Souta nodded slowly at the Lieutenant's warning, his smile fading back into a neutral stare as Suzume, at last, opened up about what she had experienced during the chaos at the Academy. There was a moment where he froze, shock spreading through his limbs like a wildfire before he took hold of the feeling and buried it, brows furrowing despite his best efforts at maintaining the calm facade. Ayame fared little better, her mouth hanging open at the details of what his fellow Fourth Seat had seen, though she recovered well, looking his way to gauge his reaction before she pushed on, laying out the intuitive leap her mind (and his) had made without ever saying it outright.
Captain Fujiwara. He took a moment to process the thought, the enormity of it pressing against his shoulders as if the whole world had come to rest there. He had studied under the man during his time at the Academy, had found him to be an excellent teacher with a far harsher reputation than he merited, even if he was rigorous with his standards. To think, we have degraded so far as to cast suspicion on a Captain. And yet...
And yet, it made sense. If Kikuchi was not the cause of the disaster but merely an intermediary, then the next most likely culprit would be the one man he seemed to respect enough to actually obey.
“...I will look into the 16th Seat, Lieutenant. Today, if I can find him.” Souta said after a long few moments, looking towards the Minamoto before he turned his attention over to Hattori, his expression severe enough that it made his earlier smile seem downright friendly. “I suggest you take a great deal more care as well, Hattori-san. Not every lie you hear will be as innocuous as mine were, and it seems we have both attracted the attention of those with the power to make our lives very short.”
He stood then, slow and steady, bowing to Ayame with proper formality first before he gave his fellow Fouth Seat a single nod and spoke once more, folding his hands together inside the sleeves of his blue robes so that they were no longer visible. A habit, born of many years attending informal parties with those far above his own station, where a single misstep could mean years of work undone… and a single gesture could change the course of his career for decades to come.
“I need only know how to contact you, should I find anything.”
Captain Fujiwara. He took a moment to process the thought, the enormity of it pressing against his shoulders as if the whole world had come to rest there. He had studied under the man during his time at the Academy, had found him to be an excellent teacher with a far harsher reputation than he merited, even if he was rigorous with his standards. To think, we have degraded so far as to cast suspicion on a Captain. And yet...
And yet, it made sense. If Kikuchi was not the cause of the disaster but merely an intermediary, then the next most likely culprit would be the one man he seemed to respect enough to actually obey.
“...I will look into the 16th Seat, Lieutenant. Today, if I can find him.” Souta said after a long few moments, looking towards the Minamoto before he turned his attention over to Hattori, his expression severe enough that it made his earlier smile seem downright friendly. “I suggest you take a great deal more care as well, Hattori-san. Not every lie you hear will be as innocuous as mine were, and it seems we have both attracted the attention of those with the power to make our lives very short.”
He stood then, slow and steady, bowing to Ayame with proper formality first before he gave his fellow Fouth Seat a single nod and spoke once more, folding his hands together inside the sleeves of his blue robes so that they were no longer visible. A habit, born of many years attending informal parties with those far above his own station, where a single misstep could mean years of work undone… and a single gesture could change the course of his career for decades to come.
“I need only know how to contact you, should I find anything.”
