CHAPTER 417: WHOSE FAULT IS THAT?

Dante had always made sure to clean after himself and leave no traces behind, but there was always the chance that he might have missed something. He wasn’t so arrogant that he would think otherwise, and with how reckless he had been, he was sure it was only a matter of time before he messed up. With that being the case, he couldn’t imagine how he had earned himself such a reputation.

"Honestly, I don’t get what you find so confusing about it." Said Viktor. "Weren’t you the one who came up with that Ghost Mode thing?"

"I mean..."

Ghost Mode made it so he wouldn’t be caught by most sensors, so long as they are connected to some wireless network. Anyone looking for evidence through security footage would struggle to find anything on him, even if they had footage of the place at the time the crime was taking place. Dante already considered that it might have been the reason he was given that name, but even now, he still found it difficult to accept.

"Well, just know that the NVPD and BEO have a file with that name on it. It’s a thin one, and it only has the faces of the victims in it, but it still exists. Seeing how you can’t sit down for a couple of days without causing some incident, I’m guessing it’ll be filled up soon."

"You don’t have to tell me." Dante frowned. "Still, can’t believe they think I’m some master criminal."

"Already told you." Leaning back into his chair, Viktor shrugged. "They have nothing to work with."

"I guess they do now," Dante said.

A lot of people had witnessed what happened under that church, and though he didn’t want to think that the Daggers would go to the BEO with the info, there was always the chance that one of them would take the chance to make some money by selling it. Either way, it was now known that Ghost was capable of opening portals.

"Maybe I should have just killed them all..."

"True... is what I want to say, but... You have to keep in mind who’s currently in the city." Smiling wryly, Viktor shook his head. "If you make too much noise, the bastard might show it."

"Right..."

A lot of things were happening all at once, and Dante was having trouble sorting through them. He was about to put more effort into it, intending to see if he had more questions for the fixer. That was when a message notification popped up, and seeing the contact’s name, Dante couldn’t help but pull a face.

"Is it Rose?"

Viktor’s probe only made things worse, causing Dante to confirm without saying anything.

"Does she keep you updated, or..."

"More or less. She came to me with some names from the other day. Seems like she made some progress since you caught the last guy."

"Wish she would share with us that much."

"Don’t rush it." The fixer said. "It’s her story to tell, and she will tell you when the time comes."

~[ ]~

Pulling up to the Golden Hummingbird, Dante noticed the other motorcycle parked near the entrance. He made his way inside, greeted Thomas, then went up to the second floor. Knowing how things usually went, he braced himself for a tackle, but nothing happened when he opened the door.

"Guess I’m not the only one in a foul mood, huh?"

"Tell me about it."

Though she replied with a smile, it was far removed from her usual, so much so that it froze Dante in his place. For the first time since they met, the purple-haired woman seemed powerless. She seemed weak. Dante didn’t know how to react to that, and so he remained standing for a while, saying nothing, doing nothing.

Eventually, he walked over and sat by her side. Usually, it was she who would rush to sit next to him, so it could be said that their roles had reversed.

"So," With his gaze still directed forward, Dante brought up the reason for their meeting. "What did you want to talk about?"

He waited, then waited some more, but he received no answer. The delay quickly started to get on his nerves, so he prepared to repeat the question, but then he felt a soft push on his left. His purple haired friend must have been quite exhausted, seeing that she came to lean on him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Say, Dante," She said. "What are we?"

Now, it was Dante’s turn to hold back the answer. His face twitched when he heard the question, and after a while, he couldn’t stop himself from turning to glance at the woman leaning against him.

"Donnu," He said. "Groomer and victim?"

His comment drew a chuckle out of the woman, but something about it felt off.

"You were an adult by the time we met, right?" She said. "You can’t call that grooming."

"You didn’t know back then."

"True."

The silence returned, then overstayed its welcome. Dante no longer felt like interrupting it. He just sat there and offered his shoulder, taking Viktor’s advice and waiting for her to talk.

"I... might have found a lead..." She said after a while. "Nothing is confirmed yet, but... if it turns out to be true, we might be able to deal a nasty blow to those bastards."

"... I see..." In a way, Dante had already guessed that much. "So? What do you need me to do?"

Once again, he was made to wait for the answer. Rose straightened herself after a while and gave him a puzzled look. He raised an eyebrow at her, and she seemed to get even more confused than before.

"You aren’t going to ask?"

"Ask what?"

"The details." She said. "Why I’m doing this?"

Dante pressed his lips into a line. Wasn’t he supposed to wait until she told him on her own?

Giving it some thought, he started to feel that she wanted him to ask the question. That had the opposite effect, however.

"Let’s... Let’s leave it for after we’re done." He said. "You can tell me once all of this is over."

"... I see..." Staring at with a hint of surprise, Rose let her lips curve up ever so slightly. "Guess it would make for nice pillow talk."

"We don’t usually talk that much." Dante smiled back. "You always pass out the moment we’re done."

"And whose fault is that?"

The two laughed it off for a while, then they moved on to the more serious part.