chsdbacks Chapter 68. Every single one of those people he captured had a family, and every single one of them
Chapter 68. Every single one of those people he captured had a family, and every single one of them
The storefront of Ando Japanese Confectionery Shop is not large, but it is very well maintained. The wooden signboard is printed with the shop name in white, and several signature desserts are displayed in the window, glistening temptingly in the afternoon sun.
However, due to the chef's passing, the shop is unable to produce its signature dim sum, and there are no customers at the moment.
The motorcycle that had tripped over braked suddenly at the store entrance, its tires leaving two charred marks on the ground. He took off his helmet, strode into the store, and Shengzhen followed closely behind, his expression equally serious.
It's quite normal for someone to act genuinely if they're not feigning helplessness to gain sympathy.
"Welcome!"
As soon as someone walked in, the proprietress, Rena Ando, behind the counter, managed a smile, but was frozen in place by the furious eyes of the man who had been standing there.
Bandou's gaze passed over the proprietress and fixed directly on the figure in the white chef's uniform at the kitchen door.
"It's you, isn't it?"
The sound of the tripping was very soft. He pulled a drawing from his pocket, a child's doodle that looked somewhat abstract but was full of painful memories—the figure he had drawn from his childhood memories: "The Sugar Man Who Kidnapped My Mother".
Although the drawing was simple, all the key features were immediately apparent: a body covered in sharp spikes, a dog's head, and a red belly...
That's yourself!
The rolling pin in the chef's hand fell to the ground, making a dull echo in the quiet shop. He recognized the painting—it was so obvious, how could he not recognize it?
"Could we... talk outside?"
The middle-aged man, realizing what had happened, spoke up, his voice hoarse and weary, as if pleading or begging.
"Why do you want to go outside to talk?"
Instead of a tripping maneuver, Shen Yi pushed open the door and entered, followed by Xingguo and Haiyue 9. His voice wasn't loud, but every word was as clear as a blade slicing through glass: "They are the parties involved and have the right to know the truth."
Shen Yi's gaze swept over Rena Ando and Hiroto Ando, finally settling on the kobold's pale face. "You're not planning to keep this from them forever, are you? Ms. Ando has the right to know that she lives under the same roof as a criminal who has killed countless people."
"A criminal who has killed countless people?"
Reina Ando's voice suddenly became shrill, and she instinctively looked at Kenji Saito: "Sir, what are you saying? Master Saito, he—"
The shop was so quiet that you could hear the ticking of the wall clock. Seeing that Kenji Saito didn't refute her, Rena Ando's expression changed from confusion to unease, and then gradually from unease to a guess that she herself dared not admit.
Finally, Kenji Saito made a move.
He pushed open the kitchen door, walked to the tripod, and then—slowly knelt down.
"sorry."
His forehead pressed against the cold tiled floor, his voice muffled, carrying a desperate sincerity: "Before I die, could you... let me help this pastry shop prosper?"
Faced with this outrageous scene, Bandou was momentarily stunned. He had imagined countless confrontation scenarios—denial, escape, counterattack, or even breaking through the window after transforming—but he never expected that the other party would kneel down and confess directly.
"Twelve years ago, my pastry shop in Sugar Man World went bankrupt."
Kenji Saito's voice was calm and deep, as if he had finally unloaded a burden he had carried for too long, "Then I came into contact with Dark Snacks and came to this world..."
"Later, I met Mr. Ando, who taught me how to make human sweets and what human kindness is..."
Kenji Saito explained his situation clearly and in detail, then looked up, his eyes glistening with tears. "I know I have no right to ask for forgiveness, but before I atone for my sins, could you please give me a little more time? At least let this shop survive—"
"No, no need."
Rena Ando waved her hands repeatedly. She was very grateful to Kenji Saito for staying at the store during its most difficult time, but to be under the same roof as a murderer—sorry, she didn't want to die yet.
Kenji Saito looked up in astonishment, feeling as if he had been betrayed, a flash of annoyance in his eyes.
"Triangle kick".
Unaware of Kenji Saito's gaze, Ikuma couldn't help but speak after seeing him kneel down, "He already knows he was wrong."
"Shut up."
Saki's words finally brought Bisara to his senses. He glared fiercely at the kobold who was using the alias Saito Kenji: "You need to understand, he just said that he has been working for the Strommark family all along."
"What do you mean?"
Shengzhen didn't react for a moment. Does this have anything to do with him knowing he was wrong?
He has admitted his mistake, stopped eating those illicit snacks, and has reformed!
"That means he took away more than just Trip's mother."
Haiyue 9, who had once been an undercover agent, leaned against the door frame with her arms crossed, speaking calmly, "Not to mention, he's already eaten the dark snacks."
What are the raw materials for dark snacks?
It's human!
Although Haiyue 9 is not human, after spending time with Xingguo and Bandou, he has come to understand that humans, like the Sugar People, are intelligent beings, just like... Hazou.
His gaze suddenly fell on Shengzhen, and he felt something was off.
Speaking of which, shouldn't Sekima's Hōzō, like his Double Pudding Hōzō, possess his own will?
However, his double pudding can be reused, while the real one's pudding is used up after one use, or rather, it's used up.
Something feels off. Come to think of it, it seems like only Sakura eats his own family members, right?
Not all Sugar People can create their own Familiars, but he seemed to have never heard of a Sugar Person eating their own Familiars. After all, this behavior alone was enough to make Sugar People feel anti-Sugar People.
"But he already knows he was wrong!"
Saki looked at Kenji Saito, then at Kizuna, her innocent face filled with genuine confusion: "He's changed, and he even plans to help this confectionery shop—"
Upon hearing this, Shen Yi raised an eyebrow. Sure enough, Sheng Zhen was still the same Sheng Zhen.
"What are you talking about?"
Xingguo was the first to speak. She stepped out from behind Shen Yi, walked up to Shengzhen, and looked up at the boy who was a head taller than her. Her voice was unusually calm, but her clenched fists made her knuckles white: "What right do we have to forgive him?"
Fortunately, she didn't raise her voice, but every word pierced Shengzhen's ears like nails: "Everyone he took away had family, every single one of them—was a stumbling block!"
Each one is a stumbling block, each one like a stumbling block, having lost their loved ones, frantically searching for their whereabouts, unaware that their loved ones have already been turned into dark snacks and swallowed up piece by piece by these sugar man temporary workers!