Chapter 17

Kishibe exited the shop after conversing with Dieter. The more they talked, the more he realized just how right he was. Dieter seemed ageless, save for a few wrinkles and his peppery black hair with streaks of grey. It made Kishibe wonder about many things. He strolled around the town, looking for Denji. Eventually, he found the boy sitting outside the inn they were planning to stay at, engaged in a conversation with a young girl fixated on a tourist guide.

"Denji," Kishibe announced his presence, causing the boy to quickly stand up. "You were supposed to stay outside the shop and wait for me."

"I tried, but I went out looking like you said," Denji defended.

"Tried is not the word I want to hear. The word is did," Kishibe emphasized. The girl, overhearing their conversation, stood up and spoke.

"Hey, he was just helping me find the inn. I've never been here before." She grabbed Kishibe's attention, not just because of her purple hair but also due to her attitude, which triggered a sense of déjà vu.

"Denji, we need to go get our luggage and your brother and sister. I have our room key." Kishibe retrieved the keys and scribbled something on a piece of paper. He pressed it along with the key against Denji's chest. "Here's the room number and the key. Go set yourself up. I'll go get your sister." Kishibe ruffled Denji's hair before walking off, leaving Denji slightly confused. "That's my boy," Kishibe added as he left.

"You're staying at this inn too?" Reze asked Denji.

"I guess we are," Denji replied, holding the piece of paper close to his face, trying to read the kanji. The note simply said, "Be suspicious." Reze attempted to look at the paper, but Denji promptly shoved it into his mouth and swallowed the whole thing, making her internally cringe.

By the time Kishibe had returned with Kobeni, the clock had already struck midnight, and Angel was conspicuously absent. Denji sat in the brightly lit, cozy lobby with Reze, who seemed genuinely curious. "So why are you in Saint Petersburg if you can't read or speak Russian?" she inquired, her intrigue evident.

Denji swiftly recalled the cover story Kishibe had outlined during their plane ride. "My family and I are here on a tour of Europe!" he said, attempting to put on a smile that appeared somewhat forced, catching Reze's attention. She noticed his eyes glancing up to the right, and his hand subtly twitched, a clear sign of elevated nervousness. "You're lying, aren't you?" she challenged, her perception sharp.

"No, I'm not lying!" Denji insisted, struggling to maintain a facade of calm despite his evident anxiety. He couldn't help but notice the unusual necklace Reze wore. "Liar, liar, pants on fire," she playfully taunted, prompting Denji to scramble for an explanation. "I'm here for a girl," he blurted out, catching Kishibe's watchful eye from across the lobby.

"A girl?" Reze asked incredulously. Denji stumbled over his words, still stressed but not exactly lying, as per Reze's assessment. She'd encountered weirder tales in romance novels. "So why is your family with you, then?"

"I, uh, didn't have the money, so my dad agreed to pay for it if he could bring everyone. Sort of like a family vacation," Denji stammered, struggling to make his story sound plausible. Reze had never heard of such an arrangement but chose not to press further. The people on the plane were likely involved in something illicit; there were no parachutes spotted on radar after the plane went down, indicating a grim fate for all aboard. She relaxed, realizing there was likely nothing to worry about.

Reze couldn't pinpoint why, but something about Denji felt oddly familiar. Initially, he seemed like someone without much substance, just going along with the flow of things. She supposed she reminded him of herself, always going where the wind took her. His docility towards Kishibe and his sister made him appear like someone constantly being ordered around, mirroring her current predicament.

She checked her watch, noting it was already 12:22 am on Wednesday. Pulling a letter from her coat, she started deciphering the cryptic code inscribed on it. The NKVD had informed her they would arrive in town on Saturday at 1 pm. Reze sighed, taking a sip of her coffee and contemplating the little time she had left in town. If the NKVD even remotely suspected that Denji was involved in smuggling, they'd show no mercy, and she didn't want that fate for him.

In her mind, she formed a plan. She decided it was best for Denji to leave tomorrow. If there was any inkling of suspicion, the NKVD would not hesitate to accuse him and subject him to the harshest consequences.

Denji settled back in his seat, relieved he had left the explanation at a comfortable silence. Meanwhile, Kobeni walked over to Denji. Reze noted that the two didn't seem to resemble each other much, assuming Kobeni was his sister due to their arrival with Kishibe. "Maybe adopted?" she mused. Denji pointed to the table, indicating he needed to pay for the coffee.

Reze waved it off, dismissing the concern. "Don't worry about it. I know you didn't like it, so I'll cover it for you." Denji smiled, and Reze found his sharp, shark-like teeth somewhat charming in an odd way. She returned the smile and waved him away. "Denji," she beckoned, and he turned to look at her.

"How long will you be in town?" she asked, genuinely curious. He shrugged. "Until I find the girl I like, I guess." He smiled, and seeing her blush, he turned the corner, following Kobeni to the stairway and disappearing into his room.

Kishibe smacked Denji on the back of his head, a gesture to emphasize his point. "I don't want you talking to that girl again. A message has come down from Tokyo. The NKVD has been spotted preparing an airfield to bus in troops from Moscow in four days. The entire city will be crawling with spies, assassins, special agents, and fiends. We can't be here when it happens, so I need you to go out to the forest tomorrow and find a spot for a helicopter to land. Makima will extract us."

Denji rubbed the back of his head, feeling the sting from the smack. "What's wrong if I talk to the girl? She seems nice."

"Denji, you can't trust all these people, you said that yourself," Kobeni chimed in.

"I know, but she seems different. I don't know why, but something about her is off."

"Off?" Kobeni asked, puzzled.

"Yeah, but in a good way." Denji explained

"If she's crazy, that's even less reason to talk to her." Kishibe said

"Kishibe, didn't you say the best devil hunters are the ones with a few screws loose?"

"That's exactly my point. If she's a Soviet devil hunter, that can complicate things. For all we know, she could be the bomb girl," Kishibe warned. Denji realized the gravity of the situation. She looked right through his cover story. "Damn, that's why she speaks English!"

He smacked the wall in frustration. "We are deep into Moscow, and this girl, who's never even explained why she's here, speaks perfect English and conveniently shows up just in time for us to get shot out of the sky!"

Denji grabbed his head, and Kobeni began to panic. "K-keep quiet! We don't know if someone's listening!" she urged in a hushed tone.

Angel flew through an open window, landing on a spare bed. "Where the hell have you been?" Denji asked, exasperated.

"There's a statue of me in this city. I went to check it out," Angel replied casually.

Kishibe grumbled, "We aren't here for sightseeing. We are here to locate and capture the bomb devil."

"Apparently I've already done that, old man. I just need to figure out what to do now," Denji retorted, plainly frustrated.

"Listen, let's just wait for an extraction team to arrive. Then we recuperate and return to get the Bomb Girl," Kishibe suggested. "No matter what any of you do, do not reveal yourselves. Work in groups. Nobody here is to be left alone during the day. Either go to the old man's shops or stay here. I have some rubles, so I will give you all pocket cash just in case the staff or Dieter require it. If I catch any of you outside, I will personally break your skulls."

Kobeni began sweating and sobbing, and Angel and Kobeni both saluted, albeit with visible nervousness. Denji just replied, "Whatever," laying on the bed and turning away from the group in frustration.