-38: Play the Tourist-

"What about you?"

Amon and I were back at street level, standing a few feet from the top of the ladder.

"Me?" I shrugged, leaning on the railing. "Are we actually done for the day?"

"Pretty much." He took a spot next to me, though not leaning back. "Kureo is probably doing some extracurricular activity, which means we're more or less off duty for the night."

"All right." I glanced up at the rooftops. "So kinda like being on-call then."

"Yup."

"That's not too bad."

Nothing was said for a few moments, apart from the murmurs of a conversation between the only other people on the street.

"You missed the funeral yesterday."

What was he talking about? Oh, right, Kusaba's funeral.

"How was it?" I queried, not able to think of anything else to say.

"No reason for the guy to die like that, and his partner's taking it hard. You don't get many funerals in the BGA, I hope."

"More than none. Most of the deaths are in the municipal ghoul agencies." Most of which are so rabid they barely even care.

"Isn't that the BGA?"

"No, no, no." I verbally backpedaled, "MGAs are single-city agencies, limited to local areas, whereas the BGA is a federal organization. We're almost international, if you count the agreement with Canada."

"That...is weird."

"They're a godawful pain to deal with and clash with us over anything, but they defer to us for the most part. The BGA is big, but not to the point of being able to keep an eye on everything."

"Why would you fight with a sibling agency?" Amon queried, shifting uncomfortably against the railing. "Surely you have the same goals?"

"The BGA takes the long view in managing ghouls, while the MGAs are more extermination groups than anything else."

"So…what's the difference?"

"It's a long story." I lied, realizing I didn't have the patience to explain. "What I really could go for is a burger."

"Well," Amon nodded his head down the direction Kureo had scuttled. "There is that Big Girl burger chain somewhere down there."

"Not like some chain burger. Like a half pound burger, with sweet grilled onions, thick strips of bacon and a half melted slice of cheese, all topped with an egg benedict and barbeque sauce. With a pretzel roll instead of a bun."

"That is…very specific. You could probably find something like that in the second or third ward though."

"Nah; even if I found it, I couldn't eat it." I stood, taking my weight off the railing. "Made a big personal choice that led to me getting this kind of body. But that meant swearing off food like that and basically everything else in my diet."

"You make it sound like a deal with the devil."

"Given all the good stuff I can't eat, it can feel like it. I can only blame myself for that though." I stepped away from the railing, "All right, I need to get food out of my head, so I'm going to go play the tourist and stop wasting your time."

Except, I didn't really play the tourist. I wandered until sunset—poking my head into shops, absorbing the sights and sounds—before settling in at a bar where the televisions were showing baseball, of all things. If not for the language, it was eerily like a sports bar back home—minus the noise made by the hardcore fans. Not for a lack of trying though; there were a couple patrons with jerseys for a team I had never heard of. Just a couple sips into a vodka on the rocks, my eyes drifted off the screen and out the window.

I caught a glimpse of a white coat and long hair; could that be Kureo? Leaning back, I caught a better view as he walked away. Three briefcases? Had to be him, based on Amon calling him a quinque collector back at the gym. If nothing else, he was going to be prepared for…whatever crazy idea he had cooked up.

Hm. If I didn't know better, I'd put money on him heading back to the underpass.

What he was up to wasn't my concern. I was only here to observe after all, and if the rabid dog needed my help, he'd ask. Or he'd ask Amon who would then ask me. Though if it still for that one ghoul he was obsessed with, he could count me the hell out.

Hinami. The girl's name was Hinami. And you know what he wants to do to her.

Was this why I had stuck around? To see what Kureo had planned, or just to confirm what I suspected he would wanted to do? I didn't have to take part in this; I could just sit here and let whatever was going to happen, happen. There wasn't any shame in being a bystander; I could just claim ignorance and say I didn't know. But I would know.

One and a half innings later, I paid for my mostly untouched drink and started walking back.

Back to the river.