"Should we get breakfast now, or do you want to get to the city first?"
We were still waiting for the train to arrive.
"Hmm… When we arrive, I'm not really hungry," Yasui answered, blowing smoke into the air.
"Huuuh. I guess I would be too nervous to eat."
I teased him.
The train came to a stop in front of us.
"Let's go."
I was already walking.
"I'm not scared. You're here."
He followed me onto the train.
The journey was uneventfully short, as usual.
Yasui spent most of it asleep.
"We've arrived."
I said it a moment before the train came to a stop.
"Ugh."
He grumbled as he got up.
"Feels nice to be back. Right?"
We stepped outside.
The city was loud and colourful, even with the smoke and noise from the trains. The sounds of the festival seemed to blend naturally into everything else.
"It is."
We made our way home.
There were still people on the streets, and the festival was impossible to ignore. Masks passed through the crowd, voices drifted between the buildings, and when I opened the windows at home, the sounds of the celebration came in with the evening air.
"What time are we supposed to meet them?"
I checked around the room, already wondering whether there was enough time to prepare something.
"Hmm… In about an hour."
He collapsed onto his bed.
"Ah, that's not enough time."
I opened our suitcases.
"Go take a bath."
"Fir, I'm so tired…"
He rolled around on the bed.
"Ugh. This is your fault. I told you we should have left the day before, but you said we still had time."
I sighed.
"Anyways, would formal wear be appreciated, or something more casual?"
He glanced toward the suitcase for a moment.
"I'll leave it up to you."
He got up and made his way toward the bathroom.
"Ahh. It's cold."
I began pulling out his clothes.
A few minutes later, I was ironing them.
"Fir, careful! The water is so cold. Why did you turn off the electricity when we were leaving?"
He eventually came back and dropped himself onto the bed.
"Get dressed. I'm going to take a bath."
I started undressing.
"Sigh. Should…"
He mumbled something else, but I didn't bother asking.
I simply made my way into the bathroom.
"Brrr. It is cold."
The water reached me, and I immediately regretted not having someone else go first.
A while later, I stepped out.
"A suit?"
Yasui looked at the clothes I had prepared.
"Yup. A good first impression."
I dried my hair.
"Ah. We're already behind on time."
He said it as though he were trying to convince me to agree with him.
"It's your fault. We're still going."
I finished getting dressed a while later.
Yasui looked me over.
"You're also wearing a suit? You look good."
He placed a cigarette between his lips.
"Outside."
I picked up my bag.
The sun was already beginning to leave the sky, its light losing some of its warmth. The street, however, was still lively.
"We can't go empty-handed. Let's buy a drink."
We had walked for a little while.
"Hmm."
I looked around until I spotted a vendor.
"Sake or shochu?"
I asked when we reached the stall.
"Rum. Aged would be best, but white rum should do."
He lit another cigarette.
We bought the drink and made our way to the train.
"Liking your time back?"
I asked as we sat down.
"Hmm… It's okay, but I just want to close my eyes for a moment."
I looked out the window.
The festival lights moved across the glass as the train carried us through the city.
"Interesting."
The train came to a stop, and we got out.
"Everyone seems to be in a good mood."
We walked through the streets.
As we got closer, I could hear the sound of waves.
"What're you looking for?"
A voice called out when we reached a building in the dock area.
A man was seated outside the closed door.
"I'm looking for Naoki. Tell him Yasui is here."
Yasui put out his cigarette.
"Wait a moment."
The man got up and went inside.
He returned shortly afterward.
"This way."
He led us inside.
"Yasui. You're late."
A man spoke from within.
"Minato, there's a festival. It was not easy travelling."
Minato looked at me.
Then at Yasui.
Then at the bottle in my hand.
"This way."
He sighed.
"Yasui, you had me worried. Have a seat."
Naoki gestured toward a chair.
"I apologise for that. Here's a little something."
I placed the bottle on the table.
"Ohh. Rum?"
Naoki looked at the bottle.
"This must be good for you to bring me a drink."
He smiled.
"Minato, get the cups."
Minato moved to do so.
"Old Fashioned is the right way to have this done. You agree?"
Naoki looked up at me.
"You said it as it is."
I smiled.
"We are out of sugar."
Minato placed the glasses on the table.
"Ah, hmm. Have Ji-woo get some from the old man."
Naoki glanced toward him.
"As we wait, let's talk business."
He placed the bottle in the refrigerator.
"Like I said over the phone, I'm willing to get you the first batch of knives in exchange for your crew doing a job for me."
Naoki adjusted himself in his seat.
"First batch?"
"Yeah."
Yasui leaned back.
"The common ones are worth between ¥7,200 and ¥23,700 apiece. These ones are around ¥15,000."
Naoki looked at him.
"You already had your encounter with something similar, so you know what they're worth."
Naoki was silent for a moment.
"How many?"
"Ten."
Minato handed Naoki a cup.
"That's ¥150,000."
"By your calculation."
Yasui smiled.
Naoki took a sip.
The rum was sharp, with a warmth that lingered at the back of his throat.
"And what exactly is the job?"
Yasui took his own cup.
"That depends on how much your crew is willing to do."
Naoki frowned.
"You know I try to stay away from your mafia politics."
"I know."
"And now you want me to involve my people?"
"For a million yen."
Naoki stopped.
The room became quiet for a moment.
I took a sip of my drink.
The chocolate lingered on my tongue.
Yasui continued.
"¥1,000,000. Half when you agree to do it. The other half after the job is finished."
Naoki looked down at his glass.
"That's a lot of money."
"It is."
"And you're willing to pay that much?"
Yasui shrugged.
"I need the job done."
Naoki glanced toward him.
"I would have to discuss this."
He sighed.
"You understand."
"Of course."
Yasui smiled.
"I wasn't expecting an answer tonight."
The door opened.
"Good afternoon. I've got the ice cubes, chocolate and sugar."
A girl entered carrying the things.
She greeted everyone before turning toward Minato.
The room went quiet.
Minato got the glass and bottle from the refrigerator.
"Thanks, Ji-ji."
The girl walked away.
Naoki looked at his drink.
"Let's at least finish this before we start talking about it."
Yasui smiled.
"Agreed."
He raised his glass.
"It's a celebration."
Naoki raised his own.
"To the knives?"
"To business."
They clinked their glasses.
After talking for a while longer, we made our way home.
There wasn't much of the sun's light left in the sky.
"Let's hurry, or else we'll miss the train."
I checked my pocket watch.
"I want some—"
Yasui stopped.
He was looking toward the street.
A section of it had become strangely quiet.
Military personnel were putting up blockades.
"A checkpoint?"
He stared at them.
"The Military? Why?"
There were vehicles and soldiers already setting something up, while around them the festival continued as though nothing had happened.
People still walked past carrying food and wearing masks.
Music still drifted through the streets.
But the soldiers seemed less interested in the festival than in everyone moving through it.
"It is odd."
I looked toward the checkpoint.
One of the soldiers stopped a passerby and checked something before letting them through.
"I wonder if something happened."
Yasui watched for another moment.
"Maybe."
He turned away.
"What should we do for supper?"
I looked at him.
"We've not had anything all day."
He nodded.
"Something quick."
We continued toward the train.
The taste of chocolate and rum still lingered faintly in my mouth as we walked away from the checkpoint.