Chapter 18 – Disappearance of the Hare

"Soooo........" "She disappeared?" "Did she finally get done in?" """...""" It was the next day and an hour has passed since Inaba is said to have gone out to town. "You don't think she was taken away by some thugs do you?" Akatsuki recalls having warned Inaba about her exposed naked back. After that one time she has always had her light purple hair down loose seemingly having taken his advice to heart. For her to be kidnapped by a simple street thug...the idea seems unlikely as Inaba possess two powerful Divine Armaments. However...

"She's definitely been tricked to and taken away." Her heart is that of a simple minded idiot that's honest to a fault. Inaba is someone who believes in the good of the people. As this is the case she is an easy target to lie to. If a beggar asked her for gold she'd give it up.

"Alright any plans on how might go about searching for her?" Shirayukihime seems to be the most worried of the three who are left behind. Theia felt indifferent about the situation, but nevertheless worried as Inaba is perhaps the first to welcome her into the Circle after all the trouble she had caused for them. As for Akatsuki he was staring up into the ceiling as if scheming something once again. That only lasts a moment as he stares up while reaching his left hand out into the heavens. His expression is that of a dreamy boy seeking thrill in his life.

"I say we run towards a new tomorrow." ""...Eh...?"" Akatsuki merely smiles as he got off his seat. They left the manor to the children and set off.

"So this is what you meant." "I never got a chance to go to town." "Ugh the sun..." In Eden the sunlight is not that strong as an old law states to those who hold the authorities of the sun are not to maximize its rays. It was a special law that had been passed for the sake of the highborn vampires. Nevertheless Theia felt an irritating inch under her skin as she readjusts her umbrella.

"It's hot too..." "That's what you get for wearing all black..." In contrast to Theia Shirayukihime worn pure white. Before her attire had been that of a European royalty at a ball but now it was a white Japanese kimono with pink cherry blossom patterns as a theme. Inaba once wanted to get into the details of the price but Shirayukihime had deftly dodged the topic.

"It's not that bad." Having lost his fur hoodie in the Lord of the Vampires game Akatsuki made due with just a short black shirt with tribal markings and a pair of jeans. Still if asked about it he would definitely say that he missed the jacket... Even now he is still trying to look for a decent replacement somewhere but nothing turns up.

"Ah I want to try that." A meat on skewer stall. The aroma of the grilled meat gave off an appetizing scent as Akatsuki wonders in its direction.

"I want some too." "Me too." They decided to get three and continued to walk around as if it was the festival season. This town had a very Japanese like air to it; probably having something to do with the master of this Garden's taste. Not that Akatsuki minded it. This familiar air reminds him of his old world as he took a bite of the meat on a skewer.

"Delicious~!" Theia gave off a happy face as she took her bite ripping the grilled meat with her fangs.

Shirayukihime attempts a bite but the scorching meat is far too high in temperature that it burnt her tongue causing her to flinch. "Hot, hot." With her free hand she forms a stick of ice and placed it on her tongue to cool off. They spent their time here in the crowded town sightseeing for hours seemingly having forgotten their objective into coming here. Every now and then Akatsuki would snap a photo of any interesting sights. Before they knew it the time had turned to dusk.

"Ah that was fun~!" Akatsuki stretches his arms and legs as he got ready to call it a day.

"The lower levels sure have some nice food." "I guess a NEET wouldn't know since they were stuck in their rooms for their whole lives." Still poking fun at the vampire Akatsuki calls Theia out on her social outcast life.

"What you say!?" "I feel like we're forgetting something." "Yeah I think it had something to do with..." "Her...?" """...Inaba...""" "Ah...can't be helped. At this point she's most likely been sold off to some slaver." "Yes it cannot be helped." Akatsuki and Theia nods off in agreement. "Wait you can't just kill her off like that!" Shirayukihime who has taken the role of being the straight man of this group now knows how Inaba felt like. This is exhausting work...

"Shirayukihime." Akatsuki gave off a stern look towards Shirayukihime and places a hand on her shoulder.

"What's done is done. We were too late. Let us not forget about our noble comrade who has sacrificed herself for the greater good of our Circle." "What is up with that!?" "Don't worry about it. Besides sooner or later it should turn up." "Eh?" Shirayukihime could only tilt her head at what Akatsuki said. What was it that this boy had caught onto?

"Did you really think that this whole time as we were walking around I didn't notice anything?" The boy gives off an air of knowing as he folds his arms and smiled gleefully.

"Let's pay the Garden Master a visit." The Garden Master is the ruler of the respective Garden. There are four of them in total East, West, North, and South. Four masters that each govern a direction of the single Garden flat. They are further divided depending on each level. So a grand total of twelve are present from the Lower Gardens to the Upper Gardens with the Celestial Heavens watching over them all. The one that Akatsuki is referring to is the Northern Garden Master who just so happens to reside in this town.

"You say that...but." Did he even know where that was?

"No so we're going to ask around. And the best place for that is of course a bar." Shirayukihime drops her head down, figured as much... The closest bar from the street that they were on is about a five minute walk away. Though the question of if this was a bar or not is plausible.

"Isn't this more like a joint or a club?" Shirayukihime calls the place out on it. It is practically something that they'd find in the red light district where drunkard fools come to play and blow their wallets empty after a hard day at work.

"A-Are w-we really going into there...?" Not used to these sorts of places Theia took a step back. She was still just a child mentally.

"It's easier to find people with connections here." As it is the place where the big fish spends their money it shouldn't be strange to find a guy or two who knew the location of the Garden Master. And if they didn't talk when asked then...

Akatsuki cracks the knuckles in his left hand. A fierce fire burns within his eyes as if he was ready to throw down once he enters.

"Maybe me and Theia should wait outside..." It was definitely not safe to hang around this boy when he is like this...

"Sure." Though he is injured this degree of labor if it comes down to it shouldn't be an issue. He opens the sliding door of the club and stepped inside.

"Yo I'm looking for the Garden Master anyone knows where that person is in town?" All eyes turned towards him. What was this boy thinking coming here? Who did he think he is?

The big fish of elite Circles all gave Akatsuki a cold look of intimidation. But the boy merely smiles mockingly back at them completely unfazed by their sharp glares.

"Let's have a nice long chat shall we?" Akatsuki closed the sliding door behind him and once more took another step inside. All at once the other customers pounced at him wanting him dead. After a series of comical sounds of smashing bones and throwing bodies left and right the whole business establishment had been flipped underside down. Shirayukihime and Theia merely waited outside refusing to get into the chaos that Akatsuki is causing inside for they knew nothing good will come of it.

"Ugh...next block, on the cherry pavement waterway road...ugh..." A puff of white smoke comes out of the mouth of the man who had said that as he lies on his back seemingly dead.

"This place looks fun I'll come back at a later date." """"Don't!!!"""" They did not want this abnormality back in their business a second time. He had lay the whole building to waste from just picking a fight. "Yo I'm back." The monster comes back with a refreshing smile to which Shirayukihime and Theia could only smile back warily.

"What did you do?" "Nothing we just had a nice long chat and they paid the bills for all the ruckus I caused. Man these people are quite generous aren't they?" "Y-You're insane..." "Anyways let's go to the Garden Master." "Right." From the kind and generous gentlemen who have given Akatsuki the info they had told him that the Northern Garden Master's residence is a shop. The walk to the said shop took only about twenty minutes and by the time that they had arrived to the place it had already turned dark. But the sun is still barely visible in the night skies. The people of Eden calls the Northern side of the Lower Gardens the region of never setting sun because of this special characteristic. Dark clouds hovered over the sun like a shade blocking off its radiance just a slightly bit for the moon to show. On the side of the shop runs a waterway with cherry blossoms flowing down the stream. From the looks of it the Garden Master's taste was quite refined and elegant. The image of a high class lady with a fan covering her face came into Akatsuki's head as he thought so. But the reason for why it was a woman and not a man is beyond him.

"It reads Soleil." That was also the name of the Circle governed by the said Garden Master. A number was written on a billboard stuck onto the ground in front of the shop reading 144. So this was the 144th shop of Soleil? They definitely had too much money to blow...

"It's French for sun." "You're also diverse in foreign languages?" Theia raises a surprised look as she asks.

"A bit." "Never mind that let's go." Shirayukihime took lead and opened the sliding door.

"Hah?" Was what should have happened but the door won't budge no matter how much she attempts to slide it to the right. Maybe it slides the other way? But no trying to slide it to the right also failed. "What is up with this stupid door!?" "Should I kick it down?" Akatsuki offers to use force whereas Shirayukihime shakes her head. They were going to ask the person of this place a favor. Getting on their bad side would be a messy start.

"Hmm." Theia tries this time and instead of sliding it she pushes it in.

"Hah!?" "It opened like a normal door of a western house?" "What is up with that?" Voicing their complaints they entered the shop without taking their footwear off.

"Hey our hare disappeared so help us find it." "Oi..." Akatsuki boldly states his intentions when he entered the shop.

"Hm?" "Wait what's going on?" "The space is being distorted!" What Theia said is true. Know when a person feels dizzy and the world spins? Instead of the person seeing a distorted vision the world is performing it right in front of them as the wooden floors of the Japanese styled hall bends and weaves out of shape! "Oi where are we...?" It was dark. Nothing is present. Akatsuki couldn't even see his own body as if his whole person had become a part of the surrounding darkness. He tries to move his left hand and touched something smooth like silk. No there was a slight squishiness and bumpiness to it. It felt like...an ironing board?

"Nyaha! Where do you think you're touching!?" Applying some strength onto his grip it caused Theia to scream like a cat.

"Don't worry about it its flat." "Y-You...!" "Both of you just put a sock in it!" They were all here in this darkness of nothingness. But where is this? Did they die and went to hell? If they did that would have been far too soon of a conclusion to their tales.

"Screw that I'm not dying here." Akatsuki couldn't even tell if his mouth was moving or not till the words he wanted to get out got out.

"I can't see anything..." "Your dark Victorian dress blends right in doesn't it?" "That a joke? The titty spirit over there is dressed all in white and she still can't be seen."