Chapter 32 - Mission Prep

I enter the infirmary to see Kina inspecting a Dodona seed under a magnifying glass and writing notes.

Adachi: "Hey, Kina. Is now a bad time?"

Kina closes her notepad and looks up at me from her work.

Kina: "No, it's fine. What's up?"

Adachi: "I need a crash course in human anatomy. Could you teach me?"

Kina: "Yeah, sure. I've got a few charts over here that should do handily for that. I forgot that you grew up in the mountains!"

Kina proceeds to teach me about muscles, bones, joints, and where they are all located. It's a lot of information to take at once, but Kina is a surprisingly good teacher. Before I know it, the crash course is completed.

Kina: "Any questions?"

Before I can respond, Obo barges into the room and asks me to follow him. Good thing I didn't have any questions!

Obo, Mito, and Shiki are all gathered, discussing something of importance. Shortly after I enter the room, Kina follows behind me.

Kina: "What's this all about?"

Obo: "We believe we've found something that we can pin on Lord Gishie, but it requires hard evidence. We'll have to get our hands dirty here."

Adachi: "Really? What do we know so far?"

Obo explains the place that Alice's older sister Rika had found when she followed her parents to the site they visit weekly. It was an inconspicuous building with tons of VIP-looking people entering it.

Obo continues to embellish further details, but everyone falls silent one-by-one as they notice Kina's sickly expression.

Kina: "This place… Is it just north of a marketplace?"

Obo: "Yes, it does happen to be just north of a marketplace. What exactly do you know?"

Kina: "I know the place. It's a club for the rich to get even richer betting on deathmatches. Some of the participants are willing, and others aren't so much. The people there are treated just like animals…"

Kina chokes on her words as she clearly remembers something excruciating. I look around at everyone's expression, only to see that they are just as confused as I am.

After being unable to speak, Kina excuses herself from the room to collect herself after a short while. This is fine, as she already gave us enough information to go off.

Shiki: "To think, an illegal deathmatch betting club existed so close to our dojo without our knowledge. Unforgivable. Whatever the case, we need to keep this operation small. It's not easy to avoid the eyes of the upper echelon. They're easily startled creatures. So only two of you will go on this mission."

Obo and Mito both click their tongues. They know that I must go on this mission as it was mine to begin with. So it will either be Mito or Obo that gets to go on this mission.

Mito: "I should be the one to go!"

Obo: "We need someone with experience on this job. Sorry, Mito. I'm not sure you have it."

The two lock eyes, and the tension fills the room. I didn't know that this was so serious. Finally, Shiki leans over to me and whispers.

Shiki: "Those two have very different ways of doing missions. I don't like the idea of sending them both together."

I nod my head in agreement. I hope Obo goes with me as we are similar in mind. Mito seems like the type to go in a little too "loud and proud."

Mito: "Fine! We'll rock-paper-scissors for it!"

Obo grits his teeth and puts up both his hands. Rock, paper, scissors! The two both show their hands at once, and Mito is the winner. He chose rock, while Obo chose scissors.

Mito: "Woohoo! Time to beat up some aristocrats!"

Shiki and Obo both shoot him a look of disapproval. I can't help but feel apprehensive about my mission partner as well.

Mito: "Haha… I meant that it's time to gather the proper evidence to build a case. Not as exciting when you say it that way…"

A little while later, Mito and I are prepped to complete some espionage. I'm wearing all my gear, and Mito has his as well. We're both wearing cloaks to conceal our battle gear, though I can't say that the cloak is any less suspicious.

Whatever the case, it's time to take revenge in Kiichi's place!