Chapter Twenty-Seven: Life in Jail II

Hayley's POV

The next morning, I and Tomaki Serio-san woke up early to discuss our plan.

"First off, we need to evaluate what types or places do the hints lead us to?" he asked as he took a big bite to the red apple he's holding.

"Still, thou not there, seek the path where the stones crumble and the dirt gets old meaning there's a place in this cellar where we could find something valuable, hidden through those soils mentioned in the quote," I said as I read through the thin paper on my hand.

I wrote it again after our discussion last night, and it never left my mind ever since.

"Hmm... Not bad for someone like you, ojou-san, but..." He sighed and turned to me, right elbow on the table and right cheek resting on his right hand. "...the place that's been in there has so many locations to compare."

"Huh? What about that?" I pouted.

"The Mines, the Gardens, and the soil all around the facility. All the soils are old here, maybe for generations passed and have just been cultivated for the new rules of this era, but whatever it is, this might not be light for us to take."

"Say by ny knight-in-shining armor," I mocked and rolled my eyes. "Well, we need to search through this. The clue is well written by my mother but it is not-so deep meaning. This was going to be an easy cake for a rational human."

The stones crumble and the dirt gets old...

Stones will not be easily crumbled when you touch them but it could be when you're breaking them. Dirt getd old by passing generations to generations.

Wait. Stones? Not easily be crumbled...

My eyes widened as I got the answer right away. I looked at Serio-san and explain to him what I conclude.

"Hmm.. Your conclusion is really not bad, ojou-san," he commented and pulled himself to sit straight. His eyebrows furrowed as his chin were held by his forefinger and middle finger. "But the question is... Why do we need to go in The Mines?"

"What do you mean by that, Serio-san?"

He sighed. "You see, if we walked there without any reasons, guards will interrupt us and failed our mission in an instant. We are going to take this in one straight line, right? So we need to know what is the motive of your mother, why she puts that quote and lead us to The Mines."

I hummed and stared to the quote again." If there's soil, there's behind it. Generations to generations crumbled down to become a new one so there are many things that buried in the soil. Same thing as putting something in the soil, Mom possibly could have hid something down The Mines secretly."

"How could she possibly do that when the manpower of the guards here are really strict? It's impossible to--"

"It's not impossible to Mom," I cut him off and smirked. "She pulls off every strings she must to lead her way out, even she puts her own life in danger. That's what she is."

"Is your mother, by any chance, go through an assassination class? Pulling out some tricks such as ninja skills could be possibly been made."

I rolled my eyes and mockingly laughed. "Yes, yes, Serio-san. You're a fine man but your jokes are purely unworthy to get fun with."

His eyes widened in horror and dismay. "Ojou-san, why being so cruel today? I'm just lighting up the mood."

"Well, it's no time for jokes, Serio-san. Today, we need to take this seriously."

"H-Hai, ojou-san," he answered.

"The next quote is Through the next path ittakes tp lead the Princess in the Land of Spices and the Pirate's Lair'. Any suggestions on what is the meaning of this?" I asked.

"That would lead us to no good if I am meant to be ask to that quote, ojou-san. I'm not good at analyzing things, you see."

I raised an eyebrow at him and glared. "So? Then, think hardly and use your brain so that you'll have a purpose here."

He sighed havily and go back to his usual position—right elbow on the table and his right cheek to his right hand, as he looked at me with dismay.

"I don't know how your mother loves to play with words but I know something for certain about the Land of Spices," Serio-san said. "It was in History of that country though."

I frowned. "Country? Land of Spices is a country? What country? Explain it to me."

"For someone with the right money for education, you seem to not know the Land of Spices. Is the money not enough for some knowledgeable schools you enrolled out there, ojou-san?"

He has time to mock on me, huh?

"I don't waste my time for some jokes, Tomaki Serio. Enlighten me about this Land of Spices," I said.

"Well, it's not too far in Japan but we can't seem to travel that far for pur mission," he said as he gave me an awkward smile and scratches his nape. "It is the Philippines. Well, it was being mentioned to their History that someone named Magellan from Spain desperately wanted to find the Land of Spices and happened to see Philippines while traveling. But in some cases, they said it's India."

"You have a lot of knowledge about other countries. Research for future purposes?"

"The organization I'm working with is a vast illegal company that could import and export huge deals to other illegal companies all around the world. Assassination was required if some of them asked for it for some protection or vulgar missions. I'm one of the early kids who came to other countries for assassinations in illegal purposes. Governments tried to hook something to the assassination team but we aren't leaving any signs of our encounter to the certain place we assassinate. Well, I was happened to just been caught because my body couldn't keep up with that one-week hell torture that the organization came up with."

"One-week hell torture? What do you mean by that?" I asked.

He glanced at me with innocent eyes before putting a light smile on his lips and closed his eyes.

"No food, no rest, assassination continues. That's what the organization told me to do in those one week. The enemies of the organization were hugely vast and my body can't keep up. I'm outnumbered but it doesn't mean I can't do it. My body that time was just being forcibly been tortured while I was in my sick state. The organization used me as a tool to kill all those people without rest, disposing them without leaving any trace but I failed the mission so I ended up here. "

"You are young back then. How could you...?"

"The organization brainwashed me until now. I was able to realize what I've been doing this whole time. Abusing my own health and doing what they told me to do. The freedom was available but I just don't reach it."

The look in his eyes were sad and painful. Loneliness and depression around his aura was too visible to feel. The gloomy feeling and the pity I've been feeling to him was too much.

So he has gone through a lot too, huh?

"The story was severely painful and it could leave you a scar deep down. I pity you so much," I said while looking at him.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "You don't have to--"

"Then, let's proceed to our current mission, shall we?" I suggested and he nodded in response.

"I could explain why there's a pirate's lair in the quote," he commented making me look at him.

"Spill it."

He nodded. "The clue leads us to what we need, meaning there's a connection between the thing in The Mines and the what so-called Pirate's Lair of your mother."

"And what do you think it is?"

He looked down and silently glanced at me. "What is the thing we used when we're in The Mines?"

"Thing? You mean 'things'? There's a lot, you know. Shovels, pickaxe, a puller, the thing wr used to transfer the soils—all of it are in The Mines."

"What is the two most comnon we used?"

"Pickaxe and shovel—" My eyes widened as I realized what he meant. "Wait, you mean we need those?"

He nodded. "The shovel is a thing that's being used to dig soils, meaning a certain soil in The Mines could lead us to the thing your Mom is talking about."

"What about the pickaxe? Where can we—"

"For purposes," he answered. "We're going up to the tall wall, not digging to the ground. We need some pickaxe to hold ourselves."

"But you know that's not enough!"

"For someone who is like me, I think I could manage. You can too, right? You are part of an organization after all. I'm sure your Dad and Mom teach you more of the skills I have."

I nodded. "It's the basic lesson—the assassination skills but we are just using it when we are on a mission, forbids when not necessary." I looked at the paper once more. "All that's left is the Land of Spices. Care to tell what you think about it?"

"A kitchen came into my mind first," he said. "The canteen would also be a good hiding spot."

"Woah, woah, chill. Do you think my mother could actually put this all up without being caught? The guards in the kitchen and canteen are mostly strict."

"If you know their schedules, it'll be easier to go there without being caught, ojou-san."

I blinked a few times. "S-Schedule? W-W-W-W-Wait a minute. You know the guard's schedule?!"

"Yes," he said, calmly sitting while looking at me. "I somehow sneaked through their main house and took a copy of their schedule."

"You're not caught?"

He glared at me. "Do you think I'll still be here if I am caught before? Think, ojou-san."

I sighed. "Hai, hai. All we need is to execute our plan. What time do we move?"

"Ten o'clock, sharp. Three hours would be enough for us to sneak out the cellar without being caught."

"Are you sure it'll be fine? The bigger we do, the bigger the punishment if we get caught."

He sighed heavily. "Just trust me, ojou-san. Your mother hired me to be your assistant and you still never trust my instincts."

I rolled my eyes in response. This man is really cheeky, acting all cute. No wonder he is a prankster in this jail.

"Hai, hai. As if I could ever rely on anyone more than you," I said.

His face suddenly brightened. My eyes widened as he suddenly held both of my hands and looked at me with light in his eyes. "Is it truly, ojou-san?"

His eyes were in deep black but it has light on it. I wonder how he could manage to overcome the darkness in those dull eyes.

"Ojou-san?"

I snapped out of my reverie and looked away from him, pulling away my hands to his grasp. I could feel my face heating up so I looked down.

"W-Well, l-let's just go with our plan okay? As what we planned out."

"H-Hai..."

"A-And one more thing, Tomaki Serio-san," I said and slowly looked up to him.

I saw his innocent, dull eyes once more. "Yes?"

"Don't call me 'ojou-san' anymore. C-Call me by my name, Hayley," I said and looked away.

When I glance, I saw a smile formed to his lips. A genuine smile that I first saw to him after weeks had passed since I've been locked up into jail.

"All right, Hayley," he replied.

My heart pounded crazily as I felt some kind of unravelling feeling to my chest.

What is this?