City ​​of Witches 303

Chapter 303 – #67_Mimaya Takasho (2)

#301

1.
Takasho, still not grasping the situation, grabbed Siwoo’s wrist and led him to the president’s office on the second floor.

“Yo! My soul friend! Shin Siwoo! You look great!”

The moment the door closed, Takasho opened his arms wide and embraced him tightly.
A strong scent of perfume wafted over, somewhat easing the bewilderment.
I had expected him to be incredibly happy to see me, but seeing him so changed, I was more bewildered, thinking, ‘What the heck is going on?’ rather than ‘It’s good to see you after so long.’

“You look even better? What’s with this? Is this a hidden camera?”

Takasho took out liquor and glasses from the showcase and poured them side by side into his and Siwoo’s glasses.
The gleaming luxury watch was a bonus.

“My friend, who do you think I am? The man from Hokkaido, the unyielding six-story pagoda, the once-reigning No. 1 ace of Kabukicho, Mimaya Takasho, that’s who!”

Sitting heavily on the sofa, with his frivolous laughter and way of speaking, there was no doubt that this man was Takasho.
However, he looked so different from when he was always wearing shabby work clothes and scratching his crotch.
Honestly, if a stranger showed me a picture and asked what his job was, I would have said he was a young and rich businessman.

“I don’t drink these days because I’m managing myself. But if a friend comes, of course, I have to drink. Have a glass. It’s a new one I just got.”

Well, he looks good.

Seeing that my friend, whom I had been worried about, seemed to be doing well, Siwoo’s mood improved as well.
Riding the cheerful atmosphere, Siwoo took out a secret weapon from his bag.

“Nice, let’s eat this with it.”
“Th-this is…?”

Takasho, who had been sitting on the sofa with his arms spread out in a successful businessman pose, jumped up.

One of the secret weapons Siwoo had prepared.
Instant ramen.

It wasn’t just any ordinary ramen.
It was an instant ramen that cost nearly 6,000 won per bag, using liquid soup to recreate the authentic taste of local tonkotsu broth.

“I remembered you always singing about wanting to eat ramen, so I stocked up on about 50 of them.”
“50…? Ichiran ramen…! This is my favorite…!”

Takasho hugged the scattered ramen as if he were crawling on the floor.
He looked like a junkie who had found a secret drug stash.

“Siwoo… Siwoo… Takasho is so happy that Siwoo is his friend… You know that all the times I called you a ‘Josenjin’ were just jokes, right?”

Takasho even had tears in his eyes as he bowed deeply.
Indeed, the native dogeza was on a different level.

“Hey, Takasho, get up and let’s look at the rest and then bow again. More respectfully.”
“Yes! Master! Woof woof!”

Siwoo emptied two bags in front of Takasho.
The items that fell out included potato chips, Japanese cigarettes that Takasho had missed, comfortable underwear, razors and replacement blades, various Japanese instant foods, an instant camera and film, and even a collection of photos of his favorite actor.

Siwoo, having lived in Gehenna, knew well what was missed when it was gone.
He had made a list of everything he thought would be needed and packed it all.

“Hwaa… Haa… I’m so happy…! I’m so happy…! I think Takasho is going to pass out…!”

Seeing Takasho rolling around on the floor in joy, Siwoo couldn’t help but smile contentedly.

2.
The two of them opened two bags of potato chips and had warm ramen in front of them as they chatted.
In response to Siwoo’s question about what exactly had happened, Takasho replied.

“I had a lot of thoughts after you left. You and I were both slaves, but you learned magic and succeeded. I felt so empty, wondering what I had been doing all this time.”

Takasho made a blissful expression every time he slurped the noodles, then drank the broth and shuddered as if he had reached his climax.
As the giver of the gift, there was nothing more rewarding than seeing him so happy.

“So, I thought I should pursue my own dream.”
“Dream?”
“It felt too futile to just die being a pleasure slave for the witches.
Becoming the owner of a host bar. Isn’t that what you call the true king of the night? A man should have big dreams.”

Takasho gulped down his drink and thumped his chest, saying.

“So, I went to Count Adonai. As you know, Adonai Trading Company is in charge of logistics in Gehenna. I asked him to lend me money to start a business.”
“He lent it to you?”

It was true that Takasho was quite popular with many witches, but he was just a slave.
Even in a remote area, it would cost a considerable amount of money to open a shop like this in a prime location in Lenomond Town…

“I explained it thoroughly. As you know, Gehenna lacks entertainment. Especially for witches who want to relieve their pent-up desires, there are only two places.
The Velvet Brothel in Tarot Town and the ‘Hydrangea Garden’ in the Levana Grand Bathhouse.
So, our host bar is cleverly filling the gap in between.
Witches who aren’t wealthy enough to get a membership at the grand bathhouse, witches who want not just physical relationships but the thrill of push and pull and the feeling of being treated well, the feeling of pseudo-romance.”

“That makes sense.”
“And, I risked my life. If the business doesn’t turn a profit within a year and doesn’t break even within three years, I volunteered to be a magic test subject.”

Siwoo chuckled.
He thought it was just a joke with added bravado.
But Takasho’s expression was utterly serious.
A man’s gaze.

“Are you crazy?”
“Life is but a fleeting dream compared to the fifty years of a river’s flow. Who is born and will not die?”
“……”
“Shin Siwoo, I’m serious.”

I’m getting dizzy.
It’s commendable that my friend is spreading his wings with grand ambitions, but risking his life seems a bit reckless.
Siwoo secretly thought that if things went wrong, he would have to ask his teacher for help.
He couldn’t just sit back and watch his friend volunteer for magic experiments and become a guinea pig.
But there was no need to pour cold water on it yet, so he continued the conversation.

“So, how’s the operation going?”
“It’s still in the soft opening stage. But it shows potential.”
“How do you manage things?”
“For hosts, I take slaves with good looks from the public slaves and train them, and I get the liquor directly through Adonai Trading Company. Count Adonai is the one who has direct connections with the city hall and the trading company, so I went to him.”

It seemed reckless and a bit vague.
Still…

“You’re cool, you bastard.”
“Right? I think that every time I look in the mirror.”

Honestly, he looked cool.
Not just his neat appearance, but the passion to risk his life for his dream.

“Anyway, my friend, it’s been a long time since we met, so let’s hear about your recent life. Do you have a girlfriend?”

Girlfriend…
I did get someone very close to that.
I should introduce her to Takasho sometime.

“You do, huh? Is she a witch?”
“You’re like a ghost, you bastard.”
“Show me some pictures if you have them. What’s her name?”
“Sharon Evergreen.”
“Wow, that’s a pretty name. Let’s see~”

He opened his phone gallery and showed a few of Sharon’s photos.
Takasho flipped through the photos.

There weren’t any properly taken ones.
Just selfies taken together when they ate delicious food or went out to play while living together?
Besides, Siwoo’s photography skills were hard to call excellent, even if you were being generous.
But Sharon’s flawless beauty and magnificent bust transformed even the casually taken photos into pictorials.

“You Josenjin bastard.”

Takasho’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked through the photos.

“You go on dates with this woman, say ‘What do you want to eat today?’, and have irresponsible, indiscriminate sex on the bed? You sleep in after having sex, rub your sleepy eyes in the morning, share sweet morning kisses, and then playfully slap each other’s butts when your eyes meet, and you’re living that kind of life?”
“Wow, what are you?”

He got it all right.
It’s a bit scary.

“You hypocritical bastard!”
“Well… you’ve done it a lot with witches too, haven’t you?”
“Siwoo… I’ve told you countless times… witches aren’t girlfriends to me… Haa… I’m jealous. Damn, I should have studied magic harder.”

Takasho, almost in tears, flipped through the photos, and then his eyes landed on another witch’s photo.
This time, it was Eloa.

It was a relatively recent photo, taken when she playfully appeared in front of Siwoo, who was taking a picture of the sunset after a sparring session.
Takasho’s body trembled.

“Hey, Josenjin. Who is this one?”
“Uh… a witch I know. She’s teaching me a few things right now.”
“A few things? A few things? You bastard! Are you messing with me right now? Is that why you came to see me?”
“Give me my phone back, you jerk!”

Takasho, enraged and flailing, flipped through the photos faster and faster.
After a few scattered photos of his teacher, there were photos of the twins when they came to visit the mortal realm.
There, Takasho’s hand stopped abruptly.

It was a photo of Siwoo in the middle, with the twins’ soft cheeks pressed tightly against his face on either side.
He still remembered Odile and Odette arguing about who would get more of their face in the picture.
Anyway, it was undeniable that they looked suspiciously close.

“Those are the Gemini twins. Hey, Shin Siwoo. You told me to just look at the apprentice witches.”
“Give it back.”
“It’s true what they say, a late learner doesn’t know when to stop…”

Siwoo was horrified and snatched his phone back.
He had completely forgotten about this photo.
Takasho, who had been calming down for a moment, had an enlightened expression.

“Well, come to think of it, I’m your teacher. It’s the heart of a teacher to be happy about the success of their student.”
“I can’t say you’re wrong.”

In fact, a very high percentage of Takasho’s advice had been effective.

“So, I was wondering. Do you want to work at our place?”
“No, I have to go back soon anyway. I’ll come visit often.”
“Is that so?”

Takasho, who had shown a fit of jealousy or something, smiled brightly as if it had been a joke.
Actually, he was originally this kind of guy.
A friend who genuinely encourages you when things go well.

“Introduce me to your girlfriend next time. I’ll make sure to boost your ego.”
“She said she wanted to meet you after I mentioned you.”

Just as they were about to continue their chat.

-Knock knock

Along with a knock, the blond man who had led Siwoo into the shop earlier entered.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your good time. Boss, someone from the trading company is here. It seems like you need to talk to them?”
“Which side?”
“It seems to be the liquor distribution manager. There’s been some trouble with customs issues this time.”
“Is that so?”

Takasho straightened his disheveled suit and stood up.
He patted Siwoo’s shoulder and got up from his seat.
Standing up again, he had the appearance of a proper businessman.

“Siwoo, I’m sorry you came all this way. I have to go first today.”
“No need to be sorry. I’ll show my face again soon.”
“Yeah, it’s good to see you doing well. Next time, let’s drink and talk until we’re drunk.”

Takasho walked away.
Just as Siwoo was about to prepare to leave, the blond man hesitated, looking at Siwoo.

“Um…”
“Is something wrong?”
“Are you close to the witches?”
“For now, yes.”
“I don’t know if I should say this, but there’s something I’d like to ask you… Actually, our boss…”

Just as he was about to say something, Takasho’s voice was heard perfectly.

“What are you doing, Paul! You come too!”
“Yes! Boss! …It’s nothing. Excuse me. Take care.”

The blond man, who was about to say something, left without a chance to speak.