ASAHI NO NISHISEI - Rising Sun Goes West (1)

End of the Charade

The response was so great that I am posting two chapters at a time.

I had originally planned to continue for about 3 chapters with the gambling, so please understand that the development may seem awfully fast.

- Bokutotsu Zen'u

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The young girl revealed her true nature. The air was tense with a shiver, and Nitta slowly spoke up.

"I had a few doubts when I first met you."

Nitta recounted the time he rescued her from bandits before entering Seve. Since that time, he has felt 'a certain discomfort' toward Nina.

'...Get the hell out of here...! I'll remember you!'

"You. At first I thought he was saying that because he was in command of the attack and thought he was the leader, but he was not the one who had his horse killed, and after all, it would be more natural to say 'you people' than 'you' in that scene..."

"..."

First Lieutenant Nomura and Senior Master Sergeant Takao listened to Nitta's explanation, and their expressions turned to realization.

"Then I thought to myself. I thought that the bandit might have said that line not to Lieutenant Nomura but to Nina-san, who was standing behind him. However, that doesn't explain the meaning of the words very well. At the time, I just thought it was a tricky thing to say."

Nitta continues to his explanation. The conversation then turns to the events of last night.

"And I definitely brought my bag back to my room last night... because my phone was in my room when I should have put it in my bag. Well, to be honest, it was during the gambling game that I remembered this, and I wasn't sure about my unconscious act of putting my phone in my bag... but what bothered me more was the wine that was in my room."

"?"

Listening to Nitta's explanation, the delegation members tilted their heads.

"We don't drink so recklessly as to be completely consumed by alcohol, but... last night, a bottle of wine got us both drunk. I thought it might have been fatigue, but... Nina-san, you left the table once during dinner last night, didn't you?"

"!?"

Shimon saw what Nitta was trying to say and looked horrified.

"Are you saying that she put something in that wine!?" She yelled at Nitta.

"It's just a possibility. There is no way to confirm it now..."

"..."

Nitta proceeded with his reasoning. Nina remained silent without changing her expression.

"Well, but that would mean that my bag was stolen from my room. There are two conditions for the thief: they must know that we are Japanese, and they must be able to identify us. And they must know that the contents of the bag are important to me. In particular, the thief must be someone who knows more than enough to know that the value of my diplomatic passport and driver's license cannot be converted into those things, because the thief did not touch the gold and silver coins that Endo has under his possession... If only the former condition were true for everyone at the inn, there are only a limited number of people in this country, or even on the continent, to whom the two conditions apply. And the decisive factor was that they correctly identified Shimon as a diplomat."

Nomura was reminded of a certain remark Rourke had made in the card game earlier when he heard these words.

'Say your piece! Or I'll sell that bureaucrat out of the country right now...'