I teach kendo in Tokyo

"What?" Ikeda Shigeru didn't mean to pretend to be stupid. He really didn't expect the store manager to say this first.

The store manager didn't answer, but kept talking to himself: "When I was in school, I was often bullied by bad boys."

Shigeru Ikeda's heart suddenly went cold, and he stood there at a loss and speechless.

The store manager blew out a smoke ring and continued: "I once expected all the bad boys to die for me, and I also thought about exchanging a knife for another and ending them all. You guys are simply the garbage among the garbage."

Shigeru Ikeda didn't know how to answer, so he had to say: "I'm sorry."

In the past, he wouldn't have cared about the store manager's accusation at all, and might even happily beat the store manager, telling him that this is how the world works, and those who don't have the strength should be bullied.

But now, Shigeru Ikeda feels very guilty, as if he is the culprit who bullied the young store manager.

"What are you apologizing for? This has nothing to do with you, right?" the store manager said lightly, "and I just used the past tense."

Shigeru Ikeda asked hopefully: "Have you forgiven them now?"

"No, how can I forgive you? Don't say such idiotic things." The store manager took another long puff of cigarette and exhaled a large cloud of smoke. "It's just that the object of hatred is gone. Either died in a gang fight, or died in a gang fight." I took desperate risks out of poverty and lost both my life and property. There was also someone who simply died due to excessive drinking, but I am still alive.

"I actually hate such a bunch of short-lived ghosts and want to exchange my own life for the lives of these short-lived ghosts. It's really stupid. If I really want to change, I will be in big trouble.

"Look at me, I don't have any bright moments. I just faced the arrogant little guy and I had no choice but to call the police. If he came up to threaten me, I would probably beg for mercy and even lick his shoes... I did this when I was young Get over this.

"But, I will survive. I am already a formal member. I don't need any merit as long as I will get promotion and salary increase naturally as my working years increase.

"I will marry a decent wife, maybe through a blind date. I will have my own one-family house somewhere in Tokyo, with a couple of children. Do you know what this is called? This is called the future, and this is for me It's something that can be seen and touched.

"This is something that the baseball man just now and you don't have."

After finishing speaking, the store manager stubbed out the cigarette, threw it on the ground, and stepped on it several times with his foot. He stood up and turned to look at Ikeda Shigeru, grinning: "Look at your future, is there even a little bit of it?"

Ikeda Shigeru couldn't say anything to refute.

In the past, when he was a delinquent and a squad leader, he looked into the future and saw himself dressed in Yakuza standards and wearing a group tattoo.

But now, the front is blurry and there is nothing.

"I don't know what made you decide to try to turn back the prodigal son," the store manager patted Shigeru Ikeda on the shoulder, "I am also willing to give you a chance, but after what happened today, if I don't fire you, the head office will They will come to hold me accountable because I recruited a delinquent who might cause trouble as an employee."

"I..." Shigeru Ikeda wanted to argue, saying that he had changed his mind.

But the store manager interrupted him: "I can listen to your explanation, but the head office will not. In the eyes of the big shots, you are a bad boy. As long as you have been, you are now, and you will be in the future.

"Only those NGOs will hire you prodigals like you. But if you want to enter an NGO facility, you must first go to the detention room. If you don't stay in the detention room, you will have no chance of receiving assistance from the NGO."

The store manager paused for a long time, and then used the most straightforward words to let Shigeru Ikeda understand his current situation: "You are fired."

Although he was mentally prepared, when this scene actually came, Shigeru Ikeda still felt angry. He asked: "Am I being fired now? Then I paid half of the money I paid in advance for that unreasonable guest yesterday. How do you calculate lunch money?”

"In the company's account, the customer bought a full-price bento. If you are dissatisfied, you can take legal action." The store manager smiled and said to Shigeru Ikeda, "This is how good people deal with this kind of thing."

Even Shigeru Ikeda knew that he needed to find a lawyer through legal channels, and the prices charged by lawyers were extremely expensive.

He was so angry that he really wanted to punch the store manager in the face.

He glanced at the store manager and found that the other person was looking at him with contempt.

That look seemed to say again, "Look, a bad boy is a bad boy, and there is no such thing as washing hands in a golden basin."

Shigeru Ikeda remembered what the store manager had just said, and he was afraid that if he took action now, the store manager would kneel down and beg for mercy without hesitation.

But no matter how hard Shigeru Ikeda beat him, he couldn't change the store manager's contempt for him.

Because the store manager holds the future.

Shigeru Ikeda slowly released his clenched fist.

He said to the store manager: "Thank you for saying so much to me. I really can't see the future now, but I will continue to work hard."

The store manager stared at Shigeru Ikeda for a few seconds and asked, "Why bother? Wouldn't it be nice to go back and be your division leader? In the future, I might be able to become the leader of the third-generation organization in the Yakuza. Even so, It’s much more glamorous than an ordinary club member like me.”

Shigeru Ikeda thought to himself, of course I know, that is the future I have always seen before.

"But, I want to be a good person now." Shigeru Ikeda smiled at the store manager, "One day, I can tell you openly that I am a good person, and I will come back to have a drink with you."

After Ikeda finished speaking, he bowed deeply to the store manager.

Then he turned around and left without any nostalgia.

"Wait a minute." The store manager suddenly stopped him, "Here, take the money for the half-price lunch box."

"No, this..."

"Take it! Gan, if you don't take it, I'll lose sleep for a month!" The store manager forced the money into Shigeru Ikeda's hand, "Also, this is yesterday's day's salary, so you can treat it as a daily payment. Let’s work.”

"this……"

"Just think of it as a reward for not hitting me just now." The store manager sighed, "I was actually ready for a beating just now. Come on, don't mess up the next place you work. Go to those Try your luck at a store where the owner seems to have a story.”

"Thank you!" Ikeda Shigeru bowed to the store manager again, turned around and ran away with a long stride.

The store manager stayed where he was and lit another cigarette.

"The prodigal son turns back... I hope he can keep going." He muttered in a low voice, but immediately added, "If it were so simple, the proverb wouldn't say 'the prodigal son returns with gold.'"