Chapter 2: The Auction
Unless...
"Could he be a shill planted by the auction house?"
Yukino hadn't meant to voice the thought aloud, but once she accepted this explanation, everything made sense.
She couldn't conceive of any other logic supporting the scene before her.
If he'd been forced to play the fool in this arena of wealth and status for a pathetic appearance fee, that would certainly align with his do-whatever-it-takes-to-survive mentality.
The thought almost made Yukino smile.
Though even for a plant, this performance seemed too crude. What idiot would actually follow up on such a worthless—
"Two million."
Before Yukino could finish that thought, a lazy, amused voice rang out beside her.
Yukino's head snapped toward Haruno.
What are you doing?
The crowd, already preparing to enjoy the spectacle, collectively short-circuited.
If before they'd suspected planted bidders and treated this as entertainment, the sudden appearance of someone doubling the bid changed everything.
Could this actually be a hidden treasure?
The audience began second-guessing themselves. Yukino felt her cheeks burning.
Apparently, creatures genuinely existed who would transform themselves into fools purely for entertainment value.
Most devastating of all—that creature was her own sister.
Meanwhile, Kazama Chiba's expression in the front row darkened.
He'd raised his paddle with complete confidence. After all, by any reasonable standard, this was like fighting over a bag of garbage on the street. Nobody would compete for it.
This sudden counter-bid genuinely startled him.
Damn it. There really is an idiot here.
Kazama couldn't imagine any other explanation.
He was bidding on this lamp purely for the Rat Talisman embedded in it.
But aside from himself—a transmigrator with metaknowledge—only the criminal organization dedicated to collecting the talismans should know this lamp's true value.
Could it be the Enforcers? Or agents from Section 13?
Regardless of which faction, the situation had spiraled toward worst-case scenario.
If the Enforcers were involved, today would get complicated fast.
Kazama knew his own limitations perfectly well.
His current combat capability: approximately zero.
Against thugs wielding heavy firepower and adult-sized physiques, his odds of success roughly equaled catching bullets with his face.
He needed to identify the enemy first. Decide whether to fight for it or walk away.
Kazama took a deep breath, mentally preparing to turn around and see Ratso, Finn, and Chow—the "Enforcer Three Stooges"—staring back at him.
Instead, he found two faces he'd never forget for the rest of his life.
Yukinoshita Haruno propped her chin on one hand, the other toying with that damned numbered paddle, flashing him a brilliant "oops, you caught me" smile. Her eyes gleamed like a cat that had found a new toy.
Beside her, desperately trying to shrink into the sofa cushions while covering her entire face with one hand... unmistakably Yukinoshita Yukino.
Kazama fell silent.
Good news: he hadn't encountered idiots.
Bad news: he'd encountered lunatics.
"This..."
The auctioneer nearly swallowed her gavel in excitement.
She'd assumed this broken lamp would go unsold. Who knew her modest auction would attract these two masters of chaos?
"Two million! This lovely young lady bids two million! Sir, will you raise?"
Kazama calmed himself, feeling somewhat relieved.
No problem. As long as his opponent wasn't brute-force gangsters, he could work with this.
Despite his surprise at the Yukinoshita sisters' presence, Kazama absolutely refused to abandon the Rat Talisman within his grasp.
"Three million."
"My, Chiba-kun shows such remarkable determination. But I rather fancy that lamp myself. Would you perhaps yield to your senior?"
Haruno's smile widened as she tapped her paddle delicately.
"Three million four hundred thousand."
Kazama didn't even glance up.
"Three million five hundred thousand."
The escalating price brought him no visible stress. Or rather, he refused to display any stress externally.
If Kazama showed struggle, that woman Haruno would derive far too much pleasure from it.
Beside Haruno, Yukinoshita Yukino felt her temple throbbing.
Watching her sister's face—joy built upon others' suffering—Yukino finally grabbed Haruno's wrist before she could raise the paddle again.
"Enough. Have you lost your mind?"
Yukino kept her voice low, but the warning came through clearly.
"That thing isn't remotely worth this price. If Mother discovers you spent this much, she'll freeze your credit cards immediately."
Haruno turned, her smile practically luminescent.
"Is Yukino-chan worried about her sister's money, or worried about her old friend?"
"Besides, some things derive value not from what they are, but from how badly someone else wants them."
Yukino fired back coldly, her expression frost.
"Please restrain your twisted sense of entertainment."
"I simply believe that abandoning intelligence for amusement represents profound stupidity."
"Oh my, so strict. Don't I have the right to bid on items?"
Though Haruno complained, she did restrain herself somewhat.
"Fine. For Yukino-chan's sake, I'll try one more time. The very last time."
She flipped her wrist.
"Three million six hundred thousand."
The entire venue erupted.
Everyone present qualified as respectable people. They'd witnessed bidding wars over authentic Ming dynasty porcelain, seen fortunes wagered on genuine Van Gogh paintings.
But to push bidding past three million for what appeared to be a nine-yuan knockoff from a discount app?
This exceeded their collective knowledge base.
Haruno couldn't care less.
Her mind was already constructing the scene: when Kazama Chiba turned around furious and defeated, glaring at her with eyes full of resentment and helplessness, what elegant gesture should she use to mock him?
Should she say "what a pity" or "oh dear, if you can't afford it, don't come to places like this"?
She'd already prepared her response. The moment Kazama raised his bid—even by just a hundred thousand—she'd immediately withdraw, leaving him saddled with this worthless garbage, savoring his despair at being buried in debt.
However, just as everyone expected the unknown youth to continue pushing toward four million, Kazama's hand suddenly dropped.
Based on his understanding of Haruno's psychology...
This woman likely didn't care whether the object held value. She cared about seeing that "desperately wanting something but humiliated by poverty" expression on his face.
She enjoyed this feeling—cornering prey, watching them struggle pathetically for that tiny sliver of hope.
The more determined he appeared, the more excited she became.
Since Haruno didn't know the Rat Talisman's true value, Kazama decided to exploit that weakness.
He abandoned the auction entirely.
Kazama tossed his paddle onto an empty chair beside him, leaned back, and even pulled out his phone to check the time.
The auctioneer froze, gavel raised uncertainly.
"Sir? You're not bidding further?"
Kazama didn't even look up, just waved dismissively. The gesture's meaning couldn't be clearer:
Don't want it anymore. Give it to her.
Haruno's smile froze instantly.
She'd anticipated him turning back to glare furiously, or continuing to bid through gritted teeth, even losing composure entirely.
The one thing she never expected was for this man to slam the brakes at such a heated moment and forfeit completely.
The sensation resembled throwing a fully charged punch into cotton—not only failing to hurt the opponent, but straining her own back from the wasted force.
The auctioneer, clearly confused by this sudden reversal, stood stunned for several seconds before recovering. Her gavel fell almost reflexively.
"Three million six hundred thousand going once... three million six hundred thousand going twice... three million six hundred thousand going three times! Sold! Congratulations, miss!"
Congratulations my ass!
Haruno instinctively wanted to stand, but reason warned that backing out now would be even more humiliating.
She stared at that figure already absorbed in his phone, her mind momentarily blank.
He quit? Just like that?
This wasn't the script!
According to expectations, shouldn't he have clung on desperately, bankrupting himself rather than conceding?
How could he abandon it so easily?
Even when staff delivered that distinctively ugly lamp to her, politely requesting payment, Haruno remained dazed.
She looked at the paddle still in her hand, then at Kazama Chiba's distant figure—still refusing to turn around—while three words looped endlessly through her mind:
I've been played.
"Congratulations, Nee-san."
Yukino stood beside her, arms crossed, voice dripping with ice as she delivered the finishing blow.
"You've successfully spent three million six hundred thousand yen on garbage that even street vendors wouldn't accept. I'm certain Mother will praise your discerning taste."
"Since you love it so much, please display it prominently in your bedroom. You can see this three-million-yen lesson every morning."
"How was I supposed to know Kazama would actually quit?"
Haruno completed the transaction through gritted teeth, glaring at the lamp like a mortal enemy.
"He acted like he absolutely had to have it! Men are all lying pigs!"
"Your competitive drive simply overwhelmed your judgment." Yukino sighed.
"What now? Actually taking this home? I doubt Mother will appreciate this 'treasure trash' aesthetic. How will you explain this expenditure? Charity work?"
Haruno choked on her response.
This presented a genuine problem. The Yukinoshita family had wealth, but this kind of inexplicable extravagance reaching Mother's ears would definitely earn her several hours of family values education.
As the sisters stared at their worthless prize in mutual awkwardness, a middle-aged man in a garish green suit suddenly approached.
"Excuse me... ladies, sorry to interrupt."
Haruno's guard went up immediately. "Yes?"
The man rubbed his hands together, expression apologetic.
"It's like this—"
"I was also interested in this item during the bidding. But funds were tight, couldn't compete with you ladies. However, I notice you seem less than thrilled with it. Would you consider... selling it to me?"
"Selling?" Haruno raised an eyebrow, hope flickering. "How much?"
The man held up five fingers. "Fi-fifty thousand."
Haruno's eyes narrowed as she assessed him.
"Fifty thousand? Dollars or pounds?"
"Yen."
"Fifty thousand yen?! Are you making a wish here?"
Haruno bristled with anger. Bought for 3.6 million, immediately lose 3.55 million? Did he think she was an idiot ripe for fleecing?
"What kind of joke—I paid..."
"Sell it to him."
Yukino cut off Haruno's complaint, looking at her sister like she was mentally deficient.
"Nee-san, this is damage control. Besides, this thing was about to go unsold originally. If you hadn't insisted on that performance, selling it for even ten thousand would've been questionable. Someone willing to pay fifty thousand is already miraculous."
Haruno opened her mouth to argue but found herself speechless. Indeed, keeping this garbage served only as a monument to today's stupidity.
"But..."
The green-suited man, sensing Haruno's wavering, pressed his advantage.
"Miss, please don't misunderstand—I don't want the lamp. I only want that rat stone on top."
"My daughter absolutely loves animal figurines. Her hamster died last week and she cried for days. I noticed this lamp base has a stone carved with a rat design. Figured I'd buy it to cheer her up."
Haruno looked at him suspiciously.
"Just the stone?"
The man nodded eagerly, the perfect image of a foolish doting father.
"Yes, yes, just the stone. I don't want that broken lamp either—I'd have to find somewhere to dump it. You keep it as a decoration. I'll just pry off the stone and leave. For my daughter, you know? Being a parent isn't easy."
This explanation perfectly demolished Haruno's final defense.
He only wanted the stone, not the lamp, and for such a wholesome reason. This down-to-earth motivation immediately lowered the transaction's intellectual barrier, making her feel less humiliated.
"Sell it to him, Nee-san." Yukino said from the side.
"Despite losing over three million, it's better than having nothing. And if only the stone is missing, this lamp base... well, with proper presentation as some kind of avant-garde art piece, you might convince Mother."
Haruno looked at the man's honest smile, then at the infuriating lamp, finally gritting her teeth.
"Fine. Take it."
She immediately began working the octagonal stone loose from its setting.
Due to age, the old adhesive gave way easily.
She tossed it to the man like discarded trash.
"Take it, take it. Looking at it irritates me."
The man caught it like a precious treasure, smoothly pulling out his phone for the transfer. His practiced movements were so fluid you'd think he'd rehearsed them.
"Perfect! Thank you so much! Wishing you prosperity!"
He caught the stone, immediately completed the mobile payment—speed suggesting terror that Haruno might reconsider. Money received, he didn't spare the lamp base another glance, scampering off gleefully while clutching his prize.
Watching his retreating figure, Haruno suddenly felt something wasn't quite right. But seeing the fifty thousand yen appear in her account, she forcibly suppressed that dissonance.
"Well..."
"Forget it. Consider it an expensive lesson. But what about this lamp base? Actually giving it to Mother?"
"As long as you don't mention the four million price tag," Yukino examined the now-incomplete lamp base thoughtfully, "package it properly, claim you found this Qing dynasty fragment at an antique market, expressing some Zen concept of 'beauty in imperfection.' Mother might actually think you've matured."
"...Yukino-chan, you've learned some bad habits."