Following the bloodstained map to the marked location, I arrived at an unexpected place.
A club, with loud music leaking out from inside.
No, if you think about what a club has to offer, maybe this was the more natural answer.
"Is this... the place?"
"...Has anyone among us ever been to a club this noisy?"
Huh.
At Ms. Rodion's words, my shoulders twitched.
Umm... yeah, these people really didn't seem like the type to go to a place like a club.
If anything, the only one who looked suited to it was the person Mr. Gregor had pointed out. Ms. Rodion seemed like the only one.
"If we're picking from among us... you're the only one who seems like you'd fit."
"That's a prejudice~ There were almost no flashy bars like this in our Backstreets. There was no way business would've been good, right? Well... there were secret parties held in the Backstreets too, but every time that happened, Sonya would always catch on like a ghost and haul us in~"
"So why are you asking about this?"
"I don't know, Dante? There are guards at the entrance."
Following Ms. Rodion's fingertip with my eyes, I saw people dressed the same as the thugs we'd fought earlier standing guard by the door.
"How many are you with?"
"Two. That's hurtful, don't you remember me? I'm even on the list."
"Ah... sorry. I've checked. Please come in."
"See, see? They're asking questions while whispering about something. Which means we're supposed to get through that naturally..."
Listening to Ms. Rodion, Mr. Gregor's face was colored with worry.
"Hmm... then... the next most likely person would be..."
Heathcliff.
Right... aside from the fact that he seemed more sentimental than expected, he did fit.
"What kind of nonsense is that? Want to die?"
Yep. Aside from the sentimental part.
"Mm~ If it were me, I think I'd take that as a compliment. Right, Heath?"
"Hmph... i-is that so?"
Easy. Maybe because his way of thinking was simple.
"Ahem. Well, it's a shame to disappoint your expectations, but... I'm from an organization that's a little more mixed up with blood, sweat, and loyalty. Regrettably, a shabby old bar where people drank around a worn table suits me better than some flashy place."
"Oh... I think I get that feeling. There's a certain charm to a quiet, familiar bar with no flashy club around."
"I thought you were just a stiff, but you've got more in common than I expected, huh? Exactly. Back when I was in the organization, with my comrades..."
...This is long. I should just let it go in one ear and out the other.
Mr. Heathcliff talks a lot more than I expected. Maybe I shouldn't have agreed with him for no reason.
As I casually let Heathcliff's rambling pass by, an unexpected Sinner volunteered herself.
"I. Screams ringing out with the music. Walls splattered with blood. Dancing with bent joints..."
"That's... not a club."
Yep. That was Ms. Ryoshu. Mr. Gregor cut her off cleanly, though.
"So... no one?"
Uuuuuummm...
While Mr. Gregor scratched his head in embarrassment, another truly, truly unexpected Sinner revealed something surprising.
"I have been."
The same steady pitch. That particular flatness. And that crisp, clipped, by-the-book tone.
Surprisingly, it was Mr. Meursault.
"Quite... often."
Not once or twice...?
"..."
"...You're kidding, right?"
"You're right, Mr. Meursault. In a situation like this, a joke is..."
"It is not a joke. I do not know why you would think so. It is merely one of the places I visited while wandering about in search of things to enjoy in life."
Huh, his motive was unexpectedly similar to mine. Though my number of visits could be counted on one hand.
"Judging by the procedures of that club, it appears to be a private club. Before entering a private club, one must obtain permission from the doormen standing at the entrance. The doormen generally possess above-average builds and are also armed. To pass between them safely..."
"If this were a normal club... that would be true."
"Ish...?"
Ms. Ishmael walked past us and headed straight for the club entrance.
...What is she thinking now?
"This is a space where the boss of the organization is located. Naturally, there should be ways to enter that aren't normal. And the answer to that is with the organization's members, right? Isn't it simple?"
Ms. Ishmael calmly explained as she arrived in front of the doorman.
"How did you come here?"
"I..."
"...?"
"I'm... Queequeg's... friend."
...Queequeg?
At the unfamiliar word, a question mark bloomed in our heads.
Since she said "friend," it must be a person's name.
And probably someone fairly connected to that organization.
"What did you say?"
"Queequeg. You know that name, don't you?"
"Wait..."
The moment he heard the name Ms. Ishmael had spoken, the doorman looked at her with a face that said there was no way that could be true.
Immediately after, he began secretly relaying something to someone through the radio in his chest.
"Are they really going to let us in?"
"Well. I think we'll have to see a little more."
Probably the next doorman's words would decide what happened.
"Are you really Queequeg's friend?"
"...If I am?"
"Where is she now?"
"..."
"The boss is asking."
"So... your boss is inside here right now."
"I'll ask once more. Queequeg is..."
[Our twin hooks are heading over... I repeat, our twin hooks are...]
The doorman's words were drowned out by a loud announcement echoing through the club.
This... doesn't look like it'll be resolved quietly.
"Weren't we planning to get inside quietly?!"
"No. It was merely a way to confirm whether the organization's boss was inside. The head knows the most information, so it was the fastest and surest method."
Would it have killed you to say that beforehand?
Look, over there. They're charging in.
Haah... I thought we might get through this without fighting.
*
"Wow, the doormen have already cleared the way for us."
Cleared the way... is a generous way to put it. They just collapsed or ran away, Mr. Hong Lu.
Still, the path is open, so I guess it doesn't matter.
"Let's go down."
Ah, right. We have to go in.
Inside the club, purple lighting poured down brightly.
Noisy and chaotic... yeah, this really doesn't suit my temperament.
As I frowned lightly and looked around, some black-haired—what should I even call it—woman who had entered through the doorman earlier spoke to us.
"Hey, how many of you came?"
"We came with fourteen."
"Huh, fourtee—?"
...Ah, that's an annoying presence. They've already caught up.
"There they are!"
"Eek...! S-sorry!"
Well, it makes sense, considering we're rampaging in the middle of enemy territory.
By the way, can they turn down this thumping sound? It's distracting.
[Now then, shall we dance to the tune popular in our harbor? It's called the swordfish dance! Stretch out both arms and—like this! Whirl~ smack! Whirl~ smack!]
"Damn it... why is it pounding so hard?"
"It feels like my brain is bouncing around..."
Mr. Yi Sang was even getting motion sickness. Haah... is this going to be okay?
"Get out of the way, all of you. If you don't want to get hurt."
Ms. Ishmael smashed nearby tables with her mace and threatened the customers.
It was a scene that looked bad at a glance. The customers who witnessed it hurriedly began fleeing the club in a panic.
Looks like they're ready to fight.
Then... ah. Should I try that?
There's a chance I'll need to use it in real combat someday. It wouldn't hurt to get the vaccination early, I guess.
Alright. Let's suggest it.
"Dante."
"Hm?"
"Should we try that once? Mr. Yi Sang's Identity and mine... those two together."
"..."
"We might have to use it someday anyway, so it'd be better to test it in the field beforehand. Leaving it alone doesn't seem great either."
"Yi Sang. Are you okay with that?"
"If necessary, I have no reason not to comply..."
"Then let's do it. It might be different this time, right?"
"...Fine. Let's try it once."
...Why are you so tense over just bringing out two Identities?
Uh... you'll find out soon enough.
I don't know the details, but something truly unexpected happened.
"Then... here I go."
Clang—
The familiar sound of glass breaking rang in my head, and the memories and information of the Identity. Even its self-awareness began to project into me.
It's a sensation I never get used to.
Ah, is it over?
"..."
"..."
My eyes, moving on their own, turned toward the person facing me—a mass of ginger blossoms.
...I can't see them clearly. No, they feel ordinary enough... but something is different.
Some strange blur. Was it some device meant to conceal my line of sight?
As if perception itself had been twisted, and just as an unpleasant, suffocating sensation was rising onto my face...
A distinctive fragrance I could never forget brushed past the tip of my nose.
"Ah... look who it is. Yi Sang? So last time wasn't a dream after all."
The instant I spoke, I could feel the face of the person in front of me crumple horribly.
...So it was you, huh?