Guide in the Darkness (4)
Chirp— chirp—
Birdsong drifted into my half-dazed mind, soft and insistent against my ears.
I frowned at the unwelcome noise and lifted my eyelids. The first thing that met me was sunlight pouring in through the window.
Warm. And blinding.
Beneath that fierce morning light, Sinel's thick ash-gray hair caught and scattered the sun.
"…She snuck in again."
Was she still asleep?
I could see her there, breathing in soft, rustling little sounds as she slept. Her goggles—the ones she never took off—lay set aside, and her eyes were closed. I watched her face in silence.
Peach-colored lips, slightly parted. A faint breath slipping between them.
Looking at Sinel like that, eyes shut and utterly still, I found myself thinking that at least while she slept, she was genuinely cute.
"…"
For a moment, Spinel's face seemed to overlay hers. Their personalities were complete opposites, but sisters were sisters all the same.
One was an executive in a secret organization that shook the city. The other was a bed outlaw who shook me out of my sleep.
I couldn't watch her forever. I pushed the blanket aside to get up.
"Nngh…"
The moment I peeled the covers back, Sinel burrowed deeper against me. At the same time, the arms she'd wrapped around me tightened. As if reclaiming the warmth the blanket had stolen, she nuzzled her face into my chest.
Her ash-gray hair stirred right in front of my eyes.
"Are you actually asleep?"
"Haaahm… nyaam…"
The scent of shampoo rose from her mussed hair. It was mine. I'd told her to buy her own toiletries, but she was still walking off with mine and using them.
Pinned in her arms, I watched her sleep a little longer, then absently reached out and ran my fingers through her hair. Soft strands slid under my fingertips. Every time I stroked it, a full handful gathered in my palm—surprisingly satisfying.
"Sinel. Time to get up."
I shifted the hand that had been petting her hair and pressed it against her cheek. Soft skin dimpled under my fingers, pushing her lips off to one side. Her tightly shut eyelids twitched unnaturally.
They fluttered a few times, then finally opened to reveal ash-gray irises.
"…Boss?"
"Yeah."
"You're awake."
Her eyes moved from my face to the palm resting on her cheek. Blink. Blink. Those clear, directionless eyes wandered for a moment. The cheek I wasn't touching looked faintly flushed.
"Sleep well?"
"I'm still a little sleepy."
"So you slept fine."
"Can I sleep a little longer?"
"No. Get up and get ready. The Sword Saint will be here soon."
Unlike before, the office now had one more employee. Even setting aside the Sword Saint's business, it was nearly time to start the workday. Lingering in bed any longer was a luxury reserved for people with free time.
I threw the blanket off completely and stood.
"Right."
"And why do you keep climbing into the bed?"
"I came to warm it up for you."
"…What?"
"The bed was cold, so I made it warm."
Apparently I employed someone who could communicate with furniture. If I ever bought a new bed, I should take Sinel along. I could just ask her which one was better.
A thoroughly Sinel-like excuse, as expected.
"So there's magic for that, too."
Or maybe the bed was the one lying. Best to leave beds to the professionals.
"I wouldn't know about that."
"Go wash your face."
"Yes, Boss."
Sinel hopped down from the bed, gathered the toiletries, and headed out. Beyond the sway of her ash-gray hair, I stared blankly at my own toiletries clutched in her hands.
Inside the car bound for Lesert Industries, Sinel—back from an errand—was drinking the coffee she'd bought, while Ney sat beside me and fixed me with a look of pure dissatisfaction.
At our last meeting, I'd ordered her to secure Lesert Industries' cooperation. Maybe she still resented the method. Ney Terdos opened her mouth with a razor-edged smile.
"I got the permission, just like I promised."
"Things seem to have gone quietly. Who did you ask?"
We'd received Lesert Industries' cooperation regarding the recent string of raids. And yet nothing had surfaced—not in the news, not in the papers, not even on Brian's information network. Proof that Ney had handled it cleanly.
"Bel Viartin. Daughter of Vix Viartin, Lesert's chairman."
"Noble families tend to have connections, I suppose."
"I didn't want to contact her for something like this either."
"Why be picky about means and methods? In the end, it's all for Lesert and the peace of the city."
Bel Viartin. Daughter of Chairman Vix Viartin, and the one who oversaw Lesert Industries' operations within the city. Her influence touched every corporate activity they ran here. Her promise of cooperation meant we effectively had access to most of Lesert's facilities.
The places holding Lesert Industries' secrets were restricted zones, closed to outsiders. To catch the Yuglerus targeting those secrets, the best approach was to set an ambush as close to the targets as possible.
"Are you sure they'll actually show up there?"
"You secured the cooperation first and now you're doubting it?"
"That's not what I mean. But if we go this far and the culprit still doesn't come… I don't even want to think about it."
"Security forces waiting for a crime to happen. Quite the spectacle."
Ney sighed at my joke and covered her eyes. Even she had to find it absurd. And yet she had her reasons. The purpose that had driven her into the security forces over Abel Terdos's objections—for that alone, she couldn't leave the threats lurking in the city alone.
"Information brokers really are a pain to deal with."
"Better than the All-Seeing Eye of the Cross Network, aren't they?"
"You mean Riman?"
"Riman Caberunt. That's the name."
The pinnacle of information brokers at the Cross Network, Riman Caberunt. At the mention of him, Ney shook her head.
"Riman's the tame one. Aside from how he talks forever for no reason."
"And you're fine with how much information leaks out of those endless conversations?"
"It either ends up in the papers or slips out of an information broker's mouth. It was always one or the other. He's been a bit quieter since I joined the security forces, though."
"Sounds like you've got your hands full."
"My own fault for having such an outstanding family, I suppose."
Ney reached for her paper cup in the cup holder and took a sip through the straw. Usher, in the driver's seat, glanced at her through the rearview mirror, then turned his eyes back to the road.
Usher Hayes was driving. He steered toward Lesert with a thoroughly bored expression.
"You've got a knack for driving, too."
"Is that really so surprising?"
"I figured even if you had a license, it'd be a paper one collecting dust."
In the original War City, Ney handled most of the driving. Seeing Usher behind the wheel like this was a rare sight—something I hadn't even seen in the previous work. On top of that, Usher was a serious criminal who'd committed a massacre and drawn a heavy sentence. Even if he held a license, he'd likely been far from driving for a long time.
"I got it so I could take my little sister places."
"Is that so. Rather romantic."
"Something like that."
"Then suffer through it until we arrive."
"You're not going to ask about my sister?"
Usher Hayes's gaze found me in the rearview mirror. I already knew about his sister without asking. The reason he'd caused an incident in the central district and now worked as a hunting dog for the security forces was because of her. So I had no intention of prying. He probably had some idea of that himself.
"I don't see the need."
"My sister was an incredible mage. A kid with a bright future—until she got caught in a sudden accident and died."
"A tragedy."
Usher laid out the past in a flat, detached tone, all the while never quite stopping his sidelong glances my way. Ney, already familiar with the story, listened with a somber expression. When he finished, his eyes found me again through the mirror.
"You don't look surprised at all."
"I had some idea…"
"You knew everything, didn't you. That's why they call you the Dark Merchant."
"Who knows."
He wasn't wrong. Still, there were thorns in his words. When our conversation ended, a brief silence settled over the car.
It didn't last. A slight jolt, and the car rolling forward came to a stop. Usher left his hands on the wheel, twisted around to look at the back seat, and spoke.
"We're here. Get out."