Kuzan stood at the door, his towering height of over two meters, combined with his awkward, innocent expression, immediately drawing many gazes.
"Oh, what a handsome young man."
A dancer wearing fishnet stockings and a skull-and-rose tattoo on her arm swayed her hips as she approached, her warm, soft body pressing against Kuzan's stiff arm.
"Is this your first time in a place like this?"
Holding a long, slender cigarette between her fingertips, she playfully blew a smoke ring at Kuzan, her finger moving to hook under his chin.
"Your body is so firm... want big sister to play with you? I'll teach you how to have fun."
Kuzan's body froze completely, a rush of heat surging to his head.
"No... no need."
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 to... to..."
"To experience the suffering of the world."
Tatsuki's voice came from behind Kuzan, loud and bold.
He stepped forward, naturally shielding Kuzan as he casually wrapped an arm around the dancer's waist. Leaning in, he whispered a few words in a low, magnetic voice.
The dancer blinked, then let out a burst of laughter, leaning into Tatsuki's embrace while trembling with mirth. "Oh, you're so bad but I like it."
Kuzan: "???"
Before Kuzan could react, Tatsuki had already dragged him through the crowded room and plopped down at the most prominent spot at the bar.
"Two 'Deep Sea Bombs'. The kind you can light on fire."
Tatsuki casually pulled a stack of Berries from his coat and slapped them stylishly onto the bar.
The dancer sat on Tatsuki's lap, her slender arms looping around his neck as she exhaled a breath like orchids. "You don't look like a first-timer, handsome."
"Beautiful lady, please don't misunderstand."
Tatsuki didn't even blink, his eyes deep. He looked at the dancer, then glanced at the shell-shocked Kuzan beside him.
"The hardships of life are always similar. I have simply shouldered this weight earlier than my friend."
Though the dancer didn't understand, she felt it sounded very impressive.
Kuzan watched the dancer laughing in Tatsuki's arms, then looked at the two glasses of amber spirits the bartender brought—ghostly blue flames flickered atop the liquid, clearly indicating a terrifyingly high alcohol content.
His Adam's apple bobbed as he spoke with a trembling voice, "Ta... Tatsuki, this... this isn't right, is it? Weren't we here to..."
"Superficial."
Tatsuki shook his head in mock grief, pointing at the glass of flaming blue liquor.
"Kuzan, do you think they are drinking alcohol?"
"They are drinking homesickness, the loneliness of being unable to reunite with family. Every sip is a burning memory in the heart."
Tatsuki pointed at the surrounding crowd lost in revelry. "Why are they laughing? Because if they don't, the crushing weight of reality will make them cry. This helplessness of drowning sorrows in wine, this tragedy of forced smiles—how can you understand it if you don't drink?"
These words, combined with Tatsuki's compassionate expression, left the bartender, who was wiping a glass, stunned.
The bartender froze mid-motion, looking at the bottle in his hand and falling into deep self-doubt.
'Is this profound stuff really what I'm selling? I always thought I was just selling watered-down fake booze.'
The naive Kuzan was even more deeply shaken.
'So that's how it is. I was thinking too simply.'
"I... I understand."
Gritting his teeth, Kuzan picked up the still-burning liquor, a fierce fire igniting in his eyes. "For justice."
He tilted his head back and downed it in one go.
"Cough! Cough, cough!"
The spicy liquid burned its way from his throat to his stomach. Kuzan's face instantly turned a deep shade of purple, and tears were coughed out.
"Cough... so... so strong..."
"Do you feel it?"
Tatsuki leaned in with a concerned look, but his hands weren't idle, expertly giving the dancer's waist a squeeze, enjoying the small "Violation points +1" notifications popping up from the system.
While coughing violently, Kuzan nodded frantically.
He certainly felt it—he felt like his internal organs were about to be burned through.
Is this the pain of the common people?
It's terrifying.
Seeing Kuzan's miserable state, Tatsuki was rolling on the floor laughing internally, but his face remained solemn. He picked up his own glass and took an elegant sip, letting the rich aroma of the wine spread through his mouth.
"Handsome, since you're in such pain, why don't I help ease your suffering?"
The dancer on Tatsuki's lap waved with a smile, and another even more scantily clad red-haired dancer immediately approached. She winked at Kuzan and reached out to wipe the wine from the corner of his lips.
Kuzan flinched, waving his hands repeatedly. "No... no need, I... I can endure."
"Kuzan, do not refuse."
Tatsuki spoke up at the right moment, his tone serious, "Look how kind this lady is, willing to help us of her own accord. This is their professional spirit and their way of surviving in this cruel world. By refusing her, you are denying her value as a person. Is that your justice?"
"Ah? That..." Kuzan was bewildered.
"Open your heart, Kuzan. Only through deep interaction can you truly feel it."
...
Thus, the next half hour was a complete collapse and reconstruction of Kuzan's worldview.
He watched Tatsuki move through the dance floor like a social butterfly, perfectly at home.
One moment he was acting like brothers with scarred pirates, scouting out several black market locations.
The next, he was discussing "the origin of life" with heavily made-up girls, leaving them giggling uncontrollably.
Most absurdly, he even went to the gambling tables for a few rounds, winning a mountain of Berries. He then told the red-eyed losers with a look of grief, "Money is the root of all evil. I take it away to purify your souls."
Kuzan huddled in the corner, clutching his empty glass, surrounded by two dancers trying to get touchy-feely. He felt like a Husky that had accidentally wandered into a wolf pack—small, pitiful, and helpless.
Meanwhile, Tatsuki glanced at the clock on the wall.
4:00 AM.
"The timing is about right."
Tatsuki made an excuse to go to the restroom and slipped into the back alley.
He took a deep breath to calm himself, pulled a den den mushi from his pocket, and dialed a number.
Purururu...