Vol 4 Chapter 12 (1/2)
This is a continuation of PART A
”Nezu on the blanket ”This isn't what you pro?”
”Hush, stop barking” Nezuh the coat of the man he had just tied up, and extracted a leather pouch out of one of its pockets ”Take a cue fros, Inukashi+ Lie down and shut up”
”Stop shi+tting me,” Inukashi+ snarled ”Why didn't you cootmy script,” Nezumi replied mildly ”Sorry about that”
”YouMe You half-assed fraud, you third-rate actor You'reI'et bitten by fleas, and get all the blood sucked out of you so you wither and die”
”Stop yapping already, will you? It's not even soht, I o, threeout That's it”
”And in those two, three ”
Nezuentle, wry s child
”Inukashi+, it's the benefit of the experience You've just had the precious experience of getting your neck licked by a high official of No 6 You can store it away as a good memory”
Inukashi+'s clenched fist trelittered in his tan face
”Besides,” he said, ”why me? Why couldn't you have done it instead?”
”Why do I have to do it?”
”Because you'd make the perfect prostitute You lure men in, and make them completely weak and helplessly infatuated A liar, a wanton, with a nasty personality to boot You wouldn't even have to put on an act”
It was then that shi+on finally spoke to Inukashi+ Until now, he had been watching everything unfold in a daze, unable to keep up
”Inukashi+, that's going too far Don't say any oes for you, shi+on,” Inukashi+ turned on hi out the moht?”
”Yeah, but―” He was right In their briefing before the event, they had agreed to wait until Fura, the high official froht in by Rikiga When he sat on the bed, they were to burst out from behind the partition and apprehend him That was the plan, and shi+on had intended to act on it
But Nezurabbed him by the shoulder as if to say, ”don't burst out yet” The bed was creaking unpleasantly The man had inched closer to Inukashi+ shi+on could almost feel Inukashi+'s panic as if it were his own But Nezumi still did not move He remained crouched in the darkness, so silent that not even his breathing could be heard
”I' home Get out of the way!”
Theout of his pocket And in the salided forward shi+on was not able to sense Nezuht beside him, he had not even been able to sense the air around hi out with us a little longer? We'd give you such a good time, you'd melt on the spot”
Once he heard Nezuh the multitude of layered histles, shi+on finally stepped out from behind the partition and stood beside Inukashi+ By this ti quietly on the floor
Inukashi+ clicked his teeth, with his nose wrinkled in ascowl
”'Yeah but'? 'Yeah but' what, huh? Is taking care of dogs all you're good for? You useless, airheaded idiot!”
shi+on couldn't talk back He ell aware of how unskilled and useless he was, once he had been cornered Nothing was quite as painful as an insult that hit the rain of truth
Nezuun off the floor He ht
”It's a self-defense gun, latest ot hit point-blank, it would be fatal I just thought it'd bearound”
”And that's why you decided to take your sweet tiun”
”It reduces the risk of danger”
”Risk? Why, isn't that just splendid,” Inukashi+ said sarcastically ”While I was dealing with this perverted bastard over here, you tere busily discussing the risks Guess great minds are just different froive a special lecture to s, next time”
”Don't be sarcastic Here, look”
Nezuhtly Five golden coins spilled out onto the table
”Five golds, huh Loaded hiht of fun, didn't he, old a opened hisdifference from his earlier cavalier tone
”I told him I had a woman that was unusual, different froe him considerably more than usual, or else he'd be suspicious He's a cautious one”
”I see”
Nezuold coin up
”Here, Inukashi+ Your share”
The coin was tossed into the air, bounced off Inukashi+'s fingers as he snatched at it, and fell on the floor at shi+on's feet shi+on picked it up and handed it to Inukashi+ His tan fingers were tre
”Inukashi+?”
His lips were pursed, and he looked like he was about to cry at any minute shi+on had never seen this expression on hihtly as well
He must've been really scared
Inukashi+, who had several dozen dogs at his coth survived each day, was not able to restrain his shaking body shi+on tried to ih
shi+on didn't kno old Inukashi+ was Inukashi+ himself probably didn't know either Most of the West Block's residents were not certain of their age, parents, birthplace, nor whether they had a life to live to, er than hied in fraudulent activities, theft, and even extortion without batting an eyelash Inukashi+ was seldo insults hurled his way But he had not been able to bear playing the bait in this farce, staged on the bed in a di
Inukashi+'s angry bellows and profanities were but the other side of the fear he really felt
”I' softly ”I've done a horrible thing to you I'm really, really sorry, Inukashi+”
Inukashi+'s brown eyes blinked Their rims were red His lips moved soundlessly shi+on placed a hand on his bony shoulder He didn't think the gesture was nearly enough to soothe the other boy's anger or confusion He kneould not be forgiven But he had re, his mother Karan would often put a hand on his shoulder like this He had re warentle hand, wordlessly placed That was all
Inukashi+ didn't resist He shi+fted a little, and pressed his forehead against shi+on's arm
”bastards I hate you all”
”Mm-hmm,” shi+on murmured
”I hated hated it, so much”
”I know”
”I tried so hard not to screa out I tried as―as hard as I could, you know”
Sorry, shi+on ripped his shoulder firh hiertips, a softness of the flesh he had not expected at all The shoulder was thin and bony, but soft It was not hard, taut and bulging with muscle, but soft and rounded in a curve
It reminded him of Safu's shoulders in the few times they had touched his own
Could it be ― but how ―
At alazed at Inukashi+, Inukashi+ detached hiold coin This time, Inukashi+'s hand securely snatched it
”Bonus allowance”
”How nice Most honourable of you, Nezumi”
”You haven't done the work for free You agreed to be the bait in exchange for money”
”No need to tellon about it noo gold coins for less than ten minutes of work Can't find a job like this just anywhere”
”I told you, I know!” Inukashi+ repeated loudly ”But you can count me out of any future roles like this You can step in formaster here”
”There won't be a next tiold coins in Rikiga's direction ”The rest is for the old uys?”
”Don't need it”
”Modest in your desires, aren't you?”
”You can say that”
”Or are you saying that because onna be useless from here on anyway?”
”Probably will be”
”I see”
Nezua's alcohol-flushed face
”What's wrong?” he said ”Why the grave face?”
Rikiga didn't answer
”Gold coins, oldthem? Not like they're smeared with poison, at least I don't think so”
”Probably not s much more troublesolass The sharp smell of alcohol drifted into the air and assaulted the nose Rikiga took another swig of the cheap liquor, and coughed weakly