HC Novel ♦️7 Never No Dollars “Round 1 ~Leo Constantine Pinochle~” (1/2)
A strong and unnatural force of wind hit my whole body. Thinking that he had managed to escape he let out a sigh of relief, but it seemed that he had no idea of my presence since we were swallowed by the winds.
Judging from the fact that he was dressed in a dark gray suit that was tailored just recently at Old Maid, he seemed to be in top shape.
However, it clashed terribly with his short blond hair which had its sides cropped, revealing the true colors of this man child. The word decency was definitely not in his books.
The radiant blue of his eyes reminded me of cheap ambitions that small fry villains tend to have, it made me want to throw up.
I gave him another warning.
“Surrender. Unless you want me to get rough.”
“Damn you! You bastards are persistent!”
—I was in the rural areas of the state of Polostick. In Polostick, farming and livestock farming were the mainstays of life, so this freight train packed a huge amount of crops and was currently on its way to Spada, the capital state.
Surrounding us were vast grasslands. Not a single soul could be seen. Ahead of us, a mountain range was in the field of view, and once we passed it we would’ve crossed to Spada.
I and Wallace were facing each other on top of a freight train container. Wallace was standing on one of the cars behind the one I was on.
The man’s name is Kai Wallace. He was a rogue broker who dabbled in the business of stolen goods, extorted items, and even drugs.
Since I got tipped off that Wallace was going to make a deal at a certain location I intended to apprehend him, but he escaped, one thing led to another and it happened that we ended up here.
Wallace threw his hand into his pocket.
“Watch your words, peasant.”
For a moment, I lost my cool and acted childishly by taking up his bait, and quickly reflected on it.
“A brat should accept being called a brat! I’ll show you how adults work! You’ll drag your ass home crying!”
Wallace held a card between his fingers.
It was the No. 6 of Spades.
On the card’s reverse side, there was a mark made by combining four suits put at the center of a black background. An intertwining pattern of golden patterns and embellishments overlaid it.
Holding the card, Wallace thrust his hands forward and crossed them.
On his cue, while emitting flashes of light as though it was exploding, the card disintegrated right away.
The hem of Wallace’s suit fluttered violently due to another force that wasn’t the resultant wind from the moving train. Around us, the overall amount of energy increased at that instant.
At the back of Wallace’s hand, a shape appeared and stood out clearly like a bruise. It was the same shape of a spade that was also on his card.
The energy that was floating in empty space turned into streaks of bluish light, wrapping around Wallace before eventually gathering in his hands. After that, the force that was generated in the field engulfed both of his wrists and began to spread up to his fingertips.
—In the blink of an eye, Wallace’s hands were encased in a pair of leather gloves.
They were decorated with circles large and small in various shades of muted color tones. Each circle was stamped with one gun-shaped symbol—making up a total of six. At his wrists, something that looked like thin frills were sewn, giving them the appearance of a clown’s gloves.
Just by looking at them, I could see a newfound resolve that was full of vitality and ambition—a determined spirit forming in Wallace’s hands.
Lips curving into a smirk, Wallace raised his gloved hand up to the sides of his face and made a mocking gesture.
“Brat. Now’s a good time to return to your mama. I don’t want to kill if I don’t need to. But I’m not against murdering children.”
Perhaps because he was so confident, Wallace had a relaxed look on his face. Following his remark, six spheres of colorful lights materialized from his gloves.
When he held his hands up while cackling in an inappropriate manner, the six spheres of light floated up as well. They circled around Wallace’s upper half.
In an instant, the lights had transformed into six guns. I watched as the guns floated in the air. No matter how you see it, they looked every bit like the real thing.
Moreover, when Wallace spread his palms and gently moved them up and down, the guns hovered in all directions, resembling a circus’ ball trick. The movement defied every law of physics in the world, such as the existence of gravity or air pressure.
…..Gun juggling, huh. Absolute nonsense.
Wallace pointed his finger-gun at me. One of the six guns opened fire.
I leaned backward, then while using my hand as a pivotal point I rolled out of the way. The wind got me knocked off balance for a moment.
When Wallace empty-handedly flicked his hands back and forth as if he was firing a barrage of shots, the rest of his guns followed his movements.
Then, seemingly chasing after me, they started firing one after another. I immediately retreated, and with the sound of clashing metal, the number of dents on the container increased with each bullet that was shot.
What a hassle. Dodging six bullets at once on a moving freight train is difficult.
That being said, no matter how many crude weapons he is able to manipulate——.
“You’re no match for me.”
“Thanks for your patience!”
Another man’s voice was heard.
Coming up from behind a speeding car entered our view. A classic car with a blue body color, “RAIKA”.
It was a two-seater convertible. The electricity-powered hard top, which also served as the roof of the car, was closed. From the driver seat’s window, a fair-skinned man whose flowing hair had silver tips craned his neck with his elbow hanging out. That man whose crimson suit and frivolous personality mesh well together was—
“A ladies’ man must apologize for keeping people waiting.”
My own subordinate, Chris Redgrave.
“Manager! Are we good to go?!”
“You’re late. I’ll save your lecture for later. Shut up and just do your job.”
“Ouch. You’re as uncute as ever!”
Before Chris had finished speaking, I had already jumped out of the way again to dodge a bullet. Wallace noticed RAIKA and got provoked.
“An aid?! Jump over if you can! I’ll turn you into a beehive!”
RAIKA became Juggling Gun’s new target.
Chris swerved the steering wheel to avoid the bullets, which caused RAIKA’s body to shake from side to side.
“That’s dangerous! Oi, you punk! Can’t you see that you almost put a hole in my beloved car!”
Chris leaned out of the window while spitting curses.
“Chris, just hurry up already! You retard.”
“Aye aye. Wendy, you heard the boss!”
As Chris pulled himself back into the car, RAIKA’s hard top roof opened and revealed a woman occupying the passenger’s seat.
She was wearing a light gray suit and pants, as well as pink buttons and a necktie. When she stood from her seat, her black hair which was tied up using a single hair tie whirled in the wind.
In her hand was a briefcase.
“Whoa! Wendy, take off your shoes!”
Chris’ eyes, adorned with meaninglessly long eyelashes, widened. The sharp glint in Wendy’s own black orbs had already spoken for themselves.
“This isn’t the time for that, idiot! Drive faster!”
Biting back his tongue bitterly Chris picked up his speed, then yanked the steering wheel to bring his car closer to the freight train.
Wendy made a wide throw using the momentum of her entire body.
“The hell’s that?! Stop meddling!”
Wallace aimed and released a barrage of bullets at RAIKA.
This time, to avoid getting shot he quickly slammed on the brakes. The rapid deceleration caused RAIKA to disappear from our sight at once.
However, as for the briefcase which Wendy had thrown forward, it was still floating through the air.
The next sequence of events happened in a flash.
Wallace’s Juggling Gun pointed their muzzles at the briefcase and fired a round of shots. Several shots hit their target and ricocheted, blowing up the lock.
In the midst of this, I reached into my pocket, then pulled out my card.
The case went unlatched mid-air. From the inside, confetti-like papers about the size of my palm erupted.
Wallace shrieked in a shrill voice like a fool.
Exactly, they were our country’s banknotes. Some of them seemed to have gotten shredded by the gunfire, but most of them were still intact.
As soon as I murmured it, just like Wallace’s previously did, my card disappeared into a luminous flash similar to fireworks. Then, the energy surrounding us turned into streaks of light which twirled around me.
“Why are you so surprised? This can’t be your first time seeing money.”
I shot him a grin dripping with sarcasm.
I thrusted both of my hands forward, spreading my fingers apart. The back of my palm gradually grew warm.
As though oozing out of my own body, a trump suit’s diamond symbol appeared there.
At about the same time, some form of energy wrapped around my hand starting from my wrist to my fingertips. It was warm, but simultaneously cold. It felt like the force of life itself.
Finally something popped on the back of some of my fingers. They were rings symbolizing dignity which were suitable only for me.
I spared them a moment’s glance, then raised my head.
Grasping the hem of the glove I was wearing,
I dug my fingertips deep into the leather, then tried to focus.
The banknotes floating in the air gathered around me, fluttering.
“Hey, Wallace. You’re making a dumb face.”
“What the hell are you doing throwing away this much money?! That’s a waste!”
Getting worried about money when faced with my powers, what a stupid and pitiful man.
“Don’t get shocked, they’re just pocket change.”
The No. 7 of Diamonds “Never No Dollars”.
It has the ability to transform cash within reach into anything of equal value. The money that Wendy threw at me came from my own stash. Perhaps offended by barely contained sneer, Wallace silently pointed his guns at me while furrowing his brows in anger.
“……Oh, you’ve got some guts. Fine by me. I’ll play along with your cheap games. Go compare and see for yourself. Then lament your inferior standing.”
Without missing a single one, the banknotes fluttering around me gathered in the palm of my hand. Once the whirlpool of banknotes died down, a flash of light shone through.
Stepping back, I took a stance.
What materialized next was high-density steel. The weight of the gun fell on my hand and my entire body. In my hand, a rotating, multi-barreled machine gun usually called the gatling gun appeared.
“Wha, w-w-……what the hell is that?!”
Wallace was obviously thrown off.
“Remember this, peasant……”
My left hand held the handle which supported the weight of the entire gun, while my right aimed it to the sky. What I summoned was a heavy firearm designed specifically for me. Although the body size to weapon scale seems off, it still fits my grip perfectly.
A lion-shaped relief carved at the tips of the six muzzles of the gatling gun shone under the sun. I pulled the trigger and the barrel began to spin, its speed increasing rapidly.
“…….Everything bows down before money.”
Perhaps because of his lack of combat experience, Wallace wasn’t quick enough to react. He became intimidated by my gatling gun, or rather, my nonchalance in wasting money.
I took my shot at him regardless. The sound of exploding gunpowder rang out. Ammunition connected to the barrel passed through at a tremendous rate, and bullets of equal number were ejected in turn.
Wallace rolled away in cold sweat. Right where he had been, a hole opened up from the explosion. Had it hit him directly, his entire body would’ve become shredded in an instant, and the pieces would’ve been blown by the wind along with a spray of blood. I burst out laughing.
“Fuhahahahaha! Do you see the difference between this and your puny toy?”
Wallace hung by the edge of the container while shooting his gun at me.
My glove glowed and the banknote in my left hand dissipated.
Juggling Gun’s bullets got repelled instantly. In my hand I had a bulletproof polycarbonate shield. Juggling Gun may be effective for surprise attacks or on a large number of opponents, but the force of each shot is not that great. With something to hold it with, I could stop it in its trajectory easily using mere raw strength.
“Oi, oi, Wallace. At this rate you’re going to lose. Act rational and just give up already.”
Wallace kept on attacking blindly.
“You won’t heed to my warning, huh. Then try not to die.”
Seeing an opening, I transformed some cash and set up a new ammo belt, threw the bulletproof shield aside, then started shooting with the gatling again.
Wallace jumped out from his hiding, maintaining a distance as he fled and hid behind the opposite side of the container. Not only does an X-Playing card bestow a certain ability to a compatible player, it also boosts their physical capabilities, allowing them to accomplish such feats. Now I was chasing him at my gunpoint.
“Manager! It’s not the time to be fooling around!”
“We’ll enter the city in a few minutes! Hurry up!”
From the RAIKA, which had somehow caught up and was running alongside us, Chris and Wendy yelled to me.
It’s okay if it’s coming from Wendy, but getting told off by Chris, who took his job lightly and was always messing around, rubbed me off the wrong way.
Let’s get this over with.
Right when I shouted, at a tremendous speed, something huge moved from the front to the back of a supposedly unmanned train car. Wallace must have noticed it too, as his eyes were glued to it for a moment.
Before he could do anything, vines had already grown from behind Wallace to get him. In snake-like, rapid movements they wrapped themselves around Wallace’s legs.
“Whoaaa! The heck? P-plants?”
Tiny, purple colored morning glory flowers began to bloom.
“Convolvulus althaeoides…”
A voice came out from nowhere.
“One of the many breeds of Convolvulus. I used ‘Green Green’ to help it grow, and then it’s willing to cooperate with me.”
From behind the container next to Wallace, a man with a calm face emerged.
Although he was being hit by the strong winds of a moving train, the winds seemed to blow a little gentler around this man, and his hair, which was slightly long for a man, was simply fluttering pleasantly.
“Hey, captivating people with flowers and speaking smugly like that is my job!”
Chris, who was still catching up with our speed, protested out loud.
“Smug, you said……what are you talking about?”
While asking so, he glanced at Chris with eyes that looked like the surface of an undisturbed lake. The question was devoid of sarcasm nor hidden intentions. That is just the kind of man he is.
Aside from the three-piece light green suit which Vijay wore, he also wore leather gloves in the color of dark lavender. There was a shape of a clover on his wrist.
Meaning, this man was also another player.
Chris repeated what he said.
“I said, you went overkill with using flowers! You should’ve got that without having me explain it to you!”
Vijay tilted his head, his face expressionless.
“Saying that using flowers means being smug is unfair to those who only love angiosperms. Cryptocarps that are equally beautiful also exist. However, from a scientific perspective it is a mistake to call them flowers—”
“Chris! I’ve told you again and again! Don’t dig too deep into what Vijay says!”
This time I was the one yelling at him.
“I don’t want to get caught by plants like this!!”
Several guns appeared and revolved around Wallace, shifting their target to the vines. When they fired frantically, the vines were torn and fled at once. No more constraints. It would have been nice if they held him for a moment longer.
He stepped hard on the container to leap forward.
Even with the help of inertia, if you jump in the midst of these strong winds, your body would fly all the way to the back of the train. Wallace ended up being right in front of me.
By the time he realized it, it was too late.
I landed a kick on Wallace’s chest, and at the same time, using the banknotes clipped in my pocket I conjured up a small gun. To hold him in his place, I grabbed his necktie and pulled it up. Then I held the muzzle to his temple.
I sensed Juggling Gun catching me behind my back, but I pressed on without budging in the slightest.
“Shall we try? It’s either I die, or you die.”
As I leaned over Wallace, I looked straight into his eyes and spoke. Without much dawdling, I asked him in a serious tone.
I had been in this situation before. The best way to deal with it, is to make them understand that there is no room for compromise and negotiation. I was serious. I was resolute.
Then, I watched as the energetic glint in the blue of Wallace’s eyes glazed over. He might be unaware of it himself, but such was the color of defeat.
The guy had reached breaking point.
Without giving a reply, Wallace held out his hand forward. At the same time his gloves disappeared, the No. 6 of Spades appeared in his hand. When I checked behind my back, the guns had also disappeared even though they were just floating there a moment before.
“Uhuhu……….what do you plan to do with me. Turn me in to the police? Let me tell you, I won’t say anything, neither do I have anything to tell.”
Seeing that Wallace was attempting to put up his toughest facade, I could not help but crack a smile. I snatched Wallace’s card from his hand with my fingers.
Frustration was clear on Wallace’s face, that he started rubbing it in distraught. Once again that face looked so amusing, I had to try to suppress my laughter.
“We’re not interested in your criminal records. Unfortunately, due to your role, we must turn you in to the police. Eventually.”
“…..What does that mean.”
“For our convenience, I still have some questions to ask you. See, Wallace. The word on the streets said that no matter who the client is, as long as there is money, you would be willing to act as the broker in any kind of transaction.”
While observing the No. 6 of Spades on my fingertips, I spun it around.
“Wh……what are you talking about? You guys are after the ‘X-Playing Cards’, right. True, that card is mine…..but no, aside from the No. 6 of Spades I don’t know anything else.”
It was so ridiculous that this time I could not stand it, I burst into dry laughter.
“You may be a broker without a shred of morale, but you still have the pride of a businessman. Doesn’t defending your clients work in your favor?”
I raised my leg and stepped on Wallace’s shoulder, screwing in the soles of my leather shoes as hard as I could.
“Stop playing dumb. Just who do you think I am?”
I kept on smiling. Wallace contorted his face in pain.
“Well, whatever. It is not our job to interrogate you. From here on we’re going to hand you over to where you belong. What happens after that is beyond me. You’d better hope that you’ll be allowed to keep your life.”
Before I knew it, Vijay was standing behind me, his hand on my shoulder. Perhaps he wanted to tell me to stop, but I knew that already. I’m not so stupid that I need to be told off by my subordinates. I was just having a little fun.
I stood up, straightening my collar. Two golden rings each held in the mouths of two lions, the motif which adorned my chest, rang softly.
“Vijay, go and take Wallace to the headquarters. Since you’re new and probably not familiar with the steps, first you should contact Bernard to confirm the procedure.”
Vijay had only recently become my subordinate. I got busy shortly after I was entrusted with a branch store, thus we did not have anyone to show him the ropes. That being said, he was already decent as it is, so that already put him above Chris. He also seemed to be quickly getting along with Wendy.
“Chris and Wendy will be doing clean-up of the scene. I’ll contact the headquarters and the police to keep this off the news.”
With a small nod, Vijay activated Green Green, and let the vines tied Wallace’s hands behind his back.
“Well then, let’s meet again at the branch office, manager.”
“…..Just Leo is fine. It’s not like we’re strangers. You don’t have to be so formal.”
Vijay seemed to have a faint smile creeping up his face, but it was probably just my imagination.
Looking down from the top of the container, I saw that Chris and Wendy were still in the RAIKA catching up with us. They pulled up as they were about to crash into the train.
Chris pointed at my feet and gestured as if saying, “get rid of the dirt”.
I snorted, ignored him, and jumped into RAIKA. Chris screamed.
“Come on! Gimme a break!”
Since RAIKA has no rear seats, I landed on the trunk.
Chris glanced at me over his shoulder and sighed.
“This is why I hate kids, thirteen year olds won’t listen to the adults.”
“Shut up, you’re still a minor too, aren’t you.”
“Um, by the way, this is a two-seater, so where is Leo going to sit?”
Said Wendy, who suddenly remembered that I am their superior. I was tempted to tell her to move aside, but still.
I shoved my legs between the seats and rested my elbows on my knees. When I reminded myself to end the play, the gloves disappeared without a trace and transformed back into a card. Just like that, I slipped it back in.
“Isn’t it dangerous to sit there, though? Is that really okay?”
“Don’t worry about it. If I lose my balance I’ll grab on Chris’ eyelashes.”
“If you do that, won’t my eyelids get torn off? I’d rather you grab on my hair instead.”
Thus RAIKA continued on its way to the state of Spada.
My name is Leo Constantine Pinochle. I am the son of the president of “Pinochle”, a long-established automobile manufacturer with an extensive history, as well as the heir to the proud family of Pinochle.
I am also the manager of Pinochle’s Old Maid branch office—and the leader of “High Card”.
TL notes: I’m not a professional translator so feel free to tell me if you spot any errors! Please do not repost this translation anywhere. The fact that I actually had to google what Vijay is saying... this man...
