It was any other normal day in the Black district.
People die on a normal basis, thieves roamed the streets, and screams of horror can be heard from time to time.
Some would be shaken by this on a normal basis but for the residents here, or for crazy bastards like me, it was something that we're already used to.
If these noises would disappear, that would be more surprising.
Now, back to the topic, I was on my way back from the Poison Bar. Aspen had finished with the drugs I requested.
Although my plan was to leave immediately, she forced a conversation that went on for hours.
'Fuck, I'm so tired I don't remember what rubbish we were talking about.'
My body was both weary and fatigued. It was at this point that I realized that I might have no compatibility with women.
Making my way inside in the backyard, I was immediately greeted by a figure that dashed through the shadows like a flying blob of black mater.
Unconsciously, my mouth lifeted into a smile.
"You're here."
Without thinking much, I crouched down and waited for it to arrive.
"Meow!"
"Hello, little kitten."
Almost magically, the exhaustion I felt disappeared when the grey kitten rubbed itself in my palms.
'Is this why cat cafes were built on earth? I understand now.'
They're like magnets that drags away any negative feelings.
We stayed that way for a bit before I tore my eyes away from her in search for something. True to my expectation, there were two other shadows that made their way towards me.
"Kuaak!"
"Kokak!"
Smiling down, I let the poison frog and crow climb their way into my body. The poison frog jumped to my shoes and the crow stopped on my shoulder.
Both of them rubbed their body to me quite lovingly.
"Yes, yes. It's nice to see you too."
I greeted back and placed a plate of food down.
"Here you go."
The three of them looked at me with sparkling eyes before digging in the food I gave them.
It's been like this for a while now.
I've been feeding the three of them so they greet me like how a person would normally welcome their precious visitor.
'Cute.'
Keeping the thought to myself, I checked around for any movements in the vicinity.
'Fuck, I hope no one's around.'
Right now, both River and Shin were out again as they had a job to do. And though the house is located in the outskirts of the section, I don't want to be complacent with what I'm about to do.
"Ahem, ahem."
I cleared my throat and asked in a hesitating voice.
"Little ones, can you do me a favor?"
Placing a paper bag beside the plate, I entrusted them with some of the srugs I got from Aspen.
"Please keep this safe for me. Can you three do that?"
My voice nearly broke.
Almost in unison, a feline, amphibian, and a pair of genus Corvus eyes stared at me in unison. The instantaneous movement made me flinch and curse internally.
'Fuck, can they really understand me? This is crazy.'
Just for the record, this came from an already crazy bastard so that's definitely saying something.
The reason why I don't want anyone to see me right now is because they might think I'm some kind of grandfather. Who else would talk to their pets like this but senile old people?
God forbid, I'd want to spare myself from that shit.
"Meow."
"Hm?"
The gray kitten stopped eating and rubbed itself on my leg.
She raised her head and looked at the other two.
For a second, I thought they were having a telepathic conversation before the three of them started eating again.
"Ahem, is that a yes?"
I asked.
FLAP!
In response to this, the crow flapped its wings as if happily agreeing with me. The other two seemed to not mind as well since they both continued eating.
"Thank you."
Smiling, I watched the crow fly with the paper bag. When I saw it landing on the little secret nest, I decided it was time to go back inside the house.
'Haa. That's one problem out of the way.'
Sighning to myself, my hands went to one of my pockets. Feeling the slight bump there, I confirmed to myself that I indeed have the sleeping drug in my possession.
I was originally planning to bring the other drugs with me but decided against the idea.
Even if I wanted to, I can't keep the other drugs inside the house without revealing them to the others. If it's not obvious why, it's because I'm living with people born with monster-like senses.
Shin and River will definitely notice the thick scents of the other potions and think that I'm up to something.
'Well, it's not like they're wrong because I really am up to something.'
But that was something they didn't need to know.
God, just thinking about River's glare made me shiver. And what would Shin say if he sees the aphrodisiac? No doubt that disrespectful look in his eyes would return.
Keeping that in mind and other useless reasons, it became understandable to me as to why I need to hide the drugs.
The best way to conceal the other potions was to keep them as far away as possible. The backyard was the best choice.
Satisfied with my foolproof plan, I made my way upstairs with unhurried steps.
CREAK!
The wooden floor creaked as I moved around. Even more so when I entered the bedroom.
It bothered me.
The deafeningly loud noise made me seem like a burglar sneaking in a house that isn't mine.
'Why do I feel like this? I'm not even doing anything wrong.'
Sure, I'm hiding this from the others but it's for our own good.
'I'm going to do something advatageous for us so why do I feel uneasy about it? I must be feeling sick today.'
Pushing the thought in the back of my head, I proceeded to gaze at my figure in the mirror.
My face isn't half-bad. Maybe it was because of this body's biological noble parent that he also inherited some aristocratic features.
Also, I'm quite tall for my age. If I told people that I'm eighteen, they wouldn't bat an eye on it.
'Good enough.'
I commented after looking at my figure.
For a split second, a weird feeling crept in my heart when I thought 'good enough' but it disappeared immediately.
It came an go so fast that I didn't notice it at all.
After checking my face for another few minutes, I went down to start preparing for dinner while recalling what Aspen, the Poison Bar's owner, kept on reminding me.
"Listen, this sleeping drug works best against strong people. The stronger they are, the stronger the drug reacts to their body. Don't put too much if they're the type who hates to wake up late, you get that Mister?"
Contemplating the amount, I took the sleeping out of my pocket and gazed at the container.
"A generous amount, huh? Then, should I add about half or a quarter?"
For a few minutes, I didn't know what to do. So in the end, I just dumped the whole thing inside the dish I was making.
People say that when you're struggling on what to do, just trust your gut.
I trusted mine at that moment.
There's nothing wrong with that, probably.
After mixing the dish like a witch mixing weird things in her cauldron, the next thing I took out was another pouch that contained the antidote for the sleeping drug.
I smiled.
'Aspen, that woman is so thorough. I didn't ask for this but she prepared it before hand.'
I observed the gel antidote which was weirdly opaque like a lotion compared to the liquidy colorless sleeping drug.
Aspen explained about this when I asked her why the potions didn't have a color. Before I could accused her of being a scam and giving me water, she said that all potions are naturally colorless and one can tell the quality of the drug based on their clarity.
The clearer the drug, the better the quality.
The murkier the drug, the lower the quality.
So a colorless drug that's next to transparent is the best.
Purposively, she gave me a murky colored antidote because a colorless one was so potent that it's only used for very large ingestion of sleeping drug.
Carefully, I wiped it the antidote in the rim of the glass I'm going to use for dinner later.
My plan was to simple drug Shin and River and the only way to do that was through dinner.
If I refused to eat the food, I would seem suspicious.
If I ate a different dish than them, I would also seem suspicious.
The only way to seem normal and drug them at the same time was to eat the same food, even if it was drugged.
To escape that, I used the antidote on my drinking glass.
'This way, even if I eat the same food or drink water from the same water pitcher as them, I won't be suspected and the drug will be neutralized.'
Satisfied, I started preparing the table.
* * *
Hours passed and the next thing I knew, the door opened and the two of them entered.
"I'm hungry!"
"Tsk. This is not enough."
Shin threw the blueprints on the floor and immediately went to the sink to wash his hands while River, who was waiting for him to finish, was contemplating something while looking at his notebooks.
THUMP.
THUMP.
I swallowed the clump of saliva that formed on my mouth before taking a seat.
'Fuck, I'm nervous as hell.'
Trying my best to hide it, I forced myself to calm down as the three of us sat at the dining table.
We discussed things like we did yesterday and any other day since River and I came here. However, unlike those days, my heart was hammering inside me as if it wants to come out.
'Damn it, I'm nervous. Will it really work?'
Slowly, I took a piece of the viand inside my mouth.
The other two did as well.
'Done!'
I quickly grabbed the pitcher of water and drank a whole glass of it.
It was a futile effort to cover my triumphant grin.
Shin, who was the first to see this, leaned over to River and asked.
"River-san, why does he look like a crazy bastard again?"
"Hmm?"
Hearing this, River faced me.
"What? Are you guys talking about me?"
I smiled at them.
"Haa."
River sighed when he saw me but then shook his head as if he was used to my changing mood.
Shrugging my shoulder, I let them be.
At 11 PM, the two were sleeping peacefully.
How did I know? I slapped them until their cheeks looked like tomatoes.
My palms were red but it was worth it.
'God, that feels good. I should slap people more.'
Unaware of my fairly terrifying smile, I hummed with an out of tune voice as I washed the utensils we used.
I also cleaned up the food we ate to erase the traces of my act. The containers of the drug were also burned down and buried.
Sure, I can throw it in the trash but I don't want to be complacent.
Extra effort wasn't a problem for me if I'm not feeling lazy or if I knew my priorities.
When I was done, I went upstairs again and took out a lot of money.
For now, money wasn't a problem since Shin practically stole a small vault in his past thief-filled days.
After tying all the loose ends in the house, I went outside and climbed up the tree.
"Meow."
Surprisingly, the grey kitten was already waiting for me with the aphrodisiac container separated from the rest.
"Meow!"
She purred when I tapped her head.
"You're a smart one. Thank you."
I took the container and made my way to a certain section of the Black district.
When I got there, the first thing I noticed was the overbearing smell of powder and extravagance.
In the section embroidered with the most brimming beauty and elegance, the sweet yet pungent scent of perfume traveled everywhere with the wind, making the air unbearably toxic and suffocating.
Where am I, you may ask? Where else but the section under the jurisdiction of the House of Lust, Deusa.
Without wasting any time, I visited a tailor shop and brought enough clothes to make me look like a decent young master of a noble house.
"Wow, you certainly do have a face of an aristocrat."
The middle-aged woman with a voluptuous body looked impressed after she dressed me up. I had asked her for help since I wasn't sure what was considered aesthetically pleasing in this place.
"You look young but with that atmosphere and these clothes, no one would question you if you told them you're an expert in 'that' field."
My lips twitched at her slurry tone but I did my best to ignore it.
"Really? I'm glad to hear that."
"You'll break some hearts, child."
"Great. It's the exact image I'm trying to achieve."
"Well then, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and have fun."
She smiled and I thanked her before making my way towards a place where information is the densest.
Brothel streets.
The section under the jurisdiction of Deusa had the biggest number of brothels, many of them were low class, and that was where I was heading.
'If I think about it, it makes sense.'
From what I found out, most of River's information came from people who visited this section.
The House of Lust must have the biggest information system in the Black district and it's precicely due to these brothels.
'After all, tongues are most loose when the person is indulged in pleasure rather than pain.'
Seeing that this business can either take in a lot of information from the clients or spread out information using the customers.
My mind started working again.
'River said he hit a wall and that it was hard to get a piece of accurate information. We'll need to fix that.'
Even if he observed a lot of places and have a rough estimate of our target's security, he said that the rumors coming from this section didn't match his data.
In other words, Deusa must be controlling the flow of information.
'Are they working with the House of Sloth?'
It wasn't impossible.
There was only one way to know which is false and true and that was to figure it out myself.
Following my instinct, I went inside a brothel brimming with life. It was a low-class brothel but the most occupied out of all of them.
Gripping the aphrodisiac, I entered the store with a heavy heart.
I told the man, who I assumed to be the head of the brothel, to introduce me to the most visited woman, and placed a handful of money on the counter. The moment he saw the overflowing coins, his eyes sparkled and he immediately bowed, leaving me to an empty but elegant room before leaving.
My eyes wandered to the list of names earlier.
The seriousness started creeping to my skin.
'Strange. Really strange. There's definitely some shit going on.'
It was understandable to have high prices for a good service but in here, even the lowest workers were extremely expensive.
In fact, the list was downright telling you that the brothel is ripping you off.
Yes why is this place so occupied? The answer is simple.
'If you work for a certain household at this moment where their security services pay high, one can afford a woman or man of their desire.'
With that in mind, I sat down on the futon and played with the tatami. There was a white alcoholic drink on the side, probably a sake, which I dare not even touch.
'It's not that I don't like alcohol but a crazy bastard drinking makes them even more crazy. I can't let that happen in this serious situation.'
Sighning, I waited in the room with patience.
SHIK!
It wasn't long before the sliding door opened, followed by a playful voice of a woman.
"How amusing."
My body stiffened and my muscled started to tense.
'Holy shit.'
I cursed internally and tried to get ahold my sanity.
Just hearing those two words made me think that I was standing in a field of flowers.
All I can say is that they weren't kidding when they said I'd receive the best service.
I dare not turn my back.
With my experience with women, I was definitely not excited to talk to her.
"You're different."
The woman behind me spoke those words as if she was saying poetry. Those invisible sounds curved elegantly like song in the air, following the gentle voice that spoke, and continued to speak.
"I thought it was another street lackey who somehow became rich overnight, but the head of the brothel said otherwise. Looking at you, I see what he meant."
I took a deep breath and turned.
At the right moment, the owner of the voice revealed herself in the room.
She had a beautiful body that would make men swoon and think that she's a goddess incarnate.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that with every step she takes, it's like flow would bloom around her.
"Hello, dear customer."
I flinched.
My marigold eyes dulled as they met her enchanting heterochromatic eyes of blue and green. Contrary to mine, hers glistened mischievously as she lowered herself on the tatami while closing the door at the same time.
SHIK!
Her long eyelashes fluttered, her cheeks, slightly dyed in a pink tint, bewitched men that laid their eyes on her.
However, I was not one of those men.
As I said before, talking to women makes me tired.
Even if she was this beautiful, she was still a woman.
And more importantly, my attention was on what she said just a second ago.
'Lackeys who became rich overnight? Ah, she's basically telling me that her head is full of information.'
An inevitable sigh left my lips as it ushered a long night.
For a few hours I was at that brothel, I learned many things that should not have left the room, nor should have been spoken by her mouth.
It was a really long night.
So many things happened but that is a story for another time.
At the crack of dawn, I was no longer in that god forsaken room of tempting nightmares.