Suribachi's vagabond (english vers)

Chapter 7 part 1 : Nexus

The day had started slowly. A cool breeze, a result of the storm the night before, added to the fog that was gradually dissipating, slowly revealing the horizon and the sea.

The two figures ventured silently, with a clear goal in mind... A boat, which, according to the limited information they had, should still be docked somewhere in Yokohama's port. But where?

"There are dozens just in this area... We need to find a docker for more information."
Toru sighed, her arm still held in a sling.

Dazai nodded, casting a brief glance around.

"Yes... but with the explosion at the port office, I doubt we'll find one easily. They'll probably want to avoid trouble, since the office also housed records about them. We can expect them to suspect, even wrongly, that the incident is linked to naval activity."

"Don't worry about that... I know where to find someone. A real gem."
She replied with irony.

"Follow me."

Dazai blinked, curious about where she was heading. He followed her for a brief moment as she walked through the port, seemingly knowing exactly where she was going. He couldn't help but watch her closely, noticing how easily she moved despite her injuries. She was probably using her power to move without difficulty, but that probably didn't lessen the pain she must have been feeling.

It wasn't until she suddenly stopped that he was pulled from his thoughts.

"We're here..."
She said softly.

They stood before an old building that didn't look like much. It even seemed on the verge of collapsing. There was only one visible entrance: a weathered wooden door that, just by looking at it, seemed to creak with every movement.

They entered, being careful not to force the door, which seemed like it could fall apart at any moment. Inside, everything was abandoned and ransacked. It looked like the place might only serve as a refuge for some shady individuals at night. The only light in the room came from a flickering bulb hanging from the ceiling and the dim light that passed through the few gaps in the wooden planks that boarded up the windows.

Under Dazai's curious gaze, Toru moved toward one corner of the large room. She crouched and moved a few planks of the floor, revealing an underground passage.

"It's down there."
"Be careful going down. They often set traps... I know how to avoid them, but they might have changed a bit. I'll go first and set up the ladder. Wait for me."

She said as she sat on the floor, letting her legs dangle over the passage before gently dropping down using her ability. Once at the bottom, a few meters below the entrance, Toru grabbed the old ladder hidden under a dilapidated wardrobe.

She then moved a little further, looking for the flashlight that should have been somewhere nearby, while Dazai followed her down.

As he reached her, he noticed that she had found what she was looking for. She turned on the small flashlight and illuminated the end of the tunnel they had descended into.

"There's a staircase at the end. We're heading to the basement."
Toru explained as she started walking in that direction.

"And where will this lead us?"
Dazai finally asked, curious as he followed closely behind.

"There's an underground space that belongs to the guy who controls a large part of the illegal transactions related to the port and the ships. It's much easier to sneak contraband goods in among other harmless ones rather than bringing in a whole ship and making sure it docks without trouble... so he probably knows something, since we must have called on his services to pull it off."
Toru explained as she approached the staircase, beginning to descend.