Seeker 319

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Chapter 319. Infiltration Into Echigoya (1)

We had made up our minds to infiltrate Echigoya, and we had come close to the actual store.

"That's Echigoya..."

I peered from the shadows of an alley, observing a splendid two-story merchant house diagonally across the street.

Along with the others—Kazane, Yuzuki, Kushinosuke, and Griff—we were all covertly watching the target shop from nearby hiding spots.

The building of Echigoya was a rare two-story stone structure in this town.

Its tiled triangular roof was of superior quality, differing in style from other residences.

A curtain hung at the entrance to the shop on the ground floor of the building, with a grand signboard displayed above.

The merchandise at Echigoya seemed to include furnishings like vases hanging scrolls, and exotic goods.

It appeared to be a store dealing mainly in high-priced items for the wealthy.

It's not hard to imagine that they're making quite a profit.

It was getting late into the night now.

Echigoya was still open for business, with only a few customers remaining inside.

Behind the scenes, employees were discreetly beginning preparations to close up shop.

Our immediate mission was to infiltrate that establishment and gather information.

Kazane confirmed that the kidnappers had entered that building.

They had used a back entrance to the residential section behind the shop, using a key.

There was no doubt that they were associated with Echigoya.

According to Kushinosuke, besides the kidnapping incident we encountered, there had been several other "disappearances" recently.

If the abducted girls weren't sold elsewhere, they might be held captive somewhere inside that building.

"The problem is how to infiltrate. Should we boldly enter through the front?"

Kazane inquired.

Meanwhile, Yuzuki tugged at the hem of my clothes.

"Senpai, senpai. You know in period dramas, there's a scene where they secretly hide in the ceiling and eavesdrop during a meeting, then suddenly stab through the ceiling yelling 'Gotcha!' with a spear? How about we imitate that, hide in the ceiling like ninjas?"

"That's actually a clever idea. But how do we get into the ceiling?"

"Hmm, I have no idea."

"Yeah, me neither."

And so, Yuzuki's idea was promptly rejected.

This was our limitation as adventurers who took inspiration from fiction.

It might be better to rely solely on our [Stealth] skill.

The [Stealth] skill that Kazane and I possessed was considered a very rare skill among awakeners in this world.

In addition to the ability to move without making footsteps or noises, the skill also made it difficult for others to perceive the user's presence.

Just like a background character in a crowd or a roadside stone, it made it less likely for others to notice one's presence.

However, this skill also had certain limitations.

One was that while it was effective against ordinary people, its effectiveness against awakeners (especially opponents of similar or higher strength) was limited.

Another was that no matter how difficult to perceive if one stood out conspicuously, the effectiveness would diminish accordingly.

For example, if I were to boldly enter wearing full Gaia Armor and Gaia Helm, even the [Stealth" skill wouldn't fully cover it.

And even without going that far, just wearing foreign-style clothing would likely attract considerable attention.

"I want to somehow procure clothing that wouldn't look out of place in there. Any good ideas..."

I muttered while pondering.

The employees working at Echigoya were both men and women, all wearing kimono.

It would be more effective to dress similarly to them and expect a more reliable effect from the "Stealth" skill.

"Well... How about luring one of the shop attendants out, knocking them out, and stealing their clothes?"

"Um... Kazane-san, your suggestions are getting quite extreme."

"Huh? What's wrong with that...?"

Kazane's suggestion was met with Yuzuki's merciless retort.

Blushing furiously, Kazane clung to me, offering an excuse.

"W-Wait a minute. That's not it, Daichi-kun. That was just a spur-of-the-moment thing. P-Please don't hate me...!"

"You know, I wouldn't hate you for something like that. Who do you think I am? Besides, I've considered similar things as part of our plan."

"Huh?! See, Hiduru-chan? Daichi-kun and I were thinking the same thing, right?"

"Kazane-san, you're just making things more awkward. Maybe you should stop."

"Aww, Hiduru-chan is unusually cold!"

Ignoring the whispered comedy between Kazane and Yuzuki, the question remained: what to do next?

Should we search for a clothing store and buy kimonos?

No, there was a high possibility that the stores were already closed, and it would take time and likely be expensive.

Considering everything, Kazane's idea didn't seem bad after all.

"In that case, shall I lend you my spare outfits? I have both men's and women's costumes for disguises."

Kushinosuke summoned his item box and took out two kimonos.

One for men, one for women.

They weren't the samurai-style attire Kushinosuke was wearing, but rather, commoner-style kimonos.

I wanted to retort about the use of "disguise," but given the circumstances, it was a smart move.

However, upon seeing the two kimonos Kushinosuke had taken out, Kazane suddenly asked.

"Hey, Kushinosuke-chan. Have you worn either of these before?"

"...? Yes, but what about it? Is there a problem?"

"No, it's fine for me. The problem is on Daichi-kun's side."

Kazane looked at me with a piercing gaze.

Ah, I see.

She had reservations about me wearing something she had worn before.

I wouldn't have minded if she hadn't mentioned it. She's quite particular.

But Kushinosuke seemed to interpret the meaning of Kazane's words differently.

"Hmm... I see. Daichi-dono finds it deeply unpleasant to wear clothes previously worn by others. Of course, if there's another option, that's fine."

However, Kazane, instead of leaving the misunderstanding alone, did something unexpected.

She showed Kushinosuke the black outfit she was wearing and said this.

"Um, that's not it either. Daichi-kun is just a bit of a pervert. After I wore this, Daichi-kun sniffed the clothes after I took them off. Sniff, sniff."

"Eh...?"

Kushinosuke stepped back from me, giving me a disgusted look.

"Wait a minute, Kazane. That's a terrible defamation against me."

"Eh. But Daichi-kun being a pervert and Daichi-kun sniffing my clothes are both facts."

"Even if they're facts, it's still defamation—anyway, let's stop this conversation. It's not getting us anywhere."

Realizing that it was rapidly going downhill, I forcibly ended the conversation.

A moment to calm the situation.

In the end, Kazane and I borrowed costumes from Kushinosuke and proceeded with our undercover investigation.

"Well then... Daichi-dono. I'll lend you these, but... um... please don't use them in any strange ways..."

Kushinosuke's cheeks reddened as she handed me the men's commoner costume, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Well, thanks to Kazane's unnecessary comments, things got a bit awkward.

Anyway, Kazane and I retreated to the shadows at the back of the alley and changed clothes.

I couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious about wearing the costume Kushinosuke had already worn.

Damn it, it's all Kazane's fault. I'll have to scold her later.

After a while, Kazane and I finished changing.

With our black hair and everything, I think we blended in well as residents of this town.

Weapons and armor were stored in the item box.

"Alright then, let's go."

"I'll bring back souvenirs, you know, like information."

"Counting on you, senpai, Kazane-san."

"Good luck to both of you."

Kupii, Kupii

With Griff, Yuzuki, and Kushinosuke seeing us off, Kazane and I left the alley where we had been hiding.

Of course, our [Stealth] skill was activated.

We calmly crossed the deserted main street, and without drawing any attention from the shop attendants, we made our way towards Echigoya.

As the last customer inside the store left and was respectfully seen off by the well-dressed staff, we discreetly passed by them and entered Echigoya through the noren curtain.

Although I was a bit nervous, there was no indication that the staff were paying any attention to us.

Once inside the store, we encountered a scene where several employees were in the process of closing up, but none of them paid any attention to us.

Kazane whispered to me.

"It seems okay, Daichi-kun."

"Yeah. Let's proceed cautiously."

"Roger."

From here on, it was definitely enemy territory.

We traversed the store interior, lined with high-end furnishings, and stepped deeper into the shop unnoticed by the employees.