Chapter 1
I’ve lived an ordinary life.
Born into a middle-class family, I grew up in a place that wasn’t quite the countryside or the city. Without any major worries or setbacks, my life has been rather hazy. I’ve fallen in love and experienced heartbreak. I’ve tried to make the most of my life, but it’s nothing special. If there were an Ordinary Life Championship, mine would rank pretty high—that’s how ordinary it is.
But surely most people live lives like this. I’m certainly not special.
I know. Once you turn 30, though, life starts to feel unsatisfying.
――Anything would do.
Like having a passionate romance and receiving an unexpected proposal, winning the lottery with a ticket bought on a whim, or helping someone who turns out to be an Arabian oil tycoon. It can’t hurt to wish for something unexpected to happen at least once in my life, can it?
I was definitely thinking that kind of thing that day.
I was thinking it, but …….
“This doesn’t feel right….”
I muttered involuntarily, as I was caught in a headlock by a man dressed all in black.
“Hey, shut up!”
Now I’m being yelled at.
Well, I guess that’s fair. Right now, for the first time in my life, I find myself in the position of being a “hostage”.
It’s extraordinary.
I was undoubtedly experiencing something that only a small percentage of humanity had ever known. But no. This isn’t what I was looking for.
“Let’s go.”
The robber dragged me outside, still holding me tightly. The bank’s security alarm blared. Inside the chaotic building, I could see civilians lying on the floor and an injured security guard crouched down, watching my fate with anxiety—yet also a hint of amusement.
“Go, where?”
I just asked the robber.
“Just get in!”
I was shoved into a parked car.
I don’t have a driver’s license, so I don’t know what make the car is, but it’s a typical white sedan, the kind you see one in every few cars on the street.
“Damn it.”
The man angrily ripped off his knit cap but kept his sunglasses on as he started the car.
I gaze at the man’s profile from the passenger seat.
“Don’t look at me!”
“Ah, okay.”
He yelled at me again. I had no choice but to look ahead. The car sped down the main road.
But isn’t this impossible? He’s underestimating the Japanese police. There’s no way he can escape in a car chase. That bank teller pressed the emergency button pretty early on, so I’m sure the cops will be hot on his tail soon.
That’s what I thought, but if I said anything unnecessary, I’d get yelled at again, so I kept quiet.
It was my first time being held hostage, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared. But strangely enough, I was completely calm at that moment. I didn’t scream or cry at all.
“Um…where are you going?”
Unable to bear the silence that lasted for several minutes, I ended up asking. The man clicked his tongue clearly and glanced my way.
“You’re damn calm for someone in your situation. Who are you?”
Getting asked “who I am” by a robber? I’m something else, aren’t I? I almost find myself endearing for thinking that, but no, that’s not it.
“Who am I? Just an ordinary person who was standing in line at the ATM to withdraw money from the bank, that’s all.”
Answer honestly.
“No way! That’s not how an ordinary person reacts! You’re not… an off-duty cop, are you?”
He’s a robber with quite the imagination.
“Like hell I am! “
I couldn’t help but snap back.
Judging by his build and voice, the robber seemed young. I didn’t know why he’d done this, but it was probably a common story.
“I think you’ll get caught soon if you keep going like this.”
I just blurt out the truth.
“I know that! I’m trying to figure out what to do right now!”
He seemed genuinely desperate.
There was still no sound of police cars, but it was only a matter of time.
The man parked the car on the side of the road.
“Get out.”
Prompted,
“Ha, me too?”
I ended up complaining.
I mean, seriously. If he’s going to run, why doesn’t he just run alone? What’s the point of me tagging along?
“Just get out!”
He snapped at me again.
Reluctantly, I got out and was grabbed by the arm and dragged toward the city center.
These days, city streets are a treasure trove of security cameras. Walking around here meant we’d be tracked down in no time—it was obvious.
“If we’re going to run, we need to head for the countryside.”
I blurted out something unnecessary.
“Huh?”
The robber glared at me.
“You’d have to go somewhere that doesn’t have security cameras, right? That said, the bus terminal and train station are packed with them too, so you couldn’t really go anywhere anyway.”
When I calmly explained this to him, the robber sighed heavily and stopped in his tracks.
“Damn it! What the hell? So my life really is shit after all. My once-in-a-lifetime big job didn’t even earn me a single yen, and this is what I get?”
Ah, he’s really depressed.
“Well, I get how you feel. But honestly, only a tiny fraction of people actually live in the spotlight. Most people just muddle through lives that amount to nothing, blowing minor ups and downs way out of proportion, turning them into exaggerated tales of their own heroism.”
These words were aimed less at the robber and more at myself.
“…… What the hell was that?”
My words seemed to completely deflate the robber, who slumped down where he stood.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I guess I said something awful.”
Seeing me apologize, the robber lifted the corners of his mouth. Huh, kinda cute, isn’t he?
“You’re a weirdo.”
“Never been called that before.”
I answered, a little annoyed.
“Ah~ Ugh, forget it!!”
The robber gathered his strength and stood up, turned to me, and said:
“Sorry for scaring you. I’m turning myself in. There’s no way I can keep running anyway.”
“Yes, I think that’s best. You hurt the security guard, but you didn’t kill anyone or steal anything. It probably won’t be a serious crime, right?”
I say it, maybe just to comfort myself. I don’t know him well enough to feel sympathy, and I don’t really know how serious bank robbery is, either.
“Ah~ now that I’m deflated, I’m getting hungry.”
The man put his hand on his stomach and said.
Hearing that, I realize… I look at my watch. The hands point to 2:00 PM.
“Want to grab some ramen?”
For some reason, the man invited me along,
“Sure.”
I replied.
I knew I was doing something strange, but letting go of this “extraordinary” opportunity so easily felt somehow wasteful.
Together with the man—a robber and kidnapper—we headed to a nearby ramen shop along the highway.
Past its peak hour, the shop was empty. Our ramen was placed before us without much wait. It was a local Chinese restaurant serving soy sauce ramen. Setting aside the situation, lunch at a neighborhood Chinese joint is the best. If I were alone, I’d want beer and gyoza too, but now was definitely not the time.
[Breaking news just came in.]
The TV had been airing a laid-back afternoon talk show, but suddenly, the host frowned and began reading from a script.
[We just received information. It appears a bank robbery occurred today, shortly after 1 PM, at a certain branch of XX Bank in Tokyo.]
Ah, this is…….
I looked up and glanced at the TV. The bank we’d just been in was on the screen. Barricade tape blocked the entrance, and police tape was stretched across the area. The usual scene: numerous officers patrolling the perimeter, forensic investigators crouched on the ground collecting evidence.
[The suspect is approximately 175 centimeters tall, wearing black clothing, sunglasses, and a knit cap. He remains at large. Police are treating this as a robbery and urgently seeking to apprehend the suspect.]
They must have seen him fleeing, and they’ve probably traced the car by now. If turning himself in quickly could lessen the punishment even a little, that would be better.
But still……..
With a strange sense of unease, I swallowed the ramen broth.
Sads Translates 