096 – Nymphs Love Summer Vacation! # 3
I had always been a well-behaved drinker. Ever since becoming an Awakener, it was rare for me to get properly drunk in the first place, and I never drank to the point of losing myself.
But today was different.
"Ugh, my head."
My memory had gaps like torn film—whenever I tried to piece together last night, my skull felt like it was about to split open. A hangover this vicious was a first for me.
"Blegh. Ugh."
Only after dry-heaving into the toilet several times did my stomach settle a little. That was when something rustled nearby.
━Hio-ong…!
A familiar cry. And it sounded utterly pitiful. I glanced around, trying to place where it was coming from, and listening closely—was it coming from the ceiling?
Shwk—.
I tilted my head back, and there it was: Kwang-kwangi, my RGB ghost spider, skittering across the ceiling in shifting rainbow colors!
The problem was that his legs were tangled in some strange, chain-like bindings, and balloons—of all things—were tied all over his arms and legs!
━Kwang-kwang…!
"No, Kwang-kwangi! Why are you up there?!"
He was hanging from the ceiling, bound up in those bizarre chains. Whoever had done this to him was truly cruel.
"Hold on, I'll get you down!"
I quickly lowered him and worked the chains loose from his little body. Only then did Kwang-kwangi seem to relax, wriggling left and right on my palm in relief.
━Hio-ong…!
"Who on earth tied you up with chains like that? What kind of monster would do such a mean thing?"
Shwk-shwk—.
I looked around the room. Something had been nagging me for a while now: this was an unfamiliar room. Definitely not the lodging I was supposed to be staying in.
"Where am I? Where are Keongkeongi and Kalinoi? What about Oinoi and the other nymphs? Where are Jina and Ari? What the hell happened last night—I can't remember a single thing."
I carried Kwang-kwangi out into the corridor. Walking along the red-carpeted hallway, I decided my first stop should be the pool where the nymphs had been playing yesterday.
"It is a very good morning…! This Oinoi begins the day with morning exercises today as well…! Everyone shall do their stretches together with Oinoi…!"
"This Coris slept extremely well last night, is what it is…! Strange noises were heard in a dream, but that is simply what dreams are, is what it is…!"
Near the pool, Oinoi and Coris were doing their morning exercises—stretching their arms and legs this way and that.
"Ahh, it is the Master of the House…! Master of the House…! The Medicine Nymph Illinoi is nowhere to be seen, it is…! She has not returned since last night, it is…!"
"This Coris had planned to go play at that place called the Telos Theme Park with our sister Illinoi today, but she is missing, and it worries this Coris, is what it is…!"
"Is that so?"
According to Oinoi and Coris, Illinoi had vanished sometime last night. Naturally, I had no idea what could have happened.
"Keongkeongi and Ang-angi are missing too, it is…! Kalinoi has flown off somewhere as well, it is…! This Oinoi is extremely curious about what on earth happened last night, it is…!"
Shwk—.
So I headed back to my own lodging and went through my belongings one by one. I wanted to check whether I'd lost anything important—my wallet, my weapons, that sort of thing.
Thankfully, the wallet and weapons were safe and sound.
"Looks like I only lost my phone. I have important stuff on there, so I really need to find it. Yerim said she'd contact me today and told me to keep my phone on me at all times."
Creak.
I was closing the door and stepping into the corridor when it happened. Ari, her hair slightly mussed, came out and met my eyes.
Then she flinched—startled.
"S-Sunbae, good morning! Um—more importantly, how are you feeling? You… pushed yourself pretty hard last night. I went straight to bed, but you seemed to be out and about until quite late."
"Really? Well, the thing is, I have no memory of last night."
"Really? The last time I saw you, you were chugging that liquor Illinoi supposedly made, straight from the PT bottle…. But more importantly, Sunbae. That…."
Shwk—.
Ari's gaze dropped to my hand.
Only now did I notice it myself: there was a ring on my left ring finger. No—more precisely, it was a tattoo shaped like a ring. A band twisted together like a braided cord.
"Uh… what is this? What is this thing?!"
Why on earth was there a ring tattoo on my hand? Ari spoke up soon enough.
"A ring on the left ring finger usually means marriage or a lover, doesn't it? Sunbae. What on earth is going on? What is this? What happened last night while I wasn't looking?!"
"I don't know. What is this? Wait—this thing won't come off."
Shwk-shwk—.
I rubbed at the tattoo on my left ring finger, trying to wipe it away, but it wouldn't budge. Soon Ari, who had grabbed my finger and was turning it this way and that for a closer look, spoke up.
"This is a mana engraving! It's a tattoo done in magical ink, so removing it requires a special mana process! And this is definitely a Couple Mana Engraving! You know, the thing Awakener couples are always posting on social media!"
I'd heard of it too. Tattoos inked into the skin with mana-infused ink. I even knew there'd been a trend where Awakener couples got matching mana engravings instead of rings.
Not that it had ever had anything to do with me.
So why on earth had I gotten one?
"Maybe there's a clue in your pockets or somewhere like that!"
Shwk—.
At Ari's suggestion, I dug through my pockets, grimacing against the hangover throbbing in my skull. Soon there was a jingle—something fell out of my pocket.
It was a key.
"A key to what?"
It had a black plastic grip with 「022」 written on it—a key I'd never seen before. My fingers also found something like a wrapper, a torn shell of packaging.
"Sunbae, what is that? Wait—is that an ul-, ultra-thin?! What is that?! What's going on?! What happened, Sunbae?!"
"…I don't know. What is this? What? What is it?"
I couldn't make heads or tails of any of it. For now, the clues were: the tattoo on my finger, the key marked 「022」, and the ultra-thin wrapper.
"Ahh…! This Coris knows what that key is, is what it is…! It is the key to a thing called a cabinet, which our would-be Kore Jina borrowed in order to safeguard Yuranoi's precious belongings, is what it is…!"
Oh—.
At Coris's words, we all headed for this so-called cabinet.
It was located on the first floor of the Telos Hotel where Cha Yura was staying—a lobby lined row upon row with what looked exactly like coin lockers.
Shwk—.
I walked up to the locker marked 「022」.
"Sunbae! Open it quickly! No—wait, don't open it! I need to prepare myself emotionally! Whoo—."
I had no idea why Ari needed to brace herself to open a locker, but fine.
I slid the key into the lock and turned it—click.
And then I froze in shock.
"Holy crap. What is this?"
Inside the locker was someone's torn-off arm!
An arm painted with red nail polish!
To be exact, it wasn't a real arm—it was a mechanical one sheathed in artificial skin. A mechanical arm clutching a Japanese katana, its blade smeared with blood. With severed wiring and insulation stripped away roughly, it looked exactly like an arm that had been ripped off by force.
"What is this thing? It's a left arm."
"Sunbae! Look at this!"
Shwk—.
Soon Ari pointed at something.
On the mechanical arm's ring finger was a mana engraving—identical to the one on my left hand. A braided-cord band in the shape of a ring.
"This is… a couple engraving."
Why was a mechanical arm bearing a couple engraving with me sitting in a locker? I couldn't fathom it at all.
One thing was certain, though: this couple engraving would help me piece my memory back together.
Telos Island.
It was a resort, and it had every kind of shop imaginable. Tattoo parlors were no exception.
Ari and I spent the morning until lunchtime making the rounds of the island's tattoo shops, and in the end we found our hint.
"This one. Looks like Yoko's work. I'd say the Onigarasu artist Yoko drew it—she does gorgeous mana engravings."
"Where can we meet her?"
I asked the tattooist. He hummed thoughtfully, then answered.
"Try the underground."
"The underground?"
There was an underground on this island?
"There are rumors, you see—that Telos and Japan's 'Awakener Yakuza' are in bed together. I've heard the yakuza run some kind of business here on the island…."
Ari filled me in.
Apparently an attempt had once been made to build a subway beneath this island before the project was abandoned—so the underground had stations and route maps like a real subway, and the flashing neon signs were spectacular.
Shwk—.
I searched for the sign that read Sharp-Toothed Crow.
It was closed.
"There's probably someone inside."
At Ari's words, I rapped on the door. No response, so I kept knocking—and soon someone flung it open violently.
"Matte, urusai yo. Mō—."
"Are you Yoko? Excuse me, I—"
"Hah? Temee—. No. Wait. You. Yesterday you were amazing."
She was a woman with a piercing in her lip, speaking halting, accented Korean. Purple hair, fingers covered in tattoos.
Soon the woman—Yoko—let out a sly chuckle. Heh heh.
"Where'd that woman from yesterday go? I gave you and her the matching couple engravings, remember. And today you show up with a different girl. So when are you paying? Five hundred thousand yen."
Five hundred thousand yen—that was what, six million won in Korean money? Expensive!
But at least I now had confirmation that I really had gotten a couple engraving with another woman.
"Who was that woman?"
"Dunno. Her face was covered. Just pay up. Throw in two thousand yen for the taxi too. The fare for you two riding all the way out here—I covered it, didn't I?"
I had no choice but to pay, no discounts, by Visa card. Soon the tattooist Yoko chuckled. Heh heh heh.
"I drew a sample on that mechanical arm as practice, you know. Anyway, the money's all settled. Take back the animal you left with me as collateral too. Honey ant, was it? It was so cute it won me over overnight. Good model, too."
━Zzji…!
Yoko held out the honey ant, Ang-angi. Seeing the little Emperor Honey Ant again filled me with relief and embarrassment in equal measure.
Soon Yoko said:
"But you gonna be okay? That arm. It's the Vice-Boss's arm, you know. The yakuza were looking for you yesterday. I told them I didn't know anything. But it's only a matter of time before they find out. Heh heh heh heh. Look—here they come now."
In the distance, I could see a group of men in black suits with swords at their waists closing in on me.
They were young men and women wearing sunglasses, which looked pretty stylish. A mix of civilians and Awakeners, maybe—though their Awakener ranks seemed low, around E or F.
One of them spoke to me in Korean far more fluent than I'd expected.
"You. Don't cause any trouble. Come along quietly. The Elder is asking for you."
"……"
"……"
Ari and I exchanged a glance. It seemed best to do as they said, for now.
I followed the men, who appeared to be Japan's Awakener Yakuza—and found someone seated in a sushi restaurant, fresh seafood swimming in tanks all around, with flaming crimson hair.
"Welcome, come right in…! Welcome indeed…!"
"No. That's you, Illinoi? The Elder of the organization was you?"
"Of course…! This Illinoi was once the boss of the gang 'Fairy Tail'—the Godfather, or rather the God-Nymph, is what it is…! To say that assuming a lofty post among the yakuza is possible in a single night is what it is…! Totally The Last Samurai, is what it is…!"
It was a moment where, in many ways, my tension drained away—while simultaneously leaving me utterly dumbfounded.
Soon Illinoi said:
"First, return the Vice-Boss's arm that was forcibly stolen yesterday, is what it is…! Why on earth did you steal the Vice-Boss's arm, is what I ask…! Making off with a yakuza's mechanical arm is totally illegal conduct, is what it is…! If this Illinoi hadn't stopped you, you might have lawyer-called the whole firm by now, is what it is…!"
"Uh, right. I'm sorry. It wasn't on purpose, I swear. This is it, right? I'll return it. Um, a tattoo did get engraved on the ring finger, though…. They said it can be removed if I want."
Shwk—.
Feeling indescribably embarrassed and apologetic, I handed back the arm I'd been carrying.
Soon the woman in the suit lit up with delight.
"My—my arm! I really got it back desu-ne! From that terrifying dog-squirrel drunkard, without a single drop of blood! Nymph-san, sugoi desu yo! Arigato!"
"Muh-heh-heh, this Illinoi made a promise, is what it is…! In return, the Master of the House shall now return the Kore Reiko whom he took away in place of leaving this Illinoi behind at the sushi restaurant, is what it is…! Where on earth did you take the Princess of the Japanese branch…?"
Return who?