Sweetness of Bond (Act IV)

You thought to yourself for a moment, 'How did it come to this?'

You were laying down beneath a certain redhead, he was on all fours while hovering over you. The both of you were so physically close to each other that you could actually feel his warm breath. You tried to avoid making eye contact with him but you can't help that you try to steal a glance at him once in a while, and once you do, you noticed how red the detective's face was and you caught a glimpse of the tip of his ears turning red as well. It seems that he's also trying to avoid eye contact, to which you find it a bit cute that he has this side to him.

You tried to slightly move your body a bit since your current position is slowly getting uncomfortable, but Heizou suddenly leaned close to you and you froze as your cheeks are getting hotter.

"Don't move" He whispered as he directly stared into your eyes. You ended up staying still as you were told, bearing the discomfort for a little longer.

[For context in this scenario, let's backtrack to a few hours ago]:

"A theft case?"

You leaned over next to the detective as he was holding a case file.

Inside the file was a case of theft. The victim was a young noblewoman of the name Hirogane Akane. Apparently, the victim had her family heirloom stolen which is a 500-year old pendant made of magic crystal ore and crystal cores. As you were reading the file, you thought for a moment on how expensive that relic would be if it were to be sold in the market.

Heizou closed the case file and turned to you. "Let's go pay a visit to Ms. Hirogane, she might have more information regarding this matter" You nodded as you both made your way to the Hirogane Estate.

Upon your arrival, the both of you were greeted by some servants who said to wait for their mistress' arrival. You both obliged and waited in the lobby. It didn't take long before the young noblewoman made her appearance and went to greet you and the detective. She had silky brown hair with alluring blue eyes that matches the color of her silk-made yukata.

"Detective Shikanoin, I'm really grateful for your help on this matter... And this is..?" After softly smiling while greeting the redhead detective, she slowly turned her head to you.

You quickly fixed yourself, stood straight and politely bowed as a greeting. "l/n y/n, I'm—"

"—She's my fellow co-detective" Heizou suddenly interrupted as the woman reverted her attention back at him.

"O-oh is that so? I apologize then, I didn't expect that a detective of your caliber would bring an assistant with you. I'll have her room prepared right away"

"Ah- before that, we would like to ask you more information regarding the stolen heirloom, if you don't mind?" He quickly suggested before Akane would leave the lobby, she then nodded as a response.

"Alright then, I don't mind" She sat down on a nearby chair and gestured the both of you to sit on the couch right in front of her.

The both of you sat down then you took out your notebook and pen.

"First things first, we would like to know more about the heirloom and where it was last seen" He started asking his question as you both had your attention on Akane. The noblewoman was calm and collected upon giving her answer.

"The heirloom is a pendant in the shape of a Camellia flower. It has always been a family rule to leave it in the family vault if the inheritor doesn't plan on wearing it" You took notes on the details as you were listening.

"When was the last time you saw the pendant in the family vault?"

"A few days ago, before the preparations for the fireworks show"

"When did you find out that it went missing?"

"When we opened the family vault on the day of the fireworks show"

"Mind if we see the vault?"

"I don't mind"

Akane stood up from her seat and prompted the both of you to follow her. You and the detective stood up from your seats and followed behind the noblewoman. While following, you were observing the hallway. There was a long line of family portraits hanged on the walls, you thought that they belong to each generation of the Hirogane family.

The woman suddenly stopped walking in front of a door, which made you and the detective stop as well. She opened the door and entered. The both of you followed inside and you looked around the room in awe. It appears to be a study room due to the excessive amount of books that are displayed on multiple bookshelves, which is basically what is mostly surrounding the whole room.

She approached a portrait that was displayed before the study table then pushed it on one side. The portrait then starts to move like door as it was being pushed, revealing a small compartment inside with a mannequin. That must be where the pendant used to be displayed, you thought.

"Is there anyone else in this household who are allowed to enter here?" Heizou placed a hand on his chin while observing the vault.

"My family and among the servants, only the head maid is allowed to enter the room for cleaning and maintenance"

You and the detective continued to examine the whole room, looking for certain clues that might give you both a lead.

"Feel free to examine the vault as much as you like, I'll be heading off to let the servants know to prepare a room for your assistant" The both of you nodded at her and thanked before she quietly left the study room, leaving the both of you alone to continue your work.

Once Akane was finally out of earshot, Heizou then took the notebook from your hands and reads it. "Hm.. This is interesting"

"What is?" You tilted your head in confusion.

"Almost all of the pieces are present, all that's left is to arrange them and fill in the gaps. Let's try asking the headmaid for more information later"

"Later? What are we going to do in the meantime?"

"Well duh, we examine the whole room first. We need to properly inspect every corner. Who knows what kind of clues we might find" He then began to take a look at the desk, you on the other hand, you went to check the bookshelves. Though truth to be told, you want to have a read at the books, but you're trying to maintain self-control over your obsession with literature.

As you were busy investigating on your side, you stumbled upon a small square cabinet right in between two bookshelves. You carefully try to pry it open, only to find out that it's empty.

"I wonder what this compartment is even used for.." You muttered.

There was a sudden knock on the door, it made you and the detective stop for a moment to look before the door was opened by a middle-aged woman in a servant's uniform.

"Lady Akane is inviting our dear guests to have dinner with her at the dining room"

"Oh thank you, we'll be there. Mind if we ask you a few questions first?" Heizou approached the woman as the latter just nodded her head as a response.

After all that questioning, the information you both gathered from the woman is that she's the head maid of the household. According to her, the study room is always locked whenever it isn't being used and the only people who holds the key to the room is her and the master key from Akane.

You felt that something's amiss since the room can only be opened by two people and yet they have an alibi when the theft occurred. Akane was busy with the preparations of the fireworks show and the head maid was in charge of handling the servants during the preparation.

You and the detective made your way to the dining room to have dinner with Akane. After dinner, the both of you then were escorted to your rooms. Your rooms are just right across each other so you'll have no trouble rushing off to him when an emergency occurs.

Before you could enter your room, Heizou told you to come and meet him at his to discuss about the case. You then just accepted and went to the detective's room.

"Something doesn't feel right, the study room is supposedly locked when the theft occurred and the only people who have access to it have their alibi. Could it be that the culprit used the window instead of the door?" You took out your notebook and flipped through the pages.

"No, not the window. I checked it when we entered, it was locked and slightly dusty. I'm guessing that the head maid hasn't been cleaning there for at least a week" He crossed his arms as he stood right beside his bed. "I might have an idea who but it still needs the final piece before I could confirm the whole picture"

"And do you know how you'll be able to confirm it?"

A light smirk formed on the detective's face. You began to wonder what kind of scheme he's plotting up right now. "I actually do, but we'll have to do it at midnight"

".. We??"

"Let's meet at the hallway at midnight. I'll explain the details later" He lift his finger up then he suddenly pushed you out of his room. "Good night, y/n~!" He chirped and closed the door. You didn't have the time to react and just sighed as you were just standing out of his room. You then immediately decided to head to your room and waited til midnight came.

***

The clock finally struck 12 then you quickly got up from your bed and quietly exited your room. You ended up meeting with the redhead at the hallway as he was holding a lamp. The both of you then started heading for the study room as quietly as possible.

When you both reached the door, the detective then handed you the lamp.

"How are we going to enter the room without a key??" You whispered to him as he crouched down by the look and took out a hairpin.

"This" He responded with a whisper as he showed the hairpin to you and started picking the lock. Shortly after, there was a click sound, you both figured that the door is finally unlocked then you two immediately went inside.

You closed the door behind you and sighed in relief. "Should we lock the door here, just in case?"

"Yeah, they might get suspicious if either of them noticed that the door was unlocked in the middle of the night" You nodded at him and locked the door from within. There's a door lock from the inside so it was easy to lock it up. You then made your way to the detective who was busy rummaging through the study desk.

"What are you looking for?"

"There's a chance that the pendant is still right here"

You were puzzled for a moment and tilted your head. "How?"

"You see, when—" Heizou suddenly stopped talking as he side glanced at the door as the both of you heard foot steps coming. He immediately blew the lamp out and hid it under the desk but then he doesn't seem to have an idea where to hide since the desk is a bit too small for the both of you to hide in.

You immediately got an idea as you remembered the cabinet earlier. It's not that big but it can at least fit two small people inside. You and Heizou are both small people so it's the perfect hiding spot.

[And back to the present time...]

It was getting too hot and uncomfortable in the compartment, and Heizou's leaning isn't even helping. It's making you even more flustered and hot. The both of you then stopped focusing on your current situation as you heard the door of the room opening. You couldn't see who is out there since the cabinet door was almost closed out to prevent detection. You could only rely on your sense of hearing.

"Milady, what are we supposed to do with that female detective?"

"Hmph, heck if I'd care. Though I would be glad if she's taken out of the picture"

"Should we eliminate her then?"

"No, no, let's not stain ourselves for now. I actually have an idea. Put the pendant underneath her pillow when she leaves for breakfast. We pin the crime on her and then she would be immediately taken away. I honestly hoped to use this chance to get closer to detective Shikanoin but that girl had to stand in the way! You better not fail me on this one"

"Understood, milady"

"Good, you may go now"

The voices in the conversation seemed be a certain middle-aged woman and a young woman. You could immediately tell that those voices belonged to the Head maid and Akane. It then immediately occurred to you that the young noblewoman had feelings for Heizou. You side glanced the detective and he doesn't seem to be fazed that much, despite the context of the conversation that you both have heard.

When you both finally heard the door close and feel like no one else is in the room anymore, you waited for a moment before trying to push the cabinet door open and finally crawled out of it as you gasped for air. You both slowly stood up and fixed yourselves and you wiped the sweat off your forehead.

"Looks like my intuition is right on the mora. They sure really had it out on you" He finger combed his hair back as he's trying to refresh himself from the heat a moment ago. You stared at him for a moment and blushed at your thoughts before shaking it off.

"Wait, you already knew all along?"

"It was a bit too easy. Though I'm kind of intrigued on how it will play out tomorrow, I sure do hope you know how to act" He then gave you a wink.

"Huh?? Aren't we going to expose them now??"

He raised a finger and waved it. "Tsk, tsk.. Oh my dear y/n, have you ever considered the possibility of having to expose them now? Neither of us knew where they currently hid the pendant so we don't have have any solid evidence against them. Don't worry, I'll handle things from here. All you gotta do is head back to your room quietly and rest"

You sighed. "Can't I at least help you out on this one??"

"Your presence and your performance tomorrow will be all the help I need, now go"

You can't argue with the detective so you just sighed in defeat and quietly left the study room before heading back to your bedroom. You made sure that no one is out to notice you along the way.

As you finally reached the comfort of the bed of your assigned room, you ended up falling asleep quickly since you're most probably worn out by the events that had occurred.

***

Morning came and you woke up the moment you felt the sunlight through the window. You slowly got up and try to prepare yourself before heading to the detective's room and see if he managed to return and sleep at least. You slowly opened the door, only to reveal that he wasn't there.

"Don't tell me he stayed up all night-"

"Who stayed up all night?"

You flinched in surprise to hear a voice behind you. When you looked behind you, it was Heizou and the sly smirk that was plastered on his face.

"Don't scare me like that!" You lightly hit him by the chest, to which he only responded with a chuckle. He then suddenly leaned close over your shoulder and whispered by your ear.

"I hope you're ready for your performance later, just follow my lead and I'll take care of the rest"

You lightly blushed and just sighed with a nod. "Fine, you better not use me as bait again like you did back then"

He chuckled again at your statement and leaned back. "Don't worry, it's nothing like that"

You have some doubts, considering how sly this man can be, but you have no choice but trust in his method.

It was soon time for breakfast, you and Heizou were asked to gather at the dining room and you both did, ended up meeting with Akane and a few servants who were standing by on the side. You both greeted the noblewoman a good morning and she did likewise, gesturing the two of you to sit down and eat.

You sat down on your seat and started eating breakfast. You slowly could feel yourself getting nervous, knowing fully well what's going to happen to you in a few moments.

A servant suddenly came rushing into the dining room. "M-My apologies for the sudden intrusion, Milady"

Akane stopped eating as she put down her chopsticks. "What's with all the ruckus on such an early morning?"

"M-Milady.. We have found your pendant.."

The noblewoman suddenly stood up from her seat, as if she was in a huge surprise. You side glanced at your redhead companion and he just slightly broke into a small wry grin.

"Where did you find the pendant?" The head maid approached the servant. The latter was nervously shaking for a moment before her eyes were fixated on you. "In... her room.. Underneath the pillows"

Gasps and whispers of other servants started spreading throughout the room. Everyone's eyes were all on you, including the Head maid and Akane's.

The noblewoman then approached you. "What is the meaning of this?" You start to nervously sweat, unsure if you should say something or stay silent. You took a glance at the detective who suddenly stood up and approached the servant.

"May I see the pendant?" He asked as he reached his hand out to her. The servant was nervous and hesitantly gave an ornament with radiantly blue crystals forming like petals of a certain flower. The detective held the pendant for a closer look and examined it. "Hm.. Yes, this is definitely like the pendant that Ms. Hirogane described. I wonder how it got in y/n's room?" He gave a cunning look as he placed his free hand over his chin.

"I don't mean to sound presumptuous, but I believe it's already obvious that your assistant is the culprit" The head maid approached him.

The redhead detective raised an eyebrow. "But she wasn't even here when it went missing days ago, correct?"

"She may have found it lying around somewhere and decided to keep it to herself"

"That's not—" You then were suddenly cut off as you felt something warm and stinging on your cheek. Akane had slapped you across the face, which left you speechless and dumbfounded.

"You got some nerve coming into my abode and steal my belongings!" She quickly turned to the detective as she accusingly pointed at you. "Detective! Can you believe this snake?!"

"Now, now. Let's not get ahead of ourselves because one" He approached the both of you and raised a finger. "The story is a bit far-fetched. And two" He raised a second finger. "I know that y/n did not do this"

"W-What do you mean?! How would—"

"How would I know, you may ask? Let's see" He gave a close-eyed smirk as he placed his hands on his hips, then he opened his eyes as if he remembered something.

"Why because she slept with me in my room last night"

Silence filled the whole room as everyone, including yourself was in shock. You definitely did not expect that he would come up with kind of excuse just to expose them.

"Huh?!" Both you and Akane were too surprised and looked at each other. You realized that just broke character and start to sweat more from nervousness.

"Oh my, have you forgotten already my dear y/n? That blissful experience we had last night~?" He approached closer to you as he gently caressed a few strands of your hair. You cheeks turned bright red and remembered the incident inside the cabinet.

Heizou had a mischievous smirk on his face as he looked at you. It's as if he's saying 'Play along if you don't want to get caught'. "You even begged me to—"

You couldn't take it anymore and immediately covered his mouth while trying to push him away. "Okay! Okay! I remember now! J-Just stop!!!"

Akane was left dumbfounded and fell on her knees, she was defeated. The redhead detective pulled away from you and turned to the noblewoman with a cold glare. "I believe there's nothing left to be said. The real culprit is you, and as for your accomplice" He turned to the Head maid, the woman flinched and went pale.

"Y-You... Knew all this time..?" The noblewoman nervously looked up at him as his attention went back to her.

"Never underestimate the intuition of the great detective, also.." He leaned close to her ear and whispered. "I don't like the way you pinned the blame on y/n and used it as an opportunity to lay a hand on her. Please don't think I'm that foolish because I can still unravel your schemes no matter how much you try to hide it" He then went to cuff both the Head maid and Akane, you went to quickly assist him as you both escorted the culprits to the Tenryou Commission.

***

Heizou went out of the police station with his arms stretched as you followed behind him. "Well that's another case solved!"

You just sighed in exhaustion. "I can't believe you had set me up as a bait again"

"Hey that's not true– Okay, well, maybe a little bit, but at least I didn't just stand back and watch this time, right?"

"Hmph, as if that's any better"

"Oh right, may I take a look at your cheek? That slap must've hurt a lot" He turned to you and tried to check up on your face.

"It's not that much of a big deal.." You rubbed the slapped part of your cheek. He suddenly held your hand away from your face then planted a soft kiss on your cheek. You instantly froze and turned red, trying to process what just happened.

The detective then pulled away and chuckled with a wink as he placed a finger over his lips. "Does it feel better now? Also, as compensation for earlier, I'll be treating you to Kiminami's, how does that sound?"

'How is he so casual about this?!' You thought as you couldn't get a word out of your lips. When you finally regained your composure, you were about to tell the redhead off.

"y/n~!" A familiar voice called out up ahead, which made you and the detective stop and turn to see who it is.

"Traveler! Paimon! What brings you both here?" You immediately went to the both of them.

"We came here to give you a letter from Lisa" The traveler took out a letter and handed it to you.

"From Aunt Lisa? I wonder why.. I haven't given them a reply yet" You curiously accepted the letter from them and opened it.

["My dearest niece,

Hope you're doing well in Inazuma. Can you guess what time of the year it is? That's right, windblume is coming. I was wondering if you have the time to come back and visit Mondstadt during this festive season. I understand if you're too busy to come, there's always another time. Now, don't forget to write us a letter from time to time alright? Everyone was so worried when we haven't heard anything from you for over a year. I'll be waiting for your letter. I can't wait to hear all about your adventures and experiences there.

~Lisa"]

You softly smiled at the letter and thanked the traveler for delivering it. They smiled back and nodded at you. "We'll be off now, Paimon and I still have commissions to finish"

"Alright, take care you two" You then watched them walk away and turned to the redhead detective. "How about instead of treating me to Kiminami's why don't we go to Mondstadt together?"

Heizou was dumbfounded and blinked for a moment. "Well that's.. A surprising offer"

"You can't..?" You could feel a slight disappointment upon hearing his response. The detective then quickly tried to rephrase what he said.

"I-I mean— I didn't mean it that way. I meant that the offer was so unexpected. Mind telling me why first?"

"Well.. My aunt wanted to invite me to come back and visit Mondstadt since it's going to be Windblume season soon. I wanted to surprise her by going but I know you wouldn't let me travel far away on my own due to... Yeah.."

"Well, not that I have any objections. Let me finish up the remaining of my work and I can ask Madam Kujou's permission to have a couple of days off. When are we going?" He placed his arms on his hips.

"We'll leave by next week, how does that sound?"

"Fine by me"

"Then it's settled!" You then start to feel excited, you can't wait to finally see everyone in Mondstadt after being separated for a long time.

'I'm coming home soon, everyone..'