Arc 2: Part 2

District Six, Suroff City.

“Wow! So District Six is more focused on the housing area,” Kendrick remarked as he, Carla, and Mina headed to Carla's house together.

“Yes, unlike District Eight, which focuses on business,” Carla replied.

District Eight transformed into a business hub, featuring shopping, restaurants, and tourism primarily due to its connection to Costina and the train station leading outside of the city. It drew numerous tourists and students from Costina. The district experienced its peak activity during the weekend, as that was the only time students could leave or venture beyond.

“That’s my house,” Carla said while pointing at a two-story home made of brick and wood. It was a modest residence, consistent with the materials and structure of most houses in the area.

Carla walked to her house and knocked on the door. It didn’t take long for the door to be opened by a little girl.

“Sister! You're home!” The little girl jumped to Carla and hugged her happily.

“Yes, I’m home.” Carla smiled warmly and hugged her sister back. After a while, she released her sister and looked at her friends.

“May, these two are my friends,” she told her. “Kendrick Lawson and Mina.”

“Hello!” Kendrick waved his hand with a smile. Meanwhile, Mina just nodded her head.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Carla’s little sis, May!” May greeted them with a bright smile.

“Shall we go in?” Carla said and led everyone inside the house. “May, where are Mom and Dad?”

Both Mina and Kendrick sat in the living room while Carla followed May deeper into the house.

“Mom is at Auntie Ellie's to buy something. Dad is helping Uncle Jack,” May explained while walking to the kitchen along with Carla. Both Kendrick and Mina were told to sit down first.

Carla and her sister returned to the living room while carrying snacks and tea; they served it to Kendrick and Mina.

Kendrick took a sip of the tea, his eyes brimming with satisfaction. “Delicious!”

“Thank you!” Carla said it happily. She looked at Mina, who was eating the snacks silently.

Upon noticing Carla’s gaze, Mina stopped eating and gave her a nod as she replied, "Delicious.”

“Thank you. May helped Mom bake it,” Carla said, making May look proud.

“Now then, May, do you hear anything weird or interesting around here?” Carla asked her sister. May immediately frown while trying to remember anything.

“Hmm …. I don’t think so?” May tilted her head cutely. “But why ask?”

“It is for our study regarding Suroff,” Carla explained without revealing the true nature of the mission. It wasn’t a lie since the mission was kind of field studying. Calling it a study seemed less suspicious than disclosing it as a mission and wouldn't inquire questions.

“Is that so? Mom or Dad probably know better.”

Carla thought so as well, but it wasn’t wasteful to ask her sister. She turned to her friends and asked, “Should we wait for my parents?”

“Naturally,” Kendrick agreed. They couldn’t just return empty-handed. Besides, they had just arrived.

After several minutes, a woman entered the house. Upon seeing them, she wore a shocked expression but then recognized Carla.

“Carla, sweetheart, you are back,” Carla’s mother said while hugging Carla, who walked to her.

“Yes, Mom,” Carla whispered softly.

Releasing her daughter, she glanced at her daughter’s supposed friends. “I suppose this is not a normal visit?”

“Yes, we need help with our study,” Carla confirmed. “But before that, they are my friends, Mina and Kendrick Lawson.”

Mina gave a small bow while Kendrick took a step forward to Mrs. Forhaust. He took her hand and gave her a kiss. This action made Mina cringe, Carla shrieked, and her mother giggled.

“Pleasure to meet you, Ma’am. My name is Kendrick Lawson. Please do call me Kendrick.” Kendrick smiled warmly with his gentle smirk.

“My …. What a charming young man! Are you Carla’s boyfriend?”

“Mom!” Carla shouted in embarrassment. She came here to get information, not to be embarrassed!

“Alas, I have not found such an opportunity,” Kendrick sighed.

“Kendrick!” Carla shouted again. Seeing her red face, Kendrick just laughed along with Mrs. Forhaust. Carla’s mother went to pat her daughter.

“My daughter is cute,” she said happily. “Now, what’s the visit for?”

Hearing the question, Carla composed herself and asked, “Mom, do you happen to hear anything interesting around? Weird or something like that?”

“Hmm ... I suppose you don’t want a simple gossip,” Carla’s mother mumbled. “Ah, I remembered!” Her eyes widened. “Jack’s dog is missing, and last night, your father heard a howl.”

“Dog disappearance?” Kendrick muttered in confusion. “Is that our mi— I mean our study project?”

“That can’t be…. This is the first time I heard of a pet missing case here, though,” Carla replied. The location where her family lived was a safe place, and as far as she remembered, there was no case of a pet disappearing. While some pets disappeared for a day or two, it was because the owner gave them freedom, and they would return in the end.

“Mom, Uncle Jack’s dog is leashed during the night, right?” she asked just to make sure.

“Yes,” her mother nodded. “I heard that the dog just disappeared out of nowhere without his leash. There was no sign of the dog forcing itself to break free; probably someone took off the leash, but how could that person carry such a big dog so easily?” She wondered.

Another clue. It wasn’t just a simple case of a missing pet. Someone had intentionally taken the pet, but for what reason? And did this only happen once, or had it already happened before? They needed to delve deeper into their investigation.

“Mrs. Forhaust, is there anything else?” Kendrick asked. They couldn’t solely focus on the missing pet. The mission was probably something else.

“I think …. No? Nothing else stands out or is interesting aside from it. But if you want more information, you should go to the police station or the Government District,” said Mrs. Forhaust. By the Government District, she meant the First District and the Second District, where most government buildings were located.

Since there was nothing else to ask, they couldn’t linger here all day and had to search for some clues before heading back to the academy.

“Mom, we will look around the district a bit before going back,” Carla said.

“Okay, make sure to visit again and bring your friends,” Mrs. Forhaust responded joyfully. She was glad her daughter was back and with friends. Who knows, maybe she would bring a potential future husband later on. The one named Kendrick seemed like a good boy, but he was just one possibility; there were plenty of other fish in the sea, and she wanted to meet them all. After all, one of her concerns was her daughter’s future marriage.

“Ah, please wait a moment.” Mrs. Forhaust went to the kitchen and returned with a plastic bag full of cookies. “Take these for you and your friends.”

After receiving the cookies and thanking Carla’s mother, the trio of Class Seven bid their farewell and strolled around the district.

Kendrick discreetly dispatched his summoned familiars to observe from above while they walked. However, despite their surveillance, nothing unusual caught their attention.

“Ah!” Carla suddenly perked up. She turned to her friends, who looked at her questioningly. She explained, “I remembered there is an alley where some stray cats usually hang out.”

“You want us to check whether they have disappeared or not, right?” Kendrick asked, receiving a nod.

“Whether it is the missing pet or another missing animal,” Kendrick concluded. If stray cats were to disappear as well, then the scope of their investigation would broaden. Which was odd, so why target the animals? Pets or strays.

“Is there any pet store or something?” Mina inquired, to which Carla shook her head.

"I doubt it. Unless a new store opens."

Even if a new pet store or a vet opened, they wouldn’t just pick up every stray and treat them. However, if a vet did appear and took in the stray cats, it wouldn't be related to Uncle Jack’s dog as the dog had an owner. This made their progress in understanding the mission's purpose zero.

Once they reached the said alley, Carla scanned the area and sighed.

“No cats,” she informed her friends. “We might have to inquire about any vet clinics around here or not.”

While Carla and Kendrick walked away from the alley, Mina stood in silence. Her eyes were glued to the ground. If one looked closer, a black liquid wiggled on it could be seen. When Mina attempted to touch it, the liquid seeped into the ground and disappeared. A frown appeared on her face at the liquid's disappearance.

“Mina?” Carla called, she tilted her head to see what Mina was doing. Mina closed her eyes. She felt familiar with the black liquid, but she couldn’t recall where she had seen it before. She shook her head and let her face loosen.

“Sorry for the waiting,” she said before trailing behind Carla and Kendrick.

Several hours later, Carla, Mina, and Kendrick returned to their dorm. They gathered everyone and shared what they had discovered.

Hara held her chin while in thought, and then expressed her opinion. “We can’t be sure yet since we only focused on one district. However, if the mission is related to animal disappearances, then it is not a typical missing or kidnapping case. We'll have to wait to hear what Miss Liza briefs us."