Anna had work today, Eric had to go to a doctor's appointment, and Lia was enrolled in dozens of other classes alongside her schoolwork thanks to her father, so she was not free either. That left Sebastian and Emily to go to the arcade today.
We all matched our schedules, and even though I would have liked to go with Anna, our pairings ended up differently in the end.
It was decided that Emily and Sebastian would go today, and the rest would spend their spare time looking into the whereabouts of Mrs. Benson's son. Next would be Anna and Eric, using both of their free times (apparently Eric worked part-time too), and last would be me and Lia.
Lia was already quite curious about me, so this just added more to my hassles. To be honest, I was interested in her demeanor as well.
Though I had skipped going today, the place I was headed to as I zoomed through the streets on my bike was not much different from where I was supposed to be.
That's right. As the sun started to set, I was making my way to another arcade. An arcade run by New Engine Gaming Pvt. Ltd. It was the best lead I had so far into their activities, and putting my eyes on the matter a little would always help.
It always did, I mean.
As the sky started to completely darken, losing the last bits of orange from the sun, I reached Genge.
An area popular for the nightlife, with dozens of pubs, clubs, and all the rest of the places that came along in the package. Genge was definitely one of the best places to be, at least in this part of the city.
Of course, all this barely compared to Central Hell City and was probably a teen bar when pitted against the South. Being towards the northernmost parts of a port city had its ups and downs.
I left the bike at a designated parking spot, tapped my phone to pay the meter, and walked onto the street. Genge was a no-vehicle area, which just added to the vibe of the place.
Neon lights flashed around, and dozens of people, young and old, in dresses and suits walked around. There were some host clubs and bars, some spots for drinks, and others for games. Casinos lined the streets.
I didn't look out of place at all. With a cigarette in hand and the many chains I wore, it was very comfortable. When I was dropping Anna off at work, she even said she felt like she was friends with a goth rockstar. Whatever that meant.
The arcade I was looking for was not too far down the street.
[Hit Parade] was the name on the signboard, registered with the same company, of course.
The hour was a little early; it was not yet time to go inside.
Across the street, with a few soft lights hanging, was a small bar. Quite small, with only some seats by the window—next to the door at the storefront—that looked at the arcade.
I walked inside. The place was relatively empty with just some early salarymen getting their drinks.
"Welcome!" the owner shouted from behind the counter, and I nodded. "The menu's on the table. Please order at the counter and take your food yourself!"
"Oh, great," I liked that. "A beer and, do you have something with good protein?"
"I got you. Grab the beer, lad."
The friendly old owner placed a mug on the counter and turned around. He didn't even feel the need to check my age, did he? It was always amazing how easy underage drinking was. I grabbed the beer and took the seat I had been eyeing.
With a seat now, I propped my phone up and pulled out a small diary from my bag alongside a pen.
Like that, I first pulled up the district government's website for regulating buildings and public structures and started searching for the floor plan of [Hit Parade] the arcade.
With one eye on the arcade itself, I got to work.
The people heading in and out. The ones doing it multiple times.
Guards. Bouncers. Workers.
Gang members.
Customers or anyone suspicious. Everything was on my radar.
It was going to be a long night working on this. Thank god for the beer.