"Approaching the river, I toss the bag into the water. I still don’t get why the old man was so desperate to get rid of it.
“Hey, sir, what are you doing?”
Damn, cops. Is it illegal to throw this trash in the river? Probably. That old bastard probably wants to get me into trouble on his behalf. But I’m not gonna take the fall. I’ll say it was him who told me to throw it. I’m not getting arrested over this."

“Don’t bother asking me—it’s not something I can explain. Orders from above, from the old man.”
“The old man? What old man?” one officer asks.
“The one running the business,” Koji replies, tilting his head back slightly to ensure his glasses don’t slip, striking an intimidating pose.

One of the officers leans in to whisper to the other.
“He’s probably talking about the Yakuza boss.”
“Hell no! I’m not paid enough for this crap. At most, I’ll chase down some pudgy purse snatcher. I’m out.”
“Anyway, let’s move. We’ve got patrol to do.”

I got stopped by the cops, but they let me go. I’m sure it was my anti-glasses-fall maneuver. If they’d seen my eyes, they probably would’ve shot me to death without a second thought. Maybe threw me in the river just like the bag.

I need some sort of accessory before heading to school—something to draw attention away from my eyes. Maybe a briefcase? That seems like something a teacher would carry. It fits the character, I think.

Koji spots a shabby store with a few suits displayed in the window.
Alright, they probably have a briefcase or something like it.

Inside, he finds several men in suits glaring at him. Most are smoking; a few are playing poker.
“Never seen you around here before,” says the man behind the counter, spitting out the toothpick in his mouth. “What do you want?”

It might be disrespectful to ask for the priciest briefcase in this place, but they definitely don’t have anything that fancy. How do I ask for the best one they’ve got?

Koji adjusts his glasses with his index finger.
“I’d like your most… ‘special’ briefcase.”

The men in the store exchange glances, murmuring among themselves about Koji’s arrival.
“Hey, who the hell are you?” One guy stands up, grabs Koji by the shoulder, and pulls him closer.
“Alright, alright. Let’s do this. Take off those weird glasses of yours. I’ve been in this business my whole life, and I can tell when someone’s got guts just by looking them in the eye.”
“You won’t like what you’ll see, boss.”
“I’ve seen scarier than you, kid. You’re young—you’ve got a lot to learn.” The shopkeeper chimes in, his tone calm but firm.

Koji removes his glasses and locks eyes with the man, who immediately freezes and sinks back into his chair.

“Well? Can I have the briefcase now?”

“I can’t even imagine the kind of hell you’ve been through, kid. But I gotta know—what do you do?”

I could spend forever listing everything I’ve done, but I’ll just use that nickname I got back in eighth grade. It sums it up pretty well.
“Let’s just say I’m the ‘Jack-of-all-trades.’”

The room erupts into murmurs of fear. A few men near the door quickly grab their coats and leave.
“I see… Take it, kid.”
“How much is it?”
“I’ll cut you a deal—just the briefcase. Twenty thousand yen.”
“Oh, thanks.”

Honestly, I don’t get why they all freaked out so much. My street cred skyrocketed after I took my glasses off. Anyway, I’ve got the briefcase now. Not sure what he meant by “just the briefcase,” though. Is there some kind of bonus inside?

Koji opens the briefcase and finds a small bag of white powder.
Hm, is this one of those powdered dehumidifiers? Pretty useless, but gross. Were they thinking of charging me extra for this?

He tosses the bag into the trash and heads off to school.

END OF CHAPTER 9