Dark Organization (4)
Since the ronin were also being hunted by the three major gangs, there was nothing to hide.
"The largest force is the Desperado organization…."
After about ten minutes of explaining the power structure, he even named the number of members and the bosses.
Eden spoke.
"The bosses are wanted in the real world. But they fight every day—how do they not run out of food? They can't be living off corpses."
"We don't know that far. It seems they get supplies from somewhere."
The leader pointed toward the sea.
"This whole area is trash, polluted—only rotten fish wash up. There aren't any distant waters. Yet, strangely, large ships sometimes anchor nearby. They seem to get supplies from those vessels. Honestly… you could say the gang wars are to control this place."
"Ships?"
Because the outer track was a partitioned space, you didn't need transport to go anywhere.
'Dark organizations. Of course… someone here must be in contact with the administrators.'
The leader continued.
"Food is secondary. What they really get from those ships are weapons. They call them machine guns."
"Machine guns?"
"Yes. It's strange—they're unbelievably loud. Just pull the trigger and…."
Watching him make a tut‑tut‑tut sound with his mouth, Shirone thought of Hi‑Gear.
'Firearms, then.'
Not as potent as the essence of magic, but things that could kill people without effort.
They even dulled the sense of guilt.
"When things change, the philosophy of the age changes too. Weapons like these fit Melchideau perfectly."
Nade asked.
"I get the situation roughly. But why do you keep betraying people like that?"
"I used to be doing well—until I got cleaned out at a gambling den. I slipped past the guards and came here, but if you don't join a gang you're just food. So I had no choice but to join. Once I joined…."
"And then?"
"I got too scared and ran away. Those guys aren't human. If it goes wrong they'll just pull the trigger. At first I joined Desperado, but it was too brutal, so I jumped to the Red Union. But that place was a den of lunatics too. So I went to the Johan Cartel and…."
The leader's face went pale.
"It's just… hell. All three major gangs are hell. Do you understand? It wasn't betrayal, it was running away. If you switch to another gang they'll protect you, but then you have nowhere to return to. So we live here now."
"That's even more pathetic."
"Ha!"
He straightened his shoulders as if remembering the days his gang's power was feared.
"You'll see once you face them. That's why we ran. I'm warning you—them…."
He leaned toward Nade.
"They're truly bad people."
Nade slapped his cheek as if to puncture the lie.
"Ow! Why'd you hit me!"
"Don't be ridiculous. How are you different? You were about to commit a robbery a moment ago."
Nade brushed sand off and stood.
"What should we do? Shall we hit Desperado first? You said it's the biggest gang."
Eden said, "That's fine, but we don't even know where Pena is. Let's go in and check the situation first."
"True."
Nade told the ronin.
"You lot should head off. Don't do anything stupid from now on. Roll your dice and leave."
"Um…?"
The leader crept forward on his knees.
"I have a good idea. Would you form a gang with us? I'll be your big brother."
The machine gun's power was formidable, but it couldn't compare to magic that controlled electricity.
'If I used these guys, taking control of all three gangs would be easy. Then I could—'
Nade crushed his hopes.
"No. We'll handle it ourselves."
"Please, hear me out. Use my inside knowledge of the three gangs—"
"I warned you."
Nade cut him off.
"Don't ever show yourself to me again. We're letting you go because we're on a tight schedule. Now get out."
With nothing to lose anyway, the leader pushed his luck.
"This isn't good. We're people with nothing left to lose. Can you handle us? With all kinds of schemes and tricks, we'll—"
"Will you go already?"
Electricity flashed in Nade's eyes.
"Uaaaaaah!"
The ronin screamed, contorted, and bolted across the white sand.
Nade relaxed his gaze and said, "You lot who have no clue—only learned bad things. Threats only work on people who can be threatened."
Nade, Iruki, and Eden were strong, but Shirone was humanity's strongest mage.
"All right. Let's go. I'm hungry."
Iruki led the way, and Eden added from behind, "I'm not eating meat."
They passed the trash heaps and moved further inland, greeted by the city's grim scenery.
Every building bore bullet scars; some stood half‑collapsed and abandoned.
Main roads were controlled by armed forces, while alleyways sheltered vagrants.
"Looks like each gang has its own district. I see Red Union emblems everywhere."
"Yeah. Some even have two or three stamped on. Seems there are a lot of types like those ronin."
"What about over there?"
He pointed to a neon sign flickering even in daylight; the others agreed.
"It's a bar. Probably like a public house for the gang. I hope they sell something to eat."
"You can't use points here. They say you have to trade items or equivalent labor."
"Let's go see. Maybe we can trade for cheap items."
They opened the bar door; a group of shirtless gang members all turned their heads.
"What's that?"
Seeing unfamiliar faces in Korkoras and how young they were, the members' guard dropped.
'This is my turn.' A rookie from the newly joined Red Union aimed a machine gun at the group.
"Hey, who are you guys? Where're you from?"
"We have a question."
Shirone got straight to the point; the rookie curled his lips into a wicked grin.
"Heh heh, you came to the right place. Ask anything. But the price'll be steep."
He looked at Eden. "All right, my price is—"
"Phew."
Nade was about to solve things by force when a voice came from the second floor.
"Stop."
The Red Union's action leader peered down into the hall with an annoyed expression.
"Oh, boss. You're here."
The rookie saluted respectfully, but the action leader's gaze was cold.
"Boss, why—"
"Enough. Bring them up. Come upstairs."
Shirone's group climbed and entered a room; the rookie tilted his head and stepped aside.
"Why's the boss mad? Aagh!" A waiting senior struck him across the back of the head.
"Senior, why?"
"Shut up and sit down and drink. You just spent the luck of your life."
Rubbing his head, the rookie asked, "Do you know this guy?"
"No. I've never seen that face. But you should at least know that if you touch him you're toast, right?"
"They just seem harmless."
"Don't look at their faces—look at their eyes. People like us will do anything to survive. We have no qualms, no shame. You know what that kind of eye is called?"
"I don't know. Gang?"
"Beast's eyes."
The senior downed a shot of strong liquor.
"Rough but sorrowful, cold but despairing—that's the kind of look we see. But those guys are different. Those are the eyes of people who stuck it out to the end. They didn't give up when things were rotten; they pushed through and climbed up." He smiled bitterly.
"We strays have to watch those eyes. Even if the world holds nothing to fear, you must still fear the world itself, kid."
The rookie turned his head. "What does that mean?"
The senior shut his mouth and refilled his glass.
"Excuse my manners."
In the private room on the second floor, the Red Union action leader poured them drinks.
"It's the best liquor in the shop."
"Has anyone named Pena come by? Or, recently, have you admitted any women into the gang?"
"Are you with the police?"
When Shirone's group stayed silent, he continued, "No woman has joined the Red Union. And according to my informants, no woman has recently joined any of the three major gangs. Unless someone concealed their gender."
"Hmm, seems the gangs don't have her," the action leader said.
"I'll prepare dinner. The boss will come; meet him and we'll treat you properly."
They didn't have time for that.
"That's fine. One more question—about the bribery program."
The action leader smiled. "I have nothing to say about that. Talk to the boss."
That would work, but Pena's safety worried them more than anything.
'If she's not in a gang, she's on the streets. If she's been hiding for three days already….'
Shirone stood.
"We'll head back for today. We'll come again."
Knowing there was no way to stop them, the action leader bowed.
"Please do come by. One request—don't think of joining hands with other organizations."
He raised his head. "I know you're strong. But like moths to a flame, some choose fire over their lives."
They meant to fight as if to save or die.
"We'll consider it."
Not listening, Shirone's group left the uneasy drinks behind and exited.
The action leader straightened and put a cigarette to his lips.
"Damn it."
A religious message that had circulated in Korkoras long ago came to mind.
"Why now of all times?"
They walked the streets.
"What happened to Pena? Maybe she never showed up—maybe she was just too scared."
It was a possibility.
"Don't jump to conclusions. If she didn't join a gang, search among the vagrants…."
"You lot!"
Someone in a hood grabbed Shirone's arm.
"Eek! You startled me!"
For a moment Shirone grimaced at the terrible stench, then he saw the face under the hood.
"Pena?"
Pena's face was pinched into a grimace.
"Sniff, why are you so late? I thought I was going to die of fear."
"….Are you okay?"
Hiding in the trash piles, she was filthy and stank from head to toe.
"Do I look okay? I didn't eat anything for three days. I even relieved myself in my clothes."
Nade asked in disbelief, "Why would you do that? You should at least use a toilet."
"What if I got caught? At a time like that, doing nothing is best. If you don't move, you'll just die anyway. I didn't move anything except my fingers and toes." It was the weakest survival tactic in nature, but being able to carry it out was a kind of strength.
"You did well. Let's go."
"I'm really upset. You owe me a good meal. I gathered a lot of premium information. Huh? Can I order something expensive?"
Nade said, "Shouldn't you at least wash first? You've killed any appetite I had."
"You can say anything to a lady," Pena shot back.
She stripped off her outer garment; Nade, wrapped in his cloak, flailed like a ghost.
"Aah! It won't come off!"
"Ha ha ha!"
They were just glad Pena was okay.