5 Friend Foot
During the early morning Shouji calls out to the n kicking balls at a goal in a decayed public park.
They talk about the weather, smoke tobacco, inform about their physical condition and also talk about how their work has gone recently.
There is the guy who has been unemployed since he quit as a coal miner because he could not handle the mine life. There is the guy who deals in the contraband the navy smuggles. And there is the guy who makes a living hunting rats in the sewers.
When he shows them the perfect potion, they ask him what organization he is from.
Shouji answers with the na of an organization, he had just now picked that one at random out of the many.
His salesmanship begins.
Those who do not drink potions are overdiligent fools, or cowards with no self-respect. Such exaggerations freely leave his mouth.
He speaks of the easily obtainable pleasure, of how easily you can separate yourself from reality, of this singular tiny ticket to Utopia.
He strongly asserts that the side effects are basically non-existent. But the truth is that he actually does not know. There might not be side effects, but there sure as hell is drug dependence.
His first sales pitch was fairly successful. As long as they sample the product rumors will spread. An increase in demand is inevitable.
During the dayti he stands on the edge of the restaurant district, calling out to the cigarette smoking prostitutes.
Shouji was greatly surprised at all off his custors sly personalities. Without bearing their standing in mind, all of them wanted to set the price according to their own appraisals.
I will pay you back later. I will pay you with my body. I will pay after I have downed it.
He did not lend his ear to these statents. The inferior quality of his custors brought him despair.
Shouji was constantly refusing with a gentle expression. With the language of a gentleman he was giving both the carrot and the stick in verbal form. Sadly with this quality of custors his sales were unfavorable.
It was becoming possible that supply and demand would be mismatched.
He decided to rein in his expectations for this crowd.
Guess Ill go grab a bite.
Dealing his perfect potions while standing and walking around was annoying.
By nature, business talk was not the boorish Shoujis strong suit. He was only doing it because he had no choice.
He had in the past trained in the etiquette of the upper classes, but without the ability to rge that with manners of the streets, it was useless.
His legs aimlessly pointed him in the direction of a restaurant serving the cuisine of a remote region, the restaurants main ingredient was black pig.
He sat down at the counter and opened the nu as soon as he entered the restaurant.
Thinking about ordering a cop of coffee, now that he had settled down he realized that he was utterly starving.
Pork leg, boiled pork, roast pork and the ingenuity of the sauce were explained in overly long paragraphs.
According to the explanation the black pigs that they were so proud of were fed with barley.
Their lives were apparently ended by humane thods and their entrails very carefully removed.
Wanting to make his order he looked for a waitress. At that mont, from the kitchen could be heard a yell.
Hey you! What the hell kind of way are you cutting that? Do it over imdiately.
So, so, soso, sorry. I, I will get right on it!
Shoujis eyes turned towards the opening to the kitchen. Through there could be seen a fat cook getting yelled at. While stuttering the cook went to work enthusiastically, but it was obvious that he was feeling down.
His knife-work was slow and unsteady.
He appeared to be an apprentice, visible by the shortness of his cooks hat. His presentation of the cooked food was as poor as his knife-work.
Recognizing that childish face, Shouji called out.
Hey, if it isnt Doldo. Youve already gotten released, huh?
Eh, ah, Qu, Quik He, hey, its been a while.
The man, Doldo, who turned around and walked up to Shouji, was a very shy man that he had done ti with in prison.
His timid and gentle personality could be understood at a glance from the honest eyes he possessed.
Do, do you want a al?
Hehe, its as you can see. When do you get off work? Lets drink.
Doldo fleetingly glanced at the wall clock, and smiled in apology.
Sorry. Itll be around three.
Shouji quickly checked the ti on the wall clock. It was only just after noon. He nodded generously.
Ill wait. Any way, does this establishnt sell liquor? Ill order so.
Aa, my bad. Be, besides
Quickly get back to work you laggard!
The yell cos from behind Doldos back. The restaurant manager appeared to be a vigorously energetic man, and Doldo twitcheed a bit as he left Shoujis side quickly.
Doldo appeared with an overshadowed expression from the restaurants backdoor.
Whats up?
Its not worth ntioning.
Theres no way thats true. Spill it quickly, buddy.
Having drunk straight whisky to his hearts content, Shouji released an alcohol slling breath as he urged on Doldo, who was scratching the back of his head.
I got fired. From my cooking job.
If I burn down this establishnt, will your troubles go away?
They wont. Quik, its ok. Thanks. Therefore, you dont have to gather dry paper.
Shouji gathered a bunch of paper from the nearby trash. He poured the whisky from his bottle onto the papers and struck his flint to ignite it.
Since most whisky had high alcohol content the fire was easily started. Bright red flas began to flicker. The newly born small fire was by caught the wind just like that and flared up.
Sparks spread the fire to a round bag, and then further on to so abandoned waste oil. The fires montum kept rising. The restaurants overhanging roof was starting to get scorched by the blaze. The fire seed overjoyed at the readily available dry wood.
Quik. This, wont it turn out really bad?
Dont worry about it. Hey, Doldo. Right now I am in the business of selling potions. Wont you join ?
As if astonished, Doldo lifted and dropped his shoulders. The expression on his face was far from sunny.
The tongue of the hellfire cracked the rearentrances window. The infuriated manager jumped out screaming You fucking bastards.
Shouji gave him no ti before he planted his fist deep in his guts, sending him flying straight back from whence he ca.
In the sa beat the door was closed again.
The conflagration beca ever stronger.
Red colors increased and the flas spread.
If I do potions my mother will be sad. I cant do it. Potions were the reason I was thrown in the locker in the first place. Ive decided to do proper work.
Itd be fine if you just sold them in the intervals between your other jobs. I need a dealer. And connections. Youre a great guy after all, youve got lots of acquaintances, right?
Quik
Please co to my aid, Doldo. I beg you. Were buddies, right?
Silence descended upon the space between the two.
It wasnt just that they had stopped speaking. Through Doldos head ran shared mories.
How he had been used as a lowly underling by a small-ti yakuza. While he had been dealing for that guy, he had been caught by the garrisons sting operation.
Thrown into prison, his rationed als were stolen from him because of his corpulent physique.
Nurous tis Shouji had gotten it back for him.
It was not from a sense of justice.
He just did it for whatever reason. Simply killing ti. It also gave him an excuse to strike people There was no profound significance at all.
That friendship was born was also by chance. They both understood this perfectly, but friendship was friendship.
The custors fled the restaurant.
The burnt black smoke broke through the roof and stretched towards the sky.
More to the point, a cook apprenticeship isnt gonna make you any money. Getting used by so nasty guy, working your ass off, always bowing your head. Thats all youd get. In truth the discontent must have risen in you. I will pay you precisely for each lot you sell. Trust in , buddy.
Nn.
Can I take that as consent?
Yeah. However, if were going to be associates Im gonna have to make sure of the taste of the potions.
Tightly containing his playfulness Doldo smiled.
Shouji clapped Doldos shoulders.
Thats the way things should be Lets celebrate. Assemble our prison fellows. Were holding a potion party.
Gotcha!
The fire brigade ca rushing to the restaurant to deal with the fire. The inhabitants ca running with water filled buckets.There was no asurable effect. The houses were all burnt black by the blaze.
Maybe so flammable material had caught fire, because a loud explosion shook the air. The curious onlookers shrieked.
The fire brigade noticed that there was soone inside, with do-or-die spirit they prepares to enter together. Their faces covered in pitch black soot they ford a circle.
They shared jokes to encourage each other. Soone gathered his courage and jumped in. The blast blew him away. He landed on the gravel road in the shape of a dried up frog. Nobody inside could be saved.
As if to call the curtain fall on the matter, the restaurants sign fell to the ground with a loud bang.
Doldo and Shouji left with their backs turned, chatting idly.
Translator note: This one was a bit shorter so I decided to do it between the matches of The International 7. Hope you enjoyed getting 3 new chapters of this story in the sa day (at least it was a single day for )
Also, dont ask about the title it was[Furendo Futto] in katakana. Doesnt make a whole lot of sense to .
Edit: I was tired as hell when I published this chapter and it was full of grammatical errors, I have fixed those now.
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