HA2 9.3 – Go to School
As Takeo had the first turn to prepare breakfast, he could wash his clothes and take a bath right away after the physical exercise. Meanwhile, Hide and Shizuka cleaned the martial gym so it could be used for the next training at its best condition. After that, Hide and Shizuka went to wash their clothes. Then, they take a bath using two different cubicle showers before going to kitchen for breakfast.
Today, Takeo made chicken hot pot. The ingredients were skinless chicken breast, white tofu, white radish, scallion, Japanese spinach, oyster mushroom, shimeji mushroom, and rice noddle. Shizuka had proposed a strict diet that when the three ate at the workshop, the animal proteins they could eat were only egg, skinless chicken breast, and white flesh fish such as cat fish, tilapia, eel, kod, haddock, etc.
Hide had agreed with her and added another rule of less sugar and less oil, so Takeo cooked a menu based on that rule. Actually, it was rather strange to eat hotpot as a breakfast, but Hide and Shizuka were starving so they had no complaint. Not to mention, the smell of the hotpot was so good. Wasting no time Hide and Shizuka took their seat.
“Thanks for the food.”
As the one who prepared the breakfast, Takeo had the duty to lead the others to offer the gratitude for the food, and then Hide and Shizuka followed him.
““Thanks for the food.””
After that the three started taking their favorite ingredient from the pot, put it into their bowl, and calmly enjoyed it.
“Hide,” Shizuka said after putting a piece of white tofu into his mouth. “Do military personnel also eat with strict requirement, such as avoid red meat?”
“Nope.” It seemed Shizuka was very interested to know about military life after she started the firearm training, and so Hide shared his knowledge. “Military personnel eat whatever food the kitchen prepares for them, and kitchen in our military has decent standard, especially for hot meal.”
“I thought military food is plain.”
“In our military, unless it’s a simulation of field maneuver under severe condition, usually being carried out by elite unit and special force, the meal is pretty decent you know.”
“How bad the food in the simulation?” Shizuka curiously asked.
“You will have warm but unmilled rice, grilled salted fish, and pickled cucumber for breakfast. Turn the leftover into rice ball for the lunch, and having cold rice and cold miso soup for dinner.
In the second day, for the whole day you will have two pieces of raw sweet potato, as big as adult fist each. And so on for the whole week, until you start to think that it’s not a simulation but punishment.”
“That’s suck.”
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“Yup.” After a pause Hide added, “That’s why, as soon as the soldier return to their base, after cleaning and returning their weapon and gear, they will go straight to nearby shop to get ramen, curry rice, yakitori, or Hamburg steak.”
Shizuka nodded and said, “I see.”
Then, after a moment of silence Takeo suddenly asked, “Hide, after I get enough money I need, can I leave the team?”
“You can,” Hide replied without second thought.
Relief instantly filled Takeo’s face, but he still tried to make another confirmation, “Are you sure you won’t be angry or blame me for disrupting your goal, especially after you invest a lot of effort to train me?”
“Why should I? Our team is not an evil cult that only dead can do us apart,” Hide calmly said. “In our line of work, it’s not rare a member of team quit after they reach their target or because they wants to continue their live peacefully.”
“I see,” This time Takeo truly took a breath full of relieve.
“May I know, how much is your target?” Hide asked as he casually looked at Takeo.
“My parents said a million Dillar is enough to get them a proper breathing room, while I plan to get a hundred thousand Dillar for myself.”
Hide nodded and said, “In that case, Knosses job will cover it and I will also stop after that.”
Big question mark in an instant appeared in Shizuka’s forehead, “Is Knosses job truly can give us 1.1 million Dillar each? That will be 110 million Ren in our currency you know?”
Hide never told Takeo how much money they could get from Knosses other than it was big money, so when Takeo explained Knosses job to Shizuka, he also never told her the exact number they could get.
And now, Hide decided it was the correct time to explain it. “It’s more than enough. If the intel correct, Knosses job can give us 45 pieces of 5 kg gold bars. With the current rate, the total value is around 11.250.000 Dillar. After the cuts for our broker, we will get 3.2 million Dillar each.”
“…”
As Takeo and Shizuka dropped their jaw Hide added, “But before that, we need to carry two small jobs.”
“What kind of small jobs?” Takeo curiously asked.
“It’s job that will prepare you for Knosses job.”
After tilting her head Shizuka asked, “Jobs to prepare us for Knosses job?”
“Yup. My first plan is, I will try to silently kill Knosses’s guard and then take the gold. If I fail, I will make a quick retreat and avoid any contact with their QRF.” Hide pointed his chopstick to Shizuka as he calmly continued, “However, after you joint in and we got enough equipment from Villa Tigera, I decided that if I fail to silently kill Knosses’s guard, we will ambush their QRF, kill them all, and then take the gold.
In addition, we will also kill Knosses’s owner to eliminate future trouble.”
““Understood.””
Takeo said in a super serious tone while determination flashed on Shizuka’s eyes. After the job in Villa Tigera, the two were no longer alien to the concept of killing to the last man. Most of all, they could accept it as part of burden they had to live with for the rest of their life.
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With the help from flashlight, Hide led Takeo and Shizuka walked the underground walkway. They calmly followed the red arrow on the wall, until finally they arrived under an access hatch.
“I will take my exit here and then went to subway station on the next block,” Hide calmly said. “You two just continued follow the red arrow until you reach subway station next to Chikara Tower.”
““Okay,”” Takeo and Shizuka replied simultaneously.
Wasting no time, Hide climbed the iron ladder that was being embedded on the wall. Then, he opened the access hatch and went out to the surface.
“See you at school,” Hide casually said before closing the access hatch.
Takeo then turned his gaze to Shizuka, “Let’s go.”
“Yeah,” Shizuka briefly replied.
Takeo and Shizuka then calmly continued their walk in silence. Hide had told them that when they were in the underground walkway, they shouldn’t talk or make noise unless it was important. In short, Hide had asked them developing a habit of avoiding unnecessary attention, especially when they were at quiet, dark, and abandoned place. Fortunately, Takeo and Shizuka with ease could comply with it.
A few minutes later Takeo and Shizuka saw a bright light at the end of the tunnel, and without any words they calmly approached it. When they exited the dark tunnel, a few people turned their gaze to them, but it was only for a moment before they put their attention to the arrival of a subway train.
Along with the crowd, Shizuka and Takeo then boarded the train and they didn’t give a damn that they didn’t paid the ticket fee at the entrance gate. In the next subway station, they saw Hide sat in a bench while reading a school text book and didn’t show any intention that he would board the train.
“It seems he will take the next train,” Takeo calmly said.
“Yeah.” Shizuka gave a short reply before asking, “Twig, what is your plan after high school?”
“University,” Takeo firmly replied.
“What major?”
“Anything that has software engineering as its main menu. I also consider the option to study overseas.”
“Will you go overseas alone?”
“Of course I go alone,” Takeo said as he looked at Shizuka as if she was a goof, and then he casually continued, “I can’t take my parent or my little sisters with me even if I want to.”
“I see,” Shizuka calmly said while inwardly she lamented, ‘Good God, why in the world I fell for this idiot?’
The two then continued the journey in silence.
*****