Ena let out a burst of laughter, holding her stomach while she pulled her head outwards, while the rest of the division just stayed silent. Her laugh wasn't that loud, nor did it stand out in the place due to the overcrowding.
But there were some silent stares from other civilians, as if it wasn't embarrassing enough. Haruo pinched his nose bridge and was about to take another deep, disappointed sigh, but stopped mid through.
"What would you gain from this? hm?"
Haruo couldn't even be mad; his disappointment washed it away, and he just wanted to ask why.
"Oh come on, it's funny, look, she's laughing!"
Leo said, pointing toward Ena, still dispensing a load of laughter to the division. Not giving a care to her surroundings and the stares that people gave her.
"Okay, Leo, she isn't laughing at your joke, she's laughing at YOU"
Tatiana remarked with a flabbergasted expression, SO surprised to believe that Leo actually thought his joke was funny. Her comment only made Ena laugh harder than she already was.
"Isaac.. You think my joke is funny, right?"
Isaac's face kept twisting from polite to cringe as if trying to decide which to use. He fixed his glasses before looking away, trying to make it seem like he was testing it. But in actuality just wanted to avoid his gaze.
"L—Leo, I'm.. I'm not trying to be mean, but.. Your JOKE is more corny than it was funny."
Leo tried to speak, but what came out of his mouth was nothing but voice cracks and words that were plainly gibberish. Haruo's expression only darkened at the sight.
"Do you know how bad this would have been for us?"
Ena's laughter faded into silence, her face slowly dropping and transitioning into something more serious. The air around them tightened, turning to something more suffocating.
The whole division adjusted its body language to something more stiff and disciplined. Even Theodor woke up—still lying on his bed, listening carefully.
No one could hear what they were talking about, only see what they were doing. Before they had this conversation, Leo had placed an illusion around them, like when he had that conversation with Haruo.
"If you or any of you in this division take this mission as a joke, then I recommend you to resign and go back to Marion."
He took one look at each one of them quietly before continuing:
"This mission might not be important to you, but it is to me—my brother's in danger, and this job is all I have to keep our lives steady; have your fun, but if we get exposed, it's over."
He walked forward toward Leo, crunching the snow and leaving a trail behind. He met his eyes with a glaring look, while Leo looked at him with an uncomfortable expression.
"Don't do something as stupid as that next time."
Haruo said before redirecting his gaze and passing by him. Each member felt shame; they had forgotten once again that one of the main reasons that Haruo went on this mission was because of his ill brother.
Ena followed his steps from behind. Isaac didn't go as well, bringing the cart along. Leo stood still for a good moment, while Tatiana only observed him.
"Are you just going to stand there? There's no point in sulking about it."
Pfft, Leo started to laugh all of a sudden, which surprised Tatiana a bit.
"If you're going to comfort someone, at least be warmer about it."
Tatiana scoffed as she rolled her eyes before turning her back against him.
"If you're going to be like that, then just stay there for as long as you want."
Tatiana said she walked away to follow the division. Leo chuckled before hurrying beside her.
***
"Sorry, we don't sell those anymore. But I will buy whatever you're selling."
The old guy said with absolute composure, while he looked through countless drawers. They had visited a pharmacy to buy the medicine needed for manifestation failure, yet it was nowhere to be found.
"We already sold the last of our materials to the last pharmacy."
Isaac said, studying the cart, almost empty, and which the only thing—or someone—That occupied it was Theodor still lounging in it. Making Isaac carry him throughout the city.
Isaac didn't mind, since it wasn't that heavy—For him anyway, or any other member of the division in general. Ena looked visibly frustrated, clawing through her hair and gritting her teeth.
"How many pharmacies have we already visited and still had no trace of that damn flower!? Can't we just go hunting for it in the wild!?"
"Are you stupid by default? It's extinct in the wild; it's mostly made by humans now. Even if we did find one in the wild, we still had to extract it manually."
Haruo while he was grabbing something from his mana storage.
"Why do you look so calm about it anyway? This is like our 27th stop! What are you even grabbing!?"
Haruo closed his mana storage after he did something to it, but never took out an item from inside.
"But if you really need it, there is a guy I know who might get you it," the old man said.
Haruo's eyes widened as he heard that sentence. His brow raised upwards whilst he placed his hand on the counter. While Haruo was surprised, Ena was ecstatic to finally hear good news finally.
"For what exactly?" Leo's eyes flared with suspicion.
"Well, I did owe him from last time—this much will do. He spends most of his time in the entertainment section of the city. And for what he looks like..."
***
After two hours of purely walking, they had finally made it to the entertainment section. The vibe and space were much different from what it was in the entrances.
A busy atmosphere was created by the overwhelming crowds, which filled the air with noise. Not an ounce of snow in sight, only the towering buildings that had a futuristic vibe to them. Hordes of men lining up in motels.
"This place sure is noisy, especially with many of the bells."
Leo was picking his ears slightly, trying to adjust to the load of noise that his ears were picking up. Many stores were opened and advertising themselves; some even used their own body to attract attention.
"And the smell here is quite overwhelming."
Isaac added, his nose either getting invaded by the smell of intense perfume or the random smell of street food that was scattered around the place. The lights showed many vibrant colors while still giving a warm embrace to the atmosphere.
"So where's the circus exactly? I doubt we can navigate through this place easily with the cart."
Leo observed the place more carefully, adjusting his earrings. Ena rolled her eyes at his comment and hurried to the front of the cart, brushing past Isaac before giving it a sharp kick on the tongue of the cart.
The force of the kick vibrated the whole cart, which alarmed Theodor a bit. Theodor stood up to see Ena signaling him to exit the cart by tilting her head to the side.
Theodor complied and gently hopped out. Ena scoffed before returning to her original spot.
"There now, we don't need it—Anything that makes this expedition faster."
Isaac's eyes nearly teared as she said that. They had spent nearly an hour building this cart, and he had done the most out of all of them. Letting go wasn't an easy task, especially when you put a lot of effort into something.
Isaac sobbed as he placed the cart in a wide alley, leaving it to gather dust and get taken away by others. He put his arm and rested it on his eyes, rubbing it gently to remove the tears.
***
"We're here."
The division members looked at the top, and there loomed a sign which said: 'Rocky's Show'. Haruo recalled what the old man had said.
"He lives near the circus—keep strolling around the block till you see a sign called 'Rocky's Show'. He should be inside performing. He has a kind of tan complexion and doesn't really look that attractive. That's all I could describe."
While he recalled the door suddenly opening wide, and two people came out, who both had a somewhat displeased demeanor.
"I heard that this place had a person who could perform without using abilities, but it ended up being something boring instead."
Just as they were listening to their remarks, they heard screaming in the valley just next to the building. Theodor came to check and saw a man getting grabbed by the collar.
The man who was grabbing was enormous compared to the other man.
"W-wait, I'll pay next time, I swear! Just give me two more days!"
The large then slammed him on the wall, the impact vibrating through his whole body. He gave him a nasty look before he said something to him; the division didn't hear it, but they can easily imagine what he said.
The large man then walked past him and made his way out of the alley. Theodor took a closer look, his eyes squinting before recognizing who he was.
"Isn't that him?" Theodor pointed out.
Haruo walked by Theodor's side and took a glance to confirm; he peeked his head slightly and immediately recognized the man as the one they were searching for.
"How can we be sure that's him and not a random person who just happened to be tan and next to the building?"
Ena was a bit skeptical of whether they had truly found him, and not by mistake. She had grown accustomed to mistaking people when she was still a child, but had learn from this mistake throughout the years.
"No, I'm sure that's him."
He said with no hesitation before strolling toward the man. The man wore a suit, his bow tidy, and his front pocket occupied by a flower. That suit once reminded him of when he was still a butler in the Hyakagure manor, which irritated him a bit.
The man caressed his suit to remove any dirt before he redirected his gaze to his side. He saw Haruo walking toward him with the division on his back. His body became stiff for a quiet moment before he regained his composure.
"Can I help you people?"
"Are you rocky?"
He shrugged off Haruo's question before taking his long hat from the ground and fixing its shape a bit.
"Well, it depends on whether you decide it to be or not." He, whilst pulling out cards from his hat, then took one of them and threw it at the wall, while it remained in his hand.
"Some people call me a magician of sorts." He then turned that singular card into a whole deck instantly before putting his hand in front of it and separating his hand to reveal the same one.
The magician smiled at them, only to meet Haruo's frown and disinterest. He nervously fidgeted making him accidentally dropping all his cards. He hurried to pick up his cards and stuffed them in his pockets.
He raised his hand forward while he held his hat over his chest as a sign of gratitude. "Rocky West, what can I do for you?"
Haruo accepted and shook his hand.
Isaac tugged Leo's shoulder till he got Leo's attention.
"What?" Leo whispered.
"Don't you think Haruo's behaving quite differently today?"
"Didn't you see what happened earlier? He just said that his brother's life is on line. Obviously, his more serious than usual, who wouldn't. Here, if you're not convinced, then ask the one who knows him the best."
He said, pointing toward Ena. Isaac tugged her as well, but she didn't react whatsoever. Isaac tried calling out her name quietly, but it didn't work; even Leo joined his curiosity-filled.
It took a moment before she finally diverted her attention towards them.
"Don't you think Haruo's acting weirdly today? He's usually more bossy and tolerant, but he feels distant."
Her eyes darted toward Haruo, attentively observing him before she shook her head.
"No, not really.." She said while her gaze was still lingering behind his back.
"See what I tell you?..." Leo said to Isaac
"We heard that you had Diony flowers?"
Rocky only smiled, putting his hat back on, then opening the door beside him. Flaring his arm out before gesturing to come in. Ena was first to go, then Theodor, one by one they entered until Haruo remained last.
Rocky's and Haruo's eyes met, his face twitching slightly as he maintained his smile. After a good second, he entered with Rocky following suit.
Rocky steadily shut the door, his poker face falling, revealing a worried expression as he shut the door.