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Introduction
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Jours Bruyants — Tales of Lost Children is an intermission from Jun Mochizuki's The Case Study of Vanitas, set between Mémoire 46: Un Autre and Mémoire 47: Hétérogène.
This article contains plot and/or ending details for The Case Study of Vanitas.
Read at your own risk.
Summary[]
Avis de recherche: enfants perdus! (Wanted poster: lost children!)
This chapter contains three side stories about getting lost and being found again.
Case 1: The Matter of Noé Archiviste
In the present time.
Vanitas and a drunk Dante come back to Hôtel Chouchou after midnight, only to discover from Amelia that Noé has yet to return. Vanitas comments that today was his cafe day, which Amelia confirms, and Dante is shocked to find out Noé works. Noé works as a waiter at a cafe (charming customers by the earnest way he describes specials), does physical labor at a factory (which Vanitas scolded him for lest someone find out he’s a Vampire), and minds shops for owners (whom he’s befriended so closely they trust him to do so). He even runs errands per Nox and Manet’s requests as well, due to how much Orlok seems to like him. Amelia gives a glass of water to Dante, who comments how surprising that is considering Noé is a ward of the de Sades. As Murr jumps up to rub against him, Vanitas explains Noé seems to save the money he receives from the de Sades for emergencies.
Amelia approaches Vanitas and says that before leaving Noé had exclaimed about taking a walk around Paris, so excitedly he’s sure to have gotten lost. Amelia and Vanitas commiserate in their despair and frustration, for not only Noé’s getting lost but too-wide range they’ve been given to try and find him. Dante observes this and notes that Vanitas intends to find Noé where Dante expected him to react uncaringly and move on. Dante smirks smugly, making Vanitas comment on his “creepy expression” though the former only joins the latter in overlooking a map of Paris.
Vanitas explains to Dante that Noé genuinely doesn’t have a bad sense of direction; what causes him to get so lost are his incredibly sharp senses picking up anything that so much as interests him and his attention thus being pulled every which way—which Amelia attributes to him being inquisitive. Through Vanitas’s observations, he’s noticed certain details such as: Noé prefers narrow side roads to wide straight avenues, and crowded cluttered places to places with good visibility. Dante makes an impressed expression. Additionally, though Vanitas can’t even begin to understand why, Noé is very transfixed with stairs and will likely use one should he come across it (being more likely to go up than down). But the vital thing is whether there will be something of interest there—if there’s a crowd around something, if there’s a good smell, if there’s an attractive shop, all of that will draw him towards it. Dante summarizes all of this pointedly: Noé is basically a child.
Dante is surprised they go places together often enough for Vanitas to know all this. Vanitas brushes this off as him simply abiding Noé’s requests to show him around the city, but Dante is insistent on this being a sign of how close they are. Vanitas says knowing Noé’s habits aren’t enough and he needs more information about the area, which is where Dante comes in. Dante cockily pulls out a small notebook and brags about how he knows everything about Paris, which Vanitas rebukes. And yet, the two of them with fervor tackle together the great task of finding Noé and bringing him home. As they huddle around the map and discuss routes as if figuring out a game, Amelia notes how they seem to be having fun.
Some time later, Vanitas and Dante triumphantly reel Noé back home by his coat belts and with a hit to the back of his head. Amelia greets them warmly with a midnight snack as congratulations.
Case 2: The Matter of Roland Fortis
Before Vanitas and Noé met Roland.
Olivier finds out that Roland isn’t home yet from the latter’s subordinates, Georges and Maria. Eight hours ago he had gone out “to get a little sun” but has yet to return, meaning he’s most likely gotten lost. They had come to Olivier for help as they’d figured he would know where Roland would be due to the two having been friends long before joining the Chasseurs. To this, Olivier makes a dark and twisted expression and says they don’t understand a thing about Roland, to their unease and surprise. Olivier begins to tell a story from back when he and Roland had just come to Paris, and there was a time where Roland failed to return to post. All his colleagues had gone to him for guidance considering how long the two had known each other, and Olivier, wanting to stop being bothered, went on to try and read Roland’s mind.
Olivier had placed down a map of Paris and started discussing. First things first, he dismissed any and all possibility that Roland deserted, so sternly and sharply that everyone around him is a bit scared. Rather, due to his terrible sense of direction and his being new to the city, he was simply lost. He’d last been spotted looking at the Notre-Dame Cathedral at two o’clock, so Olivier proposed that as Roland likes wide, open spaces, he’d gone to the river Seine to stretch his legs before entering a bouquiniste to find picture books to send to his younger siblings. While his Vice-Captain poured tea, Olivier continued: the sun would’ve been out and Roland would’ve been drawn to it after being underground for so long, and followed the light to the mooring tower under construction. Roland loves dirigibles and would’ve taken off running towards it. But the area in question is full of winding, narrow alleyways, which is prime for him to get totally lost in. Olivier’s colleagues were shocked and impressed at the level of detail in Olivier’s analysis.
After serving him the tea, Olivier’s Vice-Captain took note of the area Olivier pointed out and planned to search there. At this, Olivier took the tea and made that same twisted expression. He put his face in his hands and exclaimed with growing frustration how Roland would betray their expectations in the worst possible way, meaning they would need to deduce at least ten more possible routes he could’ve gone and abandon all common sense to track him down. Some time later, the Chasseurs were fully prepared with permission to leave and fully detailed plans on where to search. Together, with Olivier at the lead, they gathered their determination and made to find Roland.
Roland burst through the door and announced how he’d climbed to the top of the Notre-Dame, where it was so sunny and warm he’d been napping there all this time. Roland’s bright grin and his colleagues’ despairing expressions set off one another as the former wondered where the latter were off to. Olivier’s Vice-Captain deadpanned that Olivier was dead right about Roland betraying them in the worst possible way.
In the present, Olivier slams his head against the doorframe from the sheer frustration brought on by that mere memory. Georges and Maria flinch as Olivier growls how he’d given up on trying to read Roland’s mind ever since that incident, because it’d be more useful to rely on feelings than thoughts. Olivier then points them in the direction of someone more “qualified”: Astolfo. And when the two do approach the boy in question, he condescendingly turns them down and slams the door in their faces.
As they walk away, Maria, frustrated, asks if Astolfo has always been like that, to which Georges starts talking about how attached to Roland Astolfo used to be. Maria is shocked, and Georges remarks that the boy’s admiration looked closer to “worship” than anything, due to how Roland had saved him from Vampires. Maria and Georges both mourn over the horrible incident that had happened to the Granatum family. Maria asks how Astolfo had gotten to this current state from where he used to be. Georges explains that the more one worships another as a totally perfect being, even the slightest departure from expectation would seem like a betrayal. Maria absorbs this.
Maria flinches as suddenly from behind Astolfo followed by his Vice-Captain Marco calls out to Georges. Maria is angry at being ignored while Georges responds to Astolfo’s call. Astolfo asks if Roland was in charge of Chasseur training tomorrow, which Georges confirms with surprise that he knew. Astolfo infers that he wouldn’t drink due to those responsibilities, nor would he stray too far knowing he’d get lost, and even if he was dragged into an incident he would have contacted the Church before acting. Georges confirms all of this and asks Astolfo to elaborate his point. Astolfo turns his lip up, sighs tiredly, and guesses that Roland was currently helping someone look for their lost cat. Astolfo walks away with Marco, leaving Maria and Georges confused behind him.
Later after coming back home, Roland explains that while out on a walk about the city he’d come across a lady looking for her lost cat, whom he offered to help search for. Cats tend to run from him whenever he tries to approach one so he’d been caught up for some time, but he ended up receiving as thanks a large amount of liquor, which Olivier takes appreciatively. Maria meanwhile marvels at how Astolfo was completely correct.
Case 3: The Matter of Louis
When Noé, Dominique, and Louis were still children together.
Dominique is shocked to find that Louis hasn’t come home yet. Noé, reproachfully, explains that he and Louis had been reading together a little while ago until the latter mentioned going into the woods for a while and then abruptly leaving. Louis had said blankly that it was late and he might get lost, but he wanted to go anyways, even though he’d get lost. Dominique is puzzled to hear this, but Noé supposes Louis is so smart he’d predicted what would happen to him, with Dominique agreeing, displaying their absolute faith in Louis. Noé frets more about how he’d been sternly told by Louis to not follow him, while Dominique takes notice of the picture book Louis had been reading before he left.
In the book was a story of a boy befriending a fairy and becoming a “resident of the other side.” The story goes that one day the boy had gotten lost in the forest, where he met a flower fairy whom he made friends with. The boy’s family never treated him well, so playing with his fairy friend was the boy’s only joy through his days. At the end of the story, the boy failed to come home and the boy’s family joined in the village’s search for the boy solely to keep up appearances. They never found him; despite the boy being right there, no one could see him anymore. The boy’s family forgot about him and returned to normal life, while the boy went to fairyland to live happily with the rest of his fairy friends. “What a happy ending.”
In the forest outside their home, Louis sits perched up on a tree branch with a book and pillow, taking a small nap. He rouses at the faint calling of his name and looks down to find Dominique and Noé searching and yelling for him. Louis sees their distressed expressions and is satisfied. Tearfully, Dominique asks Noé if what happened to Louis was like in the picture book and he’d been taken away by fairies—what if they never see Louis again? Louis waits eagerly to see what reaction happens. Noé absorbs Dominique’s words and instantly bursts into tears.
Noé and Dominique collapse to the ground together in wailing sobs, mourning for Louis. Louis is completely taken aback and unnerved by this, and he grits his teeth and bites back his pride. Louis steps forward out of the forest into Noé and Dominique’s sight, where they tackle him to the ground together with tears of joy and relief. As they cling to him while still crying, Louis recalls himself sitting alone and reading that book, and he flushes at the feeling of being missed. He tells Noé and Dominique that no one was lost and it’s time to come back in, and they joyfully agree, before all three go home together.
Characters[]
Case 1: The Matter of Noé Archiviste
- Vanitas
- Dante
- Amelia Ruth
- Murr
- Noé Archiviste
- Nox (Mentioned only)
- Manet (Mentioned only)
- Parks Orlok (Mentioned only)
Case 2: The Matter of Roland Fortis
- Olivier
- Georges
- Maria
- Olivier's Vice-Captain*
- Astolfo Granatum
- Marco
- Roland Fortis
Case 3: The Matter of Louis
(*) - Denotes that the character did not appear physically, but as a part of another character's memories.
Terms[]
Trivia[]
- Jours Bruyants is literally translated as "noisy days" from French.
References[]
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| v - e - t | The Case Study of Vanitas Chapters |
|---|---|
| Parisian Excursion Arc | 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 |
| Bal Masqué Arc | 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 |
| Hunters of the Dark Arc | 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 |
| The Beast of Gévaudan Arc | 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31 • 32 • 33 • 34 • 34.5 • 35 • 36 • 37 • 38 • 38.5 • 39 • 40 • 41 • 42 • 43 |
| Amusement Park Arc | 44 • 45 • 46 • 47 • 48 • 49 • 50 • 51 • 52 • 53 • 54 • 54.5 • 55 • 55.5 • 56 |
| Miel Incident Arc | 57 • 58 • 59 • 60 • 61 • 61.5 • 62 • 62.5 • 63 • 64 • 65 |
| Intermissions | 15.5 • 46.5 • 51.5 • 60.5 |
| Volumes | 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 |
| Omake | Vanitashu no Karute • Romance is a✰LOVE MISSION • Confessional Counseling Office |
| Other | Author's Notes |