After the manager had given Inuyama Heita a thorough scolding, leaving him cowering like a quail, he was finally let go. The moment he stepped out onto the street, his dejected expression settled into calm. He pulled out his phone, dialed a number, and held it to his ear.
"Hello? Mr. Qian, it's me, Inuyama Heita. Just like you said, trouble really has come looking for me..." Inuyama Heita glanced around, and once he was sure no one was nearby, he started walking toward the station as he talked.
There was some background noise on the other end. Qian Xiaoyi seemed to be somewhere crowded. He showed no surprise at Inuyama Heita's report and instead remarked, "That guy really is in a hurry... So what kind of 'bad luck' did you run into this time?"
"Earlier, two customers ordered a soup at the restaurant," Inuyama Heita said. "Soup at a Chinese restaurant is always really hot. I was carrying it very carefully on a tray, and just as I was about to serve it, they were chatting. One of them seemed not to notice what he was doing. He got excited while talking and suddenly made a big gesture with his hand. Then the bowl of soup got knocked over and splashed onto his arm, scalding a large area. But when I brought over some ice water and burn ointment, they refused to let us treat it. They said they didn't trust our shady restaurant and insisted on waiting for an ambulance."
"Haha, that's pretty standard," Qian Xiaoyi said with a laugh. "Looks like the burn wasn't that serious. If they'd let you treat it there, they'd have been fine by the time they got to the hospital. How could they scam anyone then? So what happened next?"
"Since it wasn't treated right away, his arm blistered badly. It looked awful. He was taken to the hospital and spent a lot of money on treatment. The manager gave me a terrible scolding and said he'd take away my perfect-attendance bonus." Inuyama Heita's voice carried a hint of frustration.
"Huh? Part-timers get bonuses too? Those are pretty good benefits. You're making me want to get a job~ Oh, right, what about those two guys who got burned? Have they contacted you?" Qian Xiaoyi asked.
"Yeah, they've already contacted me," Inuyama Heita said. "They called through the restaurant just now and asked to speak to me specifically. They want me to pay their medical expenses. Mr. Li, the manager, watched the security footage and told me to ignore them. He said to leave it to him if there was any trouble. He knows some people and will find someone to deal with it."
"Ahaha~ Your manager really looks out for you. Too bad this is one thing you can't leave to him," Qian Xiaoyi said with a laugh. "So, wasn't I right when I said you'd have a run of bad luck these next few days? Matsui must be in a hurry to get someone causing trouble for you already."
It was easy to explain. Qian Xiaoyi had long expected someone to try to extort Inuyama Heita. When Inuyama Heita needed money badly enough, he would naturally think of someone: Matsui of the Lucky Mutual Aid Society. Qian Xiaoyi couldn't help wondering if the guy had read Water Margin and learned how to "recruit people to Liangshan" from it.
Inuyama Heita gave a bitter smile. "Yeah... Without your warning, I might really have been frightened by those two and stupidly gone to him for help. What should I do now? Should I contact Matsui directly and ask him to help?"
"No need to rush," Qian Xiaoyi said. "Since this is an act, we might as well make it more convincing~ Those two thugs should come looking for you in person again tomorrow. Wait until they've confronted you, then contact Matsui. That'll make your actions seem more natural."
Suddenly, another man's voice came from the other end of the phone. "Hey! Brother Qian, still talking business? Come have a drink! Everyone's waiting for you."
"Coming~ I'll be right there!" Qian Xiaoyi replied. Then he said to Inuyama Heita, "I've got a social engagement here, so I'll hang up for now. Get in touch if anything comes up. Bye~"
"Mr. Qian..."
The call ended. Inuyama Heita was at a loss for words. He was here, scheming against the thugs (presumably) sent by Matsui, and had even been chewed out in front of everyone by the manager, while Qian Xiaoyi was off drinking and having fun at some izakaya. It was hard not to feel annoyed.
So, the next day, after preparing himself mentally, Inuyama Heita had barely left the school gates when the two thugs caught up with him. One had an absurd amount of gauze wrapped around his arm; the other wore a menacing expression. They blocked Inuyama Heita in the middle of the road. Passersby hurried around them, not one bothering to get involved in their mess.
"Hey, kid," said the thug with the bandaged arm, looking hostile. "You don't think you can get away with scalding my arm, do you?"
"That soup was really hot," the other man said. "My friend was in so much pain last night that he couldn't sleep. He might even end up with a serious scar. You don't have anything to say about that?"
Inuyama Heita wanted to say that the scar was only getting worse because they hadn't let the restaurant treat the wound right away. But he knew they'd come looking for trouble on purpose, so he put on a frightened expression and said, "But... Shanwai Lou already covered the medical expenses, didn't they? The manager there said he'd handle any compensation. You should talk to them."
"What are you saying, kid? You're the one at fault. Don't act like you're the victim!" The man shouted, then noticed someone nearby getting ready to record them on their phone. He glared at the person, hurriedly put an arm around Inuyama Heita's shoulders, and forcibly led him into a nearby alley to continue the conversation.
"Hey, kid, I got scalded by you, so of course I'm coming after you." The injured thug pulled up a corner of the gauze smeared with ointment on his arm, revealing the revolting injury beneath. "See that? That's the wound you caused. Don't you feel sorry?"
The other man followed up in a sinister tone. "Inuyama Heita, you don't want your school to find out about this, do you? Even if you didn't do it on purpose, just think what'll happen if we make a scene at your school gates."
Inuyama Heita said nothing. It didn't take much thought to see the consequences of what they were threatening. If this became a big deal, the school wouldn't stand up for a poor student with no connections. To protect its reputation, it wouldn't take his side even if he hadn't done anything wrong. It would just blame him for causing trouble.
Even if the school didn't help the bullies and instead called the police before quietly letting the matter die down, there was still the problem of rumors spreading. Whatever the truth, students at school often favored the version that made for a better story—like Inuyama Heita deliberately attacking someone with boiling water. Rumors like that often marked the start of school bullying: first came the cold shoulder and social exclusion, then harassment by other groups of bullies, and finally, the whole school would see him as a delinquent...
Thank goodness Mr. Qian warned me beforehand... Inuyama Heita thought. Otherwise, I'd have had no choice but to ask Matsui for help.
Before you continue