HA1 9.2 - Another Hunting

  Shizuka clearly remembered her time in the kindergarten. Her father had to leave for work before she woke up, while her mother was an architect in a fairly large firm. Every morning her mother would drop her off at the kindergarten long before her friends arrived, and gave her two sandwiches she bought from convenience store. One was for breakfast and another one was for lunch.

  Because she was taller and stronger than other kids, Shizuka was shunned by her classmates. Fortunately, two other children were also shunned and arrived at kindergarten as early as her. The first child was Hide. However, because Hide's father was very protective, Shizuka found it was difficult to approach him.

  The second child was Takeo. He was a weak child who was extremely afraid of cockroaches. One time, when Takeo was being bullied by other children, Shizuka took the initiative to help him. After that, Takeo would follow her wherever she went. He would also help Shizuka with schoolwork and bring her a nice lunch.

  Takeo and Shizuka continued to hang out together in elementary school and Shizuka was super happy about it. She even believed that the two of them would always be together until high school and maybe beyond.

  Therefore, when Takeo suddenly left her side, Shizuka instantly felt unbearable emptiness in her heart. For the first time, she realized that Takeo's presence was much deeper and important than she thought.

  When she finally could spend time with Takeo once again, the excitement in her heart was also far beyond her expectations. She almost screamed hysterically to express it. And now, the two had their date. Fake or real, it still made her happy.

  While looking at the signboard 'Tamiya Shop, best second-hand outdoor outfit', Shizuka said, "Twig, you'll never become popular boy, if you take a girl to a second-hand shop in her first date."

  Takeo flatly replied, "We need high-end products. With a budget of 20,000 Ren/person, we will get only 1-2 items if we buy a new one."

  "Fine."

  While following Takeo into Tamiya Shop Shizuka pressed her lips together, but actually deep in her heart she was humming cheerfully. In truth, Shizuka didn't mind second-hand items at all. But she was worried that Takeo would find her strange if she didn't act like a normal girl.

  ---

  This was the third time Takeo's went for a shop at Tamiya, so shopkeeper Keiko already knew him well. She welcomed him with a cheerful smile.

  "Do you need another outdoor outfit? I still have your measurements."

  "Not for me, but her."

  "Oh my. . . Girlfriend?" Shopkeeper Keiko enthusiastically asked.

  "More or less," Takeo answered casually while Shizuka nodded eagerly three times.

  "I see. It's good to be young."

  While receiving a small list from Takeo, shopkeeper Keiko smiled broadly. She then took out a measurement string and a small notepad before turning to Shizuka.

  "All of our products are high-end, but we can't give you one single brand for every item. It must be a mixed brand."

  "No problem," Shizuka replied cheerfully.

  The measurement then starts, from the sole of the foot, the distance from the ankle to the waist, hip circumference, waist circumference, chest circumference, until the shoulder width.

  With full admiration shopkeeper Keiko then said, "Takeo, you sure get a good breed."

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  "Yeah," Takeo answered flatly while Shizuka nodded once again.

  "Then, how much is your budget?"

  "As usual, 20,000 Ren."

  After studying the list in her hand shopkeeper Keiko said, "That will get her three sets, but can you add 5000 Ren for the brand new sports bra and shorts?"

  "I can."

  "Good." Shopkeeper Keiko smiled broadly before turning her gaze to Shizuka, "For high agility shoes that don't squeak I don't have the pair that fits your size, but I can make them in two weeks using local materials that better than Adidaz or Nicke."

  “Can you really make something better than Adidaz or Nicke?”

  “We can.”

  “It’s not a copycat, right?”

  “We don’t do copycat. We make something better in a small number, or just sell second-hand stuff from reputable brand.”

  “In that case, give me the local made.”

  “Understood,” Shopkeeper nodded before continuing, “For the low-visibility outfit with 200 degrees Celsius heat-resistant, tear-resistant, and a material that doesn't make a sound when rubbing each other, I had to combine the products from Navigator, Aitor, and Mapper.

  And as a bonus, I'll give you an Alvis raincoat and Norland medium sling bag."

  "Okay, and thank you for the gift set."

  Takeo then handed over the payment, while Shizuka smiled from ear to ear.

  "Wait for a moment, except for the shoes I will prepare the rest."

  "Okay."

  Takeo and Shizuka then went to waiting room.

  ---

  While handing over a can of juice he bought from the vending machine Takeo said, "Usually, there will be several options for each item, so you have to try which one fits you the best."

  Shizuka cheerfully nodded. "Okay, but wouldn't the shopkeeper suspect that the clothes we buy will be used for criminal acts? I also never thought that low-visibility outfits existed."

  Takeo casually replied, "Actually, low-visibility outdoor outfits have been quite popular for the last few years."

  "Really?"

  "Yeah, lots of soloist outdoor junkies and member of PMC prefer low-visibility outfits. That's what Hide told me."

  "I see."

  Takeo then took out a 2G cellphone he bought on the way to Tamiya, and after fiddling with it for a while he handed it over to Shizuka.

  "The first five numbers are Hide's, the next five are mine, and the last five are yours. You can also adding regular numbers."

  After checking the phonebook inside of the dumb cellphone Shizuka asked, "Why are every number only four-digit long?"

  "Dunno, and it only can send text, which will be erased by auto-delete after three minutes?"

  "Huh? What a weird number."

  With a puzzled look, Shizuka put her dumb cellphone into her pocket.

  "Now, do you know where you will take the motorbike course?"

  "Let's try the place where I learn to ride a scooter. They have good circuits and various motorbikes."

  "Okay, from here we will go there then."

  "Roger."

  Takeo and Shizuka continued to chat, unaware that from the 2nd floor, Sayaka and her gang was observing the two. A black cloud was visible on Sayaka's face, while her hands gripped the guardrail tightly.

  ---

  Lily Tunnel was a one-way tunnel located at west of Red Light District. Basically, it’s an L-shaped shortcut with a total length of 500 meters. During the peak of rush hours, Lily Tunnel was used to channel surplus of traffic flow from the main road to the secondary route. While at night, it was as quiet as deserted tomb.

  Thursday midnight, Hide and Shizuka casually leaned against the wall right in the middle of Lily Tunnel. Both of them were wearing concise greenish-gray clothes which looked like normal clothes in general.

  Ten minutes had passed since they greeted each other, before Hide casually opened a conversation. "How is your outfit?"

  "It’s thicker and heavier than I thought, but warm and supports swift movement well. I can't wait to receive my shoes."

  “Good.” Hide smiled in satisfaction before saying, "But don’t forget to burn it to the ash after we completed the job."

  “Earlier, Twig has said that to me too,” Shizuka calmly said. “But, do we really have to burn it? These are really nice clothes.”

  Hide calmly replied, “Once we use it in illegal act, clothes and equipment we use became dangerous liability. We shouldn’t have attachment on it.”

  “I see.” Shizuka then turned her gaze to Hide, “Can I ask something?"

  "Sure."

  "Takeo is taking position near the east end. So, shouldn't I takes the position in the west end to make sure we watch both ends?”

  "That's the ideal setup. But for this job I want you to learn how to collect the loot, because in the future, maybe you'll have to do it."

  "Okay."

  "Also, Takeo doesn’t only watching over the east end. He is watching over both ends of the tunnel using traffic CCTV."

  Shizuka gave a small nod and at the same time, some statistics were heard.

  *Krsk-krsk. . . Krsk-krsk. . . Krsk!*

  "Do you still remember the meaning of this signal?"

  Shizuka firmly replied, "Five people, from east end."

  "Good." Hide then reached Shizuka's slender waist with his left hand. "Please, bear with me for a moment."

  "O-okay," Shizuka stuttered as her face became as red as tomato.

  "Don't blush and be casual. We don't do anything lewd."

  "I-I don't. . . It's just that the weather is a little too cold."

  "I see."

  While clinging tightly like lovers, Hide and Shizuka walked to the east end of Lily Tunnel.

  *****