Older Brother is Just Older Brother - Chapter 12

Chapter 12

That being said, if Shibusawa Tatsuhiko were truly asked to completely ignore Jiu Li, he wouldn’t be willing to do so.

Shibusawa agonized in his base for two hours before finally deciding to investigate more intelligence related to Jiu Li.

However, this time he wouldn’t investigate Jiu Li’s activities after arriving in Yokohama; he wanted to investigate Jiu Li’s background in the Hua nation.

Shibusawa wanted to use this method to understand Jiu Li’s past experiences and the underlying logic of this experimental subject.

In theory, this investigation should have been simple.

Although the laboratory hadn’t tried to understand Jiu Li’s past, they possessed his ID card. With that ID information, it was only a matter of time before Shibusawa uncovered the truth.

—In theory, at least.

In practice, there were quite a few problems.

Shibusawa was certain that the ID information he obtained was genuine. However, the previous Jiu Li seemed to have broken off relations with the entire world; Shibusawa searched for a long time only to find that Jiu Li’s friend count was exactly zero.

Shibusawa: “…”

He decided to stop targeting friends and instead check for relatives and neighbors. Then, he discovered a very serious problem.

Jiu Li was a person from the countryside. Specifically, the kind of countryside person whose ID information only went as far as a “Production Brigade,” leaving Shibusawa with no idea where Jiu Li actually lived.

Shibusawa: “…”

He tried to find someone online in the Hua nation to go check the site for him. He found three people.

The first one said, [You don’t want to kidnap me to be your child bridegroom, do you?] and blocked Shibusawa.

Shibusawa: “…”

The second one said, [Brother, is your online dating partner here? No need to check. With an address like this, if you order takeout for her, she has to get on a motorcycle an hour and a half in advance. Unless you’re willing to go yourself, there will be no result.] He rejected the request.

Shibusawa: “…………”

Shibusawa tried to keep himself calm. Fortunately, the third person wasn’t so ridiculous.

The third person was a local Shibusawa specifically sought out. Considering Shibusawa offered enough money and the distance on the map didn’t look far, he agreed and said he was departing immediately.

Shibusawa began to feel expectant.

He waited and waited. Five minutes later: [I’m on the bus. (Image.jpg)]

15 minutes later: [The bus started. (Image.jpg)]

1 hour later: [This road is so bumpy my butt hurts; I’ll just stand. Luckily I’m almost there! (Video with villager hit sound effects.avi)]

1.5 hours later: [Boss, I’ve arrived! (Image.jpg)]

Shibusawa thought to himself that one really couldn’t tell that the currently well-pampered Jiu Li had an iron butt, while sending the first payment to the person.

[Thanks, Boss! There are no cars here for now; I’ll trek for a bit!]

Ten minutes later: [Crossing a wooden bridge. (Image.jpg)]

Twenty minutes later: [Climbing a mountain. (Image.jpg)]

Thirty minutes later: [I took a shortcut and got hit by a charging sheep; I fell, and my butt hurts even more. (Image.jpg)]

Shibusawa: “…………”

There were too many messages. Not wanting to hear any more of this, Shibusawa sent payment after payment, and the person sensibly shut up.

Another hour and a half later, a message finally reappeared: [Boss, I found the brigade. What’s the name of the person you’re looking for? I’ll shout around and see if I can call them out. (Image.jpg)]

Shibusawa looked at the sparse mud houses in the photo and fell into deep thought.

So, one couldn’t find the person directly? So these houses didn’t even have nameplates, and finding someone relied purely on shouting?

The houses in the photo didn’t look numerous. Shibusawa felt that as long as the person knew Jiu Li’s name, they could soon call out someone who knew him. But Shibusawa wasn’t sure if he should reveal Jiu Li’s name.

Jiu Li had mysteriously gone abroad for travel and then gone missing; the situation was too sensitive. Shibusawa worried the person would cause a scene and eventually involve him as well.

Finally, he thought it over and sent more money than originally agreed, saying:

[Sorry for the trouble. I just wanted to see what the environment is like here. If possible, take more photos and send them over.]

The person: [!!! Boss, you’re so generous!]

Just like that, Shibusawa received a video titled Ordinary Mountain Village.avi, filled with passing villagers shouting at each other: “Old Jiu!” “Big Jiu!” “Second Jiu!” “Third Jiu!” “White Liquor (Baijiu)!” “Yellow Wine (Huangjiu)!” “Beer (Pijiu)!” “Cocktail!” “Little Jiu-Jiu~”

And because the person drank a bottle of “Nine Walnuts” (Jiugehetao) from the village store and got diarrhea, Shibusawa had to add a payment for medical fees and “mental damages for using a dry latrine.”

By this point, Shibusawa was completely numb. He gave money whenever it was asked for, too lazy to say anything else. He only doubted that even if he told the person he was looking for “Jiu Li,” they wouldn’t be able to find the house!

Unless, while saying “Jiu Li,” he could also specify what kind of “Jiu” (alcohol/liquor) it was and translate it into the local dialect!

Fortunately, Shibusawa’s goal was passably achieved. This farce could end.

Except Shibusawa simply couldn’t figure out how such a small, impoverished mountain village could ever give birth to an existence like Jiu Li—the Jerusalem of the non-human world.

This led Shibusawa to toss and turn all night. In the end, it wasn’t that he found closure, but that the sun had come up.

Shibusawa: .

Looking at the sun outside and thinking about the probability of Jiu Li looking for him today, Shibusawa suddenly began to suspect: Was the fact that his ID card wasn’t destroyed by the lab actually a trap set by Jiu Li for the people of Yokohama?

Otherwise, he truly couldn’t understand how a past Jiu Li—a mere ordinary person—could have intelligence so difficult to collect!

…

Unlike Shibusawa, who couldn’t sleep because of the sun, Jiu Li was in the basement. There was no sun in the basement, and Brother Verlaine wouldn’t rush him; Jiu Li could sleep as long as he wanted.

When he finally opened his eyes, Jiu Li’s brain was still fuzzy. He instinctively leaned toward the heat source beside him.

The heat source didn’t stop him. On the contrary, the person proactively moved his arm so Jiu Li could lean more comfortably.

Jiu Li, suddenly wide awake: !!!

What happened? Why is Brother still in bed at this hour today? Doesn’t Brother usually go to sleep the moment he hits the bed and leave the moment he wakes up?

Thinking this, Jiu Li instinctively looked nervously at the pillow he used to hide his unexplainable assets. He breathed a secret sigh of relief because Brother likely hadn’t moved it.

Then, Jiu Li said: “Brother, good morning!”

It was already late morning. Verlaine wanted to say that, but the words turned into: “Good morning.”

Jiu Li didn’t get up immediately; he lingered beside Verlaine for a while longer.

He sneakily felt the muscle on his brother’s arm twice, rubbed against his brother’s loose long golden hair, and took several deep “hits” of his scent. Then, while repeatedly chanting in his heart, “In this life, I must date someone like Brother, in this life I must date someone like Brother,” he slowly got out of bed.

Well, he only sat up.

Jiu Li was still a bit sleepy. He didn’t even pull back the covers, just sat on the bed staring blankly at the air. It was Verlaine who got out of bed first and headed to the washroom.

Jiu Li was still dazing. After a good while, he slowly lifted his pillow and glanced at the things underneath.

Underneath were gold bars—converted from the money Jiu Li had earned by secretly driving Didi and “shaking down” Dazai and others recently.

One, two, three, four, five… good! Not one missing, all here!

After counting the gold bars, Jiu Li tucked one into his bosom and put the rest back. Then, he whispered in marvel: “So many gold bars, and yet they stay so obediently under my pillow. They don’t roll around the bed or make much noise when they clink… it’s truly magical! It’s like there’s an invisible giant hand controlling them!”

Verlaine, who never forgot to activate his ability to stabilize the mountain of gold bars for Jiu Li even when not physically present: “…”

It is not magic.

…

When Jiu Li finally got out of bed, finished washing up, and changed his clothes, he heard a “bad” piece of news from Verlaine.

“Yokohama might not be very peaceful for a while.”

Verlaine said this while tidying Jiu Li’s slightly upturned collar. “Jiu Li, in three days, you must be exceptionally careful when you go out.”

Jiu Li was first shocked that the previous Yokohama could be considered “peaceful,” and then, because of the “three days” limit, he remembered what the white-haired man had told him yesterday.

What that guy said was true!

Jiu Li became even more anxious to go out.

Verlaine naturally couldn’t guess who Jiu Li had met, but he saw Jiu Li’s impatient attitude toward leaving the basement. He was silent for a long time.

Finally, just as Jiu Li had packed everything and was about to leave the basement, the non-human—who always looked cold but never refused Jiu Li’s intimacy—finally spoke: “Jiu Li.”

Jiu Li instinctively turned: “Brother Verlaine?”

Verlaine gazed at Jiu Li for a long time, his azure eyes filled with emotions Jiu Li couldn’t understand. Then, he said abruptly: “It’s nothing. I just suddenly remembered—in a while, you should follow me to learn assassination techniques.”

—Once Jiu Li learned them, he could obtain a freer life, just like Chuuya.

Jiu Li didn’t know why Brother Verlaine suddenly brought this up, but it sounded pretty good, and he would be taught by his brother personally. So, he chose to agree.

Then, Jiu Li left.

Another figure appeared almost exactly at the moment Jiu Li departed. It was Nakahara Chuuya. Clearly, Chuuya had been there just now, but he didn’t want to show himself while Jiu Li was present.

Following Verlaine into his study, Chuuya pressed down on the hat on his head. Looking at Verlaine, who had started reading quietly again, he gave a light “tsk.” “Are you sure?”

Are you sure you want to let Jiu Li learn combat techniques? Let him go to the outside world like him? And then let him be like him—spinning like a top because of all the matters from the outside world, not even finding time to see Verlaine once a week?

Could Verlaine bear it? Doesn’t Verlaine like it most when Jiu Li runs all over the basement following him, shouting “Brother, brother, brother”?

Verlaine’s eyes moved. He didn’t immediately answer Chuuya’s question. Instead, for the first time in front of Chuuya, he took out a cigarette. Of course, he didn’t light it, just held it between his fingers.

Then, looking at the cigarette, Verlaine said: “If I were Jiu Li, being forced to not leave the basement, I would certainly not be in a good mood.”

Nakahara Chuuya: “…”

Not answering the question directly meant Verlaine actually still couldn’t bear to let go.

From a rational standpoint, Chuuya felt Verlaine was right. If it were him being locked up by Verlaine for 23 hours a day with only 1 hour of freedom, he wouldn’t be happy either.

But the problem was, isn’t Jiu Li different? Isn’t Jiu Li enjoying it? Otherwise, why would Jiu Li insist on sleeping with Verlaine every day? Why would he act like a broken record saying “Brother, brother” every day?

That said, Verlaine remained persistent.

Chuuya only felt that Verlaine was too fond of measuring others by his own standards. Just as back then, Verlaine was convinced “Flags” was using Chuuya, so he killed everyone in “Flags.” Now, Verlaine was convinced Jiu Li would dislike him because of his desire for control, so he insisted on pushing Jiu Li away.

—Verlaine would definitely regret it.

But it wasn’t a big problem. Jiu Li liked Verlaine very much; even if Verlaine proactively pushed him away, Jiu Li would come back with just a few words of explanation.

Now, more important than the matter between Verlaine and Jiu Li was the intelligence the Port Mafia had just received: “A mysterious wealthy man in the Kanto region left behind a 500-billion-yen inheritance.”

Thinking this, Chuuya composed himself and changed the subject. He seriously began to recount all the intelligence the Port Mafia had gathered and, by the way, relayed what Mori Ougai wanted Verlaine to do.

After speaking for ten minutes, Chuuya finally finished: “Anyway, that’s how it is. This inheritance is enough to reshuffle the underworld of Yokohama, so the Port Mafia must obtain it…”

Noticing Verlaine just holding the unlit cigarette with a melancholy expression, staring at the book in front of him without turning a single page for ten whole minutes, Chuuya: “…”

Chuuya: “Are you even listening?!!”