to pack everything up and leave. While he missed Japan, this little attic—or perhaps just the Baker Street flat—had begun to feel a bit like home too. He wasn't ready to tear everything apart and fold it away, leaving a bare, empty space as if he'd never been here at all.

He had half a mind to abandon the venture and go off in search of Iris and Sholmes again. There were still a few days left before he had to say goodbye, and he would be perfectly happy to delay thinking about his departure until the last minute. He was only making half-hearted preparations now at Susato's insistence.

But Sholmes had run off on some misadventure with Mikotoba after breakfast for old time's sake. Iris would be glad of the company, Ryunosuke was sure, but he had stopped hearing the clacking of the typewriter through the floorboards nearly forty minutes ago and caught a glimpse of pink curls departing the flat through the window. She had mentioned plans to go to the market today, and Ryunosuke was starting to wish he'd gone with her. It was too quiet and stifling up here, with all the worries about Kazuma and Susato's plans and his own impending departure clotting the air with subtle tension.

When loud, rapid knocking sounded from downstairs, Ryunosuke was glad of the interruption.

He jumped to his feet. "I wonder who that could be?"

Susato followed him down the stairs and peered around his shoulder as he opened the front door. "Kazuma-sama?"

Kazuma dropped his hand away from the door.

"You came!" Ryunosuke said. He had been half convinced that Kazuma would make himself scarce until Ryunosuke had boarded the ship back to Japan. "Come in. Iris and Mr. Sholmes are out right now, but they should be back soon. And Professor Mikotoba–"

"Have you seen the news about your most notorious client?" Kazuma interrupted. He did not seem particularly thrilled to be there, his mouth pinched into a tight line and his eyes dark and flinty, and Ryunosuke had an inkling that this was not just a friendly social visit.

Ryunosuke exchanged a puzzled look with Susato, who seemed equally taken aback by Kazuma's abrupt appearance and greeting.

"What news?" Ryunosuke asked. "Has something happened to Lord van Zieks?"

Kazuma coughed out a hard-edged laugh. "Nothing he didn't bring on himself, but it's getting ugly."

He thrust a newspaper in their direction, and Ryunosuke took it automatically. It took a moment to make sense of the words splashed across the front page.

"This is…"

"He went to the press and told them everything," Kazuma snapped. "Everything we uncovered about the Professor and the Reaper. Everything about Lord Stronghart and his brother. He even told them that he was responsible for unjustly convicting an innocent of his brother's crimes. He doesn't actually name us or my father or the other people mixed up in Lord Stronghart's schemes, but all the facts are there."

"Oh," said Ryunosuke, frowning down at the paper. He would have liked to actually read the article and see exactly what van Zieks had told everyone, but Kazuma was keyed up with trembling impatience and didn't seem inclined to wait that long. "Well… I suppose he did say he was going to."

"Yes, and then resign!" Kazuma said angrily.

Ryunosuke's frown deepened. "That would be too bad."

Van Zieks, for all his difficult attitude and personal bias, was a brilliant lawyer with an ironclad code of ethics besides his omissions on the stand. It would be a blow for London's crippled justice system to lose him now. In the wake of all the upheaval, the judiciary couldn't afford to lose their best and brightest.

"You don't think he actually would?" Susato asked hesitantly. "I mean… He's quite stubborn and determined when he's decided on a path. Do you think he'd let anyone chase him out over something like this?"

"He'd better not." Kazuma's mouth twisted like he'd tasted something sour. "I still need him."

"You do?" Ryunosuke asked. "Why?"

Kazuma shook his head. "He can't run away like a coward just yet."

"Well, maybe it won't be so bad," Ryunosuke said hopefully. "I mean, it's not as if any of this was really his fault, and everyone already finds him so intimidating. Maybe no one will kick up a fuss."

Kazuma laughed again, even harsher than before. "They're tearing him apart already."

"What do you mean?" Susato asked, apprehension sliding across her face like a shadow.

"This"—Kazuma flapped a hand at the paper in disgust—"was published in this morning's paper, and it has already made its way around the entire city. There are practically riots. There's a lot of blowback on Lord Stronghart too, but… Whether or not people believe Lord van Zieks is innocent of the Reaper's crimes—which is already a mixed reaction—they're calling down curses on his family and speculating about whether he had knowledge of his brother's activities or was involved with the Professor. It doesn't help that he painted everything in such a stark light in his exposé. He didn't try softening anything or defending himself at all.

"There was a small mob outside his residence this morning. I think a few windows were broken before the police got the situation under control, but it doesn't seem like Lord van Zieks was actually present at the time. There's a crowd of protestors outside the office as well, demanding punishment for him and Lord Stronghart. They also want the names of everyone involved who wasn't named in the article. Lord van Zieks was…not delicate in exposing the corruption in the judiciary. But he's not saying anything else now that he's said his piece, and no official statement has been released yet. Even I'm surprised at how severe the backlash is… I may have underestimated what a strong grip the Professor and Reaper have on the collective imagination of London."

"But that's awful!" Susato said. "He was found innocent of the Reaper conspiracy, and I don't believe for a moment that he was involved in the Professor at all. His reaction was very genuine. I don't think he could have faked that. It's not fair to hold someone responsible for someone else's crimes just because they share the same name."

"Much like how it isn't fair to hold an entire race responsible for the crime of one man?" Kazuma asked dryly. "And a wrongfully accused one at that."

Susato braced her hands on her hips. "His attitude towards our people is unjust and problematic, but that's not a good reason to be a hypocrite and judge him unfairly too. You're entitled to your feelings about his role in what happened to your father, but I don't think you can speak to the rest of it. There's no need to kick him while he's down, and you've done a good bit of that already. We're better than that."

Kazuma frowned. "That's not– I'm not saying it's right, what they're doing to him, even if he did…"

Susato's eyes flashed, and Kazuma trailed off as he thought better of whatever he wanted to say.

"Is he alright, do you think?" Ryunosuke asked. He didn't want van Zieks to get hurt, especially after how he'd already been flayed open during his trial. "You don't think someone might have hurt him in the unrest?"

He remembered very well van Zieks's somewhat blasé attitude towards criminals trying to murder him in the streets to avoid the Reaper's wrath, and it didn't sound good if he had mobs coming after him too. Maybe the people's displeasure would be largely peaceful, confined to a few broken windows and nothing more, but crowds of angry people could easily be incited to violence.

Kazuma shrugged. "I haven't seen him. But I thought you'd want to know if you didn't already. I expect he's holed up in the office. I'm heading over there now. I need to talk to him."

"You need to…talk to him?" Ryunosuke echoed. He was surprised Kazuma might want to see van Zieks at all and didn't know what they'd have to talk about. Unless Kazuma was just angry and wanted to have it out with van Zieks again, which seemed unwise. "Maybe that's not the best–"

But Kazuma was already turning away, apparently moving on to the next item on his agenda. Ryunosuke blinked after him and then looked at Susato. She twisted her hands together and chewed on her lip as she watched Kazuma go. Then she came to some kind of decision.

"Kazuma-sama, wait!" she called, sliding past Ryunosuke and starting after their departing friend. "We'll come with you."

"We will?" Ryunosuke asked, taken aback. Susato glanced back, her eyes full of meaning, and beckoned urgently for him to follow. Ryunosuke shut the door to the flat and hurried after them. "Er, that is, yes, we're coning."

Kazuma eyed them suspiciously. "Why?"

"Er… Yes, why?" Ryunosuke asked.

They both looked at Susato expectantly. She drew herself up straight, lifted her chin, and met their gazes squarely.

"Like you said, Lord van Zieks is our client, and of course we want to hear any news about him, especially as it relates to his case. We should check in on him and make sure everything is alright."

Ryunosuke somehow doubted van Zieks needed anyone to check in on him or would appreciate the gesture, but he kept his mouth shut. He was sensing ulterior motives. This sounded like an excuse to tag along with Kazuma before he disappeared again. Still, Ryunosuke supposed it would be nice to check on van Zieks before leaving the country, even if their brief collaboration was over now. Kazuma's description sounded rather grim.

Kazuma shook his head impatiently and continued on. "I guess I should have expected that. Do as you will, but you don't owe him the courtesy, you know. He wouldn't do the same for you. And… It might be ugly. It would be better to avoid associating with him until all the fuss dies down."

"No time like the present," Ryunosuke said. "Anyway, I'll be returning to Japan with Professor Mikotoba, so I don't have much time to put it off."

Kazuma stopped again to shoot him a hooded look. "Is that so? You're leaving soon?"

"Yes, I think so. He asked me to go back, and this was never really my study tour to begin with. Are you…? Do you think you'll come too? After everything… Maybe it's time to go home."

Kazuma sniffed and started off at a quick clip again. "After all the work I put into getting here, it would be a waste to give up and go home now."

"But… What will you do here? I mean… Is your study tour, ah…still alive?"

"I guess we'll see," Kazuma said grimly and picked up the pace.

Kazuma's unwavering determination was nothing new, but the strange, dangerous shapes it had begun taking recently felt unfamiliar and uncomfortable. Ryunosuke hoped that whatever scheme his friend was cooking up now wouldn't be as reckless as the others. It would have been easier if Kazuma was returning to Japan. Then Susto would come too, and all of them would be together for whatever came next. Ryunosuke didn't like the thought of leaving anyone behind.

Susato looked resigned and unsurprised, as if she had expected Kazuma would remain in London regardless of anything else. Truthfully, perhaps Ryunosuke had expected it too. He had certainly assumed it during his planning.

Susato hailed a carriage halfway down the street, and they boarded without comment. Ryunosuke tried prodding Kazuma gently into conversation a few times, searching for details about his amnesic travels and future plans, but his friend was quiet and distant. Eventually, Ryunosuke and Susato left him to his thoughts.

A couple of streets from the Prosecutor's Office, the carriage began slowing and finally rolled to a stop. People milled about in a state of semi-rabid fervor, eyes bright and voices loud as they rushed about and held impassioned discussions. A fair number seemed to be heading in the same direction as Ryunosuke and the others, and the energy crackling in the air was different from the usual harried hustle and bustle of Londoners hurrying about their business. Many more people hastened away from the epicenter of the chaos, heads down and arms tucked close to their sides like they didn't want to catch anyone's attention or bump shoulders with the rabble before escaping the area.

"That doesn't look promising," Ryunosuke muttered.

The driver appeared at the door, his already weathered face creased in ever-deepening lines. "Terribly sorry, sirs, madam. I don't reckon the coach will be gettin' any closer than this. Don't fancy gettin' caught up in a riot an' spookin' the 'orses. Unless you'd rather be goin' somewhere else? This is a bad business 'ere. You'd be better off comin' back later to take care of your business once the fuss dies down."

"I'm afraid we don't have time to delay, but thank you," Susato said. "We quite understand."

Kazuma hopped down into the street, his boots ringing off the cobbles, and held up a hand to help Susato navigate the step down. She alighted more gracefully, and Ryunosuke scrambled down after them. They paid the driver and set off on foot.

"Stay close," Kazuma warned.

The cacophony of voices was even louder now, blending together like the competing clamor of a hundred bells at full volume. It was hard to pick out much amid the dull roar aside from a few shrill voices soaring above the rest.

Turning the corner, they found themselves at the back of a crowd gathered outside the Prosecutor's Office. Some one or two hundred people stood in ragged clumps, pressing forward to ring the building. They were held back by a contingent of harried-looking police officers shouting for order. A few protestors lobbed various items at the building and bobbies. Something that looked suspiciously like a potato whistled past one officer's ear.

Above the noise, Ryunosuke picked out snatches of speech calling for van Zieks's resignation or imprisonment, shouting the Reaper out of office, and demanding answers about his role in the Professor scandal. There was shouting about Stronghart too and demands to examine the entire judiciary, but van Zieks had clearly made himself into a prime target.

"Oh," Ryunosuke said, looking on with wide eyes. "This is terrible."

Susato looked vaguely ill. "It's a witch hunt. The people have just discovered that their justice system has been corrupted, rotting from the inside out, and they're searching for a convenient target to put the blame on. Someone who is still within their reach."

Kazuma pursed his lips. "Come on. I know a back way into the building. Maybe there will be less people there."

Skirting the edge of the crowd, they ducked down a side street and circled towards the back of the building. Thankfully, there were fewer people here. It seemed that the main protest was at the front of the building, and it wasn't so big that people had to crowd all the way around. Maybe that was good. Ryunosuke had been worried for a minute that the entire city had erupted in riots, but maybe it was a smaller concerted effort.

Half a dozen bobbies were stationed around the back entrance anyway.

"No access to unauthorized personnel," one of them said, trying to shoo the three of them away. "You'd best be moving on."

"I'm Lord van Zieks's apprentice," Kazuma said confidently. "I need access to my office. These two are with me."

The officers squinted at him and then cast skeptical looks at Ryunosuke and Susato. They conferred briefly in hushed voices, but then reluctantly cleared the way. Ryunosuke let out a breath as he sidled past the policemen and into the building.

Kazuma seemed unfazed. He strode briskly down the hall, leaving his companions to hurry after him.

"Do you really think he's here?" Susato asked. "It seems like a bad place to be if there are protestors outside. He probably has estates outside the city, don't you think? That would be a good place to wait until everything blows over."

"Oh, he loves being in the middle of the action," Kazuma said dryly. "He always has to be nearby in case he has to stick his fingers into things. I doubt he'd run off until he was sure there was no more need to manage the situation."

He led them directly to van Zieks's office with the confident steps of someone who had trod the same path many times before and seemed perfectly at ease within the echoing halls. Ryunosuke personally felt out of place. A faint off-limits sort of air always hung over the Prosecutor's Office, as if he really wasn't supposed to be here.

The door to van Zieks's office was closed. Ryunosuke slowed his pace and opened his mouth to ask if they should knock, but Kazuma didn't break stride. He threw open the door and walked inside as if he owned the place.

Van Zieks stood by the window behind his desk, his back to them as he watched the chaos unfolding in the streets outside. He held a half-filled chalice in one hand, his gloved fingers curling around the bowl of the glass as he slowly swirled the wine inside.

"What are you doing here, Mr. Asogi?" he asked without glancing over.

Kazuma wrinkled his nose in annoyance. "I could have been anyone."

"…Anyone else would have knocked. What do you want?"

"What do you think? All of London is abuzz after your little display. There are protests and calls for your resignation. You've created a giant mess."

"Somehow, I doubt that bothers you very much," van Zieks said absently. He seemed more interested in observing the crowds outside than in conversing.

The voices of the protestors were muffled through the glass, but still easily heard. It gave the office an uncomfortable atmosphere, as if they were besieged on all sides and trapped in here.

"We heard they attacked your house," Ryunosuke blurted out. "We were… We were worried and wanted to make sure you were alright."

Van Zieks finally looked back, one eyebrow ticking upwards. "I see you've dragged your compatriots along with you. Well. Not to worry, Mr. Naruhodo. I sent the staff home yesterday so that they were out of the way before the story broke, and the Yard was alerted to the possibility of civil unrest in advance, so they were prepared to step in. No one was harmed."

"That's…good?" Ryunosuke was surprised to hear that precautions had been taken even before the story had been turned over to the public, but he supposed he shouldn't have been. Van Zieks was nothing if not a careful, cunning planner. Just because the story had been published immediately after his trial didn't mean that he had done it on a whim without thinking everything through first. "I heard they were still vandalizing your house, though."

"Windows can be replaced," van Zieks said, turning back to the glass. "People can't. I assure you that any necessary precautions have been taken already, and I am well informed about the repercussions as they unfold."

Ryunosuke bit down on his tongue to stop himself from suggesting that van Zieks move away from the window. It seemed like a bad idea to stand in full view of the angry crowd, and it could potentially rile them up more. But then, van Zieks was standing a little to the side, off in the shadows, so maybe he wasn't so clearly visible from the street. Anyway, Ryunosuke didn't suppose his well-intentioned but clumsy advice would be well received.

"You…expected this to happen?" Susato asked slowly, like she was testing the words.

"…I lived through the Professor killings," van Zieks said. His voice was even but had a strange, flat edge to it. "I know exactly how much they impacted the city. They made everyone feel unsafe, like no one was immune to base mortality, and they had a disproportionate effect on even the lower classes who, for once, seemed less at risk. And I lived through the Reaper as well. It's not the first time I've faced public backlash, although this time is…different. For all everyone feared the Reaper, it terrorized the criminal classes and kept crime off the streets. The citizenry enjoyed speculating and whispering behind their hands, but most of them had little cause to kick up a fuss. No, Miss Mikotoba, I did not necessarily expect the full shape or scale of the repercussions, but I expected I would need to plan for the possibility and have done so. I am no novice to the fickle court of public opinion."

Susato looked sympathetic despite herself, although Ryunosuke doubted van Zieks would appreciate the pity lighting her eyes if he turned quickly enough to see it.

"That's terrible," she said. "You didn't even do anything wrong."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. I've made my fair share of mistakes."

"Well, but…"

"Have you taken time out of your busy schedule to redecorate?" Kazuma interrupted curtly. "I see the portrait is gone. I'm glad to see you found time to rearrange the office in between creating a gigantic mess for us."

Ryunosuke looked automatically to the far wall. Sure enough, the imposing portrait of van Zieks's brother was conspicuously missing.

"A gigantic mess for me," van Zieks corrected. Ryunosuke inched sideways to get a better look at the man's ghostly countenance reflected in the glass, but it was hopeless. Van Zieks's eyes were downcast to the street below, ever watching, and Ryunosuke couldn't read any of his thoughts or feelings reflected there. "You have nothing to do with anything. As for the portrait… It does not belong here anymore, I suppose, knowing what we do now."

"I don't believe that," Kazuma said. "You wouldn't remove it just for decency's sake. Are you removing your personal effects in preparation for your resignation?"

Van Zieks sighed and took a measured sip of his wine before returning to slowly swirling it around in the glass. "When the public decides to riot, they like to break things. It's possible they might decide to make a more concerted effort to gain access to the office. If they make it this far, the portrait would be an obvious target for their ire, and as I would not like to lose it, I had it removed yesterday for safekeeping."

"You think people would break in here?" Ryunosuke asked, aghast. "And just…vandalize things? What if you're still here when they do?"

Van Zieks shrugged. "It's possible. Even if the crowds disperse, someone with too much time on their hands or a grudge to settle could come back later on a more covert mission. Or maybe they won't. As I said, I don't expect anything. Expectations can be overturned. Better to expect everything could happen and make preparations accordingly."

"Sounds paranoid to me," Kazuma muttered.

"Have you…considered leaving the city for a while?" Susato asked hesitantly. "It sounds…a bit dangerous here."

"Oh, I'm not afraid of this," van Zieks said dismissively. "Give it a few days or weeks, and everything will die down besides people's bad opinions and speculation, and even that will move to grumbles once they grow tired of shouting. It doesn't go away, but it's very manageable if you just ignore it. If anything, it's the nobles who will cause problems."

"The…the nobles?"

"The Professor targeted nobles. Specifically, nobles too powerful and wily to be beholden to common decency or the law. Any victims' families will be nobles. And, of course, nobles dislike when one of their own breaks ranks. They will be unhappy that I exposed one of their own, even if he was murdering them. Scandals among the aristocracy are always kept hush-hush and dealt with internally, without involving common folk. Nobles hate nothing more than being beholden to the whims and opinions of commoners. And nobles make the most dangerous enemies, because they have the wealth and influence to cause problems—or hire someone to do it for them."

"Er… Aren't you a noble too?" Ryunosuke ventured.

Susato shot him a look of intense exasperation. "That sounds bad too. What do you think they might do?"

"Sometimes it takes a devil to fight a devil," van Zieks said flatly. He took another sip of his wine, bigger than the last. "Or that was Lord Stronghart's logic, at least. Who cares what they'll do. I'm used to it already. It might have escaped your notice since we've only clashed on the cases you've been allowed to take on, but my usual caseload involves prosecuting very powerful and influential people. Nobody hates me as much as the nobility does…besides Mr. Asogi, perhaps."

Ryunosuke stared at him, goggle-eyed. He didn't think he'd ever heard van Zieks say so much before, certainly not to him or about anything so personal—aside from his showdown with Stronghart, at least. It made him wonder why the man was humoring them now. Was this just part of the 'explanations' he 'owed' his defense? But why bother with that now, especially when their tentative partnership had come to an end? Or maybe van Zieks did need a listening ear every so often, like a normal person? He didn't seem particularly eager to confide in them, though. Everything he said was perfectly matter-of-fact, as if Ryunosuke and Susato had asked him about the weather and he was graciously informing them that it would be another foggy afternoon in London.

"Are you drunk?" Kazuma asked bluntly.

In the window, van Zieks's eyebrows rose. "That would be highly unprofessional. No, I am not."

"I'm not sure why else you'd be so talkative. And I can see very well that you've been drinking." Kazuma waved a hand towards the far corner of the desk, where an empty wine bottle stood.

"I have been here since yesterday morning."

"So you were drunk yesterday morning?"

"No," van Zieks said, and for a moment, there was the barest hint of bite to his voice. He drew in what felt like a very deliberate breath and evened his tone back out. "I'm not sure how well you comprehend the workings of wine, but the lovely thing is that if you don't drink it all at once, you don't become inebriated. And then you can savor the bouquet as intended and still keep your mind sharp."

Kazuma made a face. "It's wine, not a bunch of flowers."

Van Zieks closed his eyes and sighed something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "Uncultured swine."

Kazuma rolled his eyes. "Have you done anything else besides sit here and get drunk while feeling sorry for yourself?"

Susato whipped out a hand to punch him none too gently in the arm, and he made a quick sound of surprised pain before edging away and eyeing her warily. Having been on the receiving end of Susato's physical prowess, although usually in the form of an unexpected Susato Takedown, Ryunosuke felt a pang of sympathy.

"What are you doing here?" van Zieks asked more sharply. "You wouldn't be here if you didn't want something. Just spit it out so we can be done with it."

Ryunosuke twisted his hands together anxiously, wilting under the force of the man's annoyance even though it wasn't directed at him for once. Kazuma and van Zieks glowered at each other for a few seconds, and not even Susato dared interrupt them this time.

Finally, Kazuma blew out a harsh breath. "I want to continue studying to be a prosecutor," he said, every word lined with sharp edges like it hurt him to say.

"Well, have at it," van Zieks said. "I'm not stopping you. Against my better judgment."

Kazuma scowled. "In London. I made it this far, and it was supposed to be my study tour."

"Good luck with that. Your last court performance might make it difficult for you to get your foot back in the courtroom, even with Lord Stronghart behind bars."

"I–"

"As you are still officially under my supervision, I can write you a recommendation and intercede on your behalf to have you transferred to another mentor," van Zieks said, his expression stony. "After that, you're on your own."

Ryunosuke let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. This sounded like very good news for Kazuma, as long as van Zieks didn't highlight his apprentice's less savory doings in his recommendation. Kazuma had said he wanted to try saving his study tour, and with a recommendation in hand and a new mentor to help guide him, he would have a chance.

For some reason, Kazuma did not look particularly happy about it. "…I want you to continue mentoring me."

Ryunosuke felt his eyes bug out. With how much Kazuma hated van Zieks, with everything uncovered about van Zieks's unwitting role in the death of Kazuma's father, with that painful, bloodthirsty trial hanging between them… This sounded like a very bad idea.

Van Zieks stared at Kazuma in silence for a long moment. Then he threw back his head and downed the rest of his wine in one go, in a way that made it seem like he was reconsidering his resolve not to get a little bit drunk.

"Why on earth would you want to continue your apprenticeship under me?" he asked, slapping the empty chalice down on the desk.

"You owe me this much," Kazuma snapped.

"I don't owe you anything," van Zieks said, eyes flashing. "Try again."

"Then you owe my father for getting him–"

"I don't owe you anything on behalf of your father."

"You have to–"

"I only owe Mr. Naruhodo," van Zieks said flatly. "Would you like to ask him to beg a favor on your behalf?"

Ryunosuke startled, taken aback by the sentiment. "Er… You don't actually…owe me anything…"

He trailed off. No one seemed to be paying very much attention to him, despite invoking his name. Van Zieks and Kazuma had their gazes locked in some silent battle, in a world of their own.

"…No," Kazuma said after a long pause. "No, I wouldn't ask that."

Van Zieks sniffed in a somewhat disdainful manner. "At least that's something. The world doesn't owe you anything, Mr. Asogi. It isn't a fair place. You can't rely on other people's guilt or charity to save you. You must fight your own battles and put in the work the hard way. There are no shortcuts here."

"You can't just resign and run off to hide in the countryside like a coward!" Kazuma exploded. "There's work to be done here. You have mistakes to make up for. You said you were going to make sure Lord Stronghart was brought to justice. The judiciary is a mess, and you have to–"

"I didn't ask you why I should stay and kill myself for this ungrateful city a hundred more times before I'm finally allowed to rest," van Zieks snapped. "You can't tell me that. That's something I have to decide for myself. I asked why you want to stay. Why is it important to you to continue this journey? I don't want to hear what you think I owe you or what you think I should do. I asked about you. If you can't come up with a good reason why you want to be here, then why are you wasting my time? If you lack passion, I can't teach it to you."

Kazuma opened his mouth and then closed it again, his visible surprise melting into something more thoughtful as he considered his words. "I want to change Japan's judicial system," he said finally. "It's not well developed yet. It doesn't have the long history and endless precedent that England has. I want to understand the workings of London's established system so that I can bring that knowledge back."

"…Keep going. Why is it important to you?"

Kazuma glowered but held his tongue. "I wanted to protect people who couldn't defend themselves, so that they weren't wrongfully convicted like my father. But now… Now that I've seen how easy it is… I've seen a darkness in me too, a demon I nearly lost control of. I want to tame it, and I want to make sure that people who have lost the fight to theirs won't hurt anyone else. That's why I'm not going back to the defense. And… You're the best prosecutor in London. Maybe England, I don't know. You're very good—even I can see that. And truthfully… You've always been a good mentor. I've learned a lot from you." He hesitated and then added, "And if it's really going to be that hard for me to win back the right to practice in court after my missteps, then I need you on my side. You know how to get things done and navigate the judiciary. I don't know anyone else who could manage it."

This frank insight caught Ryunosuke off guard. Kazuma had been so closed off lately, unwilling to bare the inner workings of his mind to scrutiny. Finally, Ryunosuke was getting an inkling of what was going through his friend's head. He still didn't entirely understand what Kazuma was thinking and feeling, but it was a start. He was glad that Kazuma was still devoted to justice, his determination honorable and altruistic, even if he had wavered for a moment. But he was sorry to hear that it came at the expense of his self-image. Kazuma had made mistakes, but that didn't make him a monster.

"Fine," van Zieks said.

Kazuma raised his eyebrows. "Fine?"

"I asked you for a reason, and you gave me one. I'll accept it."

"Just like that?" Kazuma asked, sounding faintly surprised. "I thought–"

"Unless you'd like me to reconsider."

"No, that's not…" He scowled. "I want you to tell me something first."

"Goodness," van Zieks said dryly. "It's not usually considered proper etiquette to make demands of people who are already agreeing to do you favors."

Kazuma's scowl deepened. "If we're going to keep working together, then I think it's fair that you give me an honest answer. I gave you the reason you asked for."

"That depends entirely on what you're about to ask, but I'll consider it."

"I want to know why you kept me on as your apprentice after you apparently figured out who I was."

"…Because my superior ordered me to mentor you."

"I don't believe that," Kazuma said. "You've defied his orders before. You could have refused."

Van Zieks turned a cold, calculating gaze on him and took a long moment before answering. "Because Lord Stronghart took a special interest in you, and the last thing you want is a powerful man's special interest. Especially not a man who can end your career if you go against him and who you are indebted to."

"I wasn't indebted to him."

"Oh, you most certainly were. Do you think you would have been allowed anywhere near the courtroom if he didn't grant you special permission? His intervention is the only reason you secured a place in this office instead of being turned away at the door and sent back into the streets."

"I could have–"

"No, you couldn't. Not without his agreement, and you know it. And he wouldn't have taken you in if you hadn't caught his attention. You may not believe it, but you were better off in my care than his. I was already responsible for you by the time I figured out who you were, so it would have been inappropriate of me to send you back into the lion's jaws. You would do well to remember this, Mr. Asogi: never make demands of people who outrank you, and certainly never beg them. If you offend or owe the wrong person, you will make your life exceedingly difficult. That goes for me as well. You are in no position to demand anything of me, and I cannot abide begging. I don't owe you anything, and you don't owe me. We will meet on equal footing or not at all. I'm not your jailer—you are free to go whenever you'd like. The door is there."

Kazuma's brows drew together in an uneasy line as he considered this. "I–"

He was interrupted by a loud bang and a sharp crack that made Ryunosuke jump and look towards the window. Something had obviously struck the window, as a fine web of cracks now radiated through one of the glass panes.

The sudden noise startled the bats roosting in the corner of the room, and Ryunosuke flinched back in the hope of making himself a smaller target when they began rustling their wings restlessly and squeaking in a discordant murmur. One dropped away from the ceiling and frantically winged around the room. Ryunosuke gave a not un-batlike squeak and pressed himself against the wall. The last thing he wanted was a frightened bat tangled up in his hair.

Van Zieks clicked his tongue and abandoned his vigil at the window to cross the room. He watched for a moment, calculating, and then snatched the bat out of the air in one fluid motion as it fluttered past him. He held its furry body snug in his palm, its leathery wings securely pinned in place between his fingers. The creature squeaked and squirmed, but van Zieks rubbed his thumb across its head and down its back, and it slowly calmed and settled itself.

"Hush," van Zieks murmured, nearly too soft for Ryunosuke to pick out the words. "You'll set off the others."

"Did…? Did you just catch a bat with your bare hands?" Ryunosuke asked, flabbergasted.

"I would not recommend catching a bat with your bare hands. They can bite. I would advise wearing gloves at the very least."

"That's not… Why are you catching bats if they're going to bite you? Can it bite through your glove? Why would you want them in your office if they're just going to bite you?"

"They're wild animals, Mr. Naruhodo," van Zieks said. "That's what they do. They don't know any better."

He retreated to the far corner where the other bats stirred and shifted along the ceiling. Hooking his boot around the leg of a previously unnoticed stool tucked along the wall, he pulled it out beneath the bats' nesting place and stepped up onto it. He stretched upwards, reaching out to deposit the bat he'd caught with its brethren and waiting patiently until it had climbed from his hand to settle back into its place among the rafters. Satisfied, he stepped down to the ground and replaced the stool in its original position.

"They don't seem very happy," Ryunosuke said, eyeing the creatures nervously. He did not want to get swarmed by a horde of cranky bats.

"They've been getting agitated by all the noise and activity in and out of the office," van Zieks said, frowning up at them. "I wanted to move them out as well, but… They would dislike being uprooted. I would have to block their entry points so they didn't make it back inside, and… Well, that's the thing about wild creatures. They don't understand when something is for their own good. Sometimes you have to give them their space and let them figure it out for themselves." He paused and then looked back at Kazuma. "On that note, Mr. Asogi, you should plan to keep your distance from the office for the next week or two, until the commotion calms down. I will send word when we are ready to resume our work. You may consider it a vacation."

Kazuma scowled. "I don't need a vacation."

"Then do some self-study on your own time, but don't do it here. We will allow the public furor to die down first."

"I don't–"

"My Lord." A man appeared in the doorway, blinking owlishly at Ryunosuke and the others like he hadn't expected to find a cohort of Japanese lawyers here before remembering himself and turning back to van Zieks. "Your carriage is waiting outside."

"Thank you," van Zieks said, starting back across the room. "And the files?"

"We've finished moving and labeling them all. I have the key for you here."

Van Zieks took the proffered key and slid it into his pocket. "Perfect. You may go."

"What files?" Kazuma asked as the other man slipped back out of the room. He cast a long look up at the bats before flicking his gaze back to van Zieks.

"The case files I normally keep stored in my office," van Zieks said. "I had them moved to another location so they aren't here if anyone does decide to break in and make a mess of things. And I shall have to hope that if someone does, they will do so at night when the bats are out hunting."

"Actually, I think the bats might scare off anyone who disturbed them while they were sleeping," Ryunosuke said, eyeing the shadowy winged figures clustered along the ceiling. "Maybe they'll guard the office for you."

"…If that were to happen, there is a risk some of them might get hurt in the panic. Hence why I would rather have moved them. But they are very attached to their roost here, so we will hope for the best."

"Oh," Ryunosuke said. "I didn't think of that."

Van Zieks sighed, shooting one last glance towards the window. "Well, I've done all I can do here for the time being, and I have duties elsewhere. I'll be taking my leave. I would advise you to wait here for a few minutes. I expect this rabble will take note of my departure and either follow or begin dispersing. If you give it ten minutes, there will be less of a crowd, and you can use the back exit to avoid the rest. Mr. Asogi can show you the way. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to wait in the hall, as I need to lock up the office."

"Oh, of course," Susato said, retreating out into the hallway at once. "Will you…? Will you be alright, though?"

"Yes, of course. This isn't my first time facing London's wrath. But I would suggest you keep your distance from it."

"If you don't kick them out, I can lock up the office behind us," Kazuma said dryly. "Don't worry, I'll make sure they don't touch your things, and it looks as if you've moved out anything important already."

"You cannot, as your key will no longer work," van Zieks said. "I had the locks changed as well. I have your new key, but I will give it to you after I've called you back to work, as I don't want you coming here until then."

Kazuma wrinkled his nose and muttered something about paranoia, but slunk out of the office after the others. "If you're going to give me the spare key, you'd better have another extra made too for safety."

"I have a spare as well," van Zieks said, locking the door behind them. "I'll never be caught without a spare again after you lost your copy last time."

Kazuma frowned. "You already have a key for me? You knew I was going to ask you to continue my apprenticeship?"

Van Zieks sighed and closed his eyes, passing a weary hand across his face. "Call it intuition. I knew it was a possibility, and I like to prepare for possibilities. I knew you weren't done with me yet."

"And you intended to say yes?" Kazuma asked, looking more puzzled by the second. "Then why bother with all this nonsense about reasons?"

Ryunosuke thought van Zieks's eyes looked very jaded and cynical when he opened them again.

"I don't expect you'll be finished with me until you've ground me down to dust or decided you're satisfied with whatever damage you've wrought, whichever comes first. If I'm going to accept that, then I'd at least like to know there's a good reason why I should bother."

Kazuma blinked at him, taken aback. "That's not–"

"In any case, I must be going now," van Zieks said. "I will let you know when I wish to resume your training. Mr. Naruhodo, Miss Mikotoba, I would advise that you do not return here either. Truly, I appreciate the aid you have rendered me, especially considering my poor attitude towards you for the past year. Please consider this our parting of ways. Your job here is done. It would be…inconvenient for your reputation and practice in London if you were to be seen consorting with me after the trial."

Ryunosuke gave a little start and searched the prosecutor's face. He actually did believe that van Zieks's warning was made in good faith and meant to protect him and Susato. But then, Ryunosuke was planning to return to Japan very soon, so perhaps it wouldn't matter. He opened his mouth to say as much, but van Zieks was already turning away.

"Goodbye," van Zieks said. He squared his shoulders and drew himself up, and Ryunosuke just barely caught the words when he sighed, tiredly, "Here we go again."

He wiped that hint of weary resignation from his features as quickly as it had come, his face a blank mask once more, and started off down the hall at a brisk clip.

"Er… Goodbye?" Ryunosuke said uncertainly, but van Zieks was already gone, turning the corner and disappearing from sight.

For a long moment, no one said anything.

"He seems different," Susato said finally. "Is he…alright, do you think?"

Ryunosuke couldn't say he knew. In some ways, van Zieks had seemed exactly like himself, just with some of the more abrasive edges filed off. Still, Susato wasn't wrong. He had been more open and talkative than usual, for one, although it didn't seem like a genuine desire to confide in someone. Maybe it was just out of weary resignation, like he didn't see the point of it all anymore or couldn't summon up the energy to bother. His mood had certainly seemed bleak enough. Or maybe he was just more willing to talk to them after they had defended him.

Ryunosuke didn't know for sure, but he couldn't say that van Zieks had struck him as particularly alright, no matter how in control he seemed to be of the situation.

"I don't know," he said. "Maybe–"

"Did he really just compare me to a bat?" Kazuma grumbled.

Ryunosuke blinked at him, taken aback.

"Huh?" he said at the same time Susato said, "Yes, I think so."

Ryunosuke looked between the two of them, totally baffled. He didn't want to admit that he had no idea what they were talking about, so he made something of a half-nod, half-shrug. Susato was usually right, so it was probably safe to agree with her.

"He's such a thorn in my side," Kazuma muttered.

"I thought he was very generous, actually," Susato said with a hint of warning.

"Yes," Ryunosuke said. "He even agreed to continue your apprenticeship! I thought for sure he'd say no. So it all worked out great for you, didn't it? You got what you wanted."

Kazuma stared off down the hall, his eyes murky with shadow. "…Yeah. Something like that."