Chapter 108
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Village Ajummas' Gossip
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The old ladies either didn't notice me at all or hadn't spotted me yet as they sat on the bench at the bus stop, gossiping away about me with a mix of backbiting and chit-chat.
They probably couldn't see me because I was hidden behind the wooden partition at the bus stop.
Curious to hear what they were saying about me, I held my breath and eavesdropped on the old ladies' conversation.
"That outsider who came from Tokyo... he's still holed up at that Nakano woman's place, carrying on like a wild man, isn't he?"
"That's what it looks like. Goodness, these are the end times, I tell you. Three young women and one guy going at it like that... this isn't the Jomon period or the Heian era anymore."
"And get this— I ran into that Nakano woman the other day, and she told me to call her Fuji from now on."
"Well, would you look at that. She's really let loose now. That poor dead old Nakano must be rolling in his grave. Here he was, an old timer who finally snagged a young wife late in life, and she can't even stay faithful—instead, she's head over heels for some young stud, giving him everything she's got."
"We shouldn't speak ill of the dead like that when it comes to old Nakano—may he rest in peace. But come on, a guy on his last legs dragging a decent young woman to this backwater village out of sheer lust? He should've been scouting gravesites and cremation spots instead. What was he thinking, buying himself a young bride like that? Tsk tsk. No wonder none of his city kids from Tokyo bothered showing up when he kicked the bucket. Karma's a bitch."
"But hey, does that mean the Nakano family fortune goes to that Tokyo playboy now?"
"Even if that Tokyo guy doesn't take it, the baby in Fuji's belly will, won't it? Those girls freeloading at the house, all rubbing their lower bellies and taking it easy... looks like all three are knocked up."
"Lord have mercy, end times indeed... But speaking of that young guy from Tokyo. They say he's really packing down there, huh?"
"Don't even get me started. He's like a beast unleashed. I spied on him from afar once, and now I get why those young girls are dropping like flies... If I'd been thirty years younger, I'd have jumped him myself. He's incredible in the sack too. Are all Tokyo men like that?"
"Oh my, sister. What kind of talk is that? So shameless... But is he really that good?"
"You bet. You should sneak a peek from a distance sometime when you get the chance. Those two sometimes do it right out in the Nakano yard and garden—oh lord, so shamelessly in the open, going at it all night long... Watching them, I just... ugh, don't ask. His thing is massive, and his stamina... it's inhuman. Looked like a hundred, no, a thousand times better than my old man's. Made me feel hot just watching."
"And it's not just the yard and garden. I caught them by the stream and in the woods last time."
"Goodness gracious. These young folks nowadays..."
"Tsk tsk, sister, but back in our day, when we were young, we snuck off to streams and woods ourselves, didn't we? I've seen you and your husband at streams, woods, even caves... Every time I tried dragging my man out there, you'd beat us to the spot."
"What are you on about, dredging up ancient history like that? So improper... Well, true, we were all hot-blooded in our youth. During village festivals, we'd eye-fight over the best spots in the woods... My husband was pretty decent back then too. How'd he turn into this balding, pot-bellied farter who scratches his crotch all day and runs scared when I suggest a little bedroom fun?"
Their chatter had shifted from me to complaining about their husbands before I knew it.
"My old man can't even get it up anymore, but he's all bent out of shape about that Nakano woman hooking up with the young Tokyo guy. Moaning and groaning in jealousy. It's ridiculous... Made me so mad, I half wanted to join those young folks in their fun."
'Old lady, if you came at me suggesting sex, I'd shoot you on sight.'
"My husband was eyeing those three girls too, I bet. Men, honestly... Got a family and still can't keep their eyes to themselves. Anyway, seems like he gave up once they became that other guy's women. Good riddance. All the old men in the village are cowed now—can't compete with that young, hung, tireless Tokyo stud. Tsk tsk."
"Mine was jealous too, but honestly, I'm grateful to that young Tokyo rake in a way. Snagged all three young village girls for himself—thanks for that."
"Same here. He's pounding them good."
"Watch it, sister. The village chief's house, Fujiwara inn folks inside and out—they hear you saying that, we're in trouble."
"Village Chief Miura's been pacing in a panic since Kyoka ran off to the Nakano place to shack up and fool around with the Tokyo guy—high blood pressure drop and all. Heard he collapsed again when he got wind she was pregnant."
"Yeah, can't even get out of bed now, they say. Took a real shock. But that sly little Kyoka hasn't gone home once, even with her dad like that. Wonder if the Tokyo guy's keeping her from going..."
"Nah. Kyoka's always been city-crazy, Tokyo this, urban that. She's got that naughty streak too, real into the dirty stuff. She's so smitten with the Tokyo hunk, she can't even see her own dad anymore."
"Could be she knows her dad's temper. I saw Mr. Miura out walking at night—moving fine, enjoying his stroll. He finger-zipped me to keep it secret. Poor guy. Probably faking it to lure Kyoka home if she shows. Thinks she won't fall for his tricks? That's why she stays away. I even bumped into Kyoka that night—she saw her dad out walking too."
"Ah, so that's it. Father and daughter playing clever games, huh? Looks like Kyoka won. Village Chief Miura dancing in the palm of her hand."
The old ladies kept yapping like they had motors in their mouths, dishing on every little village happening.
They even touched on the real reason Hikari got ostracized... and now that she had a new man, maybe they should patch things up? Sounded like what Kyoka told me last time was spot on.
'Women and their jealousy—it's unreal. Hikari got shunned in this rural village not because her husband died... but because the local wives feared their own men straying to a pretty young widow with cash from inheritance. So they hyped up rumors calling her a husband-killer or jinxed, treating her like a cursed outcast to keep her at bay. Otherwise, their husbands might eye the young, rich, beautiful Hikari.'
Their gossip quickly jumped to another topic.
This time, it was the neighborhood supermarket and stationery store I'd cleaned out.
"That Tsukiyama couple who ran the supermarket. They really did a midnight flit, huh? Nothing seemed off right up to the day before they vanished..."
"Sister, you still trusting that crooked old pair? The village is in an uproar over it—can't even keep proper tabs on those young girls and the Tokyo guy fooling around. Ugh, what about my money... my hard-earned cash... They planned it, cleared out everything, not leaving a stick of furniture or scrap behind!"
"How much did you stash with them to make such a fuss? I told you, even if it's a hassle, take it to the bank in town. Or like me, get a personal safe."
"Aigoo... I'm seeing black. You're the odd one out, sister—everyone in the village left their money there. Aigoo..."
From what I gathered listening, the villagers believed the supermarket owner I'd killed had done a runner.
'Kukukuku, so that's how it plays out? I killed them, and their stuff's in my Subspace Storage.'
"All the furniture and goods gone overnight like that—no way they prepped it in a day or two."
"Maybe some bad circumstances forced the midnight flit?"
"Come to think of it, that Tsukiyama husband, Fuyama... didn't he have a gambling habit back in his youth? Probably racked up huge debts and bolted without paying."
"Yeah, must be it."
"I never liked the guy from the start."
"Me neither. Truth is, Fumiko did all the work while that bum Fuyama played house husband for decades, just leeching off the store. Fumiko got shafted again—remember she said they forced her into a shotgun wedding after he deflowered her?"
"You're right. You're right."
"Aigoo, but more importantly, what about my money? You sisters didn't leave any with them, did you?"
Roughly speaking, it seemed the local supermarket and stationery store doubled as the village's basic bank or safe deposit.
'No wonder... When I was grabbing the furniture, there was that pretty big safe half-hidden. Too lazy to crack it then, but sounds like it was stuffed with cash...? Should I use a bomb from Battlegrounds 2 to blow it open?'