3

“...... A crucifix? That’s awfully avant-garde,” said Semigasawa Suguru, who seemed to be amused by the whole ordeal.

“Haaa……” Kageyama gave a vague nod as he wiped sweat from his forehead.

The break room at MCE’s main office, and the area around it, was a place a great deal of people from each and every one of MCE’s many sections used as a sort of common room for quick meetings and talks.

“That girl – what was her name again? Rei-chan? She sounds awfully determined, though, maybe determined isn’t the word for it. It’s more like she’s soaring above us, head in the clouds. Huhuhue.”

Semigasawa is a designer who, at the moment, is consulting on how to move forward with the ice cream division’s new image. Naturally, he’s a fairly mature man; though, he tends to speak like a woman. Of course, despite being considered effeminate, his more masculine traits prevented him from putting on makeup like Tosuke. There weren’t any stories floating around about him hitting on guys, and yet he was still single. Maybe he’s just a narcissist.

“Well, do you think they’ll be able to pull it off?” Kageyama found it easy to talk to him. He may have been strange, but, compared to people like Tosuke and Rei, at least he had some common sense.

“Well, common sense tells me that it’s a little too reckless.”

“Yeah, I figured.” Kageyama sighed. “But she’s demanding that we go along with her condition. She won’t work with us otherwise.”

“I assume you can’t just drop her and move on, right?”

“Yeah, Director Tosuke ended up taking quite a like to her. He keeps saying she’s irreplaceable, an indispensable resource, and so on… but even he can’t handle her. Man, where the hell did he even find her anyway…?”

“Must be tough. Ever regret being hired onto this job?”

“It’s a little late for me to say that.”

“Think it’ll be that easy? I mean, it won’t go over very well if we only draw in a few people, right?”

“At any rate, you have to do something to start bringing people in to buy something. How about you start coming up to customers that are keeping their distance from the shop from behind and scare the daylights out of them?”

“The hell? We’re not a haunted house.” Kageyama wrinkled his face at Semigasawa’s lame joke while Semigasawa laughed.

“Yeah, a haunted house, exactly!” He said.

* * * * *

…...And with that, the amusement enterprise of one Kigawa Tosuke started to take shape.

Of course, from what I heard, Teratsuki Kyouichirou – the guy who payed for it all the moment he heard about it – just smiled and said “good work” like he always did. Gotta hand it to him though -- that bastard does do some “good work” every so often.

The shop was just getting its foot out the door, so they had to start by doing business out of failing supermarkets and department stores, and, well, it was no surprise when passersby just laughed at it. “What’s that supposed to be? It’s so dumb.” Barely anyone came to the shop at all. Kusunoki Rei had adjusted the price of the ice cream extensively; though, it was still more expensive than most other shops, and that didn’t exactly make people want to come in and try the stuff...

And so…… there was nothing they could do but wait for some screwball to turn up and give it a taste on some sort of whim. Then, just as the shop struggled to find its footing…

* * * * *

“Ah! Over here, Miyashita.”

A seventeen-year-old Takeda Keiji stopped in front of the ice cream stand.

“What’s with all the decorations?”

At his side was a sixteen-year-old Miyashita Touka, who was poking at the cutesy little ghosts on the storefront. As she did, they bounced back and forth on the piano wire they hung from.

“It’s so weird.”

“………”

The girl wondered what she was even doing there. Barely anyone even comes by to begin with. I mean, look at this couple. They seem like they have a pretty good thing going on. Why didn’t she have a boyfriend?

Though, at second glance, she could tell that the two of them weren’t exactly clinging to each other.

“So, this place was designed by a guy I know named Semigasawa. He works for MCE. You know, that big company that’s on TV sometimes?”

“Never heard of it.”

“O-oh, really? Well, I’ve been trying to keep an eye on his work. No harm in doing that. Well, that’s what my sempai keeps telling me anyway.”

“It’s nice to hear that your job’s going so well sempai, but you’re in your third year already. What about exams? Are you really not going to college?”

“…… No, I… Well, I’ve been thinking about a lot of things lately.”

“Hmph.”

The girl behind the counter got the feeling that their conversations tended to turn to squabbles. Serves you right. Life’s not so easy, is it? she thought, and that thought made her feel just a bit better.

“Anyway, why don’t we get something?”

“I don’t know. It’s pretty expensive.”

“Don’t worry, it’s my treat. I just got paid recently anyway.”

“……Well good for you then.”

“……Miyashita, are you mad at me?”

“Not really.”

Since the two of them were finally interested in actually buying something, the girl behind the counter put on a nice, refreshing smile, then, in one breath, she greeted the couple like she’d just read a line out of a manual.

“Hello and welcome! Is there anything that I could get for you today?”

“See anything you like?”

“I don’t even know what most of this stuff is. Well…… I guess I’ll have the mint chocolate chip then.”

The girl behind the counter found herself impressed with the other girl’s choice. Unprompted, she had chosen the mint-chip ice cream, which was well regarded by the few customers they did get. In fact, it was one of shop’s featured items; though, they had yet to sell any of their most recent batch.

“Alright, I’ll take some frozen yogurt then.”

“What size would you like? Medium?”

“Sure”

“Will that be in a cone, or a cup?”

“Cone.”

“Alright, here you go. Thank you and enjoy!” The girl handed each of their respective orders to the couple.

Go ahead, be amazed… she thought as the two took their orders.

They both innocently tasted their ice cream, and suddenly found themselves at a loss for words.

“W-what is this?” The boyfriend was absolutely dumbfounded. This stuff’s incredible!”

“… Yeah, it really is. What’s in this?” The girl was just as surprised.

In her mind, the girl tending the shop stuck out her chest and chuckled. Of course their ice cream was delicious. The shop’s customer base may be small for now, but they’ll definitely be the talk of the town one day.

After a third order, the couple found themselves happily laughing and eating together, and the girl behind the counter didn’t seem to mind one bit. On the contrary, she was actually pleased to see the two of them getting along so well, despite things looking kind of strained earlier.”

The two teens headed back home smiling, and the shop was devoid of customers once more.

“Haa…” The girl breathed a small sigh and hung her head.

When she looked up, she saw the girl had stopped mid-stride and was looking back towards the shop.

It startled her.

It shouldn’t have, there was nothing to really be surprised by in particular, but the look the girl had in her eyes was strange… It felt sharp, like she was looking right through her.

“— delicious indeed, but… mayhap it reaches a bit too far into the depths of the heart……” She muttered. The voice clearly came from the girl, and yet it sounded like it was coming from a completely different person. Actually, it didn’t even sound like it was coming from a girl at all. If she didn’t say that, then what did? It was something this girl would never understand. It was an unidentified voice. Yes, like that of a real monster.

W-wha, what the hell……?

The girl glared back at the shop. It was like she was locked in a mortal struggle, ready to kill at a moment’s notice.

What the hell….?!

If she kept doing that for much longer, the girl would probably end up screaming as loud as she could. Though, the whole situation only lasted a few moments at best.

“Hm, Something wrong?” The boyfriend looked over to his girlfriend, and she responded,

“Nah, not really” In her original voice. Then, she turned back towards where she was going, and the two walked away.  

Rumors of the shop began spreading thanks to some other people trying the ice cream on a whim, much like that couple did before. As others steadily came to the shop to “give it a shot,” and in no small part thanks to the overwhelming quality of its product compared to the competition, Kigawa Tosuke’s ice cream found itself acquiring one endorsement after another.

“Man, word of mouth is really making it take off.”

Teratsuki Kyouichirou nodded with content at Kageyama’s report. “I’m not surprised; it’s flavor’s really something. Either way, seems everything’s keeping on track.”

“Semigasawa’s designs have helped as well. Now that the public is used to them, they seem to have taken on a popularity of their own. Honestly, I was really worried before, but now…”

“Is it the blessings of that talented young woman perhaps? How is Tosuke getting along with her? Their rivalry isn’t making them butt heads or anything, is it?”

“No, not really. They get along so well, you’d think they were twins. Though, it might be because they only really care about making sweets. They’re a lot alike, those two.”

“I see……” Teratsuki smiled wryly. “Well, it’s sweet that they’re getting along well. It’s not as if it’s going to last. After all, its…” Teratsuki started to say something, but he cut himself off partway through.

“Huh?”

“……It’s nothing. This all makes me want to meet up with them.”

“S-sure. Should I find somewhere to meet up?”

“No, I’ll just head over there.”

“Huh? Ah, b-but sir—”

“After all, I sincerely doubt I’m going to hinder them just by being there, right?” Teratsuki laughed, and Kageyama couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

* * * * *

* * * * *

“So, what, am I supposed to only use colorful toppings? That’s stupid!” Tosuke raised his voice to a near shout.

Conversely, Semigasawa remained calm, and said, “I understand what you’re saying, but how our customers view the shop is quite important, and how the product looks is a key part of that.”

In the company’s development kitchen, Semigasawa, the shop’s coordinator, and Tosuke were arguing over a difference in opinion. To their side was Kusunoki Rei, who “couldn’t care less about picking a side.” As a result, she remained a bystander in this situation.

“But the colors should fit with the picture you get when you taste it!”

“Our customers are looking for a surprise too. Staging that surprise is important.”

Neither of them were giving up any ground.

Meanwhile, Rei was mixing together ingredients in a bowl to make some test batches of ice cream. As she worked next to the ongoing argument, she’d mumble comments to herself like, “It’s a bit strong……” as she tasted each one.

And in this turmoil, Kageyama entered accompanied by Teratsuki Kyouichirou.

“H-hey, you guys.” Kageyama timidly raised his voice, but not a single person in the room heard him. “Hey, uhhh—”

Despite his desperation, Kageyama had no leverage over the room.

At around the time Kageyama had started trembling, Teratsuki announced, “My, this is quite the party,” with a laugh. As he did, everyone else turned their heads towards him in surprise.

“—Ah! Kyouichirou?” Tosuke said, letting his tone fall to a more normal level.

“President! You didn’t you tell me you were coming!” Naturally, Semigasawa was unable to hide his surprise.

“Don’t worry, I heard everything was going well, so I stopped by to see it for myself.” Teratsuki replied, looking around the room. His face was relatively expressionless, but there was a sternness to his gaze that would make anyone uncomfortable. Anyone except Tosuke, that is. “Hey there, Kusunoki. This is the first time we’ve met, isn’t it?”

After Teratsuki introduced himself, Rei gave a vague nod and a “…hello.” Despite her tendency to do as she pleases, even she knew how to act around Teratsuki Kyouichirou. Though, what she said next was much more in character.         

“You're actually pretty handsome, huh? Guess all the pictures I see of you aren't fake after all.”

Semigasawa sputtered as his mind failed to stop him in time, Kageyama’s face went pale, but Teratsuki didn’t seem to mind and just laughed it off.

“Are you complementing me?” he replied.

“I don’t know, am I? Sometimes I wonder if saying that a guy looks good actually constitutes a compliment.” Rei took a brief glance at Tosuke, which seemed to imply that he was an example to her claim. Semigasawa tried and failed to hold back another laugh. Meanwhile, Tosuke didn’t seem to understand as he quizzically tilted his head to the side.      

“Hahahaha! I suppose so!” Rei’s comments seemed to delight him as Teratsuki laughed haughtily.

Afterwards, the five of them sat down to have dinner over at the hotel Teratsuki was staying at. In a reserved section, of course.

“Alright, since we have some food experts here today, let’s try to make the chef quake in his boots a bit, shall we? I’m always telling them how good the food is, but I figured I’d give them a hard time for once.” The waiter bowed in response to Teratsuki’s statement and asked for him to “go easy” on them as a sort of faux courteous gesture devoid of interest.

Meanwhile, Tosuke was anxiously looking around the immediate vicinity of their table.

“What’s wrong?” Rei asked.

Tosuke scowled, “What is this place?”

“What are you talking about?... It’s a restaurant.”

“Is this really a place to have dinner?” Tosuke extended his hands out to his sides.

There restaurant’s decor was extravagant. The tables had an antique style and were made out of oak, and they all sat atop a shaggy carpeting. There was even a chandelier hanging above each table.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s intimidating. I can feel the place weighing down on me. I doubt that it’s good for anyone’s digestion.

“……You’re such a kid.”

“What? I’m serious.”

Teratsuki took that as his queue to cut into the conversation.

“I’m sure you are, but like she said, places like this tend to be good places to eat.”

“Why?”

“Well, the kind of people that visit these places tend to be highly strung people anyway. This is pretty normal for people like that.”

“Oh yeah? Then are you one of those people? You’re always living with all those burdens and stuff.”

Tosuke’s words didn’t seem like they were directed at the head of a conglomerate of companies, and yet, instead of laughing, Teratsuki replied, “You just might be right” with a dispassionate tone. Just across from him, Kageyama’s face turned pale and flush all at once.

Rei tried to change the subject. “Well, I really don’t care about what this place looks like. The taste of the food however…”

“You really are the cooking coordinator, aren’t you?” Semigasawa’s conclusion made Rei glare at him a bit.

“I suppose,” She nodded.

“Taste, huh…” Tosuke twisted his head around, his face implying that he was still reluctant to agree.

Eventually, the appetizers arrived, and everyone immediately started eating. Though, Tosuke moved at a snail’s pace compared to the rest of the group. He was having a hard time using a knife and fork, and while he tried watching everyone else and imitating their movements, he still somehow had trouble progressing through the meal.

“Ahh!” Tosuke exclaimed as his hand slipped and his knife hit the plate with an audible clang.

All around him, guests at other tables stared at him quizzically, but the person they were looking at kept single-mindedly clanging against his plate without a care in the world. His concentration made it seem like he was just messing around.

Those inclined to side with Kageyama looked on the scene unpleasantly, but Rei was unfazed, and Semigasawa sat there grinning.

Then, Teratsuki asked, “Did Norisuke ever teach you how to use those?”

“—No, he did, but I forgot.”

As Tosuke’s eating difficulties continued, he suddenly had a major breakthrough in the form of putting a bite into his mouth. Semigasawa applauded.

“Ah, well done Tosuke! So, how does it taste?”

“Taste? Hmmmm, I’m not really sure.” He said with an uncertain expression.

“……Who’s Norisuke?” Rei asked.”

“Oh, right, Norisuke is…”

“Kigawa Norisuke. He was Tosuke’s father, but he passed away.” It seemed like Tosuke was going to say something about it, so Teratsuki interjected. “He was an acquaintance of mine as well, and a good man.”

“Hm…?” Rei didn’t look like she was satisfied with that answer. That moment was the first time Tosuke’s origins had weighed on her mind.

After that, the next few dishes came out one after the other, and Tosuke ate those carelessly as well; however, Teratsuki had influence, so not a single person, from the staff to the guests, took any reproach against him.

“……You know, I really can’t tell what it’s supposed to be.” Tosuke seemed to groan as he stuffed his mouth full of some sea bass that had been baked into a pie. “Is this kinda thing supposed to be good?”

“Well, it’s not bad. I don’t think so anyway.” Over on Rei’s end of the table, she was meticulously cutting apart her meal and spoke as she skillfully consumed it all. “The sea bass is good, and they didn’t waste it by putting something else in there to mask it.”

“……I don’t get it. Am I just too used to sweets?” Tosuke was like a monkey storing feed in his cheeks.

“You’re just ignorant to what’s outside of your expertise. Am I wrong?”

“……Hmm.” Tosuke still didn’t seem satisfied by Rei’s response.

Teratsuki let his gaze fall on Tosuke and stared at him with bright eyes.

“Now, Semigasawa,” as the meal reached a break point, Teratsuki struck up a conversation.

“Yes?” Semigasawa raised his head at his naming being called.

“How is your current assignment going?”

“It’s going well. I’m really putting everything into it.” He wasn’t lying. Semigasawa found it just as fulfilling as some of the more motivated people at the table.

“I see, is that any different from the other work you’ve had?”

“Oh, well, honestly, I haven’t felt like this in a long time. So much of it feels so rewarding.”

“Is that so? …Well, how about this then, would you like to work on the shop full time?” Teratsuki’s words and tone were gentle, the full weight of a man with his social standing hid amongst their layers of subtlety.

“…I think that could work.” Semigasawa’s response was vague.

“I’m going to be honest with all of you. I’m thinking about cutting ties with MCE’s ice cream division and making it an independent entity.” Teratsuki’s announcement came out of nowhere.

Tosuke in particular was visibly surprised.

“But Kyouichirou, that’s…”

“Here me out, please. As it stands, I’m way more involved with this division than any other. It’s not normal, and it doesn’t look good to the rest of the company. If I’m going to satisfy all the other divisions of the company, I think making this place independent from MCE is the best solution,” Teratsuki continued, ignoring Tosuke. “And Semigasawa, when that happens, this place is going to need someone with experience to take an executive role. I think you’re that person.”

“… I see. You’ve clearly thought about this a lot.” Semigasawa smiled. “Could I have some time to think about it?”

“That’s no problem at all.”

“…” Kageyama watched the whole scene play out intently. Teratsuki had already confided in him some time ago, and he was fairly confident that Semigasawa would accept Teratsuki’s offer.

Rei remained silent.

If the store became its own company, Rei’s position within it would change, and there was no doubt in her mind that it’d be a fairly high-ranking one at that. Though, if she was excited, she didn’t show it and merely sipped her coffee instead.

“…So, what does this all mean?” Tosuke was the only other person at the table with any sort of reaction. He was clearly lost and confused.

“It’s just formalities. Boring stuff.” Teratsuki turned to Tosuke and explained.

“…Huh,” Tosuke seemed worried. “Well, if it’s just formalities, you’re not going anywhere, right Kyouichirou?” The others turned to him, shocked aby how openly he spoke.

But Teratsuki wasn’t fazed by it at all. “Well, it really doesn’t matter if I’m there or not,” He proclaimed.

Tosuke was clearly relieved by his words. “You should stay then. It gets kinda lonely when you aren’t here.”

“All right, look,” Rei cut in quickly following Tosuke’s off-hand comment, “The Chairman’s giving us an opportunity to run this business ourselves, we should—”

“I don’t really care. I don’t get stuff like that, but I do get that Kouichirou gave me a place to work. Sure, I can make ice cream for others as much as I want, but, really, I want Kyouichirou to taste it the most.” Tosuke said with a beaming smile.

Rei couldn’t say a word; she was completely disarmed by Tosuke’s complete defenselessness.

“It’s an honor.” Teratsuki responded with a nod.

“Oh, I know! You should come over to my place later. I’ve got a special batch of ice cream just for you. Wanna come try it? Please?”

“Ah, I’d love too, but I have business to take care of later today. Some other time, perhaps.”

“Oh, OK… stuff happens I guess.” Tosuke seemed incredibly disappointed.

Teratsuki gave him a warm smile.

“So, uhh, sir, I heard you’ve been working on project for some new venture.” Semigasawa did his best to change the subject, and therefore the atmosphere.

“Ah, yes. I’ve had a building under construction for while some time now, but I think it’s finally going to be ready soon. I’ve been thinking about what I’m going to do with it when it opens for a while now. I hope it goes well.” Teratsuki finished off his statement with a grin. A cold grin that seemed nigh impenetrable. It was a look that exuded confidence; though, there was something about it that dared anyone to try and break that confidence. It was a grin with many layers, more than what the people at the table realized.

The meal ended not too long after that. After which, in the lounge of the main lobby, Teratsuki pulled Tosuke aside for some parting words.

“I’m serious though, the moment I make something really amazing, you’re going to be the first to taste it, so look forward to it!”

“I’m sure it’ll be great.” Teratsuki nodded. But then, he lowered his voice to a hush and said. “Hey, Tosuke.”

“Hm? What’s up?” Tosuke replied, casually.

“How do you feel about the world?”

“Feel… what do you mean?”

“Do you feel like you’re confident enough to fight the world if you had to?” Teratsuki’s face was stern.

“What? You know, you said something like that when we first met… Well, if you’re talking about my ice cream, I’m definitely going to make sure everyone in the world thinks it’s great. It’ll happen someday, just you wait!”

“I see… You know what, I think that’ll do.” Teratsuki could only nod with the same serious expression as before.

Tosuke didn’t know what to think of Teratsuki’s sudden question and expression. All he could do was let out an embarrassed laugh.

* * * * *

…And that was the last time the two would ever meet. A few weeks later, Teratsuki Kyouichirou would find himself the subject of a sudden and mysterious death.

[1] You might be wondering what the hell he’s talking about. Well, the original line here was 手術台の上のミシンどころ, which is a reference to a Japanese saying. It’s hard to translate literally, but it basically refers to two completely different things forming something beautiful because they’re so different. I can’t exactly translate it literally, so I came up with an English analog. This is what came to mind. Apparently, nacho cheese and Oreos taste really good together. Or so I’m told.

[2] If you want to know how the clown is hung from the cross, so do I. It’s not made clear in the original. I assume the clown’s hands are nailed to it, but he very well could be hanging by a rope as well.

[3] Originally 女子高生, this word is a shortening of the term 女子高校生, which literally means female high school student. Though, it has a lot of connotations aside from that.  The kanji in the word roughly mean “girl who is at the highpoint of her life,” which is the connotation the word normally takes. Basically, girls at this age are said to be “at their most beautiful.” Makes you think of the Boogiepop legend, doesn’t it? Kadono sometimes flips between using 女子高校生 and 女子高生; however, he exclusively uses 女子高生 in this book. 女子高生 is the preferred term in modern Japanese though (even during the turn of the century, which is when this was written), so you can decide whether this usage is significant or not.

[4] The word used here, 幸せ, is a word that extends beyond just plain joy or happiness. The word commonly refers to a happiness that implies a person is truly satisfied with their life. Using the term “true happiness” as a translation sounds cheesy, but she’s basically saying that the shop’s ice cream makes a person’s life worth living, so it’s fitting. It also gets across how arrogant she’s being.

[5] In case it’s unclear, it seems like this is Captain Walker talking. The term 様(sama) is affixed to his name – which is a pretty arrogant way of referring to yourself – and he uses the term てめえ(temee) for Teratsuki (which is very vulgar). Going by this, it’s pretty clear that Captain Walker’s the speaker here. Normally we wouldn’t translate -sama, but he’s being so arrogant we thought it’d be better if he was referring to himself as “the great Captain Walker.”