Ryori Chapter 3: The unexpected visitor

Read chapter 3 of Ryori by Ginra on NovelPedia.

“You’re inside an old and abandoned building.” The cold and chill-acting Snow Raider with his cigarette in his mouth elaborated in a brief sentence. “So you guys caused the explosion right before I lost consciousness?” “A smart one, aren’t ya?” The man commented in a sarcastic way, after both had broken down in satirical laughter. “You’ve stepped on a snow mine like a dum-dum!” The other one added his sauce to the conversation with a chuckle. Repeatedly, they broke down in laughter for the sole reason of how easy it was to catch him. Annoyed, Kedo just sat there, watching these people laughing their tears out. He couldn’t really understand why and what was so funny about that. In the time these people had their fun, Kedo noticed that something felt off with the rope around his hands. It wasn’t firmly attached, giving him a chance to escape for sure! So he began trying to loosen these ropes quietly by moving his hands up. ‘Come on…!’ Realizing Kedo was trying to escape, one of them pulled out a silver knife with a rusty pattern, holding it below his chin. “Don’t try to play the brave one. Wait until our leader comes back. He’ll decide your fate.” Kedo didn't have a choice. That’s at least what they thought. A small drop of blood dropped onto the floor as he pressed his body intentionally against the knife even further. “Go on then.” Irritated, he pulled the knife back without a second thought. Kedo knew that they wouldn't harm a single hair on him. His dad had told him about his experiences with these kinds of people. They saw him as a valuable object. If the object was damaged, the value decreased drastically. ‘Their so-called leader won’t be satisfied with the cut.’ Frantically, his partner quickly handed him a small, grey towel made of a soft fabric to dab away the blood on his neck. Beads of sweat born of fear drooled down their faces as they pressed the towel against Kedo’s wound. Unfortunately for them, the cut was seemingly deeper than expected. “Go on, you idiot!” The man with the cigarette pressured his partner, who tried his best to somehow hide the wound. Despite their efforts, the bloodstain was still visible. “You’re the idiot here!” The man with the blood-covered towel replied, unsatisfied with his comments. “If our boss sees that, he will for sure-!” “Seeing what?” A grim voice appeared behind them. In a second, the atmosphere became severely pressuring—so much so that they forgot how to breathe correctly. With his entire body trembling, one allowed himself to look back, his eyes filled with fear. "B-B-Boss?! Why so early today?” “Answer me first!” The taller, larger, and wider figure spoke up with an annoyed scowl on his face. Was the boss really that strong? To Kedo, he seemed like a normal guy. His neighbors in his village were even larger! So he just looked like an ordinary guy with bad sleep to him. Before he was even able to answer, he gulped his saliva down his throat. “W-Well, you see, we managed to catch an almost bare-naked boy here! But unfortunately, he cut himself with a shattered glass piece!” His voice trembled and his body shook nonstop. A brief, awkward, but pressuring silence filled their surroundings. Only the howling air went through everyone's ears. “Then be more careful next time!” “Y-Yes, we will!!” They both said at the same time, bowing down as deep as possible with trembling legs to show how much they respected him. “Is this the place you said we would go?” A lighter voice appeared behind the master's back. Looking closely, they noticed a rope trailing behind him. As everyone quietly stared, a blond-haired boy in thick clothing stepped out from behind the boss’s large body. “Ohhhh. Are these three my friends, Mister?!” With a gleam, the boy pointed his fingers at Kedo and the others, surely not knowing where he was or who they were. “I see! You’ve caught other goods. Great job, Boss!” “I wouldn’t really want to say caught… but I found him in the middle of my return.” He explained shortly