Part 1
The old man stepped next to the edge of the hole made by Ryu and stared out at the city. His gaze suddenly became sharp as though he were watching something in the distance. “No the entire district…”
“EH!!?” Everyone in the room, including Radcliff, exclaimed out in surprise.
The old man simply nodded his head in confirmation as he continued to stare out the hole.
After a moment of silence, Radcliff was the first to speak up, “But Sir….to evacuate the….”
“Radcliff” The old man spoke in a cold and indifferent tone. It seemed as though the previous joyous and mischievous old man was a different person. The old man furrowed his brows as his eyes traced the dark shadows in the distance, “Filthy rats have found their way into our country….”
Radcliff’s expressions stiffened when he heard those last few words and simply responded with. “I understand.”
Radcliff had two duties – the first was to watch over the old man and report back his every move. The second was to assist the old man at his work. What work could an old retired man have? What work could a man who has no interest in worldly affairs, possibly have? However, that sentence in itself would be wrong and incomplete. Radcliff understood this better than anyone else. Although on the surface the old man did not care about the ‘mundane’ world, there was another world that operated in the shadows of the ‘mundane’….
This ‘other’ world wasn’t a world that existed outside in another dimension. It was a world that co-existed with the modern society. The ‘other’ world was like how the ‘underground world’ coexists with the modern society. However, unlike the ‘underground’ economy which meddled with the affairs of the modern society, the inhabitants of the ‘other’ world avoided unnecessary intervention. These people, like the old man, lived and died in the shadows passing themselves off as ordinary individuals belonging to the mundane world.
However, not everyone lived so quietly in the shadows. Radcliff-san had a bad premonition when he heard the police radio chatter – something about a man making a hole in the wall of the police HQ. This was truly the work of someone from the ‘other’ world which boasted of individuals with extraordinary strength, martial arts or freaks of nature. If inhabitants of the ‘other’ world stirred trouble in the mundane world, then people like the old man were expected to put an end to such troubles and inhabitants. This was the old man’s job.
“I will leave the matter of Shin-kun to you.” The old man threw Radcliff a glance before jumping out of the hole in the wall….
“Understood….” Radcliff muttered back to thin air.
As the old man left, the oppressive aura that he emitted also disappeared. The mental strain that had been bending the normal police officers’ will suddenly disappeared. With the pressure disappearing, the police captain and Shinichi instantly became ‘more’ aware of the situation and were able to think under ‘normal’ circumstances again.
“STOP!!!!” The police captain shouted out as he realized that the old man had leapt out of the hole in the wall. This was the fourth floor of the police HQ building! To jump from this height would mean instant death! The police captain rushed to the hole and shot a glance at the ground to check if the old man was still alive by any chance….however when the Captain stared at the ground he could see no injured or dead old man. It was almost as if the old man flew away and disappeared into the night.
Shinichi walked next to the Captain who collapsed on to his knees in mental shock – what in the world was happening here? Did Shinichi tell me the truth? People can jump four storeys unharmed? Wasn’t this all a bit too ridiculous?
“Shinichi…there was an old man here…” The Captain mumbled in shock while kneeling collapsed on the floor. “He jumped….out….we didn’t….stop…but…man…gone…” The Captain rambled on with gaps in his sentences. Anyone who had not witnessed the scene of the old man jumping out but ‘disappearing’ would believe that the Captain had gone mad and was spouting out nonsense. However, Shinichi knew better.
Shinichi could only glance at the Captain with pity. After all, he too went through the same mental trauma. Even though this was the second time in the same day that Shinichi saw something so ridiculous, he too couldn’t help but feel shocked. Although the mental damage to him was far lower than the Captain’s.
Shinichi turned to Radcliff, his eyes begging for an explanation. However, it didn’t seem Radcliff would offer him any. Shinichi also didn’t press Radcliff for further answers. Shinichi had a forewarning that all the people he met today most likely belonged to ‘another’ more dangerous world – one that it was best if he knew not of.
Radcliff mumbled as he cursed the old man. “You could have taken the stairs….#%!#@!”
The only one who acted differently was the baka junior. “That Engineer-san is so cool! Not only did he solve the mystery of holes in my shirt but he even knows disappearing magic acts! I should have been an engineer….”
Radcliff-san, Shinichi and Captain silently stared at the baka-junior whose eyes were dazzling brightly in the shape of star while staring in the direction of the hole.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM!!! They all thought.
Part 2
Far from the Shibuya district, on a street dimly lit, lay two sets of identical houses, old and run down, on each side of the road. The houses were small and reeked of the stench of poverty. Only the truly poor lived here in these old affordable housings which were long overdue for demolition. The sparsely populated neighbourhood was unsurprisingly silent. At the end of this gloomy and poor neighbourhood was the only two storeys building in the neighbourhood, in slightly better condition. The tiny two storey building would pale in with the tall buildings of the city. However in this neighbourhood, it stood tall like a rich king. It was also the only place in the neighbourhood where voices of children could be heard...more specifically two children’s voices….
“Hime-sama, although this place is not to your liking it would be best for you to take some rest.” A young boy spoke while kneeling on one knee. He appeared no more than six or seven years old however the demeanour he carried about him was more adult like. His skin was milky white and supple giving off an aura that only the rich and clean could afford. It would be best to say he didn’t mix in well with his poor surroundings. The boy was like a prince placed in a poor villager’s house. Even his clothes, jeans and a shirt, were tidy and proper. This child clearly did not belong to this neighbourhood.
The girl who was being spoken too, gave off a more regal feeling. Her body was petite and her face was round. She had straight white hair which gave her even a more royal appearance. Her hairstyle was flat straight which complemented her big eyes perfectly – giving her the ‘regal yet so cute look’. The girl couldn’t possibly be older than the boy, but similar to the boy, she was giving of a mature feeling at this moment as she stared at the night sky.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
“Akito…” The girl spoke without shifting her gaze.
“Yes, hime-sama.” Akito answered whilst kneeling and not daring to look up at the girl.
“I thought we decided you won’t call me hime-sama….”
“….but hime-sama….for….”
The girl turned her gaze towards Akito, who flinched as he felt the ice cold stare of the hime-sama and then stopped speaking.
“Friends don’t call friends with formal titles.” The petite girl instructed.
“…”
“I, too, have a name.”
“Yes…hime-sama…”
“Again?”
“Yes…Inoue-san…”
The girl’s eyebrows shaped up like a ‘V’ as she hardened her stare.
“Yes…Inoue….” Seeing the little girl smile, Akito continued speaking. “Do you dislike it here? Is that why hime---Inoue-sa…..Inoue is unable to sleep?” Akito changed his words several times as he struggled to address the girl by her first name.
Inoue placed a finger on her chin as she pondered about the question for a while. “Although this is not like home, Akito. I do not dislike this place. The children here are nice, especially the elder Onee-san. She reminds me of my mother….” Inoue’s voice choked as she recalled fond memories her own mother.
Akito froze up seeing that how the topic he started reduced the little mistress to tears. Seeing her attendant freeze up in guilt, Inoue quickly calmed her emotions and gave Akito a smile. However, her eyes still glistened in the moonlit night. Inoue continued to speak, “It is good that we were found and brought here….we can rest here tonight and leave again after a week….if we stay in one place for too long they will find us….” There was a faint visible sense of regret lingering in Inoue’s expression when she said those words. She did not want to leave this place but her circumstances made it dangerous for her to stay in one place too long.
Just before Akito could respond back, the sound of a car pulling over interrupted their conversation. The boy and girl went tense, it was a police vehicle.
"Eh? Someone is coming over at this time?" Inoue spoke as she stared down from the window.
“Hime-same…please don’t stand by the window…” Aktio quickly spoke up as he pulled the little girl away from the window. While covering her body with his embrace, Akito continued to speak, “It will be bothersome if they find us.”
Inoue silently agreed, nonetheless she was curious who came to the children’s care centre at this time. All she could hear was a boy yelling, “WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!!! PUT ME DOWN!!! YOU HERE ME?? IF YOU HAD ANY IDEA WHO I AM ….” However the latter half of the shouting was all muffled up as the officer covered the boy’s mouth with his hand.
Sensing that it probably safe, Akito slipped in a quick glance at the scene outside the orphanage. He could see a uniformed police officer carrying a young boy in his arm, as though he were luggage and walking towards the children’s care centre.
“Who is the child?” Inoue asked excitedly as she slipped out of Akito’s grasp and peered down the window. She couldn’t see the boy’s face but he was wearing sleeping pyjamas with a cute flaming dragon pattern.
“Must be a lost child if they brought him here….” Akito replied as he suspiciously stared at the boy below – the officer was still firmly holding on to the boy as he continued to struggle free.
“Do you think he is like us?” Inoue asked; her voice carried a hint of loneliness and bitterness.
“….” Akito didn’t know how to respond – it was a complicated and complex subject and Akito was only a child! Akito and Inoue were orphans. Akito understood that this is what Inoue meant when she asked that question. They had been brought here because they had no parents.
“I hope not…” The pair replied in sync as they watched the police officer drag the small boy into the children’s care centre.
Part 3
“You are not from the civil engineering department are you?” Shinichi asked as he helped the Captain up on to his feet.
Radcliff quickly replaced his frown with a smile. “Gentlemen, I apologize for the previous misrepresentation. I am from the PSIA.” Radcliff spoke quickly and confidently as he produced his ID from his coat. “My colleague and I were working under cover. However as circumstances have changed, we have realized that pretences were no longer necessary.”
Shinichi took the badge from Radcliff and checked the credentials. Shinichi had no way of knowing whether this ID was real or not. However, he quickly memorized the name and ID number before handing back the badge. Shinichi had ‘some’ friends in the PSIA and he would get the answer soon.
“Now that you have seen my badge, I would like to request that the police department help me with the evacuation.” Radcliff-san calmly made his request. There was no hint of panic in his voice. This seemingly absurd request was made so naturally that Shinichi had to request Radcliff to repeat himself since he thought he had heard him wrong.
“We need to evacuate. Now.” Radcliff-san repeated with the same smiling face. However, his voice was stern and cold – conveying the urgency of the matter.
“But…even with the entire force it will be impossible to do so immediately….” The captain interrupted. “What will we tell people…”
Super-mites wasn’t exactly a believable story – was it?
“No worries. You won’t be alone.” Radcliff assured the Captain as he took a mobile phone and hit the speed dial.
*Tring* *Tring* *Tring* *Tring*
“Royal Tailor customer service, how may we help you?” A sweet lady’s voice came out over the phone line.
“A024 here.”
“Thank you for confirming your employee ID. How can I help you today?” The sweet buttery woman’s voice turned cold and emotionless.
“Request for immediate evac of Shibuya district.” Radcliff answered.
“Evac request authorized. Thank you for calling Tech Support. Have a great day!” The woman resumed her sweet cheerful tone.
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Author's notes: It will be a while before I resume posting at normal pace. :/ some exams.