“What an idiot,” grumbled the redhead.
“He’s in serious trouble... How do you think this guy will react once he realizes Jack is not a lady?”
“No idea. Don’t worry though, I’ll try to make sure he stays alive until you come back... Just go find your thing and we’ll discuss my cash later.”
“Thanks, Rose.”
“Don’t thank me, it makes it sound like we’re friends...”
Eden chuckled, but she moved to the other side of the room. She wasn’t too worried about Jack since Rose had promised to watch over him, but now she had to focus on her own mission. Her eyes were set on the door, so she moved to sit next to the Yakuza closest to it, and waited for an opportunity. She coughed faintly in her hand to cover her voice.
“...Loir, ready?”
“Ready when you are, my Kitty! ...Oh, did you get some sushi?!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Eden tried hard not to roll her eyes at Loir’s sentence. How did he always come up with the weirdest suggestions? ...Perhaps this wasn’t his weirdest, though. There actually was sushi on a table not too far from her. Eden smiled at one of the Yakuzas across the room, trying to act the part. That guy was already surrounded by escorts and busy with them, though. She leaned toward the one closest to her, keeping the smile up, but her attention was still locked on the door. No one was paying attention to her, but Eden knew better than to trust what her eyes could see. Those men weren’t allowed such favors just for the sake of it; they were probably valued men of the Snake. Hence, they probably weren’t as dumb as they looked right now, and she couldn’t trust their apparent inattention. Even Ayame, who was acting all coy with one of them, was sending glances left and right from time to time. Perhaps she was just looking to see which escorts deserve to be the most rewarded and work there again afterward, but Eden didn’t trust that woman for one second.
“Sashimi! Sushi! Onigiri! Temaki! Nori! So many yummy things!” chanted Loir in her ear.
Strangely, being able to hear her crazy friend again made Eden feel a little bit more secure. It seemed like no one had picked up on her reactivating her SIN clandestinely, so she had high hopes she would manage to stay under their radars long enough to find what she had come for. This wouldn’t have been possible for just anyone, so she was grateful her unique type of SIN made her undetectable, or almost...
“...Have you found it yet?”
Eden had a hard time concealing her surprise. How could she hear Dante too? Only Loir should have had a connection to her! She didn’t answer, but Loir’s hysterical laugh in her ear made her grimace.
“Big Kitty’s in!”
“Why?” asked Eden, as quietly as she could.
“Because I was curious about your well-being,” chuckled Dante in her ear. “It turns out I am quite a possessive man...”
No kidding, Eden wanted to say. However, she couldn’t just keep talking out loud and making grimaces, not with so many people in the room; they’d end up noticing a woman talking to herself. Even the Yakuza closest to her probably wasn’t drunk or dumb enough that he’d miss one of the escorts acting strange. She cleared her throat and with a bright smile, as all the girls had decided to take shots, she brought a little cup of something that reeked of alcohol against her lips. She recognized the characteristic taste of sake, which wasn’t much of a surprise. Eden hoped she wouldn’t have to drink too much...
“Kitty’s in the fish tank!” joyfully announced Loir. “Cap’n, I repeat, we got the Kitty in the fish tank!”
“Can you tell her exact position?” asked Dante.
“Kitty’s on the ground floor, with a lot of little fishies around! Woohoo, party time!”
It was frustrating not to be able to answer back. Eden glanced toward the door again. She ought to get out of there before she was too drunk, or deemed too useless. Most of the girls were trying to act coy to the Yakuza, and even Rose was actively seducing one of them, probably the one she had deemed most interesting. Jack was still on his too. The guy who had picked him had even gotten rid of all the other girls and was solely focused on the drag queen, looking completely smitten by Jacquie’s chatting and gestures. Eden was a little bit worried. That guy was the biggest in the room, literally a little mountain by himself... Would Jack be okay if she left him here? She exchanged a glance with Rose, but the redhead gave her a wink. As she had promised, Rose would definitely watch him.
Eden looked at the door and stood up, acting determined. She should just act as if this was normal rather than trying to sneak out of a room crowded with over thirty people... She smiled at one of the girls bringing in more food, letting her in before she stepped out. Once in the corridor, Eden was immediately faced with a tall guy.
“What are you doing here?”
“Bathroom break?” said Eden, trying to act a bit embarrassed. “It’s all that sake and raw fish, I’m not used to it...”
“Oh, yeah, European chicks all get that. Next door on the right, but not more than five minutes.”
“Thanks!”
Eden turned to the right, going straight to the room that the guy had indicated. It was a small bathroom indeed, and she locked the door behind her as soon as she was in, letting out a long sigh.
“You should be careful with raw fish, Kitty. Have you heard of the Anisaki worm? It’s super gross! It looks like a long, white worm and that thing can give you abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting within hours, and–”
“Loir, shut up, I didn’t eat any raw fish, and you’re making me feel sick.”
