Erudition of Doyle: Volume One

CHAPTER 4: CASE II - THE SECRET OF ARTISAN EATS

Case 2: The Secret of Artisan
Eats (The Journalist's Work
Chapter, Part One)

ROSALINDA

"Why did you leave the Kendo Club?" I asked, handing him a cold bottle of water. He took it, and I sat down beside him.

“I’m done with that club. They just piss me off. They always think they’re right and won’t even listen to me,” he said through gritted teeth, twisting the cap open and downing the entire bottle in one go, his furrowed brows and tense eyes showing just how angry he was.

I don’t know how we became close. But after that murder case, we started opening up to each other, acting as if we’d known each other for years. Naging malapit kami sa isa’t isa at palagi kaming magkasama. He’s comfortable with me, and I am too.

“Like, what exactly?” I asked.

“They refuse to join the competition in August. Their goal is to keep me from succeeding, they want all the attention to themselves,” aniya, sabay iling.

“Aren’t they skilled?” I asked.

“They are, but they can’t beat me,” he said confidently, though bluntly. “Numerous Kendo mentors invite me to their seminars and workshops, and they even brag about me to other mentors in Kendo. That’s why those fools hate me even more.”

“Gusto mo ba ’yung attention?” I asked.

“No, I don’t care about attention. All I want is to get better at Kendo. I just want to keep improving.”

“Noon pa sila ganyan?”

“Oo, noong junior high pa. Gusto ko ngang umalis rito para walang gulo, pero ayaw ng tatay ko,” he said in frustration.

No wonder he’s always so furious with them. He tossed his water bottle toward the nearby trash bin and came back to sit beside me, but this time, there was no space between us. I instinctively shifted away. Someone might see us and get the wrong idea, or worse, start a rumor. I didn’t want that.

"Of all the clubs, why did you choose the Journalism Club?"

“I’ve always been interested in the journalism profession,” he replied.

“Why?”

“Because of my mother.” He looked at me before continuing. “She influenced and inspired me. Watching her on the news and on her own platform gives me a sense of purpose, it makes me want to understand the philosophy of justice even more.”

“I see. But why did you call me here?”

“Right. I just need a favor.” A favor, huh?

“I’m not officially part of the Journalism Club yet. They said I need to complete one requirement: to submit either a written report or a blog on any topic I choose. If they like it, I’ll become an official member. If not, I’ll have to find another club. The only rule is that the content can’t be harmful, mentally or physically,” he explained at length.

“So?” I asked.

“They said they prefer a video blog over a written one since most members already submit articles. So, if I do a vlog, I’ll have a better chance of getting in.”