Return.

Arthur: “That’s not true at all. There aren’t many people I know who could stand up to the mafia for the sake of their loved ones.”

Arthur: “I’m sure you inspired more than a few people by your actions. You were there to protect everyone — not only their bodies, but their minds as well.”

Arthur: “I know I thought you were amazing, in any case.”

Cain: “I don’t think I’ve ever been given such a straightforward compliment before… To be honest, it’s kind of embarrassing.”

Mithra: “What is with that strange expression on your face right now? In case you have forgotten, we have no idea who this boy even is.”

Arthur: “Ah, sorry. I forgot to introduce myself.”

Arthur: “My name is Arthur, from the Panthera Family.”

Arthur: “I came up to you both because I wanted to talk to you about something I overheard you discussing.”

Cain: “Something we were discussing…?”

Arthur: “Yeah. What exactly is this ‘Kirsche Persche’ the Ventisca family keeps asking about?”

Arthur: “People have seen you searching for it all over Vollmond Town lately, both within and outside of your own territory. You must be pretty desperate to find whatever it is.”

Mithra & Cain: “…”

Cain: “…Sorry, Arthur. We don’t know much about Kirsche Persche ourselves.”

Arthur: “You don't?”

Cain: “Yeah. We don’t even know what it is, really. You must think it’s pretty strange that we’re searching for something we’re only making guesses about, right?”

Cain: “But there are a few things we do know.”

Mithra: “…Surely you do not plan on telling him everything?”

Cain: “I’m sure the boss knew that if we kept making such a big show of hunting around for this thing, sooner or later the other families would start catching on.”

Cain: “I imagine the reason he chose to send us all out looking like this was to get everyone else involved, too.”

Cain: “Arthur has been very open and honest with us about who he is and what he wants.”

Cain: “That’s the sort of guy someone can put their trust in, I feel. He’s a person who chooses to make deals first instead of going immediately for the kill. He’s the ideal ally.”

Arthur: “I appreciate the amount of trust you’re putting in me. And I want to be able to live up to it, where possible.”

Cain: “Thanks.”

Cain: “…We’ve been looking for Kirsche Persche lately because of a run-in Don Snow had with a strange guy who attacked him out of the blue.”

Arthur: “…Are you talking about the rampages that’ve had everyone on edge lately?”

Cain: “The other night, the boss was attacked by a man with glowing red eyes. We managed to intervene in time and keep him safe, but…”

Cain: “Right before he died, the man said ‘if only I’d had Kirsche Persche, then I could’ve been at peace’.”

Arthur: “Kirsche Persche would’ve given him… Peace?”

Cain: “That’s all we got out of him. We’ve been on the hunt for Kirsche Persche ever since.”

Arthur: “It’s a little hard to believe that someone’s eyes could glow red, but… Maybe the reason that man became so violent was due to some sort of strange disease?”

Cain: “No clue. But if what he said was true, then it’s possible that whatever’s been making people go on these rampages could be cured or suppressed with Kirsche Persche.”

Arthur: “I see. Honestly, when you put it like that, it makes Kirsche Persche sound like some sort of drug…”

Cain: “Well, it’s only a theory at the minute.”

Arthur: “Still, it’s useful intel. Thanks for telling me.”

Arthur: “…I feel like maybe I had the wrong idea about the Ventisca Family.”

Mithra: “What is that supposed to mean, exactly?”

Arthur: “From what I’m hearing, the reason you guys are looking for Kirsche Persche in the first place is to try and deal with these rampages, right?”

Arthur: “I’d only ever heard of Don Snow as being a violent and aggressive man, but it sounds like he’s concerned about keeping the town safe too.”

Mithra: “Hmph. Concerned…”

Arthur: “Am I wrong?”

Cain: “…”

Cain: “…Hey, Arthur.”

Cain: “Have you ever had anyone in your life you wished you could meet again, even after they’re already long gone?”

Arthur: “…What?”

Cain: “Ah… Sorry. It’s just, well— we have a lot of hot-blooded people in our family, so we have to deal with them dying fairly often.”

Cain: “I guess I was just wondering how things are going for Panthera lately…”

Arthur: “So that’s what you meant. Well, we definitely don’t experience the same mortality rates that Ventisca does.”

Arthur: “Still… Mitile— I mean, an associate of mine was very upset for a while after learning that a friend of his with an incurable disease had suddenly disappeared.”

Cain: “Wait, he was sick, but then he just disappeared? That’s terrible.”

Arthur: “I don’t know all the details. Apparently the back-alley doctor who had been taking care of him said he’d sent the boy away for some sort of new treatment, but…”

Arthur: “Mitile never got to say goodbye or anything. He used to talk a lot about wanting to see his friend again…”

Cain: “…I see…”

Arthur: “…Cain.”

Cain: “Hm?”

Arthur: “Are you alright?”

Cain: “…Haha, yeah, all good. Sorry, didn’t mean to put you on edge.”

Mithra: “Indeed, you did. I was on edge, too.”

Cain: “What, really? You?”

Mithra: “Yes. You looked as though your stomach may have been hurting, so I did not want to be impolite by saying something.”

Cain: “That’s not really what I was going for, but… Thanks for letting me know, I guess.”

Cain: “Arthur. Like I was saying earlier — I’ve gotten used to having to part ways with people at the end of their lives. I’ve gotten pretty good at compartmentalising what I need to.”

Cain: “But…”

Arthur: “‘But’, what?”

Cain: “The worst is when you don’t even know whether someone’s alive or dead. There’s just someone I’m kinda worried about, I guess…”

Cain: (That guy I saw back then, with injuries all over his body like a wolf that’d just lost a fight…)

Cain: (I hope he’s alright, wherever he is…)

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Akira: (To be honest, I really can’t imagine what a ‘Fellowship Ceremony’ might involve when it’s coming from a mafia family…)

Akira: (But if Riquet’s as young as he looks, and it’s safe for him to be doing it, then— it can’t really be all that bad, right…?)

Feeling nervous, I stared at Shylock as he rooted around behind the counter.

He looked back at me as he pulled out three glasses from inside a cupboard.

Shylock: “Do you drink alcohol, Akira?”

Akira: “Um… I don’t remember very well, but… For some reason I feel like I probably don’t…”

Shylock: “Then I shall prepare you something without.”

Shylock: “An acceptable drink for our lovely new member of Luna Piena to enjoy without worry.”

Akira: “New member… Wait, huh?! Does that mean I’m becoming part of the family?”

Shylock: “Of course. I invited you to join us on the condition that you had nowhere else to go, remember?”

Shylock: “Now that you’re here, that makes you one of us.”

Akira: “As happy as I am to hear you say that, I… I feel like I’m basically the equivalent of a baby right now with how little I know about things. Is that really alright?”

Shylock: “Why wouldn’t it be? It’s safer for you to be part of an organisation, regardless — it helps deter any issues people might have with you.”

Riquet: “I agree. I’m sure the boss won’t mind so long as it’s Shylock inviting you in…”

Riquet: “I look forward to working with you, Akira!”

Akira: “Yes…! You too!”

Even though I had no idea who I was, or where I came from… I’d still managed to find a place where I could belong.

Akira: (Akira of the Luna Piena Family…)

I ruminated on my new name with a fluffy feeling inside of me.

Riquet: “Fufu. Akira, you look so happy.”

Riquet: “This is an important place to me too, so I understand how you feel.”

Akira: “You do?”

Riquet: “Yes. A long time ago now, I had some sort of incurable disease, and was under the care of a back-alley doctor called Figaro…”

Riquet: “I lived almost entirely on my own in that hospital room, bedridden from morning until night. It was our boss, Murr, who rescued me from having to live out my days like that.”

Akira: “That’s incredible… So then, is your boss a doctor too?”

Riquet: “I don’t think so, no. But he is a very scholarly and knowledgeable man.”

Akira: “Then… How did he manage to cure an incurable disease?”

Riquet: “I can’t say I understand the details myself, only that I simply happened to find myself in good health one day.”

Riquet: “I’m sure he’s simply just an amazing man — he has to be, seeing as he’s our boss.”

Despite Riquet’s innocent smile, I couldn’t help but feel faintly uncomfortable.

Akira: (It feels like Riquet’s memories about things that should worry him are too vague… Maybe this all happened when he was very young?)

Shylock: “…”

I swallowed down the questions I wanted to ask despite my curiosity, unable to help feeling as though it would be rude to pry into the past of someone I’d only just met.

Akira: “It’s amazing that you were able to overcome something so difficult when you were so young, Riquet.”

Riquet: “Thank you. But I’m fairly certain that everyone here has had more than a few life-threatening experiences living in this town.”

Riquet: “Shylock and Owen included.”

Akira: “Huh…? Really?”

Shylock: “Mm, indeed…”

When I looked up at Shylock in surprise, he smoothly avoided my gaze by glancing at the photos attached to the wall by the counter instead.

Among all the ageing photos was one of Shylock, smiling in his usual bewitching way beside an unfamiliar man with a purple bob-cut.

Shylock: “…It was a long time ago, you understand. Apparently I was terribly injured and loitering on the border between life and death, though I don’t remember much about the incident myself.”

Shylock: “I’m missing a handful of memories from before and after it happened, including how I was even injured in the first place.”

Strangely, despite how he mumbled the words with his face half-obscured, Shylock’s face seemed less shadowed in life than it did in the photograph.

Akira: “Your memory is missing…”

Akira: (Just like me.)

Shylock: “Regardless of whether I remember it or not, however, I’m sure I must’ve acted with a recklessness that is unlike me.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Shylock poured a strange liquid into three separate glasses with all the deftness of a magician.

Though the liquid remained cloudy for a moment, it soon split apart into two gentle layers: warm yellow on the bottom, and a flower-like pink on top.

Shylock: “With this, we are ready for the Fellowship Ceremony to begin.”

Akira: “It’s beautiful… Is this that alcoholic drink you were talking about earlier?”

Shylock: “Indeed. Once a month, everyone in the family gathers together to share this drink amongst ourselves. This is what we call the Fellowship Ceremony.”

Shylock: “The name of the drink is Kirsche Persche.”

Akira: “Kirsche Persche…? Haven’t I heard that somewhere before?”

Akira: (…Ah!)

—

Man With a Scarred Cheek: “You find anything out about this ‘Kirsche Persche’ stuff yet?”

Man With a Moustache: “Yeah, a whole lotta nothin’ is what I found. Goin’ out at night ain’t easy ‘cause of all the rampages. Would be easy if we could just find some kinda lead durin’ the day…”

—

Akira: “So— that’s what this drink specifically is called?”

Shylock: “Correct. It is a special liqueur that has been shared only with members of the Luna Piena Family.”

Shylock: “It’s a rather beautiful colour, don’t you think so?”

Akira: “Yes, I really do! It’s the same colours as the Lunaset flower, and the crystals that grow from its branches…”

Shylock: “Oh my. How perceptive.”

Shylock: “Kirsche Persche is made by soaking those crystals in alcohol.”

Akira: “Huh?! Wait, those things are safe to ingest…?”

Shylock: “While they may appear to the common onlooker as gemstones, in truth they are merely crystalised shards of sap that escape from within the lunaset flower trees.”

Shylock: “Nevertheless, I believe we are likely the only ones who have succeeded in turning that substance into something capable of being eaten — or sipped, in this case.”

Shylock: “It is a unique process manufactured by our very own boss.”

Akira: “I see… So that’s why the Ventisca Family— and probably other organisations too, want it so bad.”