Lucky Dog 1 translations 09 Giulio route 04 best

Part 3: Daivan

Chapter 9

Calm Before the Storm

Giulio: …I have finished.

Giulio comes out of the bathroom wrapped in steam and heat.  His body, still wet, is covered with nothing but a big fluffy bath towel.

Gian: S-Sure.  Then…  Sorry, but could you call for something to eat?

Giulio: Yes.  Is there anything…?

Gian: ‘s all up to you!

     

I strip my clothes off in the heat-and-humidity-filled bathroom and rinse myself off with a shower hot enough to sting…

I try to wash away the red-black memories, but…

     

…It’s impossible.  …Shit, had I always been so bad?  All those bodies of our enemies, the blood, it should’ve been a sweet sight, but…

…it fuzzes up, and Giulio’s standing there.  Even now I shiver…

…Will it be the same thing again tomorrow?

…My sanity might splinter to pieces first…

I switch off between a hot shower and cold water again and again until I’d calmed myself, or rather, until I’d exhausted myself, and finally the noise in my head’s quieted.

At some point in time, the table in the room’s been filled with food from room service, encircling Giulio.  For a while, we don’t talk, just put food into our stomachs.

There’s something I want to ask Giulio.  But … I know it’s a topic that’ll completely and absolutely screw over Giulio’s – and my – appetite, so…

I put the utensils aside and once I’d finished drinking the bland, lukewarm coffee, I murmur,

Gian: Hey, Giulio.  About you … you and your grandfather.  Are you two … always like that?

Giulio: …

Gian: I was watching today, but … you’re really as awesome as they say, Giulio.

Gian: But then … just what’s the old man got against you, Giulio?

Giulio: Even if … I am good at killing … it is no good, as it is not something befitting a man of Bondone…

Gian: …

…Crap, I just jumped headfirst into a world of twistedness.  Plus … this twistedness isn’t just Giulio’s.  Is that old Bondone geezer the source of all this offness…?

Giulio: But … I cannot … do anything but this, which is why…

     

Gian: …Whoa!

When’d he…?!  There, hanging loosely in Giulio’s grip is the knife.  …Rather, where the hell’d it come from?!

Giulio’s wearing nothing but a towel…  A really stupid thought comes to mind, and of course it’s not true, but…

…Does that knife leak out of his body like sweat?

Gian: Haha…  ‘Not do anything but this…?’  But we’re the Mafia, right?

Giulio: …Yes.

I purposely use the word “Mafia” rather than “Cosa Nostra” to Giulio, the 100% pureblooded Italian…

Gian: If you can kill, then that’s already perfect.  Let’s do a bang-up job tomorrow, too.

Giulio: …Thank you … very much…

Gian: ‘bout what?

Giulio: Signor Gian … would acknowledge me…

…Acknowledge?  If there were anyone who’d seen Giulio do that and still said he was useless, then I wanna see this person.  Anyone other than the gramps, at least.

Gian: …Guess there’s nothing to do but go at it.

Giulio: Ah … yes.

Giulio nods, like something’d settled inside him at the words I’d blurted out without any deep thought.

…Sigh…  I set the coffee cup down and look up at the high ceiling.

…Is Giulio afraid of the gramps?

To tell the truth, there’s plenty of kids out there who’s been beaten up by their families and have turned out pretty weird ‘cause of it, and I’ve seen quite a few of them.

But … Giulio’s … a bit different, it feels like.  He’s definitely scared of the old geezer, but that’s not all … I think.

I wonder what crazy thing’s gonna get shoved onto our plate tomorrow.  …Or, will it stop at a simple slaughter?  …Or…

Gian: Tss … haa…  Don’t really feel in the mood for drinks.

Giulio: Would … you like me to have them bring something sweet?

Gian: Mm … every day might be a bit much…

Giulio stands from his seat with a whoosh of air.  With just that, I jump startled, then feel embarrassed and a tad pissed off.

He drifts like a wafting breeze over to the shelf where his own clothes are being kept and immediately returns.  And … leaves something on the table.

Giulio: …Would you like to?

Gian: Huh?  …What’s this—

The thing sitting on the table looks like nothing more than a pack of powdered medicine – the kind old men guzzle down when they’ve got indigestion – wrapped in kraft paper.

…But no, an instant later, it hits me.  Drugs.  Can’t tell which without trying, though.

Gian: You … do drugs?

Giulio: Ah, no… Um, not much…

…He uses.  But there’s no trace of Giulio off in la-la land ever.  It looks like the dangerous part’s got nothing to do with the dope.

Giulio: I thought … that perhaps it would provide a change of pace.

Gian: You sure say it easy.

I never thought drugs’d come up as a replacement for desserts.  Never imagined it.  …What to do about this…

---

Gian: No, waitwaitwait.  Wait.  Drugs are a no.  Absolutely positively no.

I consider it for a millisecond before hastily flailing my hand about.  Giulio slumps down so far, disappointed, I feel tears coming just from watching.

Giulio: …I will flush it down the toilet afterwards.

Gian: Ah, no!  It’s fine for you to keep it!  I mean, we’re the mob, after all.  But, I don’t do it, ’s all.

Giulio: If Signor Gian does not … then I will also … not…

Gian: …Ah.  That’s good.  I don’t really want to see you high as a kite and drooling everywhere when you’re really so strong.

Giulio: …My apologies…

‘Why’s he apologizing?’ I think … but then, ah right.  Giulio might’ve been doing it when he’s alone.

But there’s no sign of him being out of it at all.  …The dangerous part about him’s from a different cause after all…

Gian: Speaking of, how’d you get a hold of this?  Did you get it from Luchino?

Giulio: No, it is … ours.

Gian: ‘Ours?’  …Ah, the Bondone family’s.

Giulio: Yes.  Capo del Salto has forbidden business with narcotics, but … it is impossible to completely prohibit it.  Only a portion of capos and Directors are allowed to handle it.

…To tell the truth, Boss probably would’ve loved to completely eradicate the dope, but honestly … it’s impossible.  Definitely impossible.  Rather, unless the feds pull it together more, impossible.

Be careless and clamp down too tight … and guys’ll end up dead from dope in the gutters, and people’ll go around on the sly selling it…  Basically, they might end up peddling to our enemies and the GD.

Gian: Luchino, huh.  ‘cause he’s really strict on his business.  Oh … then the one who supplies him … is the old Bondone.

Giulio: Yes.  Luchino’s route involves smuggling from Southeast Asia, India, and Siam in small doses.  The Bondone family imports them directly from Columbia—

Gian: Eh?  Then what about customs?!

Giulio: The Bondone family participates in the Fruit Alliance in South America.  We can import the narcotics with the pineapple and bananas.  There are many ways to do so legally.

Gian: …Somehow, I feel like I heard something reeeally really bad fly by just now…

I see…  I feel like I understand one of the reasons why the old Bondone’s got so much wind to his huff now…

Emerging in the south’s a fruit plantation corporation where basically the huge ginormous businesses ally up.  That’s basically what the Fruit Alliance is…

This business where all the rich people and the senators band together … and the Bondone family’s also got their fingers in it.  It not only turns up the bucks, but also brings in the dope…

If the dope gets sold out in the open … he’d make enough money to blow away the CR:5 kitchen and Bernardo’s bangs while waving his bum at Bernardo for worrying about either.

…Maybe that’s what the old Bondone wants.  If so, we five captains, Capo del Salto’s trusted confidantes, would be nothing more than roadblocks in the way.

Del Salto – the old pops – ‘s been keeping a tight supervision on the bad trades, especially narcotics.  And we five capos follow after him and protect his will.

If we weren’t here, the geezer’d probably make a huge business out of things and climb up even higher than Chicago’s Capo with the power to boot.  And that’s more than enough reason to wanna blow us out of the water—

Gian: …Hm?  …That’s straaaange…?

Something inside my mind’s waving a flag.  …Something’s concerning here.  …Something’s off.  Something’s tripping off all the wrong switches in my brain.

…Then, why’s Giulio a captain?

…The one who’d made Giulio capo’s…

…Ah.  Alessandro, the old man.

Gian: I see…  That geezer…  So basically it’s like he’d had Giulio stolen from him…?

Giulio: Signor Gian…?

Gian: Naw, it’s nothing.

This theory of mine – or rather, this inference – is probably a bingo.  …The old pops had made Don Bondone’s heir Giulio captain to keep the grandpa in check.

…And at the same time, to protect Giulio.  So long as he’s a CR:5 capo, there’s no way the old man’d let him take part in the narcotics business.

At the end of it all, Bastardone would’ve wanted to use Giulio as his own pawn, not be some captain.  But, he couldn’t…

No matter how much money or political power he’s got, in the CR:5 family, Boss Alessandro’s orders are absolute.  …There’s no question the grandpa hates Boss’s guts for sure.

Gian: Tsk, damn…  Old pops … nice going.  That’s amazing…

…Just how far’s that old man thinking ahead to?  Jeez.

…Why’d he have to go missing now?!

Giulio: …If … If I were head of Bondone, I would be able to dispose of the narcotics trade…  I am sorry…

…What a declaration.  …Don’t tell me it’s just ‘cause I don’t like drugs?  …Don’t tell me just ‘cause of that he’d toss a racket worth some hundred million?

Gian: Ha … haha…  Well, hold that though.  Let’s think ‘bout this ten years down the line.  By then … Giulio’ll be head, right?

Giulio: I wonder if I can…

Gian: Don’t look like that!  If I had to say, I’d say me being the next Capo’s the more dangerous bet.

Gian: Crap.  That just hit so deeply I think I feel the tears!

Giulio: It will be … all right.  I will follow you.  Always…

…Whoa.  …The bastard, flashing a bright smile brilliant enough to knock a girl dead off her feet in an instant, saying something so embarrassing like it’s nothing…

…And to a guy like me.  Jeez…

Gian: Then, let’s go with a hasty celebration.  Giulio, which d’you prefer?  Ice cream or dolce?

Giulio: …Um.  Whichever Signor Gian would prefer.

Gian: Which means both it is!

In the end…

That night, we once again have the room service bring up a mountain of sweets, and the two of us have a party, enjoying the best of sweets and the completely twisted talks.

…If I continue living like this, I might die of some disease before I even manage to put on some weight, but … I don’t care.

      

If I have to say why, it’s because I have a hunch.

That this’s the one and only time.  That the past few days are all my life’s got in store for me where the stage’s mine.  That there’s a limit on my time with this strange person I’m living with…

I feel this, not in my mind, but from the bottom of my gut.

And I feel that this feeling’s gonna be right.

Which is why I’m gonna…

     

     

     

GD Soldier 1: …Fuck!!  Th-The hell is this…?!

GD Soldier 2: Wh-Whoa…?!  E-Everyone’s … is everyone whacked…?

GD Soldier 3: Fuck…!  They’re all wiped out!  Grr…  Fucking macaroni bastards!!

In the dark of the night, the shadows of several brawny men shifted.

Every now and then, a flashlight would flicker and illuminate the ground.  The men’s feet dig deep footsteps into the quagmire formed from the dirt and the blood that hadn’t dried yet.

GD Soldier 1: The Boss … Max’s down, too…!

GD Soldier 2: Th-The fuck is this…?  Guh, you’ve gotta be shitting me…

GD Soldier 3: Wh-What?

GD Soldier 2: …It’s not gun.  It’s not machinegun or shotgun…!  All of ‘em was popped off by a knife…!!

GD Soldier 1: N-No fucking way…!  That’s impossible!  Impossible!

The men falter, the weapons and flashlights in their hands almost slipping from their grasp.  The smell of rot, the bloody mud, the stench of death, and death inundates the room.

Just as the men are about to flee from the place…

Bakshi: The fuck’re y’all pissin’ your pants for, ya scummy dick cheese?

A large shadow stood before the men, blocking their way.

GD Soldier 1: Boss…!  You’ve gotta take a look at this…!  Fuck … Fucking shit…!!

Bakshi: Hoo boy, a full house knockout?  Looks like that’s it for all’a Max’s cute little crapholes!  That’s what’ya get for tellin’ us young’uns to ‘step aside,’ ain’t that right?

GD Soldier 2: Worthless bastards, the wops…!  But why’d the assholes target Max when he’d only just arrived for as backup…?!

GD Soldier 3: And every last one of ‘em’s been whacked…!  The fuck’s going on, damn it…  Damn it all…!!

Bakshi: Ain’t it obvious?  Their plans got ratted out to the wops!  That’s the reason y’all’re standing there in the gunky mush.

GD Soldier 1: R-Ratted out…  You serious?!

Bakshi: Seriously jizzily serious.  There’s … a traitor among us!  Someone’s been getting friendly and sucking off all the dago dicks!!

GD Soldier 1: A-A traitor?!

The man, the boss of the group, spits at the bloody swamp, and with his filthy shoe tip, nudges the mud-crusted corpses over.

Bakshi: Throat for him.  And him, and him, throat, too.  Him … the artery in his leg … and him…  Oh!  Straight to the heart, I see.  Hahaha, this is some piece of work!

GD Soldier 2: N-No way, there’s no way…!  You mean they were all … taken down with one knife…?

Bakshi: And Max here’s been executed from the back.  What a compassionate bunch, doncha think?  If it were me, why, I’da just skinned him and left him lying naked.

GD Soldier 1: B-But…!  The Max … got taken out by a knife…!

Bakshi: Oh use your eyes, you’ve got ‘em.  What suckers, the lot of ‘em!  All of ‘em, sitting stupid like a gaggle ‘a geese and chickens to the slaughter!

Bakshi: With a knife!  And a gwuuush!!  …Hehe, plus, just two … nope, just the one masturoni did all ‘a this.

GD Soldier 2: Th-That’s impossible…  I mean, they’ve got guns, and…

Bakshi: …Pff … pffhehe, hahahaha!  Heehahahaha!!

GD Soldier 1: B-Boss…?

Bakshi: Heeeehahahah!  Haaahahaha!!  This’s makin’ me feel all kinds ‘a good!!  …And here I thought this city’d have nothing more exciting ‘n a spit pool!

Bakshi: A wop expert in table manners, and a stinkin’ rat!!  …Looks like things’re gonna start getting fun around here!!  Hyaaaaahahahaha!!

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