Himeji – [3] Saiki 「Is it hope or desire that the boy is trying to grasp…」

第3話、斉木「少年が掴もうとするのは、希望か、欲望か…」
[3] Saiki 「Is it hope or desire that the boy is trying to grasp…」

There is a boy looking around at the surroundings suspiciously.

It’s Hiroki

（Will I meet anyone who I know…）

He prayed that he will not meet anyone he knows as though he is reciting a curse. A week back after Saiki mentioned that 『Perhaps, Yamamoto has an ability to increase luck? 』 , Hiroki thought that he might have that sort of ability as well and tried his luck.

Via Lottery Ticket

And presently, Hiroki has by coincidence won the lottery.

It’s a whooping hundred million yen. It’s purely coincidence. He did not even invoke any sort of power. Just plain old coincidence. 

Right now, there is not a single thought of Combat Power in his head. Hiroki who had won a large sum of money only have the word 100 million yen like a curse in his head

He arrived at the bank.

Maintaining a calm state of mine, Hiroki entered through the gate, took a ticket from the reception counter and sat down. He believes that he is staying calm and acting normally but…

「Doesn’t this guy look super suspicious?」

「You are right. For now, get everyone to be on alert.」

「Understood.」

The conversation between the receptionist and her superior.

The atmosphere that Hiroki creates around him is one that is 100% suspicious.

In a suit
Sunglasses

Hyperventilating

Heavy sweating

Bright Red face

The other customers waiting for their turn also kept their distance from Hiroki. Hiroki, who is supposed to be completely inconspicuous, stands out more than anyone else in the bank right now.

Hyperventilating, sweating, and pallor are physiological phenomena that arise from a hundred million yen. Whereas the suits and sunglasses are to avoid showing one’s age and true face.

It is forbidden by law for anyone under the age of 18 to purchase lottery tickets, and obviously, the same applies to receiving them. Therefore, in order to not be found out as a high school student, the current Hiroki was born.

「Besides, it’s unlikely that criminals will come to this bank.」

「That’s right. Wasn’t there a saying that this is the safest bank in Japan?」

「Ahh, you are right.」

This bank is the largest bank in the capital.

Therefore, the security is tight and in times of emergency, their security measures are flawless to resolve the situation.

Right now, there are 2 security guards moving towards Hiroki, who is now looking super suspicious.

「It looks like he’s going to call out. I guess we can rest easy for now.」

「Yes,」

The two bank staff are reassured by the security guards’ response and return to their work…

「What should we do now? I don’t think he is a criminal, but the surrounding public are silently pressuring us to『（talk to him）』 to the point that we can’t ignore it  」

「That’s true. To be honest, the stares  are really terrifying. But no one would be stupid enough to commit a crime in this bank.」

This was a conversation between two security guards.

One is an eight-year veteran of this bank, and the other is a young kouhai who has just been transferred from another bank.

Both are seasoned security guards with years of experience. They are looking at a single man who is screaming for attention.

「Suit, sunglasses, hyperventilating, sweating profusely, red face. Full points for being suspicious. I’m starting to feel embarrassed looking at him……」

「Me too. If that guy was a criminal trying to rob this bank, he’d be a  joke topic for the next drinking game. But it’s true that he’s suspicious hence, I’m going to go talk to him. I don’t think he’s a criminal, but I have to play my part as a security guard..」

The two security guards resolved themself and moved in the direction of Hiroki. As they approached him, they began to get a closer look at him.

He is constantly fidgeting with sweat covering his entire face. The sunlight coming in through the window reflecting off his sweat and giving it a sheen.

(What is this guy, really?)

The two security guards thought the same thing to the man in front of them and closed the distance between them.

（For all intents and purposes, I’m a businessman now! I’m fine! So hurry up and call my number!）

Hiroki at the moment is so frazzled that he is sweating buckets.

(There’s a lot of people here right now. Oh yeah, it’s the biggest bank in Japan after all! Damn it!)

There is a reason why Hiroki chose this bank. Minors are not allowed to buy and receive lottery tickets. However, Hiroki found a single way not to be requested for verification when he received the money.

It was to pretend to be an adult and receive the $$ and leave.  You want to save money, but you don’t have a bankbook for an adult. Therefore, I have no choice but to take the money in cash and leave. If I could have talked to my parents, they would have helped me, but they are currently on a trip . Ever since I started living in the dormitory they have started travelling, and I’ve been receiving living expenses with letters.

After carefully selecting a bank where Hiroki could deposit 100 million yen in cash immediately, he chose the biggest bank in Japan.

However, currently, his choice has led to his eyes squirming in anxiety.

(Oh, my God! Those guards! They are looking and moving towards me! Why?)

You are obviously the reason!

If there was a third party, they would say so.

No matter how onelook at it, it’s one hundred percent because of the way Hiroki looks and acts that you’re approaching him.

(Could it be that they know I am underage? ! No, I’m hiding my face with sunglasses and wearing an adult suit! They can’t know that!)

They have yet to find out. 

Or rather, Hiroki was just too suspicious.

Because Hiroki  was so conscious of hiding the fact that he was underage,He had forgotten to hide his suspiciousness.

And he himself isn’t aware of it

(What should I do? ! They are totally coming at me!)

Hiroki is flustered to the limit. His sweating has increased in volume and he is fidgeting more to the point where people around him are alarmed, which is obviously not a good thing.

(What should I do! What should I do! What should I do!  )

My mind was already over the edge.

In my mind, I accelerated my thoughts and considered ways out of this situation, but I couldn’t think of anything. Then, just as the guard got close enough to talk to him and was about to speak to him, a ray of relief came to him!

『Ping-pong… number twenty-five… number twenty-five.』

It was a miracle that he could hear the mechanical sound of the machine calling Hiroki’s waiting number at the right time.

（YOSHAAA！！！）

He stood up as though something had popped within him.

It had only been a few minutes, but it had felt like tens of hours in his mind.  But now it had been released. The guards stopped their movement.

（Quickly! Quickly! Quickly!）

He stood up and moved quickly. He grabbed the handle of his carry case and walked to the reception counter as quickly as he could without seeming natural.

「What’s going on?」

「She’s a newcomer to our company! What should we do!」

The banker’s boss and his subordinate were in a panic. It seemed that since a while ago, the employees had expressed alarm. However, the security guard had spoken to them and told them that the problem was solved.

「It is my fault for only telling them to take note. I should have instructed them to take action instead.」

「It can’t be helped right now. Do you want me to take her place?」

「No, I’ll do it. No, I’ll go. I’m the one in charge at this time. You stay there.」

The boss, feeling responsible for his actions, headed to the reception counter where Hiroki was, sweat on his forehead and a nervous look on his face.

The guards couldn’t move. They were thinking of Hiroki as he was heading towards the reception counter.In a normal scenario, they had intended to speak to him. However, as they approached, their bodies and minds were rejecting something they felt emitting from him.

Something so powerful that even the voices around us could not reach our ears. He knew we were guards, but he had unleashed something that stopped our voices and our feet.

Normally, if a security guard were to approach a person, he or she would instinctively try to avoid suspicion and react accordingly. 

However, when we approached, something black flew towards us. That’s impossible. It’s dangerous. We can’t let him go that way. 

It’s something that criminals spread around.

But I still couldn’t move, I could only look at the bankers left behind.

I’ve made a mistake.

I instinctively thought of the new employee who had only been with the company for two weeks.

It was due to her calling out the number of that suspicious person.

Maybe it was because she hadn’t gotten used to the job yet, or maybe it was because she hadn’t seen the suspicious-looking man before, but she was losing her ability to make a calm decision. She called the number that she should not have called at all.

She pinched her finger as hard as she could to press the call button and regretted her action.

But it was too late.

He is already standing in front of me. Steam is coming out of his face, and his eyes, which appear thin through his sunglasses, convey a strong sense of madness.

Ah, my life is so short.

The line that came out of my head was naturally my own lamenting, in anticipation of what the guy in front of me would do to me.

He is finally here.

Hiroki was standing in front of the reception counter. Finally, the woman in front of him called out to him.

「I’m sorry to keep you waiting.」

「Yes.」

(What do I mean by, “Yes”? I’ve done it! I felt like I was being completely sarcastic about being kept waiting!)

Not being able to afford to be free from the situation I was in earlier, I was fired up for what was to come, and as a result, I gave the wrong reply.

(Never mind, let’s get this down quickly.)

I search the inside pocket of my suit and try to take out the lottery ticket.

Ahh, I am going to die today.

He must have been angry at me for making him wait so long. He answered, “Yes.” I’ve seen him in a drama where he reaches into the inside pocket of his suit with a fluid motion.

Thinking that this action was a death sentence for her, she made up her mind.