"…Well, that was interesting."
"I don't know how I felt about that whole experience.."
"Trololol, tell me about it."
Raito and Swiss were just leaving the mysterious building with the crescent moon symbol.
They had just gotten their fortunes read by a beautiful fortune-teller lady and her crystal ball.
"Still, what does it even mean? And what is this Haiku shit all about?"
Swiss was dumbfounded by what he had been told.
['Roads to light are long
The Road to life is longer
It will be your choice.']
"Seriously, what the fuck am I supposed to do with that shit?" Swiss complained.
"At least yours sounds cool. Mine is just.."
['Working in the night
Will bring you nothing worthwhile
So, work with the sun.']
"TROLOLOL! Maybe you should avoid taking any night shifts." Swiss said as they walked out into the night sky.
Raito scratched his head, "I don't know. I don't mind working at night…"
"Work, schmerk! I don't wanna hear about that kinda shit. We're sailing the seas, bro. No need for any talk about 'work'!"
It was at this moment that Swiss was swigging on his sake bottle and not watching where he was going.
He bumped into a small maiden. She dropped something which violently met the street.
*SMASH!*
"!"
Swiss looks down to see a beautiful woman with brown hair and green eyes. At her feet is an ornamental clay egg that's been broken into many pieces.
"The egg! You asshole!" Vivienne Tara glared up at Swiss with ill intentions. The top of her head barely reached his chin.
"You're going to pay for that!" Vivienne Tara waved her fist in the face of Swiss.
"Nani? P-.. Pay? But it was an accident."
"Accident?! Unless you're legally blind, you're paying me for these damages!"
"Eh? Who the fuck do you think you're messing wi-.."
*BANG!* *BOOF!*
"Owww…" Swiss nursed the two big bumps on his head caused by Vivienne Tara's punches.
Kimagure Joka watched on as his willful troupe member disciplined the foolish drunk in a floral island shirt, "Kukuku, I love it when you get feisty, Tara-chan. *"
Raito watched the scene with a stupid-looking confused expression on his face.
He wondered if he should back Swiss up, but after one look at the brash young maiden, he opted to let Swiss fight his own battles.
"You break it, you buy it. Fork up the cash. Now." She ordered Swiss.
"Ehhh? Don't you have insurance for accidents like this? I'm not paying you shit!" Swiss said, determined as ever.
"Is that right?!" Vivienne Tara said as she grabbed Swiss by the ear and dragged him along.
"Owowowow! Wtf, lady!" Swiss groaned as he was dragged along the street.
"If you can't pay, then you're working off the expenses!"
"Nani?! Raito, halp!"
Swiss looked to Raito with puppy dog eyes.
Raito just watched on like it was a scene out of a domestic drama.
It felt like there was a stage between him and Swiss, with Raito sitting firmly in the audience section unable to join.
"Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!" The voice of Swiss faded as he was taken away.
"…" Raito could not believe his eyes.
"…" Kimagure Joka inspected the body of Raito.
The confused expression of the ninja had amused Kimagure Joka.
"We're staying at The Alexandria Hotel. +" He told Raito in an almost seductive voice, "Don't worry, our Tara-chan is actually quite gentle."
"The Alexandria Hotel… Right, thanks." Raito slowly replied, still processing the idiocy of Swiss.
"Kukuku, we're the headliners. You should be able to watch our show every night. So don't worry, your friend won't be going anywhere far. 3"
After saying those words, Kimagure Joka followed in the direction of Vivienne Tara.
Raito watched the back of Kimagure Joka as the pale green-haired man waved Raito goodbye.
'What was that all about?' Raito thought to himself.
Then Raito snapped into work mode; he was now a ninja with a mission.
"I gotta report this to the guys!"
Raito decided to make his way to the fountain to regroup with his companions.
"Owowow! Easy, lady!" Swiss groaned.
"Don't talk to me like I'm some kind of old woman! You look like you're the same age as me!" Vivienne Tara barked, throwing Swiss by the ear to the feet of Hugh Antonio.
"Hmm? What's this? Everything go alright with the egg?" Hugh Antonio asked as he closed his book and placed it on his table.
"About that.. This asshole bumped into me and broke it. I brought him back to work it off." Vivienne Tara told her ringmaster.
"Ho ho? How amusing. I suppose we could use help around the stables and such."
"The stables?! I ain't no stable boy, you mother fuckers-.."
*BOOM!* *POW!*
With two more bumps growing on top of his two older ones, Swiss felt like he was being beaten up by Nami, 'So this is how it felt…' he thought to himself.
"O-okway I-I'm sowwy" Swiss said as he resigned to his fate.
"Good! You can sleep with Gorgeous George in his wagon." Vivienne Tara said, leading Swiss through the troupe's camp outside the Alexandria Hotel.
"Gorgeous George?" Swiss said as he watched Vivienne Tara knock on the doors to a brightly decorated wagon.
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!*
To open a door was a 7-foot monster of a man. He was so muscular that it was like he had muscles on his muscles.
On top of that, his face was like that of a Greek god. Swiss was looking at the perfect specimen of a human.
"Tara-channn." Gorgeous George said in a slow and uneducated manner.
"Eh..?" Swiss muttered.
"George. This, Swiss. He, stay, with you. Okay?" Vivienne Tara spoke clearly and was articulate. It was like she was catering to some kind of disability but in the most polite way possible.
"Ooo, okay. George have new friend." Gorgeous George said before smiling at Swiss.
Vivienne Tara turned to Swiss, "There you go. He's a little simple but he's an amazing guy. Even an asshole like you should be able to get along with him." She said, poking her tongue out at Swiss.
"George will tell you what you have to do. Work hard, stable boy! Stagehand! Shoe shiner!"
Swiss rolled his eyes as he watched the vindictive Vivienne Tara leave him. The insults she hurled did not cease until she was finally gone.
'Sigh..' Swiss let out a big exhale, "What have I got myself into?"
He then faced Gorgeous George, who was looking at him warmly.
"Welcome, Swiss. Nice. To. Meet. You" Gorgeous George stiffly extended his hand.
Swiss glanced at the hand briefly before chuckling and said, "Bah! Fuck the handshake crap. Come here, gimme a hug!"
Gorgeous George and Swiss engaged in a bro-hug. It was done so naturally that the two could not help but feel the instant chemistry.
"Bro…" Swiss uttered.
"Bro.." Gorgeous George poorly imitated.
"…"
"…"
"TROLOLOLOL! Hey, you're a great guy! Come, George. I'll pour you a drink!"
The two sat on soapboxes outside George's wagon and drank themselves into oblivion that night.
It was the first time George ever missed out on doing his daily chores..
Jinzo and Grit were waiting at the fountain with mild concern.
"Those two are late." Grit said, crossing his arms and sitting on the ledge of the fountain.
"Indeed. Ah, here comes Raito."
"Yo." Raito greeted Jinzo and Grit.
"Grit-san, Raito-san. How was your day?" Jinzo asked.
"Not bad. Did some sightseeing. Ran into our old friends. What was his name? Dick-shit?" Grit reported.
"I think it was 'King-Hit', haha," said Raito.
"Those guys? What happened?" Jinzo inquired further.
"I was trying to find a market when I bumped into them. Something tells me that they followed us here."
"What gives you that impression?" Raito asked him.
"Because after I beat them all up, Dick-shit was saying some pathetic dribble like 'I won't rest until you and your friends are all dead!'.."
"Haha, that's funny. Swiss is gonna love that Dick-shit nickname. Where is he, by the way?" Jinzo then wondered.
"Ah, about that…"
Raito told the gang what transpired since this afternoon. His encounter with the man on the narrow road, the fortune-telling, and Swiss running into Vivienne Tara.
"Pfft. Swiss has run away to join the circus." Grit joked.
"…That idiot. Why was he wearing his sunglasses at night?" Jinzo asked the right questions.
"In any case, they told me they were staying at the Alexandria Hotel."
"Good. At least we know where to find him."
Raito could not understand Jinzo's casual reply, "Shouldn't we go rescue him or something?"
"Nah, let him play house with that girl for a couple of days. Meanwhile, I say we enjoy the city and gather information." Jinzo said.
"I don't feel like staying at any of these hotels." Grit asserted.
"Yeah, me neither. I say we sleep on the Jalopy. We're paying docking fees anyway, and it's a nice spot at the end of the main street." Jinzo replied.
"Then it's settled!" Raito clapped his hands with relief. "Oh, how was your day, Jinzo?"
"You're not gonna believe this…"