CH 33

About the Suspicious Person

As I was checking the condition of the person who had gotten drunk to make sure he wasn’t suffering from alcohol poisoning, I was approached from behind.

I turned around and asked, “You think so?” and the man nodded broadly with a bitter look on his face as he replied.

“You have drunk so much, so why are you acting as if nothing entered your body? This can’t be real.”

Even if you ask me, the only thing I can say is that I’m a strong drinker.

“I have never gotten drunk from drinking alcohol, so.”

“That’s so unfair.”

Unfair he says. They are the ones who went along with the contest.

Well, I’m the one who asked for the confrontation on the premise that I would win.

The frustrated male customer gradually became impatient.

“… And so, what do you demand from us?”

Oh, is that why you are so flustered?

I haven’t done anything yet, so you don’t need to be frightened.

I just want to hear the story.

“I wanted to ask you about a certain person.”

The male customer was puzzled.

He looked like he was about to say, “That’s it?”

“T, that’s it?”

See? He said it.

The man leaned back in his chair as if he was relieved when I shook my head and replied, “Yes.”

“Who is it you want to hear about?”

“Can you tell me about the man named Jacob?”

I asked, and the man laughed in exasperation.

I tilted my head when he slurped down his drink and said, “You want Jacob too?”

I’m after Jacob, but not in a weird way.

I’m just suspicious of him as a suspect.

“He’s got a good face, so he’s quite popular. His personality is the worst, though. You seem old, but you are a beauty, so he might accept you as his partner.”

Uh-huh, the male customer was nodding to himself.

I would like you to stop going ahead with the story on your own, though.

I glared at him and said, “I’m not aiming for that.”

“Ah? Is that so? You don’t have to be shy.”

“I’m not being shy. I just want to hear about him.”

“Why is that?”

“I used to know him a little. I wanted to hear how he is faring nowadays.”

It’s not good to lie, but there are times when a lie is necessary, alright.

This man may have been gullible enough to agree with my words, “Oh, I see.”

“I don’t know how he was in the past, but he’s a tyrant now.”

“A tyrant?”

“He’s the captain of a cargo ship and I work on the very ship, but he immediately gets violent when in a bad mood.”

You should take care of your subordinates.

“He’s also a womanizer. He will dump you as soon as he’s done with you.”

I don’t really want to hear about that, but I guess it’s because he’s drunk that he’s laughing and talking about trivial things.

“That’s why he’s playing with women every night.”

“Every night? With women?”

“Yeah.”

He nodded largely.

“Ah, but…”

The male customer shouted as if he remembered something.

“He said that he recently came up with a more interesting game than playing with women.”

“Interesting game?”

“Yeah. Well, he didn’t tell me what it was.”

He shrugged his shoulders.

Interesting game…

I hate it when my bad premonitions come true in these situations.

“Do you know how long he has been playing this game?”

“About two weeks. Well, that’s why he’s annoyed that people suspect him of being the one who caused the disappearances.”

If you don’t like being suspected, why don’t you just stop playing that game of yours? Is what I think, but I’m sure the people around him have already told him that.

“Is this enough? If I talk too much about that guy, he will get mad at me later.”

I feel like we have talked for quite a bit, so I have a feeling that it’s getting late, but let’s keep the spirit up as long as we don’t get caught.

“Can I ask you one last thing?”

Five o’clock in the evening.

The disappearances are probably happening in the middle of the night.

If I keep an eye on Jacob, I might find out something.

While I was thinking, he stretched his arm over my shoulder.

“… Hey, would you like to play with me now?”

“No, thank you.”

“That’s a quick reply.”

The male customer clicked his tongue.

I’m not that kind of easy woman, and I would like to refrain from romance for a while.

I feel depressed, remembering how the first person I fell in love with treated me.

“I will be taking my leave now.”

I left the money and walked out.