Code Geass: After Marriage Life

Interference 1

Lelouch traveled to the town on his motorbike in the early morning while pondering about the previous night.

He had trouble sleeping last night since he was constantly thinking about the evidence he had discovered yesterday. "...something was missing, but what?" He worked all night to come up with a solution, but there was none. So, he's going to the fruit store again today to find the answer.

However, when he arrived in the town, he noticed a crowd gathered in front of the fruit store. 'What's going on?' He took off his helmet calmly and strolled past the crowd to enter the store. He was shocked to see a group of cops searching and inspecting the place. He looked around quickly and noticed that all the clues had gone. The storeroom!

He wanted to go to the back of the shop but was stopped abruptly by the officers. "This place is close, kid. Outsiders are not allowed to enter this store without authorization."

Lelouch eyes furrowed in annoyance. "Authorization? From who?" asked him.

"From me." A deep voice suddenly appeared behind them. Lelouch watched as a man in his late thirties with a clean mustache walked toward them with a smile. He wore a brown jacket with a police badge on it, but he does not look like one. Lelouch observed him quietly.

"Let him enter," ordered the guy with authority. The cops obeyed him and they walked past him.

The man stood beside him, "You must be new here. I'm Dave, the detective. Are you one of the owners' acquaintances?" He handed out his hand for a handshake but he did not take it.

Lelouch stared at him coldly, he did not trust him or any of the cops in the store. "Who gave you permission to inspect this place?" Lelouch stood in front of him, arms crossed. He recalled Ken told him that everyone in town is terrified of the thief gang including the police who are unable to help him save his daughter, let alone catch the kidnappers.

"Kid, we provide our service voluntarily to help people in need. It is what we do in this peaceful town," said the detective with a friendly smile.

"Since when?"

The detective noticed a distrustful look on the boy's face and sighed in defeat, "I know you don't trust me since we just met but I am the owner's close friend. Come, I'll prove it to you."

They went straight to the hospital to meet with Ken and prove whether the man lied or not. However, to his surprise, Ken knew him and they seems pretty close too. "It's okay, kid. You can trust him. I'm the one who asks him a favor to catch the kidnappers," explained Ken calmly.

Lelouch was speechless by the sudden situation but nodded eventually. He left the wardroom to meet with Sebastian at the cafeteria.

"Keep your guard up. I don't trust that man," said Lelouch with furrowed brows. Sebastian nodded promptly.

"So, did you find the insider?" Lelouch looked at him hoping for him to say yes. Unfortunately, he did not find anyone yet. He let out a sigh with his fingers pressed on his temple. Why was everything doesn't go the way he hope?

"You didn't sleep last night, am I right? You look tired. Don't overwork yourself, Lelouch. You need the energy to save her." Sebastian patted his shoulders with a reassuring smile. Lelouch watched him as he left.

****

After a quick visit to the hospital. Lelouch decided to stick with Dave for a while to see what was he up to. They returned to the fruit store and began inspections.

"So, do you know what's happened here or when it happens?" Dave questioned him with a notebook in his hand to jot down the information.

Lelouch thought for a second, "I don't since I'm not there when it happened. But I know, it happened three days ago." He purposefully did not mention C.C. to him.

"I see," Dave nodded promptly.

"Do you know what happens?" He asked the detective back.

"I have a hunch. Based on the shoeprints and messes in this store. The culprit came alone to threaten the owners by destroying the shops. However, there are other shoeprints I found in the store. I guess, someone other than the bad guys was trying to stop the culprit. Strangely, the size of the shoeprints is small...like female feet," explained him thoroughly while showing the evidence to the boy.

Lelouch was speechless by him, 'He's good...'

He continued, "But with all this evidence, something is missing. What was their objective? Motive?"

Lelouch's eyes lit up abruptly in realization. 'He's right! There is always a motive behind everything! Why didn't I think of it before?'

Lelouch shook his head, 'Maybe it wasn't so bad to have a helper and he's being very helpful too...I guess, my instinct was wrong about him.'

Lelouch walked beside him, fully invested in the investigation. "I don't understand. Why there is a steel door inside the fruit store? Surely, not to keep the fruit fresh," asked him in confusion. He can use him to clear the fog and bring him straight to the answer.

Dave let out a small laugh. "Well, you don't expect they could afford that hi-tech steel door just to protect their fruits, kid."

"Exactly. Wait-"

"What do you mean by that? Is that door used to protect something else?" Lelouch looked quizzically at him.

"I'm not sure. That's why we need to open that door today to find out what. It could be the most important clue or better, the answer to our case," explained him. Lelouch quietly agreed with him. "We need to open that door." A smile quickly appeared on the detective's face.

"You are smart and sharp, kid. We could use your help." Dave gave him a confident look. Lelouch thinks for a second and nodded with a grin, "Sure. I'll assist."

"Brilliant! Let's get to work."