Salvation 2035

Chapter 41- The Job

『Tsuki』

     It's been a while since I've done anything like this. But I know how things work. Hopefully, this scumbag will show up. It actually wasn't that difficult to get his attention. You'd think the kid of a Moderator would be too good for simple hookup sites, but I guess not. None of the pictures showed his face, though. Still, we know we have the right guy since the information was provided by the person who released the bounty.

     I wait in front of the bar we were supposed to meet up at. After that, we're supposed to go to a motel. We're in a low-class area, so the sight of me isn't something too shocking.

     "Shall we head in?" a voice accompanied by a touch on my shoulder comes from behind me. This voice... it's familiar. It's too familiar. I've definitely heard it before.

     "Yeah, of course," I reply nervously and turn to look at him. Shit... does he recognize me?

『Abel』

     We're starting to run out of options. It's been over a week, and we still have no idea where Tsuki could be. This city is particularly big, so I and Keisha decided to split up. There isn't much use in searching through the middle-class areas, since Tsuki avoids those places like the plague. I enter a small bar, in hopes of finding something. Luckily, Keisha has a few pictures of Tsuki, so I often ask around if anyone's seen him. The answer is usually 'no', unfortunately.

     The hostess sees me in and I sit down. I briefly scan over the patrons. The place is decently populated, which is surprising. Maybe the food is good here? A strange couple catches my eye. There's a large man who appears to be in his forties sitting next to a skinny girl at the bar. She has black hair and is wearing an oversized jacket with a short, pleated skirt and over-the-knee socks, while he's wearing a trench coat with slacks. They look like they're from two entirely different walks of life. I guess all kinds of characters show up here.

     "Are you ready to order?" the waitress asks.

     "Ah, not quite yet," I reply. "I'm just wondering, have you seen this person?" I hold up the photo of Tsuki.

     She takes a moment to study the picture. "Actually, yes!" she exclaims. "Right over there," she points to the bar. I don't understand. There are only that middle-aged man and black-haired girl over there.

     Oh.

     I take a look at the person's shoes, and sure enough, it's definitely Tsuki. I'm sure that he's the only one in this whole country with shoes like that. He has no idea I'm here, right? What do I do?

     "Thanks. I'll order later," I tell the waitress, and she leaves. I try my best to focus in on their conversation.

     "So you don't drink?" the man asks him.

     "You have to be twenty-one in order to drink, right?" Tsuki answers, but it's not his normal voice. He seems a lot more reserved, and a bit nervous. The Tsuki I know is direct and even sometimes a little stern. Something isn't right here. My mind begins to run wild trying to find an explanation for this interaction. I've always heard about how it's difficult to completely escape the world of human trafficking... Is this what's going on right now? I mean, he is an adult, and whoever he interacts with is ultimately his choice, but given everything I know about him (or think I know about him), I can't just sit around and do nothing. But what can I do? What if this guy is dangerous? Suddenly, I remember the stun gun Keisha gave me. Maybe that could work.