Lilith was quite enthusiastic to help Ciel, perhaps a little too much. It appeared that the young woman had a passion for fashion. That was not surprising, considering where she chose to work.

Before long Ciel walked to the counter, possessing both his own set of clothing but also two crimson dresses. One was a wrap dress with puffy shoulders and peppered by images of black flower pedals. The other was a simple pure crimson maxi-dress.

Ciel did not know what Rin’s original appearance was, however there was no doubt that only the deepest crimsons and darkest black would do her justice. Of course, he had not made any input into Lilith’s choice, simply requesting that they be as cheap as possible.

Considering his appearance and presumed background, Lilith did not go against his request. Rather, she seemed excited by the ‘challenge’ of finding suitable clothing with such a restriction. After she was finished, Ciel then searched around for a pair of underwear and a single set of shoes.

Ignoring the strange look the woman behind the counter gave him, Ciel asked for his total. In the end he spent 267 credits, leaving him with a remaining 103 to his name.

Before the cashier could place his newly bought clothing inside a bag, he raised a hand and pretended to ask timidly.

“Before you do that, could I grab a pair of clothing and quickly change?”

The woman behind the counter spared him an annoyed glance then shrugged.

“Yeah why not, you just paid for it so it's yours now.”

*****

“Bye! Bye! Come again when you can!”

With a cheerful farewell from the young Lilith, Ciel stepped outside the automatic doors of the clothing store. A white bag was being held by his right hand. Ciel himself was no longer dressed in his ragged clothes.

He now wore a simple white shirt with black pants and brown shoes. He finally appeared somewhat presentable, if not for his dirty skin and disheveled hair.

For now this will have to do.

Ciel placed taking a shower as his first task upon his return to the Hazard Hotel. For now however, he still had two further objectives. The first was the thorough exploration of the area around him. He was not content with his lack of spatial awareness.

Thinking such, he took a few leisure steps before suddenly halting.

Hmm?

Suddenly perplexed, he lifted his head up towards the sky where a soft humming sound was reverberating. That sound quickly grew, transforming into a ferocious roar. Then, almost too fast to properly see, the alloy belly of a carrier jet flashed past at a tremendous speed.

From where Ciel stood, he could only see the metallic beast for less than a second before it disappeared from view, hidden by the many buildings. Soon the overwhelming cry of the engines returned to being a distant hum before disappearing entirely.

I had forgotten how loud those carriers are.

Ciel spared the scene a passing thought, then proceeded on his way as though nothing of note had occurred. Of course, those around him did the same, only momentarily captivated by the passing carrier jet.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

*****

Ciel spent three more hours walking leisurely within his surrounding area. By doing so he was at last able to remember exactly where he was located. The outskirts and slums only existed on the western side of the eleventh district, that was a direct result of the center being where the city proper was located and the east being covered by factories as well as being where the current mining efforts of humanity was focused on.

With the central elevator at its center, the entire district appeared almost perfectly rectangular. One carved out of the earth itself. The outskirts began where district 11’s city ended. It was then divided into the north, central, and south regions, each consisting of smaller named areas.

Following even further westward, the slums laid. Beyond even that was only a small untouched area owned by one of the two largest mining companies: Stone-Dive. Their current owner was a man named Roshan Mathers. He had a reputation as someone with a large heart, or so everyone believed at least.

This thought came from his various programs which he established within the outskirts, one of which was the: Corpse Entitled Program. This saw Stone-Dive establish small burial managing shops where those who could not afford burying their loved ones would go.

All one needed to do was bring the corpse, or sign the rights for them to take the body and bury it in the private cemetery located just beyond the slums. The coffins they used were of poor quality and the graveyard was largely neglected, and yet to the desperate people of the outskirts this was enough to earn their admiration.

Passing by one of these shops, Ciel froze and made a mental note to return here. So far this was the only clue he had gathered in regards to his sudden awakening inside a coffin. Considering the fact that he ended up within the Stone-Dive’s private graveyard, then it meant someone had actively taken his body or if not then given permission for his body to be buried.

After I have properly armed myself, then I will be sure to return here.

Ciel’s exploration had also revealed to him the reason for his lack of familiarity with the area. That was due to him not passing here much in his past life. He was currently within the southern region of the outskirts.

His past self had spent his time within the central region, on the edges of the Red Tiger Gang’s territory. That realization finally allowed him to further assess his plan moving forward.

In particular it meant that his plans of meeting back up with the gang leader who had first recruited him, Azik Miles, was no longer a viable option. As one of the gang heads, one with a short temper and unmatched ferocity, he had been the perfect leader to place in charge of the area at the edge of the Red Tiger Gang’s territory.

With Rin being unable to move freely, then it meant Ciel could not make the journey north easily.

Well it does not matter.

He would succeed in his endeavor regardless of the complications placed his way. Having asserted such Ciel found himself exiting the street he was on and arriving at a familiar road. It was the same one which separated the end of the outskirts and the start of the slums.

With his pinpointing of his location, Ciel now finally realized that this was the Western Stretch Highway. It was a wide road which served as the barrier between the two ugliest sides of society. It traveled all the way from the northernmost part of the outskirts to its southernmost part.

From it multiple streets broke off, entering the many different areas which collectively formed the outskirt's three regions. Ciel was currently within the second southernmost area, Rich Valley Area. It was a location defined by the numerous casinos, clubs, and bars. Unlike the southernmost area below it, Solace Area, where it was infested by countless corporate owned apartment complexes, this area was not seen as a great place to settle down.

It was simply too full of Red Tiger Gang members, drinkers, and alluring traps to steal more of the little money they already had. As a result, many simply came here to either party or find work within one of these nightlife establishments.

The few that did live here however, especially the youths, were at high risk of being harassed by the red tiger members or even being incorporated into their gang after years of careful nurturing.

All these factors led to the police presence within this area to be especially heavy.

Ciel had become reacquainted with this side of the outskirts thanks to his walk through its expanse, however he did find something else which was odd.

The presence of the NSRA is also heavy here.

After every few minutes, after every third corner which he turned to, Ciel would be greeted by the sight of patrolling NSRA officers. Unlike the residents of the outskirts, the officers were immediately distinctive from them.

They wore a far more expensive black and white suit than any worker here could only dream of affording. Furthermore, hung on their belts were their badges, with some even letting their gun holster be displayed along with it.

Ciel saw many Red Tiger Gang members also, each appearing like a typical street delinquent wearing their signature red coloring, albeit in varying attires. They huddled together in more broken down parts of the area, staying clear of regular police patrolling sights.

Taking note of all these details, Ciel decided he had accomplished enough reconnaissance for today. Instead he shifted his attention over to the many different shops on the highway street side. It was finally time that he stopped his neglection of food.

To be quite honest, he felt very famished.

He had not had a single meal since the morning of the dreaded day from two days into his past yet also many years into his future.

It did not take long before he found a suitable shop. It was a small old two story building made of aged alloy and weathered stone. A heavy metallic door stood in between two wide glass windows. Just above the door a sign read:

‘Meat Harvest’

Finding the thought of eating artificial meat acceptable, Ciel made the decision to approach the meat shop.