IGTL Chapter 15

Chapter 15 – “It’s me, Kakeru. I’m at ○○ right now…”

“Land Shark Main Office.”

As the name implied, it referred to outfits that negotiated with landowners and tenants to acquire plots for development. However, in DW, land sharks differed from the usual sort. Most DW land-shark outfits terrorized landowners and residents, snapped up plots by force, and, once they’d consolidated whole blocks, they’d resell them for colossal profit. Among the land sharks in the Central Kingdom, “Land Shark Main Office” was one arm of the nationwide, vicious, and violent syndicate known as the “Refrigerator Clan.”

Inside a Land Shark Main Office under the Refrigerator Clan’s umbrella, the broker Radish, whose crotch had been scorched by an elemental, let out a guttural groan.

“Gnnnn… That bastard. He burned my junk to a crisp!”

He splashed on a Basic Recovery Potion, slapped a field dressing over the mysterious heat-burned region, and collapsed on the sofa. The burns were severe; a Basic Recovery Potion hadn’t fully fixed them. Every jolt sent a fresh lance of agony through his groin.

“For that guy to blast my crotch with a heat ray… What was he thinking? Still, that was close. If I’d taken the full hit, I’d have been done.”

If he’d taken it head-on, the family jewels might have been charcoal. If that had happened, he’d have foamed at the mouth and died on the spot.

Not knowing how Takahashi Kakeru had managed to sear him with that heat ray, Radish hunched over, one hand clamped over the freshly-closed wound.

Even so, after that crazy punk in the Mob-Fenrir getup got a lick in, Radish had pretended to flee, hid behind a building, waited until the room fell quiet, then lit a bottle of oil and lobbed it inside. Arson, pure and simple. Had it worked?

Just remembering pissed him off. He’d been this close to finishing the land grab, and that Mob-Fen jerk ruined everything.

Well, at least now that inn would bow to the buyout request. The inn had burned down, after all. And Radish had the terrifying “Refrigerator Clan” at his back.

In any case, he’d “returned the favor” to the Mob-Fen punk who’d burned his crotch, literally. Even if the guy got lucky and escaped, he had to be sporting some serious burns.

“I’ll have to make that inn pay for an Intermediate Recovery Potion to fix my crotch…”

A Basic Recovery Potion hadn’t healed the burns down there. To mend it completely, he’d need at least an Intermediate Recovery Potion.

“For now, I should report this to the boss…”

He opened the mail function from the menu bar. A “pikon!” electronic chime pinged inside his head.

“Huh? What…?”

A message had arrived from someone named Kakeru. He opened it. A creepy line stared back at him.

“It’s me, Kakeru. I’m in the charred, ramshackle inn right now…”

“K-Kakeru? Who the hell…?”

Did he know anyone by that name? And a charred, ramshackle inn… where was that? …Wait. The one he’d just burned?

As he frowned, the “pikon!” chimed again seconds later. The sound made him twitch.

“W-What now? What kind of sick prank is this…”

He opened it: “It’s me, Kakeru. I’ve just stepped out of the back alley…”

“A b-back alley? Come to think of it, that dump was in a back alley…”

There was no spam mail in DW; senders were always traceable. But Radish, who had zero spam resistance, was rattled by the contents.

An email from someone he couldn’t place. And they were apparently coming from the burned-out inn… straight toward him.

While he sat there, confused and creeped out, the chime pinged again.

“W-What is it this time!?”

Sweat beading on his brow, he checked it: “It’s me, Kakeru. I’m in front of Land Shark Main Office now…”

“L-Land Shark Main Office!? That’s here! Ngh—”

He tried to spring up but couldn’t, his crotch flared and buckled him. He struggled upright from the sofa—“pikon!” went the chime yet again.

He opened it, sweating. One line:

“It’s me, Kakeru. I’m inside your room now…”

“W-What!?”

Face contorted, he staggered up and scanned the room. No one. Not even a hint of a presence.

“S-So it was a prank…”

He didn’t notice the room door hanging ajar. Relief washed over his face, then the “pikon!” sounded again.

“…”

He opened it with trepidation. “It’s me, Kakeru. I’m right behind you.”

He turned slowly on the sofa.

A Mob-Fenrir stood there, bazooka leveled at him.

◇◆◇

“It’s me, Kakeru. I’m right behind you… Just kidding. You burned that inn real nice, didn’t you? Were you trying to kill me? You were trying to kill me, right?”

“N-No, that’s wrong! I didn’t do anything like that!”

Radish shook his head frantically, but the circumstantial evidence didn’t care.

“Tsk, lying already… Y’know, if you’d told the truth, I was thinking I’d settle for half-killing you and let you off.”

“H-Half-killing doesn’t sound like ‘settling’…”

“Oh? You say that after setting fire to a run-down inn? You do realize that arson in Japan is a crime punishable by death or life imprisonment, right?”

“J-Japan? Where even is that!?”

Radish, who had no idea what Japan was, squealed.

“That doesn’t matter. What matters is you set fire to that dump with me inside. How are you going to take responsibility for that, huh?”

Even in his adorable Mob-Fenrir suit, Kakeru’s menace made Radish’s face seize up.

“Y-You sure you wanna do this…?”

“What do you mean?”

Even with his crotch scorched by an elemental, soaked in pain, and staring down a bazooka, the guy still fronted. Impressive, in a way. Kakeru cocked his head; Radish, trembling, began:

“M-My meaning is, I’ve got the Refrigerator Clan behind me.”

“Huh? A refrigerator? What are you even saying?”

Maybe that fridge over there had some kind of defense module? Like compressing the refrigerant to blast out icy air?

“W-What? The Refrigerator Clan! You’re not afraid of them?”

“…What are you even talking about?”

“Afraid of a refrigerator,” was not a question Kakeru knew how to answer. He simply aimed the Mob-Fenrir Bazooka at Radish’s face. Radish blanched and flailed.

“W-Wait, wait, wait! F-Fine! Name your price! Y-You want money?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Put it back the way it was.”

“E-Eh? Put what back…?”

Playing dumb earned him the muzzle pressed against his face.

“Don’t ‘what’ me. Rebuild the inn you torched. And compensate for every day it can’t do business. You’re not going to say you won’t pay, are you?”

“N-No, but… I mean, if you want it rebuilt exactly as it was, that’s hard…”

“Hah? Who said rebuild the dump? Obviously you’re putting up a new, proper building!”

What a stupid thing to say. Who on earth would be happy to have a dilapidated inn rebuilt dilapidated? Not a chance.

As punishment for nonsense, Kakeru ground the bazooka into Radish’s cheeks. Whimpering, maybe from the pain down there, Radish mumbled:

“B-Build new? T-That’s a bit…”

“Oh? You tried to burn people alive with the inn, and now you’re saying you can’t do that?”

“N-No, not that… I-I just mean I’m… a little short on funds…”

“I see.”

So he couldn’t muster the cash to build a new inn. This, from a man who tried to roast people to death along with the building? Oh, really.

If that was how he wanted to play it, Kakeru could play hard too. In that case, this whole place might… disappear.

He waited, still grinding the bazooka against Radish’s face. Radish dropped to his knees and pressed his forehead to the floor.

“I—I’m sorry! Please, I beg you!”

“‘You’re sorry’? ‘Please let me off’?”

A vein twitched at Kakeru’s temple. He aimed the bazooka squarely at the bowing head.

“Hey. Are you stupid? You torched an occupied inn, got hit with payback, tried some nonsense about refrigerators, and when you realized you were outmatched you threw yourself down to beg. I don’t want your cheap little apology. If groveling could build an inn, I’d do it!”

“N-Nooo…”

Radish’s tears meant nothing to Kakeru.

“If you regret it that much, don’t commit arson. I’m not budging. Build a new inn and pay business-interruption compensation. If you can’t, I’ll take strong measures.”

Radish’s face twisted with fear. Apparently Kakeru had scared him good. Not that Kakeru felt the slightest pang of conscience. It was simple cause and effect. The one who failed at the land grab and then torched the place out of spite was the villain here.

“W-What are you going to do?”

“What do you think?”

Kakeru reached into Item Storage and drew out a paid item: “Contract.”