Chapter 3 The I of Iroha1 is Seajack (Part 1)
After boarding to the ferry, Buntarou healed the fatigue of the day at the large public bath.
Since it is not a short-distance ship transportation, the hull structure is no different from a luxury pa.s.senger ship. There are facility like a restaurant, cafe and so on, and of course guest rooms too.
In addition, as for the public bath located on the fifth floor, we were able to see the scenery outside from the window.
That being said, now is at midnight when the date will change, he can see the stars but not the sea.
Still, the starry sky seen from the sea was wonderful, like a jewelry box.
Buntarou finished the bath, wearing a yukata, and when he was in the middle of returning to the room,
"Oh, even there is a game corner."
He found a game corner on the fourth floor.
It"s a somewhat old-fashioned game corner like in a hot spring town"s hotel.
There is n.o.body playing, a lonely sound is leaking from the game and pac.h.i.n.ko machine.
There was also a UFO catcher.
The prizes are stuffed dolls and minicar in boxes.
The stuffed dolls are variety of cute characters, lined up directed for girls.
As for minicars, there was a lineup for boys such as police cars, fire trucks, dump trucks and so on.
At any rate, it"s a boat trip that takes a whole day.
With this, children will not have time to spare.
"Guess I"ll try it a little."
Buntarou also tried putting a hundred-yen coin as a test.
Not because he is interested in UFO catchers, but because he wanted to give stuffed doll to Eriko.
For various reasons, she has been in a bad mood since boarding.
That"s why he wanted to give a stuffed animal and make her mood better even a little.
And ten minutes later.
"This is pretty difficult...."
Buntarou used up all the coins he brought for juice.
Still, he was able to get only one prize.
The one he got is a dump truck minicar.
Of course, he was aiming for a stuffed doll but, by chance, the arm lifted the minicar box.
This might won"t make Eriko"s mood better, but it"s better than returning empty handed.
And when Buntarou returned to the roomーー.
"Why do I have to sleep with uncle? I can"t believe that we are sharing the room."
Eriko, wearing a yukata, "boo boo" complained while laying a futon on the tatami mat.
Her mood looks very bad.
Various reasons are shared room.
Buntarou point out while laying his futon too.
“Listen, Eriko. The room was arranged in advance by the transportation company "Funkorogashi Transportation" I work for. So basically, I was supposed to sleep alone.”
“Then, you should sleep alone, uncle.”
“That"s right. But at that time, I decided to pay for the addition ferry ticket on my own. Of course, it"s yours.”
"If it"s about money, I"ll return it to you later."
"I"m not talking about money. What I say is, if you buy a ticket just before you leave, there"ll be no other room that available. So, be patient with sharing the room."
"That story, is it true?"
Eriko sits down on the futon and folds her arms.
"Obviously. If you want, you can call the front desk and ask."
“Then, I will endure it. But, if uncle do something strange to me, your head will fly. Just be prepared.”
"I know. I can"t afford to lose my job2."
"That"s not it, what I say is, I"ll cut off uncle"s neck."
"I-I know.... Even I can"t afford to lose my head.... Especially the turtle head...."
Buntarou, felt the horror, moved the futon barely touching the wall.
Eriko"s psycho-voice is precisely a well-sharpened knive.
Cutting the neck may be just a threat, but if cutting d*ck, it won"t be strange.
However, staying hated could cause some problems on the way to k.u.mamoto.
So Buntarou presented the minicar to Eriko.
"What"s this?"
Eriko knit her brows and picks up the gift box.
Buntarou also sit down on the futon, facing her.
"It"s a UFO catcher prize. Though, I was actually trying to get a stuffed doll."
"There"s no way a girl, me, will be pleased with a minicar. To begin with, I"m fifteen years old. There"s no way I"m interested in children"s toys."
Buntarou who hears it, gets up in the mood to blow out the milk he drank.
An outrageous bomb of statement jumped in.
"You were fifteen years old! If you say fifteen, it"s an energetic minor age! An uncle, me, bringing such girl! It won"t end with just rumours of shameful act at the hill at the back of house!"
“Ah, my mistake. It was 21 years old.”
“Is there a fool who mistaken their age for 6 years old at that young age! 21 years old and 15 years old, that"s a gap between ero book and picture book!”
Eriko indifferently made correction.
Buntarou severely pointed to her b.o.o.bs.
If you think carefully, it is a ripen breast like a melon. Such a breast could not have been fifteen years old.
“For now, I don"t need this.”
Eriko throws the gift box around and lies down in the futon.
Apparently, it seems only the decision to sleep in the shared room was made.
Buntarou was also prepared to sleep in the futon, decided to do a small talk for skinship.
“Hey, Eriko. Do you have business in k.u.mamoto?”
“Do I have to say that?”
"Even small talk is not allowed" atmosphere.
As if asked for a riding on the truck was an illusion.
But, Buntarou is an open-minded gentlemen.
He don"t get angry with just this much.
“Wha~t, that"s fine if you don"t want to say it. I"m not a senseless man who likes prying. Then, I"m going to sleep. Good dream, good night."
Buntarou reached out to the wall"s switch and turned off the light.
The moonlight is transparent from the shoji3 that covers the window, faintly projected the interior like a black and white painting.
There is no objection from Eriko even if the lighting is turned off.
Also, there was no good night reply.
She turned her back and wrapped in her futon, soap aroma faintly drifted from her.
The scent that Buntarou"s nose picks up, it"s no different from the ecchi hormone that stimulate his excitement.
Anyway, It"s his first experience sleeping with a woman other than his mother, his heart is saying *badump badump*.
At this rate, Buntarou won"t be able to sleep, but he decided to count alpaca and invite sleepiness.
"One alpaca... two alpaca... three alpaca...."
When he was counting with small voiceーー.
"Hey, uncle."
Eriko suddenly talked to him.
Without turning around, her way of talking is calm like a lull.
Buntarou asks, “What"s wrong?” With his eyes still closed.
“Are you not afraid?”
"Afraid, about what?"
"You might become a victim of truck reincarnation."
It seems that Eriko knows about truck reincarnation.
It shows that it has become a social problem that much.
"Even I"m scared. Because if I run over a person, my life will end."
“Then, why do you drive the truck to k.u.mamoto?”
To such question, Buntarou has an unwavering answer carved in his chest.
"Eriko might also buying item from online shop. We, truck drivers are the one who deliver the product. Not just online shop. Supermarkets, convenience stores, clothing stores, bookstores, everything sold there delivered by the truck all over j.a.pan. Which means, goods circulation is economics main point, an important role directly linked to people"s livelihoods. Even if I am alone, I won"t stop delivering the goods."
The one Buntarou loaded to the truck is white birch log.
It"s not a rare tree in Hokkaido, but there are people who need it in k.u.mamoto.
Besides, the bankruptcy of the company depends greatly on this work.
The life of the President, the accountant Tomoko, and employees is at stake.
Even if the reincarnation applicants who was aiming for truck reincarnation was scary, it was not a job that can be refused.
“Bun-chan sure is a great person.”
“It"s not that amazing. I just wanted to fulfill my duty as a truck driverーー”
Talking so, Buntarou turned over to Eriko.
Just now, I feel like I heard a very lovely sound.
"Eriko, what did you say just now?"
"You"re a great person."
"Not there. What did you say before that?"
"Bu, Bun-chan...."
Eriko shrinked in the futon, bashfully said so with hesitation.
It was not that Buntarou"s ears receive dangerous radio waves.
She, who had stubbornly called him uncle, called him for the first time under the nickname "Bun-chan".
"Kuku.... Bun-chan she said.... Kukuku...."
Buntarou is so happy that emotions come out from his mouth. He desperately blocks it with his hand, but he can"t stop smiling.
Then, Eriko got up from the futon,
“You are the one who told me to call you like that! It"s not something to be laugh at!”
Yelled and threw a pillow at Buntarou"s head.
*Bam* It"s a heavy blow enough to make sound effects.
"St-stop it, Eriko! I didn"t laugh to made fun of you!"
"Then why did you laugh!"
“I was glad to be called by nickname! That"s why I laughed! It"s as if a fart leaking from my mouth!”
“Isn"t that completely make fun of me! How dare you teased me!”
Eriko, with a popped vein, lifted the table with both hands.
In front of her, there is Buntarou, crouching like a turtle.
And then, from a banzai posture, when she tried to swing down the tableーー.
“A message to all pa.s.sengers."
Suddenly, an inboard announcement was announced.
The announcement is a male voice that seems to be an elder.
Buntarou and Eriko suspend their quarrel for the time being, looking up at the ceiling and wait for the announcement to continue.
Now it is already past midnight.
There is no idiot who sings in the ship announcement late at night.
Perhaps, something bad had happened.
“My name is Edward Smith and I"m the captain of the ship. The ship is currently being seajacked. I repeat. The ship is currently being seajacked.""
Buntarou"s anxiety was. .h.i.t the mark.
Oh, this ferry has been seajacked by someone.
He haven"t disembarked yet, nor have he drive the truck.
From that "i of iroha", a climax-cla.s.s major incident occurred as soon as possible.
Buntarou, for now, turn on the room"s light and listen to the continuation of the announcement.
Eriko tightens the yukata obi in preparation for a difficult situation.
“The number of criminals is one. That person stands in the truck deckーー which means, in a place where large vehicles, truck and so on are loaded, threatening to light the fuel tank of the vehicle. Furthermore, the criminal issued a statements. I"m going to read it as it is now."
It seems that reading the crime statement is an instruction from the criminal.
Now is an emergency related to the lives of pa.s.sengers.
Therefore, the captain will be following the instructions of the criminal.
Then, the captain reads out the criminal statement with a painful voice.
“My name is Takeshi -dao. The reason why I seajacked is, because I have a grudge to a truck driver riding on this ship -dao. I was about to do a truck reincarnation, but that driver disturbed it -dao. So I demand it -dao. For the said truck driver, come here right now -dao. Then, run over me with a truck -dao. If you decline my request, I will ignite the truck"s fuel tank and blast this ship into small pieces.”
The above is the crime statement read out by the captain.
Buntarou felt as if he hit a lottery, has an idea who the person was.
The criminal is that bald fatty who slept under the truck.
Rather, the two letters “Dao” tells everything.
It seems that fatty is devoted to truck reincarnation.
However, this became a problem.
If he do it as requested, he must run over the criminal with a truck.
Even it is an emergency that affects the lives of pa.s.sengers, getting scolded by police is unavoidable.
Furthermore, he will suffered mental damage and will never be able to grasp the handle again.
However, if the request is not followed, the criminal will light the fuel tank.
If that happens, a large-scale fire on ferry is unavoidable.
The truck deck is probably loaded with more than hundred large cars, the fire sure will be spreading quckly.
The ship might won"t be shattered to piece, but the sacrifice of life was immeasurable.
That tremendous heavy choices is left to his hand.
"Kuh... what should I do.... How can I save this ship.... Or rather, why is a truck driver, me, visited by pinch like this on the sea...."
There"s no way he had antic.i.p.ated this development.
Anyway, this is on the sea.
Ordinarily, the word "to"4 of truck reincarnation won"t come out.
However, it is a double combo of truck reincarnation and seajack.
It is not the level that can be managed by a mere truck driver.
Buntarou was struck by severe distress, and struck a fist against the wall as if leaning his body.
Thenーー.
“Bun-chan, I have a good idea.”
Eriko, as if saying "leave it to me!", put her hand on Buntarou"s shoulder.
Then, she closed one of her eye and thrusted her right hand"s thumb.
1 I"ll leave it as it is. The word iroha (イロハ, often in katakana) itself can mean "the basics" in j.a.panese, comparable to the term "the ABCs" in English. Similarly, iroha no i (イロハのイ) means "the most basic element of all". I no ichiban (いの一番, "number one of i") means "the very first". ↩ 2 (首が飛ぶ) it can means lose one"s job↩ 3 ōji↩ 4 7th in a sequence denoted by the iroha system↩