Chapter 41: LOOKING FOR WORK!

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Hanabi ate her breakfast peacefully while sitting on the kitchen counter.

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She seemed lost in thought.

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TMP. TMP.

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P strutted down the stairs...

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Their eyes met, but Hanabi quickly looked back down at her food.

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With suspicious eyes, she glanced at P from across the room — he was standing still, staring at the empty dining table as she ate in the kitchen.

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"There he is, trying to act normal, but I can see right through him... It hasn't even been three minutes since he got in the bathroom..." Hanabi thought.

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"He looks like a reptile," she thought, serving food onto a ceramic plate before covering the pot.

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With two plates in hand, she walked toward P, who was sitting on the long couch in the living room, the TV tuned to a movie channel.

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His white long-sleeve shirt and tie were draped over the couch.

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TMP. TMP.

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"Here..." Hanabi said, holding out a plate of food to P, who stared blankly at the TV.

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He was clearly interested in the food but pretended to be absorbed in the show, then jolted as if surprised to grab it.

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"Oh- thank you," P said, grabbing the plate and eating quickly but calmly.

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SHFFF...

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Hanabi sat down on the couch with her own plate.

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"NOM NOM NOM...." Hanabi ate, glancing sideways at P's exposed frame in his black slinglet (tank top).

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"So... P, weren't you injured yesterday?" Hanabi asked casually.

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"NOM NOM!" P froze mid-bite for a second, spoon still in his mouth.

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Hanabi's eyes narrowed, catching the reaction instantly. "I knew it!" she thought.

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"NOM NOM NOM... Ye-sh," said P.

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"Huh?" Hanabi thought.

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"So what happened to them? I didn't even notice a scratch on your back when I massaged you last night," said Hanabi.

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"Well...." said P, mouth full of food.

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"I covered my injuries," said P.

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"How?" Hanabi asked.

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"NOM- I used something like a powder paint, matched to my skin color, and glue," said P.

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Hanabi stared at him, confused.

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"Paint and glue?" she thought, dumbfounded. "That doesn't make any sense."

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"What do you mean, paint and glue? I massaged you yesterday, and everything felt like pure flesh," said Hanabi.

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"You see, there are lots of ways to cover a wound and make it look like pure flesh. You just have to be creative," said P.

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"First, I stitched the wounds, folded the skin flat against my body, and glued it down. Then I applied matching paint over the skin and let it dry for a few seconds — it becomes permanent and bonds perfectly. Quite painful, though..." said P.

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"........" Hanabi stared at him, speechless.

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"What?" P asked.

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"Oh..." said Hanabi, pausing for a moment before snapping back. "So how did you get the supplies for your wounds?"

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"I just took them from your room," P replied.

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"My room?!" said Hanabi.

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"Yeah," said P.

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"This guy....." Hanabi thought, staring at him.

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"NOM NOM NOM NOM," P continued eating.

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Then he suddenly stopped, turning to glance at Hanabi beside him. His eyes widened in shock.

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"NOM-... HOR- NOR- BE..." P sputtered.

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Hanabi had passed out on the couch, her eyes blank white, steam practically rising from her head.

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"Hahg- harh... he literally just made me think about that for almost an hour..." Hanabi thought, blank and exhausted.

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"Hanabi... HANABI," P called out again.

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SLAP.

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P slapped her on the head.

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"Haah!" Hanabi shouted, grabbing her head.

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A tear welled up in her eyes. She was back to reality.

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"Are you okay...?" P asked, worried.

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"Are you nuts? Why did you hit me like that?!" yelled Hanabi.

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"I'm sorry... I thought you were dead, so I hit you. I would never hurt a woman," said P.

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"Haaargggggh..." Hanabi growled through gritted teeth.

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Steam seemed to rise from her head. "I'm getting a headache. I think it's better to just ignore everything about him right now... He's just like Yu- no, he's even worse," Hanabi thought.

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"Whatever. I'm going to get dressed and head to work," said Hanabi, standing up from the couch.

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SHFFF...

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TMP.

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She paused, then turned back.

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"Speaking of work — Arthur's body is still in my car. I can't exactly drive around with a body in my trunk," said Hanabi.

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"Don't worry about it, I already handled him," said P.

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"How? Did you steal my keys?" said Hanabi, about to explode.

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"No, I didn't! I just forced the trunk open," said P.

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"You WHAT?!" Hanabi burst out, a raging red aura flaring around her.

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P could feel her fury and immediately straightened up.

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"...T-there..." he stammered, flinching under her glare.

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"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have forced it open. But don't worry, the car's completely fine — there wasn't any damage," said P honestly.

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"It better be. Because by the time I go upstairs, change, come back down, and check my car, if I find a single scratch on it..." said Hanabi, furious.

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"I won't forgive you," she said with a cold stare.

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"GOT THAT?" Hanabi asked, giving him a death stare.

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"Yes... yes, I heard you..." P said, eyes stiff, shivering slightly under the threat.

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"Good!" said Hanabi.

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TMP. TMP.

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TMP. TMP.

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Hanabi walked to the kitchen, dropped her empty plate in the sink, then headed upstairs to her room.

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"She looks scary when she's angry..." P thought.

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"HAHAHA..." a faint female laugh echoed in his head.

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His eyes dimmed slightly.

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SHHFFF...

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P leaned back on the couch, quietly gazing up at the white ceiling.

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"I should go find a job," said P.

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*Moments later...*

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Hanabi came down the stairs dressed in modern clothes, handbag in hand — but something felt different.

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"Huh? He's gone..." Hanabi thought, scanning the empty living room.

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TAK.. TAK..

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"Did I hurt his feelings? Maybe I was too harsh. I shouldn't have yelled at him like that or said those things," Hanabi thought.

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"But he's just so absurd... Still, I wouldn't even be alive to talk to him if it weren't for him..." said Hanabi, stepping out onto the balcony.

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CREAK....

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SLAM.

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She locked the door behind her, then headed down the balcony stairs that led to the compound grounds where her car was parked.

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TAK. TAK..

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"I really shouldn't have reacted like that. I literally forgot my life is worth more than a car. What if I ever end up facing him as an enemy someday..." Hanabi panicked, thinking.

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She pictured an evil version of P with dark, reddish-gold eyes and a sinister grin.

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She swallowed hard. "I'd be dead... I need to apologize."

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She hurried to her car and noticed the trunk looked perfectly fine — the car had even been washed.

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She recalled his words: *"There wasn't any damage..."* P had said.

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"He even washed the car," she thought, closing her eyes.

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"I'm cooked," she thought.

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TMP. TMP.

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TMP. TMP.

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P walked along the busy city sidewalk, still in his waiter's uniform, in broad daylight.

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"Where can I find a job around here?" P wondered, before something caught his eye.

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"Oh!" he said, noticing a storefront along the walkway.

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Above the store, a sign read: **TONG TONG ENTERPRISE**

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A note was taped to the wall. P leaned in to read it:

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*Workers needed.*

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He straightened up and walked inside.

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CLING-

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P was surprised to find the store sold provisions, and a not-too-heavyset Japanese man — who looked like the owner — was cleaning up inside.

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"Hello... Ni hao," P said, waving and bowing with a smile.

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The man looked at him, confused.

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*"NANI—"* (*WHAT*, in Japanese) the shopkeeper thought.

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"What do you want?" the shopkeeper asked.

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TMP. TMP.

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"My name's P," said P, offering a handshake. The shopkeeper looked at him, puzzled, arms resting on the store counter behind him.

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"There's a poster outside saying workers are needed, and I'm looking for a job — that's why I came in. Are you the shop owner, by any chance?" P asked.

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*"I thought he was a customer, since he looked like a tourist from outside the country,"* the shopkeeper thought.

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*"Damn it, I don't even have the money to pay workers, and this guy just shows up out of nowhere. What the hell,"* he thought, scanning P up and down.

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"...I don't speak English," said the shopkeeper.

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"But you just spoke English," said P, confused.

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"Nani no hanashi o shite iru ndesu ka? Rikai dekimasen." (*What are you talking about? I don't understand you.*) the shopkeeper said in Japanese.

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P looked at him quietly, then replied, "Nihongo mo hanasemasu." (*I can also speak Japanese.*)

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SMACK.

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"SHIT," the shopkeeper said, smacking the counter. 136Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Lb27xV8Ir

88.181.249.5

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