Kuzan stood at the entrance. His tall frame, over two meters high, combined with a flustered expression like that of a pure, innocent virgin, immediately attracted a lot of attention.
"Well now, aren't you a handsome one!"
A dancer in fishnet stockings with a skull and rose tattoo on her arm swayed over like a water snake, her warm, soft body pressing directly against Kuzan's stiff arm.
"First time in a place like this?"
She held a slender ladies' cigarette between her fingertips, playfully blowing a smoke ring at Kuzan, her fingers moving to hook his chin.
"Such a firm body... Want big sis to play with you? I can teach you how to have fun~"
Kuzan's body went completely rigid, a rush of heat shooting to the top of his head.
"N-No, thank you!" Kuzan's lips trembled as he tried to pull his arm away, but the dancer held on tight. The soft sensation made his mind go blank. "I... We're here... here to..."
"Here to experience the suffering of the mortal world!"
Kane's voice, loud and bold, came from behind Kuzan.
He took a step forward, naturally shielding Kuzan, and smoothly wrapped an arm around the dancer's waist. Leaning in close to her ear, he whispered a few words in a low, magnetic voice.
The dancer paused for a moment, then let out a string of bell-like, coquettish laughter, collapsing into Kane's arms like a flower trembling in the wind. "Oh my, you're so naughty~ But I like it~"
Kuzan: "???"
Before Kuzan could react, Kane had already dragged him through the crowded room and plopped down at the most conspicuous spot at the bar.
"Two 'Deep Sea Bombs'! The kind you can light on fire!"
Kane casually pulled a wad of Berry from his pocket and slapped it onto the bar with a flourish.
The dancer settled onto Kane's lap, her slender arms hooking around his neck as she breathed, "You don't look like a first-timer, handsome."
"Please don't misunderstand, beautiful lady."
Kane's expression was earnest, his heart not skipping a beat. His eyes were as deep as a tranquil pool. He looked at the dancer, then glanced at Kuzan, whose worldview was shattering beside him.
"The sufferings of life are always similar. I have simply shouldered this weight earlier than my friend."
Although the dancer didn't understand, she thought it sounded very impressive.
Meanwhile, Kuzan watched the dancer giggling in Kane's arms, then looked at the two glasses of amber liquor the bartender had served. A cluster of eerie blue flames floated on the surface of the drinks, a clear sign of their terrifyingly high alcohol content.
His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice trembled slightly. "Ka... Kane, this... this isn't right, is it? Aren't we here to..."
"How shallow!"
Kane shook his head in bitter disappointment, pointing at the glass of blue-flamed liquor that had just been served.
"Kuzan, do you think they're drinking alcohol?"
"They're drinking their homesickness, the loneliness of being unable to reunite with their families! Every sip is a longing that burns in their hearts!"
Kane gestured to the debauched crowd around them. "Why are they laughing? Because if they didn't laugh, the crushing weight of reality would make them cry! This helplessness of drowning sorrows in wine, this sorrow of forcing a smile—how can you possibly understand if you don't drink it yourself?!"
This speech, combined with Kane's compassionate expression, left the bartender, who was in the middle of wiping a glass, completely dumbfounded.
The bartender's movements froze mid-air. He stared at the bottle in his hand, falling into a deep state of self-doubt. Have I been selling something this profound all along? I always thought I was just selling watered-down fake liquor...
The naive Kuzan was even more deeply shaken.
So that's how it is! My thinking was too simple!
"I... I understand!"
Kuzan gritted his teeth and picked up the still-burning glass of liquor, a fierce fire igniting in his eyes. "For Justice!"
He threw his head back and downed it in one go.
"Cough! Cough cough cough—!!!"
The fiery liquor burned a path from his throat all the way down to his stomach. Kuzan's entire face instantly turned the color of pig's liver, and he coughed so hard that tears streamed from his eyes.
"Cough cough... So... so strong..."
"Do you feel it?"
Kane leaned in, his expression concerned, but his hands were not idle. He expertly gave the dancer's waist a light squeeze, enjoying the small income from the "Violation Value +1" notifications popping up in the system.
Kuzan, while coughing violently, nodded desperately.
He definitely felt it. He felt like his internal organs were about to be burned through!
Is this the suffering of the common people?
It's... it's terrifying!
Seeing Kuzan's miserable state, Kane was laughing his head off internally, but his face remained a mask of solemn pain.
He himself picked up his glass, took an elegant sip, and let the mellow aroma of the liquor spread through his mouth.
"Since you're in so much pain, handsome, why don't I help you... alleviate some of that suffering?"
The dancer who had been sitting on Kane's lap beckoned with a grin. Another red-haired dancer, dressed even more scantily, immediately sidled over to Kuzan, winked, and reached out to wipe the liquor stains from the corner of his mouth.
Kuzan shuddered in fright, waving his hands frantically. "N-No, thank you! I... I can still hold on!"
"Kuzan, don't refuse!"
Kane spoke up at the right moment, his tone serious.
"Look, this young lady is so kind, willing to help us of her own accord. This is her professional spirit, and it's how she survives in this cruel world. If you refuse her, you are denying her value, her very means of survival. Is that your Justice?"
"Huh? This..." Kuzan was completely bewildered.
"Open your heart, Kuzan. Only through deep interaction can you feel things more profoundly."
And so, the next half hour was a complete collapse and reconstruction of Kuzan's worldview.
He watched Kane move through the dance floor like a social butterfly, completely in his element.
One moment, he was calling a burly, fierce-looking pirate his brother, wheedling several black market locations out of him; the next, he was discussing the "origin of life" with heavily made-up streetwalkers, making the girls giggle and blush.
The most outrageous part was when the guy even went to the gambling tables for a few rounds, won a huge pile of Berry, and then said to the red-eyed, desperate gambler, "Money is the root of all evil. I'm taking it away to purify your soul."
Kuzan huddled in a corner, clutching his empty glass, surrounded by two dancers who were trying to get their hands on him. He felt like a husky that had stumbled into a wolf pack—small, pitiful, and helpless.
Just then, Kane glanced at the clock on the wall.
Four in the morning.
"The time is about right."
Using the excuse of needing the restroom, Kane slipped out into the back alley.
He took a deep breath to calm himself, pulled a Den Den Mushi from his pocket, and skillfully dialed a number.
"Buru buru buru... Buru buru buru..."