Marika:
"That stubborn busy-body!" I shifted through Seiji's desk, making sure that the note I snuck in last night was still there. If he threw it away right after showering, I'm gonna blow a fu- Okay, good. It's still here.... Wait, so that means he did read it!
"Dear Seiji," the note stated. "DO. NOT. I repeat. Do not go find a job for us! My father and I agreed that we'll handle your expenses for you. You don't need to worry about us, okay? Just sit back and keep up your research. If you do, I'll literally tail you 24/7 until you can relax in the house! Got it? PLATONIC Love and Kisses, Marika~"
Apparently, he didn't "get it" because the man in question was gone, leaving behind all his belongings! Oh god, maybe the platonic part turned him off. Dang it! I should've known that the note came off too strong...… I sighed, collapsing onto the bed Seiji was now using.
"Geez, is it just me or do his sheets smell like Old Spice now? I swear, these were brand new." I pondered to myself as I sniffed his-
"Ack! What the hell am I doing?" I yelled out like an idiotic schoolgirl.
"Yeah, sis. What are you doing?" I whipped my head around to see that Riya was there, leaning against the door frame. Her crossed arms and disapproving gaze made me throw the sheets I was clutching at, nearly out the window.
"Riya! Go….. go back to your room, missy!" I scolded, pretending and failing to sound like our mother.
"Okay, boomer. I could say the same for you." She sassed back, burrowing eyes into mine like drills. I practically had to force myself to cough, in order to break the tension.
"I'm just checking out- Up! Just checking up on Seiji before I leave for work." I stammered as I checked my smartphone for the time. "In….. like 25 more minutes."
Glancing up, I faced my pouty sister once more. Giving her smile, I began to tie my newly dyed pink hair into a ponytail. "Want me to make you something? Omurice, right? I just got done making breakfast for all four of us but I could whip up-
"Four of us? You've gotta be kidding! I said this before and I'll say it now, that man isn't our family! Mom's hurting right now, yet you and even dad of all people just let him mooch off of us?" Riya stomped towards me, her right hand curled into a tight fist- which I gently took in my hand. Surprised, she began to step backwards but I managed to catch her by the hips before she could fall down. Something metallic gleamed from her hand as I did so.
"You… still have that gold ring on you." I whispered, pointing out the piece of experience jewelry that was latched onto index finger.
"Shut up. I was….. I was just about to sell it to the local pawn shop for mom's medical bills." Riya lied as she gently rubbed her precious birthday present that she received from Seiji all those years ago.
"If that's the case, why'd you wait now of all times to do so?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
"It's because... cuz you're letting that traitor live with us so I'm being the logical and intelligent adult that's going to-"
"Going to show your present off to Seiji like how you did when you were ten….. right?"
She paused, unable to refute my claims. Seems like I was on the money with this one. "You don't really hate him, do you? You just want him back just like all three of-"
"Hate him? Of course I do, idiot!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, as if increasing the volume would turn her lie into truth. She then marched away from me, heading straight to the bathroom. "God! Your stupid, lovey-dovey bias is making my stomach hurt!"
With that, she was gone, locking the door behind her. I decided that I was done too as I began my trek down the rickety wooden stairs. However, I turned around once more to the bathroom door, "When we finish up work this week, let's all go out for karaoke!"
Standing at the edge of the stairway, I silently waited. After a few seconds, I started to believe that my declaration came unnoticed until- A single knock reverberated down the walls. That's all the answer I need. Checking my phone again, I quickly tied on my apron and then cracked some eggs into a bowl.
"Looks I have just enough time to make that omurice," I thought to myself as I began whisking. My job was to make sure everything is fine so that busy-body Seiji won't have to worry- A goal that I was determined to accomplish. As I was hyping myself up, however, a notification ping rang from my phone, diverting my attention.
Seiji:
Stupid, stupid rock! I glared at the cursed fruit in my hand as if it was my mortal enemy. Hell, this thing should be after all the bull it put me through! First, it managed to completely ruin my 7-11 interview. An interview which I was lucky enough to get a response the day of! How rare is that? Second, what's up with these black pollen that constantly shows up whenever I'm touching this thing? I nearly sneezed on my would-be employer because of it! Third... I don't even wanna begin to explain problem number three. I'll never be able to look at sukonbu the same way again. God, just thinking about it makes me shiver.
I sent Mari a text that I was going to not only find a job but take her out on a date too! With a sigh, I collapsed onto a nearby park bench. Having nothing better to do, I just stared at the serene sight in front of me. The beautiful pond, the cherry trees breezing in the sky, and the botanical marvel that was the Shinjuku National Garden- It was all so serene, unlike my day!
Clutching my head, multiple thoughts fought for dominance as they tried to take over my brain. How am I gonna fix this? Where am I gonna find the money to help the Momoi's? Did a bird just poop on my shoulder just now? Mari's gonna be so mad when she finds out I failed my interview-
"Hey now, a frown doesn't suit you. Smile-smile, right?" Whipping my head around, I almost had a heart attack. Sitting right next me... was a woman. A hooded woman who must've teleported next to me because I didn't notice her presence at all! Normally, you'd register if someone was slowly approaching you but again, nothing.
I scooted away from her to give her some space as you normally would for a stranger. Then I opened up with- "Do I know you, ma'am?"
The woman sifted her gaze towards me. "Hmm, I wonder? Do you?"
Whether it was her head tilt or the evening breeze, her hood was pushed back against her, exposing what was hidden under it. All I could do was gawk. A pair of cyan apatite eyes protected behind clear-rimmed glasses stared back at me. My face reflected back from them as if I was gazing into a clear-view lake. Bundles of angelic white hair billowed out from her hood like freshly fallen snow. And then there was her skin. Pale. Almost as pale as her snowy white hair which gave her a glow that was indescribable by words alone. Although I only had eyes for Marika, I couldn't help but describe the person in front of me as beautiful. No, radiant. Angelic. Angelically radiant if such a word existed.
"Ummm… hello?" Her delicate yet strangely familiar voice broke me out of my trance. Familiar, yeah. She does feel familiar but I've never met this woman in my life. And then it hit me. The woman from yesterday's dream. The dream where I was horribly mutated. The dream.... where she killed me.
"Oh. You got some bird poop on your shoulder. Lemmie get that." She gently hovered her hand over my stained shoulder which was thankfully covered up by my hoodie. I have no idea if my eyes were playing tricks on me but I could've sworn her hand gave off a turquoise glow. Okay, now I knew my eyes were playing tricks on me because the stinky white stain was completely erased from my clothing.
"How'd you do that?" I gasped. The woman smiled at me who was all too giddy about explaining everything to me.
"It's a spell called Pres-" Before she could finish, the woman slapped her hand over her mouth.
"I.... I'm sorry but did you just say, spell?" The heck does this woman think she was? Harry Potter? In fact, that might be what she was going for with that hoodie of hers. It was made of a marble-colored fabric and had strange symbols that reminded me of runes from the Elder Scrolls series. A total nerd I see, I respect it. "What'd you mean by-"
"Ahaha! Spell, pfft! I meant- Uh.... A magic trick! You know, like this!" Sweating profusely, she merged her hands together as she performed the thumb-removal magic trick. A magic trick that even a five year old could accomplish.
"See? It's just a simple illusion to the eye!" She laughed nonchalantly but her eyes screamed: please don't question me further. Taking the hint, I gave her a slow clap of false satisfaction. The people around us must've felt the same too because they were staring with bewildered looks on their faces. Although, it seemed like they were focusing their gazes on me in particular.
"So..."I trailed off, not knowing what to say to this complete stranger. "Can I help you?"
"Ah, yes! I couldn't help but overhear your dilemmas. Therefore-" She pulled out a piece of paper and then gently placed it into my hand. It was a business card. A business card for…..
"Hakobun's Odd Jobs?"
"It's my friend's private business. She's always looking for a hand and the pay….. Well, it depends on the gig but I'm sure it'll suit your needs."
It's as if a bright guiding light flashed before me. A job! I won't have to return to the Momoi's empty-handed! I wanted to give the lady a hug but before I could, one single thought made me freeze in my place. Overhear my dilemmas? All I did was silently collapse in the park bench...…
"Thank you, but how did you know I was searching for a job? I don't recall saying anything like that." Her flawless face immediately scrunched up into an ugly, nervous grimace.
"No, you were definitely talking to yourself on this bench." I was not.
"Plus, you gave off the vibe- the aura of someone who needed a job anyways~" Okay, now that was just plain rude!
"Oh, sorry if I sounded rude just now." Keep talking lady, keep talking.
"I see." I finally responded back. She clearly didn't want me to question her weird inconsistencies so I'll just leave it here at that. Whether she's truthful or not, the lady's clearly trying to help me out here. Plus, she doesn't look that suspic- Okay, no she looks extremely suspicious with that white hair of hers. Judging by her facial structure and light skin, she was clearly Caucasian. Although, I never met a Caucasian person with white hair though. The lightest I've ever seen was platinum blonde. Perhaps she's albino? But her Japanese….. It's extremely fluent. Like, native Japanese-level fluency that a foreigner shouldn't be able to replicate.
"My name is Weiss by the way." Holding out her hand, I reluctantly took it. Weiss? That's a German name isn't it? I met some German people in the past and they all had very thick accents. Of course, I don't want to lump every German person as having one of those but her voice just feels so… unreal. Unreal like that antenna of a cowlick that Weiss had which I just now began to notice. You know what, just stop over-analyzing everything. The nice cowlick-lady is waiting for your response.
"And I'm Seiji. Thank you for the business card and your magical cleaning powers." I politely grinned, adding that last part for levity.
"Of course." She smiled back, straightening out her long snow-white hair. "Until we meet again."
Waving her goodbye, I got up from the bench and- It's glowing again. Was that stupid fruit-rock glowing the entire time I was talking to Weiss? Damn, why don't I ever notice until it's too late! Or more like, why didn't she point that out to me during our conversation? As if my attention was its cue, the purple light began to fade away until my cargo pocket returned to its original khaki color.
"Sneaky little thing, always turning off whenever you get caught." I muttered, hoping Weiss or anyone else doesn't hear me arguing with an inanimate object. Speaking of inanimate, I took out that inanimate business card form earlier and headed straight towards Hakobun's address. Let's see here: 1016-2 Kanda-
"Hey, man. Are you okay?" Turning around, a man in a green beanie stood before me with a genuinely concerned demeanor etched on his face. This man also looked familiar but then again, everything and everyone started to look familiar ever since coming in contact with this god-forsaken purple rock.
"I'm fine, why do you ask?" I replied, pretending like I didn't just fail my first job interview only a few hours ago.
"You sure, brother? It's just, you were talkin' to yourself for like... five minutes straight. Or, were you chatting it up with that park bench? Either way, I was getting pretty concerned, man." Excuse me, what?
"What're you talking about man!" I laughed which made the man's concerned grimace deepen even more. Staring him down, I pointed at the bench that sat right behind me. "I was striking up a conversation with that woman over there! She's pretty cool, you know? You should try-"
"What woman?" He replied, pale as a ghost. My heart lurched and I slowly turned my head towards where Weiss was- or should be. She was gone. The only thing that was there was an empty park bench. The only trace of human presence that was ever there was the trail of footprints that directly led to where I was now. My footprints.
Isamu:
"Subaru! Subaru, damn it- Let go of the Banana Knife!"
"Mryeow!" The furry rascal snarled, hugging the metallic fruit weapon with all its might. Why, oh why- Did Hoshino have to design these Rakav-slaying weapons as fruit!? What's the point? It only makes us look more stupid when we use it!
"You know, stuff like this is the reason why I'm a dog person!" I snapped which only made the feline fiend angrier. Alright, I guess we're playing it the hard way then.
Channeling my inner Cesar Millan, I stared Subaru down, not letting him have an inch. Then I shoved my fingers up his raven-colored face and snapped my- I stifled a scream and a slur as the furry bastard bit me! Do cats bite? Can you even call this thing a cat?
"Throw me a bone here, Subaru!" I began begging, switching up my attitude 180, in order to entice the furry fiend into complying. "I took you in, fed you, bathed you cuz you stank like shit, and even relinquished my coat- Which is full of holes and cat poop now, by the way. Help a brother-"
A ringing coming from my jean pocket interrupted my Oscar-worthy performance. Great, it's coming from the Apple-Phone. Sighing, I reluctantly picked up the call. "What do you want, four-eyes?"
"An update regarding the Rakav elimination, and praise as usual~" A sassy voice cooed from the uncomfortably-sized communication device.
"Huh? Praise?" My face contorted into an amalgamation of disgust and irritation. "If your definition of praise-worthy is a defect device that inaccurately tracks Rakavs and won't shut the hell up every five damned minutes then- yes. You deserve all the praise, Einstein." I sassed back.
"Wait, you weren't able to track any of them down? Unbelievable! This is why you don't trust a lunk-head with advanced technology!" Hoshino chastised, completely ignoring the fact that it was her own creation that was sub-optimal. Her ego knows no-bounds, I say! No-bounds!
"Well, maybe. Just. Maybe! If you didn't have your head up your ass and took some criticism, you wouldn't have birthed an irritating, wise-cracking dirtbag of a device that sounds and acts like the Annoying Orange!" I snapped back with the intention of tearing her a new one.
After a good pause, the four-eyed egotist responded with, "First of all, who in what universe would compare an apple to sounding like an orange?"
After hearing that, I facepalmed so hard that even Helen Keller from the grave could hear. You'd assume a terminally online geek like who huffs brainfood for a living would at least get that reference, even if she is Japanese.
"Second, artificial intelligence which is programmed into that Ring-Ring-Go by the way, is ever learning and evolving. So that means you've been deficient as a teacher, you slacker!" This gaslighting little asshole....
"Third-" She paused. "You're like….. the only person who's willing to test my devices and give me honest feedback."
I had to do a double take at my Ring-Rin….. Yeah, I'm not calling it that. I made sure my Apple Phone wasn't malfunctioning because it seemed like cold-hearted Hoshino actually tried to open up to me! Guilt-trip or not, that's a good sign!
"It's not like I don't take any of your criticism. Whenever I fix something wrong with one of my babies, a completely new issue seems to rise every time. Even that upgraded BanaKnife had deficiencies such as its peculiar catnip scent." Oh, so that's why Subaru won't let the thing go.
"Do you think he's responsible for sabotaging your wor- babies?" I whispered, being as anonymous as possible with my accusatory claim. Of course, I could say the man's name right now but….. he might be watching. Smiling.
I practically could sense Hoshino's shiver as she replied back, "I keep requesting the Commander to change my partner but he keeps telling me that his hands are tied."
IchiJiku Corp.... If grandpa had more funding back then, HARVEST wouldn't be constantly surveyed by those heartless bastards! And then. We'll be able to reveal what Japa- No, the world needs to hear: Everyone is in danger.
Just as I was about to continue our conversation, a brilliant flash of light shone through the Apple Phone's screen. Flinging my arms as eye-cover, I yelled. "Hoshino! Hoshino, are you seeing all this?"
Hoshino's words were glitching out, only making out a Isamu and copy before losing connection completely. Subaru was even freaking out, meowing and scratching all over the place. Throwing the blanket over myself, I attempted to block the blinding illumination for Subaru's sake until- The light slowly dimmed out, leaving behind a single large dot, a mana signature on the screen. A mana signature so massive, that there was no way I wouldn't discover any trace of Rakav activity. Although, it's strange. Rakavs never show up in broad daylight.
"Subaru, be a good boy until I come back." I muttered under my breath, slipping into my other black leather jacket. Without any hesitation, I confiscated the wet and hair-covered BanaKnife along with my secret weapon. It's time to head out. Head out for Kanda-Jinbocho District.
Seiji:
Ah, the Kanda-Jinbocho District. Known for its numerous bookstores and publishing houses that any literary extraordinaire would adore. A single tear filled my eye as I recalled gorging myself with manga and light novels alongside Mari and Shinji. Good times, good times~
"There we go, 1106-2! This must be the place!" I happily exclaimed to no one in particular. The building in question has seen better days, noted by the scraped up black and yellow paint design that it had going on. Lodged in an alleyway, you'd assume that this little rickety shack was an abandoned little rickety shack but that fluorescent sign said it all: Hakobun's OddJobs. Bonus points for the cardboard box-bee mascot that took advantage of the facility's namesake!
Entering from the doorway, I was immediately bombarded with spectrums of yellow and black- Corn-yellow walls, black ceiling, saffron lanterns, onyx tiles. This place has got it all! There's even a faint scent of what appears to be a honey-based incense or candle.
"Why hello there, boy." A small hunchbacked lady wielding a mahogany cane emerged from the front counter. Upon closer inspection, she seems to have braided her graying hair into a bee stinger. Talk about dedication! "What brings you to Hakobun's?"
"Good afternoon, ma'am." I began introducing myself, explaining how I've come looking for a job. Leaving out any weird fruit shenanigans of course.
"So you're here on that grind as you young'uns would say, eh?"
"Ahaha!" I laughed, covering up the pure cringe that was building up inside me. "I'm always on that grind ma'am!"
"That hype of yours," The old lady smiled, misusing the word hype entirely. "It's what we need to run this little hobble into ship-shape!"
"Good afternoon, ma'am." I began introducing myself, explaining how I've come looking for a job. Leaving out any weird fruit shenanigans of course.
"So you're here on that grind as you young'uns would say, eh?"
"Ahaha." I laughed, covering up the pure cringe that was building up inside me. "I'm always on that grind ma'am!"
"That hype of yours," The old lady smiled, misusing the word hype in the process. "It's what we need to run this little hobble into ship-shape!"
A light flashing in my eyes like a beacon of hope for all my fellow unemployed brothers and sisters in the world. "Does that mean, I'm hired?"
"Yes- Well, not hired per se since this is a first come, first serve business after all." The lady lectured, pointing at a billboard full of miscellaneous gigs like missing pet posters, metropolitan cleaning and even a-
"Missing uncle and aunt?" I gasped as I reached for a poster labeled, Missing: Blaise and Bertha Barbier- Beloved Sibling, Uncle/Aunt, and Friend.
"A little red-haired girl and her father brought that in a few hours ago." She grimaced. "Poor lass. The authorities aren't going to do much about it- They haven't for the other poor souls that disappeared in this country."
Leana..... It's only been a day but I should check on her and- "Wait, the other poor souls?"
The lady nodded. "The press won't report on most of them, not sure why. Maybe it's a control scheme meant to suppress any potential panic from the masses- Or the people running this country are a bunch of idiots." She chortled, adding that last part in as a joke to her wild theory. Was her theory really wild though? Mari and the others told me how powerful the IchiJiku Corporation had gotten during these past five years. Do they have something to do with these disappearances?
"Ahem- But that's just conjecture from an old, theory-crafting bag like myself. Welcome aboard, newbie! The name's Bunko." I shook her outstretched hand, surprised that we're already on a first-name basis. Then again, I did introduce myself as Seiji.
"Like-wise." I laughed. "Though, if it weren't for Weiss, we wouldn't be having this conversation! I need to thank her later, do you know what types of sweets or small gift that she would like?"
Ms Bunko stared at me bewildered which made me think twice about what I just said. "Did... did I say something wrong?"
The old lady narrowed her gaze at me as I was a shifty-eyed conman or something. "Weiss? Who in the world is that and why do you think I'd know what she fancies?" I had to do a double take at what she just said.
"But Weiss told me you were her friend!" Ms Bunko only gaped at my response. However, bit by bit, a mischievous and somewhat lewd grin spread across her face.
"Ah, I see what's going on here. You sneaky, smooth-talker you~" I already didn't like where this conversation was heading.
"Getting dating advice from an old cougar like me? Why you shouldn't have~" I started to feel my face moisten up. I mean, sure. Weiss.... Who ever the hell she is was probably- no certainly that most attractive women I've ever seen but I had Mari. Wait, did I have Mari? Everyone always told me that I'm oblivious when it comes to attraction so maybe I'm just overthinking things.....
While I was stuck pondering about the cold, hard realization that my childhood crush may not be into me, Ms Bunko kept prattling on. "Listen here, boy and listen closely! Dating western women is rough! I've seen many foreign friends of mine ditch men for the slightest things that you guys can't fathom! My advice for you, pretty boy is strut your stuff and get into K-Pop. That's what all the girls in the West are into!"
"Ms Bunko, no! Me and Weiss aren't like that! Plus, I already have someone else I like anyway." I breathed in deeply, my heated face lowering in temperature. "I'd just... like to drop this conversation if you don't mind."
"You young'uns and your virgin minds..." Shaking her head, the lady handed me a job flier.
"I pray that you're into ghost-hunting because there's an urgent request to check out the abandoned warehouse near Okubo Park." She added, pointing out the boldened URGENT that was typed up in Time New Roman font.
"Abandoned warehouse?" I questioned, tilting my head.
"There's a rumor going around that whoever enters the building will never be seen again. Although it's just a rumor, the place has been condemned by the authorities and became a no-entry zone."
"So you're telling me to break the law?" I asked dubiously.
"You just have to check if the coast is clear." With a devious grin, Bunko passed me a decently-sized bundle of yen.
My eyes widened as I counted the stack. "Th-this is...…"
"That's only half of the reward- a down payment for your efforts. From under her desk, she took out a pink sticky note that read: provide a third as down payment. My jaw was agape. There's no way someone would pay over 400,000 yen just to check out a bonafide haunted house.
"The note, poster, and the money was already on the counter before I even opened up shop. Not sure who left these here nor why they didn't discuss these endeavors with me as a client, but frankly it's idiotic. A person with less moral standing would've immediately took the money and did fuck all with the requested job but I digress...." How insanely suspicious- Just what the hell is inside that building? Why would the client just leave everything here without consulting Ms Bunko? Why so much monetary reward for this? So many questions yet so little answers.
Just as I was about to reject this job, a sudden surge of confidence overfilled me. I couldn't really describe this feeling other than- Deja-vu? Strange, but no stranger than this whole "abandoned warehouse" debacle. Despite my judgement, the answer I went with instead was-
"I'll take the job."
Isamu:
I couldn't help but bang my head at a nearby alley wall in frustration. About 20 minutes ago, there was another giant flash of light similar to the one that occurred at my apartment complex. And then the mana signature just- Disappeared. Without a trace. Am I really going to return home without tracking down any of those rotten beasts? Damn it!
I scanned around the location where the mana signature was last at: 1106-2, Kanda-Jinbocho District. All I see is a decrepit building with tattered up black and yellow paint. Although, the mascot being a pun on Hakobun is pretty funny- I'll give it that.
Oof! Something bumped into me, making me stumble forward. A woman?
"My gosh, I'm sorry sir!" She exclaimed, bowing so hard that her long black hair flipped over her head in reverse.
"Er- It's fine ma'am but please be careful next time. You could've killed someone there." I warned her in an attempt to gently calm her down. It however did the complete opposite. She fell into my arms sobbing and begging for forgiveness, leaving me speechless.
"I-I'm sorry! None of this would've happened if I just took better care of my son! He disappeared! It's gotta be those two boys! They're trying to taint my precious child!" She babbled while I desperately patted her down like a father pacifying their crying child.
"What the hell is going on here!" An aged woman with a bee stinger for hair busted outside Hakubun's OddJobs like the Terminator. Her angry glare pierced my soul.
There's only one thing in the world that would tear me apart and demean myself as a man. Okay, never mind- Two things: The disappointment of your ex-girlfriend and the burning scorn of an elderly person.
"You brute! How dare you make Aya-chan cry!" The old bag screamed, smacking me in the side with a wooden cane! The hell? It didn't hurt on the outside but it sure hurt me on the inside.
"I didn't- Please stop hitting me! I swear, she just fell into my arms and began cryin- Oww!" Okay, now that one actually hurts.
"Ms Bunko, please. He's not at fault, it's all mine! It's always mine!" The lady in my arms pleaded which led to more tears streaming down her face.
Hearing her pleas, Bunko or so I heard, ceased her assault on me and began patting the sobbing lady in my arms. "Oh dear. Come child, it's alright."
The hell kinda transition was that? Oh well, at least she stopped whacking me like a piñata.
-
After what seemed like an hour of sobs and hugs, I finally understood the bigger picture. Miss Aya Kazami over-here is a giant worrywart that constantly has her child, Shiro on her mind. Apparently, he's gone missing which led her to believe that two delinquent brats with too much free time on their hands, are the cause.
"Okay, but where would they be?" I asked the distraught mother, leaving the whole Rakav debacle on the back burner.
Miss Aya let out a defeated sigh. "The only clue I have is what I overheard Shiro's conversation with his friends. Something about an abandoned warehouse- Or was it a factory, I can't recall."
"Abandoned warehouse?" I gazed into the mother's eyes in confusion before turning to Bunko. She, however, had a look of recognition spread across her wrinkled face.
"It's a hunch, but I might know where those three boys are headed."
Miss Aya practically fell face first on her knees. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! Where? Where is my baby boy?"
"The abandoned warehouse near Okubo Park, known only by the few. They say it's haunted by some evil spirit of some kind." The word haunted made my ears perk up.
"Rumors say that anyone who enters those rusted gates will never be seen from again." Miss Aya gave the old bag a disbelieving stare but my heart just kept beating faster and faster. It can't be- Right?
"Ms Bunko, were you able to chat with any of the people involved?" I asked, holding my breath.
Staring at me curiously, Bunko cocked her head to one side before saying, "No. I haven't. However, I do recall a minor detail that I left out. A rotting stench? Yes, a rotting stench of fruit if I recall correctly."
I immediately jolted up from the ground, causing the two women to shriek in astonishment. Why! Why the hell haven't I heard about this until now? Surely HARVEST with their mana-tracking capabilities and global connections would've heard about this unless- Unless, it's that damned IJC sabotaging our efforts again!
"I'm sorry! I need to get going!" I yelled, taking off in the direction of Okubo Park.
"Boy, it's alright! I already sent someone over to check the place out! Surely he'll find the three boys for us!" The voice of Bunko called out as it slowly dwindled away in the wind.
No. No average human would be able to deal with a Rakav. I just pray that those boys went to some other abandoned warehouse instead of the one that Bunko mentioned. As I passed by several pedestrians and buildings, one electronic billboard caught my eye. It was of a missing person named Keisuke Jin, age 20, who had been recently found two days earlier- After a whole month of being gone. An extremely rare case. Even rarer that it's on the news at all, thanks to IJC's influence. None of these missing person's reports would be happening if we as HARVEST were free to do whatever we want.
"Damn it all to hell. I just hope I'm not too late."