Moving Pieces

Outside in Shinjuku proper didn’t really limit the number of eyes and ears upon them. It wasn’t as though they were with an audience, but a private conversation couldn’t exactly happen out in the open. Yori opted for the nearby gardens as the best place for a little more discretion. The morning didn’t have it swarming with guests yet.

Stopped at a bench on the very edge away from anyone else, he sat down, trying to be normal. “Yori Saioji, Field Agent of Section 14.” He watched the woman glancing around the park, perhaps on edge or maybe taking in the sights. It was hard to tell from the angle he had. “It’s a public space. Nothing’s going to happen.”

She glanced back very clearly, on edge. Hands in pocket, but otherwise looking defensive. “Miho Ebisawa, Eighth Squad Investigator.”

He sort of hoped that she would have taken a seat, but that wasn’t going to happen apparently. “Miss Ebisawa, I’m told you’ve an open case on our criminals. What can you tell me?”

“Have ye heard of the Seven Lotus?”

“They’re rather famous in the underworld as a rumor. There are claims that the group exists, but we’ve never been able to prove it.” The underworld was made more complicated than necessary with having the yakuza that ran a lot of the criminal activity, but deeper below them, in darker secret places, were the magic syndicates. And there was the suspicion that many of them might actually be the real backers or masterminds of the yakuza groups that operated more publicly. Magic was difficult to track, especially for those without the awareness. They just lacked the manpower.

Miho nodded roughly to him. “They exist, and I’ve been huntin’ them for more than two years. They’re careful and always have fronts that they can cut to keep legally safe.”

“What’s changed? If they’re good at hiding, how did we get a lead on them from my random case?”

“It was ye who found it? There were recently reported abductions that I had linked to a group that was supposed to have ties to Seven Lotus.”

“Supposed to? That’s not a lot to go on. We need evidence to be able to arrest them.” He had gotten a little hopeful, maybe even excited about the prospect of being able to tear down even one of these groups. Even if it did mean that another would just fill it in, it would mean that he achieved something and he could live with that.

She turned fully to face him. “If you’re not gonna help me, I’ll do this alone.”

“I didn’t say that. Just that we can’t go running lawlessly around the city. As much as I hate letting criminals get away with it, we need evidence, or they’ll just escape.”

“Hisao Kenkyusha.”

“Who’s he?”

“A middleman of sorts. He’s the only name I was able to extract from the lowlifes that I caught in Mado. He runs numerous shell companies and legitimate ones on your side. Supposedly, he’s expectin’ another delivery tonight.”

Yori leaned forward. “You got a location?”

“Unfortunately, they weren’t that loose-lipped with details.”

“Shinjuku’s the only official way through the Veil, but there are backdoors all over Tokyo run by various shady groups. How good are your mana sights?”

“Perfect.” He gave her an interrogative stare. “Better than most of my squad.”

“Think you can notice the fluctuation in the mana from a Veil jump?”

“If we’re close enough. The spellcraft involved is taxin’ and disruptive to the environment, but it dissipates quickly. It’s gonna look like just another Thunderstorm spell after a kilometer.” Yori didn’t have the sensitivity of a sorcerer, but he still understood the fundamentals. It was about as he feared.

He stood up, looking around at Shinjuku. It was a big city. “You got a business front, or do we need to search?”

“Nothin’. They operate on your side.”

Yori crossed his arms, thinking about the problem. ‘Less than a day before the next time. I only got sent out because of a sighting of known sorcerers. They weren’t even big fish.’ Luck seemed like it was going to play as much of a factor as good detective work. “There’s a guy I know who might have his ears in a few things. He keeps himself out of anything truly dangerous, but he is my best lead on anything mana-related. Just don’t tip your hand.”

“We’re investigatin’ a criminal organization, they’re going to know we’re cops.”

“He doesn’t. To him, I’m a bounty hunter. Sorcerers get on a lot of bad sides with so many competing markets. Make the wrong enemy, and someone will try to take them down. We just need to spin the right story for him.”

She tilted back around to the inner part of the gardens. They looked lost in thought. It might have been some paranoia still. Miho seemed on edge. But Tokyo had to be new as well, as much as it would be for him to visit Mado. Had they not been on a mission, he could’ve entertained a minor detour for her. Ryota found the sights surprising; she should have too. “Then I’m a fellow hunter ye brought in for the head.”

“That’d be the shape of it. We’ll need to have a little better angle as I doubt your friend, Hisao Kenkyusha, has a bounty on his head.” Yori stood up, checking the time. It was a little early for them, but time wasn’t in their favor. “Let’s head to where I’m parked. We can finish our plans there.”