We were led to Don’s room. There were two hoodlum guards standing on both of sides of Don and one standing guard at the door too which is concerning. It makes me wonder if he really doesn’t like having people bother him.
After sitting down in a black leather chair that stood out from everything else in the room, Don sighed deeply. I have no idea what the condition of his body is, but he is making it look like even walking up and down the stairs is a struggle.
“Now then, you showed me something fun yesterday. Would you mind performing another dance for me?”
Don spoke to me like he was talking to a granddaughter.
A portion of the room was cleared away for me so I wouldn’t bump into anything, and for now, I decided to perform a commoner’s dance. It’s carried me through my time in the capital so far.
Don watched motionlessly from his seat as I danced. After I finished, he sat back and closed his eyes. The expression on his face looked like he was mulling something over in his brain.
After a moment of meditation, Don opened his eyes again and began to speak.
“A wonderful performance. The kids told me how happy they were yesterday as well. Thank you”
“Oh…. thank you. I know I entered without getting permission…. aren’t you worried someone dangerous could just walk in?”
“The most dangerous people in the city are already here. Anyone who comes for a visit is an all right guy in comparison.”
Don laughed wildly at his own joke about the villains who live here. I can’t tell if I’m supposed to be laughing with him though, so I kind of just stood there awkwardly while rubbing my arm.
When he saw I wasn’t laughing with him, Don quickly stopped and coughed into his hand. I guess I was supposed to laugh along after all.
But the look in his eyes was so sharp I couldn’t simply smile along with him. It was always scary whenever Lily glared at me, but right now, I’m fully understanding what it means to be a frog while it’s being stared down by snake. My body had gone rigid, and I couldn’t move right now if wanted to.
“So, why has a group of nice young ladies like yourselves come to visit a guy like me?”
“Ah…. um…. well…. your ring….”
I couldn’t even manage to properly say the words, “Please give me your ring” because my nervousness was keeping me from saying complete sentences. But just me mentioning his ring had Don looking like he had been hit by a pea shooter. He looked down at his hand for a second before once again laughing on his own.
“I’ve carried this ring with me for decades now. Getting this ring means you pried it off of my corpse. So Dancer-san…. what’s your name?”
“It’s Liffy…. Liffy Ruhuna.”
“Nice to me you Liffy Ruhuna. Tell me, who taught you how to dance?”
“Ah…. M-My mother and grandmother.”
The conversation suddenly changed to a Q&A session that I wasn’t prepared for. Is this some kind of quiz that will win me the ring if I get all the right answers?
“And that grandma of yours, her name’s Erica right?”
Don was able to pull that out just from the couple of questions I answered? My heart was pounding. Is that a lucky guess? But he sounds so sure. Is he a mind reader? Oh no, don’t think about Lily!
“H-How do you know that!?”
“Because it’s obvious. The way you dance is similar, and you look almost exactly like her.”
“So, are you an acquaintance of Grandma?”
I’ve never heard of Don before, and Grandma has most definitely never mentioned having anything to do with anyone this scary. Unless, she’s been hiding it? Is my grandma a criminal!?
“Hmm…. an acquaintance…. well, I guess that’s right. I loved her, but that’s something from a long time ago. I have no clue where she is now, so it’s possible I wouldn’t recognize her if we ever met again.”
“You…. in love….?”
“Decades ago, yeah. This ring you’re looking for was meant for her actually. I had the best craftsman in the city at the time make this ring and had the best gems you could get imbedded, all for Erica. She left the city before I could give it to her though, and I never learned where she went. I wouldn’t even know if she had passed or not”
I don’t know who issued this request. But the ring they’re asking for isn’t just some expensive bauble. It’s an irreplaceable keepsake Don has poured decades’ worth of memories into.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Ran start looking at her feet. She’d been staring at that ring during this entire meeting while looking like she might actually kill him to get her hands on it, but that story got her to quiet down.
But now that I’m thinking about it, it does make me think. It’s an outrageous thought, but…. I was told when I was young that Grandpa, Grandma’s husband, died a long time ago. Was that true though? Seeing this old man makes me wonder.
“Grandma is alive. We live together in the countryside, far away from the capital. I never saw my Grandpa’s face because he was attacked by a monster and died a long time ago…. but nobody ever told me anything more than that. Are you…. my Grandpa?”
Don’s eyes opened wide when I asked. Then he laughed and waved away the whole thing.
“Ahahaha! No chance! Our love was pure and good, so there’s no way we had a kid together.”
“Oh, really?”
In the background, I could hear people who’d lost interest in our talk and started chatting together. I don’t know who Nerine is sexually harassing back there, but she’s asking around, “How do two people make a baby?”
When I stole a glance back towards Nerine, I had to cover my mouth with my hand and choke back my voice. Melia was red from her neck to her fingertips, so she must be the one Nerine’s latched onto.
“We received a request from somebody. It said: ‘Defeat Don and bring the ring back as evidence.'”
“The client is unknown I should add. The audition’s management mediated the request, and they did not inform us who posted it.”
Lily added soem extra details to my explanation from behind.
“Well…. do this kind of work, and you’re just going to accumulate more and more enemies. Plus the ring itself has its own claim to fame even without me. I told you the one who made it for me was the best craftsman in the city. Well he was famous as a master craftsman, and since he croaked shortly after finishing my ring, this is his last completed work. Someone who’d steal it and sell it on the black market wouldn’t receive a fraction of what it’s really worth.”
Going by his reaction, Don doesn’t seem to know who put up the request either. At this point it’d be better to call it a treasure rather just a priceless ring. I don’t know much about jewelry, but I can imagine what a history like that does to something’s worth.
Nobody is going to hand over a ring worth so much monetarily and emotionally. We also can’t just take it by force either. I can’t say for sure things would turn out all right for all eight of us with the bouncers he has prepared.
While I was at a loss over what to do next, Ran stepped up next to me.
“Hey old man. Sounds like you have a good memory. Do you know an eastern woman with a face a lot like mine? She’d be my mother.”
“I’m no expert in finding people. More importantly…. Watch your fucking tone! Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to!”
My body jumped when Don suddenly started shouting. I’d like him to control the volume a little better, but maybe that just gets too hard when you’re at that age.
For her part Ran was unmoved by Don’s sudden anger, but I noticed her clench her fist as she looked down at the ground.
“I know exactly who you are…. you’re my Mom’s enemy. Your men took her away because of a debt my family had to take on. They didn’t even look at my father as he begged them to wait one more day. ‘Bad luck~’ they said. No wonder your love ran away from you. I don’t care about the stupid ring. I won’t suffer to let a villain like you alone.”
Ran wanted to ask about her mother, but she was dragging my grandmother into the conversation as if she had found Don’s weak point. I feel like it would be better to go into something like this with a cooler head, but I have no right to stop her. At least now I know why she seemed so much more determined to meet Don than the rest of her teammates.
“So? What do you want from me? I’m not apologizing. Even if I did, it ain’t going to bring your mama back, and this is my job.”
Don coldly brushed off Ran’s words. Thinking about the warm kindness he was showing me, the contrast between now and then made it feel like I was looking at two different people.
Ran must’ve expected at least some kind of apology after seeing how he was treating me. Instead her expectations were cruelly betrayed, and I could see tears forming in the corner of her eyes as she ground her teeth.
“Just…. die already…. there will be less unhappy people in the world that way….”
The heartbreak in Ran’s voice was clear to hear for everyone in the room. But the words she was using set off alarms, and each of the bodyguards in the room took it as a sign to raise their weapons at once. Those words also must have acted as a catalyst, and finally the frozen Ran quit her trembling.
Slowly, she turned her eyes back towards the rest of us.
“Everyone…. you’re with me right? We’re trying to become heroes aren’t we? Then we must punish the villains.”
But none of us were. Self-preservation because of who the target was, a continued want to acquire the ring through flattery and good will, avoiding an illegal confrontation brought about by a justice excused revenge. The reasons differed from one person to another, but the end result was uniform silent response. I had my own thoughts as well that meant I couldn’t side with her. The opposite actually. The only real connection I had to the situation made me not want Don taken down.
“This is an orphanage Ran. You should see the children here. Beating Don means putting them in danger.”
“I know that! But even if he’s trying to be good now…. this guy is still a terrible villain! And aren’t we supposed to be heroes? An ally of justice, enemy to evil. Isn’t that what a hero is supposed to be? Of course it is! And besides, him running an orphanage is suspicious on its own. He could be brainwashing these kids, forcing them to become his subordinates when they grow up. This isn’t an orphanage. It’s a training ground for villainy!”
“Ran, you’re exaggerating….”
Somehow I ended up in the weird position of having to defend the city’s lord of the underworld. Amidst that confusion, Don raised a hand to take back control.
“You sure like to run your mouth. Twisting the truth to suit your small-minded biases. Say what you want about me, but I won’t let you look down on those kids. Each one of them finds out what they want to do and leaves the nest on their own. Sure, some of them end up staying behind to help me with my work, but those are the vast minority. Each one of them grows up knowing their rights from wrongs. They know they’re walking away from a ‘villain’ when they walk out of those doors. If you want to keep saying whatever you damn well please, I assume you’re ready for what comes after.”
Don quiet anger filled the room like steam in a sauna. Ran was overwhelmed by the pressure, and all she could do was glare at Don without saying anything more.
“Ran, let’s keep it at this. You do not need to dig your feet in here. Prioritize getting through the first screening without making any waves yet. You will have many more opportunities in the future to end things on your terms.”
Lily’s voice cut through the tension. Perhaps figuring that time was of the essence, her words were quick and enunciated in Ran’s ear.
After a second passed, Ran left the room without saying anything. Hopefully Lily’s words mean she won’t do anything rash for the time being. Peony and Olive ended up following after her out of worry.
“Tch, young people nowadays just don’t know how to give an apology. Well, I’m not sorry either…. back to the ring though. Dancer…. Erica’s granddaughter. I’ll give it to you.”
We were led to Don’s room. There were two hoodlum guards standing on both of sides of Don and one standing guard at the door too which is concerning. It makes me wonder if he really doesn’t like having people bother him.
After sitting down in a black leather chair that stood out from everything else in the room, Don sighed deeply. I have no idea what the condition of his body is, but he is making it look like even walking up and down the stairs is a struggle.
“Now then, you showed me something fun yesterday. Would you mind performing another dance for me?”
Don spoke to me like he was talking to a granddaughter.
A portion of the room was cleared away for me so I wouldn’t bump into anything, and for now, I decided to perform a commoner’s dance. It’s carried me through my time in the capital so far.
Don watched motionlessly from his seat as I danced. After I finished, he sat back and closed his eyes. The expression on his face looked like he was mulling something over in his brain.
After a moment of meditation, Don opened his eyes again and began to speak.
“A wonderful performance. The kids told me how happy they were yesterday as well. Thank you”
“Oh…. thank you. I know I entered without getting permission…. aren’t you worried someone dangerous could just walk in?”
“The most dangerous people in the city are already here. Anyone who comes for a visit is an all right guy in comparison.”
Don laughed wildly at his own joke about the villains who live here. I can’t tell if I’m supposed to be laughing with him though, so I kind of just stood there awkwardly while rubbing my arm.
When he saw I wasn’t laughing with him, Don quickly stopped and coughed into his hand. I guess I was supposed to laugh along after all.
But the look in his eyes was so sharp I couldn’t simply smile along with him. It was always scary whenever Lily glared at me, but right now, I’m fully understanding what it means to be a frog while it’s being stared down by snake. My body had gone rigid, and I couldn’t move right now if wanted to.
“So, why has a group of nice young ladies like yourselves come to visit a guy like me?”
“Ah…. um…. well…. your ring….”
I couldn’t even manage to properly say the words, “Please give me your ring” because my nervousness was keeping me from saying complete sentences. But just me mentioning his ring had Don looking like he had been hit by a pea shooter. He looked down at his hand for a second before once again laughing on his own.
“I’ve carried this ring with me for decades now. Getting this ring means you pried it off of my corpse. So Dancer-san…. what’s your name?”
“It’s Liffy…. Liffy Ruhuna.”
“Nice to me you Liffy Ruhuna. Tell me, who taught you how to dance?”
“Ah…. M-My mother and grandmother.”
The conversation suddenly changed to a Q&A session that I wasn’t prepared for. Is this some kind of quiz that will win me the ring if I get all the right answers?
“And that grandma of yours, her name’s Erica right?”
Don was able to pull that out just from the couple of questions I answered? My heart was pounding. Is that a lucky guess? But he sounds so sure. Is he a mind reader? Oh no, don’t think about Lily!
“H-How do you know that!?”
“Because it’s obvious. The way you dance is similar, and you look almost exactly like her.”
“So, are you an acquaintance of Grandma?”
I’ve never heard of Don before, and Grandma has most definitely never mentioned having anything to do with anyone this scary. Unless, she’s been hiding it? Is my grandma a criminal!?
“Hmm…. an acquaintance…. well, I guess that’s right. I loved her, but that’s something from a long time ago. I have no clue where she is now, so it’s possible I wouldn’t recognize her if we ever met again.”
“You…. in love….?”
“Decades ago, yeah. This ring you’re looking for was meant for her actually. I had the best craftsman in the city at the time make this ring and had the best gems you could get imbedded, all for Erica. She left the city before I could give it to her though, and I never learned where she went. I wouldn’t even know if she had passed or not”
I don’t know who issued this request. But the ring they’re asking for isn’t just some expensive bauble. It’s an irreplaceable keepsake Don has poured decades’ worth of memories into.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Ran start looking at her feet. She’d been staring at that ring during this entire meeting while looking like she might actually kill him to get her hands on it, but that story got her to quiet down.
But now that I’m thinking about it, it does make me think. It’s an outrageous thought, but…. I was told when I was young that Grandpa, Grandma’s husband, died a long time ago. Was that true though? Seeing this old man makes me wonder.
“Grandma is alive. We live together in the countryside, far away from the capital. I never saw my Grandpa’s face because he was attacked by a monster and died a long time ago…. but nobody ever told me anything more than that. Are you…. my Grandpa?”
Don’s eyes opened wide when I asked. Then he laughed and waved away the whole thing.
“Ahahaha! No chance! Our love was pure and good, so there’s no way we had a kid together.”
“Oh, really?”
In the background, I could hear people who’d lost interest in our talk and started chatting together. I don’t know who Nerine is sexually harassing back there, but she’s asking around, “How do two people make a baby?”
When I stole a glance back towards Nerine, I had to cover my mouth with my hand and choke back my voice. Melia was red from her neck to her fingertips, so she must be the one Nerine’s latched onto.
“We received a request from somebody. It said: ‘Defeat Don and bring the ring back as evidence.'”
“The client is unknown I should add. The audition’s management mediated the request, and they did not inform us who posted it.”
Lily added soem extra details to my explanation from behind.
“Well…. do this kind of work, and you’re just going to accumulate more and more enemies. Plus the ring itself has its own claim to fame even without me. I told you the one who made it for me was the best craftsman in the city. Well he was famous as a master craftsman, and since he croaked shortly after finishing my ring, this is his last completed work. Someone who’d steal it and sell it on the black market wouldn’t receive a fraction of what it’s really worth.”
Going by his reaction, Don doesn’t seem to know who put up the request either. At this point it’d be better to call it a treasure rather just a priceless ring. I don’t know much about jewelry, but I can imagine what a history like that does to something’s worth.
Nobody is going to hand over a ring worth so much monetarily and emotionally. We also can’t just take it by force either. I can’t say for sure things would turn out all right for all eight of us with the bouncers he has prepared.
While I was at a loss over what to do next, Ran stepped up next to me.
“Hey old man. Sounds like you have a good memory. Do you know an eastern woman with a face a lot like mine? She’d be my mother.”
“I’m no expert in finding people. More importantly…. Watch your fucking tone! Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to!”
My body jumped when Don suddenly started shouting. I’d like him to control the volume a little better, but maybe that just gets too hard when you’re at that age.
For her part Ran was unmoved by Don’s sudden anger, but I noticed her clench her fist as she looked down at the ground.
“I know exactly who you are…. you’re my Mom’s enemy. Your men took her away because of a debt my family had to take on. They didn’t even look at my father as he begged them to wait one more day. ‘Bad luck~’ they said. No wonder your love ran away from you. I don’t care about the stupid ring. I won’t suffer to let a villain like you alone.”
Ran wanted to ask about her mother, but she was dragging my grandmother into the conversation as if she had found Don’s weak point. I feel like it would be better to go into something like this with a cooler head, but I have no right to stop her. At least now I know why she seemed so much more determined to meet Don than the rest of her teammates.
“So? What do you want from me? I’m not apologizing. Even if I did, it ain’t going to bring your mama back, and this is my job.”
Don coldly brushed off Ran’s words. Thinking about the warm kindness he was showing me, the contrast between now and then made it feel like I was looking at two different people.
Ran must’ve expected at least some kind of apology after seeing how he was treating me. Instead her expectations were cruelly betrayed, and I could see tears forming in the corner of her eyes as she ground her teeth.
“Just…. die already…. there will be less unhappy people in the world that way….”
The heartbreak in Ran’s voice was clear to hear for everyone in the room. But the words she was using set off alarms, and each of the bodyguards in the room took it as a sign to raise their weapons at once. Those words also must have acted as a catalyst, and finally the frozen Ran quit her trembling.
Slowly, she turned her eyes back towards the rest of us.
“Everyone…. you’re with me right? We’re trying to become heroes aren’t we? Then we must punish the villains.”
But none of us were. Self-preservation because of who the target was, a continued want to acquire the ring through flattery and good will, avoiding an illegal confrontation brought about by a justice excused revenge. The reasons differed from one person to another, but the end result was uniform silent response. I had my own thoughts as well that meant I couldn’t side with her. The opposite actually. The only real connection I had to the situation made me not want Don taken down.
“This is an orphanage Ran. You should see the children here. Beating Don means putting them in danger.”
“I know that! But even if he’s trying to be good now…. this guy is still a terrible villain! And aren’t we supposed to be heroes? An ally of justice, enemy to evil. Isn’t that what a hero is supposed to be? Of course it is! And besides, him running an orphanage is suspicious on its own. He could be brainwashing these kids, forcing them to become his subordinates when they grow up. This isn’t an orphanage. It’s a training ground for villainy!”
“Ran, you’re exaggerating….”
Somehow I ended up in the weird position of having to defend the city’s lord of the underworld. Amidst that confusion, Don raised a hand to take back control.
“You sure like to run your mouth. Twisting the truth to suit your small-minded biases. Say what you want about me, but I won’t let you look down on those kids. Each one of them finds out what they want to do and leaves the nest on their own. Sure, some of them end up staying behind to help me with my work, but those are the vast minority. Each one of them grows up knowing their rights from wrongs. They know they’re walking away from a ‘villain’ when they walk out of those doors. If you want to keep saying whatever you damn well please, I assume you’re ready for what comes after.”
Don quiet anger filled the room like steam in a sauna. Ran was overwhelmed by the pressure, and all she could do was glare at Don without saying anything more.
“Ran, let’s keep it at this. You do not need to dig your feet in here. Prioritize getting through the first screening without making any waves yet. You will have many more opportunities in the future to end things on your terms.”
Lily’s voice cut through the tension. Perhaps figuring that time was of the essence, her words were quick and enunciated in Ran’s ear.
After a second passed, Ran left the room without saying anything. Hopefully Lily’s words mean she won’t do anything rash for the time being. Peony and Olive ended up following after her out of worry.
“Tch, young people nowadays just don’t know how to give an apology. Well, I’m not sorry either…. back to the ring though. Dancer…. Erica’s granddaughter. I’ll give it to you.”
