Visit To The Saloon

As we walked over to place that Vin suggested. 

I decided to make a joke, “Hey you? Miss, I’ve seen you before.”

Vin giggled. As we walked, she was showing off the different places in Unaidan. 

Talking about all the good shops and the other landmarks. Then Vin said, “Errr, I just became a waitress at this store. It helps earn cash to make some food.”

I replied, “Huh, is that right? I found some delicious rice balls the day before. Would this place provide some the same rice balls?”

We walked up to a place with a sign above saying Saloon. It was a tattered sign, a broken door. Some places were cracked, the walls were peeling off, the pillars were about to break, and it’s a dirty bar that is about to collapse at any moment.

It’s not only the appearance but also the contents were the same. Well, a long time ago, Sadie raised it as one of the places off limits due to its bad influence.

I baffled at the idea that people would hang out at such a dump. I said “Hey, wait! The bar is a hangout for punks and old men! I’m not staying!”

Besides, I was taken to a bar for the first time in my life. Vin said, "This place has food, and drink also has available bed for the night. What do you already have a place you stay?"

Suddenly a patron that clearly was inebriated. He interjected, “Huh, you look like a badass kid, haven’t you been to a bar before?” 

However, I was unfamiliar with such attitudes that become of drunken men. I was thinking he was trying to sell me something instead.  

I replied, “That’s why I won’t come in!”

Saying that, Bro took me to a bar in town. The drunk said with a chuckle, “Kakka, well, just think of this as an educational tour and enjoy it, yeh.”

It is completely different from the stylish ones found in the Imperial City. The moment I sat down at a table in the saloon, I suddenly held my mouth down. The smell was mixed with the stench of alcohol, tobacco, and vomit, wasn’t it?

I’ve never seen such a stinky, filthy space before. The moment we entered, there were empty bottles rolling on the floor, red-faced delinquents lying drunk on tables or the floor, men laughing with women sitting beside them, and women with scant clothing making a scene.

Vin let me sit with the guy and said, “Oh, this is the man who fell prey to Shoho. He knocked down the Three-Prong Star, and, well, he fought with me before today. I liked him and brought him along.”

The patron laughed, “Now that you mentioned it, weren’t there a fight with the Kamikaze Gang Three-Prong star?” 

More hooligans entered the saloon, and all came a greeted the drunk patron as they came up to me, laughing and raising their voices as if they were all friends.

However, the hooligans gave an overly loose explanation wasn’t unusual to these folk who know the man called Bro, as everyone nodded with a smile without any particular retort.

The drunk man Bro and the others with the rough explanation about me, still smiled and treated me a proper guest.  Which the Bro said to me, “Hey, come on in, buddy. Don’t be nervous.”

Even though we had a fight, he didn’t care about it and readily accepted me.  Somehow, is every one of these guys always broad and don’t care about minor details of the fight. 

At the same time, I realized something. I spoke up, “Which reminds me, the streets of the town are full of merchants, and I thought this was a merchant town to begin with and there weren’t many young people here, but…”

Yes, most of the shoppers and street vendors were adults and geezers. However, there were dozens of young people in their teens and twenties gathered in this bar now. 

The drunk bro said, “Oh, during the day. We young’uns laze about and drink at home or in a bar during the day. At night, it’s a completely different town.” 

Vin returned in an apron of a waitress, “Hey, don’t you want to eat? Here you are. It’s my treat today.”

She put down a dish of rice and meat that looked like a pot roast. It was not what Sadie makes, but it quite appetizing. I was sad that I broke her heart and won't be able to eat her delicious cooking. 

Then I notice the drunk bro passed me a cup, are they really going to make me drink!?

 I rejected it “I can’t drink alcohol, so orange juice please.”

The drunk bro laughed, “Kakkaka, hey. Barkeep, you have my bottle, don’t you? Give it here.”

No, but it’s against the law. However, Bro, laughing heartily, took out his cigarette and lit it. Then I reacted with a cough as the guy lite up a cigarette. 

I said, “Hey, don’t smoke next to me!”

The drunk bro said, ”Eh? Oh, my bad. Want a cigarette? Do you smoke?”

Far from drinking, he even offered me a cigarette. I blurted out. “Cigarettes and booze! I’m still 15!”

The drunk bro smirked, “Oh, he’s such a surprisingly good kid. Brother, well, are you a young lord? Raised without any inconvenience, but in the rebellious phase, did you go against your parents and ran from home? Is that the mark?”

It’s so accurate, I’m at a loss for words. I stammered, “Nu, no. Not, it’s nothing to do with you anyway. “

The drunk bro continued to smirk, “Ah. It’s a sleepless night for us, the hoodlums, devouring the legacy left by the adults who ruled this town.”

Enuma chimed in my ear, “Ah. It doesn’t matter. I don’t care; people have their own reasons for being down in the dumps. Including everyone here.”

I was annoyed and tried to put up a wall, but bro didn’t push it much and started to ramble on. “Rebelled against their parents, got wild due to a poverty-stricken home, defied the teachers and took the easy way when they couldn’t keep up with the school. The influence of others. And so on. Every one of them can easily turn someone into a delinquent. It’s no use worrying about it all, yeh.”

When I heard that, I was surprised. Me running from home is not unusual, for these guys because they’re delinquent.

With that, Bro offered me the cigarette that he had just lit. However, I refused to smoke that.

Enuma scolded me, “Oi, smoking would be bad for the body. Alcohol, too.”

However, the drunk bro said, “You’ve never even smoked, but you have decided it’s bad for you?”

I gasped, “Eh?”

The drunk bro said, “Fifteen or eighteen are not much different, are they? Or was it published in a paper that if you smoked at 15, your body will definitely get worse?”

I started to reply, “Well, that’s.”

Interrupting the drunk bro said, “In the first place, the age limits for smoking and drinking are the standards arbitrarily set by old men who have nothing to do with teens. Why don’t you try it yourself to see if it’s bad for your health, yeh?”

Well, if you look at it that way. That’s not the point!

I replied, “I’m not gonna fall for a scoundrel’s invite!”

The drunk bro went back to smoking and drinking. 

I continued, “I, already went through a bitter experience in this town because of that woman! That’s why I won’t smoke or drink!”

I refuse to fall for some smooth talk invitation to a bad pastime behavior. I’ve learned my lesson properly after being tricked by that woman.

Enuma agreed, "Um, right. This is good. You can easily smoke and drink, but once you get hooked on it, you cannot refuse easily. It is a detriment to your health."

Vin was waiting tables in the background but was not interrupting while I was eating. The drunk bro said, “But, well, if you don’t feel like going delinquent, it’s not too late for you yet. That’s good.”

Thereupon, Bro warned me. “People can easily go bad. Step out a little. No, just step off. But there is no path ahead. Just a downward spiral. That’s why, it’s hard to go from being a delinquent to a normal person.”

Continuing he said, “I don’t know why you’re such a dazzling fighter, but you’re not a worthless piece of shit in the eyes of others, unlike us. You can still be anything you want to be. If you have a place to go back to, why don’t you go home?”

I gasped, “Nu, What?”

Continuing to ramble the drunk bro said, “Or else someday, even if you want to go back, you won’t be able to anymore and you may end up regretting it forever. Then, even if you want to go back to your original normal, it’ll be too late, yeh?”

It’s like an adult trying to talk a runaway kid out of it. 

I retorted, “Oh, it’s none of your business. I can be anything? I know. That’s why I left home, to be something.”

Drunk bro chuckled, “Hoho~”

Even so, I won’t join up with some delinquents, so I pushed past him. I declared, “I’m going to leave home, leave the empire, and become a big man!!”

The drunk bro smiled, “So dazzling, aren’t you? Well you think about it a little more. For now, may we give a toast to the big man of the future?”

Vin came by and placed drinks at the table the drunk bro requested. With that being said, while clicking my tongue, I vigorously drank the glass of water that was passed to me.

Adding a retort, “Tch, you asshole.”

Enuma shocked said, "Hold on, boy!? Hey, what are you doing?"

Vin gasped at seeing me grab the glass, “Ah”

I just drank it. exhaling aloud, “Ge~ aah!”

 It was all over my head and I had a strange smell in the back of my nose, no, it was hot! Somehow, I feel so hot! I mean, is it hot in here?

I started to look for way to stop the burning sensation in my throat. I said, “Shit, seriously! My throat, gaggling, is that water, I’ll have that.”

Vin started the call out, “Ah, wait, wait. That’s not water!”

Enuma also warned, "Oi, boy! Put down the glass you are holding and spit out what you drank!" 

I turn and look at Enuma. What? You know, Enuma’s split into three. That’s great, he’s my awesome master!

Ah, the water tastes awful and the ice is stale. Hot. I see, it’s hot, isn’t it? Then I vomited up the booze and food, which went all over my clothes. So much for becoming a big man.

Vin was shocked and came over to clean up my mess.  She had grin appear on her face as she finished cleaning and turn to my fainting intoxicated body. 

The drunk bro asked, “Ah, hey, what’s wrong with sis? you look incredibly happy, but poor guy having bad time."

She said to me, “Then, let’s have these clothes washed. That’s right, that’s right. Hau ~♡”