There were two things that Ren had learned of as he sat down with the five people inside the opulent looking room.
First, he was being held in an expansive estate located at the outskirts of the city. Second, the estate was owned by the Genji clan, the very same people who had been holding him captive for the past days.
Ren could feel the heavy and intense stares of everyone inside the room at him. It was obvious to him that he was not someone who was really wanted there. He just simply returned the gazes with a blank expression on his face, realizing that it was better for him to appear unaffected and unintimidated.
A person in the group suddenly cleared their throat, catching the attention of everyone. "So, as you already know, we are all summoned here today to discuss our plan to retrieve the diary of Suzume Ito. A few days ago, a man named Tomo Ogawa purchased the said diary from an auction. As of the moment, we have very little to no knowledge regarding the man. However- ", Akira paused for a moment as she gave Ren a quick glance. "This man right here seems to possess some information that may be of help to us", Akira continued. "So, would you mind telling us what you know about the man then?" she addressed to Ren.
Again, all eyes were focused on Ren as they waited keenly for his response. It had appeared to him that they were really eager to find out what he knew about the man named Tomo Ogawa and whether what he had to share to them was reliable or not.
"Come on now, rascal. Start speaking, we do not like wasting time here", Kaito declared as he was getting impatient waiting for Ren's response.
A lopsided grin appeared on Ren's face as he heard the man's statement. "All that tells me is that you're just actually impatient. Second, I have a name sir, and that is Ren. I would really appreciate it if you would stop calling me inappropriate names like rascal or fish." Ren moved his eyes to Haru, still remembering the nickname that the guy gave him when he was at his cell.
Haru caught Ren's eyes and quickly understood what he meant. Returning the smirk to him, Haru said, "You know what, I take it back. I actually like this guy." He meant what he said. He liked how unafraid Ren was including his sense of humor. Also, he liked the fact that Ren had the ability to stand up against his older brother and get on his nerves - it was quite entertaining in his eyes. Overall, Haru felt that him and Ren had a lot in common personality wise.
"Shut up, Haru", Kaito retorted at his brother.
"So, Ren, how old are you? Are you currently seeing someone?" said the only woman aside from Akira in the room. Her sudden question had taken him aback. Ren turned his face at her and silently studied her. The first thing that caught his interest was the woman's hair. She had a straight fringe that stopped just right at the top of her eyebrows which Ren thought was kind of weird.
'It doesn't suit her. I'd ditch the bangs if I were her', he thought to himself.
The man beside the woman shot her a disapproving look. "Seriously Nao? Right in front of your husband?" the man told her.
The woman intertwined her arm with the man's arm then she rested her head on his shoulder. "Don't be jealous. You're my only one. I just want to get to know our visitor here", she explained in a higher pitch voice. It reminded Ren of a voice of a child. Inwardly, he was cringing at the couple's public display of affection.
"Everyone!" The sound of the table being hit hard echoed within the room. "Can we stop with the unnecessary remarks and focus on the reason why we're here?" Akira uttered as she tried her best to control the raging temper that was starting to build up inside her. She reminded herself of what her grandmother told her before, and that was to keep her bad temperament in check. Akira was well aware that she was irritable and that she wasn't a very patient person by nature.
Everyone in the room was caught by surprise. No matter how hard Akira tried to hide her anger, it was obvious to everyone that she was furious. In return, everyone shut their mouths.
"Speak, mister - or Ren rather", she said as she remembered what Ren had mentioned earlier regarding calling him names. "What do you know about Tomo Ogawa?"
Seeing how serious Akira was, Ren straightened himself as he prepared to reveal the information he had. "Three things. There are three things that I know about him that will be crucial in the success of this mission. First, do not conduct the mission at night."
Everyone in the room seemed to oppose what Ren said as he noticed the scowls on their faces. "What's the matter?" Ren asked to all of them.
"Why can't we do the mission at night? Isn't it more appropriate to infiltrate someone's home at night because that is time that they are most likely to be less on guard?" Akira stated.
"Yes. But not for Tomo. His house is actually less guarded during the day. Every day, he leaves his property at eight in the morning, and he always brings eight of his men with him as his guards. Then, he always returns home around eleven thirty in the evening to twelve midnight. If we want this mission to be successful, you want to avoid having an encounter with him as much as possible because the man is a very smart person. You might not have realized it yet, but the reason why it is very hard to dig information about him is not just because he is a very private person, but it is also because he is very intelligent."
Cynane bit her lip at the Ren's explanation. What he said made total sense, but it was something that they were not used to. They were accustomed to doing their operations at night, and there was a very good reason for that.
"Also, if he brings eight men with him when he goes out, that means you most likely will have less men to face off when you sneak into his house. This is something that I am not very certain with, but he has more or less twenty people guarding his house, and all of them are highly trained individuals. I suggest scouting first before you commence your operation. The second thing you need to know is this: be careful of traps. I have mentioned earlier that Tomo is a very clever person. That means that he is also crafty. His entire property is implanted with numerous traps. So, you need to be very careful and vigilant on those traps. "
Ren paused very shortly to check if anyone in the room had a violent reaction. When he realized that everyone seemed to be alright, he resumed to his talking. "The third and last thing that I know is the probable location of the diary you are looking for. Tomo's house has an underground level. The only way to get there is through his personal bedroom. His underground room is where he keeps his prized possessions or his so-called collections. So, it's very likely that he is keeping that diary in that room." Ren leaned back against his seat, signaling to the group that he was done explaining.
"For someone whom we had a lot of trouble forcing to speak for the past days, you were quite talkative there for a moment", Kaito commented.
Ren guffawed in his mind. 'This guy doesn't really miss a chance to say something negative about me. He must really hate me.'
"Well, you wanted answers, and so answers I gave you. If you were not satisfied with the information I relayed, then I'm sorry. That's all I have."
"It's fine", Akira threw in. "Actually, that's very sufficient."
"I'm curious though. How come you know this much about him? Are you sure this is not a trap?" Kaito continued his taunting.
Ren smirked at Kaito's obstinacy. "I told you before already, I am a hired killer. In my area of work, obtaining information is essential. It's the heart of my job. Also, do you really think I would be bluffing? I am basically your prisoner. If it happens that I was lying, then you may kill me right away. I'll wager my life on it. Although I doubt that will happen because I am sure that I am not deceiving you."
"Alright. So that's it. Kaito and Sato, you'll come with me tonight, we'll follow Ren's suggestion. We'll scout first, then tomorrow morning, we'll proceed with the mission. And you - " Akira stopped as she turned her eyes to Ren. "You'll be coming with us as well. There's no one who knows the layout of Tomo's house better than you. So, it's better if you come with us. But don't even think about escaping. I know we promised not to kill you for the mean time, but if you try to escape, I will surely kill you", Akira warned Ren.
Ren raised his hands in the air as a sign of submission. "Fine. I won't run away. You have my word."
"Haru, take Ren to his new room now", Akira ordered to Haru.
Ren's face lit up at the mention of the words 'new room'. "Does this mean you're finally letting me out of my cell?" he asked in excitement. His back had been feeling sore after being tied up in a chair for days. He missed the comfort of a fluffy bed or futon when sleeping.
Akira nodded in response. "My grandmother already talked to you. A promise is a promise. I hope you'll be liking your new room for now."
Haru stood from his seat and walked up to where Ren was sitting. Ren stood up as well and followed Haru as he led him out of the room. Just as when Haru was about to open the door, Akira called out for Ren all of a sudden. "Hey Ren", she said. Ren turned around to face her. He raised one of his eyebrows, curious to find out what Akira might had forgotten to ask him.
"You said part of your job is to obtain information. Does that mean that you know what kind of being Miyamura is?" she asked with a determined look on her face. She realized that when she asked Ren WHAT he was, he said that he was a human. However, that didn't actually confirm that he didn't know what kind of creature Miyamura was.
Ren smiled mischievously. "To a certain extent, yes, and you are the same as him, am I right?"