Chapter 35: Farewell.

Reading Settings

Translated and Edited by: luccayn.

Common Honorifics:
-san: A polite suffix, but not excessively formal.
-kun: A common suffix among friends and younger people.
-chan: A common suffix among people you're close with, mostly used for feminine nicknames and girls, since it's cutesy and childlike.
-senpai: A common suffix and noun used to address or refer to one's older or more senior colleagues in a school, workplace, dojo, or sports club.

---

Sorry the chapter took a bit longer to put out. Here it is though ;)

---

“…Huh? What's going on?”

After finishing my shift, I headed to Ukai-san’s office to pay back the money I owed him. But something seemed off. The frosted glass beyond the door was pitch black, and the plastic sign for “Torikai Loans” had been taken down.

I had no choice but to ask someone from one of the other businesses in the same building. They were all night businesses, so they'd likely still be open at this hour.

“He… got arrested?”

“Yeah, that's right. Ukai-san's place was a loan shark operation, wasn't it? They got busted in a big raid the other day, and he ended up in handcuffs.”

“Are you serious? But there's no way he'd screw up like that.”

“Well, yeah, but apparently, he had one account that he managed separately. During the raid, one of his employees forgot to hide it.”

…I could literally feel the blood drain from my face. My whole body felt ice-cold, and I couldn’t even feel my fingertips.

“Wait, aren't you a high school student? You shouldn't be hanging around a place like this.”

“…Sorry. Thanks for the information.”

As I walked down the stairs, I thought about how I could meet Ukai-san. Was he still in detention? Or had he already been tried and sent to prison?

The next morning, I went straight to the police station, hoping to ask an officer where he was being held. But they wouldn't tell me anything.

I then went to the library to research the raid the snack bar owner had mentioned. I found Ukai-san's name on the list of those arrested in the big sweep of the Machiya district, but there was no information about what happened to him afterward.

“Maybe… this is one of those shady, underworld things or something…”

Even after scouring news sites, I couldn't find any leads on his whereabouts. I spent hours asking around the area near the office, but no one knew anything.

Maybe he paid bail and got out? Or perhaps he managed to escape? I'm starting to think I might need to consult a private investigator or a lawyer if I want to seriously look for him…

“Hey, you little punk. What the hell are you doing here?”

…It was dusk.

As I sat on the steps of that building, desperately trying to think things through, he suddenly appeared in front of me.

“U-Ukai-san?”

“Who else would it be? You here to pay me back, Shinji?”

Why am I so relieved right now? This guy's a big-time outlaw. I should be feeling lucky that I don't have to pay him back anymore. But here I am, just a regular customer, feeling this strange connection to him.

“Um, Ukai-san. I kept my promise again this month.”

“Yeah, you did good.”

“Th-ten thousand yen. It's all there. Please, check it.”

“I'm not gonna check.”

“W-why not? You're starting up your loan business again, right? So, does that make me your first customer?”

“I can't do it anymore. Once you get busted for loan sharking, it's over.”

He sat down next to me and lit a cigarette with a cheap 100-yen lighter. Smoking out in the open like this—he really is a no-good guy.

I didn't know what to say, so I just stayed silent. Ukai-san also sat there quietly, puffing on his cigarette.

The sound of cicadas seemed to burn into my ears. I knew he was waiting for me to say something. I had to speak up, fast.

“…I've been roped into helping out that group from the so-called ‘harem’ this time.”

“Oh?”

“But they're all so privileged. They get anything they want from their parents. They live comfortably, and they don’t even gotta worry for the winter cold… I just don't get why I should be the one to help people like that.”

“Keh-heh, you sound like a damn fool.”

“Yeah, I feel like a complete fool. It's like I'm betraying everything I've ever stood for, and it just doesn't sit right with me.”

“You're missing the point. I'm asking, is that all you think being ‘privileged’ means?”

…Still clutching the brown envelope with the 100,000 yen inside, I found myself speechless.

I knew Ukai-san would leave once he finished his cigarette. Even though I understood that I would regret it if I didn't ask what he meant, I couldn't find the words.

“Hey, did you want to go to college?”

“Huh? N-no. I was thinking of getting a job after I graduate.”

“I see.”

“Did I ever mention wanting to study?”

“No, but you're smart. I just figured you might want to.”

…That's when it hit me.

The account he managed separately. The exact 100,000 yen, ignoring interest, and the deadline for repayment set just before my high school graduation. I didn't know much about loan sharks, but if he'd been charging me less interest than his other customers, the repayment period seemed unusually long.

“Ukai-san, could it be that—”

“Shinji.”

The faint hiss of the cigarette as it burned shorter.

“Y-yes?”

“You're the only one who can help those guys, right?”

“…Yeah, maybe.”

“If that's the case, then stand tall and look sharp, like you always do. If you go in there looking like you do now, those kids are just gonna feel uneasy having someone like that help them.”

With that, he reached out and roughly ruffled my hair.

“Here, take this watch. It's not a bad one, and it's the only thing I have left.”

The gold watch he pushed into my hands was from a luxury brand I recognized. It was probably worth an eye-popping amount. While I was still reeling from the surrealness of the situation, Ukai-san stood up, placed his cigarette butt in the portable ashtray from his chest pocket, and started to leave.

“If you run into money problems, you can pawn it. It won't fetch much, but bear with me on that.”

“Ah…”

What wasn't enough? What was that personal account really for? I stood up to ask, but before I could, he raised his right hand without turning back, as if he were being swallowed by the setting sun.

“Take care of yourself.”

And just like that, he walked off into the distance.

―Yeah, you did good.

Now, I finally understood.

All along, I had been seeking comfort from him, using my own misfortune as an excuse. That's why I was so terrified of losing him, so desperate not to let go that I frantically searched for him.

“Goodbye, Ukai-san.”

I shoved the watch and the envelope into my pocket, stood up, and tried to catch one last glimpse of Ukai-san's back. But he was already gone.

Maybe what Ukai-san was trying to teach me wasn't about putting up a front, nor was it about the value of money. Perhaps he was trying to give me the ability to think beyond the immediate events, to understand what lay behind and ahead of them.

He was trying to offer hope to someone like me, whose narrow perspective only allowed me to see the present moment. But because he wasn't a straight-laced person, he could only ever teach me in roundabout ways.

“…I need to go.”

As I swallowed the overwhelming sense of loss in my chest, I wondered why Ukai-san had always wanted to get me to drink with him. I thought about it as I made my way home.

In the end, though, I never figured out the answer.

---

Thank you for reading! Feel free to comment your opinions below!

Also, if you enjoyed my translation and would like to feed my caffeine addiction, click on the button below and graciously give me my fix—I mean, a cup of coffee.