v4: Drugs and the Dominos: Purchase (pt 2)
Title: Drugs and the Dominos: Purchase (pt 2)
Series: Baccano! (click here for more info)
Author: Ryohgo Narita
Media type: Novel
Disclaimer: See index for full. Summary: don't distribute without asking me beforehand, just link directly to my journal. Thanks :)


「Purchase」- part 2

At the same time as Eve and the other two were departing from DD, a man entered the building.

On that man’s face was a somewhat arrogant smirk. Unlike Nicholas’s, which gave people the feeling that he was bright and capable, this man’s smile seemed like he was sizing up something.

The man opened the editorial department door, just as Nicholas and Elean were about to walk out.

“Aah, you’re back, Henry. Elean’s not in a good mood, and it’s also time for me to get off work, so I’ll leave this place in your hands.”

“No, no. Thank you for your hard work.”

The man called Henry gazed after the two’s backs with a flattering smile.

“Rest assured, you can leave all the rest to me. Do have a leisurely drink.”

“… It’s because it’s you that we can’t relax, but the Director and Vice-Director aren’t here, damn it!”

Nicholas gave a worried shake of his head and led Elean out of the newspaper agency.

Henry watched them cheerfully and confidently, sniggering softly,

“Oh my, it’s been quite a while since I last received clients alone. It’d be great if an admirable client came!”

His wish was about to be fulfilled.

A man sidled suspiciously into the shop, his face concealed by a hat and a scarf, and a pair of sunglasses over his eyes. All the editorial staff simultaneously stopped what they were doing and slowly reached into their breast pockets or into drawers. Then, unshaken, the entrant proclaimed loudly to everyone, “I have information I want to report, is there someone who can speak English”. What was said was actually faltering Chinese.

By chance, Henry was just returning after finishing preparatory work. With a discomforting smile plastered on his face, he said very happily,

“If you don’t mind, you may speak to me.”


<==>


A bar under the Martillo Family’s jurisdiction The ‘Alveare’

Somewhere inside the Alveare, Elean and Nicholas were drinking honey-blended wine. The spacious shop front was decorated beautifully, making this place feel more like a high-class restaurant than a bar.

“Is he okay, that Henry guy?”

“At least he’s much, much, much stronger than me. Aah, I’m no good. No good, no good, no good. If something is no good that all of it isn’t good.

“You really are any good. Don’t take it to heart- since you’re hiding it, don’t have those pointless expectations. So from now onwards, you must better control your own emotions. This isn’t the first time I’ve told you this.”

A waitress in a qipao* came bearing the dishes, and Elean silently watched as he rested his chin on his hand. Then, as though suddenly remembering something, he lifted his head.
* Qipao: Chinese dress

“That’s right! I remembered something.”

“What?”

“That Dallas guy. He seems to know a special secret.”

“Special secret?”

In the whole of DD, only the director and vice-director had access to those special secrets. But it was possible that those kinds of documents simply didn’t exist. Or maybe those secrets were all stored in their heads, but this wasn’t something anyone could verify.

“Isn’t that Dallas fellow a delinquent? What kind of big secret would he know… no, wait, wait.”

Nicholas suddenly came to a halt, and downed all the wine in the glass.

“The ones who disposed of Dallas were the Gandors, right? So, is it related to the ‘immortals’?”

“Aah, yes, that’s right.”

‘Immortals’. This abrupt, unreal word was accepted by Elean unconditionally. To them, ‘immortals’ were people who undoubtedly and really existed, and they had actually seen them before. For example, the waitress who just served the dishes was one of them.

Information regarding immortals was also trickling in gradually.

200 years ago, alchemists aboard a ship headed towards this continent obtained the power of immortality. But there were also limitations for immortals, which were that no false names could be used between immortals or in public arenas, and that they could ‘eat’ one of their own through their right hand.

Next, an incident a year ago caused some immortals to appear in this city. The Martillo family’s executives, the waitress, the shopkeeper of the Alveare and the three Gandor brothers.

According to the information, there were a few others as well, but Nicholas didn’t know their names. Perhaps the bosses knew who they were!

“Hey, if we don’t ask the Director ourselves we’ll never know.”

“Yeah.”

The two finished here, then continued drinking and eating.

At this moment, a new customer walked in. It was a girl around twenty years old, carrying a very large black, leather case in a hand. The two people from the information shop immediately recognised that girl.

“That girl, isn’t she the waitress for the Gandor Family’s bar?”

“Aah, that’s right. I believe she’s called Edith?”

Nicholas remembered something. He didn’t tell the Runorata family’s men during the day about this girl related to the person who stole their drugs-- Roy’s girlfriend.

And— that leather case tightly held in one hand.

Not quite believing what he saw, Nicholas watched Edith’s every move alertly.



“Ah— Werucome-- Edith, you not here for long time ah!”

“Yes, Lia. You’re as well as ever!”

As Edith greeted her good friend wearing the qipao, she revealed a heavy-hearted expression/a burdened expression.

Lia Linshan was immediately worried at seeing such an expression on Edith’s face. At this moment in time the seats hadn’t been filled, so she wasn’t very busy now.

“What happen? You seems like problems on mind?”

“No, that… Oh, actually, I have something I really need you to help with.”

As Edith said with a troubled expression, she handed the black case over.

“This suitcase, can you please help me keep it for a bit?”


<==>


Let’s turn back time to the afternoon.

“That’s why I said, why did you bring it here!”

From the flat Edith rented came the sounds of an argument over a large suitcase.

“I really don’t know what you were thinking, to actually do this kind of ridiculous thing!”

“There’s no use saying anything now. Look, past time won’t come again, what shouldn’t be done has also become reality. I want to forget everything that happened, but that’s not possible either. Now, look, we better think about how to deal with this.”

His verve yesterday gone, Roy at this moment had become meek and humble as he continued to explain to Edith, who was rolling her eyes.

“Really! What were you doing! It’s precisely because you always say that when you’re taking drugs, ‘the entire world merges with me’ and that kind of ridiculous bull!”

“I can’t help it, it’s because I really want to become that way that I take drugs, then, people who experience that feeling even once can’t ever forget it, especially for weak-willed people like me.”

“If you can actually calmly psychoanalyse yourself, then why touch that stuff in the first place! Bastard!”

What followed was Edith using a whole hour to continue berating Roy, and in the interval she used the word ‘bastard’ at least 300 times.



At the end of the scolding, Edith felt exhausted, and she took in a deep breath.

“But I’m surprised you didn’t touch the stuff in this case. This makes me feel a little relieved.”

“Actually… I really wanted to use it. But if I even touched this stuff, those Runorata people will never let me get away with this… I, I’m really scared. Those guys can do anything. Those Runorata people, I know full well what they…”

“That’s to say, because you were scared you didn’t touch that stuff. So I’m saying you couldn’t possibly snap out of it… But normally you’d take it even though you feared the effects of the drug, but this time you didn’t. So there are times when even Roy, the junkie, is scared of death!”

Seeing Edith’s too-good-to-be-true expression, Roy answered a little shakily,

“I’m scared, those guys— especially that Gustavo, they’re extremely cruel, won’t give the slightest warning or threat, and even innocent people are slaughtered without exception. I don’t care if I die. It’s just, it’s just—”

The spineless Roy couldn’t speak. Perhaps she understood his sincerity, or perhaps she didn’t, Edith immediately calmed down and hugged the trembling Roy.

“Sorry. Thank you.”

With that, Edith took the black leather case and stood up.

“Although it took a long time, you finally kept your promise. So this time it’s my turn. Roy definitely won’t die. I don’t care if it’s those assholes from the Runorata Family or the Gandors, I’ll protect you.”

As she spoke, she lifted the suitcase, turned and walked to the door.

“Where, where’re you going?”

“Anyhow, this case is our ‘trump card’. But it’ll be easily stolen if we kept it- if we’re caught together in the end then everything’s over. So first we need to find a trustworthy person to hide this.”

“What! No way, that person’ll get involved too.”

“That’s not a problem. The Runorata Family now only cares about dealing with those small organisations, and there’s a place they definitely won’t touch. I’ll go there to find a friend who’ll help.”


<==>


“So, that’s how it is… I know this really isn’t very nice, but… sorry!”

“If you wanna say sorry, why not beg ah!”

In a corner of the ‘Alveare’, Edith and Lia were conversing quietly.

“--- That’s right. Sorry. Never mind…”

“But, actually is okay. First I help you keep?”

“Huh?”

Edith widened her eyes at such a ready response.

“Can see, Edith is really liking Roy yah!”

This kind of joking tone only served to make Edith feel a little worried.

“Is, is it really okay? That, if possible, don’t let the Martillo Family people know, okay? The people here seem to be on very good terms with the Keith, Luck brothers.”

“Only business cooperation, no problem. No problem, but my room has no lock, only can give other trusting people.”

Although there was sense of stumpedness in her words, but perhaps it would be even safer if this item passed through several hands.

“Right, the people Lia can trust I can also trust. Then I’ll leave it to you, thank you very, very much!”



Gazing after Edith’s receding back, Nicholas and Elean, who had been eavesdropping attentively, exhaled a collective sigh.

In the bar, it would usually be difficult to hear Edith and Lia’s dialogue from where they were sitting, but Nicholas and Elean, who were used to the noise and racket of the editorial department, could more or less make out the general content.

“My, my, we’ve really picked up a seriously juicy tidbit of information. How should we use it?”

“No matter what, we’ll report it to the Director tomorrow. Having gotten such a valuable piece of information, the Director’ll no longer regard us as useless, idle people!”

“Us…? Don’t lump me together with an idle person like you!”

Elean was stunned by such a response, and Nicholas smirked as he drained the entire glass of wine.

“Obtaining information directly isn’t our forte.”