Chapter Twenty: Caught Between Three Fires
「Nuts?」
Trash blinked. Then he slowly nodded. Again, the reality of his life path was deviating greatly from his expectations.
Agbor sprinkled a spoonful of crushed walnuts onto the top of the sundae, then added a cherry on top. He skipped the nuts on the other one, and just added the cherry.
Finally, he drizzled some chocolate sauce over top of both desserts, before placing them on the small table between the two seated men.
Hibiki grabbed a spoon and, with no ceremony at all, attacked the bowl, capturing the cherry and most of the whipped creme in one giant spoonful.
Slowly chewing the sugar-soaked piece of fruit, he pulled out the stem from between his teeth and dropped it beside the bowl.
「You know, I used to be the type of person to save the cherry until the end. I’d save it for the last bite. I don’t know when I changed, but along the way, I switched to eating it first. Perhaps because I realized that you never know when the end will come, I want to enjoy my favorite things, even one more time if possible. What about you? Do you eat the cherry first, or save it till the end?」
Trash regarded the sundae for a moment. Then picked up the spoon and carefully scraped the side of the dessert, creating a bite that was a mix of ice cream, whipped cream, nuts, and syrup.
Then, after examining the spoonful, he took a big bite.
「Ha! Interesting!」
「Not really. It’s just. I’ve never had one of these before. They are on the menus at the family restaurants, but… I never really thought to order one.」
「So what do you think?」
Trash contemplated the bite.
「It’s nice. Cold and sweet. The nuts… I really like it with the nuts.」
Hibiki looked a bit disappointed, as though he had expected Trash to rave about it. To be honest, it was a bit too sweet for Trash’s taste. It would be better with some coffee, he thought.
After that, they ate in silence. Hibiki was singularly focused on the ice cream, while Trash sat in a daze, taking in the surroundings.
They were sitting in the Old Goat’s study. The one that Pazu said he never went into. He realized the ledge that he had fallen off of was just outside the window behind the desk.
The desk itself was an old Western-style desk. Big and made of heavy-looking wood. In fact, most of the furniture was similar. It looked how Trash imagined the office of a professor at Tokyo University’s office might look. Shelves, filled with old books, and strange objects. Old, uncomfortable-looking furniture that seemed too large to be practical in Japan. There were even more pictures here, but not as many. Some were large, and some were small. All are framed nicely and placed on a shelf or hung from a wall.
Trash eventually noticed that, unlike the pictures outside, Hibiki was in none of these photographs. Instead, they featured mostly individuals, or small groups of people. Some looked like family photographs.
Hibiki leaned back in his chair, placing the empty bowl on the table. Trash, noticing this, quickly finished off the last half of his dessert.
The old man gave out a long sigh.
「You know, in the old days, this is when I would light up a cigarette. I was never a big smoker, so it wasn’t that hard to give up when the doctors advised me, but once in a while… Right after a satisfying sweet snack. That’s when I get the old craving. Oh well, Are you a smoker by any chance?」」
He asked with a cautious hope in his voice. Trash wondered if he did have a cigarette, would the old man ask for one.
「I’m sorry, I don’t smoke. Never did.」
「Ah, pity. But good for you. A filthy habit, to be sure. Still…」
They sat in silence for a few more seconds, and Trash was thinking about how to excuse himself when Hibiki leaned forward. His eyes were clear and sharp. His demeanor had changed from an old grandfather, sitting on the patio, staring up at the trees, to one of a businessman in the middle of a tough contract negotiation.
「Trash, I have to ask your forgiveness.」
Trash was confused, why was the Old Goat apologizing. He was the one who should be apologizing for sneaking around his house after all.
「After you stopped by the other day, well, I asked a few friends to look into you and your background. Then, when you appeared so… suddenly, yesterday… Well, I’m embarrassed to say that I have invaded your privacy somewhat.」
Trash was concerned, but he was sure there wasn’t anything in his background that would be interesting to a man like this. Still it was irksome that someone had been looking at information about him. It reminded him of those nosy, annoying school officials.
「I also spoke to young master Hiroyuki. He spoke very highly of you. He seems to care a great deal about you, as though you were like family to him. That is high praise indeed.」
This made Trash grin. Pazu hated when people spoke about him as though he was a scion of a wealthy family. While he did receive support from his parents, Trash knew better than anyone else how much his friend had worked to get by through his own efforts.
「Do you mind if I ask you a few things? I would be more than happy to reciprocate, though what an old goat in Harajuku might say, might be of no interest to you.」
Trash was put off his balance when Hibiki used that nickname for himself. He realized that Pazu might have picked it up from the subject himself, as it was rather out of character for Pazu to use names like that in the first place. Not knowing what else to do, Trash just nodded his agreement.
「Wonderful! Now, you don’t have to answer anything you don’t want to; and I apologize if I ask anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. I’m afraid, that when you get to a certain age, you stop keeping up with normal social conventions. The games people play just lose their meaning, if you can understand.」
Again, Trash nodded. If anything, he could relate to that more than people mindlessly conforming to the social norms.
「Trash, could you tell me what it is you do? Over there in Akihabara, what is your purpose there?」
This seemed like a fair question, but Trash found it surprisingly difficult to articulate a response. He decided just to simplify it as much as possible.
「I find things. I look around for hard to find items or rare things and then buy them for people who don’t have the time or connections to know where to look.」
「What kind of things?」
「A lot of stuff. I started by hunting for kusoge though.」
「Kusoge? What is that?」
Trash chuckled. Not many people knew the term.
「Shitty-games. Rare video games.」
「Why call them shitty games? It seems an odd way to refer to rare items.」
「Well, they are not shitty because they are rare. They are rare because they are terrible. There are times when publishers put out games because they have some popular license, or because they want to test some new mechanic or accessory. Then, when it proves unpopular, often because the game is so poorly made, or insufficiently tested, that it’s largely unplayable, then they cut the production, or even pull back the initial rollout. These games are quickly forgotten, but over time, they can become incredibly hard to find.」
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
「But if they are so bad, why would anyone even try to find them at all? Aren’t they unplayable?」
「Yeah, for most people. But there are communities. People who just like collecting things. Or people who actually like trying out absurd experiences. I have one customer who just likes posting screenshots from the endings of games that no one else seems to have finished. Some people are fanatics.」
Trash was getting into this. He had met few people outside the community who seemed to understand what it was all about, let alone find it interesting.
「Is it lucrative? Do people pay for such things, even if they are rare?」
「Yes! Well, I mean, it’s not a huge amount, but some items can go for quite a bit. The thing is, when people know something is going to be popular, they make a lot. Other times, there is a craftsman, or a programmer, or just… just a person who wants something to exist, even if they know it won’t be popular. These two attitudes drive rarity. There are those old Ultraman soft vinyl toys from the 60’s. Cheap plastic figures that they have been selling for cheap to kids ever since. The main heroes and villains; they make hundreds of thousands of them. Sooner or later, they all end up in the trash or in a used toy bin in the back of a shop. I can buy vintage ones for almost nothing because there are so many. But there are a few that are incredibly rare and insanely expensive. Those are never the popular ones. They are all the ugliest, most poorly sculpted, least popular designs. The ones that sat unsold until the stores shipped most of them back to the manufacturer, and the ones that did sell were thrown away without a thought.」
Hibiki was sitting up in his seat, listening intently and nodding.
「Now, some of those “ugly” dolls can sell for 500 thousand to a million yen! There was an old video game in America that was based on a popular movie. It was rushed through production so they could sell it in time for Christmas, but it turned out so bad that it was called the worst video game ever made. The company that made it ended up with so many unsold and returned cartridges, that there is a story that in the middle of the night, they dumped nearly the entire stock in a pit in the middle of the dessert, and wrote them all off for taxes. Now, that game is one of the rarest used video games in the world, and they can sell for thousands of dollars when they turn up on the auction sites.」
Trash actually wasn’t sure about the accuracy of those stories, but he was so excited to talk about kusoge, that he was rolling along. Hibiki, for his part, was engaged and encouraged him with nods and positive responses.
「That’s where a lot of this started. There are global web communities that share these games and leads, and collectors who are always looking for the rarest games and items. Most want original Japanese games, but can’t speak the language to find them.」
「Is that why you speak English, then? To communicate with these customers?」
Trash stopped for a second, like he was trying to decide what his response to that question should be.
Then he simply nodded.
「Trash, as I said before, you are free to answer or not. It’s up to you. I am just a curious old goat. But I wonder if it also had something to do with your family? With your mother?」
Trash’s eyes widened. Of course, he would know something about that. This man must have connections with the government. There were records. After all, the schools knew, then the PTA’s found out, and of course all the other kids eventually knew as well. It was hardly a big secret. But it was a source of a lot of pain for him.
「What do you know about my mother? About my family?」
「Well, I suppose it is only fair to tell you. I just want you to know, I don’t judge you, or your father, or your mother. I, more than most, understand how complicated families can be.」
As he spoke, the old man glanced at a small group of photographs on the desk. Trash wondered who was in those photos. Probably Hibiki’s relatives.
「Trash, I know you come from a good family. Good, in the sense that your grandfather ran several small businesses. He provided for his children well, sent them to school, and ensured they were taken care of. I know your father was the youngest of three children. He was a rebel of sorts, but he was spoiled a bit, as was common in those days. Instead of getting a job after college, he worked at a club in Shinjuku. I’m assuming that’s where he met your mother? Namfon Thipakornsawon?」
Trash nodded. Of course, this would not be that hard to find out, even though her name had been stricken from the family registry. That he could pronounce the name at all was the most surprising part.
「I know that your mother left when you were five. That you and your father lived with your grandfather after that until you were 15, when your father passed away. You have been living in your grandfather’s old factory since then. Your grandfather passed away last year, I believe. I’m sorry to hear that.」
Trash gritted his teeth. The information was accurate, of course. Of course, it only told the parts that were public records. He nodded.
「That’s all true.」 He said stiffly.
「Oh, is there more?」
Trash let the air that had been building in his chest release. Why not? What did he have to hide? If he couldn’t tell his closest friends, maybe he would feel better telling a total stranger.
「My father… He had an affair. When I was a kid, that’s why my mother left. It messed him up. After she left, he was broken; he just drank until he couldn’t take it anymore. I always assumed she went back home to Thailand. I didn’t know anything about her. They got rid of every trace. Every clue. I can’t even remember what she looked like, or what her voice sounded like. But I thought someday… I might go looking for her. Ask her why she didn’t take me with her? Why she left me with them?」
「So you studied English?」
「Well, there was no way they would let me learn Thai. That was when I was a kid. I didn’t really know anything anyway. I kind of saw everything outside of Japan as the same big thing. I thought that if I could speak English, I could travel the world.」
Hibiki chuckled.
Trash looked up, but realized the man was not mocking him.
“You were right about that point, of course. I studied English for much the same reason.”
It took Trash a moment to switch his thinking to translate what Hibiki had just said. Thankfully, they quickly switched back to Japanese.
「Is that why you don’t use your given names? Are you angry with your family?」
Trash laughed now. A full laugh, free of anger and guilt. This was easier to talk about than he would have ever expected.
「Maybe a little, but not really. I have a horrible name. I used to get picked on a lot because it was easy, especially for kids. So I always hated my name, for as long as I can remember.」
「Shinnosuke Ooba? What’s wrong with that?」
「Nothing, maybe. But if you think like a child. A cruel child, who is looking for things to ridicule, well…」
Trash was surprised that he could laugh about it now. It used to feel like a curse, but now, he could see it as a childish fear.
「My mother named me. She liked that cartoon. The one with the naughty kid. It was her favorite thing, apparently. Of course, no one understood, so they actually used different Chinese characters on my birth certificate.」
Still, being a stupid kid, I told the other children about it, after that, they taunted me mercilessly until I graduated from middle school. That and my last name. You know how Ooba sounds kind of like “auntie?”. It wasn’t so bad until they found out that my mother wasn’t Japanese and that she had left me. Then, it all became nothing but ammunition for the bullies to harass me.
Trash looked up. Hibiki was just looking at him with a strange expression. It wasn’t amusement, or pity. He wasn’t sure what it meant.
「Anyway, I was a kid. They were kids. It’s not like I was really hurt or anything. At some point, they got bored of the other names and just started calling me “Trash.” To me, that was better than the other names, so I just… took it in. Owned it, I guess. Trash is who I am now. It has been for years.」
Hibiki chuckled.
「It is a good name, I think. Better than Old Goat, at least.」
Trash’s eyebrows went up. Hibiki must have noticed the reaction.
「It was your friend who gave me that nickname, you know? Many years ago… I think he was around five at the time. He just blurted it out. Who knows where he learned the word, but his parents were so angry. I couldn’t stop laughing. Anyway, I kind of adopted it after that. Now, that’s what most of the locals call me. Just like you, I made it my own.」
Hibiki sat with a satisfied grin.
「You know, I once asked Hiroyuki if he wanted to join me here. I didn’t realize it at first, but since then, I have come to realize that turning me down was the best thing he could have done. He was already on a different path. One that will bring him happiness. I doubt he will ever regret rejecting my offer, no matter what happens.」
Trash had heard this, but now he was starting to see it in a different context. Did Pazu simply turn down a job at a record store? Or was it more?
「When I spoke to him yesterday, he did mention something else. Something I have been thinking about since. I don’t suppose he mentioned anything to you.」
Shaking his head, Trash was about to deny hearing anything, when he connected some dots.
「He asked me to talk to you.」
Hibiki chuckled again, then nodded. 「He asked me if I might consider teaching you some things. Bringing you into my world, so to speak.」
This was something Trash had no way to even comprehend. He didn’t even understand what this old man was anyway.
「I told him that would be impossible.」
Just like that. Trash felt like he was getting pushed around. What was this Old Goat playing at?
「I think you understand, don’t you? I cannot be your teacher, because I am already your rival.」
This confused Trash. How could they be rivals? That made no sense at all. This man was a monster. He could probably shift the country with his power and influence. At least, that is the impression Trash had.
「Oh, I didn’t mean we were equals, just rivals. After all, are you not a Lord of Akihabara? You are one who understands the flow of information for those things that are under your control. Those things that are loved and pursued relentlessly in that place. Well, I am much the same. This is my domain. 」
Hibiki stood up and looked out the window.
You know that the Yamanote loop line takes exactly one hour to circle central Tokyo. Do you know which stop is exactly halfway around the loop from Akihabara?
Trash could guess. He never rode the line like that, but he could estimate it by the amount of time it took him to get here. He took a shortcut by using the Chuo line to cut through the center of Tokyo, and then transferring at Yoyogi, but if he just rode the loop, the opposite side from Akihabara was probably Shibuya.
「Akihabara and Shibuya. Two Tokyo shrines to different sub-culture deities. Trendy versus Geek. Fashion versus Technology. We are on opposite sides of this formation. So I’m afraid I can’t be your teacher.」
Trash understood this type of thinking and fully agreed. He had already disavowed the normal ways of living in the country. He could never embrace the mirror opposite of the core of his existence. That said, it was too bad there was no way to learn from this man. He was sure that even sitting where he was now was an unheard-of opportunity.
「Then again, we are rivals because we must be; because of what kind of people we are, and the communities that we have chosen. We live on the opposite sides of this amazing city, but even if we are rivals, doesn’t that also make us comrades?」