Night fell.
Arthur took off his ridiculous clown costume and wiped the blood from his mouth. Just moments ago, some fool had thrown a punch at him.
But I thought his face must have been blind—it had run into his fist.
"Heh heh, hahaha..."
"Arthur, stop grinning like an idiot in front of my shop!"
Hearing the curses from behind him, Arthur shrugged and started down the road home.
The lights glittered in the night as Arthur walked, when he suddenly heard cries for help.
He turned his head and saw a car speeding past. Someone inside grabbed a little girl and dragged her into the vehicle.
Leaving only her mother crying out again and again.
Arthur tilted his head at the sight. "Hmm..."
That looked familiar.
Weren't they the mother and daughter he had seen during the day?
"Oh, I'm sure the girl's father simply couldn't wait to pick her up and take her home. Probably."
A little while later.
Inside an abandoned, unfinished building stood a huge cage, filled with boys and girls of roughly the same age.
"Is this enough?"
"What did K say?"
"That guy's probably drunk again."
"You know how it is. Once K drinks too much, nobody can wake him up unless I smear my three-year-aged blue cheese all over his face."
"If you actually did that, he might puke his guts out."
"Pfft, ahahaha!"
Hmm?
An eerie laugh came from the darkness, and the group instinctively turned around.
"Who's there?!"
"Come out!"
As he spoke, one of them pulled out a handgun.
From the darkness came a man with clown makeup painted across his face. "Sorry, I just thought that was hilarious. Have you ever considered becoming comedians?"
Comedians?
They exchanged glances.
"What are you talking about?"
Arthur spoke as he sat