[x] Calm down and think.

"Relax," I told myself. "No sense in acting rashly. The moment I do that, this game is already lost."

I sat myself down on the bed, my arms folded. When I came in the room, it was locked from the inside. There was no sign of forced entry. The windows were just as I left them, too. Hmm. But that doesn't necessarily mean that there wasn't any other way to get inside. Nor did that prove that there was absolutely no way to manipulate the room from the outside.

The missing knives were troublesome. It was possible that someone from the kitchen noticed that they had gone missing, but only Cirno and I were in the room when I put them in the drawer. Those were the only things here that could have been used as a weapon. And not very useful ones, at that. They were ordinary kitchen utensils, without any enchantments to harm magical beings. Why would anyone take the trouble of removing them?

And of course, there was the case of the missing fairy. I left her in the closet because I was confident that her powers were being contained somehow. She couldn't fly or use magic at all. And even if she somehow escaped, it didn't explain the things that were left behind. The neck ribbon could have easily been forgotten, but the icicle shard? Was Cirno attacked? Or maybe she struggled violently enough to injure herself?

Still, I couldn't leave it at this. I had a feeling that Cirno knew something important. The way she was talking this morning was certainly foolish, but I doubt if she was that imaginative on her own. It would take a certain level of intelligence to come up with a story out of nowhere, after all. There must have been some truth in the things she said. A clue, perhaps? Why had she come to the mansion in the first place?

"Ugh, what's with this situation?" I said aloud. "It's like something out of a novel."

There weren't enough clues to come up with a conclusion at this point. I wasn't even sure if Cirno was still in the mansion. If I was going to investigate this case further, I would need some help. After some thought, I decided that I had better talk to those who are most familiar with this place and the areas around it. But who should I visit?

Remilia was the first person to come to mind. She was the Mistress of the mansion, after all. Hardly anything occured in the mansion that she didn't notice. Or perhaps Sakuya? The head maid had the most mobility out of everyone. She may have noticed something odd this morning. The main problem was that neither of them were back yet. They both left for the Hakurei shrine immediately after I headed to the library.

Or did they?

If she wasn't napping, Meiling would be the best witness. She was the mansion gate guard, and she managed the security around the gardens and grounds. I could probably ask her when she saw them leave. And besides that, she was very familiar with the surrounding area (due to her occasional 'breaks'). Maybe she could tell me more about Cirno and her relationship with the mansion. She must have met up with the ice fairy at some point. Perhaps she even knew the ice fairy's friends.

Then there was Patchouli. When it came to the magical enchantments on the mansion, no one knew more than her. She explained to me before that several layers of magical defense have been layed out. This system protected its walls and structure against direct damage and most types of magic. And that included the keys and locks. She mentioned before that the key I had was one of the few copies that could unlock my room. The only other way to get in would be to destroy the door.

That would have been Flandre's style, at least. Her 'games' were often painful and violent. But violent or not, the little sister had a natural talent when it came to games. She was swift to understand a set of rules and concepts, and after a few rounds, she would quickly form the most effective strategies and plans. Lately, she was interested in puzzle games and mystery novels. Her insight on this case may prove invaluable. The destructive power that came with it was just icing on the cake.

"Yes," I mumbled. "I better find some help."

But, who should I see first?
[ ] Meiling
[ ] Flandre
[ ] Patchouli

And do I trust her?
[ ] I trust her completely.
[ ] I trust her enough.
[ ] I don't trust her.