Misuzawa Malik
6:52
Civitas Headquarters - General Room
“Hmm…”
Malik’s fingers drummed the surface of the table in front of him in an almost hypnotic manner.
Koizumi-kun’s little monologue had honestly raised more questions than it answered. The fact that the dealer was operating around the Pewter Apartment Complex wasn’t truly a surprise. He was bound to operate around one of the more seedier areas of Akashi and one would be hard pressed to find a seedier residence than that one. No, the real problem was that it really didn’t serve to narrow down the responsible party whatsoever. Ownership over the complex was in constant flux between the numerous gangs located in the area. Any one of them could potentially have a hand in this.
The most prominent gangs contesting over Pewter at the moment were the “Ruins” and the “Aquamarines”, but… it would be out of character for both Shimizu and Mukai. While Shimizu was, at times, a man of questionable mental faculties, dealing drugs wasn’t his style. Besides, the Alliance had no tolerance for something like this. Its entire existence was predicated on a precarious balance where it did not push the envelope far enough to be cracked down. Something like this would completely shatter the status quo. The other Dragons would lynch him themselves, just to purge any guilt by association.
As for the Dust Queen… The woman was a rabid dog, fighting against everyone and everything. While Malik could surely appreciate her rebellious zeal, she lacked the type of self-restraint that was actually necessary in order to fully carry out her ideals. Which, in the end, meant that she was bound to be snuffed out by someone sooner or later. Sooner being the likelier option, considering that Mukai’s increased activity meant that neither Kaguya nor her pets could ignore her for much longer. But for the time being, the Dust Queen was neither desperate nor foolish enough to lose it all by peddling illegal power-boosters.
Tracking down the dealer would probably prove to be difficult as well, considering that the only real lead they had was the fact that he wore a baseball cap. Which left precious few leads to actually follow up on, for the time being.
Malik’s fingers stopped abruptly as he flashed a soft smile to the boy in front of him.
“Thank you, Koizumi-kun. I’ll be sure to help out both you and your friends. You have my word. In the meantime, would you mind staying here at Civitas Headquarters for the next couple of days? There is a risk that this drug dealer is not working alone. If so, it would probably be much safer for you to stay here, rather than head home.”
“Just speak to Alice down the hallway and tell her I sent you. She will organise everything for you."
As the boy left, Malik’s eyes flickered over to Ken’s stoic form.
“Yamato-kun. Would you be so kind and find out the current whereabouts of one Toyotomi Sakura?”
“Oh, and could you call the school and let them know that I won’t be attending today? I’m afraid that I simply won’t have the time. If they pester you about it, just tell them that it’s family business and that they are welcome to lodge a complaint if they so desire.”
“Though considering their typically spineless nature, I doubt that they will so.”