Antique Shop?BEAR? - Chapter 40
Chapter 40 – One-carton Resentment
How many hours had passed since returning home, smoking cigarettes? A numbing sensation of pleasure and weakness, and his consciousness was somewhere far away from him before he realized that he had opened the last pack.
“You’re kidding me…. there are no more…?”
The ashtray was already piled high with cigarettes with no room to dispose of them. In an effort to be patient, he lifted his hand off the box once, but soon his limbs were quivering and his mouth was parched. Although he downed the beer in the refrigerator, his thirst worsened and his mind was dominated by cigarettes.
Cigarette!?Cigarette!?Cigarette!?Cigarette! Cigarette!?Cigarette!?Cigarette!?Cigarette! Cigarette!?Cigarette!?Cigarette!?
“What’s the matter with me? It’s not like I’m on some kind of dangerous drug…”
In the end, he opened the last pack.
“Just one…”
Just one…
Just one…
Just one…
One more to go…
One more to go…
One more…
One more.
The pack was emptied.
Takada was in despair. A shiver crept through his limbs. He felt like he was going insane.
“Where are my cigarettes!”
There was supposed to be one more pack in the carton. One by one, he checked the empty packs lying on the floor and flipped over his backpack to see if he could find even one cigarette. Frustrated and apprehensive that there were none, he turned the ashtray upside down and smashed it on the floor, scattering cigarette ends all over the place.
All that mattered to him now was his cigarettes. He slammed his head against the table to see if he was sane…if he was even alive. His head was injured and blood was dripping.
“Alive! I’m alive!”
More than pain, it’s cigarettes.
“Cigarettes!
“Yes…! Kuma… that guy… that guy might be carrying a pack…! Yes…!”
With a burst of high-pitched laughter, Takada grabbed a knife from the kitchen and stormed out the entrance.
When Takada arrived at the sales office, he opened the door with all his force. Only Kamata, the president, was present. Kamata gave him a horrified look.
“What’s happening to you…? Your head’s bleeding!”
“Where’s Kuma?”
“Kuma?”
“Where’s Kuma!”
The president gulped upon spotting the knife in Takada’s hand.
“… Kuma has gone home.”
“Where’s his home!”
“Calm down, Takada. I’ll call an ambulance, you stay there!”
Takada bolted out of the sales office. With his head bleeding and a kitchen knife in his hand, he staggered down the stairs, his massive body unsteady.
“Takada.”
Takada’s eyes glazed over as he looked around at the people who called out to him. His breath hitched. Drool flowed out of his mouth as he struggled to close his mouth with anguish.
“What’s the matter? Aren’t you feeling sick?”
It was Kuma. He was standing on the road right outside the office in his work clothes.
“Ahaha… Kuma… get that thing out…”
“Get what out?”
“You know what I’m talking about. Cigarettes…! I need that remaining pack of Seven Stars!”
Takada swung the knife around. The edge buzzed and tore against the wind.
“Why would I have that?”
“I didn’t have the pack I snatched off… You have it, right? You took it that time, didn’t you?”
“I don’t have it.”
“Stop rattling on! Get it out now!”
Takada was in a rage, his eyes threatening to burst out of his sockets. Reddened from face to neck, he was drenched in sweat and drool. He was still wielding the knife as before.
“Are you alright? …There’s no way you are alright.”
Takada released a screeching sound from his throat, breathing heavily.
“I will kill you and snatch it!
“Kill and rob!”
His nose dripped blood. It may have been caused by an increase in blood pressure. Abruptly, he lunged at Kuma, brandishing a knife, but was easily evaded.
“You’re miserable.”
“Ah?”
“You’ve done something illegal and gotten your hands on something you shouldn’t have.”
His eyes blurred. He thought Kuma seemed to be doubled. Even that grew hazy. Takada scampered around and shrieked. Tears even started to spill out.
“Give me the cigarettes! Give me the cigarettes!”
“Wasn’t the last pack smoked by the deceased?”
“Cigarettes! Cigarettes! Cigarettes! Cigarettes! Cigarettes!”
“I recognized that it was dangerous right away when I took a photo of the carton with my camera. I was about to throw it away in the combustible trash, so I noticed it was gone right away.”
“Cigarettes! Cigarettes! Cigarettes! Cigarettes!”
“Why don’t you learn from this and stop doing illegal things?”
Takada attempted to stab Kuma to death and crashed into a telephone pole, collapsing on the road in a pool of blood. The kitchen knife in his hand was tossed out onto the road.
“Ah, the ambulance has arrived.”
“Cigarettes! I know you’re hiding… cigarettes… cigarettes… cigarettes… give me cigarettes! Cigarettes!”
Even as he collapsed, his eyes glazed over as he searched for Kuma.
“Wasn’t the deceased enraged as well? For smoking a cigarette that someone like Takada treasured so much.”
Takada went into convulsion. His eyes turned white as he looked up at heaven.
“You were never supposed to take it back with you.”
Takada continued to convulse and spit out foam.
?????????
“Takada! Is everything well?” Kamata came running out of the sales office. “Kuma, thank god you’re here!”
When Takada got into the ambulance, Kamata had to accompany him.
“Once I reach the hospital, I’ll call you.”
“Please do.”
“Takada… He said he was searching for you, but what happened?”
“Apparently, he was looking for something from the house of the deceased that we went to yesterday.”
“What? What was he searching for?”
“It seems there was a particular kind of tasty tobacco.”
“Chaperone, please come along!”
Kamata turned around as the paramedics called for him.
“Excuse me, but can you close the office and then leave?”
“Understood.”
“Later, can you explain to me what you have just said?”
“Sure.”
Kamata waved to Kuma as he got into the ambulance. After bowing, Kuma turned to the sales office and walked out, muttering to himself in dismay.
“I warned him that those cigarettes were illegal. I suppose the last cigarette the deceased smoked was the trigger for his myocardial infarction.”
Kuma locked up the sales office and headed off towards the antique shop.