Chapter 9.3: A Man Drenched in Blood III


    I<em>i</em>engaged in eye contact with the manager at zing speeds and disengaged promptly. The same thing must have crossed both of our minds: What<em>i</em>the hell is this customer?


    The<em>i</em>long-haired, bloodied, spiked-bat figure in front of us was dripping crimson streams of blood slowly from his forehead.


    I<em>i</em>did not know if he was aware of it or not but I assumed he was<em>i</em>not.


    Before<em>i</em>saying, Give me a steamed azuki bun, with such a strong face, I thought there was another ce for him to go. No, there was a ce he had to<em>i</em>go.


    I<em>i</em>gazed at his feet to confirm things but his legs were properly intact and not transparent.


    If so he was a real being after all.


    Seriously, what<em>i</em>happened to this guy?


    Why<em>i</em>was his head bleeding? Where did that happen?


    I mean, he<em>i</em>didnt kill anyone, did he?


    That<em>i</em>thing in his hand, that was evidently a deadly weapon.


    A fight? ident? Incident?


    Ugh, what<em>i</em>should I do? This was super frightening.


    Give<em>i</em>me a break. Why did strange things always happen when I was<em>i</em>on the night shift?


    Um Trantor: MadHatter


    The<em>i</em>bloodied man stared at me as if to say, What?


    No, no, no, check yourself in the mirror, it would be incredible if anyone didnt freak<em>i</em>out.


    Oh, and, um, steamed azuki bun, steamed azuki bun, right


    That<em>i</em>was when the manager came to the rescue. He promptly drew out exactly one steamed azuki bun from the case and ced it into the bag in a<em>i</em>sh.


    It will be 120 yen.


    Not shared on aggregator sites


    After<em>i</em>receiving the small bag, he withdrew 200 yen from the pocket of his hoodie. The bloodied man pressed the money into my hand. Without even waiting for the change to be handed over, he headed for the<em>i</em>exit.


    Excuse<em>i</em>me! Sir, you havent received your change<em>i</em>yet!


    Even<em>i</em>though the manager mentioned it, the guy walked out without turning around, perhaps not wanting to get the receipt and the change.


    W-What<em>i</em>the hell was that guy?


    He was<em>i</em>bleeding.


    As<em>i</em>soon as the bloodied man left the store, the manager and I exchanged a look, and we were both trembling violently.


    [[Scary!!]]3ewc


    Was<em>i</em>he a member of the biker gang from the other day, but there wasnt anybody else resembling him among them. If that wasnt the case, how could such a thing have urred? What exactly befell that<em>i</em>customer?


    <em>Dont meddle inplicated matters.</em>


    Having learned that the other day, I didnt want to be implicated in anything out of the<em>i</em>ordinary.


    The<em>i</em>man drenched in blood walked out of the store and sat down on a concrete block in the parking lot to take a bite of the steamed azuki bun he had just<em>i</em>bought.


    Dont<em>i</em>sit there and go to the hospital at once!


    Even<em>i</em>though it was thiste in the day, he should have been treated as an emergency patient.


    What<em>i</em>is it with that guy?


    How<em>i</em>would I know?


    Could<em>i</em>he have gotten into an ident


    Yeah, he looked like he got hit by a car, didnt he?


    If it was a car thats fine. You know, if its a case of murder


    At the mention of this, I started to feel that the man outside looked like a murderer. What a dreadful experience.


    Oh I dont want to go outside


    What? Was that an oblique way of telling me to take out the trash? This barcode manager.


    Even I want to refrain from doing so, buttely, I have been getting intertwined with a high percentage of delinquents.


    Hakamada, do you know the word seniority rule?


    I dont recognize that word in my dictionary.


    You are so heartless I am the manager, though.


    Dont invoke your managers power in a situation like this.


    The shoving of unpleasant matters between me and the manager ensued for a while.


    Manager, that person had legs, right?


    Yeah. His legs were there.


    Oh


    Haha


    A dead person was one thing but a living person was equally as unsettling.


    Not to mention that spiked bat I wouldnt like to imagine it, but it was most certainly intended for hitting people I mean, chances were he had already struck someone Ahhhh, I hated this!


    Then, heres what well do Ill take the trash out back, and you, Hakamada here, take this.


    From a shelf in the storage room, the manager handed me a clean towel.


    Whats this?sdacsvfb


    Give it to that guy.


    Yes!?324e


    Well in any case, hes a customer, so you can simply hand it to him anyway.


    Isnt this a pattern that I will undoubtedly fall into trouble with if I give it to him!?


    No, but you cant neglect this kind of thing because youre in the service industry, right?


    No, I believe such things should be left alone! I feel unsafe!


    Dont be afraid, Ill be leaving the store with you. If anything happens, simply press S.


    34ref


    S-S, I am<em>i</em>counting on you.


    Yeah. Leave it to S.


    For<em>i</em>our own safety, we gave each other thumbs-up. Good luck!


    Ah!? You bastard! Where do you think this is, its the sea of trees, the sea of trees! You have no sense of direction! Where the hell are you wandering off to! Get your ass over here or Im gonna beat you up!!


    When I left the store, I was faced with a bloodied man with a cell phone in his hand, pissed off. He was apparently extremely vexed with the person on the other end of the phone, speaking in his energetic Kansai dialect.


    Idiot! Of course, I would get riled up about this!!


    He brushed back his blood-soaked bangs, revealing his indignation. There was no way I could say, Heres a towel, please use it.


    They arepletely underestimating me! Those guys set me up and threw me off a cliff!!


    Cliff he said but


    Threw<em>i</em>him off the cliff.?


    Hakamada, hang in there.


    Manager!


    The manager went to the rear as if to escape.


    Manager, you bastard! Going it alone was a disaster after all!


    Huh? Me? You fool, Im properly alive. Come on, get your ass over here. The miasma is so thick I cant manage on my own, and without you, I might be in deep trouble this time. Yeah yeah, right away dont get lost oh.


    With his ear raised from his cell phone, the bloodied man ended the call there. When he looked up, my eyes locked with his.


    What are you looking at?


    He spoke in a low tone and had a grim expression. His gaze was so keen that I thought he was going to snap at me any second.


    Oh, how many times did this happen to me?


    This was<em>i</em>why young people these days were so


    The other party, though, was wounded, and I had a towel and eight ten-yen coins in my hand.


    Um if you wouldnt mind, please use this to stop the bleeding.


    While concealing my inner trepidation, I held out the towel in front of him. He dly epted the towel from me, contrary to my expectation that he would be aggressive with me.


    Oh Thanks, Ill use it then.


    Without hesitation, he unfolded the towel and began to rub the area around his forehead. What a turnaround for someone who was only moments earlier so incensed. Pressing the towel to his face, the guy looked at me a little awkwardly, saying, Oh.


    Should I wash it and give it back?


    No You dont have to return it. He was being conscientious in a strange sense.


    And<em>i</em>heres your change.


    Oh, thanks2wsx


    I handed<em>i</em>over the change and my quota was reached.


    Phew, ah. Thank you very much, sonny, I feel a little better.


    Perhaps<em>i</em>the young man who had wiped up the blood with the towel was relieved, he thanked me and shed me a smile. He seemed to have more sensibility than I assumed. Knowing that I didnt have to worry about getting caught up in other circumstances brought me<em>i</em>relief.


    Even<em>i</em>after the bleeding subsided, the young mans body was riddled with abrasions, cuts, and scratches that I had no clue where they had been inflicted. Beforeing here, what exactly had he been dealing with? From the array of injuries and the conversation we had, he didnt seem to be the perpetrator.


    It<em>i</em>may be none of my business, but you should go to the hospital, and if you want, I can call an ambnce here


    With<em>i</em>that said, the young man looked at me puzzled and put the bat away in his bat case. He then carried it over his shoulder and got to his feet.


    Thanks<em>i</em>for worrying about me, sonny. But Im still in the middle of my work, so I cant afford to be in the hospital right now.


    Hanging<em>i</em>the towel that had absorbed the blood around his neck, he stepped over to a bright red sport bike parked nearby.


    If I<em>i</em>pass by here again, Ill return the towel Bye.


    After<em>i</em>saying that, he swiftly departed the area.


    Huh, did<em>i</em>he leave?


    Shortly<em>i</em>after the mysterious young man in blood left the convenience store, the manager came back.


    He<em>i</em>said he has work to tend to, so he went somewhere else, and will return the towel the next time he passes by.


    H-Heh Thats<em>i</em>not necessary, I hope hell go to the hospital right away.


    Well But<em>i</em>he had the strength to eat a steamed azuki bun.


    His<em>i</em>work? I<em>i</em>wonder what it is.


    Lets not<em>i</em>even dwell on it.


    Somehow, it<em>i</em>was terrifying.


    Anyway, Ill check the perimeterter, and if anything goes amiss, Ill call 110.


    Yes3wsx


    The<em>i</em>storm-like unexpected urrence had us in a cold sweat for a while, followed by


    Ah.32sd


    Suddenly, the<em>i</em>manager spread his palm toward the sky.


    Arge<em>i</em>drop of water fell down.


    It<em>i</em>was<em>i</em>rain