[https://i.imgur.com/TRsyUKE.jpg]
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While the passengers wait patiently for their stop, some in a while, others now, the train does not stop. The stop which is in the west of Shiru, the first one after the one of Tetazo, passed without the train coming to brake. At first, some people wonder if it is a mistake and that they have not arrived yet, and those who do not stop here do not notice it, but a woman in the car of Deshya and three others comes to stand up.
- What does that mean?!" she shouts.
Deshya turns to her. Amora looks up to observe her, while Frie stares back at her. Tessa's eyes are still closed, but her expression changes slightly.
- What's going on, ma'am?!" asks a young boy next to her.
- Why doesn't the train stop?!
Deshya squints. Even before the lady speaks, another girl does.
- We missed the stop.
Deshya turns and looks at Tessa. Her eyes are still closed, behind the brim of her cap that falls in front of her face, and yet—
- What...?
- Is it true?!" asks Amora, a surprised look on her face.
Tessa lifts the brim of her cap and frowns.
- The train didn't brake, so it wasn't going to stop in any case.
- But... this is its stop, the west station of Shiru, no?!
Tessa agrees and turns her face towards Deshya.
- I don't know why, but it missed that stop on purpose.
CHAPTER 6
⎾The Never-Stopping Train ; Part 1⏌
- …
Deshya says nothing. Tessa shrugs and rests as before, closing her eyes again.
- Well, it's not our stop, so I don't give a damn about it.
- T-Tessa…
Deshya sighs and Frie smiles with a surprised laugh. The lady who screamed sits down under the man who is the young boy's father and crosses her arms.
- What is the driver doing...?" he wonders aloud.
Deshya hears him and asks herself the same question. If there was a change of schedule or a change of stop, he would have said so before... So why? He has no right to do such a thing, at least not without warning.
- No, even with advance warning, the driver is not allowed to continue without stopping…
Deshya frowns. Something strange is happening—
- Deshya!
- A-Ah?!
While she is in her thoughts, Amora shouts next to her. Deshya turns to her, confused. Her best friend shows her a big smile while wiggling on the spot.
- Say, say, to pass the time, you want to talk to me about the biiiiiig detectives?!" asks Amora.
Frie opens her mouth wide and turns to Deshya in turn.
- Oh, it's true that I don't know many!" admits Frie.
Deshya drops a quick glance at the lady who stood up and screamed when the train didn't stop. Can she really not think about what has just happened and talk quietly with them?
- I'm interested too, to be honest," Tessa admits, opening one eye.
- …
Deshya thinks for a long time, but finally sighs and smiles. This is a subject that interests her greatly and she knows a lot about detectives — which Amora knows, since they know each other almost perfectly —, so she accepts with a nod.
- Okay, okay.
She turns her entire body to Frie and Tessa, while Amora makes no secret of her eagerness to learn more. Even though she's not totally into all things police, detective and murder, she's still interested in what Deshya tells her. She knows one or the other because Deshya sometimes talks about them, but not enough for Amora to know enough.
- I guess all three of you know 'Kira Miname'?" begins Deshya.
- Of course!
- A legend.
- I don't…
Tessa and Amora nod, but Frie lowers her head with an embarrassed expression. Amora opens her mouth wide in surprise.
- Don't you know Kira Miname?!" she shouts.
Frie shakes her head, even more embarrassed. Her cheeks red as a tomato and her lips pushing together from shame, she dares not look up and watch her friends. Tessa smiles.
- Eeeh, I'm surprised," she admits.
- Is... T-T-This person so famous?" asks Frie.
- Of course!" shouts Deshya.
She places both hands on the table in front of her.
- Kira Miname is a real legend and the most popular detective of all! No one knows his real identity and it seems that even he has forgotten it on purpose to never remember his past!!! He is sometimes seen in beauty magazines and he does a lot of interviews!!!" explains Deshya, her excitement felt in her voice.
- He did an interview on a YaTube channel not long ago, although I can't remember the name..." adds Tessa.
- I saw it!!! He is so cool!!! He's soooo strong and soooo smart!!! He is inhuman, even!!!!
Deshya waddles on the spot, blushing weakly. Amora giggles, still amused to see her best friend being such a fan of a person.
- They call him 'The Legendary Divine Eye,' don't they?" says Tessa.
Deshya nods. Hearing this nickname, Frie opens his mouth and eyes wide, a spark crossing her brain.
- Ah! I've heard that nickname before!" she admits.
- He is very famous, after all! He's the one who arrested all the Merkann members, after all!!!
- Merkann... Merkann…
Frie thinks as she rubs her chin, but quickly remembers what it is.
- Isn't this the group of robbers who were behind the theft of billions of euros?
- Yes! They had planned everything for several months and they managed to steal a majority of the capital of the country of Firuede!
- I remember that! I was little when it happened, but everyone was talking about it!" says Amora.
Deshya remembers it too. It happened a little over 8 years ago. She was still young, but Kira was on every TV channel for days at a time.
- No one could catch this group, but because of a tiny detail they left behind, Kira managed to discover the identity of one of the members and a few weeks later they were all caught. Some people think this is the best detective work ever, although some think it's in the top 10, but surely not first," Tessa explains.
- Is he still a detective?" asks Frie.
Deshya nods.
- Although his real age is unknown, he is still quite young; he must not yet be in his forties.
- I see!
- Even though we see him less on everyday television, he actively solves a lot of crimes and mysteries, although often for the government or very important people," Deshya explains.
- I saw that he caught the murderer of the daughter of the former president of Firuede," recalls Amora.
- I saw it! It was impressive.
- And how beautiful and stylish he is!
Amora admires Deshya and smiles. She sounds like a completely different person when she talks about him. How many times has she talked to her for hours about investigations that he has solved? Of course, Amora is interested in this and always listens with a big smile, but she doesn't understand how someone can be so perceptive and see all the details like that. Amora doesn't imagine she can do a quarter of the work of a detective; Kira's, not even a tenth.
- Although he is the most popular detective and considered the best in the world, he is by no means the only one who is recognized!" says Deshya.
- I don't really know any..." admits Frie. However, I do know that there is one called... Mmmh... Oh yes!
She knocks her fist gently into the palm of her other hand.
- ‘The Best Detective in Belium'!
When Frie says these words, Deshya's face takes on a sunny expression that can rival the one Amora usually makes. Tessa smiles and speaks first.
- 'Minos Kiyon,' a man who hasn't even reached his thirties yet, right?" she said.
- Exactly!!!" shouts Deshya excitedly.
- Oh, a fan of his too?
Tessa gives her a teasing smile and Deshya nods so violently that her hair moves in all directions.
- I love his style so much!" admits Frie.
- He wears red contacts and his hair is beautifully blond!!!" says Deshya. He deserves his title as the best detective in our country by far!!!
Minos Kiyon is a very popular detective in Belium, but even outside the country, he is a household name. Deshya grabs her hands and looks at the roof of the train, blushing softly.
- I would love to meet him in person, he is the one who inspired me to start reading ‘Sherlock Holmes’ or even ‘Nero Wolfe’!
- Doesn't he solve cases in public sometimes?" asks Frie.
Deshya nods.
- Yes, he does! But it is often in the capital and places are rarely available... It's complicated, honestly…
She clenches both fists in front of her and exhales furiously, determination in her eyes.
- But next year, I will go to see it, whatever it takes !!!" she says with an expression that could burn a whole field.
- I know that detectives are quite popular in books, but in real life, I didn't think so…
- We're in a time where detectives are becoming more and more popular, so you'll have to start to study!" smiles Amora.
- Eeeh?
Frie sighs and lowers her head. Amora starts to laugh.
- I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Well, half kidding.
- W-What do you mean by half...?
- You don't have to study, but it's true that detectives are becoming more and more popular.
Amora talks with Frie while Tessa stretches both arms. She correctly puts her cap back on her head and turns her face towards Deshya, noticing that she is staring at her.
- Hm?
- A-Ah, I thought…
Deshya scratches her cheek and Amora stops chatting with Frie. All three look at the girl with the fox sweater who blushes even more.
- I-I said my favorite detective, Frie mentioned one she knows, so, I was thinking…
- Mine?
- Exactly…
Tessa begins to think, crossing her legs in the other way. She looks through the window silently, her right cheek swollen, then her left. The three girls wait impatiently for her answer. Deshya has several detectives in mind and wonders which of them might be her favorite...? A woman? A man? Is he from this country or even this continent, or...? Maybe even one of the ones they just said! After all, both Kira and Minos are detectives beloved by all. Tessa turns her gaze back to Deshya, determined.
- Well, I love Kira too, but my favorite…
She nods.
- I will say that it is 'Ayumi Steel'.
- !!
- Oh, I know her!" drops Amora with a sunny smile.
Frie scratches her cheek, even more embarrassed than before.
- W-Who...?
Tessa removes her cap and produces wind by waving it in her direction before closing her eyes.
- Ayumi Steel, the one who is often referred to as 'The Detective with a Thousand Truths,'" Tessa explains.
- Why that nickname?" asks Frie, interested.
- I let Miss Fox answer, if she wishes.
Tessa opens one eye and observes Deshya. The latter blushes again and flees from her gaze, but she ends up speaking, too excited to just keep quiet; especially since Tessa offers to explain, so why refuse?
- That's because she solved 1,000 investigations in a single year.
- O-Only one year?!" shouts Frie, surprised.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Deshya nods with a small smile.
- When she was 25 years old, the year after finishing her studies, she decided to become a private detective. In one year, she solved 1000 investigations, although it is said that she did 1005, but 5 of them did not have real answers.
- 1000... That's huge!
Frie didn't need to do any complicated math to figure out that this meant she was solving about 3 investigations a day. That is... unthinkable!
- She is considered by many to be the best detective around today," says Tessa. Some say Kira, some say Ayumi. I don’t have an opinion on it, though.
- She is impressive, I must say," adds Deshya.
- I have all her books at home, even the ones she wrote that are fiction. The investigation of 'The Flaming Rose' is my favorite.
- I have only read 'Les Douze Coups de Minuit'..." Amora admits, lowering her head.
- Ah, her first work? It's inspired by a real investigation she solved; I loved it too.
Amora hops around looking at Tessa, glad she loves this book too. Deshya smiles as she listens to them.
- The criminal behind the murder is almost unfindable, especially since we are led on the wrong track from the first sentence..." she thinks.
It's a book she's read twice in total, and even on her second read, she was sweating so much stress in this book. She also prefers 'The Flaming Rose' like Tessa, but that doesn't mean her other works aren't amazing.
- What about you, Amora?" asks Frie.
- Me?
She looks up, a finger on her lower lip.
- Well, I love Kira too, but…
She claps one hand against the other, her eyes closed and a big smile beaming on his face.
- I like 'The Gentle Breeze of Kretel' best!" she admits.
- K-Kretel? Where you live?" asks Frie, having never heard of this detective.
- Exactly! She's from the same town as me, hihi! Frie turns to Deshya.
- Is she a known detective...?" asks Frie, unsure.
- Maybe not on the same level as the other three, but she is very popular, yes. To be honest, she does a lot of police business.
- She can aim a gun, that's for sure," says Tessa.
- I love her, I love her!" shouts Amora.
Frie keeps her rather surprised expression on her face for a few moments before giggling. Tessa questions her behavior, but Frie quickly explains.
- I didn't know Amora knew that much, or even Tessa or you, Deshya!
- Well, detectives have been very popular in recent years," Deshya admits.
- Deshya tells me about it so often that I have a good knowledge base on it, hehe!
Amora takes her best friend in her arms without warning and Tessa frowns. Here—
- HEY!!!
A howl sounded behind them.
Amora freezes, while Deshya opens her eyes wide before turning abruptly. A man gets up from his seat and exits the car with a fast, furious walk. A woman with a big hat gets up and tries to catch up with him.
- Honey, come back!
- I’m goin’ to fuck him up, that fuckin’ driver!!!" yells the man before the door closes behind them.
- …
Frie looks outside from the window and scratches the back of his hair.
- We talked for a long time, but now that I think about it—
- We have just passed the station.
Frie gets cut by Tessa and Amora doesn't hide her shock.
- But that means…
- The train doesn’t stop.
Tessa crosses her arms and sighs.
- It seems that somethin’ is wrong.
- Should we go see what's going on?" asks Deshya.
Tessa shakes her head.
- Idiot, what do ya want us to do? The driver won't let us pass, we're just two teenagers.
- Yes, but…
- If the train doesn't stop, there must be a good reason. Our stop is the next one, just pray it stops for this one.
As Tessa speaks, a noise rings out from the train's speaker. The four friends look up at the same time.
- Hello everyone. I am your train driver. I apologize for the two missed stops, a problem has occurred, but it will be fixed soon. I apologize again.
The male voice no longer sounds from the speaker and Tessa frowns; Deshya imitates her by lowering her gaze. Frie sighs heavily.
- At least he gave us some news..." she said. I hope they fix this problem before the next stop…
- Hey, Deshya.
Tessa talks to the girl without even looking at her.
- ...
- Don't ya think there's something… really wrong?
This time, Tessa stares her straight in the eyes. Deshya turns her head toward the door of the car, where the man left with his wife. Amora looks at the two girls one after the other before tilting her head to the left.
- Something wrong?" she asks.
Deshya stops looking behind her and looks ahead, one elbow on the table and her hand under her mouth.
- Exactly.
- What is it?" asks Frie.
- The train never braked, so it didn't stop. However, if it was a simple problem in the engine or on the rails, I would be surprised if the driver let it run like that.
- …
Tessa twirls her cap with one finger and looks at her with squinted eyes.
- The fact that this train does not stop means that other trains that take this same track can’t stop or they will be hit.
- !!!
- …
- A-Ah?!
Frie understands, now. She watches Tessa with wide eyes, while Amora shakes her head from left to right with speed.
- Are we going to crash?! I don't want to die so young, I want to get married and have childreeeeeen!" shouts Amora.
- Hey, hey, calm down!" said Deshya, trying to reassure her as best she could.
- That's what's so weird about it," says Tessa.
- H-Huh?
Amora blinks, calming her shaking of her own head. Tessa stops playing with her cap and sets it down in front of her.
- We already missed two stops, so we should have run into another train, since…
- What if the driver had warned the other trains?" asks Amora.
- That's probably what happened, but I don't know of a single problem that would prevent a train from stopping; quite the opposite, actually.
- If the brakes are broken?
- We are not in a car, it does not work totally the same…
- A-Ahah, I don't really know anything about trains…
Amora scratches her cheek and Deshya sighs. Frie hesitates to get up from her chair, starting to feel unwell.
- W-We just have to wait and hope for the best, so...?" she asks.
Tessa touches her shoulder, preventing her from getting up, and nods.
- If we didn't meet another train on our route, it means most probably that they have already been warned. Nevertheless…
Tessa frowns again and turns to the girl with long pink hair.
- Amora. Can you look on the internet to see if any trains have been delayed or canceled?" asks Tessa.
- E-Eh? Uhm, okay…
Amora takes out her phone and after typing her long code, she goes on the internet.
- Look at the stations we pass through," adds Tessa.
- Okay.
Deshya and Frie look at Amora's phone while they go to check on the station site.
And there—
- !!
- ... !
- I thought so.
The trains on the track where they are... are all canceled.
- …
- W-What does that mean?
Frie begins to tremble softly and Tessa begins to think. Deshya grabs Amora's phone without telling her and frowns as she watches the trains pass by the station.
- This is just our track... All trains are canceled and...!
Deshya opens her eyes wide and Tessa squints her eyes.
- Did you see anything?" she asks.
- ... The trains were all canceled... a few minutes after we got on this one.
- What?!
Amora begins to shiver, while Frie feels worse and worse. Tessa finally gets up from her seat and clenches her fists. Deshya watches her, Amora's phone still in her hands.
- …
Tessa slowly turns her face to Deshya and finally smiles, though it is different from a happy smile.
- I take it back. We'll see what happens," Tessa says.
Deshya stares for a few moments, but eventually she smiles back. She turns off the phone and gives it back to Amora before standing up. Frie lets Tessa through as she pushes herself up and Amora puts her phone away before grabbing the sleeve of Deshya's sweater.
- Are you going to see the driver?!" she asks. Deshya nods.
- But…
- He probably won't tell us anything, but you never know.
Deshya grabs Amora's hand that has been clutching her sleeve and puts it on the table, causing Amora to stop holding it. As Tessa moves on, the couple returns to the wagon.
- …
- Fuck!
The man swears before returning to his place and Tessa observes them with interrogation in the eyes.
- What did they learn or see...?" she wonders.
They don't look very happy, let alone reassured, and the woman even has her head down. Tessa doesn't need to see her face to tell that something is bothering her. The man is frustrated and sweating, which is not a good omen. Tessa grabs Deshya and squints.
- Let's go," she said in a serious tone.
Deshya nods and as she takes the first step—
— Her fox ears react. Deshya turns around, eyes wide open and mouth agape.
- W-What?!
Tessa stops and some of the passengers have heard the same thing as Deshya. The latter grinds her teeth, facing the third car, the opposite of the driver's cabin.
- What is it...?" asks Tessa, confused. A woman gets up from her chair, trembling.
- Did I hear right...?
Deshya clenches her fists and Tessa grips her arm firmly.
- What is it, Deshya?!
Deshya starts running to the opposite side, where the third car is, her fox tail swinging back and forth behind her. Tessa lets out a curse before running after her. Deshya weakly turns her gaze to the right and frowns.
- What I heard... It's...!
The car door opens automatically in front of her and Tessa opens her eyes wide. She didn't hear anything. However, Deshya would not lie.
So—
- I heard a gunshot!