[x] Insist that she come with you back upstairs.

"Upstairs? But I'm not yet finished here..."

I shook my head and firmly held her hand.

"Four people have been brutally murdered, and we have no clue to who is behind these killings. I'm not leaving anyone alone down here. Especially you, Patchouli. You are in no condition to wander around like this. You should know that."

"Did Koakuma tell you that?"

"She is just worried about you. You shouldn't push yourself in this kind of weather. What were you researching, anyway?"

The magician paused for a moment. Her expression was unreadable.

"This curse is the inevitable result of several events in the past," said Patchouli. "And these events have been carefully chronicled in the records and memoirs that lie here in the old library. The key lies somewhere in this vast sea of information."

"Huh? You mean it isn't some random incident?"

"I must continue searching... for the truth."

Patchouli forced herself up and started limping towards a nearby reading desk. There were a number of thick volumes on it, most of them in French. She picked up one of them and began flipping through the pages once more. I sighed loudly.

"Don't you think that it is a bit too late for that?"

"..."

She did not raise her head from the book, but I was sure that she was listening. I took a few steps closer and pulled out something from my pocket and put it down in front of here. It was the same letter that I had found this morning in the rain.

"Read it."

Patchouli did not answer, nor did she look up at me. Instead, she calmly put down her book and took the letter in her hands. I watched as she read the entirety of its contents. Her eyes widened slightly at several parts, but she did not speak. And after she finished, she folded it and returned it to me. What she said next was something I didn't expect.

"That letter is a forgery. The handwriting and style is indeed similar, but I assure you that this was not written by the Watchmaker."

"Huh? How can you tell?"

"I've read almost all of his works."

The magician began moving several of the books on her desk, revealing a small black book. She quickly pocketed it. Then, she turned back to me.

"Let's go," she said.

"But I thought you wanted to stay down here."

Patchouli gave me the tiniest smile as she took my hand. Together, we began flying back upstairs. Neither of us spoke until we reached the main level. And in a few minutes, we reached the little camp that the fairy maids had formed. But there was something different. A large dining table was set at the very center, and it looked exactly like the one from the main dining room.

"Welcome back, you two. We've been waiting patiently, ehehe~"

Flandre Scarlet stood at the farthest end of the table. That place was usually reserved for the lowest ranked person, so this was a strange sight. On her left sat the servants. Closest to her sat Meiling, who looked utterly confused. Beside the gateguard was Sakuya, who gave me a slightly cold look. On the vampire's right sat Koakuma, whose face lit up immediately when she saw us. And after letting me down, the magician floated to the seat beside her familiar.

"What's all this about?" I asked.

The little sister smiled a bit wider.

"It is lunchtime, of course. Why don't you take a seat~"

I saw that there were three empty seats at the table.
[ ] Sit beside Sakuya, on the right.
[ ] Sit beside Patchouli, on the left.
[ ] Sit across Flandre, on the other end.