Walk Through Hell with me [Shinsaku Takasugi]

Chapter 8

Ai had been brought with the trio to a certain tea house for yet another one of their boisterous parties.

"Well my oh my! Look who it is! Yer still alive, are ya?" As soon as Ai stepped

into the room, Sakamoto wrapped her up in a hug so tight she could barely

breathe. She stiffened. "I had a hunch you'd be alright, what with Shinsaku

around 'n' all. But, seein' yer face just sets my heart aglow." Ai didn't respond.

"You think you might let her go any time soon? Or is it your aim to suffocate

her?" Takasugi asked.

Sakamoto laughed heartily. "Jealous, are ya?! Look at you, blushin' like a

schoolgirl," Sakamoto said as soon as he let go. Ai gulped down some air.

"If my face is red it's because you kept me from breathing." Ai took a step in

Kazuya's direction when Takasugi caught her by the elbow.

"You're going to sit right here, beside me," he said.

"Huh? Why should I have to do that?" Ai protested.

"Because I said so."

"You're far too bossy for a human." Despite her arguing, Ai sat down next to

Takasugi as the men began their meeting.

"Looks like we finally found out which wholesaler is getting richest off all that

opium," Sakamoto said.

"Sakai-ya seems to be the main culprit. It's located here, but has strong ties to

all those foreigners in Nagasaki," Takasugi explained.

"This is a map of all the warehouses we found that are being used to store the

stuff." Maro spread a map out on the table. A map of the capital with certain

locations circled in red, marking the warehouses that were housing opium. It was a far larger number than Ai imagined.

"One strategically started fire could wipe them all out at once," Gen said.

"Can't afford to risk it. What if it goes wrong?" Sakamoto asked.

"You needn't worry about that. The plan is immaculate. And it's also our best

chance of stopping the spread of opium." Takasugi cast a meaningful glance at Ai, then at Kazuya and his friends. Ai guessed that Takasugi must know what

their talents were. Kazuya, Takashi and Chikage could all control fire. And

Takashi, like Ai, could manipulate wind. Maintaining fires to target specific locations would essentially be a cinch for the four of them.

"Whatever you boys're preparin', I've got high hopes for it! Shinsaku knows how

to get his hands on all the finest things... Like this, for example." Sakamoto

pulled a heavy metal object from his breast pocket.

Ai leaned close to inspect it. "Is that a... gun?"

"Never seen one before, huh? Well, lucky you. You're layin' your eyes on the

finest, here," Sakamoto said.

"So you're planning to use these to fight the foreign invaders, then?" Ai asked.

"In other countries, everyone walks around with one of these things, as a matter