Baccano! - Volume 19 - Chapter 11

Chapter 11 All the Players Are in Place but Not on the Same Page

Millionaires’ Row

Half a day had passed since the ruckus at the Martillo Family gambling den. Dawn had broken.

When the gang of delinquents who were living at the Genoard family’s second residence woke up and gathered in the hall, a bizarre sight greeted them.

“…What is this?”

Everybody reacted the same way and then stopped in their tracks.

“Why are you all standing there like statues? …What is this?” On his way to the kitchen to get breakfast started, Fang Lin-Shan peeked into the hall. He, too, came to a stop.

He’d seen a row of neatly folded tuxedos and tailcoats, and a large variety of evening gowns on hangers.

A special rack that held about a dozen gowns stood in the center of the room. That startled him first, but more than anything, the quality and quantity of the garments completely floored him.

Even though they were smack in the middle of a recession, the classy formalwear didn’t show the faintest sign of shoddy manufacturing. The cloth was luxurious, the elegant styles had a sophisticated feel, and the fabric had that special “new” scent. The garments certainly didn’t look out of place in the Genoard family’s second residence on Millionaires’ Row—but the delinquents who currently occupied the mansion had never expected to encounter anything like them.

“Um…”

The hall had been transformed into a modest high-class clothing boutique. However, what confused them even more was the sight of Jacuzzi Splot sitting in a corner of it, hugging his knees.

“Jacuzzi? Jacuzzi, what’s the matter?”

“Did a traveling salesman come through and strong-arm you into buying all these threads?”

“No… Nobody could carry all that around by themselves.”

“I woke up early, and when I walked past this room six thousand twenty-seven seconds ago, there wasn’t the hint of a ghost of this pile of clothes.”

“Actually, did you lug all these in on your own, Jacuzzi?”

“Nwah, Jacuzzi, you muscleman.”

“Hya-haah?” “Hya-haw!”

His friends kept talking to him, but Jacuzzi didn’t respond. He just heaved a deep sigh, his arms still around his knees. He was somehow depressed and half asleep at the same time.

They hadn’t been able to pay their protection money to the Martillo Family, and so Jacuzzi had gone out to beg for work. He’d returned without anyone noticing—and now this.

The delinquents didn’t try to shake Jacuzzi awake to find out what happened. Instead, they started taking random guesses.

“Mgaw… Jacuzzi, you get job?”

“Is this the job? Selling these off?”

“But who’s gonna buy ’em in this recession?”

“…Maybe Miss Eve?”

“There’s no point in selling her tuxedos—or dresses for grown-up ladies.”

“Are we selling them to that Dallas git? To him, huh?”

“If he had any other fat-cat connections, he’d already be trying them.”

“Hya-haah!”

While some of the delinquents interpreted the clothes as merchandise, another group decided they were contraband.

“I see, Jacuzzi… You were flat broke, so you finally went and did it, huh?”

“Uh… I dunno, fella. Stealing clothes from a store run by regular folks isn’t a great move.”

“If your back was really against the wall, you shoulda said somethin’. We would have helped.”

“And hey, where are we supposed to unload these?”

“Hya-haw.”

The boys and girls went on shooting their mouths off, but Jacuzzi didn’t respond.

It was as if he was trying to run away from reality by staying asleep.

“What’s all the fuss about in…here?”

Nice walked in, then looked as startled as the rest of them. Listening to the conversations around her and deciding nobody else knew anything, she shook Jacuzzi awake.

“Jacuzzi, Jacuzzi! Wake up! Pull yourself together! What happened?!”

“Nn……huh? Uwaaaugh?! Nice?! Uh, huh? Did I fall asleep?”

“You looked like you were having some kind of nightmare. What on earth happened?” Nice asked.

Jacuzzi took a hasty look around the room. When he saw all the formal clothes, his lips trembled wretchedly. “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah, I knew it… I knew it wasn’t a dreeeeeam.”

“Calm down, Jacuzzi. What are these clothes for? Where did you get them?”

“Huh…? Oh… Um, well…”

Nice rubbed his shoulders gently, and it seemed to soothe him. Little by little, Jacuzzi calmed down. However, for some reason, the calmer he was, the paler he got. “What’ll I do? Those clothes… I want to explain, but now that I’m really thinking about it, I stuck my foot into something incredibly awful…”

“What do you mean?”

“Th-the clothes are, um… They’re a loan.”

“A loan? …From whom?”

Nice prioritized the question of “From whom?” over “What for?” Knowing the name would let her gauge the depth of the swamp Jacuzzi had stumbled into.

“The Martillo Family, or technically…from Mr. Ronny.”

The swamp was practically bottomless, as it happened.

Nice froze, but Jacuzzi went on anyway, explaining the despair that awaited them.

“And so…we’re all going to wear these and help out at a mafia gambling den…”

A few hours earlier

“Hey… I think I recognize that tattoo.”

“Aaaah! I—I’msorryexcusemeforgiveme!” The kid with the inked face shrieked and scrambled back in a dramatic show of terror.

Firo frowned. “Uh, why are you apologizing?”

“I—I’m sorry, I’m really sorry!”

“What I mean is, quit apologizing.”

“Eep! I—I’m s— Um, no, I…I—I—I won’t apologize, so please forgive me!”

The kid was panicking like a small animal who’d seen a fire. Firo thought, What is this girly little…? Geez, he’s so timid that calling him “girly” would be an insult to women. He didn’t let his feelings show on his face, though. Instead, he asked him another question. “Uh… We’ve met a few times before, haven’t we? Several years back. You came limping off that train…and you were on the top floor of Mist Wall, too, right?”

“Y-you saw me there?!”

“I heard about you from Ronny. You’re the… What was it…? The leader of those delinquent kids, and your name is…uh…”

“J-Jacuzzi. I’m Jacuzzi Splot.”

Mist Wall was one thing, but Jacuzzi hadn’t known he’d been seen leaving the Flying Pussyfoot. The other guy seemed terribly well-informed, and that did nothing to settle his nerves.

“Gotcha. I’m Firo. Good to meet you, Jacuzzi. So what are you doing in a place like this? Not only that, but it looks like you know Ladd…”

Firo shot Ladd a sidelong glance, but he had calmed down and was talking with Graham and Lua. He didn’t seem to be paying attention to Firo’s conversation.

“I—I, um… The Russo Family put a bounty on me… Then on the train, Ladd put me off until later, and then Mr. Molsa told me to go with Ronny, so I did, but Ladd was here…” Jacuzzi’s fear seemed to have confused him more, and he couldn’t describe what had happened properly. Completely failing to give anything resembling an explanation, he put on his very best social smile and finished with “And so we’re in your hands, so please go easy on us!”

Silence fell as Firo narrowed his eyes. “…What the hell are you talking about?”

“Eep!” Jacuzzi was as stiff as a board.

Oh, sh-sh-sh-shoot. H-he didn’t get any of that! Jacuzzi panicked. I—I mean, I don’t understand why Ladd is here…! A-and this man… He knows both Ladd and that scary red-eyed guy?! What’s up with that?!

Not only was this baby-faced man friends with Ladd and Christopher, he had Ronny Schiatto and Molsa Martillo behind him. He looked around Jacuzzi’s age, but as far as Jacuzzi was concerned, he might as well be Satan, served by all the devils in hell.

H-huh? But… Come to think of it, I’ve heard the name “Firo” before. I get the feeling Isaac and Miria mentioned him a lot.

“Um… Do you know Isaac and Miria?” Jacuzzi asked.

“Huh? What about them? …Actually, I seem to remember asking you a question. What’s with the third degree, huh?” Firo’s eyes hardened, and his expression was impossible to read.

“Waaaaaugh, I—I’m sorry! Really, I’m sorry! Please don’t kill me!”

“Look, I told you, quit apologizing over peanuts!” Firo was getting nowhere with Jacuzzi. Sighing, he called to Ronny. “Ronny, who the hell is this guy?”

“Hmm… You delay the introduction of your own acquaintances but demand I introduce Jacuzzi. Emotionally, you seem to be stretched very thin. Well, no matter.”

“…Sorry.” Firo had forgotten he’d said that. His own blunder irritated him.

“I told you it didn’t matter. Don’t apologize so easily,” Ronny said.

“……” Firo snapped his mouth shut, embarrassed to hear his own words used against him.

Ronny’s lips curved in a smirk. “I’m joking. Don’t let it bother you… In any case, I am the one who brought Jacuzzi Splot, Rail, Ricardo Russo, and Christopher Shaldred here.”

One of those Ronny had just named spoke up. “Huh? Did I ever tell him my full name?” Christopher said.

“It doesn’t matter,” Ricardo replied, tugging on the tail of his jacket. Christopher fell silent.

Watching them out of the corner of his eye, Ronny went on. “They’re here to help you with your job, Firo.”

“Huh?” Firo had been listening obediently, but at that last remark, he looked up. “No, uh, Ronny… These guys are supposed to— What again?”

“There’s a certain event coming up in the middle of February. I’m going to have them help you there. There are actually a lot more of them, including Jacuzzi’s companions. Rail over there, to begin with.”

“…What?!”

The “certain event” was probably the casino opening hosted by the Runorata Family, the group that had dropped in a minute ago. Firo had assumed it was just a political maneuver on their part. However, Melvi had been the spitting image of Maiza’s kid brother, and seeing him had forced Firo to rethink the entire situation. These guys? Help me out? A whiny weakling, some kids…and Christopher?! C’mon!

“It’s all right, Ronny. I can run the place just fine without helpers,” Firo insisted.

He actually thought they’d be in the way, but he didn’t say so out loud. Ronny had brought them, and he didn’t want to insult a superior in front of strangers.

Ronny knew exactly what Firo meant, though. “You look as if you imagine they’ll be in the way.”

“N-no… That’s not what I…” As Firo tried to cover for himself, Christopher stuck his oar in from behind him.

“That’s mean, Firo! I just wanted to be useful to you, since you were my first friend here in the city!” Even as Christopher protested, he was wearing a smirk.

This conversation was giving Firo a headache, but Firo didn’t ignore him. “Frankly, I don’t trust you. You look like you’d shoot up the casino.”

“Wow. That’s incredible! You know me really well! A true-blue friend to the end!”

“Oh, shut up.”

As he watched the pair, Jacuzzi felt a little relieved.

Oh, good. If Firo thinks we’ll be in the way, we might not have to do anything dangerous. But then we’ll need to think of some other way to make money…

While Jacuzzi was lost in thought, Firo had gotten fed up with Christopher and stopped mincing words. “C’mon, Ronny, what can these guys actually do? I know Christopher’s good in a fight, but the rest of ’em are just kids.”

“Oh yeah? They look about the same age as you, Firo,” Christopher said, cackling.

Firo shot him his sharpest look yet and issued a warning. “…Say that one more time, and I’ll file all your teeth down to your gums.”

If Maiza and the others hadn’t been right there, he might have skipped straight to throwing punches.

“I—I’m sorry!”

However, the one who apologized was Jacuzzi, not Christopher. Firo had looked so menacing that Jacuzzi couldn’t help it. He was shaking like a leaf.

“…Again, why are you apologizing?” Firo snapped.

“Eep!” Jacuzzi squeaked like a baby rat who’d attracted the cat’s attention. Tears were forming in his eyes.

What’s with this guy? Firo grumbled silently. Can’t imagine him having the guts to get inked on his face. What, did some bullies come after him? Did they pin him down for that tattoo?

Firo frowned. “…Ronny, this really isn’t gonna cut it. I can’t see this spineless crybaby doing anything for us. Besides, his friends are probably all—”

“Firo.” Maiza started to warn Firo to watch his tongue, but Ronny stopped him with a gesture.

“Firo Prochainezo.”

“…?! Y-yessir?”

Ronny’s quiet voice made Firo freeze. Not only had Ronny called him by his full name, but his usual imperturbable smile had vanished, and his face was perfectly expressionless.

“Say any more, and you’ll be insulting our capo masto along with the boy.”

“Huh…?”

“He was the one who decided they would be useful to you,” Ronny explained. “Showing contempt for them is questioning his judgment. Am I wrong?”

“……”

Ronny’s impassive remark left Firo speechless. Molsa Martillo was the law in Firo’s mind. If the head of the Martillo Family had acknowledged these guys, then doubting their capabilities was tantamount to betrayal.

“…I’m very sorry, sir,” Firo said, directing his apology both at Ronny and the absent Molsa from the bottom of his heart. Then Firo turned to Jacuzzi and gave him a sincere apology as well. “Sorry to you, too, fella. I came pretty close to insulting your friends. Forgive me.”

“Huh? Oh, erm…” The terrifying man had apologized to him, and Jacuzzi had no idea how to react other than with his usual timidity. A strange silence fell over the room.

Ricardo, whom Firo hadn’t paid much attention to, was the one who broke it. “It’s only natural to worry about how the work may go, judging only by our appearances and our behavior here. We don’t want to shame Mr. Martillo’s name, either, and we’ll give the job everything we have. I’d appreciate it if you’d judge us based on our performance.”

Ricardo spoke smoothly, without any reticence toward Firo.

And then there’s this kid. He’s really got it together, Firo thought, amazed. “Y-yeah… Okay.”

Ricardo seemed a heck of a lot more like an adult than Firo felt. He was just feeling daunted by that when Ladd chimed in from across the room.

“You’d never think we were related, wouldja? It startled me, too.” Ladd laughed. Then his eyes went to Jacuzzi. “I’ll also vouch for Tattoo Boy’s moxie. After all, he was the biggest bounty on the Russo Family’s list. When I messed with his friend a little, he looked me straight in the eye, and you know what he said? ‘We’ll make you pay for this.’”

“……!” Trembling, Jacuzzi gasped and gave an inarticulate shriek.

Firo watched him, and his eyes said he still didn’t believe it. Still, Ladd probably wasn’t the type who’d joke about a thing like that.

As if for good measure, the guy in the blue coveralls who stood beside Ladd interjected loudly, spinning his enormous wrench. “Let me tell you a sad, sad story. It seems to me as if my sworn kid brother Jacuzzi is being unfairly underrated… You, Ladd’s friend: I’m gonna list a hundred of Jacuzzi’s good points right now. If I run out, I’ll have to imagine his future exploits and work with those instead. Ready?!”

“Nah,” Firo said. “That sounds like it would take forever, so I’ll pass.”

Genuinely shocked, the one with the wrench screamed at a young man who appeared to be his henchman. “How can this be?! He shot me down! Inconceivable! What do I do, Shaft?! I feel like my reason for existing just got rejected. What am I supposed to do now?!”

The henchman heaved a sigh, sounding worn out. “You could probably just shut up.”

“Okay, got it! I’ll shut up! However, I want to tell everybody here just one thing! If I were you, I wouldn’t underestimate Jacuzzi. If you underestimate him, worst-case scenario…you’ll die.”

“No, they won’t!! Actually, I’m the one who’d die!”

The yelped retort came from none other than Jacuzzi himself. His statement seemed to have shocked Wrench Guy yet again, and he gestured emotionally with the enormous tool. “That’s insane… He says he’s the one who’d die… You mean you’d take on the fate of those who underestimate you and die in their place?! Damn, fella, just how nice are you?! And how brave! What do we call someone so kind and brave? How should I describe Jacuzzi?! A hero, perhaps? Yeah, a hero. There could be no other word!”

“No, um…”

I don’t want people overestimating me…, Jacuzzi thought. As the conversation got bigger and bigger, he couldn’t keep up with it. He felt as if something dreadful would happen if this went on, and he started thinking of ways to deny the evaluation.

The time for that had already passed, though.

Firo, who’d eyed him dubiously at first, gave him a firm nod. “I don’t really get what that guy in the coveralls is saying, but it looks like you’ve got the respect of quite a few people. Trust from others is a powerful weapon. I’ll expect great things from you, Jacuzzi Splot.”

“No, erm…”

“You don’t have to be so jumpy. After all, if anything happens, I’m the one who’ll take the fall.”

W-was this that big a deal?!

That only made Jacuzzi feel more pressured. Thinking it was extremely bad news that he still didn’t know what sort of job he’d be doing this late in the game, he asked him about it, partly to change the subject. “Um… Specifically what do you want us to do on the day? Mr. Molsa said we’d only have to gamble, but…”

When Firo heard that, he nodded as if it made sense. “I see. It sounds like the capo masto is planning to have you be risacca.”

“R-risacca?”

“It’s a slang term our family uses. Other outfits have different names for it, but… It’s a unique job, not quite like being a plant…” Firo thought for a little, then explained, doing his best to choose words that would be easy to understand. “Basically, you act like incoming waves, bringing the right mood to the place. You boost the level of excitement, or sometimes bring it down, so that people will want to raise their bets. It’s a job that regulates the mood of the whole casino. It’s not cheating or anything. It’s just that having the right mood is important, see.

“In a way, it’s a more important role than dealer or my job running the place. Thanks in advance for your help, Jacuzzi Splot.”

The present Millionaires’ Row

“…So you see, between now and the job, we have to learn how to gamble at casinos, etiquette, and all sorts of other things. Mr. Ronny said he’d lend us all these clothes. I don’t know how he did it, but by the time I got back here, they were sitting in the hall…”

Jacuzzi explained the situation absently, gazing at the ceiling and definitely not at Nice.

From his jacket pocket, he took out the note he’d found in the entryway when he got back.

By the day of the casino job, at the very latest, we need you to be able to conduct yourselves like the rich. I’ll lend you formalwear, so accustom yourselves to it. Gang executives and the wealthy won’t be easily influenced by town thugs, no matter how much noise they make.

I expect great things from you.

Oh, yes. As an advance, I’ve temporarily paid your protection money for this month and the next, on your behalf.

Ronny Schiatto

After showing everyone the note, Jacuzzi looked as though his soul had been extracted:

“…In other words,” he murmured, “it’s too late to back out.”

And so the delinquents of Millionaires’ Row were dragged completely into the whirlpool.

None of them were immortals or mafiosi. However, simply because there were some in close proximity, they’d gotten swept into the maelstrom. It pulled in the whirlpools from their own lives right along with them, expanding further.

Thus, the human chain went on, whether destined for tragedy or comedy.

At the point, yet another drifting soul who’d been drawn into the huge vortex generated by the Runorata Family and the immortals appeared to Jacuzzi’s group.

Nice wasn’t trying to avert her eyes from the hopeless situation that confronted her, but before she touched on the subject of the casino, she asked about something that had been on her mind for a little while. “By the way, where’s Rail?”

It was a simple question but an important one, and Jacuzzi answered it easily. “Oh, she met up with some old friends, so she said she’d spend the evening at their place…”

Then they heard a noise from the entryway.

“I wonder if Rail’s back.”

Jacuzzi and the others headed for the front entrance en masse—but the person they found there wasn’t Rail. It was a familiar face a few years older than they were.

“Hey. You bottom-feeders look as broke as ever.”

The man who’d appeared, talking like a man with a worse upbringing than anyone present, was—in a way—their landlord.

“Da…Dallas?!”

Eve Genoard was the current head of the Genoard family.

This guy was her big brother, but he hadn’t inherited the family fortune. He was a typical good-for-nothing who sold off the family’s antiques and paintings and spent all his time playing around.

He was disparaging toward Jacuzzi’s group, but he was disparaging toward all of humanity—with the exception of his little sister. They knew him too well to get mad at him for it.

Unaware that Jacuzzi and the others were watching him with a sort of pity in their eyes, Dallas leered at them. He might as well have been the representative of all vulgar thugs. “I’ve got a good offer for you scumbags today.”

He had a remark of his own that would plunge him into the giant whirlpool at his feet.

“Did you know they’re holding a casino event at that Ra’s Lance building in February?”