[x] Greet her politely.

I walked up to Patchouli and gave her a little wave.

"Good morning," I said.

She turned around and nodded to me. The magician didn't seem at all surprised.

"Visited the little sister again?" she asked.

Patchouli gave me a tiny smile. I laughed uneasily. How did she guess? And, 'again', she had said. Was there anyone in the house that didn't know about my early morning visits? I started to suspect that there was some sort of surveillance system in this place. Either that or my actions had become predictable. It was a troubling thought.

"How is she?"

"Eh?"

"The little sister," she said. "How is she?"

I paused for a moment. For some reason, I felt like I shouldn't mention Flandre's injury. Not just yet, anyway.

"She seemed tired. Flan just fell asleep a short while ago."

"I see. Not unexpected. Flandre was moving about all over the mansion last night. Some new game, I suppose."

"Did she tell you anything?" I asked.

Patchouli yawned and shook her head.

"She asked about some books on curses, but nothing unusual. I am not aware of what she did next, as I took a rest for a little bit."

Hmm. What was Flandre looking for? Did she discover something unusual? How did she get an injury in the first place? I thought about asking her more questions, but there was something at the back of my head that was sounding an alarm. Something was out of place. Then, I realized it. Patchouli was alone and she wasn't reading the book in her hand.

"Is anything wrong?" I asked.

The magician averted her eyes and lowered her head. Without an open book to hide her face, I could clearly see that she was worried about something.

"..."

"What's wrong, Patchouli? You can tell me."

"..."

Silence. It didn't seem like she was going to tell me. I waited a bit longer, but she just stood there without a word. I glanced at my watch. I still had time before breakfast. The morning would be a waste if I stay here any longer. I gave her a small nod to say that I understood, and I began to walk toward the main hallway.

"Please wait."

Someone tugged lightly at the my shirt. I turned around to Patchouli.

"Can you help me?" she asked.

"What's wrong?"

Her voice was but a whisper when she spoke.

"My familiar," she said. "Koakuma is missing."

Patchouli explained that she couldn't find her at the Voile library after she woke up this morning. She had tried locating her with magic, but it was no use. Not wanting to cause an alarm among the mansion staff, she decided to try searching for her on her own.

"I understand. Let me help you find her."

[ ] Search the grounds.
[ ] Search the first floor.
[ ] Search the second floor.
[ ] Search the rooftop area.