Friendly Visit

Silence, though surprisingly not the usual ‘teeth-smashed-tight’ and ‘fists-shoved-up-into-arm-pits’ sort of silence. Had an accord of some sort been reached? A sense of professionalism granted to him. Maybe even a hint of acknowledgement. Yori wasn’t truly certain.

Miho said nothing since they sat in his car. Though she didn’t seem mad by his reckoning. She looked out the window at the city as time passed. They waited for word back about the business. Even still, he set them on the highway regardless. Worst-case scenario, she got a new jacket. She just needed to keep a low profile.

Halfway into the drive, his phone rang. With his free hand, he mounted it to the center dash and answered. “What did you learn?”

“Agent Saioji! Yes, Black Fountain, by all accounts, just appears to be a clothing store. We dug through submitted government records and deeds for the property. It's been in business for more than ten years and has an upstanding reputation. No debts. Their taxes appear clean, nothing that stands out as a flag.”

“A dead end?” Miho perked up from her seat. She leaned a little closer to the phone.

“If anything, it's too perfect. For a front, you don’t want anything that’s going to ring alarm bells. We did some digging into the property's titles. And it seems that they were pushed through quickly at the insistence of Hotaka Mitsuharu, a supervisor.”

“Doesn’t sound familiar. Someone corrupt?”

“Nothing confirmed yet. But he probably took pay to get them through the system smoothly. We’re still digging through records and trying to request docs from the Diet.”

“All that red tape. Well, sounds like you gave us enough of a reason to pay them a little visit.”

“Good luck, sir!”

“We’ll make sure they know everyone’s thinking fondly of them. Thanks, message me if there’s any updates.” He tapped off the phone and checked on Miho. That fiery eagerness returned sharply. Like a renewed flame, her eyes fixed ahead as if she could already see the store. He was starting to enjoy the relaxed side of her, but he also grew accustomed to this side of her.

A quick look to the rear, and he moved a lane over, preparing to get off the highway. “We’re going in quietly. Right?”

“We’re gettin’ intel.”

“And here was I missing this side. We’re not raiding the place.”

“I’m aware. I’m not gonna burn the place down.”

“I feel like you aren’t ruling that option out.”

“I can control myself.”

He just gave her a nod. Any further felt like they would just be going in circles. Yori just had to hope that they didn’t do anything to piss her off. He wanted to believe that she wouldn’t unnecessarily start anything. But if they did something, he felt she wouldn’t hold back. He just prayed for calm.

The sun crawled down beneath the buildings, hiding from sight as Yori parked the car. They still had time, even if it was starting to get late. As they got out of the garage, he already started catching the passive stares. He pulled off his coat and passed it over to Miho. Though she gave him a bit of a look. “You may not care, but the fewer eyes the better. Please.”

“Fine. It’s just tattoos.” She slung the coat over her. Thankfully, she was about as tall as Yori, so it didn’t look like it was swimming on her. Just a little out of place, being a man’s coat. If anything, the sour, almost pouting face and crossed arms made her look even more unapproachable and intimidating. Passerbies started putting a little more distance around her. He just wanted to get to the shop.

Eye-catching as Miho was, no one dared to do anything. It was just side eyes, lots of judgmental stares. Without his coat, he looked like he had just come from a club, but that thankfully wasn’t enough to pull away from Miho. They marched up to the front of Black Fountain.

The whole street was a shopping strip with an appliance shop, men’s suits, and luggage. He didn’t know if they were all fronts or just the one. But none of them stood out as shady. Not that he expected it. There just wasn’t an instinctual feeling that there was something off. Regardless, he remained on edge as they entered.

The venue had a soft, inviting charm. Nothing too loud or overpowering, just a very matter-of-fact presentation. The employees had simple white and blue uniforms that nearly blended into the scenery. For as much as Yori wanted to find something that screamed criminal front, it resisted him. But that just meant it was doing its job. It was still all a lie.

But he snapped out of his inspection and over to Miho. She broke away from him. So far, she just seemed to be browsing. He didn’t want to question whether she could restrain herself, but she didn’t exactly have a good record.

As he hovered near the jackets with Miho, he glanced around, reaching out with his senses. There were several people he could pick up out of sight, but that didn’t mean a lot. A few in distinct voices lingered, but it was just simple chatter. He doubted that any sorcerers were stationed here. Yori still hoped there would be some break.

Nothing was out of the ordinary. He wondered if they’d just leave with nothing gained. Though Yori pondered what he even thought he could learn from this. It was a front, not the place they took the mages. And they wouldn’t be anywhere near. Perhaps it was all just a waste. He sighed.

“You find something?”

“Close enough…ye notice anything?”

“Nothing. Looks normal.”

“Then perhaps ye need a little ruckus.” She pulled up a red jacket that looked similar to the one she wore. Yori couldn’t tell the exact differences, but assumed that she did. However, that wasn’t on his mind as he reached out for her.

“You’re not going to—“

“I won’t be quiet about this, dear!” her voice raised to fill the whole store. It already made Yori wince. He closed his eye, trying to take a breath. It was clear what she was doing. This was an awful plan. Every part of him recoiled. He balled his hand, trying to focus.

Miho broke from his hand, starting to stomp away. And it wasn’t long before one of the employees came to check on her. A young man, probably being paid too little to be dealing with someone throwing a fit. “Is there trouble, Miss?”

“Trouble?! Look at this tear! Is this the sort of quality I can expect to find here?”

“Well yes, that is…”

“What are ye gonna do about it? I’m a payin’ customer!”

Yori turned away, feeling guilty for the poor kid. As much as he hated to admit it, where she failed with Okamura, she made up with this fake tantrum. He used the free moment to stretch out with his senses. If she stirred up some trouble, maybe something would pop up. No reason to waste the opportunity.

“Don’t tell me to calm down!”

Through the building, as he focused his mana, more individuals popped up for him. A mental map of the whole place wasn’t something he had, so even though he knew the distance, it didn’t really give him much of a sense of position. But those that he felt were in the back started to move. There wasn’t a change in their heart, just urgency in step.

“Ye want me to call my boyfriend over and let him give ye a piece of his mind too?”

Using the racks of clothes for some cover, he looked around to the back of the store. There was no second floor to the shop. If they had come to investigate, it would have been via the same access as the employees. He could hear them getting closer. ‘Stairs…hall…why are they coming? It’s just a hysterical customer…’

“I ain’t yellin’! You’re shoutin’!”

Then, through the back door window, Yori saw a face pop up. They pushed the door open only a little. He adjusted his vision with his mana to get a better look. ‘You’re a familiar face…what are the odds…’ Part of him got a little hopeful about this intel. However, then he remembered they were already assuming it was a front. What was the value of finding a sorcerer hiding in a shop? It wasn’t like they were protecting the mages. They wouldn’t have brought them here.

“I’ll report this business if this shit service is what ye consider acceptable!”

Yori turned away and walked back to Miho, still yelling impressively to the poor clerk. He tuned out most of it, so he had no idea where they were in the argument. “It’s getting late. We should really be going, dear.”

She gave a quick look and then back to the young man. “I guess I’ll take it. Just know I won’t be back! Pay for it, dear.”

One hole in his wallet later and another sigh, he stood outside the shop with Miho wearing her new jacket. He finished adjusting his coat. “Thought it was damaged goods.”

“I damaged it. It’s only good manners to pay for it.”

“Of course.”

“Ye find somethin’?”

“One of our friends from the other night. Confirmation.”

They started to walk away; no need to linger after the scene they had made. Miho looked up at the building before returning to Yori. “Then they might have a clue.”

“If they have a computer or files, maybe. It’d be a long shot.”

“This whole thing was a long shot. Let’s keep followin’ it until it ends.”

“Breaking into a syndicate-run front. You really know how to complicate things.”