……………………Bonus Story. (1) Backstory. A few years before the Casino Incident._______________“Thank you so much, Kawasaki-san! I promise to work hard even if I have-.”“Save your words, son. We don’t have all day. Just work whenever you’re free. And I don’t want to see you complain or arrive late here in my shop. Be here at five and leave at midnight. Someone will come and take charge of the graveyard shift.”“Okay!”This happened before attending college.I finally found a convenience store where I could work while taking part in my academy. The place was beside a red district. I didn’t know why, but this store had the perfect place where customers could choose to eat someone or a meal. Whatever they like, this area could offer to anyone with cash on hand—what a horrid jest.It took me a while, but I found one. I found a convenience store. After passing countless application forms and receiving rejected papers, one stall accepted my paper. I never thought someone would take me as the
……………………Bonus Story. (2) Backstory_______________A few weeks later, Ichiro went to me, bringing him a bunch of papers in his hands. His exams were finished. Ichiro waved the dozen test assessments in his hand and flashed me a wide smile. I could still hear him even after his beam slowly vanished, but the joy in Ichigo’s eyes still remained. His voice also echoed inside the store.“I passed!” Ichiro shouted. I massaged the temple of my eyes and caught a glimpse of the people surrounding us. The moon had yet to rise above the clouds, and the sky was as clear as a lightbulb. It was just six in the evening. Guilelessly, people went in and out, and those consumers witnessed our friendly relationship between two students from different schools. I was still at work. But since I was talking to Ichiro, I used the only free time I had and viewed his examination results. “Eighty-nine… over a hundred. Ninety-three over a hundred. And would you look at that! Ninety fucking eight over a hundre
……………………Bonus Story. (3) Backstory_______________I returned from the store and prepared myself for another shift when the manager suddenly appeared. It seemed that he had finally caught wind of the situation, judging from his narrowed eyes and bulging veins. Kawasaki stomped his feet as he trundled towards my figure.“Where the hell is Ichiro?” Kawasaki asked.I didn’t know why the owner of this story wanted to find me. From my recollection, I never did anything to piss off anyone. In fact, I was here trying to make a favour out of the exasperated man.I answered, “Is it because of his job? If it is, then.”“I don’t give a fuck about his job!” yelled the man wearing a wrinkled long befitting for a businessman. “The two of you stole my money! The morning shift showed me a camera sent by someone anonymously!”“If this unnamed person didn’t send the footage as evidence, I will most likely not know about this. And you two are doing this behind my back when I’m the one who benevolently
Back to the present._______________My goal for today was to create a dish made from the mackerel fish these pirates caught and cook enough meals for the rest of the week. I placed aside the meat and other unused ingredients for later. They were useless to me. And besides, beans and fish were a delightful combination for pirates and their famished abdomens.Without wasting another second, I picked up the pace and went to my stations. These five pirates then followed me. Surprisingly, they were cooperative. Well, after what Francoise had told them and what these pirates had introduced themselves to me, they didn’t have an option besides following my lead.“Sally, heat the oil in a medium-large saucepan. Put some garlic and rosemary and rustle them up!”“Yes, chef!”“You, Rudy, and Maxie, while you’re at it, make sure you add those tomatoes up and cook them! Pour some seasoning in there because it looks FUCKING RAW! Chop chop!”“Aye, aye, boss!”“Barbara and Odette. You two. Come with
“Captain Israel taught and showed me a lot of things. I wasn’t exceptional like Azure or had any talents like Francoise. But I work hard. And I will do whatever it takes just to prove myself useful. My only dream is to see the day where Captain Israel or another leader from her reign liberates us to freedom and creates a world a better place… just like what my mother had promised me,” Sally added.I was lost for words after hearing such a devastating narrative. There was no way for me to tell if whatever Sally had spouted was real, so it was up to me to believe such a narrative. And I had fate with it. After everything I had witnessed, this young girl had been trying her best, despite getting tossed around. And Captain Israel was by no means messing with her. Sally was in charge inside the kitchen, where her mother usually took her.All I knew from the five was that they were all slaves from different experiences. And it was true. These pirates, at least, were decent human beings, exp
It didn’t take long enough before the pirates asked for seconds. They all carolled about how tasty the food was and why we didn’t prepare any seconds. Those choruses turned into curses as they learned I was behind on the insufficient stock of meals for them. And Captain Israel was no exception. When she placed the spoon’s contents inside her mouth, euphoria entered her mind. She couldn’t think of anything besides enjoying her meal and devouring it like a hyena. I already anticipated it, considering these ladies were ravenous like sharks swarming around a poor soul stranded in the ocean. And that poor individual was me. After finishing our meals, Captain Israel requested another pack of Mackerel garlic dishes, which I bluntly refused. But the moment I shook my head, Captain Israel pointed her sabre at me and laughed like a queen belittling her knight.Captain Israel knew that killing me would activate the contract and take her life afterward. But the alcohol from her hand had taken awa
Captain Israel chugged the last content of her tankard and replied, “Sally, Rudy, Maxie, Barbara, and Odette? It seems to me you five became great comrades for just a short time.”My eyes expanded like a bombshell when I discovered Captain Israel remembered the names of these five pirates who stayed inside the galley for who knows how long. It just meant the Captain cared about everyone. Or Captain Israel was just one lucky bastard. Regardless, she knew their names, and I bet Sally and the rest of them would wag their tails the moment they could hear it.“You placed me in the galley. Of course, the six of us will talk. We talked about a lot of things, but most things… I never told them anything about.”“About how your friend lost touch with you? Or how you cared about your sister more than anything in this world?”From that moment onward, it didn’t take me long to realise that Captain Blackbeard was listening to our conversation. But I never noticed her. I had a system that announced
For the rest of the days - not a week -, Azure was the one who handed out my tasks. Captain Israel didn’t send me back to the galley. She said that I was too good for my own, and the resources they stacked were used exponentially. So it was better if the usual food was served, and the meal I could cook was for special occasions. “In that way, these pirates will look forward to tomorrow! You’re pretty useful, Arata! In the meantime, just, you know, have fun doing the chores of the ship! You’ll get help from the five pirates gals, since you’re already friends with them! MWAHAHA!” “And that’s what she said,” Azure explained, and mimicked almost perfectly Captain Israel’s voice and demeanour. I thought that bastard of a Captain was beside me for a second. Similar to what Captain Israel mentioned, Azure was the one who handed out the instructions and gave me the mop. We had to clean the deck’s restroom. And pirates… knew nothing about hygiene. It wasn’t because they were girls - gender wa