Chapter 52: An Awkward Relationship
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 52: An Awkward Relationship
The long-awaited weekend was finally here.
As usual, I woke up at 4 AM, went for a light jog, and then had breakfast.
Parents from any other family might have nagged me, saying, "Your exams are just around the corner, aren't you going to study?" but my parents showed no signs of it.
That was because I hadn't lost the top spot in my grade even once since starting high school.
But right now, there was something more important to me than exams.
It was the one phone call I’d been desperately waiting for.
After a quick shower, to kill some time, I did dumbbell curls while reading a manga I'd bought last weekend.
Maybe it was because I was in good condition today, but the stimulation in my muscles felt even better than usual.
About thirty minutes after I started reading, it happened.
~♪
The moment my phone rang, I dropped the manga and dumbbell I was holding and hurriedly answered with both hands.
"Yes, yes, you can just follow the address you put in your GPS. Yes, thank you."
After the call ended, I immediately started cleaning my room.
It was to welcome the esteemed guest who would soon arrive.
I moved the dumbbells and barbell I usually used for warming up into the living room for the time being, then vacuumed up all the dust that had collected in their place.
After that, I opened the window to air out the room and even neatly arranged the manga on my bookshelf, something I didn't usually pay much attention to.
Ding-dong!
Finally, the doorbell rang.
"Yes! Coming!"
I rushed to open the door, and two men wearing caps that read "Kaito Health" looked up at me with slightly dumbfounded expressions.
Then, as if they'd just come to their senses, they pointed to a long box standing next to the door and spoke.
"Uh… where should we install this?"
"This way, please!"
I opened the door wide and guided the two men to my freshly cleaned room.
*
"If you have any problems while using it, please contact us here."
"Yes, thank you."
The two men handed me a business card, picked up their toolbox, and left.
After seeing them off all the way, I closed the front door, came back inside, and clenched both fists, unable to contain my joy.
And for good reason—I had finally completed the home gym I'd only ever dreamed of, using the money I got from Sasha.
My room wasn't very spacious to begin with, but with the addition of a large rack, one entire side was now completely filled with exercise equipment.
But what did that matter? I could now do weighted squats at home!
After moving my old barbell and dumbbells to their new home, I gazed lovingly at the rack installed on one side of my room.
Looking at it made all the trouble I went through during Golden Week feel like nothing.
"Ah, I can't just stand here."
To test out the newly installed rack, I immediately grabbed the pull-up handles.
My shoulder and back muscles tightened.
With a happy heart, I pulled my upper body up.
"Ugh, this is great."
I could feel my muscles rejoicing.
If I had known it was this good, I would have bought it sooner.
It felt like I'd wasted half my life in the gym.
I was in the middle of a date with my new lover when it happened.
~♪
Suddenly, the phone rang again.
What? I'm not expecting any calls.
Thinking maybe the men from earlier had left something behind, I answered the phone right away.
But what I heard from the receiver wasn't the gruff voices of the delivery men, but the cheerful voice of an active high school girl.
[Oh, Ryu-chan. I'm on my way to pick you up. Are you ready?]
"What? What are you talking about?"
[Oh, come on, we made plans the other day. To have a study session at Karen's house.]
"I don't remember agreeing to partici—"
But Rika wasn't finished.
[I'm getting a ride from Sasha, and we're heading to your place now. So if you haven't packed yet, get your stuff ready. Time is gold, you know?]
Click.
Just as I was about to ask if she was one to talk, the line went dead. I stared at the blank screen of my smartphone, dumbfounded.
The way she just said her piece and hung up was a skill of its own.
In any case, considering Rika's ability to push things forward, it seemed my participation in the study session was already a done deal, so I quietly decided to pack my things.
I was planning to work out in the morning and study for my exams in the afternoon anyway, so I figured I might as well help the others study while I was at it.
*
"I'm heading out."
After telling my parents, who were working at our shop, that I was going to a friend's house to study, I grabbed my bag and stepped outside. A car I rarely saw in Japan was parked in front of the store.
It was a black armored truck, the kind you only see in movies.
As I was peering at it, wondering what was going on, the back door of the truck opened, and a familiar face peeked out.
"You're here?"
It was Rika.
I greeted her and, assuming I should get in the back, headed that way, only to freeze in horror.
"Привет."
Sitting next to Sasha and waving was the hulking Russian man, over two meters tall, whom I had fought in the middle of Akihabara just two weeks ago.
He had a bandage wrapped around his head, as if the wounds from last time hadn't fully healed yet.
But Rika, oblivious to the history between us, explained with a cheerful smile.
"This is Boris-san, Sasha's maternal uncle. He can't speak Japanese. But despite how he looks, he seems really nice. He even bought me a cola."
"Oh? Uh, yeah."
Letting Rika's bubbly explanation go in one ear and out the other, I whispered to Sasha, who was already seated.
'What's going on?'
'Boris is my bodyguard. I have to take him with me if I want to go out on my days off.'
If that was the reason, then I guess it couldn't be helped.
As I awkwardly took a seat, Boris knocked on the wall toward the driver's cabin.
Thump! Thump!
The vehicle began to move, silent and smooth.
A strange silence filled the inside of the truck.
Fortunately, Rika, who always acted as the icebreaker in these situations, was the first to speak.
"So, Boris-san, what do you do for a living? You have quite an impressive build."
Sasha glanced at Boris before answering with a fabricated story.
"My uncle works as a bodyguard. He's a former soldier, so he's skilled in VIP protection."
"Heeh, I see."
Rika nodded, looking at Boris with newfound understanding.
"I bet it feels really reassuring to have you around."
Hearing that, Boris stared at Rika for a moment before replying.
"Спасибо."
"Ah, what did Boris-san just say?"
"It's 'thank you' in Russian."
It seemed that even though he didn't know Japanese, he understood the nuance of her words.
Rika grinned like a cat and replied to Boris in the same language.
"Spasibo!"
*
I ended up getting an impromptu Russian lesson in the back of an armored truck, but that came to an end when we arrived at Karen's house.
Clunk!
Opening the bulletproof door and stepping out of the vehicle, the massive samurai residence I had visited once before came into view.
Thankfully, it seemed the driver had found the way without any trouble.
Boris followed us out of the truck, and the black armored vehicle drove off as if nothing had happened.
As we stood at the entrance of the residence looking for the doorbell, we spotted some people coming out from inside and called out to them.
"Excuse me…"
The yakuza, dressed in black suits, jumped back in surprise.
"What the hell! What organization sent you guys?!"
Hey, I wasn't even finished talking.
Just as I was about to try and clear up the misunderstanding, Boris, who was behind me, stepped forward, extending his right arm.
"Давайте поговорим спокойно."
At that, the yakuza became even more alarmed, their hands reaching inside their jackets.
"What? You wanna go?!"
…This scene felt very familiar.
As I waited with a look of resignation for the inevitable misunderstanding to unfold, Rika, who had been watching from the side, suddenly jumped in.
"We're not suspicious people! We're just here to see Karen-chan today!"
Hearing that, the yakuza started murmuring among themselves.
"Come to think of it, I think the young lady mentioned her friends were coming over today."
"Then, are these guys the young lady's friends?"
"Idiot! Where on earth would you find high school students who look like that! Don't fall for it!"
As he said that, he pointed a finger at Boris and me, which was strangely irritating.
Seeing that they still didn't believe her, Rika fumbled with her smartphone as if looking for evidence, then thrust it forward.
"Look! I even have a picture with Karen!"
The men, who had been skeptical, seemed to realize Rika was telling the truth. They flinched in surprise and bowed deeply.
"Our sincerest apologies! We have been rude to the young lady's friends!"
"Please, come right in!"
The yakuza readily opened the path for us.
With the help of one of them, who was bowing and apologizing profusely, we were able to get to the main house where Karen lived with ease.
Goes to show, it pays to have an innocent-looking face.