Hartwin led us to the alleyway where Mayumi was found bloodied. I looked around, there was nothing else to find at the crime scene but the stain of blood. Guess it was time to talk to some witnesses. We should consider the stores nearby, as they would always be here. We approached the store on the opposite side of the street, one that should have a direct view of this alleyway.

"You guys stay here, except for Velar, he's coming with me. We don't want to scare the witness with too many people."

Facing up to a person with a group would be quite intimidating. It would be like pressuring and ganging up on you. For now, I wanted the possible witness to speak without a feeling of apprehension. True that Velar was kind of a giant, but at least he didn't have a mean face. Taneva was annoying to be with sometimes, and Nira was, well, a child. Of course Hartwin was not an option, he was a mess.

There were a couple of people buying from the stall, and we waited for them to leave. Once they did, Velar and I approached the store owner. The man looked at us with an inviting smile.

"Hey there, what do you want to buy?"

I faced the man directly with a soft smile, and his eyes widened as he had a glimpse of my beautiful and gentle visage. He was speechless, as how a commoner would see the divine.

"Greetings, Mister." I said softly that it would tickle a man's ears. "We are here to ask some questions, if you don't mind."

"Ah, s-sure… What is it?"

I pointed at the alleyway where Mayumi was found. "Did you witness what happened there? There was a murder."

"Ah, yes, I was here yesterday. What a sad thing. The girl that died was young too."

"Yes. Did you see the moment she was killed?"

The man scratched the back of his head. "Not really. As you know, there are customers I have to deal with."

"Of course."

"But I did see a group of men that gathered there."

"Oh? How many?"

"Five of them, I think."

"Was the girl standing there when they arrived?"

"No, she wasn't. I guess she was just passing by."

Is this her usual route, I wonder?

"Are you familiar with the girl?"

"No, I'm not. I see lots of people. I don't really pay attention to people who don't buy from me."

Understandable. You don't typically just observe people that are walking down the street that you don't know. You often disregard unknown individuals who had nothing to do with you. But Mayumi had a unique instrument that ought to garner some attention. Also as a performer, perhaps, she went through different streets at times. So Mayumi wouldn't be a familiar face.

That unique instrument might have brought about her own demise.

"Please tell me exactly what you saw before the killing or before the body was found."

"Let's see… It was a busy street, lots of people walking around… Ah, now that I think about it, the men lined up as if to obstruct the view through the alley."

"... That was probably when they attacked her."

"Yes, likely."

I looked around. The street was already busy and crowded even at this time. And the alleyway was narrow enough that two or three people covering it would be enough to hide what was happening. That was certainly when they mugged her.

"Are those men familiar here?"

"I think I have seen their group a few times in the past. But they're just the usual gang of people among many. Thankfully, they don't harass us."

"So they usually hang around on the streets then?"

"Yes, but there are a lot of them. Gangs I mean."

Well, street thugs have groups or something. But if they were often seen around, then other groups might know of them. The question was, how big and notorious were the people we were looking for? Well, that didn't matter. My own gang could literally fight off the entire city if it wanted to. No one was a threat to us here.

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"Where can I find some of these street gangs?"

"... Well, just go through that alleyway, you might find some guys. Although, just find some secluded area, there should be at least a group. But if I have to be frank…"

"Hm?"

"... You'll find a lot of those dangerous gangs around the refugee district."

"Why is that?"

"I heard that's where they often hire people. A lot of these refugees are desperate, willing to do crime just to survive."

"You mean the buildings where they keep refugees?"

"No, that's not it. I meant around it. Authorities usually watch the compounds, so it's hard to do some shady stuff there. There are particular areas around this district that are dangerous, ones that we avoid. You'll know where when there are groups hanging around some corner. Dangerous-looking people."

Hm, interesting.

If criminals were to hire people who would keep their mouths shut and do everything for some money, then refugees were a nice option. Not only criminals, but people that just wanted to create some group for whatever purpose. Refugees would be easy to invite, as they'd be looking for a place to belong to. Especially in this new city.

"You've been a great help, Mister. Thank you."

"Of course. And whatever you're doing, be careful."

I nodded to him and returned to the gang. That was productive, in a way. At least it led us somewhere. Would have sucked if we had hit a dead end.

"So, found out something?" Taneva asked.

"Yes. We go through here. Let's find some group that looks kind of dangerous." Or those that looked like a group of assholes. They'd be easy to notice, to be honest. As I had always said, judge a book by its cover. People who say otherwise are dumb.

"What are we going to do?"

"Ask for some information."

Well, I said that, but it would be more. Thugs tend to listen to only one thing… violence. Essentially, beat the hell out of them first and make them talk. Unless of course they submit and tell us what we needed. But I doubted it.

We walked through the alleyway. As we did, I noticed Hartwin looking at the bloodstain on the floor with a sad expression on his face. Was Hartwin fueled by fury? I really didn't expect him to be the furious kind. He was angry, but I felt it was more than that. From the way I saw it, in his emotions, he sought revenge not of fury, but of justice. He was unlike me.

As we went further into the alleyway, we arrived at a small open area. And we noticed a group of guys hanging around, doing nothing but talking and laughing. They were adults, so there was a good chance they were the kind of thugs that I was looking for. And if they were hanging around here, they could have seen the culprits.

I stepped forward, giving them a small smile. "Hello there. I'd like to ask you some questions."

They looked at each other before one of them stepped forward with raised eyebrows. He tilted his head, trying to look at my face under the hood. He whistled.

"Girl, you can ask me anything you want." He cackled.

"Good—"

"After I bring you to my crib, of course."

I let out a sigh. "Honestly, not in the mood to enjoy the crib of some limp dick."

"Hah?!" He chuckled. "Hey now, you haven't even seen it. Haven't you heard the saying: judge only after experience?"

I disregarded his words.

"We are looking for a group of men, maybe around five of them. They might have passed through here yesterday. Just around the time when an innocent girl was killed. I'm sure you've heard the news."

If they had been hanging around here, then they should have heard about a murder in the same alleyway. If they say they had not, I'd call bullshit.

"You mean that? Why the fuck would anyone care about the death of some random bitch?"

"Bastard…!" Hartwin was about to attack him, but Velar placed a hand on his shoulder to hold him back.

"You didn't answer my question. If it helps jog your memories, they might be carrying a stringed instrument."

"Told you, I ain't answering till we have some good time. Heh."

I closed my eyes for a moment, nodding.

Why do they never make it easy? And the fuck, don't these people realize how dangerous my gang is? I sort of expected we already had that kind of vibe.

What a disappointment. I mean, I would certainly not be oblivious that who I'm trying to piss off were dangerous people. Lack of survival instincts is what's gonna kill you, you know.

By force it is then.

I had the feeling they knew what I was talking about. None of them acted clueless or anything.

"Velar, Taneva, and Nira beat them up. I'll take care of this guy myself." I pointed at the man before me. "Hartwin, stay put." I didn't want him to do anything while emotionally volatile. It wouldn't be nice to kill someone uninvolved with our matter. I certainly wouldn't mind in any other place, but not in this city. Didn't want any unnecessary death, which might make things more complicated.

Thankfully though, Hartwin listened.

As the three moved in to beat the other guys, I stepped towards who I assumed to be their leader.

"What do you think you're doing? You think you can just fuck aroun—"

With physical enhancement, I pushed him to the wall, using my forearm to choke him by the throat. In a swift motion, I pulled my dagger and pointed it directly at his crotch.

"W-What the f-fuck?"

"Ssssshhh… Now then, if you say something that is unrelated to my questions, I swear by next week you'll be leaving for the mountains and shave off your hair."

Get it? 'Cause he would have no… Okay.

"What a-are you talking about?"

I slightly pressed the tip of my dagger to his penis covered by his pants, and he felt it. "Need I explain it?"

"Y-You're insane!"

"Uh-oh. Look." I gestured towards his friends, who were getting beaten up by mine. Faces being punched, stomachs being kicked, and a child just dragging someone around. "Bear in mind they'll have it better than you if you annoy me further."

A man's nightmare is losing his dick.

He gritted his teeth as fear became evident in his eyes. "F-Fine! Ask away! Shit!"

"Did you see a group of men pass through here yesterday?"

"Yes, I saw them. One was holding a stringed object!"

"Alright then, good. Who are they?"

"How should I know?! I-I mean, I don't know."

"You see, we're searching for those people. Anything to say that will help us?"

"I… I don't know."

I slightly shifted my blade forward, starting to cut through the fabric of his pants. "Better think fast. Give me something."

"I!" He seemed to ponder hard. "Okay! Okay! I heard that someone from my neighborhood nearby did it! Someone was bragging, that's all I heard!"

"Bragging about killing someone — that's stupid."

"N-Not that strange! People brag about anything just to gain notoriety! Even killing someone."

Guess it goes to prove how dangerous you are.

Reputation was important to gangs.

"Who was bragging?"

"I don't know! We hear gossip and shit. Words only spread, but not the source."

"Words travel fast, huh?" And it just happened yesterday. "Tell me, which neighborhood is it?"

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