Vol 8 Chapter 1 (1/2)
Chapter 1
I have a blood-related older sister, and an older brother not related by blood If I told the like ”I see, so your sister is married”, but my sister is actually unmarried In fact, my sister and my brother are not related whatsoever That h a ritual based on yakuza movies
It's been a little more than a year since that autumn when I moved to this city Back then I was just an inconsiderate brat, but I learnedall this tier than bonds merely formed by blood, but that doesn't mean blood ties are weak, either
My o and my father almost never comes home, so I don't quite understand what it means to have a family When I asked Alice about it, she replied with her usual calm tone:
”Family is the smallest,can be forgiven For this reason, things like hiding a cri a sin in their eyes So similar to an unscrupulous debt in an unwritten contract, don't you think so?”
What a nonsensical answer, really On second thought, she had left her family behind and ran away from home, so a sarcastic reply on her part was to be expected However, she then laughed softly and added, with distant eyes:
”It's this world's most beautiful illusion”
In an old building five stories tall next to an alley, pretty far away fronaled with a red sign That place, Ra out The owner is Min-san, a young woot to know that place because of a classood citizens' of the gang are those thile the rest are NEETs who don't work or study
”I failed at the Arima Kinen and the Tokyo Daishouten I lost around 100000” Squatting on the concrete floor in front of the backdoor with a resigned epression was Tetsu-senpai, the ex-boxer who had beca addict and had ended the year by wasting a huge amount of money
”Naruht?”, Tetsu-senpai spoke to me ”Lend me some”
”I don't want to And I didn't receive New Yearmy late lunch Senpai looked surprised, so I went on: ”If I had parents or relatives to be with I wouldn't be here the second day of the year”
”Well, I'm so sorry that you have to be in this place, huh You don't have to come if you don't want to”
Upon hearing that voice coo of the bowl The woman with a ponytail opened the back door
”Ahh, no, uhm, I didn't mean that--”
”Here, Tetsu, your raaze away fro him a ramen boith just soup and noodles, a menu so poor that one could almost cry
”I can't really say uys really don't have parents or relatives to spend tio to your funeral if you died? Tetsu, if you're not careful enough you could end up without anyone to tend your grave”, Min-san said, folding her arainst the door Tetsu-senpai slurped soed
”It's not like I care about what happens to me after I die More important than that, the New Year money--”
”Talk when you can pay your tab, you good-for-nothing!”, Min-san pulled Tetsu-senpai's ear
”O o!”
She earing a tank top and he earing a short-sleeved shi+rt without a sense of the season I tilted ardless of the cold weather It didn't feel like New Year at all
”Happy New Year!”
A refreshi+ng voice was heard and a tall figure approached fro e scarf so refinedly coot closer to the back door Hiro-san is one of the NEETs that always hang out on that alley With his handsoolo who tricks and leeches off women
”Oh? Narumi-kun's here too Don't you spend time with your family to receive New Year money and all that?”
You too? I gave hiiven to Tetsu-senpai
”Aah, I see”, he etic face for an instant, but his smile quickly returned ”Then, this is from me” To my surprise, he handed me a 10000 yen bill
”Hiro, me too! I want money too!”
”Tetsu, you're the sae as me, aren't you?”
”No, er! Give me money!”
Min-san smacked Tetsu-senpai and turned to see Hiro-san
”Hiro, being a NEET gigolo, are you in position to give money to others?”
”Well, yes I received quite a lot of money from the ladies For example, there was this time ent on a holiday overseas without her husband knowing or--” Hiro-san was also smacked by Min-san With a bu their first ramen of the year
”We do the same every year”
”It's fine that way, isn't it? We have nowhere else to go When you try to be a good son, your parents are already gone”
”Do you want to be a good son, Hiro?”
”No, not at all”
Both Tetsu-senpai and Hiro-san laughed I never asked much about their farow up on easy circumstances In the end, we looked like a parentless bunch Now that I remembered, Min-san doesn't have a mother either, and Ayaka's parents are divorced
”What's with you, Naruonna eat that I will”, Tetsu-senpai pointed at the bowl on my knees I had left my chopsticks still, with the noodles extended
”N-no, I'”
”Co here on the second day of the year, it see to completely become one of us How terrible, Naru words were quite cruel Tetsu-senpai knitted his brows
”He's not going to be one of us It's too late for him already”
”Well, that's true”
I choked with the soup in my throat
”I-it's not that!”, after wiping”I was just thinking that none of us has parents Quite the coincidence, isn't it?”
Hiro-san and Tetsu-senpai stopped eating and looked at each other The first one to open his moth was senpai
”Not a coincidence, probably”
”Eh? Ehm?”
What does that ether?” NEETs end up together? Please, no I'rades are pretty bad, but I still go to class
”It's not a coincidence”, Hiro nodded ”If you don't have a family, you have free tiing out here 24/7”
True The main reason why I was in this place in the middle of the New Year celebrations was because I have a lot of time to kill
Tetsu-senpai suddenly spoke:
”Yondaime does have his parents, doesn't he?”
”Ahh, yes, I think so”, Hiro-san replied
Yondai the sake cere iven to hies a stall-keepers business in Kansai
”His parents are in Kansai, so he doesn't see them much, does he?”
”Is he in touch with them?”
I couldn't i in contact with his fa that he had ran away to Tokyo because he didn't want to inherit his family's business
”I wonder how Yondaime's old man looks like”
”I picture hi like Aikawa Show”
”Ahh, you think so, Hiro? I iine hi like that”
Both of thea characters, Dragon Quest Monsters (Why?), etc I would get to meet that person later on, and he would be completely different to any of their comparisons
After finishi+ngwith his ”Give ency stairs In the third floor of the san that read ”NEET Detective Office”, my employer's shelter
”Happy New Year”
I opened the door and greeted in a small voice as I entered It was colder inside the room than outside
”What is there to be happy about? Here and there, the new year just brings inconveniences”
I heard the sulky voice of the little girl Across the kitchenette and the narrow corridor a room with three sides of the wall covered with monitors, computers and cables could be seen; such a cybernetic roo and splendid black honey-colored hair that flowed like a river She earing light-blue pajas orryingly thin and her skin was really pale No matter how you looked at her, her appearance orrisome shi+onji Yuuko--AKA Alice The detective who employes me
”Observe, Moggadeet's ear has come unstitched”
With teary eyes, Alice thrust her big teddy bear againstfrom its little ear
”This happened because I hug hi! I wanted to ask Yondaime to repair it but he's busy with the new year and he doesn't answer the phone Even though he usually answers quickly”
I was about to tell her that she could just leave the teddy bear alone for one or two days, but I decided not to say anything That teddy bear with a strange name was her favorite, and apparently she couldn't sleep if she wasn't hugging it
”Uhmm Then, how about I take his place?”
When I said that, Alice blushed so hard that she looked like a habanero pepper
”W-hat are you saying-? Why would I hug you to sleep!? I could never do such a sha--”
”That's not what I meant I meant to say if you would like me to fix it”
Alice's face was practically e steam
”You should have said that from the start!”
”You're the one who misunderstood!”
Alice puffed her reddened cheeks and turned to the monitor
”Can you even sew? You look so clumsy that it wouldn't surpriseyour own shoelaces More importantly, there's no more Dr Pepper left”
On the floor at her feet there was a pyramid of purplish-red 350 ml cans She doesn't eat properly, and the base of her eccentric diet is actually this carbonated drink Sadly,care of her daily dose of Dokupe
”Go buy two packs at the convenience store later, since the liquor store is closed and it's not delivering either I don't see what's so special about the New Year Isn't just the year changing?”
”Don't you do anything typical of the New Year?”, I asked ”Like, visiting the shrine, or eating typical foods, or going back to your parents' house Ahh, no, I'm sorry That was a stupid question”
Alice glared at me and let out a childish ”hain
”The first tould imply that I return to the shi+onji house anyway and that's not likely, even if the house is reduced to ashes and their affiliated business all fall into bankruptcy”
I tilted my head at her tone of voice, as sharp and cold as an icicle
For soo, Alice ran away froe, but she looks really young now; five years ago her age probably had a single digit That's not normal Because of that, she spends her days shut away in her room, with countless security ca out of fear of soet her What could have possibly happen in her parents' house? What kind of person are her parents? Are they alive and in good health? I'd like to ask her all these questions, but it's better if I don't It must be a delicate situation
My cellphone's ringtone broke the silence Upon looking at the screen, I noticed it was a call from Yondaime
”Happy New Ye--”
'Don't bother with the greeting', Yondaime sharply said on the other side of the line 'I have a job for you It's urgent, so co parlor Tenhou Club is?'
”Uh-, ah, yes”
'It's about what I told you about at the end of the year'
Mahjong parlors are highly active during the last days of the year and the New Year It's because of the sa out at Hanamaru: People with free ti and don't give a da and pachinko parlors become packed with people
Thatparlor called Tenhou Club is at shi+njuku's Kabuki-cho and it's one of the hborhood On the second day of the year, Kabuki-cho's streets were full of noisy barkers pro contest After bue cardboard box, I finally reached the building I raised aze to the parlor's banner and took a breath
When the elevator's door opened after reaching the fifth floor, the sounds of tiles clacking against each other could be heard, and a strong tobacco s, a little bigger than two classroo tables, all full
”Welcome!” An employee with an apron turned around cheerfully but his expression beca stares between my face and the cardboard box
”U-uhm I'm not a client, is Yondaime--Uh, Souichirou-san here?”
The employee widened his eyes, surprised, and worried about the clients' gazes, he quickly guided me to the backroom
Inside the s on a pipe chair, had a hoodlum-like appearance and his hair was punch-permed He was probably part of the staff of the parlor The other youngon the desk, his hair was bleached coaze--Yondai a red jacket with an eon thatHis real name is Hinamura Souichirou, and he controls quite a lot of the juvenile delinquents of the Yanores the existence of the gang he leads, Hirasaka-gue Hirasaka-gu influence in Kabuki-cho little by little, so these kind ofparlors relied on them in case of trouble
”What's with that box?” Yondailared at the cardboard box in my arms
”Ah, this A teddy bear Its ear--”
Yondai the box that was about to fall from my hands with his own free hand He whispered ontovoice:
”Don't talk about that out loud, what if the uy with the punch-peraze and I tiltedthe box down Theat us with a confused expression Even though he's so aggressive, sewing is Yondaime's hobby, and his skills are top-notch He has taken care of Alice's stuffed ani such a cute hobby doesn't really fit his iry if this was mentioned in front of other people
”I called you because of work, why did you bring that thing here?”, Yondaier nervously looked at us fro the situation
”Alice toldit to you immediately I'm sorry”
”That brat”
With a defeated expression, Yondaiain
”Whatever Let's talk about work”
”Sou-san, err Who is he?”, theat ine a brat would be co
”He's Fujishi+ma Narumi You probably heard his name before”
”A-ah, uh From the detective's office”
My na known in this dishonest world made me worry about my future, but I can't refuse when Yondaime asks me a favor
”Are there bears or so like that?”
Mahjong bear is a terinated in a novel written by Asada Tetsuya, and it refers to the people who earnparlors At the end of the ear, shi+njuku see to make easy money
”There's souys, but it's not really clear so I called you Play on the same tables as them and observe their actions”
I placed hed So it was about that
”Sou-san, excuse h school kid, isn't he?” I er's anxious voice It hest rates had a reputation to uphold
Why did he callmore competent, wasn't it?
Yondaier anda nail with just his gaze, then he grabbed my wrist and pulled me to a shelf nearby He took just the suited tiles fro them on the desk, then he picked thirteen of the tiles without turning therabbed the the them back as they were before
”Did you see them?”
”Eh? Ah, yeah, more or less”
”Was it tenpai?”
”It was isshanten, wasn't it?”
”Which tiles should you draw and which ones should you discard to get the highest tenpai?”
”If I take the 5 and I discard the 9 I'd get 147 and 25 points, I think”
Yondaier then aligned the them, an expression that said 'I can't believe it' appeared in his face
”It's correct H-he just saw theer sounded nervous Taken aback, I hurriedly replied:
”E-eh, well, anyone can do this, really”
Yondaihtly punched my back
”Let , since it see my body to the back room’s exit ”Fro player That's why I called you Whatever, just go I'll take care of the betting and the losses money”
And just like that, the second half ofin the auto table Even if I loudly yelled that I was h school student, no one would hear me In that world, only words such as ron, pon, and reach are listened to
After spending the whole night and going back ho like tobacco, I lied down onmy mind
What a, of course, but I also had to see if so or not Not only I had to do this at Tenhou Club, I was also taken to several other Kabuki-cho'sthe tables in which so
”How does it feel to work at aparlor?”, Alice said sarcastically when I showed up at the detective office after being absent for three days
”Do I look like a regular player that ray hair?”
If they found out I was a high school student they would probably close the place down, so I had e
”Is this how you use the salary I pay you?”
”The money I bet is not even from my oallet in the first place”
Yondaime covered 100 of the costs It didn'twas observing the suspicious clients playing in the same table as them
”Even if that's the case, you have won in all the parlors, haven't you? And Yondaiave you if you multiplied it”
”Ahh, yeah Unexpectedly, in those clubs with high rates the players are pretty bad A-aah, no, I' to make money”
”Then for what reason did Yondaiadite's box?”
That was the first time I had heard about that, so I was surprised Alice then took out a black case from below the neatly placed teddy bear Inside the case there was a set oftiles So now I have to see tiles in the office too? I don't even likethat much
”It's because I owe Yondaiiant teddy bear ”If he asked ive these to you I couldn't say no, but you never showed up since the beginning of the year”
”I'm sorry I didn't come to keep you company, really”
”W-what are you saying-?”
Alice slapped the case with the pal on the blankets
”Stop saying that like I was feeling lonely-! If you don't shoill bring my Dr Pepper? Who will clean the office and do the laundry? That's what I meant!”
”Oh, well excuse me” I picked up the scattered tiles
”You kept winning on the spur of the inner You lost ryankan chances every time, and you couldn't see the indications of chitoitsu tenpai at all”
I was bewildered, and the tiles slipped out of my hands
”E-eh? Alice, you kno to play ? Why?”
”I watched the security cameras' tapes”
I stood there open-mouthed Yondaime had secretly installed those cameras to observe the suspicious clients' behavior while we played, but there was no reason to show those to Alice She had probably cracked the cameras
”E-eh, uh thein?”
”Mh, hmph To check on my assistant's work, obviously”
Really? Did she even see the way I played? That's a little e
”You're a really bad player and if you lose you'll cause Yondaime trouble, so, from now on I'll be your coach!”
Saying all that, Alice started lining up the tiles on the side table What's with all this enthusiasm
Around thirty irl entered, exclai ”Happy New Year!” My classmate, and Hanamaru's employee, Ayaka
”E-eh?”
Ayaka looked at us, speechless In that moment, Alice took around 10000 points fro my self-confidence, and I just let my head fall on the mattress
”T-that's no good, Fujishi+ma-kun-!” Ayaka rushed up and pulled ! Alice is still a little girl so it's a no-no!”
”W-what's thethe tiles away froe, it's just a game”
”But, don't you have to take off your clothes if you lose?”
”Wha-Where did you get that twisted information from-!?”
”In the first place, taking your clothes off is my job! Come on, let's take the first bath of the year!”
”Let o-”
Ayaka pulled Alice, who hated bathing, to the bathroo care of herself can't bathe alone
I sighed, looking at the tiles that had fallen to the floor, and exited the office The evening sun looked like thousands of crystals inlaid on the winter sky
Yondaime couldn't have possibly known Fro player is definitely Alice
But it wasn't like I was going to themy job
Since I went everyday, I could find out so, I confirued the pictures of the clients so I could ask the er his opinion later
”These three” At the office, I showed the pictures to Yondai to hi men
”Around the end of the year, the three of the parlors”
”Together?”
”No They were never seen entering the saether”
”Any other reason to be wary of theaze on me
”There's a weird common trait with the way they all win”
”Common trait?”
”Frankly, the three of them are unskillful players”
I played on the same tables, but I also observed them from behind Their abilities were student-level, but they kept playing for a long ti Just when one would think they wouldn't stop playing, they suddenly did, even having the right tiles, and then they left the table
”Isn't that to pass to their partners?”
Passing is a general ter information between swindlers
”It's possible The three of them usually sit to play close to the toilet Whenever they finish playing, they enter the toilet Maybe they contact their partners via cellphone once they're there But I don't know fro sprees even when they're on different tables, too”
”In any case, you ”, Yondaiuys co I can't move”
That's true, they could just be souilty and Yondaie the parlor's reputation
”What does your intuition say? Are they just some lucky fellows, or are they really bears?”
”Do you trust my intuition?”
”Intuition is i after all, isn't it?”
I lowered aze to the floor After some time, I replied:
”My intuition is dark There's just so unnatural about the way they play”
I met that man for the first time on the last day ofat Kabuki-Cho's Tenhou Club in broad daylight I heard the sound of the doorbell, and then a carefree voice
”Shall I enter now?”
It was a ht stoop and long liave off a charm similar to that of coe
”Welcoer's brother rushed up to the man and handed him a wet towel
There were only two active tables in that uided to the seat on ht
After around twelve rounds, I drew the Green Dragon tile The ht then spoke:
”'Scuse ettin' used to Kantou's rules, so”
”Uh?”
”Can you do double and triple Yakuman here?”
”E-err There are yakuman duplications in this place, yes”
”I see So both tsuiso and su anko count, huh Ron”
The man revealed his hand North, South, East and West wind tiles were neatly aligned, three of each kind
”96,000 points”
That was the first time in my life I saw a daisushi+ They said it's a hand you only see once in a lifetime, after all
After two hours, the place fell coot up and brought er
”S-sorry, I' to watch hi for today”
”A-aahh, okay, see you”
The elevator was already going down, so I rushed to the stairs I ran ahts, looking for that white down jacket a at Yasukuni Dori, walking in the direction of Yaht of him and he wouldn't noticea certain distance Blending into shi+njuku's West Gate's congestion sounded like a good idea I didn't know if that man was related to the bears or not In fact, with such a fancy way of winning it was safe to assume he was unrelated to theht of hih the crowd, looking for the down jacket He was really tall, so I couldn't have lost him just like that
”What's this? Am I that suspicious?”
I heard a voice behind me and I literally jumped When I turned around, I saw thatfrom ear to ear
”E-eh, ah, n-no, I'm just”
So he had noticedeven from inside my ears, but the man just slapped my shoulders in a friendly manner
”Ya h schooler doin' this kind of thing?”
I wiped the sweat out of my face
”Eh, h-high schooler? U-uh about?”
Even I noticed how bad and desperate my lie was
”No need to play the fool there I' kid Well, soon you'll understand”
I was already quite worried, but the man's next words made my blood freeze
”I didn't left evidence of my cheatin' I noticed the cameras”
”Eh?”
”Ya wanted to see if I had talent or not, didn't ya? Even letting me see yer hand Thanks for that That camera inside the flower vase was pretty well hidden”
My face was probably incredibly pale by then, judging by the looks the passerbies were giving me
He found out about my observer role and he even noticed the cameras Just who is this man?
”Hey, no need to be so tense”, he said, lightly slapping my cheek with the back of his hand ”I arrived to Tokyo just today This ood fellow I just likeI've been playin' here and there but the most interestin' opponent was you, boy”
”Uhh”
”This year I cain'to read ot a daisushi+, everythin' would work out fine Well, in the end I got a triple Yakuood stuff” The hed, and I didn't even knohat to reply or what face I should make anymore
At thatthe crowd