"Crunch"
A soda can was crushed underfoot, making a piercing sound, and the footsteps in the dead of night came to a halt.
The footsteps were from eight drunken men, with Watanabe Shinji leading the way. Beside him was Saito Daikan, and the remaining three were young men in their twenties, each holding stones the size of eggs they had picked up along the path, their eyes fixed on the small hotel.
Watanabe Shinji spat out the cigarette butt in his mouth, transferred two stones from his right hand to his left, belched, tossed the stone in his right hand into the air, caught it, tossed it again, and caught it again.
"Saito-san, do you think our Miss Keika will like the gift we're giving her?"
After tossing and catching the stone a few times, Watanabe Shinji held the stone in front of his right eye, closed his left eye to aim, exhaled a whiff of alcohol, and spoke with a wicked smile. He was in a great mood, even using "san," a term for familiar friends.
