Though he was in a position to talk with them, the cross-cultural alternate between them didn’t go very far.

Sadly, there have been no “Jokes to Make Associates with Kidnappers” in his telephone’s translation app, so it was troublesome for Hiroki to elucidate the sophisticated circumstances behind the kidnapping with the vocabulary of the template examples supplied.

Apart from, Hiroki guessed that J and Ace (which have been most likely pseudonyms) have been the lowest-ranking members of this kidnapping group and so they didn’t have any details about their shoppers. There’s additionally the truth that one among them couldn’t speak in any respect as a result of he saved crying.

[Pretending to cry was probably a ruse, so when I let down my guard, they would fight back with a knife hidden in their boots or something like that.]

Hiroki has seen stuff like this in films and dramas. The truth is, he’s fairly aware of it.

He was so impressed with the 2 of them displaying guts even this late that he carried the drums to the outlet and hung them up above it.

After all, if he dropped them, he didn’t really feel like fetching them up, so he fastidiously held them up with each arms in order that solely the underside half of the drum was dipped into the outlet.

Nevertheless, the crying man began going loopy the second he was dipped into the outlet, and he nearly let go.

Hiroki puzzled, was it extraordinarily chilly within the gap or one thing?

After a couple of hours or so thwarting the abductors like that, the telephone had been taken from the abductors rang.

The quantity was unknown. Properly, Hiroki might already guess who it’s.

[Hello?]

“”

[Are the two safe?]

In pretty fluent Japanese, the man on the opposite finish of the telephone first requested Hiroki for the 2’s security.

It appeared just like the chief of their group was very thoughtful of his fellow staff.

[They are alive. However, I haven’t given them any water or food, so I think we should hurry this up.]

Hiroki might hear him cursing in English on the opposite finish of the telephone.

It’s simply, properly, it’s laborious to offer water or meals to an individual stuffed in an oil drum, and in the event that they did one thing, small or massive, Hiroki suspects that they might most likely do one thing so he’d find yourself desirous to throw them into the outlet, so Hiroki hopes that the man on the opposite finish of the telephone would make a compromise.

[……Including car repairs and nuisance fees, we’ve got $100,000 ready for you. I’m sorry, but we can’t offer more than that.]

[It’s fine. Where do you want me to take them.]

It’s not like Hiroki had any cash issues.

There was an interval of up to some seconds earlier than the opposite occasion responded, as if he was slightly perplexed by the truth that Hiroki hadn’t negotiated with them in any respect.

[……I sent you the location. Meet me there in half an hour and I’ll give you the money in exchange for the two.]

With that, the decision was disconnected.

The designated supply location was on an unusual nation highway in the midst of nowhere.

It was proper within the neighborhood.

It was solely a 15-minute drive from his workplace by means of an unusual highway.

[Well then, let’s get going.]

Hiroki bought up and left with the drums, which have been barely darkened and discolored on the backside, and loaded them into his private gentle truck, which was parked distant from the bulletproof Lexus.

[As I thought, compared to the Lexus, this one’s noisy and lacked power.]

Nevertheless, as Hiroki drove the truck, he felt at residence, because it had been his favourite automobile for a few years.

Feeling this, Hiroki thought it may be a good suggestion to take the SuperCab out of the storehouse for the primary time shortly and provides it a tune-up.

Hiroki drove his gentle truck alongside the nation roads that have been starting to gentle up a bit.

★　★　★　★　★

The chief of the kidnapping group was ready for Hiroki on a single highway at evening with good visibility.

Just one black SUV, the identical one he had seen someplace, was ready close by with its lights on.

Hiroki nonetheless had his guard up although, contemplating that there could also be different individuals hiding someplace.

As Hiroki bought out of the sunshine truck, the blokes’ chief took off his balaclava.

He was a Caucasian with short-cropped hair and sharp eyes.

[Good evening. I see you were able to get here very quickly.]

[Speed is the key to business. Isn’t that right?]

[That sounds amazing, it really feels like the American Way.]

The Caucasian didn’t reply, however stared on the gentle truck and drums behind Hiroki.

[You came in a rather shoddy car. Are the two in there?]

[Yeah. However, it’s very convenient because it can carry a lot of stuff and is very maneuverable. Farmers in the US’ countryside drive pickup trucks too, right? This one’s the same as those.]

[Countryside farmers huh.]

Hmph, the best way the Caucasian snorted regarded straight out of a film.

[How about we start by handing over the two?]

[Yeah, sure.]

Saying this, Hiroki took the drums off the again of his gentle truck and quietly positioned them in entrance of the Caucasian.

He positioned them fastidiously in order to not stimulate the individuals inside, however the chief man appeared considerably dissatisfied.

[Ahh, I guess it would be better if I open up the drums here huh.]

Because the different occasion won’t have any instruments accessible, it might be kinder to open the drum right here.

Placing his hand on the lid of the drum, he peeled off the lid.

He additionally went on to peel off the lid of the opposite drum.

Since Hiroki thinks it might have been troublesome to get them out of the drum, he tore the drum itself from the facet as if he was peeling off the wrapping paper.

He was in a position to peel off the drum cleanly, leaving solely the drums’ backside plate, which secretly felt good for Hiroki, as if he had peeled off the pores and skin of an apple in a single go.

If there had been an viewers like these in cooking reveals, he’s certain they might positively be simply as glad as him.

[……What is that? Some kind of magic trick?]

Ripping open an oil drum together with his naked arms, and two huge males appeared! that scene, that definitely appears straight out of a magic present.

Listening to that offers Hiroki some fairly good concepts for the long run.

Nevertheless, his two magic assistants who have been rescued sat down on their knees and didn’t transfer.

[It’s not magic. Anyhow, here are the two men, safely handed over.]

[……What did you do to them?]

[We just had a little talk.]

After the Caucasian gave his sign, a number of males clad in black, sporting balaclavas, emerged from the darkness and carried the 2 hostages out.

With their backs to Hiroki, they have been cursing one thing in English, however the one phrase Hiroki might make out was “sadist”.

[Here’s the money. There’s $100,000 there.]

Checking it for a bit, Hiroki noticed that the small suitcase handed to him by the Caucasian was full of stacks of greenback payments.

Hiroki was too lazy to rely them although, so he simply calmly nodded.

[Lastly, I have some questions to ask.]

Hiroki known as out to the person who was about to show again after they completed their transaction.

He had a couple of questions he wished to ask them.

[If the kidnapping had been successful, how much ransom would you have demanded?]

[100 million dollars would have been a firm guess.]

Excessive. Nevertheless, from the amount of money the corporate had, Hiroki thinks taking out cash like that will have been potential.

They may most likely pay it multi functional lump sum.

[Heehhh…… That’s quite the amount. Can you tell me the name of the client?]

[They seemed to be having some sort of fun. I don’t know the details because it went through several intermediaries.]

[A fund huh…… I don’t remember incurring anyone’s grudge…… so nothing comes to mind.]

[That’s what super rich people would think. They probably wanted to add your company to their portfolio.]

Listening to that, Hiroki puzzled. Are they treating corporations as playing cards you acquire?

In that case, is MCTBH some type of uncommon card with particular results?

……Pondering of it like this, Hiroki wanna acquire a few of these playing cards too.

[So, what are you gonna do after this?]

[Are you going to call the police?]

[No, I won’t. I think someone may call the security company for that bulletproof car though.]

[We’ll use a ship then. We would take a cargo ship to Hong Kong, the Philippines, Indonesia…… Then, we’ll ride whatever that would bring us out of Southeast Asia.]

That appears to be the case.

Hiroki couldn’t assist however smile at their resilience.

They might have been kidnappers, however they have been definitely nice individuals who cared about their males.

[I hope you get home safely.]

[And I hope we don’t ever see you again, you and your demonic black eyes.]

Because the Caucasian commanded, with managed actions, the boys in balaclavas loaded John and Adam, whose toes had blackened till the highest of their boots, into the SUV and drove off.

With the mountainside beginning to develop into shiny, daybreak is sort of upon them.

It has been fairly an eventful and pleasurable night.

Stretching out vast, Hiroki’s abdomen growled with starvation.

[I guess I’ll go to a gyudon chain resto for breakfast.]

Gyudon is a employee’s greatest buddy within the morning, with a uncooked egg flippantly drizzled in soy sauce, a variety of pink ginger, and loads of shichimi.

As he drove off his gentle truck, Hiroki felt like having such a meal.

★　★　★　★　★

The following day, or fairly, later that day, the particular person in cost was pleased when Hiroki instructed him that he determined to purchase the bulletproof Lexus.

And when he requested for a restore, he didn’t say something concerning the accident on the automobile facet simply in case.

Even then, the info on the safety facet may nonetheless be there, however since Hiroki had purchased the automobile, the opposite facet would simply deal with that.

In the event that they don’t…… Hiroki wonders if he ought to bribe them with the greenback payments he acquired from the abductors.

He isn’t very clear concerning the guidelines of the underworld.

Just a few weeks later, all the crew of a sure cargo ship disappeared and stated ship was discovered drifting within the Indian Ocean as a ghost ship.

It was unknown if the ship had been attacked by pirates or not, however blood appeared to have been splattered everywhere in the ship.

Nevertheless, not one of the ship’s cargo was lacking apart from meals.

Because the ship wasn’t registered or owned in Japan and had no Japanese crew, it didn’t seem in Japan’s information apart from some maritime-oriented web sites.

T/N: Gyudon, or Japanese Beef Bowl, is mainly a dish of thinly sliced fatty beef, cooked in a barely candy combination of mirin and soy sauce and served over rice.