40-Episode 38 Cabbage, Moving




'Listen up, you guys!

Zoltar, a man with a wild boar face who suddenly arrived, was full of intentions to stay even though we had not even welcomed him, and he was making a speech that no one wanted.

I'm working under the direct order of the lord of the forty-two districts!You bottom-feeder trash have no right to an opinion or room to think!There is only one action you should take!The only thing you need to do is to do as I tell you and get out of here right now!If you know what you're doing, get the hell out of here, you're a pain in the ass!

Boo-hoo!

--I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this," he said, letting out a huge snort, his face full of smugness as if he had just said it.

............ Wow, that's embarrassing.
What is "me" in the first place?
I've never seen anyone think so highly of themselves before.
If you want to think highly of yourself, at least make yourself look a little better.
You have an ugly body that looks like it's the result of eating what you want, drinking what you want, and avoiding exercise you don't want to do.

The appearance of a businessman, including a swindler or a negotiator, is 80% of his business.
A type like you will never make it in Japan.

A big body, a big voice, and a high-handed attitude ...... will only work with women and children like you at best.
It's a good idea to take a look at the website and see if you can find anything you like.

However, ......

You will find a lot of things that you can do to make your life easier.
Even Loretta, who is the only one who is behaving well, her lips are trembling slightly.

I'm not sure what to say.

What was it? ...... "I'm sorry to hear about your hostile relationship with Mr. Yashiro," ......?


I'm not sure what to do.
What the hell. You're totally relying on me.
I'm sure you'll be fine. ...... Don't look at me like that. It's just that our interests happen to be aligned right now.
Don't make the mistake of thinking I'm a good guy. ......No, well, it's up to you to misunderstand, is what I often say. ......Ah, well, anyway, what is it ...... ...... What is it?I'm not sure what to say.I'm not sure what to say.In the event that you have any questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can contact us at the following web site: ............. Well, I mean, don't look at me like that.

I'm not sure what to say.I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out.Can't you hear me?
'Oh, we're ......!
'What the hell is this?
'...... hug!

In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, there are a few things you can do.

'Don't make me say it again. See?This is what the lord has allowed. Now get out of my sight. All of you!Now get lost!Do you understand?Do you understand?

She yells in my ear, and Loretta holds her nose.
...... It's not my ear. Hold it.
The smell is more than the noise. ...... Wow, I don't want to talk to this guy. ............

I don't want to have a conversation with him. ...... But I guess I can't stand by and watch. ......

Yeah, it can't be helped.
So I straighten my elbows and raise my hands.

'Yes, sir. I have a question...'

Thanks to my carefree voice, the heavy atmosphere that had covered the area was eased.
Loretta rolled her eyes and looked at me, while her brothers and sisters huddled together, stretching their shrunken necks to look at me.
My siblings are huddled close to me, their shrunken necks stretched out as they look at me. Jeannette next to me has a blank expression on her face, her mouth hanging open.

It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your vacation.
...... It's pretty hard to keep your arms up ............

In the event that you have any questions regarding where and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site.

'What the hell are you doing?
I'm not sure what to say.

If you're all about threats, I'll go with this.
It's a willow and wind strategy.

'What the hell are you doing?You're interrupting me!

Zoltar is approaching me with his short legs moving hard.
He moved his head up, down, and up. This is what is called 'giving me cancer'.
I almost had a vision of Zoltar's regent with a deep shave on his head.

It's like he's got an "eye" and a "bite". You can take your "mabui" and "tare" and make them "buoyant".

But I calmly, calmly, in an absent-minded voice, looking into the eyes that were giving me cancer, I said again.

'Can I ask you a question?
'.................. Tsk!



I've never heard such a foul tongue before in my life. It has a frequency like a grinding tongue.
And now I know exactly how Loretta feels. ...... mouth stinks. The breath that's coming out of her mouth, it's almost enough to convince me to submit it as a murder weapon.

I'm not sure what to say, but I'm sure you'll understand.Get on with it, questions!

I'm warning you.
I win this game.

You can't win a war of words if you abolish all your demands and accept mine.
If your reason for doing away with all of your demands is 'it's too much trouble,' then the odds are 100%.

'Are we among the "you people" in your earlier statement that "if you understand, you should all disappear"?

He points at himself and Jeannette alternately.

'Of course you're in there!
'Of course we are!Since when?
'I don't care how long it's been in!
'Until when?'
'Huh!
'Decided matters will be constantly compared and examined with new values in the future, so even if a matter is decided now, its effectiveness will fade at some point, what do you think about that?
'Don't say something you don't understand!
'It's not 'incomprehensible', it's 'incomprehensible', isn't it?
'Are you fighting with me?
'I don't know if there's a menu like that on .......'
'Aaaaaaah, you're pissing me off!If I tell you to go away, you can go away!If you know what you're doing, go away right now!
'So if you don't understand, you can stay?
'Oh, my God!

Zoltar, who has a blue streak on his forehead, grabs me roughly by the chest.
Oh no, I messed with him.

'Yes, that's enough!

I raise my hands and raise my voice.
Suddenly, Zoltar stops moving.
He clenched his fists, as if he were about to hit you.

'Until a moment ago, we were outsiders. We weren't residents of this area, nor were we their relatives. We were just acquaintances. ......'

If, indeed, the lord of the 42nd district was willing to evict this slum and demanded that Loretta and the others leave, it would be a bad idea for an outsider to interfere.
It would probably fall under the category of "obstruction of business by force" or "obstruction of execution of official duties" in Japan.

After all, you are an outsider.

A stranger, who does not live in the area, should go to the disputed land and say, "Don't allow brutality! Protect the land! No matter how many times you shout, such words will not be heard.
No, it's none of your business. Up until now, I had no right to speak, or even to participate in this series of conflicts.

'......, but now I'm a party to it.

Zoltar has harmed me.
Then it's self-defense.
And if the reason he harmed me was because he was 'upset because I asked him a question about the slum eviction', then I can openly demand an explanation of 'what's wrong with the slum eviction plan'.
After all, I was harmed because of that 'slum eviction plan'.

I deny all your stupid plans.

The lord is the mastermind?
If they are, I'll crush them all together.

This is another thing you should keep in mind. ......
The more you say, "Are you fighting with me? The more you say, "Are you picking a fight?", the less ...... you understand who you're picking a fight with.

Just like this stupid boar.

'Well, let go of my hand for now.
'Ahn!

Zoltar repeats his cheap threat.
I solemnly take out the knife I have tucked into my cuff.

This is a small knife that Estella gave me, and is easy for a beginner to use.
When I had mentioned before that I might be assassinated by the hunting guild, Estella had said, 'Don't worry about it,' but later she had given it to me, saying, 'Just in case.
She told me to keep it in my pocket, but if I could hold it up as quickly as Estella could, I would have been able to do it, but as an amateur who was not used to handling knives, there was no way I could do it. My opponent would pull out his weapon first and we'd have to checkmate.
Besides, sticking my hand in my enemy's pocket would not only alarm him, but the action itself might be a declaration of war.
So, after thinking about this and that, I decided to use a dark weapon.
I put a tube in my sleeve and put a small knife in it. All you have to do is to swing your arm strongly downward, and the knife will naturally fall into your palm. Naturally, I have taken measures to prevent the knife from falling in daily life. I was able to do this because Estella's knife is small. If I can fight back with a knife, a knife like this will be enough.

She thrusts a small but sharp and luxurious knife in front of Zoltar's eyes.

'Well, for now, let go of this hand ............, okay?'
'............ Ugh.'

Scared, Zoltar lets go of his arm.
The collar that had been tightened is released. And the stale breath fades away.
The air is delicious.

'Good. Then I'll represent this slum from here on out. Are you guys okay with that?'

Loretta, then, turns to her siblings and asks.


The younger siblings were dumbfounded, but nodded their heads silently, while Loretta looked at me anxiously.

'Well, leave it to me. I won't let anything bad happen to you.'
'............ Yes. I'm looking forward to working with you.

There was a slight smile on his face as he looked worried.
Well, if I can smile, I'm good.

'So, let's hear your argument again, shall we?
'Hey, why do I have to talk to you?
'If you have no argument, that's fine. Now walk away from here and don't ever set foot in here again. You don't have a point?Then this is where they belong. Don't trample it, you boar.
That's why!I told you the lord said it was okay!
'So what!

If someone uses 'so', just reply with 'so'. You'll be at a loss for words.
Incidentally, for those who use 'in short', ask them back 'in short? is effective. Most of the time, you don't get the point.

'No matter how much you yell at them, the conversation will go nowhere.Also, you forgot to add 'sir' to your lord just now.
'............ Tsk.'
'And stop that tongue lashing. It's annoying.
'If you make any more noise, I'll use all my strength to shut you up, oh?

You backed off because you were scared of the knife, so why are you being so smart now?

'So what you're saying is this?I'm sure you're right that the lord of the forty-two districts told you to crush the slums with all your might.

He stretches his arm straight out and points at Zoltar as he asks.
It was a sign that if he lied, he would trigger the Judgment of the Spirits at that moment.
It seems that the message was properly conveyed, and Zoltar took a half-step back to escape.

'Hey, I wasn't told ............ to 'use all my strength'.
'Then let's talk about it peacefully.'
'............ Okay.'
'I've got your word now, okay?From here on out, if you lay a finger on me, you're a frog. Okay?'
'All right, all right!

Hmm. You can put the knife away now.
...... Actually, I'm still a little uncomfortable with knives. After all, I've been killed once with one.

'I ask you again. What are you doing here?'

He asks in a very calm voice.
Zoltar seems to have cooled down a bit, and answers our question in a lowered tone of voice.
As he does so, he pulls out a piece of parchment from his pocket.

'Do you recognize this emblem?You do, don't you?'

The parchment that Zoltar pulls out with a smile on his face has a familiar emblem on it.
It was a design of a double-headed eagle with a snake entwined in it--it belonged to the Lord of the Forty-Two Wards.

'This was given to me personally by the lord!

When he adds 'sama' to his lord, it's when he wants to intimidate us.
He probably wants to make a special appeal to you that the authority is with him. They use "sama" every time they say it.
But that's a threat that can only be used by those who can't defy their lord.
'The lord is here! In my case, I can only say, 'Oh, I see.

'I've complained to the lord about the slums. The residents are in trouble because of this filthy place!And I demanded the complete elimination of the slums as well as the other districts!

Doesn't he realize that at this point, there's already a contradiction in the fact that it's 'by order of the lord'?

This parchment with the emblem was given to me at that time!It's from the lord himself!

He's so annoying.

'Then, may I see the contents of that parchment?
'Oops!I can't do that.
'Why not?
'Because it contains information about business. It's not something you can show to other people.

Then why are you carrying it around, this thing?
The reason is simple. Because he wants to use the emblem.
...... Isn't it a felony to use it for other purposes?

I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.
It's not about work!

You got that right?

'All the people in the city are in trouble!I'm here to crush the slums on behalf of the people. Do you understand?It's called the will of the people.


'Earlier it was an imperial order, now it's the will of the people: ......'

You're desperate to gain power and an audience.
That's what makes it all the more scandalous.

'Let's see the Conversation Record of that conversation. It's the conversation between you and your lord when you received the imperial order.
'Why the hell do I have to show you that?
'In order to bring the discussion to a quick, complete and perfect end.

It should be obvious from the Conversation Record. Zoltar was never ordained by his lord.

At first, I suspected that the lord of this place was the kind of man who would kick out the inhabitants of the slums, but listening to Zoltar, I knew that this was not the case.
Zoltar's story was to the point and ill-formed. In other words, he hides the inconvenient parts of his story.


So what does he have to hide?


The last thing he wants people to know is that he has no legitimacy in his arguments.
He's trying to take over the slum for his own gain. He probably planned to slip in as head of redevelopment after he kicked Loretta and her siblings out.

What is it that they want so badly? ............ Well, it's probably the river.
Water is flowing down a cliff with a tremendous difference in height from the 29th district. You could make a fortune by building one of those water wheels.
It would also be possible to take a strong stance against the river fishing guilds that fish downstream.
If we say, "We're going to dam the river," the river fishing guilds will not be able to do anything.
Of course, they would not be so frank. They could make up any number of reasons, such as the project or the water quality test.
If we say, "Stop fishing for a month to investigate water quality," the river fishing guild will take a big hit.
They might even be able to make a strong case against the agricultural guilds, such as Mormat's, that are draining the river.

Whoever controls this river can control the forty-two districts. ...... is an exaggeration, but we can bring the situation to something close to that.

The Lord's decree. ............

I'm not sure what to make of it.You'll be able to see this!The Lord's emblem!
'What's that emblem?
'This is the evidence that determines the legitimacy of my claim!
'I have the emblem, too.

As I say this, I take out a folded piece of paper that I keep in my breast pocket.
On it, a design of a double-headed eagle with a snake entwined around it is clearly written.

'I've been entrusted to take care of Slam.

When I showed him the emblem and said it in an imposing voice, Zoltar fell silent, as if at a loss for words.
It's not like you're confessing that everything you've said up until now has been a fabrication, is it?
If you were telling the truth, you could at least say 'that can't be true' to the opinions that conflict with yours.

'......That's ridiculous. ......'
'What kind of idiot?We haven't seen each other that many times, but we get along pretty well. He introduced me to his family. He asked me to slum it. ...... Oh, no. He bowed to me, didn't he?
'No, that's a lie!That lord would never bow to anyone!
'I don't care if you believe it or not. I haven't said a single false thing.

He sticks out his chest and takes a step forward.
Zoltar retreats by the same width.

'Show me the Conversation Record. That'll clear it up. Who's a liar, you or me?
'............ attach............... ...............?

Zoltar, who had been following my gaze as I spoke, moving slowly, frowned at one point.
It was just as I was passing in front of Ginette.

'............Hey, ......, that's what you mean.'

Zoltar grinned, as if he was on to something.

'Hey, you!What's your name?'
'Didn't you say your name?I'm sorry about that. It's Obeyashiro.'
'Obayashi White, ....... I'm nice like that. I'll let you choose.'

Zoltar looks at me mockingly, with that regal smile that only a man convinced of victory can have.

'Would you rather end your life ...... as a frog or be executed by your lord?

Zoltar smiles so hard you can see his gums.
His fangs are bared, adding to his ugly expression.

'I don't understand what you're saying.
'You're awesome. I'll give you a compliment. You should be proud of yourself for making me say this much.'
'Well, thanks. What are you talking about at ......?'
'You lying bastard.'

Zoltar's eyes glinted.

'Is that emblem real?

Zoltar asks, pointing at me with his arm outstretched, just as I had done earlier.


'If you lie to me, I'll invoke the Judgment of the Spirits,' he threatened.

A smile of certainty of victory.
The expression on Zoltar's face was full of such composure.

So I reply.
I say, in my usual tone of voice, without any pretense of thinking.

'Of course it's real.

--And.

At that moment, Zoltar let out a silly laugh.

'Ha-ha-ha!You screwed up, Obeyashiro!

With a look of delight on his face, Zoltar tells me what he can afford.

'You're amazing. How can you lie to me with such an impassive face? I don't know if you're not afraid of the Judgment of Spirits or if you're just an idiot, but it's a feat that no one with normal nerves can pull off.
'You don't have to be afraid to tell the truth, do you?
'Oh, forget it. That's enough, Obayashi. The game is already decided. Don't lie to me anymore.
I'm not lying. This emblem is the real deal.
'Let's not do this again, Obeyashiro!Let's not piss off the Spirit God any more than we already have.
'I don't see what you're getting at. Why do you think I'm lying?'

Zoltar raises his chin as if he's been waiting for me.
He points behind me.

'You were perfect. You didn't look as if you were lying. You looked like you weren't lying. In fact, you looked absolutely confident. ............ But you know what?It's not the sister behind you!

I turned around to look behind me at those words.
I was completely facing the back of my head to Zoltar.
I turned around to see Ginette, who looked like she was about to cry.

'She's not like you, she's very honest, you know?
'............ Yashiro-san,...... sorry'.

In a low voice that only I can hear, Ginette says she's sorry.

'He knew, didn't he?The emblem you have does not belong to the lord!Most likely, you made it yourself. You'll be able to find a lot more information on this subject at ......, but the truth will always come out one day, right?I'm sure you'll agree.



In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, there are a few things you can do.
It's a sign of 'don't say anything'.
I'm sure Zoltar won't be able to see my face because of my position,...... or at least that's how I positioned myself,...... and I'll give Jeannette a big smile. I'll give you a wink as well. I'll even give her a wink to show her that she's done well.

'If you had come alone, it would have been a very unfavorable discussion, but to be dragged down by your friends, ...... you're a bit on the weak side.'
'Hmm ......'.

I look back with a slow, relaxed air.

'Isn't it better than having a stinky armpit like you?
'......!f*ck you!

I'm not sure what to make of that.

'I'm going to turn you into a frog, and then I'm going to torture you to death.

An evil grin is on his face.
Then he moves his mouth slowly.

''The Spirit of .............''
'Wait.'
'What's ......?You're begging for your life now?It's too late, you idiot!
'No, I'm not. If you want to do it, do it.'
'Yeah, I'll do it!
'But first...'

He points back at Zoltar, who points at me.

'Judgment of the Spirits is an act of trampling on the dignity of the opponent. If I don't turn into a frog, you won't get away with more than a ...... apology, will you?
'............ Huh. Is that supposed to be a threat?
'I'm not threatening you. ............ I'm threatening to send you to the bottom.'
'How do you mean?
'I'll throw you in front of the lord. Accusing you of misusing the emblem.''
'......!

Zoltar's face twitched.
He was probably choosing words that wouldn't get him in trouble with the Judgment of the Spirits.


He must have had a lot of practice defending himself despite his emotional state.
That's why you probably can't judge him by the "judgment of the spirits".

Then let the lord judge him in person.
That's what Estella said. Misuse of the emblem is a capital offense.
It doesn't have to be a "fair trial" like the Tribunal of Spirits or the General Court.
The 'private judgment' of a lord who is angry that his face has been smeared is enough.

'Koo............ all you want. You're going to be a frog anyway!
'Then go ahead and do it.'
'............'
'You're not going to do it?'
'Shut the f*ck up!You'll regret it when you turn into a ...... frog!'Judgment of the Spirits!
'Yashiro-san!
'Hey, big brother!'

Ginette's mournful cry overlaps with Loretta's shocked voice.
At that time, my body was enveloped by a sudden pale light.
It's been a long time since the Judgment of the Spirits.

'This is the end for you, Obayashi!

But then again...

Even after ten seconds or a minute, there was no change in my appearance. ...... The pale mist finally dissipated.
The results of the "judgment of the spirits" concluded that I was not telling a lie.

'......No, that's ............ ridiculous ......'.
'So it was you who was the idiot.'
'Because the woman there is ......!
'I don't care about the woman!

I held out my hand to Zoltar, who was about to start making excuses.

'Come on, let's go to the lord, shall we?
'...... stick.'

Zoltar's face contorts.
The emotions I could read on his face were all negative: impatience, regret, despair, nervousness, confusion, fear .............

'I don't need to explain the conversation here if you look at the Conversation Record. I'll leave the rest to the lord.
'Wait, wait!Please don't ............ do that, okay?

Is that the way you ask people to do things?
You f*cking boar.

'Are you begging for your life now?It's too late for that.

I'll give you back exactly what you just said. But I've taken the emotion out of it.

'The truth will always be revealed one day, won't it ......?

This is also what he said to me earlier.
I'll give this one back to you with a gift.
And one more gift.

I stretched out my arm and pointed at Zoltar.

I'll give you another gift.

Zoltar's face is pale.
His face is covered in sweat.

But I don't care, I apply to see the Conversation Record.
A translucent panel appears in front of me, clearly showing the conversation I just had.


"............ Huh. Is that supposed to be a threat?
It's not a threat, it's a ............ threat to push you to the bottom.
"How?
I'm going to put you in front of the lord. I'll take you before the lord, accusing you of misusing the emblem.
"......?............ Do what you want. You're going to be a frog anyway!


'............ "Do what you want."'

He extracts the important words from the Conversation Record and says them.
Zoltar's face is pale and he looks like he's about to collapse.

'Zoltar....... I'm a kind man, despite my appearance. I'll let you choose whether you want to end your life as a frog or executed by your lord .......'

That's what Zoltar said to me.
And here is my original.

'3......2......'
'No, wait!No, wait!It's right here!'

Zoltar gets down on his knees.
In the end, it was Zoltar who begged for his life.

'Can you show me the Conversation Record?
'.................. Yes.'

It was Zoltar who turned his head and muttered in a soul-deprived voice.
Then he made the Conversation Record available for reference.

What was written on it was the following conversation.




"There is a strong demand from the citizens to eliminate the slums, my lord!
Still, we're not going to get rid of the slums.
"All the other districts have already destroyed their slums!Why do you let the land sit idle in District 42?
"Different wards have different policies. Of course.
We should just get rid of those rats!
If we do that, the city will be overrun with them. What are you going to do about them?
There's no need for that!Just kick out everyone who doesn't want it!
"I don't think the residents will agree to such an arrogant plan.
They will. Because they all want the slums to disappear.
Then do it your way. ...... and prove it to me.


--What kind of a decree is this from the lord himself?
He must have taken the dismissive remark, "You can do it if you want to," as an affirmative, and said, "I was asked to do it," at the "show me" part of "prove it to me.
How shallow.
What a guy.

'Zoltar'.
'Yes, .............'

I look down at the crouching Zoltar and give him an ultimatum.

'Leave now and never set foot in this place again. This is where they belong. Don't trample on it, you boar.'

The same words I said at first.
But the words that came back to me were different.

'.................. I understand, sir.
'If I see you again, ......'.
'It's ............ okay, it's ....... I'll ...... never come near you again. ............'

I'll give you a warning.
Well, it seems to have worked pretty well, so it's probably okay.

I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it, but I'm going to try.
That parchment with the emblem on it was, after all, a parchment with another business written on it, given to him personally by his lord.

Well, it's a mystery why you didn't notice my 'lie' after going that far.

'Yashiro-san!
'Big brother!

After Zoltar walked away, Jeannette and Loretta jumped at him with a burst of energy.

'Great ............ great, big brother............!It's great ...... to turn Zoltar away ............!

She was laughing happily, tears welling up in her eyes, her hands trembling as she struggled to keep them in place, her feet thumping as the urge to do so surged through her body.
Loretta's emotions are exploding and she can't make sense of it.

'You ...... me ............ I don't know what to say ...... 'Thank you so much for ...... and ............!

As usual, Loretta bows her head as if she were about to smash every single tile in a pile of about ten.
And then, a choking '...... puff' sound leaked out from the deeply lowered head.

'............fff............fff... .........ffffffff!'

Loretta, sobbing.

'Now, ............ we can all live here, together, from now on, together, ......... .........I'm glad to hear that. ............I'm so happy!

It's a great way to get to know your family and friends.
This is the first time I've ever seen such a thing.

Hundreds of sisters and brothers of the hamster race were all huddled together, crying for each other.

I quietly moved away from them so as not to disturb them.
As I moved, Ginette followed silently, keeping the same distance.
And she keeps staring at my face.

...... You're looking too much, too much. What if you get a hole.

'What's ...... that?
'Yashiro, you're amazing!
'Yes, yes. Thanks, thanks, thanks.'

Ginette always says 'great' to me.
It's frustrating that I'm happy every time, despite the fact that I've been told ...... over and over again.
You can't blame her for disrespecting you.
You can't honestly say thank you, it's too embarrassing.

'But it's strange ......'.

Ginette's voice sounded very somber as she said this.
That was probably the reason why her smile didn't look all that great.

'I really thought Yashiro was going to turn into a frog. Because ...... that emblem is ............, I was so worried ...... that I was going to cry. ............'

Well, thanks to that, Zoltar fell for my trap, but ............ I may have made this guy do something a little burdensome.

'Um, Yashiro-san!Can you please tell me?

Serious eyes are staring at me.
This is a pair of eyes that I don't think I can fool around with.

Well, it's okay that I was originally going to tell you.

'There's only one reason why the Judgment of the Spirits can't be triggered to turn into a frog, right?
'What's that?
'It's because I'm not lying to you.
'But ......!



With my left hand, I restrained Jeannette from saying anything, and once again applied for the Conversation Record.
I'm going to look back at the lines I said here today.


"Is that emblem real?
"Of course it's real.
"Ha-ha-ha!You screwed up, Obayashi!You're amazing. How dare you lie to me with such an impassive face. I don't know if you're afraid of the Judgment of the Spirits or if you're just an idiot, but no one with normal nerves can do that.
"You don't have to be afraid to tell the truth, do you?
Oh, forget it. That's enough, Obayashi. The game is already decided. No more lies.
I'm not lying. This emblem is the real deal, the real thing.


'Here it is!

Ginette, who was looking into the Conversation Record with me, pointed to the sentence.

'Here, Mr. Yashiro says that it is 'genuine and authentic'. But the emblem is ...... that .............'

It's a great way to get a better idea of what you're looking for.

'Isn't it a ...... fake emblem made by Yashiro-san,......?

It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your time and money.
...... d*mn, that smelled good. And there's something about having someone whisper in your ear that's just not right.

It's not. This is the emblem of a genuine, real lord.
'What ......?
'Did you forget it?It's a permit with an expiry mark that Estella gave me a while back.'

I said, unfolding the folded paper. The two words "expired", which had been well hidden by the folded paper, appeared.

'A ......!



In the past, I created what Ginette calls a 'fake emblem' based on the emblem stamped on this permit.
I kept it in my breast pocket and used it when Goozuya made a run for it.
That must have left a deep impression in Ginette's mind.
Because of that, Ginette mistakenly thought that the emblem from my breast pocket was not my lord's emblem, but my own emblem that I had made.
And making Ginette think that was my real goal in that scene.

In other words, what I really wanted to deceive was not Zoltar, who was my enemy, but Ginette, who was my ally - by deceiving Ginette, I was able to roll Zoltar over in the palm of my hand.
In terms of deceitfulness, the person with whom you have a relationship is better than the person you just met. A ginette who knows how to react when you move like this is the best kind of sucker to have in your family.

But Zoltar is not so clever.
How can he be so sure that the other guy isn't doing the same thing he's doing?

Well, that's before we know for sure.
There - the fact that the parchment with the emblem on it was "on a different matter" was the part that Zoltar wanted to hide the most here.
So that was the first thing that Zoltar eliminated from his thoughts. As I said, there was no way he could have demanded to see what was inside, and he might not have suspected or even considered it.
It's a form of being tripped up by your own 'guilt.

'And one more thing. As for the part about Yashiro-san having a conversation with the lord, ......'
'I didn't say I had a conversation with the lord.
'Yes, but ............'

With that, Ginette scrolled down the Conversation Record.

'There it is, here it is!

I read the location.


"I've been entrusted to 'take care of Slam'.
'...... That's ridiculous. ......
"What kind of stupid?We haven't seen each other that many times, but we get along pretty well. He introduced me to his family. I asked him if I could slum it. ...... Oh, no. He bowed to me, didn't he?


'See. This is how Yashiro-san introduced his family to the lord and told him to take care of this district. ......'
'So, where does the word 'lord' appear in this?
'......What?Then this is ........................... ............... ah'

Thinking long and hard, Ginette seemed to have arrived at an answer.

'...... Is this about Loretta-san?'
'Yes, it is. Loretta introduced you to her family and asked you to slum it, right in front of you.'
'............ Indeed.'
'Zoltar's a fool, he was fooled by what he just witnessed.

Ginette looked at me with the same expression as a small animal when it first sees a sperm whale.

'Do you think I'm a sperm whale?
'Eh, what are you talking about!What is 'Makko......'?

The mysterious words brought Jeannette back from her stupor.
Then, she held her chest and let out a shallow breath.

'Well, I mean this in a good way, but ......'.



After saying that, this guy said something like this.

'After all, I feel very sorry for those who oppose Yashiro-san.

............ Konnichiro.

'I'll take that as a compliment.
'Yes, sir. It's a great compliment.

He smiled a smile that contained no trace of evil, and I couldn't even get a clue how to fight back.
Ah, yes, yes.
I know, I know.

That smile signals the end, right?
I mean, if I'm ever involved in anything, it has to end with Jeannette smiling like this.
It doesn't matter how messy it is.


...... Isn't he the worst enemy of all?


While I was thinking this, I felt like letting out a little laugh at myself for not feeling ...... ............ bad about it, It was a cloudy afternoon.