Chapter 33
【Others Side】 Sudden Turn of Events
at the Illegal Casino
【Others Side】
「That damn
brat! Today's shinogi (profits) is completely ruined!」
「We'll have
to compensate the regulars or we won't survive this. What the hell is the Kashira
(Boss) gonna say.」
「If other
syndicates find out we took a massive loss, we'll be a laughingstock. This
ain't a joke.」
In the illegal casino that should normally be overflowing with lively
voices, the syndicate's anikis (higher-ups) were cursing without even
trying to run away. What happened to the raid? The power outage had also been
restored before I knew it.
「Hey, Takashi.
That brat you brought in. Who the hell is she?」
「Wait a
second, that brat is Tanimura's aniki's customer. No, more
importantly, what about the cops? We need to run, quick.」
「It was a
bluff, obviously. If we didn't say that, we couldn't have chased them out,
right?」
「We were
monitoring her on Ryuzaki-san's orders. Because that brat was winning
way too much starting from the Cho-Han.」
Monitoring via screens was something we always did, but to think they
used it to stop someone from winning big?
「Seriously?
What the hell is that.」
I was honestly relieved we didn't have to get arrested by the cops. But
I never thought our syndicate would pull such a dirty trick. No, we shouldn't
have been doing things like that. At least until last month.
「Takashi, you got some kind of complaint? You know this place
is under my management, right? Are you saying you don't like my methods? Huh?」
「No, that's
not...」
That's right. Starting this month, the management had shifted to this
bastard. A weirdo who treats Tanimura's aniki with hostility at
every turn. It's a joke that a guy like this is an Assistant Boss.
「Then what's
with that sulky attitude? I'm asking you a question, punk!」
「Guh.」
Staggering from the fist that caught me in the face, I involuntarily
dropped to my knees. Hitting me out of nowhere, this bastard.
「Hey, you
spouted some crap about that brat being Tanimura's customer, didn't you?
What, are you guys trying to pick a fight with me?」
「Ryuzaki-san, knock it off. I was watching too, but that brat
wasn't pulling any tricks or anything.」
「Shut up! I'm
asking Takashi here. You, Tanimura, and that brat. You're teaming
up, planning to find fault with my management, aren't you? Hah!」
Shit, kicking me however he pleases. My arms, which I kept using to secretly
block, were hurting quite a bit.
「Takashi, do you really not understand? Did you think that
brat was gonna pull out after winning 85 million?」
「Th-That's
why, even if she did hit it, if we kept her there and won back even a little
bit...」
「I'm telling
you that's not it. Do you really not know? Takashi, didn't you look at
that brat's eyes?」
「The
brat's... eyes?」
……Spouting things that make no sense.
「What do you
mean, Ryuzaki-san.」
「You guys
don't get it either? That brat isn't normal. She's some hotshot Tanimura
dragged in from somewhere. Someone with eyes like that, pulling out at 85
million? There's no way in hell! If we didn't chase her out like that, we
could've easily been taken for double or triple that amount.」
No way, seriously. A brat like that.
「Even so,
there's no need to bluff and chase out all the customers, is there. Wouldn't
just taking the brat out have solved it?」
「Hah? Tanimura's
companion? Are you telling me to bow my head and beg a brat like that for
mercy?」
「No, not
necessarily...」
「In the first
place, if we try to pick a fight with a brat who's on a massive winning streak,
the other customers would bolt, wouldn't they. Whatever the case, my reputation
is completely ruined. Takashi, how are you gonna fix this. Dammit, is Tanimura
still not back?」
Now that he mentions it, Tanimura's aniki went after Matsui-san,
who vanished with the collection bag, and hasn't been back since.
「Wait a sec, Ryuzaki-san.
It goes for Takashi too, but I can't imagine Tanimura-san setting
up some weird trick.」
「Then what's
the deal with that brat? And Tanimura ain't coming back. That's right, Takashi.
Go secure that brat.」
「……And then,
what will you do.」
「Show me
proof that you and Tanimura didn't team up with that brat to pick a
fight with me. If you can do just that, I'll let you off the hook by just
making that brat pay for today's mess.」
She's a young woman. There are plenty of ways to turn her into cash. The
bastard Ryuzaki was rumored to have several of those kinds of routes.
Every time I heard that rumor it made me sick to my stomach, but that rumor was
about to become reality. And of all things, I'm being made to be complicit in
it! But turning a young woman into cash, there's no way Tanimura's aniki
would allow such a thing.
「Takashi, do as Ryuzaki-san says. If you hurry, you
might still catch her near the station.」
Are these guys saying this seriously? That brat is a hotshot? A plant by
Tanimura's aniki?
That's ridiculous. It's much easier to believe that the bastard Ryuzaki
is the one trying to frame aniki. But there's no point in defying them
right here. What should I do? Right, for now I'll track down aniki and
consult with him.
「Understood.
I'll go after her.」
「Listen up,
'she got away' won't cut it, you hear? Bring her back, absolutely.」
Without replying, I stepped out into the hidden passage from the back
door—it was then. The moment I closed the door, I heard overlapping angry
roars.
「The cops? I
thought the raid was a bluff—」
Instinctively pressing my ear against the closed door, this time I heard
a dry popping sound from the other side. Is this, a gunshot? There's no
mistaking what I'm hearing one after another without pause. The continuous
gunshots made my blood run cold.
A shootout with the cops? Did they seriously actually raid us? But what
the hell are they doing!
This is bad. If I stay in a place like this, I'll get arrested too. I
refuse to get dragged down with these idiots. Anyway, I'll escape from here,
meet up with aniki first, and think about what comes next after that.
Dammit, why did things end up like this. Aniki isn't here at this
crucial moment, and today is just thoroughly unlucky...
Author’s note:
We went on a bit of a tangent, but we will return to the Dungeon
from the next chapter.
- Note: The 【Others Side】 chapters are basically standalone stories, and are occasionally inserted as events happening behind the scenes of Aoi's perspective, or as episodes to reinforce the story.