Read Novel Full Bonus Chapter 1
Bonus Chapter 1
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2019 Publication Commemorative & Reader Appreciation Special SS “Simon’s Road” Part 1
It’s all a lie. My life. Everything is fake, a sham.
At the dirty street stall, I growl like a stray dog. The marijuana haze in my head turns my anger and hatred into a distorted smile. The accumulated entanglements and debts irritate me and drive me into the darkness.
“If a customer showed up now, I’d take everything from him.”
Money, possessions, pride, smiles, even family and organs if necessary.
Guilt is only a whimper of the weak. That’s why I never thought such a feeling could arise in me.
Until I met that man. That strange middle-aged man with a shabby, cheap-looking business suit and eyes like a stray dog on the verge of death. Until he casually walked into my store.
“Welcome♪.”
I smile, seeing an easy target. But there was a strange feeling of unease from the start. The man, pale with fear and sweat, stares at me with dark, stagnant eyes. His expression is blank, as if resignation and hatred have weathered away his emotions. I have the feeling I’ve seen him somewhere before, but after a while, I realize.
Ah, this is me.
Those were the eyes that once looked at me from the mirror, the eyes of a fool who despised, abused, and hated everything in the world.
“How much is this in Japanese yen?”
I secretly chuckled, showing my dismay at the man’s words. I had heard that the Japanese, except for policemen and soldiers, would end their lives without ever touching a gun. I thanked the gods I didn’t even believe in for this opportunity.
The first deal was over in a flash. A Spanish clone of 1911 doesn’t cost more than $300 here. It’s in reasonable condition and has been serviced, but it’s a practical item that I can get rid of at any time without any emotional attachment, so my tracks won’t be traced. For some reason, I felt uncomfortable when it sold for almost the asking price in exchange for a mountain of jewelry.
That was me. I was a stray dog on the black market who believed in ripping off as much as possible.
There’s something about him. I don’t know how many hellish situations he went through in Japan, but no matter how you look at it, he was smiling in a situation where he could have been killed. It wasn’t like he was putting on a brave front. There was something creepy about him that you couldn’t read, and it made me uncomfortable and unable to relax.
I knew I should cut my losses quickly, but the price he was asking for the precious metals he had brought with him made me hesitate.
It was appraised for a whopping $3 million by the greedy old man Komii, the antique dealer. I’m sure it would be worth many times that in someone else’s hands.
I told the man that the price had gone up from $25,000 to $300,000, but he didn’t seem to care about the amount. It seemed to me that he didn’t understand the value of the precious metal but rather that he could get as much cash as he wanted.
I steeled myself with this intuition. If I had the personality to back out at that point, I wouldn’t be a black market trader.
The man left the money he had exchanged with me and bought a battered car, a mountain of antique firearms, and a huge amount of ammunition. For a while, the market in the area was so chaotic that it was hard to tell what was going on. This trend got me involved and changed the political and economic situation in the neighboring towns.
It’s a strange story, but the chaos in the arms market actually improved public safety.
Maybe it was the effect of the bribes I gave to the police chiefs, but the flow of new weapons and ammunition into the market decreased significantly. The working capital of the small dealers dried up, and there was a rash of business closures and job changes. A vacuum in the arms market. It was only a matter of time before dealers from other regions moved in, but it would probably take a few years of foot-dragging. If I moved openly in the current situation, I would stand out like a cockroach on a cake.
I was able to get rid of all the defective stock I had, including the homemade bombs that were a little loose, the grenades that were starting to go bad, and the military bolt-action rifles that no one wanted to buy. I even managed to sell ammunition with a cloudy film on the cartridge cases and bulky antique heavy machine guns. With the overflowing gold coins, my funds were more than sufficient. This was my chance, and it was also a turning point.
Should I continue to live like a stray dog in the shit heap, despised and abused, hiding from the eyes of others?
I don’t know if this Japanese guy is an angel or a devil, but I felt a kinship and a strange rejection toward that man with the dead fish eyes. He’s definitely a devil. For that reason, he seemed like the perfect person to take a chance with.
“Fine. If a devil with the same eyes as mine wants to take me to hell, I’ll go all the way with him.”
Through my late grandfather’s connections, I made arrangements with the president of a small bank, and we signed a contract to fund legitimate business loans.
“What are you up to?”
The old bank president called me into his living room, stood me up, and looked at me suspiciously. It’s a little unfair to treat me this way, and the way he talks to me is a little rude, but it’s not surprising. The old man may pretend to be a straight arrow now, but he’s a greedy miser who made his money on the black market. He still has enough sense to read the atmosphere. I could see a hint of fear in his eyes as he tried to size me up. I wondered if this was some kind of trap.
“You look like you’re past your prime, old man. It’s obvious what this is about, isn’t it? Getting rid of a business rival. Did you think I was doing a charity project?”
“I’m pretending it’s something like that.”
The old man sniffed and took the money I gave him. The results won’t be known for a while, but I’ll get regular reports. There is no contract. Most transactions in this city are like that. Negotiations are based on money and face, and the price of betrayal is clearly written in everyone’s memory. And you can take as much as you want from the loser.
At that time, the president probably still thought I was a fool. Within two months, he came to my trading company with a pale face. He bowed repeatedly and apologized for his earlier rudeness. He gave a detailed explanation of the company’s financial situation and results, as well as future business and development plans, holding the financial statements in his hands. I wonder if the threat worked or if he thought he could get a good deal. The old man became my loyal dog, but there was one ridiculous extra.
The bank president started going around telling everyone that I was a local saint.
While I was confused by the unexpected result, I continued to send the mysterious man―a Japanese man who seemed to be called “Yoshua” where he was―a steady stream of firearms. I also sent him military vehicles, which kept coming but were difficult to handle. After a while, when I thought he had stopped showing his face, Yoshua ordered a large number of construction materials, including heavy machinery and transport vehicles, food and medical supplies, clothing, and daily necessities.
It seemed that the war in the world where he was had stopped, and the same was happening in every world. After wiping out the remaining enemy forces, non-confrontational warfare began, which led to friction with neighboring countries and military intervention. Well, I don’t know the details, but it seems that Yoshua continued to live a life of blood and gunpowder after that.
As we met several times, the man’s eyes gradually and surely began to change to a softer expression. As the killing seemed to continue, perhaps the little girl next to him opened his heart.
I strongly thought that I was jealous of him for having such a presence by his side.
This may have been the beginning of a change for me.
I proposed to Sheryl. Her father scoffed at me and turned me away at the gate. But I didn’t give up and kept going back, and her mother finally relented and arranged a meeting. It seems that she has been monitoring our relationship and the progress of our business from the beginning and has also kept a tight rein on Sheryl. She is the real power behind the scenes that supports the political family. For me, she is someone I will always look up to.
On the day of the final showdown, it was a one-on-one in the reception room. I think Sheryl’s father thought he could use his political skills of tongue and eye to overwhelm the young upstart. But as soon as I set foot on the premises, it was time for the stray dog.
“I’ll give you five minutes. That’s the first and last…”
“Enough of your chatter, Mr. Seibolei?”
I pronounce the pretentious surname his political opponents call Sheby with an accent that reveals my lack of education. He glared at me as if I were something dirty, but I piled the wad of bills I had brought with me on the table and silenced him. He mumbles something like “dirty money earned from the corpses of insects,” but I don’t flinch and push the contract in front of him. I also have the figures for the number of crimes I have bought from the police. Judging by the way he read the documents and his facial expression, he seemed to have a good grasp of the security situation. Well, of course.
I have no intention of playing games with a politician. If I’m going to hit him, I’m going to hit him hard.
“First, I want five million dollars. You’re going to launder that money.”
“…What?”
As expected, he thought I had gone crazy, and Seibolei regained some composure.
“If you intend to involve my family in your dirty work…”
“There is no need to involve them. All the public works projects you’re involved in are on the verge of collapse. There are still annoying restrictions in the contracts. If things continue like this, you’ll get dirty during your term. Much more than me.”
Without changing his expression, Seibolei’s back straightened slightly. I’ve hit the nail on the head. It’s unclear how much of the big picture he had grasped, but it seems he had received information that his butt was on fire.
“I’m not involved in any illegal business.”
“Ah, you haven’t. I’ll take care of that side of things. Use the money to pay off the outstanding payments and get the stalled construction going again. First things first. You can worry about the profit later.”
He seems to wonder if I’m trying to act like a loan shark, but if you want to make a small amount of money like that, there’s no point in dealing with a “clean-on-the-outside politician.” In fact, there’s not much profit to be made.
“I don’t think about collecting. There’s no need to pay me back, and I won’t pry into how you use the money. If you need it, I’ll get you more money. I’ll also get you the materials.”
“What is your goal? What do you want me to do?”
What?
You’re going to help me get revenge on the people who took everything I had and left me to die in the street.
I’m not going to tell him that. I’m going to use him to my heart’s content as payment for the benefits I’m going to give him.
“You’re going to create jobs, and then it’s welfare. I’m going to collect the firearms and weapons that are circulating underground and monetize them.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Even your warped mind must be able to understand what would happen if there were more guns than there already are on the market!”
That’s true, but if the buyers are in this world.
“The weapons I bought won’t be sold on the market.”
“Then where do they go? Are they sent to God?”
I think he was trying to say that it was ridiculous, but Seibolei’s words were right on the mark. The weapons were being called to heaven, to a distant, unknown world.
“This is my business. I won’t let you interfere. Decide now whether you’re going to do it or not.”
Sheryl’s father looked at the wad of money on the table. He didn’t deny that it was dirty money, but money was money. Besides, it was five million dollars, with no interest, no collateral, and no demand for repayment. If things went well, I would deliver more, as I had said before.
“Are you going to ask for some kind of guarantee?”
“I don’t need one. If it’s just going to be wasted, it’s just going to end my relationship with you. If that’s what you want, then do what you want.”
“My daughter has nothing to do with this…”
“Hey.”
I interrupted him. As calmly as possible. Still, the overflowing anger made my voice hard.
“Mr. Seibolei? Weren’t you the one who wanted to have a ‘man-to-man talk’?”
I guess he called me here to threaten me to break off my relationship with his daughter, but I’m sorry to disappoint you. I looked at him calmly.
“Do you accept this offer? The answer is yes or no. There is no need for lengthy explanations or excuses.”
Surprisingly, Seibolei did not hesitate. He wasn’t so strapped for cash that he was blinded by money. What he was looking for was a political patron who wouldn’t leave a bad taste in his mouth and a pawn who would do the dirty work and not betray him.
“Just this once. I’ll give you a chance. But if the city ends up being flooded with guns…”
I placed a wooden box with a ribbon on the polished mahogany desk. Inside is a nickel-plated Colt SAA, a popular toy for the elderly.
“If that happens, shoot me.”
◇ ◇ ◇
I don’t remember much of what happened after that, including getting married to a beautiful goddess or how the ridiculous nickname “Saint” stuck.
I was in a dreamlike state, and before I knew it, I was at a great height.
The deal with Yoshua continued on a regular basis after that. The vehicles we procured started out as civilian unarmored vehicles, but then they became lightly armored vehicles and eventually even main battle tanks. From there, he started asking for things like load capacity and range.
It’s clear to see that the territory, connections, and people around him are expanding. Just by looking at the gold and precious metals that can be converted into cash, it’s clear that he’s straddling several cultural and economic spheres. He also supplies fuel, so I can give you an estimate of the range of all the vehicles. Even taking into account the fact that the users are spread out, they’re easily traveling thousands of kilometers, if not more. I also heard from him that the consumption of weapons, ammunition, and other supplies has changed from total war to local or asymmetric warfare. From this, it seems that the main focus of consumption is now on Yoshua and his girlfriend, the little girl.
The fact that they get by on that alone could be seen as a sign that things are going well, or it could be seen as a sign that they are growing up incredibly. As far as the little girl is concerned, at least as far as I’ve talked to Yoshua himself, it doesn’t seem like she’s growing up to be that wild.
When I told him that we got married after a few transactions, he had me withdraw $50,000 from the funds I have here and put it all in my pocket.
$50,000 for a wedding gift from a mere business partner? What kind of millionaire is he?
I don’t know what Yoshua is looking for or trying to accomplish in this other world. Maybe he doesn’t think about the future at all. But I’ve made up my mind. I haven’t told him, and I don’t plan to tell him in the future, but I’m going to give him all the support I can and do everything I can to help him. Yoshua showed me how to live with my chest held high in front of the dirty stray dog smoking in the corner of the black market.
As I am now, the things I can do are too limited and restricted. To change that, I must first expand my own abilities and connections.
“…Well, let’s see. It won’t be that easy, though.”
It’ll be okay. I’ll definitely make it. I have a goddess watching over me now.
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