Kanata, wanting to be trained by Tozen, proposes a bet.
It’s past 2 AM at Darts Bar “Snake Eyes,” and the customers are thinning out.
I’m likely to be the last one here since I’m stuck until morning.
I, who was at a drinking party for a high-ranking officer of the 4th Unit, decided to take this chance to ask Tozen a favor.
Tozen doesn’t seem to believe in training, but I really want him to teach me.
It’s for my own sake, and for a wicked goal.
Hmm, is there anything I can do?
The elements that make up Tozen are “inhuman” and “chic.”
Chic, that’s it. If there’s anything that can help, it’s that.
Here… maybe I’ll try proposing a bet with a bit of flair.
“I understand your principles well, Tozen-san. Then let’s make a bet. That should be fine, right?”
Tozen snaps off a piece of cheese鱈 (cod roe stick) and chews it as he replies.
“A bet? What are we betting on, kid?”
“If Tozen-san wins, I’ll give you this tiger cub strap. If I win, please train me just once.”
“That’s ridiculous. Why should I take that kind of bet?”
Tozen downs a cup of sake and gnaws on a dried squid strip.
“Master, isn’t that fine? It wouldn’t be a bad diversion at a drinking party. Or are you going to back out because you’re afraid of losing?”
Sanpin, a kind-hearted but somewhat cruel man, offers a helping hand.
“I’m confident in my luck. Fine, I’ll do it.”
Damn, as expected, Tozen has bad luck.
I, who naturally have bad luck, am at a disadvantage, but I have no choice.
At worst, I lose a strap, which isn’t even a risk. It’s not a bad deal.
“Um, what kind of bet should we make?”
Sanpin pulls out two dice from his pocket.
“Let’s keep it simple with cho-han. I’ll roll the dice for you.”
Sanpin downs his Shochu Oolong highball and holds up the empty teacup in his right hand.
Uroko spreads the scarf she was wearing around her neck onto the table as a surface.
They’re so in sync, and come to think of it, Uroko was also a prominent figure in the underworld, not a law-abiding citizen.
This must be their specialty.
With the teacup in his right hand and the dice held between his left fingers, Sanpin begins his dice-rolling incantation.
“Alright gentlemen, are you ready? We’re playing cho-han. Let’s place your bets.”
Sanpin puts the dice in the teacup and shakes it with a dazzling motion.
Then, with a *clank*, he places the teacup containing the dice on the spread scarf.
He then slides the teacup three times, from front to back. This must be the proper procedure.
This guy is definitely not an amateur. He must have experience rolling dice.
“Alright, which one is it? Let’s see, bet on ‘cho’ if you want.”
“Then I’ll bet on ‘cho.’ Is that okay, Tozen-san?”
“I don’t care. I’ll bet on ‘han’.”
‘Cho’ is even, ‘han’ is odd. If the sum of the two dice is even, I win.
“Cho-han, perfectly matched. It’s a pair of ones, ‘cho’! Kanata-san wins!”
On the scarf, two red eyes appeared – a double one, and I had won.
Python snaps his fingers in congratulation.
“Kid, you’re pretty lucky.”
“Boy, it’s Snake Eyes. A fitting end for this place.”
I remember that in English they call a “double one” Snake Eyes, comparing the two red eyes to snake’s eyes.
To win a cho-han gamble at Bar “Snake Eyes” with a double one.
A perfectly stylish and almost too-good-to-be-true victory. It’s rare for me, who has bad luck.
…The story is too good to be true.
I peer into Sanpin’s face. The corner of his mouth is slightly turned up.
…I see. But still, this isn’t chic.
“…Sanpin-san, I appreciate the sentiment, but I’ll just accept your good intentions.”
“…What are you talking about?”
“The eyes were odd, weren’t they? Tozen-san, I lost. I’ll give you the tiger cub strap.”
I take the strap from my Handycom and place it in front of Tozen.
Tozen, with sharp snake-like eyes, literally “Snake Eyes,” asks.
“…Sanpin, was what the kid said serious?”
Sanpin shrugs and replies.
“Master, I know the roll of my own dice. I’m also good at manipulating the dice.”
Viper and Python, brothers, admonish Sanpin.
“Sanpin, that’s not admirable. You’re ruining the fun.”
“My Elder Brother is right. That’s not chic at all.”
“Absolutely. Kanata-san must have thought so too, which is why he forfeited his win. I’ve made a foolish mistake. And to think Kanata-san noticed it… maybe I’m getting old. It’s probably for the best that I retired from gambling.”
So Sanpin used to be a gambler. His appearance certainly suggests it.
Tozen silently watched his subordinates’ exchange, then said,
“The match is my win, I’ll take the strap. But well, since Sanpin went so far as to rig the dice to let you win, I’ll train you just once, as you asked.”
“Really! Thank you!”
“My apologies, Master. I am in your debt.”
“Tozen, what’s gotten into you? I was prepared to stop you if you lost your temper.”
Tozen, as usual, chews on a dried squid strip like a cigarette and says,
“This brat could have won if he’d just kept quiet… Kanata forfeited because he said it wasn’t chic. Isn’t that kind of behavior considered chic?”
“As expected of Tozen’s Elder Brother. You’re a true man.”
“Yes, yes, that’s our Elder Brother.”
In the previous operation, I saw Tozen gleefully cutting down Mechanist Army soldiers.
Tozen loves the exchange of life and death, and has no hesitation in taking lives as a result; he clearly enjoys it.
To him, human lives, or even his own life, are as light as a feather – a true inhuman.
To the Mechanist Army, he’s probably an embodiment of disaster, but to us, to me, he seems to have an indescribable charm.
The value of a human being might be surprisingly like that.
Depending on one’s position, perspective, or distance, the same person can look different.
The Mechanist Army soldiers who merely block my path might have their own lives, and from a different perspective, they could be fascinating and irreplaceable individuals.
Let’s stop, it’s a pointless thought. There’s no benefit in dulling the edge of my mind.
After that, we drank until the sky started to lighten.
I had to go to the bathroom twice to throw up.
As sparrows began to chirp, we ended the gathering and left Snake Eyes.
We all returned to the same place. We walked towards the Barracks Building in the residential area, the sun, which seemed brighter than usual, at our backs.
As morning arrived, I looked back at the bar district, now a ghost town. The sun was exceptionally bright.
“…Wow. The sun is yellow.”
But it was fun. We’ll come again. This time with Shuri and comrades like Axel.
“Kanata might become quite a drinker… Hmm? Viper, you’re wearing a surprisingly decent shirt in this light.”
“Despite the glitter, it’s a chic color, and the elaborate snake embroidery is stylish, don’t you think? It’s rare to see such good taste.”
“Weren’t my Elder Brother’s and my trademark those daggy aloha shirts? Where did you get that?”
Tozen, who doesn’t seem to care much about clothes and wears a sooty kimono like a ronin, replies.
“Viper wouldn’t have this kind of taste. It’s not off the rack, it’s handmade. He got it from Hotaru.”
From Hotaru, huh. Yes, she’s neat, diligent, and sincere. I can imagine she’d be good at sewing.
“Ah, it seems like Elder Brother saved Hotaru during a recent operation, so this is her way of thanking him.”
“Yeah, I told him he should make something for his boyfriend Shuri if he has time to make me something like this. He made it to my size, and a glittery shirt doesn’t suit a serious-minded glasses-wearer. He even included Viper’s embroidery, so I decided to accept it gratefully. And then, he told me he was sorry for the late thanks because we were in different places during the operation. She’s definitely the most conscientious girl in Garden.”
“That conscientious girl is also a medic and is tending to the bloody corpses of idiots who died stumbling and sewing up wounds. She does it not only for her comrades in the 1st Unit but also for friendly forces and even, on occasion, enemy soldiers. We could never do something like that. The 4th Unit leaves no one to pick up the bodies even after death, but she’s completely different.”
“Omachi-san said that the kids rescued in the kidnapping operation were very fond of her too, so Hotaru-san probably came to the wrong place.”
“If you ask me, Hotaru should quit being a soldier in this scumbag base and become a childcare worker or a model.”
“There’s no one in Garden with better reconnaissance skills than that girl. Of course, for her, it might have been better if she didn’t have such abilities. Marika probably knows that Hotaru isn’t suited for killing, but she can’t let her go.”
I agree with Tozen’s opinion. I think Hotaru is naturally unsuited for killing.
She’s too kind, Hotaru is… … … Though to me, she’s as cold as a permafrost.
… … … Come to think of it, I know Hotaru’s personality and habits quite well.
It’s partly because Shuri tells me a lot, but also because I pay attention to topics related to Hotaru, wanting to know the reason she’s hated.
… … You don’t know why she’s hated? … … … Is that really true?
Aren’t the pieces to the answer already in place?
Have I ever properly considered it? Or have I just given up on thinking because I didn’t want to?
… … … Damn, my drunken head feels strangely sharp.
My observations and what I’ve heard about Hotaru are rapidly piecing themselves together.
Stop it, stop thinking. You’re sure to reach an unpleasant conclusion.
No, now that I’ve realized it, I can’t abandon my thoughts.
This is my nature. My natto bacteria are too diligent!
… … … … … … However, one piece seems to be missing.
“Kanata-san, what’s wrong with you, looking so serious and quiet?”
“…Sanpin-san, how long ago was the duel between Shigure-san and Agito?”
“You’re thinking about Agito with that gloomy face? The duel between Agito and Shigure happened before Tozen and I came to Garden.”
Please, please let it be wrong.
“Well, Agito was actually expelled from Garden because of that duel… … … Yes, it was about two years ago. What about it?”
As expected! Damn it! The worst thoughts always come true!
… … … I’m done for. The last piece has clicked into place.
I have revised the description from two episodes ago where Tozen appeared in military uniform.
I had set Tozen to wear a sooty kimono at Garden.
Can a person forget something they set themselves? (LOL)
