Chapter 3
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 002
Chapter Title: Slop Bucket
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As soon as the door closed, the air in the room shifted.
The stench of booze and sour sweat thickened,
and the man sat down on the chair.
Mid-thirties.
A slight paunch, thick knuckles on his fingers.
A laborer, or a low-rung mercenary living hand to mouth.
Or maybe a vagrant who'd gotten lucky with a few coins.
Most folks who came to a place like this were the same.
"Let's make it quick and cheap."
Fast.
No interest in atmosphere.
"How much..."
"1 silver."
Instant answer.
Rinea smiled.
Or rather, made a smiling face.
"That's a bit tricky."
"No legs anyway. Half price it is."
No malice. Just stating facts.
Rinea said,
"Hey, I'm pretty, aren't I?"
"What?"
"Am I not?"
The man's eyes scanned Rinea.
Up and down, very briefly.
Her clothes were worn but neat,
her skin not rough.
No heavy makeup like the local whores,
and less of that cheap perfume stink.
More than anything—
even sitting here,
she didn't seem to belong in this alley.
The man didn't like that, but he couldn't deny it.
"Hands work fine, hole's good and tight. Plenty of experience too."
She softened the end of her sentence.
A way to leave no room for escape.
"And......"
Rinea leaned her upper body forward just a touch.
"If you leave now, not many girls available at this hour..."
Only then did the man look around.
Wall. Bed. Door.
And the noises from outside.
[Haa... Ahh! Aah!!]
[Heuk, lift that ass higher! Bitch...!]
Reality seeped in.
"...Tch, no choice then."
The moment the man reached into his pocket,
"3 silver."
The man's eyebrow twitched as he counted the coins.
"...What?"
"3 silver... and I'll let you go twice."
"No need, once is..."
"Back hole's cleaned out nice."
The man chewed his lip.
Time passed.
He finally nodded.
"......Damn, good at this."
Rinea held out her hand without a word.
The clink of coins dropping.
Lucky day again.
Dawn.
Unlike the heated moans echoing from the second floor,
the first floor was quiet.
Master sat behind the counter.
Ledger open, pen scratching away.
I hopped up onto the counter in front of him.
"Hey, old man."
Master's gaze dropped down.
"No thoughts on remarrying?"
The pen stopped.
"......Go to bed."
"Bed? So I can watch you bang Rinea?"
Master sighed.
"...If you're gonna stay, stay quiet. No bullshit."
"Not bullshit. I'm serious."
He stared at me through his glasses.
Less disbelief, more like looking at a lunatic.
"Old man, you're well-off compared to folks in this alley.
Still banging your hand every night. Breaks my heart."
"Kid with baby teeth worrying about my bed life?"
What do baby teeth have to do with it.
I reached into the basket on the counter,
grabbed a toothpick, and chewed on it.
"Worried, man to man."
"Hm, a brat still sucking milk calling himself a man?"
Ah, so baby teeth meant that milk, huh?
Glasses geek's got some bite.
"No good woman around anyway,
and the pimp won't touch his own whores? Dick not itching?"
"...Who said pimp."
"All the upstairs rooms are whores."
Master shut his mouth.
"Or maybe... already have?"
I wiggled a finger, giggling.
Master didn't respond this time either.
Man's drier than a desert.
"Anyway... remarriage. Thoughts?"
"None."
"How about Rinea?"
Only then did Master close the ledger
and look straight at me.
"You heard?"
"Overheard."
"......Act your age."
Master's voice dropped low.
"To act my age, need a room, right?"
"...So you want me to keep watching her?"
"What? Who asked for that."
I spat out the toothpick.
"Third time asking. Remarriage?"
"Said no."
"Why? Not into amputees?"
Bang!
"Whoa, scared me."
"...Watch your mouth, Leon."
Why smash a perfectly fine shelf.
Gonna piss myself in fear.
"Who badmouthed the old man? Why so sensitive?"
"......Your mother?"
Master roughly adjusted his glasses.
"How Rinea raised you, you little..."
"Sheesh, you'd think we were family."
I leaned forward,
elbow on the counter, propping my chin with a small hand.
"Getting mad over someone else's kid and mom like a gullible idiot,
why kick me out now?"
"......"
Master's brow furrowed.
"......I've overlooked a lot already."
"I know, so why now."
"You think this is a monastery?"
Obviously not a pious face.
Not a charity either.
I shrugged.
"There's a reason, right? Need to kick me out."
Silence.
Master didn't answer.
"Fuck, who am I talking to?"
"...Need money now."
"Why, kill someone?"
"Not your business, kid."
Sucks not having pubes yet.
"Sigh, fine. Anyway...
No other reason to evict besides money? Pay up and good?"
"......Yeah."
Master didn't explain at length.
Just money. Needs money.
That was it.
So...
"......Anyway,"
I shifted my butt, fixing my posture.
"Dead serious here. Kid to adult."
"...What."
Master's eyes changed.
Not just a cheeky brat anymore,
more like a real idiot.
"Lend me some money."
"Fuckin' cheap glasses asshole."
Long story short, failed.
Kicked a rock in anger.
Sploosh—
Straight into the stinking sewer stream.
Watching the ripples in the filthy water,
I rattled the coins in my pocket, mind troubled.
[Crazy fuck. Get lost.]
[Why not, think of it as investment.]
[What the hell am I investing in with you.]
I'd clearly pitched the best investment strategy.
[All odds have patterns.]
[See, even-odd-even. Odd-even-odd. Odd-odd... Next obviously,]
[Spouting fresh bullshit.]
Lack of persuasion,
ended up looking like a gambling addict in training.
Seed money secured: failed.
Clink—
These coins weren't from that stingy bastard.
Last night's pay from Rinea's work, 1 silver of it.
Change left after buying today's food.
What if they were shiny gold instead of dull shit-brown.
Such useless thoughts as I stopped at the shabby tent.
"Hey, Granny."
"Ugh... What, huh? Brat?"
This roadside tent reeking of quackery
was the area's only apothecary and clinic.
Selling bottom-shelf meds like Granny herself,
so I patronize often.
"What's up?"
"Aphrodisiac. One that perks up an old fart's dick."
"Tsk tsk... Your little worm won't stand 'cause you're still a baby, right?"
Granny puffed her pipe, glancing sideways.
Where's she looking.
Senile old hag.
"So, got it? Or not?"
"Nope. Nothing like that."
"Shame. Then... second best,"
I dumped coins into Granny's hand,
"Ointment."
"...Ointment?"
"For tears. Pain relief better."
Granny's eyes narrowed.
Scanned my state,
"For your mom?"
"You know, hand over the best fast."
"Best? Dream on with this, you rude shit."
Granny tossed a lidless small jar from the shelf corner.
Green sticky goo. Nose-stinging cheap herb salve just from the smell.
"Damn Granny, rat-dick amount."
"Better than cum, ain't it."
"Gonna get rich scamming kids like me."
Granny ignored me,
deep drag and exhale on the pipe.
"Stings a bit. But swelling down by tomorrow."
"Use before tomorrow?"
"...Rips and swells again."
"Crystal clear."
I pocketed the ointment silently.
Creeak. Old hinges screamed.
Room was dark.
Filthy cloth blocking the window as a curtain,
"......"
Rinea's room. Also her workplace.
Kept dark on purpose. Simple reason.
Work nights, sleep days.
Though her short stump makes full work tough.
"......Back."
Voice cracked.
Blond hair matted to cheek with cold sweat.
Closer, gut-turning smell hit.
Blood, rotting flesh.
......Blood? Rotting?
Again?
Looks like,
not just hole, other spot torn too.
"Hmm, disinfect too maybe?"
I sat by the bed silently.
Pulled the cheap jar from pocket, tossed it.
"Put it on."
"......What's this."
"Can't tell? Medicine."
Rinea's eyes widened.
She picked up the jar with trembling hand,
then eyed my pocket.
"Leon... the change."
"All spent."
"All?"
Rinea tried sitting up,
winced in pain, face twisting.
But her scolding glare was sharp.
"Crazy? How much...!"
"12 copper."
"That's... how many loaves? Breakfast, lunch what..."
"Starve."
I cut her off.
"Skip a meal won't kill. But that rots if left."
"Still, should've asked! I...!"
"Then don't use it."
I snatched the jar from her hand.
"Leave it. Rot and burst and die."
Silence filled the room.
Rinea bit her lip.
Eyes welled glaring at me, but no tears.
Promised no crying in front of me.
"......Give it."
Finally, Rinea held out her hand.
I handed it back, pretending reluctance.
"No. Should I apply it?"
"...What're you saying......"
"Then slather it thick. Use it all. Legs too."
Rinea slipped hand under blanket.
Rustling.
Opened lid, pungent herb smell filled room.
"Ugh..."
Groan leaked. Stings like Granny said.
Better than rotting.
I leaned against bed head.
Reincarnate or not,
thick skull in old life too, only skill was jerking off.
No modern medicine knowledge.
Knew about Rinea's missing legs since day one cry.
Shit happens.
Problem now at age 5.
Still festers and bursts sometimes, rotten smell.
In this world,
poor stitching or no disinfect probably.
Wonder sometimes.
Leave it, will she die?
Even if baby teeth can't do shit,
keep rotting, won't it all decay away?
Problem.
At least till my body's bigger,
need Rinea hustling hard.
"Ah, right."
Brought damp rag,
wiped sour sweat from body.
"Leon."
"What."
"......Thanks."
Crawling voice.
I snorted.
"...Words only?"
"......Earn lots, buy tasty stuff."
"Pfft, as if you'll earn much."
I crossed arms, looked up at ceiling.
Stains like a map.
No money. Pockets empty.
Will Rinea take clients today? Unknown.
Don't earn extra, out on street soon.
Fuck this shitty life.
Novels from past life,
scam skills snag all girls.
Rinea poked dazed me.
"Um... Leon."
"Yeah?"
"Mom... um,"
Rinea said in crawling voice.
Less pain,
I looked down.
Saw her clutching blanket hem, fidgeting.
"Ah, that."
I stood,
grabbed chamber pot in corner.
Dirty wooden bucket, but call it pot.
No metal portable toilet here.
Set by bed,
"Be back soon."
"Yeah... careful......"
Didn't hear end, closed door with creak.
Come to think, not chamber pot exactly.
Name was...
Ah, right.
Slop Bucket.