The eyes of the Commoners were wide open as both of them scanned at the tall structure that was in front of them.
A magnificent skyscraper overwhelmed Alice and Daisy as its shadow spread across the entire area of the company’s compound. Many people in business suits weaved in and out of the building, only giving so much as a tiny glance before continuing their journey.
They felt conspicuous with their ordinary outdoor outfit, regretting dressing up the way their other clubmates have done.
“Stop gawking and get a move on!” Betty shouted impatiently.
“It looks so different up close, isn’t it Alice?” Daisy asked, trying to lose the embarrassment.
Alice nodded briefly, her eyes darting over the windows of the building.
Betty’s face flushed as she realised that she was not being heard and stomped right towards the white-haired youth.
“We need to go now! Lady Elaine and the secretary are waiting for us inside.”
“Oh…” Alice mumbled as if just noticing the small girl.
With that, the trio entered the building.
The girls rode up 50 floors in its quiet glass elevator to the executive floor of the building. They stepped out into a large hallway where a large board, consisting of the company's history of past achievements, was plastered to its walls.
“His office is to the end,” Shiro’s secretary, who picked them up at the entrance earlier, informed them.
Together with the girls, the secretary led the way, head bowed slightly, towards the office. The secretary gave a knock and announced, “Miss Alice and her colleagues are here, Mr Shiro.”
“I felt like a noble now,” Daisy whispered towards her leader’s ears.
Betty gave a glare when she saw her two clubmates snickered with one another. As always, it did not affect them other than making her feel more annoyed.
With their shoes sinking into the plush red carpet, the girls began to cross the large office to where a middle-aged man sat on a luxurious black office chair. His eyes analysed the girls and watched their approach toward him, not giving any traces of his emotions. He seemed ready to speak but made no first move.
Shiro appeared much younger than the girls thought, and when Betty looked down at his clothes, her eyes lit up.
All those clothing brands that were being worn on him… they are the ones that have multiple digits on their price tag. Even with her allowance, she couldn’t afford such things easily. Perhaps as a birthday gift only.
Nevertheless, she felt a bit miffed about the man that he could wear such items despite being a Commoner.
Elaine was a bit confused at Betty’s reaction but had no comment on it.
Both sides stared and examined each other, waiting for the other to speak first. A slight air of tension arose across the office table.
“I heard from my sister that you asked her many questions about the incident,” Shiro spoke calmly.
“Yes, Mr Shiro,” Alice answered.
“I suppose I am a suspect too,” Shiro indicated to them as they sat in the circle of armchairs prepared in front of his table.
“Everyone at the moment does,” Daisy said reassuringly. “Don’t worry, we will thoroughly investigate before we start eliminating each one.”
“I know for one that I didn’t kill my father.”
Alice let the statement pass and leaned forward, her hand resting on her chin. “Can you tell us about the night of the murder?”
“Getting right to it aren’t we?” the man sighed. “What I can say just makes my brother even more guilty…”
“I was sleeping that night, just arriving home from a busy day. I had a special meeting with one of my most important clients just hours prior and it was a long one. So I instantly fell asleep at that point.”
“My room is right next to Yui, though a bit further from the stairs. I recalled that I woke up hearing a couple of bangs right outside despite the storm raging outside. Perhaps due to what the building is made of.”
“Anyway, by the time I get out of bed, maybe it's been about two minutes or so, I saw Yui ahead of me on the stairs and Sebastian out from the corridor on the ground floor.”
“And you immediately recognised Daniel running out?”
“Yes,” the man had a somewhat disappointed look. “I called out to him but he didn’t stop. Instead, he just ran away out the front door.”
Daisy asked, “At the time you saw him, what did you think he was doing?”
“To be perfectly honest, I thought he was chasing a culprit who entered our home, like an intruder. But then, while Sebastian tried to chase after him, Yui and I checked out the library and that’s where we saw our father’s body, dead on the chair. That’s when I realised that he was running away.”
“That’s interesting, “ Betty spoke up. “The first thought that came out of you was that he was chasing someone who entered your home.”
“I did,” Shiro confirmed. “What about it?”
“Whereas everyone else that we talked to implied or said that they know Daniel was the one who killed your father. So why then?”
“Isn’t it because he is a trained shooter? He might have fired the shots to scare off an intruder.”
The man was surprised when the girls all looked shocked.
“What did I say wrongly? Daniel is a sh-”
“Forgive us, Mr Shiro,” Elaine interrupted, her head bowing. “We were under the impression that Daniel wasn't able to shoot a gun.”
“Oh right, I suppose this wasn’t said in the news…”
Shiro, finally getting it, laughed harshly, “Daniel is an expert shooter, He was even part of a gun club at some point. He was given the training to handle guns by our father. That’s why I thought that he was chasing someone that night. If I’m not wrong, he still owns a pistol.”
“The same Taurus pistol that was used to kill your father?”
“Perhaps. The gun was never found because Daniel was asking me and everyone else where it was some weeks before that. Apparently, it just disappeared from his room on a random normal day.”
“What about you?” Alice pointed at the man, not caring about etiquette.
“Me?”
“Yes, can you shoot?”
“I can. I was also given the same training. Father wants us to learn just in case someday there might be the use of it given our status and wealth that we have.”
“What about Sebastian and Miss Yui?”
“I believe Sebastian may have had some training a long time ago but it was never confirmed. I didn’t care what past he had. As for Yui, she was never considered since she’s a female. Father never sees the need for her to do it. He just wants her to be completely focused on her paintings. Not that I completely approved of it though.”
The man spoke with slight disgust, something that the girls took note of. Even this particular brother held the same opinion as them in regards to the quality of those paintings.
Betty continued asking, “Since Sebastian has been with you for very long, you must have known him well.”
“No, not really,” Shiro shook his head. “He was more of Father’s butler. He wasn’t close to any of us. If I had a choice, I would get rid of him a long time ago. Now’s Father’s dead, I might just do it soon. That old man is no longer needed.”
The man began to fidget and looked at the clock on the wall. Daisy, noticing that he was intending to finish soon, quickly asked, “The other informed us about the terrible fight that occurred on the night before the event. What do you think about it?”
“I just think that Daniel deserved it,” The man said without any sympathy in his tone. “My father has been giving him money, which he carelessly spent and wasted on many useless things. Especially since he hardly earned them himself. Things like that.”
“Don’t you think that is unfair to you given that you guys are brothers?”
“No,” Shiro gave a sharp look to the girls. “I wasn’t jealous of him at all.”
“But-”
“I ran a company. Father teaches ways on how to manage it. I earned millions ever since I started working. And now I have complete control of it. There is absolutely no reason for me to be jealous of someone like my brother who wasted his life all day and the money that was given. I don’t know who told Father about his spending, but I suspect Yui could be the one. She’s at home most of her time, doing her paintings and talking with Father. Whereas I am always outside to operate the company. In any case, I won’t support Daniel the way Father did.”
“Did you tell him that?” Alice asked as she stood up.
The man stood up, his face flushed and almost slamming the table. “Of course not, or Daniel might have killed me instead!”
