Episode 150 Showdown.(1)
* * *
the next day.
Aina woke me up scared of sunrise.
Normally, I would have accepted my whining, ‘Can’t we just stay like this for a little while?’, but today’s Aina was a little different.
I couldn’t believe the expression of the person who fell asleep while hugging me the night before, because I had only said ‘No’ with an expression on my face.
‘It’s strange. Too sunk.’
No matter how clear Aina was, she was not someone who could change her attitude so suddenly.
In other words, suddenly appearing like this means that something bad has happened.
However, no matter how many times I replayed it, I couldn’t think of an incident that would have made Aina feel bad.
What would be an accident that could happen while you were asleep?
Even if I made a mistake while sleeping, Ainara would have been stingy and scolding me as usual.
So, I couldn’t figure out what was making her angry, and in the end I had to ask myself why.
“What’s going on, you’re making such a bug-chewing expression?”
“I think I need to meet someone I don’t really want to meet. Also with you.”
“Why me?”
“Because that person grabbed her and said she wanted to see you.”
“Who is that?”
“He’s a difficult person to explain, so meeting him in person would be the quickest. Don’t be too burdened though. First of all, you know me.”
Aina, who left only vague answers, did not open her mouth for the last time.
It seems I don’t want to talk about that topic anymore.
No matter how hard I try to keep the story going.
So, all I could do was follow Aina who got into the car without saying a word.
* * *
It was a rather strange place to arrive at the end of the ride in a black sedan that the presidents in the drama would ride.
“What marina?”
“There is someone we will meet here.”
I thought that anyone who knew Aina would of course make an appointment in a quiet place like a high-end hotel or a villa nestled in a good location.
I didn’t expect to come to the pier infested with rough sea men armed with fishy smell.
In addition, since fishing usually starts in the morning, this pier was a noisy place.
Anyway, in the midst of such a commotion, there was definitely someone who stood out the most.
Just across the street, a man waving his hand with a friendly expression and calling someone with a loud voice.
“There’s a pretty noona and hyung! here it is! here!”
“Is that person calling us?”
“Yeah, right.”
With wavy blonde hair, a languid Hawaiian shirt, and a messy suit over it.
A man dressed as ‘I’m a gangster’ greeted us with a more excited expression than anyone.
It was quite ridiculous to say that he was a very handsome man in appearance, not suited to his flirtatious behavior.
Aina let out a deep sigh, as if it was cramped.
“I don’t feel very well.”
“You said He was the kind of person I didn’t want to meet.”
“Why am I looking for a yangban who looks like he’s going to bury someone?”
“I know when I go.”
Nearby sailors were kind enough to bring us right in front of him.
Surprisingly, no one called this Hawaiian shirt man by titles such as ‘boss’ or ‘brother’.
I just call him ‘Mr. Jackson’ in a normal way.
“Finally, our next headmaster has arrived! I’ve always wanted to meet you once, but the opportunity seldom comes to me. Well, I understand. Because I don’t have much time to devote to a child like me who is an outsider and a peasant on the outskirts. So I was practically resigned, but I finally got my chance!”
“I think we’ve met face to face a few times.”
“By the way, that’s just ‘meeting’. Even a little at a family event. He said he couldn’t even remember his face. My smart girl will remember everything, but unfortunately not me. I can’t even remember how old I am. Pahaha.”
“You remember money-related stories better than anyone else.”
“Ah, that’s it, I’m in charge of the finances of this family, isn’t it? that must be remembered Otherwise, I’m not sure? Losing such a great job is very heartbreaking. No, wait, I guess you didn’t come here to cut me off because I secretly ate about $30,000 last time, did you? Please don’t fall for it! We’re a family, aren’t we?”
Yes, Jackson was a great talker.
unacceptable level.
Even if he left it alone, the fact that he was still chattering all by himself seemed to understand immediately why Aina hated it.
“… Anyway! Do you have any questions for me?”
“yes?”
Slowly losing interest in conversation with Aina, Jackson suddenly changed the conversation partner to me.
“What are you doing that makes you so surprised? Are you afraid I might even bite you?”
“No, it was too sudden.”
“Any question is fine, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask. You seem to have a lot of questions to ask.”
“I had a few questions.”
Actually, there weren’t many.
From that bizarre attire to the reason for calling me, I was filled with questions one by one.
“Don’t ask too much of a question. Most of them are just my tastes. Where in the world are there one or two geeks? There should be at least one person like me in the world.”
“Then, let me ask you three questions. Jackson seems like someone who doesn’t seem to have any ties with the Mitsuru family at all.
“What do you mean? Literally. I’m kind of like Aina’s very distant cousin, grandpa. Oh, don’t make a weird mistake. Because not a drop of my blood was mixed with Aina. It is convenient to think of marriage to a colleague who is very far from direct lineage. Well, in a way, it can be said that it is a case similar to yours. You were originally an outsider who had absolutely nothing to do with ‘this side’, but you got involved with us, right? Of course, yours seems to have grown a lot better. Pahaha.”
I couldn’t believe it so I turned my head to Aina, and she quietly nodded as if yes.
Was it a real family?
I can’t believe it.
Although it is said to be a case of marriage to a distant branch, it was surprising that the Mitsuru family accepted such a person.
“Have you been managing your finances for a long time by any chance?”
“right. It’s been quite a while. I think it’s at least 50 years old? Not everything I do, though. In the past, I was mostly in charge by myself, but now I want to take a break too. I am tired because I am old.”
The more I got to know him, the more strange he was.
At most, that looks, who looks six or seven years older than me. Even if you say that you are using some kind of ideological power to maintain it like Chloe, you have been managing other people’s household finances by yourself for decades.
Not even a direct line, but an outsider married to a colleague.
I didn’t understand.
“You didn’t even run away. Accounting for the entire Mitsuru family wouldn’t normally have been a difficult task. Do you think you loved your wife very much?”
“I’m doing this because I can’t run away. Who do you like doing this? Oh, that doesn’t mean I don’t love my wife. Still, if you get into your ears, you’re sure to scratch the rip off, so keep this a secret. Even when he gets old, he seems to have a lot of energy left to nag.”
Not ‘run and get caught’, but ‘can’t escape’.
Looks like you have any weaknesses.
I wondered what kind of weakness he could devote 50 years to for someone else’s family, but I didn’t ask because it seemed like a personal story.
“So, why did you want to meet me?”
“Follow me.”
Jackson took me and Aina and took them to a quiet back room on a moored ship.
There was an unidentified stone that I had been looking for all along.
Boasting a size that has never been seen before.
“This… ”
“I heard you were looking for this. I don’t know where the stuff is being used. Wouldn’t it be better to leave it to someone you know well?”
“Where did you get this?”
“This marina belongs to me. Strictly speaking, it belongs to the Mitsuru family, but practically I am the owner. Therefore, you have the right to find out what ships are carrying to and from this place. Then it came out I got caught trying to smuggle it in. I had a hard time stealing it.”
That’s right.
There’s no way the Somnium Liberators would hand over this.
“You won’t be able to give it to me for free, and I think you may be asking for something.”
“It’s good to understand quickly. How about just playing one game with me?”
“No, I can’t. Jackson. Sungjin, don’t accept Jackson’s offer either.”
Aina, who had been staring at me and Jackson all the time, hurriedly took action.
“Wow, woah, calm down. I don’t want to buy a grudge from the next head of state, do I? My dear friend will not touch even a single hair, so please listen to the story.”
“If you say something useless, you know how to shatter things that are still in storage.”
“Keep in mind.”
Jackson swept his chest as if he had taken ten years.
It was clear that it was an exaggerated gesture due to the nature of the expression, but judging by the small fear in his eyes, it did not seem like a pretentious bluff for provocation.
“Huh, then, let’s get back to the story and explain it again. Sungjin, have you ever heard of the saying ‘two things in life are unavoidable’?”
“Death and taxes, are you talking about?”
“Yeah, I have the thinking power to reap it. It will be difficult to understand in words, so it would be quicker to show it in person. Do you have any items that you can afford to disappear in moderation? If yes, give it to me.”
As I diligently looked in my pocket, the mechanical gum I had purchased before popped out.
I thought it was a bit wasteful because it was an item I bought with a lot of money when I bought it, but I had no choice but to do it because it was the only thing I had that would be okay to disappear.
The rest were things that should never disappear, like a Managlaive or a cell phone.
“Is this okay?”
“It’s just right. Look Carefully.”
Jackson wiggled his hand in the air, and a silver double-armed scale appeared.
On one plate of the scale was the mechanical gum he had been handed over, and on the other plate he placed a small gold coin.
Then, something amazing happened.
Naturally, the scale that should have leaned toward the heavier mechanical gum began to lean toward the gold coin in an instant.
“Isn’t this scale, the center of it strange?”
“No, that’s correct. This scale is not for weighing, it is for measuring the value of the object.”
The ability to determine the value of an object.
It may be useless in battle, but in real life, there seemed to be no better ability than this.
“I know that it is a very useful ideology. But, what does this have to do with ‘death and taxes’?”
“Then tell me this. ‘I’ll pay Mr. Jackson one gold coin after the deal with the scales is over’.”
“Are you going to pay Mr. Jackson one gold coin after the deal with the scales is over?”
At that word, the scale began to tilt again towards the mechanical gum.
As if my words had weight.
“Are you leaning towards what I just said?”
“Yeah, it’s a huge scale that can even value a conversation. Besides, if you can’t afford one gold coin, I’ll take your life for one gold coin instead.”
“So it’s ‘death and taxes’.”
“It’s like that. Now you understand why I’m in charge of managing the finances. There’s no one better suited than me. ‘Now close the deal with the scale.’”
He said, returning the mechanical gum that was on the scale.
“But, isn’t this ability too advantageous for Jackson? If it seems like an unfavorable deal, you can throw it away at any time. like now.”
“Oh, that’s not it. The right to close the transaction is given only to the person who placed the more valuable item. Even if the target of the transaction is the Awoken who is the master of the ability.”
“That’s fortunate.”
By this point, there was no way he couldn’t have noticed what Jackson wanted.
We’re going to play a game using this scale.
“So, let’s play a game using this scale, isn’t it? eventually.”
“right. How about, with the gambler’s spirit wriggling inside you, try pulling a game?”
“call.”
Again, I never fight a losing battle.
never.
* * *