Even so, we are living in the present

Chapter 23 – Underground Public Safety Forces

A downtown area a short distance from Kyosuke group’s residential place.

The first basement floor of a building there served as their base of operations, also known as an underground organization. In a room about 12 tatami mats in size, brilliantly lit by fluorescent lights, there existed several men dressed in black suits. All of them kept their mouths shut and their eyes fixed on a young man.

“As you may have heard… Natsume’s younger brother has been kidnapped.”

The youth who was receiving everyone’s gaze – Tsukumo Akira – broke the silence. His hair was a fresh aqua color with a prominent red mesh on the sides, and he wore a black mask. Differing from the other men, he was wearing a black shirt and was seated on a sofa.

The organization behind the scenes revolved around him, a young man proficient in martial arts. Although he never surfaced on the stage, his organization was dedicated to taking down the evil people who were prevalent throughout the world.

This somewhat unrealistic organization went under the name of “Nether Security Forces” – also known as the NSF. This organization thrived in the underworld, and its name was unknown to the general public.

Nevertheless, the reason why such a shady underworld organization was able to operate was linked to the Metropolitan Police Department, which watch over the country. Or rather, they have been entrusted with the use of force to exterminate the underworld groups. The conditions of the entrustment were: “not to kill anyone,” “to use a false name,” “to sever relations with the surface society,” and “not to get involved in conflicts between the black organizations.

In short, they shall only be allowed to operate if ordinary people living in the surface society were involved. Those who violate even one of these rules will languish in prison for the rest of their lives. All licenses and other certificates were forged. Some of the gang members have even abandoned their original names or have been declared to be deceased.

Naturally, Akira too was a pseudonym. The only information he has revealed was his age. Although this may seem like an inconvenience to some, the government guarantees all food, clothing, shelter, medical care, etc., ensuring that they have no trouble making a living.

Of course, all remuneration was fully covered by the government. However, those who are sent out to work are almost invariably confronted with death, and if they were to succumb after a brutal battle, the government would conduct their funeral in secrecy.

“… Akira, have you contacted Mr. Shibuya…?”

One of the gang members asked in a low, heavy voice. Shibuya was a powerful man who belonged to the upper echelons of the Metropolitan Police Department. As the liaison officer with the NSF, the decision to mobilize falls exclusively to him.

Akira nodded in response to the question.

“I’ve already contacted him. Since it’s an incident with a civilian involved, I was authorized to do so immediately.”

Although he announced this in a quiet, gentle tone, his rational mind was struggling to maintain his composure. The look in his eyes was awfully cold, and there was no sense of gentleness in them.

“Tomoya’s current location that Natsume sent me… This is the base of the Shinoda group…”

“… Shinoda group…”

Upon hearing Akira’s words, the gang members all adopted grim expressions. The Shinoda group was one of the gangs. It has been frequently discussed in the news for its anti-social activities, and thus has gained wide recognition among the general public. However, although the Shinoda group has caused several fights between organized crime groups, they never once inflicted any harm on the general public.

Therefore, even though they knew of their existence, they never engaged with them.

Why did they go out of their way to go public and kidnap Tomoya?

There must be a significant reason. Yet, it was too drastic to abduct Tomoya for the purpose of killing him. Was it for financial gain because they had run out of money?

“…”

While contemplating the inexplicable aspects of the situation, Akira eventually exhaled deeply and rose to his feet.

“No good, even if I think about this, I can’t come up with anything. I have Mr. Shibuya’s permission, so let’s go.”

When he told them this, the members of the crew nodded in unison. Akira wore a large hooded jacket and drew the hood deeper until it obscured his flashy hair and eyes.

“…”

Leaving the room in silence, he walked down a dimly lit, inorganic hallway with his group members following behind him. After a short walk and a flight of stairs, they opened a fashionable Western-style door that was out of place and exited through it. Before their eyes, a living room, hardly distinguishable from a typical dwelling, unfolded.

Akira strode majestically forward with his crew members in tow. After leaving the empty living room behind, they opened the front door and headed outside. Its exterior, enclosed by a high wall, at first glance resembled nothing more than a wealthy family’s house. This, too, was prepared by the government to prevent others from realizing it… In fact, two men and a woman have been living in this residence as NSF fakes.

In case anyone comes to visit, they are on the safe side, so to speak. When Akira approached the spacious garage with three shutters down, the sensors sensed it and the shutters simultaneously lifted.

Within were three white-colored sedans. All of them were fully covered with tinted windows. The three drivers quickly climbed into the driver’s seats and moved them around the premises for all to get in. Each of the remaining members of the crew, including Akira, entered the front passenger seat and the back seat respectively.

Once everyone was on board, the cars departed the premises one at a time towards a quiet residential area. Inside the last car to leave the property, Akira, who was positioned on the left side of the back seat, had his smartphone in his hand and was dialing someone.

“… Hey, Natsume… Yeah, I’m on my way. It’s dangerous and you shouldn’t come… yeah, I know. I understand your concern and you want to vent your anger. But we’ll take it from here, so leave it to us… No, you can’t. You are different from me, so don’t get involved with gangsters. I’ll bring Tomoya back for sure… Natsume, don’t provoke me. Okay?”

Using a gentle tone of voice, he softly advised Natsume, who was about to head to the scene of the crime, to stop.

Natsume lived in the surface world, while Akira lived in the underworld.

The two people, who were not supposed to be associated with each other, came to cross paths after Natsume sheltered Akira, who was wounded in a certain incident. Of course, this was a top-secret matter as well.

Only those who were aware of the existence of this were the NSF. Therefore, Akira feared that Natsume would interfere with the underworld. If his relationship were to be known, the chances of him being targeted by the underworld would be high.

Human trafficking, organ trafficking, pimping, money demands… underworld figures can easily do inhumane things.

Having seen this up close and personal, Akira himself was cautious in handling this kidnapping case.

T/N:

Tsukumo Akira

25 years old/182cm
An acquaintance of Natsume.
A youth who excels in martial arts and swordsmanship.
His polite tone creates a favorable impression.
He also has a cool-headed side.
He runs an organization behind the scenes to eradicate antisocial forces.
(*The organization behind the scenes is an official organization with ties to the National Police Department.)
A relationship of trust between Natsume was established after he sheltered him when he was wounded.