The Blue Eyes

The water curtain hit the roof and produced a sound. The precipitation once again greeted the ground. The gentle drip-drop continued dancing around. It was like thousands of bullets on the battleground. If it was a painting, then the rain was the wonderful background.

And the main characters in the painting were the four people who were sitting on the veranda. They silently watched how the rain once again showered the Earth with pure love. It had been rainless in Serein City the past few days, and the rain already missed the Earth.

"We were lucky that yesterday was a sunny day in Serein," Kevin commented after he sipped his tea. He then put the tea back on the round table in front of him. "We were also lucky to go back here before the rain poured, right, Kris?" He turned to his lover who was sitting on the other side of the table.

The four people had come back to Nozheic. Blue and Jack had been back since last night, while Kevin and Kris went back to Nozheic this morning.

"Yes, we could do our investigation without any obstacles yesterday. That's a blessing," Kris replied.

Kevin slightly glared at Kris after the latter finished with his statement. 'You didn't have any obstacles, but it's my ass that's still sore until now,' he grumbled inwardly.

Jack and Blue were sitting opposite them. They were watching the rain before, but now they turned their heads to them.

"Did you find anything in Rodein, Uncle?" The blue-eyed girl asked her uncle.

Kris frowned before answering, "I'm still not sure." He then glanced at his lover and continued, "It's better if we let Kevin explain."

Kevin widened his eyes and looked at Kris in surprise. "Why should I?" He asked. "You were also there with me all the time. Both of us know the situation there."

"You know better than me, Kev," Kris rebuked. "You should tell them the result of our inquiry yesterday."

Kevin glowered at him and was about to retort, but Blue was faster than him. "It's not the right time to fight," she stated firmly. "You guys better tell the story together. You can complement each other's explanation later."

The two men looked at each other and sighed simultaneously.

"Alright, I'll explain first," Kevin finally decided. "We found some strange things in Rodein. The first thing is when we met a tavern lady. She told us a story about her husband and her son, who died in a ship explosion eighteen years ago. The ship brought weapons from Primea to Calenta."

"Eighteen years ago?" Jack chimed in. "Was that during the war?"

Kevin nodded before answering, "Yes, that was during the war. It seems like someone smuggled the weapons from Primea to Calenta. We have to do further investigation about that."

"Calenta and Primea don't have a good relationship, right, Brother?" Blue responded. "That's indeed suspicious if someone in Calenta smuggled the weapons from Primea during the war."

"You're right, Blue," Kris chimed in. "Moreover, the explosion in the ship probably is not a simple accident. It looks like someone tried to get rid of pieces of evidence by blasting the ship."

That was indeed suspicious, and both Blue and Jack furrowed their eyebrows.

"After we eat at the tavern, we went to the country border," Kevin continued the story. "The strange thing about the country border is that no guards were guarding the border when we went there. Calenta and Primea aren't in a good relationship, so that's definitely not normal."

Kris nodded in agreement. "We should do further investigation about that too," he commented.

"The third thing that seems weird about Rodein is when we went to a bar last night—"

"A bar?" Jack suddenly interrupted Kevin's explanation. "You two had time to go to a bar last night?" He continued in disbelief.

Blue glared at the man and slapped his arm quite hard. "Do you need a mirror, Jack? You even had time to play kite with some kids yesterday," she said in an annoyed tone.

Jack squirmed under Blue's sharp gaze, and he faked a cough before looking away from the three.

"Yes, we went to a bar last night," Kris continued Kevin's explanation. "I'm the one who planned to make inquiries at a dark environment like a bar. I was sure that we could get some pieces of information from that place, and we indeed hit a jackpot last night."

Kevin nodded in approval. "The bartender gave us important information," he continued his lover's story. "It's about an event before the last war broke. A man visited the bar and got drunk there. When he was drunk, he mumbled about war, weapons, and Primea. It seems like he was also smuggling the weapons from Primea to Calenta."

The story was getting interesting that Blue and Jack listened to it very seriously.

"Do you think that smuggling case related to the smuggling case eighteen years ago, Brother?" Blue asked curiously.

Kevin smiled proudly. He seemed so proud of Blue who could analyze the situation in a short time.

"That's our assumption, Blue. We have to investigate further to find evidence," the young scientist answered calmly.

"You two found many interesting things in Rodein, but we basically found nothing in Chilad," Jack chimed in casually while his hands playing with the hem of his shirt.

Kevin and Kris both turned to the tattoed man.

"You guys didn't find anything in Chilad?" Kevin asked as his eyes glanced at Jack and Blue.

"That's not completely true, Brother," Blue answered. "We found something, but we are not sure if it's related to the case we are investigating."

Kris smiled at the girl and said, "It's okay Blue. We can discuss anything together to make a decision."

Blue smiled back at the encouragement. Her uncle knew her so well.

"Yesterday we found an abandoned mine," the blue-eyed girl started her story. "It looked like a normal abandoned mine. The company didn't bother to restore it and just left it as an open pit. The strange thing is that I couldn't find the fragmented overburdened material around the site. I suspect the company either sold it or used it for other purposes."

The story seemed to be strange for both Kevin and Kris. Both of them frowned at the girl.

"I think we still have to investigate the company. I have a hunch that the company has something to do with our case."

"Should we believe in your hunch, Jack?"

Kevin and Blue looked at each other. It seemed like they were communicating through their eyes; They are at it again. Both of them could only sigh at the two men's childish behavior.

"Calm down, Kris. I trust Jack this time. We will investigate the company," Kevin made a final decision.

"What?" Kris turned to him and asked in surprise. "You believe in that person?" While his forefinger pointing at Jack rudely.

Jack glared at the man and rolled his eyes. He didn't say anything and let the pair had their 'moment.'

"Jack has a point, Kris. We shouldn't leave the smallest clue we got from our investigation. I know you actually agree with the idea, but you oppose it because Jack is the one who voiced the idea."

Kris fell silent upon hearing Kevin's words. It seemed like Kevin hit the bull's eye. It was not difficult to read his lover at this time. Kris's face had said it all.

"Alright, we will investigate the company," Kris finally gave in as he drew his gaze away from Kevin.

Kevin slowly shook his head seeing his lover's behavior. Kris was clearly still mad at Jack, and he couldn't do anything about that.

"So, we will start our next plan by doing the further investigation?" Blue asked again after a few minutes she was quiet.

"Yes, Blue," Kevin answered. "You and Jack try to look for information about the company, and I will start to investigate our findings from Rodein."

Kris was taken aback by Kevin's conclusion. "You?" He asked in disbelief. "You will do the investigation alone? But, what about me? You don't want me to help you?"

Kris looked so agitated now, and Kevin could see it clearly. He then softly held his lover's hand and said, "It's not like I don't need your help, Kris. But it will be better if I do it alone. I'll just collect some information alone, and after that, we can discuss the matter together."

The disappointment was still so obvious in Kris's face. His gaze didn't soften even after he heard his lover's explanation. He looked dejected when Kevin didn't include him in his plan.

"Don't get yourself in danger, Kevin Beischel," he warned his lover in a low and dangerous tone. When he used that tone and called his lover by his full name, that meant Kris was angry.

Blue and Jack didn't say anything and only observed them silently. It seemed like they were watching an intense drama now.

Kevin knew Kris so well, and he could only sigh. "I will not get myself in danger, Kris," he replied softly. "I will just meet Mr. Derek Dawson."