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The memory of the afternoon at the factory vividly revived in Tetsuo’s mind.
Inside the deserted factory grounds. The trigger was the appearance of a man wearing an out-of-place expensive suit.
It was the son of his former classmate. That classmate was a department manager at a large corporation. The moment he saw that figure, something snapped inside Tetsuo.
Himself, suffering from financial difficulties, and them, sailing smoothly. Dark emotions turned into an impulse, and Tetsuo crept up on the man from behind.
With a dull thud, the man collapsed. With trembling hands, he dragged the man and carried him into the old warehouse that no one used anymore.
There, he found yellow and black tiger rope used at construction sites. Tetsuo pressed the unconscious man against a pillar.
With clumsy hands, he wound the rope around the man’s body. First, he crossed both hands behind the pillar and wrapped the rope around them multiple times so they wouldn’t come undone.
Was he a former rugby player or an American football player? He tightly bound the thick chest and arms, which were evident even through the suit, ensuring no escape. The restraint was already sufficient, but driven by the fear that everything would end if the man escaped, he dug the rope into the ankles, thighs, and even the torso. The fabric of the suit screamed, and the sensation of the flesh underneath being tightened was transmitted to his hands.
“…Sorry, just stay quiet like this.”
Breathing roughly, Tetsuo began the finishing touches. He took out a worn-out handkerchief from his own pocket and forcibly stuffed it into the man’s mouth. Furthermore, he wrapped cloth duct tape over it without leaving any gaps.
The man was completely robbed of his freedom and became part of the pillar. Seeing that sight, Tetsuo tasted a strange sense of accomplishment and the fear of having done something irreversible at the same time.
When he returned to the president’s office and wiped away his cold sweat, a knock sounded.
“President, it’s about time. Let’s go to the bank.”
It was Go. Tetsuo feigned calmness and replied, “Ah, okay.”
They got into the car and headed to the bank to request a loan. On the way, Tetsuo slipped a single envelope into a postbox. The addressee was that man’s father. His former classmate.
The die was cast.
Inside the warehouse where the setting sun shone in. In the dusty air, the man captured by Tetsuo regained consciousness.
“…Nn, nnngh!”
As his consciousness awakened, he noticed a strong pressure assaulting his entire body.
—I can’t move.
When he opened his eyes, the dim warehouse wall was in front of him. He tried to move his body, but it wouldn’t budge an inch. Something had been put in his mouth, and he couldn’t even raise his voice.
Dropping his gaze to his own body, he saw yellow and black ropes wrapped around him. The sturdy tiger rope dug mercilessly into his body, tightening around his chest and abdomen with every breath.
His arms, bound behind his back, were numb, and he was losing sensation in his fingers. He tried to make a voice somehow, but the cloth lump stuffed in his mouth and the tape pasted over it prevented him.
“Nnngh! Nnngh!”
Raising voiceless cries, the man desperately twisted his body. However, his body was tied to the pillar, and he was bound tight with rope from his arms, chest, torso, and thighs down to his ankles. The man was fixed like an insect specimen, and in the end, he could only shake his body.
The more he struggled, the more the tiger rope mercilessly dug into his flesh. The pressure and pain only increased, and there was no sign of the situation improving.
The man gave up on untying the rope, rested his head against the pillar, and relaxed his entire body. At the same time, the digging of the rope loosened, and his body became somewhat easier.
Greasy sweat flowed down the man’s forehead, wetting the knot of his tire distorted by the rope.
Why was he bound and confined? Staring at the ceiling of the unknown factory, the man could only be stunned.
———!!
Tetsuo came to his senses. He seemed to have fallen asleep while still bound in the gas station office.
Looking at the clock on the wall, it was just past 11 PM. He put strength into his bound arms and legs, but the rope was as tight as ever, showing no sign of loosening.
Looking into the darkness of the office, he saw Go and the gas station manager lying there, bound in the same way. Seeing that, he felt an illusion as if this place was connected to the warehouse where he had confined that man.
How is he doing right now? Is that young man also fighting against unbreakable ropes and crushed by despair, just like himself right now?
Tetsuo moved his fingers again to untie the rope behind his back. But the rope tied by Go was too hard and complex.
Impatience grew. He had to return quickly.
A new weight called the passage of time was weighing down on him, who could not move.
