red string || sano manjiro/ mikey

chapter lxxxi: kanjiro bookstore

it was the third and final day of their search. brahman made full use of their connections to find the leader of kantou manji gang, and while at it, they were able to find out about the organization's recent activities. none of them have made a move since the battle of the three deities, assumingly because their leader is nowhere to be found.

emma and draken have searched around places that mikey hold dead too. none of them were occupied by the blonde himself, and they were disheartened when they arrived at the final day.

however, senju wasn't about to give up.

not when they were already so close into the plan that kazua spent so long to prepare.

"draken and emma searched around akihabara and asakusa, but they didn't see him anywhere there." senju walked towards her bike with her phone by her ear. "i just finished searching around ikebukoro and roponggi too. takeomi-niisan searched ginza, harajuku, and shibuya. i'm starting to think that he left tokyo, kazzie."

"nah, manji's not that petty." kazua's weak voice was heard from the other end of the line. she was just about to get discharged, already standing in front of the lobby to sign the rest of the needed papers for her to verify before leaving. on the other side of the desk, emi was childishly mimicking her talking to senju while making exaggerated faces.

she's still pissed that kazua got herself in trouble again. it was a miracle that she hasn't locked her in her own house yet.

"i'm on my way to shinjuku right now. do you have any idea where he could be around that district?"

kazua pursed her lips in thought. there are a few spots in shinjuku that she could think of, but she doubts that he would be in such a crowded place. mikey does have a tendency to look for spots that he can go to alone, leaving him with his own thoughts.

"frosty?"

"hmm?"

"don't go to shinjuku." kazua slid the clipboard back to emi, clicking her tongue out at the whining woman. "i think i know where he is."

"took you long enough." senju sighs back at her.

"sorry, i was handling a lot of things recently." kazua grinned, though senju wasn't able to see it. "go to koenji."

"koenji? that's a pretty odd district." senju muttered. she doesn't remember kazua talking about koenji at all.

"it's where manji and i first met." kazua smiled softly. "kanjiro bookstore. it's right across koenji health center, so you should find it pretty quick."

senju's eyebrows knitted together. come to think of it, she never found out how the two were so close and how they met. it wasn't something that they talked about so openly.

"when you get there, go to the second floor of the store. manji should be sitting by the bannister."

it was a little too detailed. kazua sounded so confident that he would be there.

no matter. there is no reason for senju to disobey. kazua knows him better than anyone, after all.

"alright. i'll call you back when i find him." senju started her motorbike. "is inui there already?"