A satisfied smile raised the corners of his mouth as he set foot outside of the busy street, taking time to enjoy the lively ambience from the shade. After his latest tour around the Izumo region, he made it his next goal to stop at the Kaka Village for some rest. The children there must've grown quite a bit since he last played with them.
With an agility beyond his age, Jubei leapt up for a shortcut via the nearby rooftops. Once he fulfilled his obligations, he could resume his travels.
Past the tiled roofs of Ronin-Gai, he jumped from one of the many metal pipes hanging off the side of the platform to make his way down to the next floor. Each level he went by, sunlight grew dimmer and dimmer as more structures got in its way. Eventually, nothing but artificial light kept the place from perpetual darkness. It was a miracle the Kaka settlement managed to secure some spots where the sun could reach them.
In one of the deeper sections of Kagutsuchi, pedestrians became few and far between. What used to be homes were now used as storage depots, the narrow paths connecting them left neglected. For the common folk, it wasn't a place to linger.
Dropping to the ground without a sound, Jubei inspected the area with a cautious eye. He felt a change in the air—a very small one that he would have missed if he hadn't the habit of checking his surroundings before proceeding. The shift came from someone using an advanced ars magus spell, which piqued his curiosity. The Library's soldiers rarely patrolled down here. Not much tended to happen in a place without lots of people.
Jubei focused his senses past the dry air, letting them home in on the trail. Without a second wasted, he set off to chase after it.
Dodging lazy stares from some loiterers, he took a sharp turn into the back alleyways leading to a central area. Beyond the old plaza, a path presented itself below a network of steel rails hanging high above. Whoever his target was, they were close by.
Darting behind a dust-covered crate, he leaned forward just enough to peer down a still road.
A large pile of rubble laid far ahead and obstructed the path. It appeared that the base had been weakened by something, causing the old columns to collapse atop of the road. Standing near the blockade was the near imperceptible silhouette of a person. To untrained eyes, they would be completely undetectable.
Tails wrapped around the hilts of his swords, Jubei prepared to confront them. A cloaking ars magus like this one meant potential trouble, doubly suspicious in a deserted corner of the city. "Pretty good job hidin' yourself, but that ain't gonna fool me."
Hearing his voice, their attention turned away from examining the surroundings. "Hmph, so you're the one that was scuttling around." The ars magus' distortion even affected the sounds coming from him, masking his footsteps.
"Just doin' my part by checkin' on signs of shady activities," replied Jubei as he fully stepped out of hiding. "Now be kind by tellin' me what's goin' on here, and I'll let ya go without any more fuss."
A moment of contemplative silence passed before he spoke again. "You're…Jubei of the Six Heroes?"
"Not a mighty big fan of that title, but I guess folks do know me that way." If he was lucky and the other guy was smart, then there won't be a need to draw his blades. He'd hate to disturb the peace with a fight and attract the Library down there to investigate.
"I see…" His form soon began to lose transparency, eventually becoming fully visible.
While not recognizing the immediate outside appearance, Jubei could see the irritated stare coming from beneath the hood. "Well I'll be damned. That explains some, but not a whole lot…" He relaxed his stance. "Whatcha doin' out here for, Jin?"
His scowl deepened at being addressed directly. "I don't see why I should tell you anything. You're just getting in my way, so scram."
"I'd sure like ta know what's gotten ya in such a hurry. The way I see it, you're just temptin' trouble again." Considering the young man's nature, he was likely out on his own. There had been quite a storm kicked up before, surrounding the fact that Jin had disappeared from the NOL headquarters. Even if he had left in anticipation for the Black Beast's reappearance, Jubei saw nothing but rashness in his decision to set out without any words to his allies.
"Tsk… Go bother Sector Seven with your questions. A fellow feline ought to hear one another out much better," he said with no attempt at hiding his growing impatience.
Hearing him alluding to his daughter, Jubei's whiskers twitched. "What didja mean by that? Kokonoe's got somethin' ta do with this?"
"Hell if I know. Now stop wasting my time." Without giving a second glance, Jin briskly walked past him.
Jubei's gaze followed him until he disappeared from his line of sight. Now alone in the alley, he breathed a sigh, shaking his head. "Jeez…here I thought he'd grown outta bein' so damn uncharitable."
Whatever the reason Jin had for heading away with such a determined look, it must be important so Jubei had chosen to let him go without further questioning. But he'd be a fool to believe nothing was out of the ordinary.
If he had to guess, Jin being here could be because of orders from the Library. Yet it was unusual for them to send one of their high-ranking officers on any kind of mission. For that reason, Jubei took that thought with a grain of salt. One thing he felt certain about —during the entire span of the short talk, Jin appeared distracted. By what though, Jubei could only wonder some more.
Speaking to Kokonoe stood out as his next best lead if he wanted to find out more, and he cursed his luck. To get her to talk was going to be one hell of a problem, if she chose to answer his call at all. Regardless, he returned to journeying down towards the Kaka Village. In order to establish direct contact with Sector Seven, he needed the short-range signal beacons installed there.
After a closer look around the area, he left the dead end created by the rubble. The damages to the alleyway appeared recent.