Chapter 11: Generously Greedy【Part 1】
【言語に関するご注意 / Language Notice】本作はすべて、英語と英語の表現で書かれています。翻訳作品ではなく、オリジナルの英語ライトノベルです。あらかじめご了承の上、作品をお楽しみください。
See chapter one for the main author's note.
Vali
[Even writing this down sends a shiver down to my spine.
To grasp the sheer brutality of the people in this place, I have to take you back to the beginning of that fateful afternoon.
It is a cooling afternoon, the air settling as the passing crowd slowly thins out.
I sit alone on a lakeside boulevard bench, lazily swirling the soda in my can. There is nothing special about the day—just a quiet moment to wind down and watch ripples roll across the water.
The world around me feels simple. Peaceful.
But peace always precedes warfare…
A boy and a girl stroll into my peripheral vision, laughing as they lose themselves in conversation.
Watching them move together feels like observing a riddle in motion. They look like ordinary passersby at first, their casual beachwear blending perfectly into the quiet backdrop.
Yet, something about the rhythm of their laughter catches my attention.
“Dear me, it’s scorching today!” the boy exclaims. His voice booms with a theatrical energy that forces me to listen.
He halts mid-stride at the vending machine directly across from me, forcing the girl to pull up short as his head bobs up and down, scanning the rows.
“All right, I think I will treat myself to something refreshing... like that kiwi smoothie!” He points to the top row.
A premium choice. Nutritious, light on the stomach, and a treat for every tongue. A true connoisseur of the vending machines.
“Naoki, do you also want something? No wait, tell you what—it’s my treat today!” He extends an open palm with a grand flourish, offering the choice like a rare gift.
“Genuinely?” The girl gasps, her eyes widening as her cheeks flush. She nods, her smile turning bright.
He slams one hand flat against the glass, his other hand tracking down to the bottom row.
“Exactly, like how about that lemon-water mix in the bottom-right corner over there?” the boy suggests smoothly.
The cheapest item in the machine. You might as well go straight to the lake with a tree leaf in your mouth and bang your head against the water.
I freeze on the bench as the malice of his move sinks in. It is a flawless execution of social warfare—one so clean it makes me almost jealous.
By offering to pay for her drink, only to directly suggest the cheapest option, he forces a total checkmate.
Refusing his suggestion forces the girl to name a more expensive drink. It transforms her into a b-plot movie villain—a greedy monarch spurning the humble handout of a peasant. And he knows it!
He sets up a perfect trap to harvest the glory of generosity at the lowest financial risk, maintaining an effortless, bright smile like his ancestors aren’t turning in their graves.
The girl stands cornered, like a ship wedged sideways in a tight channel with nowhere to go.
“R-right... That’s... yeah, okay,” the girl stammers in disbelief, her body stepping backward.
No! Fight back!
My body remains frozen, but inside, I am throwing phantom punches like a desperate boxing coach trying to get his trainee back on their feet.
At the very least, the supervillain possesses the manners to get her drink first. He taps his student ID card against the reader.
Beep.
He punches in the digits, snapping his head down with every press to verify his inputs. The machine whirs, dropping the lemon water into the chute.
He reaches for it and dangles it in front of her, offering it like a noble giving a beggar alms.
“It’s all yours, here you go,” he says, handing it over with a victorious smile.
“Many thanks!” she replies, her head dipping into a polite bow as she clutches the bottle.
He flashes a quick wink before turning back to the machine. Once more, his card taps the reader before he keys in the numbers.
Slowly the premium bottle is released from its coiled prison.
The green liquid sloshes side to side as the drink edges over the precipice, beginning its downward plunge until—
Clunk.
A blunt thud echoes against the glass, followed by total silence.
Yes. Yes. YES. YES!
Caught halfway between the dispenser coil and freedom, the bottle tilts at a miserable angle, refusing to drop.
I clasp my hands together on the bench, thanking the vending machine gods for the merciless justice they rain down upon the wicked.
“Man, you have got to be kidding me!” he laughs nervously, his theatrical confidence deflating as he smacks the side of the glass.
My torso twitches forward, fighting the primitive urge to stand up and applaud and crown this cosmic execution of karma with a standing ovation.
But with the speed of the Big Bang, the festive symphony in my head shatters.
“I’ll give you a hand—hold this for a second!” the girl says with a grin, passing him her lemon water. She steps up to the machine, anchoring her grip along its sides.
No. No. NO. NO!
With the force of a magnitude nine earthquake, she rattles the chassis like a snow globe. The entire metal frame vibrates violently under her assault.
“Naoki, w-what are you doing?!” the boy stumbles back.
“Every time it shakes, it moves just a little, see?” she grunts, leaning her weight into the machine.
An apocalyptic panic erupts in my skull—a visceral horror akin to watching a close friend casually spoil the finale of my favorite series.
Why are you helping your captor!?
Stop! Cease!
“No kidding, it’s actually moving! Hit it harder!” the boy cheers, his eyes glued to the shifting drink.
An unusual rush of violence overflows within me—a primitive urge to tackle the girl, pin her to the ground, and prevent another cataclysmic vibration before—]
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Discover what happens next in: Chapter 11: Generously Greedy【Part 2】
Written by Limited_Infinity. Extras, official publishing platforms and updates are publicly available only on the Patreon page “_Limited_Infinity_”
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