Chapter 66 - Loquacious
According to the appraisal results, this plain-looking middle-aged man's name is Yoichi Tanaka.
He looks about a full age older than me.
In the remarks column, it only said, "Middle-aged man who lost his job and was abandoned by his wife and children."
So, I don't really know what kind of person he is.
Since he's been terrified the entire time, I can tell he isn't a very big-hearted person, though.
"Hey, Tanaka-san."
"Hie!"
Tanaka's brows furrowed as if asking why I knew his name. His face, which already looked weak, became even more unreliable.
There was absolutely no dignity or presence, things that wouldn't be out of place for someone of his age.
This guy might just be a victim.
"What exactly is your relationship with those youths lying there? Don't tell me you're in on it."
"Not at all!"
Tanaka said.
He said he had been kicked out of his apartment due to unpaid rent, and while he was wandering aimlessly, these two had picked him up.
When they asked if he had a driver's license and he nodded, the contract was completed on the spot.
It seemed he had been worked like a dog as a private driver for this past week in exchange for meals.
"Even when I ask them to let me go soon, they won't listen. I was just starting to get scared."
Just how much of this is true?
I desperately want to believe him, but it would be dangerous to take it at face value.
It's not like I can torture a human, so how should I confirm it?
I turned toward Angelica and asked, "What do you think?"
The otherworldly girl, who still had her eyes closed, replied,
"Judging by the tone of his voice, it sounds like the truth."
They say a woman's intuition is rarely wrong; shall I take the bet?
"Tanaka-san, I want to confirm one last thing."
"W-what is it?"
"That ramen shop, Sekiryu-do, in front of the station—have you ever been there?"
"...I have."
"Give me your honest opinion. How was it?"
"It's terrible. I think anyone who says that place is delicious probably thinks gasoline and coffee taste the same."
"I think we're going to get along."
I told him the dark truth: that the manager there works hard to pay review sites for stars, but has absolutely no interest in the pursuit of flavor.
Tanaka blinked, looking convinced, as if to say, "That explains it."
"Since we both possess correct palates, I think we can work well together."
"Hah."
"I'll pay you a hundred thousand. Won't you be my driver just for today?"
The color in Tanaka's eyes changed. I could see a sudden surge of vitality.
"With this much, you should be able to get through the month. In exchange, I ask that you say nothing to anyone about what I've done here or what I'm about to do. Is that a deal?"
"...You're Nakamoto-san, the magician, aren't you?"
"You know me?"
"If you're on TV that much, I suppose you can just toss around a hundred thousand like that... but I never imagined you were the type of person who gets into fights with thugs..."
"Are you some kind of former delinquent?" Tanaka asked, his voice trembling.
"Something like that. I was running wild for nearly seventeen years, after all. So, what's it going to be? Will you be my driver?"
After letting his gaze wander through the air, Tanaka nodded, saying it would be fine.
"It's a promise. It's one hundred thousand yen, right?"
Negotiation complete. I shook hands with Tanaka, pulled a ten-thousand-yen note from my wallet, and handed it over. An advance payment first.
It was cheap. I was providing charity to an unfortunate unemployed man while securing a mobile resting place.
Besides, I can toss the goblin I caught in here.
"By the way, whose name is this car under? Is it yours? Or is it a rental? It'll be a pain if it's a stolen vehicle."
"I heard the Suzuki-san crouching there bought it, but he said he didn't really know how to operate it. I wonder what that means."
"Maybe he hasn't understood the common sense of this society yet."
"...By the way, is that really okay? Suzuki-san is bleeding from both eyes. It won't be a joke if he goes blind."
"No problem."
I placed my palm against the eyes of Bald, also known as Suzuki, and chanted [Recovery Magic].
Before his eyes, the bleeding subsided, and his eyes returned to their original pale white.
"See? This guy wasn't injured to begin with."
"...Eh? Eh?"
"It was an optical illusion."
Tanaka looked puzzled, wondering if that was how such things worked.
"It was just a magic trick. You get it, right?"
"A magic trick...? It looked to me like you thrust your fingers into his eyes without hesitation..."
"It's a trick. What I'm about to do is also a safe magic trick, so no matter what happens, don't pay it any mind. Ange, you cover your ears too."
Having finished speaking, I grabbed Bald by the collar.
With the treatment from earlier, his wounds should have healed enough for him to hold a conversation.
"There are other goblins, aren't there? Tell me where they're hiding."
"I don't know."
"Is your memory being restricted?"
"I don't know."
It was getting nowhere.
"If you're trying to protect your comrades, then my condolences. I heard from another goblin that you'd be passing through here today. You were sold out."
"...What did you say?"
"And yet, you're willing to die for friendship. No, it's not a bad thing. If even small goblins have a concept of self-sacrifice, then that in itself is wonderful. It's made me rethink goblins."
"Damn it!" Bald screamed.
"Was it Goul who sold me?! Or was it Ipp? It was Ipp, wasn't it!?"
Low intelligence and weak bonds of trust. That is the kind of race goblins are.
These creatures seem to feel some affection for their blood relatives, but with any other individual, they are nothing more than a relationship of mutual exploitation.
"Spit out the locations of the two goblins you know. Then I'll let you live."
Bald had become quite loquacious.
With sycophantic eyes, he began to chatter away about his kin's hideouts.
One was a trash house in front of the station.
The other was a famous cat house that a lonely old woman had made by feeding stray cats.
Is it because of goblin ecology that they specifically choose places that emit foul odors?
"That's not it! It's because if it stinks from the start, nothing we bring in will cause a stir!"
Bald laughed, "Ke-ke-ke."
"What kind of things did you bring in?"
"It's obviously humans! They stink because they haven't bathed!"
"...Did you kidnap people?"
That's right, these creatures have slipped into this world by swapping places with the humans who were originally here.
If so, where did the people whose identities were stolen go?
If they haven't been killed, then perhaps they are being held captive while still alive.
I gave Tanaka instructions to start the car.
Our destination was the trash house.