Exchange (Soukoku & Shin Soukoku)

19- The Gala

"Invitations?" he questioned. The three of them showed their cards and handed them over. "Very well, they seem authentic. Come in, welcome."

They entered. The interior was very different from the exterior. The building's facade appeared old and traditionally Japanese. The interior was modern, but with a more English Renaissance style. The mix of eras and traditions struck Akutagawa as curious.

The space was large and ostentatious. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, illuminating the entire room. The guests were wealthy and proud individuals from all over the world. Akutagawa could identify people from Africa, North and Latin America, Norwegians, Germans, and even some Russians. He preferred not to get too close to the Russians; he wasn't prejudiced, but ever since the incident with Dostoevsky, he didn't feel comfortable around people from that country.

"Chuuya-san, we're hungry," Akutagawa complained.

"Are you really hungry, or do you just want to eat figs?" the redhead asked mockingly. Ryuunosuke made a face. "Go and have something from the banquet, but try not to consume any suspicious or strange food, understood?"

"Understood. What will you do?"

"I'll look for someone who can tell me where the hell Dazai is."

They went their separate ways. Chuuya wandered through the entire building, listening to conversations and comments. He had a light Martini in hand to maintain appearances.

He leaned against a wall. He had already identified his target.

The young man was tall and elegant. From what Chuuya had overheard in conversations, the boy ran a casino and was a partner of F. D.

F. D. Fyodor Dostoevsky.

The curious thing about the young man was his hair; on one side, it was albino white, and on the other, it was lilac. Chuuya couldn't see his face clearly, but it wasn't difficult to keep track of him. There weren't many people with bicolor hair.

But the young man was already getting suspicious and becoming alert. He slipped through the crowd of guests effortlessly, making it annoyingly easy for him to disappear and reappear. He couldn't fool an executive, but he could be a pain in the ass and a headache.

After many twists and turns, Sigma believed he had lost sight of the redhead. But not wanting to tempt fate, he quickly approached the designated meeting point with the vendors.

"I'm Sigma. Sorry for the delay," he apologized once he arrived. "I had an issue to take care of."

"You took too long," grumbled the vendor, in a bad mood. "We were about to leave."

Sigma raised his hand.

"The poison."

The vendor and the three mercenaries accompanying him burst into laughter.

"Do you think we'll just give you the poison that easily? No, sweetheart, you're sorely mistaken."

Sigma grimaced in disgust, and Chuuya, hidden behind the wall, also made a face. From the tone of the mercenary's voice, he could deduce that the man was in his forties or fifties. Based on Sigma's voice and his manner of handling the conversation, Chuuya would say he was between twenty and twenty-five years old.

And it truly disgusted Chuuya how that person was flirting with someone twenty years younger than him.

"We had a deal," Sigma muttered.

"Yes, we had. But now I have a better idea," 

Chuuya didn't see anything, but he heard gunshots. He quickly emerged from his hiding spot to defend the young man, but the vendors had already fled.