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I stare out into the ocean, a fear only once cast aside to save her loved ones, ravaged by time and isolation.
“Kei stole bugs from the Earth and started eating them because she had mild autism and pica.”
The sound of fish and children became louder as I wondered if the Sun was setting or rising over our Japanese town.
“For this, she was cursed with being spaced out in addition to being infected by Gongylonema pulchrum.”
Ben opened his eyes, observing the the short and chubby old lady. His demeanor changed to a smile as she clambered on about suspicions:
“And she probably released it after our hero was captured in that tunnel. That’s why the octo- Ben? Are you listening?” Old bitch Ofukuro asked.
“I need to go the farm!” Ben replied.
“Why?” Ofukuro questioned.
“It’s boar.” Ben pleaded.
“Okay… we can pick this conversation up another time.”
As she was leaving I infected her with AIDS from my rusty sushi knife. I hurried to Gen’s place to see all the wild boar. Gen quickly came to greet me. “Ben, an honor.”
“Gen.”
“It’s pronounced げん”
“You’re a chef too, Gen?” Ben asked
“No, I’m not trained in Gastronomy… or anything else. I’m a self-made man.”
I look into the house, a little girl who’s bone thin is binge eating candy inside.
“I believe she’s there most afternoons.” Gen said, noting my gaze. He continued: “I’ll introduce you.”
“Oh no need.” I said. “I’ve masturbated to her for years.” I started getting hard as I walked to the house, Gen, awkward, strays away and back to the pigs, and watches…
I burst into the house: the little girl Raika asks me “You alright?” And I nod, trying to control my breathing.
Raika continues, face and pancreas full of inflammation from the sugar ingestion, “Ben meet Bossboar.”
“Oink.” says the milf.
“Nothing apparently” responds Raika.
“Oink.”
“Nobody’s denying his sushi skills. It’s his fear of water that leaves a little to be desired.”
“I heard you’ve had more kids” I jumped in.
“Oink.”
“I hadn’t liked your answer.”
“Oink.” And then pausing before she continued: “Oink.”
“Not as good enough for the chef he wants to be.”
Bossboar looks at me with contempt before saying: “Cooking is like sex fuck. The important thing isn’t can you force an abortion, it’s can you confirm it’s your kid. Can you confirm it’s your kid?”
I nod before saying “I can.”
As I notice from the farm, the shipment of pigskins is sent to a table tennis rink. As the balls are crafted of leather and lard.
“Well, even if you can’t beat me in table tennis, the arms are a nice touch” Aika says, sizing me up.
“It’s turgid stuff, but there’s some thinking… winning is dominance” I say, noting her sweatpants and underwear disheveled.
“Demanding… not dominance.”
“Sorry, I thought you could volley with backspin” I said cheekily.
“It’s not about the physics, it’s about the sport. You sound fucking retarded.”
“I’m committed to thinking freely about how to improve what we do… why limit yourself to one sport?”
She paused. “You’re a sushi chef- do you pick and choose rules? Or do you use the discipline to channel your recipes into fusion?”
"I like a little wiggle room. Do you always toe the board line?”
Aika sizes me up before “I like my wiggle room, too.”
We are PLAYING TABLE TENNIS. Hot, sweaty, a little brutal. Aika gives up, puts the paddle down.
“Wait, wait-” I try to catch my breath, she’s looking at my collection of spices.
Aika starts: “Unexpected.”
“What?”
“For a virgin.”
“You’ve only had Indians and Mexicans?”
“Actually I’m-“
“Yankee” I sharply noted.
“You know racial philogyny.”
“When I was at my sushi stand, I gave an old lady AIDS.”
“I’ll bite.” Aika bit me.
My eyes widened as I realized: “now I am become death… victim of AIDS.”
Day after week after month, even with that sushi stand. It doesn’t mean jack shit as it’s pitch black by the time I make it to Hakuren’s house.
The lights are off. Hyakumaru cries echo through the house. I call: “Haku-“
A woman with midlife crisis blue dyed hair and a shitty face tattoo appears. She drinks alcohol and hands me some before saying “Let’s celebrate!”
The baby crying overshadows Hakuren tugging at my clothes.
“Don’t you need to go to him?” I ask.
“I’ve been going to him all fucking day.” She then moves to kiss my neck… but I can’t help but look upstairs to the noise. She pushes me away and grabs the alcohol.
I carry Hyakumaru. Knock on the house across town to see the dog Watson note my distressed face. He takes Hyakumaru by his mouth. In the house, the dog’s gay lover, Yukihira hands me another drink. I stare into the liquid before saying: “I’m ashamed to ask.”
“Anything.” The old zoophilic man with glasses responded.
“Take Hyakumaru.”
“Sure.”
“No, for a while, Yuki. A while.”
Yukihira paused… “Does Hakuren know you’re here?”
I slightly chucked: “Of course she fucking knows! We’re awful. Selfish, awful people…” I downed the alcohol. “Forget I asked-“
Yukihira put his hand on my shoulder: “Ben, you see beyond the world of sushi and sashimi. There’s a price to be paid for that. Of course we’ll help.”
It was inspiring being offloaded of parenting. Being invited to a bar, I see a tall man with a mustache and a wig sweetly tell a ghost to “Get that dry-cleaned” as the ghost flew away with an orange jacket.
The man continued: “Chef Ben. I’m Masamune.”
“If that’s how you treat ghosts, I’d love to see how you how you treat a humble sushi chef.”
“As if I would treat you.”
“Ouch.” I slyly scoffed.
“Gay bars across Tokyo and Osaka… and I have to stay in Kotobuki.” He put his hand to his face.
I’ll bite: “Why?”
“I built the real estate market in this town, the city council liked it so much they asked me to look into dining.”
“And how’s that working out?”
“Don’t be a smart-ass. You know down well how it’s been- you and every other business owners across Japan. That’s problem number one.”
“I thought problem number one would be securing enough fish from Europe.”
“4 million tons. Bought the day I took charge.” I could see Masamune proud or was that my bias against homosexuals?
“Deboning?” I pried.
“We need a director of fish.”
“And my name came up.”
“Nope.” A brief pause before “You’re a coward, an incel, an unhelpful fence-sitter-”
“I’m a modest Komeito.”
“I said ‘unhelpful’. Erratic, obsessive, neurotic.” Masamune continued.
“Nothing good? Not even: he’s a master at the kitchen but…”
“Good cooking is taken for granted in your circles. So, no. Only one person said anything good- Aloha GX. He thinks you’ve got fish skills. But GX strikes me as someone who knows birds better than people.”
“Yet here you are. You don’t take much on trust.”
“I don’t take anything on trust.” Masamune paused before asking “Why don’t you have a Michelin Star?”
“Why aren’t you woke?”
“They’re making me D.E.I. certified for this.”
“Maybe I’ll have the same luck.” I pondered.
“A Michelin Star for a pit stop?”
“Édouard and André Michelin made their guides for pit stops.”
“So how would you proceed?” Masamune asked before I got up, walking to the bar’s chalkboard:
“You’re talking about creating a sushi restaurant into a sushi fast food drive-in faster than the residences of Okinawa.”
“And they have a 12 day head start.”
“18.”
“How could you possibly know that?”
“Our revolving sushi R&D took 6 zoom meetings- the woman they’ve undoubtedly put in charge will have made that inquiry instantly.”
“Who do you think they put in charge?”
“Minami. She has the most cunning understanding of getting tourists to find her properties.”
“You know her work?”
“I know her.” I continued. “Just like I know Satoshi. Mashiro. Bosstopus- in a straight race, the real estate agents win. We’ve got one hope.”
“Which is?”
“Feminism.”
“What?”
“Minami called fine dining “a hobby for man-children”. Said it right to Hagane’s face. Our one hope is that Minami is so insecure about men she’s denied Mashiro proper resources. Because it’ll take vast resources. Our island’s best fish, smothered and seasoned- right now they’re dry.”
“Which gives us older customers.”
“All minds have to see the whole task to contribute efficiently. Elderly abuse may cost us the race, pedophilia will not. The real estate agents know more than us, anyway.”
“The Swedes don’t.” Masamune said as he scratched his mustache.
“Remind me… who bombed our nation out of an emperor?”
“Someone with your past doesn’t want to be seen downplaying the importance of our beef farmers from across the pacific.”
“Point taken. But no.”
“You don’t get to say ‘no’ to me.”
“It’s my job to say no to you when you’re wrong.”
“So you’ve got the job, now?”
“I’m considering it.” I was.
“I’m starting to see how you got your reputation. My favorite response: Sushi boy couldn’t run the Manhattan Project.”
“I couldn’t. But I can run Draruma Zushi.”
And ran it I can, but my advertisement is still off. And against Old Man Hermit’s shitty fucking judgment, I went to Minami’s brother:
In an open beach away from the rest of the town, Hagane was naked, on top of a small old woman. “Ah, Chef Benjamin. Have you met Granny Hisa. We fuck here most days.”
“I miss my son. I miss my son so much.” The old lady was saying under her breath.
“Hagane, might I have a word?”
He nods, sensing the urgency in my voice. We both continue along the beach, leaving Hisa in tears.
Hagane continues, me noticing the wind gusting across the curves of the Earth: “Some days Granny refuses to bathe. Even in the farm she’s convinced she’s better off dead.”
Without saying anything, I show the flyer of Minami’s property sale. Hagane takes a pause before: “How much was it sold for?”
“Not much.”
“… And what do you take it to mean?”
“Market collapses releasing into gentrification and minority owned businesses…”
Flashes of Koreans and Chinese beating my people flood my vision as I keep talking: “… critically towed the Japanese population while we continue to have declining birth rates.”
Hagane looks back at the flyer and back at me: “Japan would cease to be homogenous.”
The scenery cuts to Japan having mandatory English teaching classes and the Sun turning red.
I respond: “When we continue fusion recipes, traditional sushi makes our country lose its identity.”
“And here we are, lost in your racist world of probabilities, but needing certainty."
“Can you guess who else will cancel me on Twitter?"
Hagane chuckles: “About the only thing you and I share is a disdain for social media. Who’s working on research and development?”
“Billee the Eel.”
“They’ll get to the truth.”
“And if the truth is catastrophic?”
“Then you stop. And share your findings with the prostitutes, so neither gender starts nuclear families.”
I turn to leave before Hagane holds out the flyer “Benjamin? This is mine, not yours.”
It felt like my sushi restaurant… I mean, our sushi was slipping from our grasp. Even the meeting in franchise didn’t quell anyone’s worries. Gen, Pot-chan, Galluga.
Gen reached for the flowers in the center of the table, moving it away from between him and Galluga. Gen then asked “How many people were in these… open discussions?”
*Bird noises* said Galluga
“We were in a race against the hookers-“ I tried to butt into Gen’s conversation
“Well, now the race is against the white people.” Gen noted, holding up Minami’s legal lot property papers.
“Only if she buys it.”
“Benny, she just fired the starting gun.” Gen then turned to Galluga “What’s the nature of the device they detonated?”
I still continued “The data indicated it may have been a pizza chain arcade gas station.”
“Like the place you took over before Bosstopus?”
I nod… reluctantly.
Gen continues: “If Minami is in bed with white people, Botan needs to know what’s next.”
“What’s next? Buy out talks. Obviously.”
Gen again turns to Galluga “What about coupons? Does Botan even know about it? Did we brief her on that?”
*Bird noises*
“We still don’t know if there’s a budget for coupons.”
“Right… my understanding is that Aloha GX first proposed it?”
“Yes.”
“At the beach?”
“His ideas have always been widely impractical. You’d have to deliver by homing pigeon, not email.”
There was a long pause before Gen reiterated: “If it could put us ahead again, the landlord of the apartment complexes needs to know about it.” Another pause. “And if the white people know about it from a spy… At. The. Beach… then we’ve gotta get going.”
“There’s no proof there was a spy at the beach.” I say before Gen says “Benjamin.” and holds up the papers again, raising his eyebrows.
I hear faint voices of my future? Or my past. Or of Taka asking if I “felt that such contacts were potentially dangerous?”
I cheekily emphasize “Conceivably dangerous.” Hakuren was sitting behind me not saying a word.
“Really? Known prostitutes?” Taka continued.
“Look, I’ve had a lot of secrets in my head a long time. It doesn’t matter who I associate with. I don’t talk about those secrets.”
“You said in your statement you ‘had’ to visit Aika the school teacher.” Taka paused to study me before continuing with a sterner voice “Why did you ‘have’ to see her?”
“She was undergoing psychiatric treatment. She was extremely unhappy.”
“Did you find out why she had to see you?”
I paused before “Because she was still in love with me.”
And because it’s my past, it is my future. Or at least that-
Hakuren found me alone in the forest, off Kotobuki’s large Buddhist statue. Around 2 a.m.
“Benjamin?” She crouches and touches my shoulder- I look up, ashamed:
“Her sister called… they found her yesterday… in the bath.”
“Who?” Hakuren asked.
I continued: “She’d taken pills, left a note… not signed… she reserved a ball machine. But there was high Oxymetholone in her brain…”
“There was a note.” I shake off the image… I shake off-
“Aika the school teacher?” Hakuren asks.
“We were together- she said she disliked sushi… and I told her I didn’t want to play table tennis. It was me. It was-”
Hakuren slaps me in the face. I look up at her, bleary-eyed.
She starts: “You don’t get to commit the sin, then have us all feel sorry for you that it had consequences. Pull yourself together. People here depend on you.”
I look back at her, trying to figure out if there was a better way she could have worded that.
I wonder if I can word the speech better myself, in a room of Japanese people, Hakuren asks how to justify a sushi fusion restaurant.
I respond in kind: “We’re businessmen- we can imagine an orgy, and our imaginings excite us. But they won’t fuck it until they beat it, and they won’t beat it until they’ve used it. When the world learns the terrible secret of these mass rapes our work will ensure pacifism never before seen. Pacifism based on the kind zero sum game found in the Late Neolithic era.” Unfortunately, I only garnered scattered applause. But it worked.
The mass orgy worked. By selling a bunch of little children in this pizza establishment, our sushi sales beat out Minami’s price-locks in the town. My eyes widened as I realized: “now I am become death… Victim of AIDS.”
But it’s time for celebration, Martin Shkreli will lower the price I am sure. The room of Japanese people are being drowned out by the mountains of screaming children and dead fish gasping for air. Despite this, they are still cheering.
I stand at the podium. “The world will not remember this day.”
The pedophiles continue cheering. “It’s too early to determine what the psychological effects are of abusing young kids…”
Though the adults are still cheering, their sound diminishes. “But I’m sure the feminists didn’t like it-“
Cheers, plenty of it… but no sound. As I look at the excited faces, I hear my own breathing.
I continue: “I am proud of who you hurt.” The crowd seems to go nuts but all I hear is the quiet breathing of passed out children. The fish keep panting as they are gasping for air… I try again:
“I just wish we’d had some black and brown kids in the party.”
The cheering and clapping men get to their feet in deep silence. I stare at them, trying to hear something. Then piercing screams. Not cheers. The Sun that was lighting the warehouse turns red. My eyes are pinprick, their mouths screaming grotesquely.
A large flopping noise followed by millions of fish swimming against a current. Plenty of pedophiles without skin to hold their teeth and without nerves to hold their eyes. The children seemed to be standing as men were gasping for air. I drift through the outside. I step down to see an old man kissing a little girl’s corpse, I step over a bench memorial. Is that a young adult woman crying over a grave? I see a man weeping, blood on his pants. As I exit, I see a gay couple, they look to be happy and fulfilled. I vomit.
Relief as I am in the landlord’s house. Months later.
“Boton will see you now.” A smiling mailman, Shogo guides me to her Kotatsu. He stands out of view.
Boton comes to the table to greet me: “Sushi Ben. It’s an honor.”
“Ms. Landlord.”
“How’s it feel to be the most notorious sex predator in the world?”
I can’t think of a response.
“You helped save a lot of Japanese jobs. What we did to those little girls-”
“And little boys.” I added.
“What?”
“Little girls and little boys.”
“Obviously. Your predation let our town flourish. Kotobuki Town owes you a great debt.”
“It wasn’t just me”
“You took the initiative, with Raika and those shrine brothers.”
“Well… I mean, anyway we should focus on sushi exports. I’m concerned-“
Boton cuts me off “You know when Little Saint James will be safe for travel?”
“I don’t know what that has-“
“Never.”
I look at the landlord, incredulous before starting: “Boton, pedophilia is lowering with higher wealth and education-“
“Education? I don’t think so.”
“If people ate healthier they’d be less…” I taper off.
“I hear your team is abandoning Minami’s real estate properties. What should we do with them?”
“Turn them into orphanages” Boton laughs but I am not joking. Boton then looks to Shogo for help.
Shogo starts “Chef Benjamin, if what you say about pedophilia is true, we have to abuse more kids, not give them stability.”
I wring my hands, deeply nervous.
“Ms. Landlord, I feel that you have done something wrong.”
Boton mockingly frowns, gesturing a sad electric guitar: “You think anyone from the Japan Times or NHK care who ate the children? They care who raped them. You did. The orgy is about you.”
Boton was standing with Shogo. I awkwardly get up as Shogo closes the door on me. As I leave I hear Boton say
“Don’t let that incel back in here.”
I look back up, Taka’s piercing gaze asks me again: “Would you have kidnapped little boys from Africa?”
“It would make no sense at all.” I note.
“Why?”
“Their penises are too big.”
The rising of fish noises and children screaming…
“Supposing there had been a penis small enough in that continent for psychological and physical abuse, would you have opposed trafficking?”
“This was not a problem with which I was confronted.”
“I’m confronting you with it now, chef. Would you have opposed trafficking black boys from Africa because of their abuse?”
“I believe I wouldn’t, waiter.”
“Did you oppose the taking of little girls from Kyoto because of their abuse?”
“We set forth our-“
“I’m asking you about it, not ‘we’, you!”
The sound of fish became louder…
“I set forth arguments against that city. But I did not enforce them.”
Taka gets in front of my face: “You mean you planned an abuse of little children and then argued to skip Kyoto?”
“No. I was asked by the high school boy Ryouta on what makes kids attractive… where I told what was true for some and what was disgusting for others.”
Taka continued “You supported kidnapping the children from Africa, didn't you?”
“What do you mean: support?”
“You helped pick the ages, didn't you?”
“I did my job. I was not there to find the locations- I would have done anything to make sure I-“
“You would have helped pick the ages too, wouldn’t you?”
“I couldn’t.”
The lights became redder and redder. I couldn’t tell if the fish or the children’s screaming was louder than the other.
“I didn’t ask you that, chef!”
“I would have picked their ages, yes. But from Kyoto is one thing, to go international in Africa is another.”
The light pouring out the windows were also red, I smelled salt, the bristles of little girl’s hair and the weight of little boys on my head was all pulling me down me down.
And the memoir, which you co-wrote, followed the W.H.O. report of moral scruples and pathways to forgiveness, did it not?”
“What we meant… what I meant-“
“What? What?” Taka jabbed.
“What I meant was that it would be a worse world if a small percent of the global population couldn’t ejaculate.”
I couldn’t see through the red, the room felt like it was filling with sea water.
Taka went on: “Wouldn’t the humanitarians do anything to stop you from violating international law?”
“If we did, there was nothing they could do. Our efforts would quell their efforts in the name of employment!”
There was no water anymore. The lights were perfectly normal, I could sit up straight and no longer smelled anything out of the ordinary.
Taka picked up what I just said “”In the name of employment. Exactly! No moral scruples before abusing those children, plenty after… Chef Benjamin, when did you develop the respect and admiration for all these displaced children in Kotobuki Town?” He asked me. I was defeated but still responded:
“When it became clear to me I wasn’t gay but am a racist.”
We flashback to me ejaculating in Raika’s mouth. She swallows, Gen watches from afar, still tending to his pigs.
“Sushi Ben, the man of the moment.” Raika said, putting the straps back on her small shoulders.
She continues: You once had a reception for me at Bangkok. Gave me an owner. You all believed I’d lost the ability to understand how to abort a child. So that beating wasn’t for me… it was for all of you.”
Raika turns to me, while I am still trying to regain my composure from exhaustion: Now it’s your turn to deal with the consequences of your violations. And one day… when they’ve punished you enough… they’ll serve you sushi and alcohol. Pat you on the back and tell you all is forgiven. Just remember, it won’t be for you… it’ll be for them.”
I turn to Raika, noting she placed a knife to her throat.
I start panicking: “We’re gonna talk about this- alright.”
“I’m asking you to take a leap of faith.” she responded softly.
“No loli... no I can’t. You know I can’t do that. Take a second think of your parents.
“If I go without you they’ll pay them anyway.”
“What does that mean?”
“I filed a letter with Hagane, explaining how I’m fearful for my safety... how you threatened to kill me.”
“Why did you do this?”
“I love you”
“Why did you- why- why would you do this to me?” I was stammering.
“I freed you from the guilt of choosing to talk to them. We’re going home, to our real ocean.”
“No no no no, Raika you listen to me alright. Raika look at me, please-“
“You’re waiting for a fish.”
“Raika god damn it don’t do this!”
“A fish that will take you far away.”
“You’re parents are waiting for you-“
“You know where you hope this fish will take you…”
“Mister and Misses Tago are waiting for us!” I pleaded.
“But you can’t know for sure.”
“Raika! Look at me!”
“But it doesn’t matter!”
“Raika god damn it!
“-because we’ll be together.” Uttered the child as she slit her thyroid cartilage.
“Raika- no! Jesus Christ!”
“That’s right, as I tell you this memory, here at the Turn, I must leave you, Junko. Yes, you Junko. Sitting there in your cell, reading my journal. Awaiting your death. For my murder.” Junko read this before throwing the journal in anger and disbelief.
With Junko in prison, I made my way into the tunnel. I had to get out of this town. Mashiro dropped tons of boulders, blocking the tunnel entrance. I could hear him laughing.
“You’ve made a serious mistake.” I yelled.
“But not as serious as yours, I fear.” A shadow emerged. Pink pony tail with sunglasses and a trench coat.
“Minami.”
“Let’s not stand on ceremony here, Sushi boy.”
I strike at Minami, powerful blows. Minami catches them. She taunts: “Rape has cost you your strength. Being pro-choice has defeated you.”
Minami kicks me through the tunnel wall to a new cave. I try to use my knife to stop from sliding. Despite her heels, Minami walks fast towards me.
I continue to punch, despite getting blows in she pushes me off. I make another attempt. I throw wasabi at her eyes, she doesn’t flinch:
“Theatricality and condiments. Powerful agents to the uninitiated. But we are initiated, aren’t we boy?” She closes in as I continue to fight as she says “Members of the Illuminati.”
Minami catches hold of me, grabbing me by the liver. She continues: “And you betrayed us.”
With me gasping for air, I target back: “Us? You were excommunicated… by a gang, of psychopaths.”
Infuriating Minami, she punches me in hip 3 times. She then throws me, saying “I am the Illuminati. And I am here to fulfill George Washington’s destiny.”
I hurl myself at her, continue to punch her in the cheekbones and eyes to get at the brain. She head-butts me and gets up. While we are separate she notes “You fight like a man-child. Everything held back… skibidi, but cringetopia.”
I then let out a jar of ghosts, Minami observes the shadows surrounding her: “Oh you think the blacks are your ally. But you merely adopted the minorities. I was born with them. Molded by them. I didn’t see a Caucasian till I was already a woman, by then they were nothing to me than liberal!”
All the ghosts then cease back at me, making me delirious. I try to get back up, barely able to stand. Minami shouts as she approaches: “Ah yes, I was wondering what would break first. Your spirit?” She picks me up. “Or your body.” She makes me fall to her knees, cracking my spine and knocking me out by pain.
I wake up, in a prison? Minami still standing over me. “You don’t fear death do you?” She asked.
“I didn’t mean to kill her, you know.” Knowing that’s what Minami wanted to ask about.
“I know, but what happened?”
“Raika called and said that she and Gen had a fight. She wanted to come over and talk… and I said to meet me at our place.” I looked to see Minami’s reaction.
Minami is still listening so I continue: “She comes over. She’s distraught and a little drunk. She starts telling me about how Gen and Aika were carrying on. I only wanted to comfort her. Hold her. I kissed her… and got a little excited- and she started laughing at me. She wouldn’t stop laughing at me. Ever had someone laugh at you when you’re like that? Vulnerable. Laughing their ass off? Someone you thought respected you? You ever have that happen? I just wanted to stop her laughing? And then, you know…”
I paused before continuing, making sure to look Minami in her eyes: “I hit her. Couple of times, to stop her. Get a little respect. Gen hit her all the time. She liked it when he did it… never blamed him. Never wanted to leave him- I do it, she starts screaming. She wouldn’t stop. She’s screaming. I put my hand over her mouth. Then I’m really scared. I’m scared shitless. More scared than I’ve ever been. I’m more scared than her. And then… everything was clear. There was no turning back. And after that, I was calm. Real calm.”
I felt good getting that off my chest, Minami looked at me deadpan while taking off her sunglasses. She agreed: “That’s all?”
“Uh… yeah.” I said.
“That’s not that bad. We all kill children sometimes when we accidentally pre-cum. That’s a perfectly normal response and part of the human experience.”
Huh. I guess she’s right- “AHHHHHHHH” Minami pushed my spine back in place, it hurt but I could walk again.
“Alright. Let’s get out of this cave!” Minami said. We both climbed the rope to leave the pit prison, I could hear the prisoners chanting “FUCK FUCK NIGGERS NIGGERS! FUCK FUCK NIGGERS NIGGERS!”
I asked Minami “Are the prisoners racially hateful?”
Minami responded “No. Look again.”
I look, the prisoners were all people, different sexual orientations, races, sexes, ages, and varying capacities of intelligences and disabilities. The only commonality is that they all spoke English. Even though Minami and I were speaking Japanese.
Minami continues as we keep climbing the rope “We all don’t want you to be a n-word Sushi boy. We want you to rise.”
I nod. We both reach the top of the pit and the prisoners down below start cheering.
“Alright, where to next-“ I cut Minami off by kicking her back down the pit, she falls on one of the other prisoners and they are both dead from the weight and gravity. The cheering turns to horror and screams and they note I’ve killed her and there’s hints of anger. Fuck that, I run away.
Triumphant and inspiring music starts playing to drown out the screaming of the prisoners. I now must figure out how to get out of the Middle East.
[END]