Prologue – Akujin and Kojoku
On Fridays, Akujin went to Fukkube’s ramen shop for a hot lunch; Fukkube always made good food, and his restaurant had a pleasant atmosphere – It was his favorite restaurant in all of Hokkaido.
Everyone there hated him.
In fact, it was his favorite restaurant in all of Hokkaido because everyone there hated him, and because they did, everyone just left him alone and that was good.
Akujin always sat at a table in the corner, occasionally glancing at his watch, quietly eating Mukusho ramen, which is why Fukkube Hitomi hated him – Mukusho ramen was his blandest dish.
“Why don’t you try my specialty today?” Fukkube asked him once.
“I don’t want it.” Said Akujin in his soft, inaudible voice.
“What?”
“I don’t want it.” Repeated Akujin, equally softly.
“What?”
“…”
That was why everyone else in Hokkaido hated Akujin; as a personal rule, he never repeated himself more than once. He did it just to be even more infuriating.
“What the hell’s your problem?” A customer asked, after asking Akujin for the time, to no avail. It was three-twenty-two.
“What problem?”
“What?”
“What problem?”
“What?”
“…”
“Goddammit, if you don’t answer me – “
Of course, Akujin didn’t answer him. And Fukkube Hitomi happily mopped up Akujin’s blood from the floor when the man was done with him.
Surprisingly, Akujin returned to the restaurant the next day, and with another excuse for everyone to hate him.
“What’re those things sticking out of you?”
“Needles.”
“What?”
“Needles.”
“What? Get those goddamn needles off of your face; you’re scaring the children!”
“I can’t.”
“What?”
“I can’t.”
“What? If you’re not going to take those needles out of you, I won’t serve you!”
“Okay.”
“What?”
“Okay.”
“Get out of my restaurant, before I do something I won’t regret at all!” Said Fukkube, brandishing a large butcher knife that was a little unnecessary in for ramen shop.
“Am I banned, then?” asked Akujin, and Fukkube again had the pleasure of mopping up Akujin's blood.
((The rest of the Prologue to come . . . ))