Chapter 44: Fear... Excitement!
In December, in Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture, the outdoor temperature had long since dropped below zero.
Although the yakiniku restaurant had the heater on and the charcoal braziers were burning brightly, the large glass of draft beer filled with ice cubes absolutely did not exceed four degrees.
Bone-chillingly cold.
Truly bone-chilling.
This kind of bone-chilling sensation was absolutely unpleasant.
The golden liquid ran down into Subsection Chief Yoshino’s collar, spreading into a large, dark water stain on the expensive wool sweater.
Sticky, ice-cold, and carrying the scent of fermented malt.
“Bastard! What do you think you’re doing?!”
Subsection Chief Yoshino leaped up from her chair so violently that she nearly tipped over the chair behind her.
“Are you blind?”
“You did that on purpose!”
“Huh?!”
“Do you know how much this coat costs?”
“I just bought it at Isetan department store last week! One hundred fifty-eight thousand yen! One hundred fifty-eight thousand yen!”
“This is pure wool! It can’t be washed!”
She didn’t bother wiping the alcohol from her body. Her fingers, painted with bright red nail polish, nearly poked Kiryu Kazusuke in the nose, spittle flying everywhere.
Subsection Chief Yoshino was trembling with rage.
She was the subchief of the Citizens’ Affairs Section at Maebashi City Hall.
Although within the entire bureaucratic system, a kakarichō was merely the lowest managerial position, with section chiefs, department heads, and bureau chiefs above her.
But in a window department like Citizens’ Affairs, which directly faced the public, her authority was not small.
Normally in the office, which of the young employees didn’t bow and scrape before her, terrified of displeasing her? Especially temporary workers like Saionji Mina who had just started—they were completely under her thumb.
But at this very moment?
She was doused in beer by a drunkard right in front of her subordinates?
This—how could Subsection Chief Yoshino endure it?
“Ah… one hundred fifty thousand…”
“Over one hundred fifty thousand…”
“Don’t be angry… don’t be angry, old lady, I’ll… I’ll wipe it clean for you right now…”
Kiryu Kazusuke squinted his eyes half-shut, his body swaying slightly with gravity, looking as though he might collapse at any moment.
Isetan, huh.
He silently estimated in his mind.
At current prices, over 150,000 yen could indeed buy a pretty good high-end wool sweater.
However, if it were just a simple beer stain, sending it to a dry cleaner for rush service would cost about 2,000 yen to fix.
Plus a little compensation for emotional damages—10,000 yen should be about enough.
This money could slightly improve his physical fitness; it was completely worth it.
Still, this woman’s voice was really loud.
“What did you say?!”
When Subsection Chief Yoshino heard his muttering, she became even more furious.
What did he mean, “old lady”?
She was clearly only in her forties—did she really look like some old hag?
“What company do you work for?”
“Hand over your business card!”
“I’m going to speak to your company president!”
Subsection Chief Yoshino stepped forward, aggressive and overbearing.
For an ordinary salaryman, if a drunk disturbance complaint reached the company, it would mean docked bonuses at best, immediate termination at worst.
During these economically harsh times, this would undoubtedly drive someone to desperation.
Especially given her identity as a city hall subsection chief.
“Y-yes, sorry…”
“I’ll wipe it for you…”
As he spoke, Kiryu Kazusuke reached out his hand.
He randomly grabbed a towel from the table—a wet towel used for guests to wipe their hands, or to clean grease and sauce splattered on the tabletop.
The next second.
This sauce-brown towel was slapped directly onto Subsection Chief Yoshino’s chest.
“What are you doing! Don’t come near me!”
Subsection Chief Yoshino’s eyes widened in horror.
But her reaction was still half a beat too slow—or rather, a drunkard’s movements possessed no logic or warning.
*Slap—*
The wet towel, thoroughly soaked in soy sauce, grease, and beer, firmly smacked against her collar.
“Wipe… wipe it clean…”
Kiryu Kazusuke’s hand even rubbed forcefully a couple of times.
Black charcoal ash mixed with brown sauce, rapidly spreading across the off-white wool fibers, merging with the pale yellow beer stain to form a nauseating deep-brown stain.
The grease seeped deep into the fibers.
Finished.
This kind of compound stain—even if sent to the most high-end dry cleaner, using the best stain remover—absolutely could not be washed out.
This garment’s depreciation rate instantly skyrocketed from ten percent to one hundred percent.
Totaled.
The smells of yakiniku sauce, minced garlic, and aged grease shot straight into Subsection Chief Yoshino’s nose.
“Aaaaah! You bastard!”
Subsection Chief Yoshino completely broke down, letting out a shrill scream.
“Who said you could touch me! Disgusting! Filthy man!”
At this point, she didn’t care about her image as a public servant anymore. She thrust out her hand and shoved hard.
Kiryu Kazusuke took advantage of the momentum to stumble backward several steps.
His steps faltered, and his back slammed into the partition behind the counter, producing a dull *thud*.
“S-Subsection Chief!”
The female colleagues nearby finally reacted, hurriedly standing up and fumbling with tissues to help wipe her.
But the more they wiped, the dirtier it got—the sauce was smeared even more evenly.
Saionji Mina shrank in the corner.
Afraid.
Truly afraid.
She understood Subsection Chief Yoshino too well. When she went crazy, nobody could stop her.
In the office, if even the slightest thing didn’t go her way, she could slam documents with earth-shaking force and curse obliquely for an entire day.
Now, having been doused in beer and sauce, and having lost face in front of everyone—
This matter absolutely would not end well.
Dr. Kiryu…
Saionji Mina looked at that neighbor of hers leaning against the wall with a completely drunken expression.
She was a bit worried.
How could someone use a table-wiping rag to clean clothes?
Would he get beaten to death?
Or be extorted for a huge sum of money by the subsection chief?
As a neighbor, shouldn’t she step forward to help mediate?
But…
She watched the subsection chief now screaming hysterically, completely devoid of the bureaucratic airs she normally put on, like a common shrew.
A strange emotion grew wildly in her heart like weeds.
It was… excitement!
If at all possible, could someone also dump that plate of kimchi over her?
Her heart pounded violently in her chest, frightening her into quickly lowering her head, terrified that others might see through her thoughts.
“Wh-what’s going on?”
The other customers in the restaurant looked over, discussing animatedly.
The owner heard the commotion and immediately ran out from the kitchen, still holding a spatula.
“What’s happening? What’s happening?”
“Please calm down, madam!”
The owner took one look at this situation and his head swelled.
On one side, a young man reeking of alcohol who looked ready to vomit at any moment; on the other, a middle-aged woman covered in stains, acting like a madwoman.
If they started fighting and smashed up his shop, what would he do?
“Calm down? Look at what he did!”
Yoshino Keiko pushed aside the subordinates offering tissues, gnashing her teeth, wishing she could devour Kiryu Kazusuke alive.
“I bought this outfit at Isetan! I’ve only worn it a few times!”
“You must pay! Full compensation!”
“Not just for the clothes, but emotional damages too!”
“I’m the subsection chief of the Citizens’ Life Section at Maebashi City Hall!”
“A piece of social trash like you, dead drunk out in public—if you don’t cough up three hundred thousand yen today, I’m calling the police and having you thrown in jail!”
For an ordinary salaryman, this was no small sum.
Subsection Chief Yoshino had also sized up this drunkard’s ordinary clothes and wanted to shake him down hard.