ASAHI NO NISHISEI - Rising Sun Goes West (1)

The Stakes are Your Heart

"Ah, there it is!!"

Nitta is so shocked that he lets loose a slightly distracted line. He was so thrilled to have finally found the lost and found that he had been searching for, he was on the verge of tears.

'The contents are safe... I'm relieved...'

He opened the bag and found his wallet and passport intact. As expected, the driver's license, various cards, and banknotes were intact. The gold and silver coins that would fund the delegation were originally managed by Shimon and Endo, so there was no need to worry about this.

"..."

After confirming that the contents are safe, he called outs to the store owner, who appears to be sleeping beside his merchandise.

"Hey, owner!"

"I'm awake..."

The owner of the stall said he was awake, but his voice sounded as if he had just woken up from sleep. Nitta told him his requirements in a straightforward manner.

"I'm sorry, sir, but this is something that was stolen from me last night. Can you give it back to me?"

Nitta told the stall owner the facts as they are. The owner replies after a short pause.

"Hell no... this is an auction item. If you want it, write down the price. If no one comes along with a higher price by evening, you win."

The owner pointed to the bag Nitta was holding in his hand. His bag, which was being displayed as a commodity, had a white piece of paper attached to it. On it, numbers were written in Juperian characters. Looking around, he saw similar white paper on every item at every stall. The stalls in this Loam District are in the form of an 'auction market'. Customers write pieces on blank white price tags, and the items are sold off to the customer with the highest bid within a specified time. Two customers had already written the piece on Nitta's bag.

"The evening... that means our departure from here will be six hours later than scheduled!"

Shimon is astonished. She could not afford to be stranded in such a place for a long time as she was in a hurry to get on her way.

"This is stolen property! Please, please give it back!"

Nitta pleaded for the bag to be returned somehow. Whether or not his plea was conveyed, the owner made another proposal.

"...If you insist, negotiate directly with seller."

"The seller?"

"Yeah, he's in here, the guy sitting at the far end, his name is Rourke."

The owner then pointed to the door of the building behind the stall.

"If the seller says it's okay, I can take it home?"

"Yeah, I don't mind..."

The owner of the stall nodded in agreement with Nitta's reminder. At the owner's prompting, Nitta, Shimon, Nomura, Capilla, and Nina entered the building. They did not notice that the owner of the stall, who was watching them, had a smirk on his face.

Inside the building

Inside, which was dimly lit even in the morning, there were about five tables in a row. There was no sign, but it was probably a restaurant. Five shady-looking men were sitting at each of the tables, but the 5, including Nitta, followed the stall owner's words and went to the man sitting at the far end of the table. He spoke to him.

"Are you Rourke who stole my bag?"

Nitta spoke to the young man puffing on a cigarette. But he gave no answer.