CHAPTER 107: HIBUKI’S REPORT [1]

"Look at this boy..."

"You came again. Did you want to do it this time?"

Two voices followed him the moment he stepped into the red-light district.

Leon ignored them, just like before.

"Hey, don’t go!"

"Just name your price!"

"You know what, let’s just do it for free!"

He quickened his pace, not bothering to look at anyone. The mixture of perfume and smoke in the air was already enough to give him a headache.

’If someone saw me, they would get the wrong idea.’

And because of that, he was keeping his head low.

After a few minutes, he stopped in front of the tallest building in the area.

Aurora Cherry Shop.

The place where Hibuki worked.

"Oh great," Leon muttered.

He noticed that the streets around it were quiet.

No customers were entering or leaving.

’Just my luck,’ he thought.

Entering the building, the first thing Leon saw was a woman at the reception wearing rather revealing clothing.

He walked toward her, but before he could even open his mouth, the receptionist spoke up.

"We’re sorry, but we’re not accepting any services today."

Leon had already figured as much. Aurora Cherry Shop might look like a regular prostitution house from the outside, but in reality, it was a place where information flowed in and out every day.

People visited for pleasure, of course. Hibuki had arranged a few of the pleasers as a facade. But those who truly knew her came here for intel.

And now that Hibuki was handling a task from him, she had probably mobilized everything she had. Veronica was that hard to deal with.

’Why am I feeling guilty?’

Leon didn’t tell her to stop accepting customers. If anything, he preferred the opposite.

’The more her customers share, the more intel I will gain.’

Leaving that thought aside, he grinned faintly at the receptionist and said with a smirk.

"Tell Hibuki that her master is here."

She froze, blinking twice. "Excuse me, what?"

Hibuki did tell Leon that day she would do anything for him for the next three years. It basically sounded like a master and servant agreement.

Leon gave the receptionist a confident, cold look.

She stiffened under his gaze.

Rolling her eyes with clear annoyance, she muttered.

"Alright, I’ll go ask. But..." Her eyes narrowed into a sharp glare at him as she turned. "This kind of phrase is despised by Madam Hibuki. So mind your words before spouting it again."

Leon almost burst into laughter, but he managed to hold it in. He didn’t say anything and simply stepped back, letting her leave.

’She really does keep everyone in check.’

He looked around the empty reception hall; the faint scent of rose perfume was not lingering in the air anymore.

There were only maids and a few of ’Aurora cherry shop’ workers inside.

Minutes passed.

The receptionist finally returned.

Leon glanced at her face and saw that her expression was grim.

Sweat dripped down the side of her face, and she couldn’t seem to meet his eyes.

’Looks like someone got scolded pretty badly,’ Leon thought.

"Please come this way, M-Master," she stuttered, her voice trembling as she forced the last word out.

Leon almost lost it right there.

’Did I overdo it?’

The way she said it, with the mixture of embarrassment and frustration, felt like a slap to his face.

’She’s definitely hating this right now.’

Leon stopped in front of a paper sliding door.

"She’s inside," the receptionist said, then quickly dashed away without another word.

’I wonder what she told her...’ Leon thought, staring at the door.

"Haaah... it’s getting late."

Holding the handle, he slid the door open.

Sccccrrr—

The moment the door opened, a blonde-haired woman in her thirties bowed deeply in front of him, wearing a soft silk kimono. Her head touched the floor like a wife waiting for her husband.

"..."

Leon’s eye twitched.

"Welcome, Master. How can I serve you tonight?" Hibuki lifted her head slightly, her emerald eyes sparkling as she glanced up at him.

Leon stared for a second. He didn’t like what he saw. He had been joking earlier about the whole master and slave thing, but this... this was on another level.

"Please come in, Master." Hibuki moved aside, pointing to the tatami floor behind her.

"You can stop," Leon said finally with a sigh.

"As you wish, Master." She bowed again.

"Please stop with the ’Master’ thing."

"Why?" Hibuki tilted her head innocently. Her voice turned playful, almost flirtatious. "It is what you want. Master~"

She stood up slowly with a smile and started teasing him on purpose.

"You can order me to do anything."

’Note to self. Never joke about master-slave in front of her minions again,’ Leon thought.

Ignoring her, he walked inside casually af if he owned this place and took a seat on the sofa near the wall, not on the tatami like Hibuki had indicated.

Hibuki didn’t mind his boldness. In fact, it’s the opposite.

"How is your brother doing?" Leon asked, leaning back.

Hibuki smiled softly, closing the door behind her.

"He’s doing good. Very good, if I must say. Thank you once again," she said, lowering her gaze slightly, "for the drop of Limitless. I am forever grateful."

Leon nodded.

"Glad to hear it."

He crossed one leg over the other and stretched his arms, relaxing.

’Man, today was a busy day.’

Hibuki poured him a cup of tea.

Leon glanced at the cup and noticed a single sakura petal floating on the surface.

’Where did she even get this from?’

This place was an easter egg in the game, a perfect reflection of Edo-period architecture. The buildings, clothes, and even the air carried that familiar tone.

The names might be different in this fantasy world, but everything else was almost the same.

Leon always felt oddly at home here. He created this place to leave a slight origin of it’s creator here.

He picked up the cup and took a sip. Hibuki silently watched all his movements.

Leon noticed her gaze on him.

’Damn, she’s really invested. She really does act like a servant right now.’

He changed the topic.

"So, what did you find out about Veronica?"

Hibuki’s smile faded. Her expression sharpened as she muttered a quiet curse. "Forgive me for saying this, but your sister is one hell of a kind."

She dropped onto the tatami with a tired slump, running a hand through her hair.

"Three weeks. Can you believe it? Three weeks of nightless shifts it took us to gather this info."

Leon’s brows rose.

"Oh? So you did find something."

Hibuki straightened her posture.

"Yes," she said before asking with a grin, "actually, now I know why you wanted to spy on her."

Leon tilted his head. "Why is that?"

Hibuki smirked. "It’s because of that maid of yours, am I right?"

Leon was not expecting it, so he listened carefully.

"Your maid," Hibuki said in a lower tone, "she’s a half Sanguine."

.

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[A/N]: Sorry for the delay, but there will be one more Chapter in few hours.