Chapter : 46 futher enquiry

After hearing Sheele's caution, Bane fell silent briefly before nodding and responding, "I'll remember your warning."

Pleased with his serious consideration of her advice, Sheele hummed happily. The Q&A session with Bane resumed, with her answering his questions to the best of her abilities.

Following the conclusion of the question-answer session, Bane inquired, "Is there a training facility on the upper floor of this building?"

"No," Sheele replied, looking puzzled.

"Then why did I hear that pink haired girl yelling at Tatsumi on the upper floor in this morning?" he asked

"There were even sounds of gunshots and because of that I thought she was training him from morning onwards as it was her duty to train him today," Bane questioned further.

Sheele's eyelids began to twitch as she struggled to muster up a smile. "You see, Boss had pulled a 'harmless' prank on Tatsumi whose result was not so 'harmless' for him, and because of that, he had to face the consequences of being chased by an angry Mine who was hell-bent on taking his life away,"

sheele had explained this with a hint of amusement in her voice as she recalled Mine chasing Tatsumi while she still wore her pink undergarments.

"..." he was left speechless at the absurdity of the situation Sheele had just described.

"Ahem," Sheele cleared her throat in order to direct his attention away from that topic and inquired, "What is your second request?"

Bane looked at her happy expression for a moment before inquiring, "Before joining Night Raid, were you a resident of the lower shanghai districts of the capital?"

Surprised, Sheele raised her eyebrows. "Yes, I have lived in the lower district of the capital before joining the revolutionary army, as my house was located in Pearl Harbor, which comes under the lower district grounds."

She paused briefly and asked, "How did you find that out?, did you inquire about me from other members?"

Bane shook his head, "No, I haven't asked any of the members about this." He pointed at her long pink dress as he explained, "It's quite simple, actually. I deduced it from your distinct clothing."

"While I don't know what this attire is called, I know that it is usually worn by a few people who live near outer districts and are lower sector residents of the capital."

Upon hearing him, Sheele glanced at her dress and nodded, acknowledging the connection. "Ah, I understand. This dress I'm wearing is called a cheongsam, and it's often worn by women in the lower capital districts."

Bane, after confirming this, proceeded to ask, "Do you happen to know a night pub owner named Lin Shai, or do you know someone who might help me locate him?"

Sheele fell silent for a moment, trying to recall anyone by that name from her memories, but no one came to mind.

She shook her head gently and replied, "I'm sorry, but I don't know the person you're asking about."

She hesitated for a moment before uttering, "I don't know anyone who could assist you." 

Back in her home, sheele had been a shy girl, and her clumsiness often led people to reject her presence. Even her parents had rejected her because of her clumsiness. This experience had a profound impact on her personality, causing her to avoid interactions with others.

She knew that attempting to engage with people would only bring self-doubt and sadness, so she preferred to keep to herself most of the time.

"..Is that so?" Bane said as he sighed, realising that he would need to find another way to track down the person he was seeking.

For a brief moment, Sheele watched as Bane pondered deeply before he refocused and spoke to her. "You don't need to trouble yourself. I will find another way to locate that person," he assured her. 

Rising from his chair, he bowed his head towards her. "Thank you for answering my questions. If you ever need my help in the future, feel free to ask."

Sheele was momentarily stunned by Bane's sudden display of gratitude, finding it unexpected. She hadn't anticipated him bowing his head in front of her, and it was a stark contrast to the usual reactions she received. 

As Sheele thought to leave, a mix of emotions played across her face. Receiving genuine gratitude had been a rare and uplifting experience for her, contrasting sharply with her experiences. Today, she had proven herself useful, which brought a genuine smile to her face.

However, as she turned to leave, a sense of regret settled in. She realised she couldn't offer any further help to Bane, which caused her smile to fade slowly.

Bane lifted his head and signalled that their interaction was over. "That's all the favour I needed. You can go now. I have to write down some more notes and attend to other tasks."

Sheele nodded in acknowledgment, standing up from the bed. "Alright then, I'll take my leave," she said softly, heading towards the door.

However, she paused midway and stood in silence, her head bowed slightly.

'...'

"What happened?" Bane's voice interrupted the silence, curious about her sudden pause.

Sheele lifted her head to look at him but remained silent, her expression unreadable as she processed her thoughts.

"...."

After an uncomfortable silence, Sheele gathered her thoughts and spoke hesitantly, "....Actually, I know someone who might be able to find the person you're looking for."

She paused for a second, barely managed to utter, "However, ...I haven't met her in several years, as she had asked me to stay away. I'm not sure how she'll react to seeing me again after all this time,but I can try to ask her for help once."

Bane observed Sheele's discomfort which was fully evident on her face and replied, "....I don't know the details of your past with this person, nor do I want to pry into your personal matters….. If meeting your acquaintance again makes you uncomfortable, then you don't have to push yourself to help me."

"No," Sheele quickly shook her head, "It's alright." She paused for a second as she revealed, "I've actually wanted to see her again for some time now."

Listening to her response, Bane didn't respond for a moment, but then he nodded his head and said, "Then it's settled." However, a problem crept into his mind, and he asked, "But considering your wanted posters are all over the capital, won't it be dangerous for you to enter?"

"...."

Sheele blanked for a moment at Bane's sudden question, but quickly regained her composure.

"You don't have to worry about that. The presence of imperial guards in the lower districts is minimal, almost nonexistent. Plus, I'll be wearing different attire to conceal myself," she assured him.

She then paused, glancing at Bane's mask and his loose baggy clothes, which had covered his whole body except his smooth, fair hands. "However, you'll need to remove your mask and wear different attire. Your current clothing and the mask might attract unwanted attention from the people," she advised.

Bane fell silent for a moment, considering Sheele's suggestions. "...I don't have any issue with removing my mask…. but it might make others uncomfortable. It could also draw more attention," he explained.

Sheele found it peculiar that Bane was adamant about concealing his face, which stemmed from Najenda's decision to keep Bane's condition a secret from everyone.

Even in the privacy of his own room, he had yet to remove his mask even once.

However, she decided not to pry into his matter and hesitated before suggesting an alternative. "There's another way, but you may find it uncomfortable," she began.

Bane nodded. "As long as it allows me to hide my face, I'm fine with it."

Sheele smiled and nodded back. "Okay then, let's meet tomorrow morning. We can head out then," she confirmed.

"Alright, I'll remind you again tomorrow morning," Bane agreed, aware of Sheele's forgetful nature.

Sheele nodded her head and turned around in order to get out. While Bane also turned around in order to start collecting the scattered stationary items on his desk and attend to his other tasks. 

However, just as he began gathering the papers, he was heard a loud thud from his behind.