La Vie En Rose: Chapter 1 - Part 9

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It was the day after Ron-chan had visited. That day, Mani had the day off from his part-time job and brought home a lot of groceries. Ever since he found out that Momo could cook, Mani started buying ingredients regularly, saying, "The food Sasaki-san makes is better than convenience store meals."

Since Momo couldn’t go outside and had plenty of free time during the day, he considered it a way to repay the favor. He cleaned the room, did the laundry along with his own, and cooked meals when he knew he would eat at home. Prison life had ingrained the habits of tidiness and orderliness into him. It was a world where even folding your pajamas incorrectly would earn you a reprimand and make you redo it. Because of that, Momo had developed a habit of keeping things tidy. Ron-chan had once said, "Momo, you're such a neat freak," but Momo couldn’t bring himself to explain that it was a lingering effect of his time in prison.

After devouring the Chinese-style crab omelet that Momo had made, Mani murmured, "Sasaki-san, you’d make a great husband."

"Really?"

"You're good at cooking, and you’re diligent about cleaning and doing laundry."

"Think so? Maybe someone will take me as a ‘househusband’ then."

Momo joked, but Mani replied with a serious face, "Honestly, I think you could pull it off."

"I'm joking. I could never do it, given my background and all," Momo said with a bitter smile, standing up to clear the dishes. Just then, his cell phone rang. He glanced at the display and felt a jolt—Kimura from the Matsuzaka gang.

It had been eight days since he fled from the group and the police. Kimura had called and sent texts several times, but Momo had ignored them. Ron-chan had told him not to contact anyone from the group or even people from the club. He warned that the group members might pressure someone from the club to call Momo to find out his whereabouts.

However, Momo couldn’t turn off his phone since he needed to stay in touch with Ron-chan.

"Are you not going to answer?" Mani asked. Momo gave a vague reply, "Ah, yeah," and after ten rings, the call ended.

As he washed the dirty dishes, Momo thought about it. Ron-chan had mentioned that they hadn’t yet been able to catch anyone involved in the drug transactions. The other side was being cautious, making things difficult. They also hadn’t found the domestic production sites.

Did Kimura suspect that Momo was a snitch? The fact that Matsuzaka gang members had come to the club asking about his whereabouts suggested that he was under suspicion. But the club’s owner was supposed to have told everyone that Momo had gone back to his hometown because of a sick family member.

If he really pretended that his family was sick and he had returned to his hometown, maybe Kimura would believe it. He could say that he was busy with his father’s funeral and couldn’t be reached. That might convince Kimura.

He had always turned in the drug money as required. He fled before receiving the next batch of drugs, so it wasn’t like he had run off with the merchandise. He also had a solid sales record. Most importantly, Kimura trusted him.

Could he somehow extract information from Kimura? If he could at least sniff out the general location of the clandestine production sites, it would be a huge win for Ron-chan. If they could find the domestic production site alongside the drug bust at the warehouse, it would be a major achievement for Ron-chan.

Ron-chan never talked about how many achievements it took to get a promotion, and Momo had never asked. But if Ron-chan kept solving high-profile cases that made the news and got in the papers, he would surely rise through the ranks. Even if he eventually decided to get rid of Momo because he became a burden, Ron-chan might at least think, "He was useful back then," and remember their time together without regret.

Momo grabbed his phone and headed for the door.

"Sasaki-san, are you going outside?"

Following Ron-chan’s instructions, Momo hadn’t set foot outside since being hidden in Mani’s room. He even had Mani accept deliveries so he wouldn’t show his face.

"I’m just going to talk outside the door."

Momo put on his shoes and stepped outside. Despite what he told Mani, he quietly walked down the stairs to the parking lot on the first floor, to make sure no one overheard his conversation.

Calm down, calm down. My parents died, and I just went back to my hometown. I’m a former junkie who started dealing drugs to pay off my lover’s debt… Just become that person.

He hit redial and called Kimura. The call seemed to drag on. He found it funny that he was secretly hoping Kimura wouldn’t answer even as he made the call. Just as the ringing stopped, Momo’s phone connected. He gripped his phone tightly.

"Momo-san?"

"Yes, it’s me. I’m sorry I didn’t return your calls or texts."

"You suddenly dropped off the map, so I was worried. I even went to the club, but they said you were on leave. I heard a bit from Kaori that someone in your family was sick?"

Kimura’s tone was calm. He believed the lie. Momo was sure of it.

"Actually, my father passed away."

"Your father? I’m sorry for your loss."

"He wasn’t in great health to begin with. My mom and brother are already gone, so it was just me, and I’ve been busy with the funeral and other arrangements."

"If I’d known, I would’ve at least sent some flowers."

"Oh, no, there’s no need for that."

"So, what are you going to do now, Momo-san? Are you planning to move back to the countryside? You still need money to pay off your lover’s debt, right?"

Momo’s mind raced. It’s a bit much to take a leave of absence just because my parent died. But then again, I also told him I started dealing drugs to pay off my lover’s debt...

"The truth is, I received my father's insurance payout. I was planning to use it to pay off my lover’s debt and take them back to the countryside with me, but I realized I’m still a few million short. If I take my time, the interest will only pile up, so I figured I’d return to Tokyo, earn a bunch quickly, and then retreat after that."

"So, you're going to continue working for a while longer?"

"If that’s okay with you, I’d appreciate it."

There was a brief silence, and Momo felt a sudden rush of sweat down his back.

"I’m glad to hear that. You're a valuable asset, Momo-san. By the way, where are you right now?"

Momo swallowed hard.

"Uh, I’m at the station."

"Which station? I don’t hear any train sounds."

"I’m walking outside during a transfer."

"I could pick you up by car. How about we grab a drink and discuss work?"

Kimura didn’t seem to suspect anything. Despite being sure of that, Momo still felt a creeping fear. Was it because of his guilty conscience?

"I just got back today, so I’m pretty tired. I’m sorry, but could we do it tomorrow instead?"

He knew it would be better to accept Kimura’s invitation right away, as it would make a better impression. But something inside him resisted, urging him to hold back.

"Too bad. I was hoping to take you for a drive today, Momo-san."

Momo forced a dry laugh through his parched throat.

"For a drive, wouldn’t you rather take a girl than me?"

"A friend’s shop just got a good batch of sake… Though it’s not in Tokyo. I was thinking of showing you something interesting on the way there."

"What kind of interesting thing? You’ve got me curious now."

Kimura’s suggestive tone was clearly a sign that he wanted Momo to ask.

"Momo-san, didn’t you once say you wanted to see something?"

Momo’s heart skipped a beat.

"The place is near that shop, so I thought I’d finally show you, but…"

Momo’s fingers trembled slightly. He didn’t have to bring it up—Kimura was offering to show him. This was his chance.

"Could it be that spot from the junkie tour? That sounds awesome! I’ve always wanted to check it out."

"I thought you said you were tired today?"

"After seeing so many grim faces at the funeral, a fun event like that would really lift my spirits. I’d love to go!"

After hanging up the phone, Momo let out a long, deep sigh.

◇:-:◆:-:◇

While I was on my way to the meeting spot in a taxi, my phone rang. It was Ron-chan. After I hung up on Kimura, I really wanted to just head out right away, but I didn't have any cash on me. When I went back to Mani’s room, he said, "You took your time," and I quickly lied, "The conversation just got really interesting," and he didn't ask anything further.

Just as I was about to head out with some cash in hand, he asked, "Where are you going now?"

"Just out for a bit," I replied.

Mani tilted his head.

"Isn't it risky to go out?"

Momota glanced at his watch. He was supposed to be at the station. If he didn't hurry, he'd arrive later than Kimura.

"I'll be back soon," he said.

"Sasaki-san!" Mani called out, but Momota ignored him and dashed out. He ran, looking for a main road. When he reached a two-lane road, a passing taxi happened to come by, so he jumped in. He was slightly out of breath.

The calls from Ron-chan kept coming. If he picked up, he’d definitely tell him to stop. But this was his chance. If he just went along with Kimura for a bit, he'd be taken to the drug manufacturing site. Feeling that hearing his voice might sway him, Momota turned off his phone.

He managed to arrive at the meeting station just ahead of Kimura. After waiting under the streetlamp for about ten minutes, a black Benz pulled up beside him. As he approached, the film-covered rear window slowly rolled down with a whirring sound. When their eyes met, Kimura grinned broadly and said, "Long time no see, Momo-san."

In the back seat of the Benz, Momota sat next to Kimura.

"Momo-san, you've been through a lot, haven't you?"

While on the phone, Momota had felt afraid, really afraid, but now that they were face to face, Kimura's attitude towards him was the same as always.

"Well, I kind of thought it might come to this sooner or later," he replied casually. The rear window was tinted and, since it was night, nothing was visible outside. Even looking through the front windshield, he had no clue where they were headed.

Kimura asked, "Where's your hometown, Momo-san? What kind of food is good there?" He asked all sorts of questions, and although Momota answered in stride, all he could think about was where they were going, making it hard to stay calm.

The car got onto the highway. After about fifteen minutes of small talk, a sudden silence fell. Momota decided to bring up the topic.

"Kimura-san, where is that place with the great sake?"

"It's in Chiba," Kimura answered easily.

"So, the factory we're going to visit is there too?"

"Yeah, something like that," Kimura replied.

"So it's pretty close by, huh?"

"The closer it is, the easier it is to transport things," Kimura said.

"That makes sense," Momota agreed. The car drove on the highway for about thirty more minutes before getting off into Chiba, where it switched to local roads. Momota had imagined the factory would be deep in the mountains, but the Benz stopped at an old warehouse district in a port he didn't recognize.

"Is this the place?" he asked, looking around, but there wasn’t any sign of a place where they might drink sake. Or maybe they'd do the tour first, and the factory was inside one of the warehouses lined up here.

"The shop and the factory aren't here. Actually, Momo-san, there's a bit of work left to do. I'll take care of it quickly, so could you wait here for about fifteen minutes?" Kimura asked.

"Sure, no problem."

Kimura went into the nearest warehouse alone, leaving Momota with the driver.

"Mind if I go take a leak?" Momota asked. The driver gave a slight nod. Momota got out of the car and walked to the edge of the embankment opposite the warehouse, turning his phone back on in his jacket pocket. Pretending to relieve himself, he quickly began typing a message to Ron-chan.

"The drug factory is in Chiba. I’ll send another email when I know the exact location…"

Focused on typing, Momota didn't notice the dark figure approaching from behind.

"Momo-san, who are you emailing?" came Kimura’s sudden voice from behind. Momota instinctively pressed the send button.

"It's my boyfriend. He needs a quick reply..." he said.

As he turned around, Kimura grabbed him by the collar and punched him hard in the face. With his clothes being held, he couldn't dodge. Kimura’s heavy ringed hand struck his nose hard, again and again, digging in.

"I'm really disappointed in you, Momo-san. I never thought you were a traitor," Kimura said.

Momota was slammed face-down onto the concrete ground, and Kimura stomped down hard on his right wrist, which was still holding his phone.

"Agh!"

Despite his determination not to let go, his fingers opened. Just as Kimura reached out to pick up the phone, it started ringing. Kimura's hand paused for a moment.

It was Ron-chan’s ringtone. Momota quickly grabbed the phone with his left hand and, twisting his body, threw it as hard as he could toward the sea.

Over the embankment, the phone disappeared from view... and then a splash was heard.

"You bastard!"

Kimura kicked him repeatedly with his shoe’s heel. After thoroughly beating Momota, who was curled up protecting his head, Kimura, panting heavily, muttered under his breath.

"Momo-san, there are a lot of things I want to ask you."

◇:-:◆:-:◇

Dragged into the nearest warehouse, Momota had his hands and feet bound with duct tape and was kicked around like a soccer ball by Kimura and his henchman. As he writhed in agony from the intense pain being inflicted all over his body, he could only roll in the direction of the kicks like a tuna.

A toe dug into his stomach, and what he had eaten for dinner came gushing out of his mouth. "You're disgusting!" someone shouted, and Momota was kicked in the face, his body jerking backward as he vomited.

His consciousness began to fade, and he was jolted awake as water splashed over his head.

Lying face down, he saw Kimura sitting in a chair nearby, looking down at him.

"Momo-san, I trusted you," Kimura said quietly.

"That's why I'm even more pissed. I never thought you'd betray me."

Kimura pulled a cigarette from his jacket pocket and lit it.

"Up until you suddenly disappeared, I never thought you were suspicious... But after you left, Yokotani suddenly got arrested, and the cops became unreasonably strict with our business."

Kimura stood up from the chair.

"Couldn't get in touch with you, and just when I thought something was up, you suddenly get in touch. Kaori said, 'Momo-chan's parents and siblings are all dead. Who could possibly be sick?' And then you claimed your dad died. How many dads do you have, huh?"

Momota was kicked in the face again, causing his nose to bleed. Kimura grabbed his blood-soaked hair and yanked him up.

"Even with three priors, you're working with the cops? Or are you an undercover agent from another gang? Who were you sending those emails to?"

"I... I don't... know," Momota stammered.

His face was slammed into the floor repeatedly.

"Sending emails like that and you don't know? Give me a break!" Kimura moved closer to Momota's bloodied face.

"You want me to mess up that ugly mug so bad you can't show it again?"

He whispered these terrifying words softly, taunting him.

"Go... ahead..." Momota muttered.

"Huh?" Kimura tilted his head.

"Go ahead... you're going to kill me anyway," Momota said.

Kimura squinted his eyes and gave a sly smile.

"You sure are sharp, Momo-san," he said, then slammed Momota's face into the floor once more before letting go.

"Boss, are we gonna kill him here?" the henchman asked.

"Idiot," Kimura snapped. "If we kill him here, it'll definitely lead back to us. I didn't tell the underboss we were using him. If he finds out we used him without permission and he was an undercover agent or a snitch, we're dead. Ideally, we'd sink him in concrete and drop him in the bay, but that takes people and time. If I start moving the crew around, the underboss will get suspicious."

"So, should we just bury him in the mountains?"

"Why do you think we came all the way out here? I've got a foolproof method that won't leave any traces. We prepared it to take care of Yokotani, but it's perfect for Momo too. We'll have him die the way he lived—with drugs."

After that, their voices became inaudible. After a while, the sound of two pairs of footsteps approached again.

Momota felt his arms being pinned behind his back, and his left upper arm was tightly bound. Just as he realized what was happening, he felt the prick of a needle.

Momota struggled with all his might, thrashing his body. "Tch," someone clicked their tongue, and he was struck on the back of his head. "Aren't you holding him down properly?" Kimura shouted.

"N-no... please..." Momota pleaded, forcing the words from his throat.

"Don't act like you hate it, Momo-san. You've been busted three times for this. Might as well let it send you off," Kimura sneered.

Pinned down by two men, unable to move an inch, the needle was inserted. He felt something cold entering his veins. He hadn’t cried when he was kicked or beaten, but this time, tears welled up in his eyes.

I wish I could see Ron-chan’s face one more time... Momota thought.

◇:-:◆:-:◇

My head hurts. It’s a sharp, piercing pain. But I don’t lose consciousness. It’s not clear, yet I’m aware. And because I’m aware, the pain hits even harder.

My body is trembling. My heart is pounding. It’s beating so hard it feels like it’s going to leap out of my chest. Sweat beads on my forehead. It’s cold. It’s freezing cold… Shivering, shivering… my hands are shaking. They won’t stop.

If I open my mouth, I retch. There’s nothing left to throw up, but foam, like a crab, bubbles out of my mouth.

I could see up until the moment I was placed in the passenger seat of a small car inside the warehouse. The car moved briefly before stopping, and then, I think, I was pulled from the passenger seat to the driver’s seat and strapped in with a seatbelt.

My hands and feet aren’t tied up anymore. But I can’t lift my arms. My body is stiff like a stick. I can’t see. I can’t move. But I can still hear.

"Hey, this guy’s still twitching. Whoa, when did he piss himself? It reeks…"

I hear a voice in the distance.

"I’ve never seen anyone die from an overdose before. But it should be soon, right? How much did you use?"

"About a pack, I guess."

"...That’s tricky. This guy seems like a pretty heavy junkie. If he’s built up a tolerance, that might not be enough to kill him."

"You’re the one who said it'd be bad if he died instantly, big bro. But even if he doesn’t die from this, he’s going to drown anyway, right?"

A voice comes from closer by.

"Hey, Momo-san... oh, right, you can’t answer. But with this, it’ll just look like a junkie who lost a fight, overdosed, went berserk, and drove a stolen car into the sea to kill himself… It’s a clean ending. The handbrake’s down, right? Hey! Remove the wheel chock!"

Slowly, the car starts to move. There’s a jolt at first, and as my body tilts sideways, it suddenly lurches forward like it collided with something.

Gurgling, gurgling... The sound of water is overwhelming. My clothes are getting wet. The cold is rising up quickly. When it reaches my mouth and flows inside, I realize for the first time it’s salty.

It’s hard to breathe… so hard to breathe… I’m flailing blindly with my stiffened arms when suddenly, the restraint around my chest loosens.

Even though I couldn’t see before, I can now see bubbles... tiny bubbles rising up. There’s light… light shining in. There’s light in the water.

It’s sparkling. I thought I saw Ron-chan’s face there.

The light fades. I’m going to die… Momota felt this as his consciousness dimmed. I’m going to die, but I don’t have any regrets.

"Goodbye, Ron-chan," he whispered in his heart.

◇:-:◆:-:◇

Rustle… rustle… The distant noise sounds like the hustle and bustle of a city. There’s the sound of a police siren—maybe there’s been an accident somewhere.

“Momo, Momo…”

I hear Ron-chan’s voice. Someone’s slapping my shoulder repeatedly, and I open my eyes, irritated. But I can’t see properly. Just a faint, blurry shape.

“...Can you see me, Momo? Do you recognize me?”

“Ro…n…”

“That’s right, it’s me. An ambulance is coming soon; you’re going to be okay…”

Where am I? Is this a continuation of some dream? It doesn’t feel real.

“...Sorry it took me so long to find you. We caught the guys who attacked you… We caught them for real…”

If they arrested them… was it Ron-chan’s doing? I wonder if Ron-chan will get promoted… It all feels strange. My body is cold. My strength… is leaving me… I feel like I’m dying.

“Hel... hel…”

“What, Momo? Does it hurt somewhere? Are you in pain?”

“...Sorry… for… everything…”

Momo, Momo… The voice calling me fades away like an echo, growing distant. And then, silence. I can’t hear anything anymore.

◇:-:◆:-:◇

I spent seven days in the ICU, and then I was moved to the orthopedic ward. Five ribs, my right shin, my right wrist, my nose, my right cheekbone... I had so many fractures, big and small, that they couldn’t even be counted.

My sister-in-law, who had stayed by my side until my condition stabilized, told me, "You were in critical condition for about two days. They couldn’t stop the arrhythmia, and you had kidney failure too... They told me to prepare for the worst." But I hardly remember anything from that time.

After the first two days, my condition stabilized, and by the time I was moved to the ward, I was already able to crack jokes.

The day after I was transferred to the orthopedic ward, the boss and some of the girls from the club came to visit me in a group. When they saw me all covered in bandages, wounds, and bruises, looking like a boxer who had been beaten to a pulp, everyone gasped. Some of the girls even started crying, so I ended up comforting them instead, saying, "I’m fine, really."

Later that evening, after all the commotion had died down, Mani dropped by for a visit. As soon as Mani entered the hospital room and saw my face, he looked down and turned pale. It was the same reaction the girls from earlier had.

"You came to see me? Thanks. I may look terrible, but I’m okay. I can talk just fine and eat too," I said, trying to smile to keep him from worrying, but Mani didn’t come any closer.

“...So it’s true you were on the brink of death,” he muttered. I sat up in bed, feeling a bit of pain in my chest.

“That was in the beginning, but now I’m totally fine. They always say fools don’t die so easily. I’ll be out in about three weeks. Well, I’ll have to use crutches and a cast until my leg heals, though.”

Mani kept his head down and avoided making eye contact with me.

“So your name’s not Sasaki, but Momota?” He asked.

“Yeah, that’s right. Sorry for lying. Ron-chan thought it’d be safer to use a different name, just in case.”

“You were that careful, huh…”

“No matter how careful you are, if you walk right into the wolf’s mouth, you’re bound to get bitten. I thought I’d be okay, but as expected, here I am. Haha.”

Even though I laughed, Mani didn’t. He stayed silent with a tense expression.

“...Ron hit me,” he finally said.

“Huh? He hit you? Why?”

“I called Ron right after you left, but I couldn’t get through, so I sent a message. About ten minutes later, Ron called back. Then he rushed over looking frantic. When I told him I didn’t know where you went, he punched me out of nowhere, demanding to know why I hadn’t stopped you. At the time, I was really pissed, but I never thought it would turn out like this.”

Mani furrowed his brow deeply, on the verge of tears.

“I’m sorry. I was the one who left without saying anything. I’ll make sure to talk to Ron-chan and explain everything. I’m sorry,” I said.

Mani shook his head while still looking down.

“It’s not your fault, Mani.”

No matter how many times I tried to reassure him, Mani’s tense expression didn’t change.

“Ron... it was the first time he’d ever asked me for a favor. But I took it way too lightly…”

“Mani,” I said, calling his name.

“Ron-chan is only human. Sometimes he has bad days. Don’t beat yourself up just because he hit you once. I got turned into a punching bag by the yakuza, you know.”

Mani tilted his head with a puzzled expression.

“Somehow, that doesn’t seem like the same thing.”

“It’s close enough. Anyway, Ron-chan isn’t going to hate you over something like this. Big brothers can seem cold, make you mad, and make you think they’re jerks, but they’re always looking out for their younger siblings. Got it?”

Finally, Mani met my eyes. Then he mumbled, “You’re really kind, Momota-san.”

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