20th Century Boys
	 Volume 2 : Prophet
	  Chapter Fourteen
	   Yama-san

 - Page 61 -

[They were in the same class.]
[They were in the same graduation photo.]

Chapter 14 : Yama-san

["Friend"...]
[And Endou Kenji...]
[Kenji the shop owner and "Friend" were classmates!!]

<<Chou: (hah)(hah)
	(hah)(hah)

[I ran to the store again to ask him about "Friend".]

Ootake: What are you doing, sir?!

 - Page 62 -

Ootake: You're standing there, leaning against your mop!  There are even limits to lack of common sense!!
	Are you asking customers to stay away?!

Kenji: Uh...  n, no...

Ootake: Your onigiri display is ALL wrong!!  Plum on the left!!  Salmon in the middle!!

Kenji: Y...  yes, sir!!

Chapter 14 : Yama-san

 - Page 63 -

[Kenji, the store owner, was being chewed out by his corporate manager.]

Ootake: What is the catchphrase of our company, sir?!

Kenji: "K...  Kingmart, where you'll feel like a king"!!

Ootake: That's right, the customer is king!!  You must keep this in mind at all times!!
	Now repeat it again, before you forget!!

Kenji: "Kingmart, where you'll feel like a king"!!

 - Page 64 -

Yama: And so you couldn't ask Kenji at the time...
	And that's as far as your "Friend" investigation got...?

Chou: No...
	I used went to ask his elementary school teacher.

Yama: Ahhh.
	And...?

Chou: He told me a peculiar story.

Yama: Peculiar...?

Chou: Pardon. (bip)

 - Page 65 -

Chou: Hello...?
	Ah, Kouno-kun...
	No... I'm just about done with work.  Yeah...
	I'm just about to leave for your place.
	I'll call once I'm getting close.  Will you come out and see me then?
	I need to give you something.

Kouno: Please don't say that, Father, come in and join us.
	Shouhei's been waiting to see his Grampy.

Chou: Er...  well, I'll call later.  Goodbye...

Kouno: Ah...  Fath...

Chou: (bip)
	Today's my grandson's birthday...

 - Page 66 -

Yama: Oh, so THAT'S what that Peekaboo toy is for...?

Chou: Y...  yup.

Yama: So you're going to your daughter's house for a nice, intimate birthday party, Grandpa!!

Chou: Well...
	Probably not...

Yama: Why not?

Chou: I'm not getting along very well...
	With my daughter, Yumiko...

Yama: What's wrong?
	That doesn't seem like you.

Chou: No...  I mean...
	NOTHING works out for us...

Yama: What happened with your daughter...?

Chou: What happened...?  Well...

 - Page 67 -

Chou: You know those sports days they have at school?

Yama: Yeah...

Chou: I promised I'd watch my daughter in the relay she was supposed to be in...

[By the time I ran there, I was 2 hours late and the activities were over...]

Yama: Well, you know what a cop's business is like...

Chou: I was 3 hours late to her wedding ceremony.
	I was supposed to walk the Virgin Road with her,
	but they even had to have another relative take her bouquet at the end of the banquet...
	And when I got the call that my wife's life was on the brink...

 - Page 68 -

[I got to the hospital 4 hours late.]
[Yumiko never spoke to me after that...]

 - Page 69 -

Yama: Chou-san...

Chou: Let's keep talking about "Friend".

Yama: No, this isn't the time to talk about work...

Chou: Yama-san, I'm retiring in one week.
	I'm a worthless fool who was convinced that putting work before anything else was the best way to live.
	And this fool is talking to you out of years of experience.
	This case may turn into something monstrous...  no, it may already be so!!
	So I want you to take the reins!!
	When "Friend" and Kenji's teacher thought back on the time he taught them...

 - Page 70 -

[He told me...]

<<Teacher: Class of '71...
	Ah...

<<Chou: Do you remember anything, sensei?

<<Teacher: That was the class with the spoon-bending incident...

<<Chou: Spoon bending...?

<<Teacher: Yes...  it was quite a surprise, I can tell you that.
	All twisted and mutilated...

 - Page 71 -

[All the lunchtime spoons in the class...]

<<Chou: Who did that?
	Which one of these kids...?

<<Teacher: Hmmmmm...

Yama: Could he remember?
	Remember who did it...?

Chou: Well...

 - Page 72 -

Chou: Hello...?
	Yumiko...

Yumiko: Father...
	Shouhei's birthday party is going to start soon...
	Come soon.

 - Page 73 -

Chou: A...  are you sure?  Yumiko...

Yumiko: I'll forgive you if you're only an hour late.  Come soon.

Chou: Okay...
	I'll be right there...
	Yama-san...

Yama: What are you doing sitting here?

 - Page 74 -

Yama: You just leave this case in my hands...

Chou: Yama-san...

Yama: And go see your grandson.

Chou: Thank you, Yama-san...

Yama: Please don't say that.  It feels weird to hear you thank me.

Chou: I wonder...  if it'll work out alright...

Yama: Don't worry, just suck it up!!

 - Page 75 -

Yama: I'm very sorry.  My words encouraged some very bothersome events to occur...

 - Page 76 -

Sign: Locker Room

Yama: ...yes.  The man knew too much.
	If I had only met "Friend" sooner, this wouldn't have...
	...yes.  I took responsibility...
	And "terminated" him.

 - Page 77 -

Chou: (fwump)

 - Page 78 -

Paper: MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF DETECTIVE - All Blood Drained From Body
	Was One Week From Retirement

[At the time that this was happening...]

Kenji: Ah...  welcome to Kingmart!!

[I hadn't the slightest knowledge.]

 - Chapter 14 Owari -