Returnee 6

Chapter 6 Shapeshifter Mask


Edited by: Kanaa-senpai


 ”Yes. It’s a 24-karat gold ingot.”

 ”Hmm… May I see it? Wait, this isn’t the right place. I’m sorry, I didn’t give you a proper introduction. Please come in anyway.”

 I hear the sound of a chain lock being removed with a click, and the door in front of me is opened.

 At first glance, he looks like a businessman. He has a medium height and a medium build with no distinctive features.

 Despite this, this man stood in front of me with some kind of awe-inspiring appearance.

 I suddenly wondered.

 I wondered what was the true reason for this awesomeness or discomfort.

 Even though he was a gangster, he was only a child compared to the people in the other world. In that world, people could stab to death one moment while chatting with someone across from them, and the next moment, they would live there without a care in the world.

 Comparing with such people is not quite the same, but this man has almost no scent of such kind of violence. Well, this is normal in today’s peaceful Japan.

 However, I felt something different from this man Yasunaga.

 ”Hey, Yasu. Let me show you our guest. Get him something to drink and some snacks. Do it quickly.”

 ”Sorry to bother you.”

 I put the ingot back in the suitcase and followed Yasunaga with it.

 Judging from the presence of people, there are probably three or four people in the room.

 However, I did not go through all the rooms, and I could not see any sign of people in the back of the room.

 Considering the time of day, it is not surprising that most of the members have left. If so, there may be really only 3 or 4 people here.

 But normally, there should be more than 10 members in a group of this size. If there are associate members, there must be 20 to 30 members in the whole group.

 The room seemed to be quite spacious for an apartment.

 Perhaps the apartment itself is owned by this organization. The entrance door was obviously bulletproof, and there were no other occupied rooms on this first floor, but only a few suspicious-looking tenants.

 There is one room at the back of the entrance and two rooms on the right side of the corridor. Since the hallway turned left at the end of the corridor, it seemed that there was at least one more room that was not visible.

 ”Let’s talk in detail here.”

 I was taken to a room marked “reception room” on the right side of the corridor.

 On the wall is a big picture frame with the name of the organization and its members. On a shelf was a Japanese sword. I guessed it was a replica.

 Now, I sat across from Yasunaga at a low marble table.

 Yasunaga’s cheap polka-dot tie, which looked a little inappropriate for his expensive suit, was hanging from his neck.

 ”Once again, my name is Yasunaga. Please allow me to make your acquaintance.”

 Yasunaga gave me his business card.

 It was a very fancy business card with a big black logo on it.

 It was only then that I realized that this kind of thing was necessary in this world. I did not exchange my business cards with Yasunaga, but he did not seem to be so concerned about it.

 ”Then, let’s have a business meeting right away. Let’s talk about the gold you just showed me. I don’t think you’re asking me to invest it for your assets, right?”

 ”Of course, of course. I’m just asking if I could sell you the gold ingot I just showed you for a small discount.”

 ”Hmm, I see. At a discount. Well, we’ve been doing this for quite a while, but we’ve never dealt in gold before. How much is it?”

 I take out an ingot from my suitcase.

 I put it on the table and started talking again.

 ”How about 60% of the market price?”

 Yasunaga’s eyes flashed suspiciously.

 I knew he would bite.

 If it had antique value, the price would not be limited to that, but the price of gold would not change depending on its condition. If their group can make 40% profit just by selling it, they can make a good business out of it.

 ”May I touch it?”

 ”Yes, you may.”

 Yasunaga held up the ingot and seemed to be checking something.

 He turned the ingot upside down and weighed it with his hand…

 Yasunaga must have understood that such a thing would not tell him anything. However, there is always a flip side to every tasty story. It is understandable to be skeptical.

 However, Yasunaga immediately put the ingot back on the table when he heard a knock on the reception room door.

 ”Pardon me. This is the treat.”

 A thug called Yasu comes in with a drink and a tea caddy.

 Yasu, who served me tea and other drinks in a respectful manner, stood diagonally behind Yasunaga, blocking the door that he had entered, and started to take up a position there.

 His behavior seemed to me like a silent pressure, as if he was telling me not to think that I would get out of here alive if I did something strange.

 ”Is this a six-fold? If this is real 24-karat gold, it’s not so bad. But this…”

 ”Yes, it’s not stamped.”

 I got this ingot by searching for a vein of gold with my ability, extracting only gold from the vein with magic, and then forming it with a magical flame. Naturally, there is no mark on it.

 At present, most of the ingots circulating on the earth have this mark on them.

 The maker, purity, weight, serial number, etc., of the ingot, are all stamped to prove that it is a brand-name ingot, which means that it can be bought and sold with a certain degree of trust.

 Of course, some gold ingots were made a long time ago, and they are not completely unsalable even if they are not stamped, but they are regarded as just a lump of gold, not a gold ingot, so they are a little cheaper.

 ”Then, it should be melted down and sold as something else, or it should be sold from the back of a licensed manufacturer. Or we can screw a licensed manufacturer out of the back…”

 ”I’ll leave it to you to decide how to do that.”

 ”Well, wait a minute. The current market price is… let’s see, 4,503 yen a gram. At 4.5 million a piece, that means our share would be 1.8 million. That’s not so good considering the labor cost and disadvantages.”

 At his word, I quickly take out the remaining two ingots from my suitcase.

 ”I only have these three ingots today, but every month, I could prepare two or three more ingots. However, there is a little situation here, the ingot is not exactly 1 kg, but 1.12 kg.”

 The reason why the weight is not 1 kg is simply that it was impossible to compare the units of weight between this world and that world.

 I tried to measure a liter of water by using my own weight as a reference, and also by using a rough estimation, but such a measurement would never tell the difference.

 It would be impossible to give an exact figure, even though the gravity itself may be slightly different. Well, when I made this ingot frame model, I was still in the early stage of believing that there was a way of coming back, and I was thinking that I could make a fortune with it.

 But, after I came back to this world, I measured it again and found that it actually weighed 1.12 kg.

 ”Heeh~ Well, it doesn’t matter as long as it is melted down. It’s not like we can sell it as it is. It would be better for us if there were a little more or less. Anyway, If you can get a certain amount every month, it would be a different story.”

 I wonder how many are in the interdimensional storage.

 I don’t have an exact count, but it must be at least a thousand.

 The most difficult task of finding a vein of gold was, for me, a piece of cake. Besides, I was able to extract only gold from the ore, which was very useful magic.

 The reason why I went out of my way to be inconspicuous was that I did not want to be noticed, even if I was disguised.

 After all, where there is a smell of money, there is always trouble. If I tried to sell them all at once, there is no guarantee that there would be people who would think of robbing me.

 It was also an insurance policy for that purpose.

 Also, the reason why I brought them here instead of selling them directly is that I wanted to keep in touch with them.

 It doesn’t matter whether they are from here or there, I can use these criminal organizations in any way.

 There is always some information or goods that are difficult to obtain only from these sources.

 It is not only that.

 For example, even if I commit a criminal act in the future, there will be almost no witnesses to James Masuda, and the investigation will naturally turn to these guys.

 I had a plan that I would be able to hide while they were caught or something. By then, there was no James Masuda anywhere to be found.

 In other words, I was going to use them as my cover.

 Although it hurts me that one of the shapeshifter’s masks will be useless.

 For the note, this mask is made from the nucleus of a shapeshifter monster that imitates the human form. It is made of crushed and powdered apatite, a gemstone. The beak of an imitation bird that imitates the sounds and voices of other creatures to lure them in. And the head of the person to be disguised.

 The shapeshifter’s mask is made from the above materials.

 The mask can be removed only by the wearer himself, and it can create a variety of facial expressions and even feel the touch of the wearer.

 There are no seams between the masks, and as long as the wearer is careful about the color of his or her skin, the wearer will not look or feel out of place. And with the effect of imitation birds, even the voice can be imitated exactly.

 I don’t know what will happen to the DNA taken from the hair, though.

 Anyway, it was a mask that helped me a lot in the other world.

 Of course, I have other masks, but this one was the most Japanese-looking one, so it was convenient for me.

 I guess the face was in his 40s, right?

 I don’t know his name, but I think he was a peddler or something. I vaguely remember that when I stopped by a village, he was trying to forcefully take away a village girl to pay a debt, and I cut off his head in a fit of rage without really knowing what was going on.

 Well, in the other world, some people would not mind losing a limb or two, so I always targeted their necks.

 Just as I was recalling these memories of the past, I heard a knock at the door and a new person entered the room.

 ”I’m sorry to interrupt you while you’re in the middle of a business meeting.”

 ”Shindo’s kashira. Just in time. I was just discussing with Masuda-san about the sale. What do you think about this?”

 Yasunaga shifts his seat to the side and shows a gold ingot to the older man he calls Shindo.

 ”I see. Is it gold?”

 ”Yes, he said he would sell it to us at 60% of the market price. About two or three a month.”

 ”Are you sure it’s real?”

 ”I’m sure he wouldn’t try to trick us into selling them a fake. Masuda-san… if there’s such an idiot, he’ll be at the bottom of Tokyo Bay tomorrow.”

 ”Well, I doubt it. Masuda-san. I won’t ask for the details, but I’m sure this thing is dangerous, isn’t it? If so, our group may be exposed to the fire. Considering that aspect, don’t you think it’s reasonable to give us a 50% discount?”

 ”No, no, Shindo-san. This is why I come here to reduce the purchase price to 60% of the original price. If you are not satisfied with 40% off I am willing to discuss this with other groups. But since things have turned out this way, I would like to make the best of the situation.”

 It was then.

 Besides Shindo, who looked a little dissatisfied, I noticed Yasunaga was secretly giving a look to Yasu near the entrance. It was just a small change. It wouldn’t be noticeable if it weren’t for me.

 ”Kashira. I’ll have a long talk with Masuda-san about it, but can I take this sale?”

 ”Well, let’s see. I guess I can leave it to you, Yasunaga. But your share is one. The other 9 go to our group.”

 Is that the way it’s going to be?

 I don’t know about that, but it seems a bit small.

 ”Shindo’s kashira, that’s a bit too much, don’t you think? Even Yasunaga’s big bro can’t do anything if he gets 1.”

 Suddenly, Yasu, who had been silent until then, barked at Shindo as if he was going to bite him.

 Yasunaga’s hips jumped up when he saw it.

 ”Yasu, you shut your mouth!! You’re meddling in my business. This is a sale we made as the Rindo group. The boss says he’ll take the trouble to entrust it to me. It’s not for a punk like you to interfere!!!”

 Yasunaga comes up to Yasu from behind the sofa and kicks him hard.

 As he was about to fall down, Yasunaga kicked him again. From then on, it was a one-sided violent storm.

 He punched him, kicked him, and even brought out a fake sword and hit him with it.

 Yasunaga was there, relentlessly hurting Yasu to the point that one wonders if it was necessary to go to such lengths.

 His poor victim, Yasu, just cowered there and waited for the violence to stop.

 However, Shindo, who was sitting across from me, had an expression on his face that was not good.

 ”Hahaha…listen, Yasu. If you learn from this, don’t ever talk to him like that again. And I’m sorry, Masuda-san. This young one was a bit rough around the edges…so…”

 Yasunaga stammered.

 Probably because he was startled when he came back and saw my face.

 Shindo’s frown, who was watching me, turned into bitterness as if he was biting a bitter bug.

 ”Hahahaha…”

 It was because I was laughing.

 Well, I didn’t intend to laugh at all, but I couldn’t help but let out a giggle.

 It would be too much to say that it was a bad play. Because I could see Yasunaga’s aura. An aura that never seemed to turn red in spite of his violent behavior.

 During such a business meeting, he intentionally makes a rough situation to make the business partner shrink.

 It is the usual way of a gangster.

 But even if they know that, a normal human being is still a little bit frightened. Even if they are not ordinary people, they feel some danger in front of the overwhelming violence that happens in front of them.

 Moreover, Yasunaga has never lost his mild expression. Seeing Yasunaga’s crazy and violent behavior, it would be natural for me to be frightened by the abnormality of the situation. But

 ”No, no, I’m sorry. I’ve just been shown an interesting spectacle, so I just thought… Well, let’s accept this offer of 50% on the condition that you do me a few favors from now on. Also, do you have a cell phone to call me?”

 ”Masuda-san… Who are you? Ah, I’m sorry. It’s not polite to ask that. Hey, Yasunaga. I forgive you. Try to make this Masuda-san sale smooth.”

 Shindo mutters curiously.

 However, he seemed to be satisfied with my concession of a 5:5 ratio in the end.

 I was willing to accept the 50-50 split from the beginning. If I could handle just a third of this money, it would be enough for the rest of my life.

 ”I understand. Masuda-san, I am counting on you from now on. Of course, if we are going to do business, I will only confirm that the gold is genuine. And do you mind if I check the authenticity of the gold? Also, we have plenty of cell phones for you. But can’t we talk about that and other things after we move to the store?”

 ”Yes, you can take them with you. I trust you enough to know that you won’t do anything stingy like running away with it.”

 ”Yasu, you, borrow some money and run over there and check it out. I’m sure there’s a precious metal store that handles gold a little further toward the station.”

 ”Yes, I understand.”

 Yasu leaves with the gold, followed by Shindo, myself, and finally Yasunaga.

 It seemed that the negotiations had taken longer than I had expected, and by the time we left the office, the sun was beginning to set.




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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.

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