Paradoxes of the Sunken District (沈んだ地区の逆説)

Tacenda IV: No Guarantee

"N-No way-"

"You should focus on making sure no more kids are kidnapped, trying to rescue the fallen souls is futile." Shuuhei gave a half-hearted suggestion.

"I-If the traffickers are located here, then how are they operating on the surface?!" Hisare asked in a panic, still shocked from the discovery. "The door- The gates are sealed shut! Only people with permits can go in and out!"

"Your beloved government has been keeping secrets from you, detective." Shuuhei smirked, quite a condescending one. "Like I said, the Sunken District is a mistake that the surface is covering up, including the secret passage from here that lead up to the surface."

"A secret passage...??" Seraphim too had only heard of this.

"That's probably why the government didn't solve this case sooner, this massive ordeal is also their fault." Shuuhei had the same diabolic smile, Hisare felt like talking to someone of high authority. "I doubt they don't have resources to solve the case, many more people on the surface have connections with the underworld than you think. I know plenty people who are surface citizens, it's obvious the other way can happen."

"The secret passage, do you know where it is?"

"Of course, I do, I know every crack and corner of the Sunken District. Wouldn't be so omniscient if I don't, would I?"

"Can you tell us where it is?"

"No way, I don't need the government coming after me. More or less, overworld forces coming down here might start a war against the Four Shrines." Shuuhei turned away as he waved his hand in a dismissal gesture, "If my advent to the surface alone got around, they can hunt me down. And as in they, I meant both sides. The surface wants me out, and the underworld wants me back. I've had a few run-ins with surface officers, and they had the audacity to threaten me to go back where I came."

"You... ran into them on purpose, didn't you?"

"The raw footages... Tokigase was cut out in the original footages the investigation team provided me..." Hisare heard Seraphim mumbling, "Could it be that... they did that on purpose? They wanted to cover up Tokigase's presence on the surface?"

"Oh, dear. I got too fun teasing you there, I said way more than I should've for what you paid for." Before the two detectives could say anything more, Shuuhei interrupted. "But I guess it's no big deal, I got a joy out of it."

"Wait, can you at least tell me where we can find the recently kidnapped children?"

"I know where to start, in fact, I got word of where some of the traffickers were recently. I'll happily accompany you to investigate there," Shuuhei beamed, "But come back tomorrow when you have more money," his beam turned into a mischievous smirk the next second.

"You-! We have to do something; we don't have much time-"

"Neither do I," Shuuhei's voice was calm but stern, it startled the detective just as people started entering the nightclub. "Your time with me today is up, detective. So, if you'll be so kind, I have a job to do." He kept his smile, and he left the 27-year-old thunderstruck.

***

Shuuhei was dressed casually when he walked out the next noon, showing he had no Illusionist-related work for the near hours. He was putting on his coat over his turtleneck when he heard someone enter the closed nightclub, he looked up to meet the bright vermillion eyes of a young man not much older than him. His hair was short and beige-blonde, neat and wore a proper suit in a dark grey colour, his green tie standing out as much as his eyes. Just by the young man's appearance alone, it's not difficult to guess he was a Delusionist.