The next day, Olivia bid her family farewell as she headed for work. She only felt the presence of her stalker when she closed from work. Alex had wanted to go with her, but she refused, suggesting he take their little brother to school instead.
With nothing left to say, he agreed. He accompanied Aaron to school before returning home.
Sometime later, Ross arrived at his home. They planned to wait till the evening when Olivia closed from work. Also, with Julia joining them, he had to go to the interplanetary teleportation hub to welcome her.
Julia arrived close to noon, but she wasn't alone. James, her butler accompanied her. She decided to rent a hotel room for her stay here until they concluded the stalker issue.
When they settled in the hotel room, Alex, Ross, Julia and James had a little discussion concerning the security detail.
"Why didn't you say anything to me or my parents?" Alex asked. He came up with a couple of reasons as to why, but he wanted to hear it from James himself.
Still, with a professional demeanour, James replied, "It was intentional. None of you knowing about your private security allowed your family to go on like always. It was also to not draw too much attention…"
Alex nodded, seeing the reason behind his words and just as he guessed. However, that was not the end.
"…more importantly, it was sort of a trail."
"A trial?" He echoed. He couldn't see any reason why that would be a trial. Ross and Julia were equally perplexed, waiting for James to continue.
Smiling slightly, James explained, "We wanted to see how long it would take for you to notice their presence as well as reason out why media outlets and other people couldn't reach you despite your popularity back then."
Alex was briefly speechless. No such thing had crossed his mind back then. While he saw various articles and news about him, he never actually met any media house. In fact, he didn't care what was said about him. Only his peace and quiet lifestyle mattered, and since he wasn't disturbed, he thought little about it.
"You didn't have to go through all that trouble, did you?" Julia asked. James' and her uncle's reasoning was solid, but why do all that?
"You're all growing, and it's important you learn how to pick up the smallest things out of place. Being a hunter isn't all about fighting beasts and void creatures, you know? You must cultivate an investigative mind. See through the veil of normalcy and question everything. Not everything is as it seems."
His deep words resonated with the trio who exchanged glances. Right now, they were planning on finding the stalker, and if they were to get anywhere, they needed to see things differently. Ignoring what looked normal might come back to bite them in the future.
Watching the kids take in his words brought a small smile to his lips.
Suddenly Alex asked, "And I also take it that you won't be accompanying us with our search?"
James simply smiled and remained silent. But that was all the response they needed.
Of course, he would keep an eye on them from a distance and watch as they tried to solve the mystery.
With the resources of the Knight family, they could easily deal with the issue, but where was the fun in that? The words he spoke right now were not for show. They needed all the experience they could get.
Understanding that it was up to them to solve the mystery, the trio made a rough plan on what to do once they sensed the individual. Julia would accompany Olivia while Alex and Ross would attempt to capture their target.
Naturally, they won't make their target aware they were detected. Ross would keep a distance from the party when they picked up Olivia. That way, they would have eyes in front and behind. After going through the nitty gritty of their plan, the trio decided to go exploring.
However, the exploration wasn't without a plan. They purposely ventured to the vicinity where Olivia worked and took note of the environment, the layouts and the dark alleys.
However, they carried out their covert missions separately and as naturally as possible to not appear out of place. As impressive as the city and its technologically advanced state were, crime was still something that could occur in the shadows.
The private information of people isn't something that could be accessed by anyone. Only those with the highest form of authority could by-pass it and that was only in the event said person was an absolute threat to the empire. Small-time city lords and even planet lords didn't have clearance even when conducting investigations.
Then again, there were always exceptions. It only took the right person to know what they were doing. Technology can be easily deceived.
Of course, there were rules put in place to deter hunters from recklessly using their abilities to disturb public order, and even forces capable of capturing rogue hunters when the need arises.
When it neared the closing time for Aaron, Ross and Julia escorted Alex to pick him up. This was a pleasant surprise for Aaron as it had been a while since he'd seen Alex's friends, especially Julia, whom Aaron firmly believed would end up with his brother. Honestly, he still couldn't understand why they weren't already dating.
He had asked his brother about this matter the previous night and his disappointment in his brother's inaction left him dumbfounded.
At their age and stature, they were already adults, powerful ones too.
"Hey Aaron, long time." Julia greeted with a warm smile once Aaron stepped out of the confines of the school.
"Yeah, you've gotten prettier." He commented without a shred of awkwardness. His bright eyes, coupled with his smile as he appreciated her beauty.
'Well done, bro. You've got good eyes.' Alex subtly nodded his head in agreement. Aaron's comment wasn't without substance. Pretty much everyone around the school entrance was looking their way. They stood out a bit too much with their height and build, as for Julia, her exquisite looks and demeanour captivated the onlookers.
Shortly after, they departed, grabbing a cab to quickly get Aaron home. The time was drawing near, and they needed to ensure Aaron got home as soon as possible before they made their way towards Olivia's workplace.
"Alright, let's get a move on."