Ryouma and Xiǎomíng arrived at the Ambition Group Grand Hotel in Nagoya not long after they'd sent Midoriko off to work. It was at Ryouma's insistence that they scope out the hotel and try to infiltrate the penthouse disguised as employees.
Because they'd lost contact with Itoko, he had no way of knowing whether she'd been moved or not. While it was extremely likely they'd moved her, it wasn't outside the realm of possibility that she'd just lost the magatama. If she were still at the hotel, he could get her out of there and spare Midoriko the danger of involving herself.
"How's everything looking on your end?" murmured Ryouma into a string of prayer beads wrapped around his wrist. Disguised as a housekeeper, he pushed a cleaning cart into an elevator.
"People keep asking me to handle their bags…" responded Xiǎomíng into his own set of beads. He stood at the entrance, disguised as a bellhop, greeting hotel guests.
The elevator doors closed, and Ryouma was met with a sleek, minimal panel with only two buttons—door open, door close. The penthouse elevator operated on keycard access only. He'd noticed that it was exempt from the hotel cleaning schedule posted in the housekeeping service area, but surely it had regular cleaning services.
Was there time to hunt down a master key, or could he force it with magic? Before Ryouma could make a decision, the elevator started moving on its own.
"Xiǎomíng, has anyone passed through?"
"I haven't seen anyone of note enter or exit."
They were keeping watch for anyone who looked like they might be part of the Shishiba-gumi, as well as Kuroiwa Akira and the sorcerer they met before. But more importantly, they were keeping watch for Shishiba himself.
Gossiping with the housekeepers revealed that he hadn't been seen around the hotel for several days. According to them, he was normally very active in the day-to-day management of the hotel in addition to living on the premises.
"Right… Well, the elevator just started heading to the penthouse unprompted," Ryouma explained, adjusting the paper mask on his face. He started looking around the elevator for cameras. "I think someone might have slipped past."
"What?! Who?!" Xiǎomíng shoved the luggage he was handling into another bellhop's arms before taking off across the hotel lobby. "I'll be there as soon as I–"
"Stay where you are."
"But Master–!"
"If you lose contact with me, then I need you to go to Midoriko when she arrives in Nagoya," ordered Ryouma as the elevator reached the penthouse floor. He held his breath as the elevator doors opened at an agonizingly slow pace.
"...Tch. Roger that," replied Xiǎomíng.
When the doors opened to reveal an empty lobby outside the penthouse doors, Ryouma relaxed slightly but didn't let his guard completely down. It was highly probable that a surprise was waiting for him on the other side of those double doors.
He pushed the cleaning cart out of the elevator and knocked on the doors. "Housekeeping service!"
Ryouma waited a moment for a response. He glanced around the lobby for cameras, only to find no obvious ones. The elevator was the same. He was sure they were there, just hidden for a false sense of discretion to anyone visiting this place.
He knocked once more and announced himself as housekeeping once more before following it up with, "Pardon me, I'm coming in!"
To his surprise, the door handle pushed down smoothly. It was unlocked. Ryouma exhaled and rolled his shoulders, ready for what came next. Whistling, he opened the door and wheeled in the cart.
The silence inside the penthouse was deafening. He scanned the interior from where he stood at the entrance. The place was empty, but a prickly feeling on the back of his neck kept him alert.
Ryouma grabbed a spray bottle and a roll of paper towels from the cart, then ventured further inside. Staying in character as a "housekeeper" allowed him to maintain plausible deniability if he ran into trouble. Not to mention, he would be able to search the penthouse thoroughly under the guise of cleaning.
He headed for the kitchen first. As he wiped down a counter, he happened to notice the trash bin for burnables was full of paper towels. He caught a glimpse of dried blood on some of them. Ryouma kicked it with his foot as he walked past, knocking it over.
"Oh no…" he said sarcastically, as he squatted to pick up the spilled contents. Ryouma spread out the trash with his gloved hands. Mixed in with the bloody paper towels were some rather large splinters. He picked up a tiny, bright red sliver that caught his eye.
Xiǎomíng's acupuncture needle… Or at least what was left of it. The sorcerer he'd jabbed it into must have broken it off trying to remove it.
What the sorcerer had told them at least wasn't a false lead. They'd definitely been there before moving to a different location. Ryouma tutted, remembering how they'd so carelessly let that man go.
"Find something interesting?" asked a familiar voice from across the room.
Ryouma glanced up. Shishiba sat in a dining chair, facing him.
He came out of nowhere, thought Ryouma before correcting himself. No. He was there the whole time.
Skilled sorcerers could use a variety of tricks to hide themselves, from suppressing their presence to fade into the scenery, to full-on invisibility. Shishiba had done the latter, but the bigger question was, were there others?
"Oh! I didn't realize you were here, sir!" exclaimed Ryouma, putting forth his best service worker persona. "I'm just here for housekeeping. Don't mind me!"
He scooped the trash back into the bin before setting it upright once more.
"I don't recall requesting your services," Shishiba said flatly.
"Um, I believe it was an individual named… Hm… What was it again?" Ignoring Shishiba's icy glare, Ryouma furrowed his brow and tapped at his head. He mumbled out syllables, pretending to search through his memory for a name. Then he pounded his fist into his palm.
"Ah! Now I remember!" he announced. He met Shishiba's indignance with a friendly smile. "It was a gentleman by the name of Kuroiwa Akira! He requested cleaning."
Ryouma pulled the trash bag out of the can and tied it off. Then, picking up the cleaning supplies he'd been using, he carried everything back to the cart. He could feel Shishiba watching his every move.
"Well, I'll admit it is very clean in here," he added. Ryouma grabbed the cart and moved toward the door. "I suppose I'll be on my way, then!"
"You didn't put a bag back in the trash bin," called out Shishiba from across the room.
Ryouma stopped. He quietly clicked his tongue before turning around, wearing that proper service industry face again. "Oh! Silly me!"
He grabbed a bag from the cart and glanced around the room as he strode back to the kitchen. Ryouma felt…something. Some kind of presence, or perhaps it was more like…bloodlust?
"Why is it that I don't recognize you? I know the face of every employee in this place," Shishiba mused.
Ryouma was wearing a paper mask over his nose and mouth. How could he possibly recognize someone from just their eyes?
"That would be because I'm new," he stated, putting the new bag inside the bin. "Today is my first day."
"Is that so?" Shishiba crossed his leg and rested his hands in his lap, a slight smile creeping onto his lips.
"Well… If that's everything…" Ryouma offered a polite bow, then turned to leave.
"Wait a moment! I didn't get your name!"
Ryouma stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "It's–"
"Wait! Wait! Don't tell me! Let me guess," Shishiba said playfully. He imitated Ryouma's earlier display of ignorance—pretending to think really hard before doing the same hand gesture of revelation. "Oh! I know!"
Ryouma's eyes narrowed. He's been fucking with me this whole time…
"It's Nishikawa! Isn't it?" Shishiba sneered.
"You got me!" he sighed and put up his hands in mock surrender. The fact that Shishiba hadn't immediately attacked him troubled Ryouma.
"Humor me for a moment." Shishiba gestured to an open chair adjacent to him. "I've always wanted to have a proper conversation with you."
Ryouma glanced at the chair, then his eyes scanned the room once more. "I'll stand."
"You're cautious. That's a good quality to have," said Shishiba, nodding in agreement. "I suppose that's how you've made it this far, considering what you've done."
"You don't know the half of it, sir!" He rubbed the back of his neck in a show of bashfulness.
"To tell you the truth, part of me was interested in recruiting you when I'd first heard about you. I like having people on my side who are strong," Shishiba explained calmly.
Ryouma cocked his head to the side. "Oh? And now?"
"I think you're a threat."
"If I'm a threat, it's only because you put a target on your own back." He kept his eyes on Shishiba, ready to strike the moment he saw a single finger twitch.
"So, what compels you to sneak into my home like a rat?" The man remained eerily still.
"I think you know why I'm here." Ryouma glanced around the room once more. "In fact, you were probably waiting for me, weren't you?"
"Hmph! I suppose you're not wrong about that."
"Right. So, if you return the girl to me, then this will all be water under the bridge!" he said brightly.
"I'm afraid I can't do that," Shishiba replied, shaking his head. "But don't worry, I'll be sure to treat her well. An abused dog is bound to turn on its master after all."
Ryouma frowned. "She's a child... Not a dog. Not a weapon."
"Tell you what!" A smile crept onto Shishiba's otherwise expressionless face. "I'll trade you the girl for Midoriko. One daughter for another. That seems like a fair trade, right?"
"Unfortunately, I can't accept those terms," Ryouma announced cheerfully. He smiled in return. "You see, I plan to make Midoriko my wife! …Oh! But isn't it proper to ask the bride's father for his blessing?" He bowed from the waist, but kept his eyes on Shishiba. "I hope you'll grant me that today."
Shishiba's mocking smile faltered for a moment.
So that got under his skin, huh? A satisfied smirk tugged at the corners of Ryouma's lips.
"You're too late," Shishiba scoffed. "I already promised my daughter's hand in marriage to the Kuroiwa boy. You've met him, right?"
Ryouma's eye twitched. The exchange was becoming tiresome. It was time to wrap things up.
"Sle–" Before he could finish uttering his command, a stinging pain hit him in the side of the neck. Shit!
Ryouma clapped his hand to his neck and whipped his head around. To his left was a previously unseen man holding an empty syringe. So there was someone else…
Ryouma laughed bitterly. He'd completely let his guard down in that final moment.
"S-sssleeeb…" His words came out slurred. Ryouma's vision started to blur, and his legs weakened. "F-fffuuug…"
He dropped to the floor. Shishiba got out of his chair and casually strolled over to Ryouma's weakening body. Soon, all he could see were Shishiba's slippers right in front of his face.
"Don't worry, it's just ketamine. I'm not planning to kill you just yet." Shishiba's voice sounded so close, yet so far away.
"Wh-wuh…" It was hard to keep his eyes open. Ryouma's consciousness was slipping. As he faded out, his glamour dissipated.