Reincarnated Into A Dead Woman's Body In Another World-Chapter 346: Arc 5, - 40: Unlikely Encounter

"Oh, wonderful. I doubt this is a conjugal visit," her head cocked to the side without batting an eye.

"So this is where Frost took you," Jotou’s brows knitted and she wiped the shock off her face.

"Not here exactly, no," she sighed in reply.

"Right, we were brought here to see her," Hotaru said aloud.

The officers seemed to nod at one another, "You want to interrogate her, yes?"

"Well duh," Fumeko crossed her arms.

"I’m sure we can leave them to it while we go talk to the commissioner? I have some catching up to do personally," Kazuo told the other officers.

"That works just fine detective," the officer looked to the three of them, "You can use whatever methods necessary, you have the papers and permission, but nothing beyond this glass—all verbal, no physical."

"We weren’t intending for that anyway," the blonde looked to the lizard-woman in the cell.

With one final nod, the officers left the premises, back the way they came. Fumeko looked to her dad’s back as he walked away without another word.

"Interrogate and threaten me all you want," she patted her hand over her open lips to yawn. "There’s little you’ll get."

Jotou’s brows knitted to the part-human in the cell, then glanced to Fumeko and Hotaru... In similar states of confusion, they were.

"The Poison Feather, correct? I didn’t get to catch a good glimpse of you while you, did what you did," the wolf-woman narrowed her glance.

Beyond the glass, Feather rolled her eyes. Fumeko furrowed her brows and held a hand to her chin while Jotou stepped forward, "Well, we can start with how d’you end up here."

"Please, by all means, start wherever you want; don’t forget to end it before you leave too," Feather peered to her sharp nails.

From the hall they came down, they heard the clunking and shifting of the platform, probably on its way back up. "Frost. What did you tell Frost, what was the deal?" Jotou placed her hand on the glass.

Feather stretched out of her single bed to the side; a small curtain was shut where there seemed to be a sink and a toilet. She sauntered up to the middle of her cell with a swish of her tail.

"What’s your actual name?" Hotaru tried asking.

Her light green eyes glanced to the redhead and Feather gave a one-sided shrug. The blonde’s eyes narrowed further.

Fumeko pondered for a moment before looking up to Feather, "Are you here because you have some sort of affiliation with the Deuctus Cult?"

"She’s clearly not wanting to answer anything," Hotaru bared her fangs as her tail spiked.

"I’d consider giving information to be business and in business," Feather waltzed up to the glass and leaned her head forward, "there’s an equal exchange."

"If I’m not mistaken, you said you’re done with the Trailon Regime," Jotou replied.

"Seems I made the right choice there."

"So I doubt the next thing was rotting in a cell."

Feather raised a brow, "So, are you offering some sort of freedom from here?"

"Wow, you must be a comedian," Jotou stared.

Feather hummed and raised her nose, "Then what reason do I have to tell you anything? You heard the police—nothing beyond the glass," she tapped her nails along it.

"It’s not like you’re where you don’t belong," Fumeko sneered.

Feather rolled her eyes and backed away.

’What information could I possibly even give?’ "Do you know what happened with Rain?" Jotou queried.

"Last I heard, he was missing in action after he was sent to some southern division. I assume, dead? Captured?"

"I can give you something more precise," Jotou offered.

"Ah, how fantastic," she smiled and just as she did, that smile dropped, "Useless information that won’t help me in the slightest; bargaining isn’t your strong suit is it."

Hotaru scoffed and folded her arms, "You’re not in any position to be bargaining."

"Really? You don’t even know why I’m here, what would you know of my current circumstances?" the words escaped Feather’s lips with sultry notes and lofty tones.

"You killed an entire division in a matter of hours, you’d only be here if you were in cahoots with the cult or some other evil thing," said Fumeko.

"Huh... Ha, haha," Feather covered her own lips and glided her hand back down as she faced the three, "Sorry~ The pride of ’heroes’ never fails to amuse me."

She wore no shoes, but rather slippers that still clacked against the cold hard floor as she approached the glass leisurely, "Thundering Blade... your real name slips my mind sometimes."

"Jotou. Jotou Howllett," the blonde glared.

Feather leaned against the glass and kept her eyes trained on Jotou in particular, "You think I don’t know of your, justified murder?"

Jotou’s scowl grew. The lizard-woman’s face was so... punchable...

"Hundreds, upon hundreds, upon hundreds... I belong here and you... don’t? How amusing~ I was doing the exact same thing you were doing and yet..." her tongue lingered in a little hiss at the end.

Hotaru’s ears folded back and Fumeko looked away whilst Jotou glared right back at Feather. There where tiny gaps within the glass of the cell—enough for air to pass and speech to travel.

As if her words were spewing poison, Feather spat, "The saying’s as true as ever—history is written by the victors... Your enemies, are all evil; your allies are all pure and true...

Now, I’m going to believe, contrary to all logic and reason, that you are all smart.

Smart enough to know that, me, following my orders in an active warzone, is hardly more deserving of being in a place such as this, than say, all of you. If Trailon had won, ha, you’d be in the same position I’m in~ All murderers with a command and cause, hm~"

"Except that your country violated wartime laws—the Velatos Case is proof of that," Hotaru stood right beside Jotou.

"Hm? Why does that fall on me? Surely you’d blame Dread or Frost, it’s not as if I had a hand in it. Let’s throw the entire country in jail, by your logic," Feather cooed.

"We’re getting further from the point," Fumeko crossed her arms. "You’d be in jail here, cause you did something here. I’ll believe beyond all evidence, that you’re not stupid enough to walk out in the open claiming to be an ex elite soldier.

I think, you have something to do with the cult. Am I wrong?" Fumeko twirled her dagger out from her clothes. "And if you don’t answer, I don’t know what happens beyond this glass," shadows trailed along her feet, as if ready to pounce.

Feather gave a light chuckle, "How adorable~"

Fumeko glanced down to notice that her shadows, were lightly being repelled as it tried to lick against the glass. The brunette leered back up, "You think a little enchanted glass is gonna protect you?

See what’s in my hand? It’s something, special, that’s gonna let me get into your cell by me just slightly cutting that shiny little enchantment on it.

After that, I blink in, blink out. The glass stays intact, you’re injured and we just say you hurt yourself, because, how’re you gonna prove anything?" Fumeko flipped the dagger, "How’s that affinity-lock feel?"

"Hm, interesting," Feather mockingly pondered. "Let’s just say that little dagger does what you say it does and I think I’ve seen what it does even.

Some, enchantment was conveniently faulty on my one cell at the exact same time after you three visited? You don’t have a clue of what you’re doing," Feather hummed.

"Maybe I’ll cut the enchantment off every glass in this hallway, it really won’t take me long," Fumeko hissed.

"How about this? I was just speaking of her, but I’m curious," Feather turned her attention to the blonde. "Why is Frost interested in information regarding you?"

Hotaru cocked her head, "Why would you think Frost is interested in Jotou in the first place?"

Jotou and Fumeko quickly exchanged glances with each other. "She isn’t, as far as I’m aware. And even if she did, how the hell would we know?" Jotou shifted her hands about as she eyed Feather.

"Sounds like we got some new info for us then," Fumeko added.

"Oh, is that so?" Feather tightened her lips and her tail swished to one side.

"It’s good to know that, but I don’t really see any reason or evidence for it," the redhead’s brows furrowed.

"It’s best not to think about it wolfy, Feather’s been trying to get us off topic repeatedly," Fumeko told.

"No need to remind me, I’m fully aware of that," Hotaru frowned to the glass.

Jotou stepped back from the glass and kept going till the wall on the other side. The other two swivelled their heads as Jotou beckoned the two to join her.

"What is it?" Hotaru whispered.

"This is getting us nowhere," Jotou replied. "Meko, I’ve got a more important question."

"Why my dad led us here, then left? Why he didn’t say a single word of the Poison Feather being here?" Fumeko guessed.

"All of that."

"Well, there has to be a reason. I doubt my dad doesn’t know the Poison Feather was an elite soldier we fought in the Last Stand. He’d clearly know we’d recognize her, but what info are we supposed to get exactly?"

"No torture, no interrogation—it might as well be a casual visit to ask questions and hope for an answer," Jotou hushed.

"We’d just have to know what to tell her in order to get something back. She’s keeping too many things close to her chest," Hotaru replied.

"Wolfy, how often would police just leave strangers to mingle with convicted felons without keeping a close watch?" Fumeko looked up to the redhead.

Hotaru took a gander of the ceiling, "Depends on the scenario. Someone convicted—or at least arrested—would only have privacy to discuss with an attorney for most cases.

There’ve been plenty of times in Kria where the police just let people visit and talk to arrested people without supervision." Hotaru squeaked a bit, "But I think you’d know by now how backwater Kria is with laws and regulations."

"So, it’s not something very often at all then."

"Yeah," Hotaru affirmed. "Though, if I had to take a guess, the reason we were trusted to be here alone is because your dad used Jotou’s title and mine."

"Right, if anything happens, just point the finger to the Thundering Blade and Azure Firefly who made a recent visit," Jotou agreed. "People know who we are."

"And guess who led the officers out. I know my dad, he clearly wants us to be able to do something here..." Fumeko pondered for longer while Feather paced back and sat on her bed.

"Call me paranoid, but I don’t think Feather should be our focus at all. Even if she has something to do with the cult, we can’t connect her to anything we know—it’s a random lead," Jotou uttered.

Fumeko snapped her fingers away from her chin as her eyes widened, "Just know that you have some concrete business here, things we can’t obtain easily—that’s what my dad said."

"I... don’t follow," Hotaru tilted her head.

"Great, we’ve got another Kor Azveal pretences moment eugh- He’s being cryptic and there’s meaning behind those words," Jotou sighed and figured as Fumeko pointed it out.

"I’m sure there’s a good reason he can’t tell us some things directly. Remember, most of this case is supposed to be kept under wraps in the eyes of the law. So, what do you two think it means?" the redhead asked.

"We have something important to do here; I assume when Meko’s dad said ’we’, he meant the company or the other detectives," Jotou remarked.

Fumeko looked up to them both, "You’re almost there. Mrs Aetherton said there’s one thing that can be concrete evidence. A ’he’ my dad thought was a part of the cult as a high ranking member.

The one caught by someone called the Scorching Inferno last November. The one they don’t really have concrete evidence on."

"Hang on," Hotaru raised her hands. "Even if that’s all true, how would we even possibly know what this person looks like?"

"I’m blanking on that part too detective."

"It’s my dad, there’s no way he’d overlook such an obvious setback. Which only makes me think, we might recognize whoever this person is," Fumeko explained.

"I can maybe see that, but we only have so much time," Hotaru checked her watch and looked down the hallway to the way they came.

"Not if Meko’s dad’s considered how fast his daughter can be," Jotou glanced to the brunette.

Fumeko took a deep breath and looked down the hallway of multiple glass cells, similar to the one they all stood in front of. "I’ll be as fast as I can."

With that, shadows trailed along Fumeko’s feet and she faced the cells. Feather lied softly on the bed and watched with slight intrigue.

Into shadow the brunette blinked, then blinked, then blinked—the sound of wisps and warping shadows following her every landing and departure down the hallway as she checked each cell.

Criminals galore there were, all with affinity-locks around their neck. However, as the brunette stopped at a particular cell not too far down the hall, both Jotou and Hotaru took notice.

Fumeko looked at the cell and slowly, her eyes waxed open... As fast as she went, she came right back to them. "What’s wrong detective?"

"We were on the right track..." Fumeko answered, bewildered. "Though, I’d rather both your eyes confirm it. Hurry."

Going past perhaps, twelve or so cells, Fumeko brought them to one with a person sitting by the side of the bed. To no one’s surprise, both of them had the same shock written across their face.

A brawny man in a full black suit with red accents all over. His shoulders broad and chest wide. He held the bed with both hands as his head hung down.

His chiselled face bore a sharp beard that connected to sideburns; his hair dark and short with greys going around the sides of his head. Dark brown eyes looked up and slowly, he cocked his head.

’That shapeshifter...’ Jotou walked forward to what seemed to be the man who held her by the neck in her most recent scuffle which had left her worse for wear.

"Who are all of you?" the voice, low and resonant.

"Same goes for you, what’s your name?" Jotou stood right in front of the glass.

The man narrowed an eye, "I believe it is common courtesy, that the first person who inquired gets the answer."

"Have you heard of the Thundering Blade of Kria?" she made her eyes spark a smidgen.

The man, who they now could see the affinity-lock around him more clearly, took a moment to recall, "No; no such name bears any sort of resemblance in my mind.

However, I presume with the manner in which you speak, that is you. I have not been to the City of New Beginnings in... quite, some time," he replied.

"Hardly the problem," Fumeko crossed her arms.

"Are you a member of the Deuctus Cult?" Hotaru went on.

"What is this, Deuctus Cult? I have never heard of anything of the sort," the man squinted. There was no room to doubt, this was the assailant they had fought before...