stand-in creed

"It's not that you can't find Polnareff, but the requirement is too high, right?" Nero said seriously, "He looks good, he's humorous, he's in good shape, and he has a pretty high income...although Compared to me, Nero is still a little bit worse, but it doesn't look like someone who can't find a match?"

"So I wonder, why can't I find a match for my conditions?" Polnareff was also puzzled.

"Could it be because the conditions are so good that you can't find a partner?" Sugimoto Suzumi said suddenly, "Mr. Polnareff, don't you often have such a situation when you were a student? When girls who are outstanding in all aspects appear around, it is easy for boys to have the idea of ​​"such an excellent girl must have a boyfriend?", right?The reverse is also true, right? "

"Could it be that the girls in the company thought I..."

"That's what happened! Probably."

"Don't use such vague rhetoric! I'm panicked!"

The corner of Polnareff's mouth twitched, probably enlightened.

The vehicle went all the way.

Leaving the suburbs, driving into the commercial area of ​​the town, carrying a suitcase containing "Bug Arrow", the two found a nearby coffee shop together.

Originally, the three of them were just thinking of having an ordinary cup of afternoon tea, but when the three of them entered the door, Nero saw an unexpected figure.

silhouette of man.

The man has blond hair and is dressed in denim from head to toe. He sits on a high stool by the window with his back to Nero, and talks love words that can only deceive the little girl to the girl in front of him with a face of love and sadness.

"...Listen, you are only 16 years old, and I am a prodigal son in my 40s. Let it go, you will die on the street sooner or later, and you are from a famous family, you should not have the idea of ​​​​marrying me, even though we love each other deeply .”

"Really? Do you love me too?"

"That's right, I only love you in the whole world."

The cowboy sincerely poured out his love to the girl in front of him.

But the next moment, the cowboy found that the girl in front of him who loved him so much was looking behind him.

Is there someone behind?

What a joke!How could someone walk up behind me without me, Hor Hess, not noticing...

"What a coincidence, isn't this Hall Hess? I haven't seen you for more than ten years."

"...?!"

Someone really got close to me?

And someone who knew me, Hall Hess?

Ten years no see?

Where was I ten years ago?

In addition, I don't know if it is an illusion. Although this voice is very strange, I always feel like I heard it somewhere?

However, when Hall Hess turned his head and saw the immature face that was a little more mature than he remembered, but still recognizable in ashes, the eyeballs of Hall Hess almost jumped out of fright. .

"Nini Nini, Nero Zeppelin—!!!"

Chapter 2

Hall Hess was a special cowboy.

The special thing is not that he is a stand-in messenger, but that Nero has found women in every corner of the world even though he has spent nearly ten years and has not been able to fully visit every country in the world. Friends, he can even make these girls fall in love with him with all their hearts.

"Who is this, Nero? Your acquaintance?

"No, no, look at his expression as if he saw a ghost after seeing you. Could it be the person you beat up again?"

Polnareff looked at the blond cowboy.

Nero shrugged: "Back then, Dior's subordinate was a bounty hunter named Hall Hess. Because he was so much like a comedian, even though I was more intent on killing him back then, I still spared this guy's life—— Unexpectedly, the second meeting after more than ten years is to see him cheating on the little girl."

"Wh, what does it mean to lie to a little girl..."

"Can you still count how many girlfriends you have?"

"Are you kidding, I only have one true love in my life!"

Hall Hess' on-the-spot reaction was ridiculously fast.

After hearing Nero's question, he immediately held the hand of the girl in front of him, and said a word of earthy love with sincerity in his eyes, and immediately tidied up the confused girl obediently.

Immediately, Hall Hess looked at the girl seriously: "I'm sorry, my dear, a few came here... friends who haven't seen for some years, may not be able to accompany you today."

"Then, you must come to see me that night?"

"Okay, I'll come to you at night, remember to leave a gap in the window so it doesn't close."

"Hmm! Pull the hook!"

"Pull the hook!"

With Nero, Suzumi Sugimoto and Polnareff looking at the scum on their faces, Hall Hess sent the girl away full of love and reluctance.

Immediately, Hall Hess returned to normal in an instant: "So why are you here, Nero Zeppelin!"

"It's business, at least it's not cheating little girls full time like you." Nero sat directly opposite Hole Hess, "Speaking of which, you are a bounty hunter, right? Are you still in this business?"

"Why, do you have a business introduction?"

"Who dares to do business with you? You can even betray Dior, how dare I do business with someone like you?"

"I was turning away from darkness to light."

"I don't have time to listen to your nonsense—since it happened to happen, I'll ask, is there any place where there are substitute messengers?"

"Why are you asking this?"

"Trade secrets."

"Hey, hey, don't be so ruthless! Anyway, we are also a fateful friendship..."

pat.

A stack of banknotes fell on the table.

Hole Hess straightened his collar immediately, took the banknotes into his hand and counted them seriously, and nodded solemnly by the way: "I understand, I understand, business secrets! It is not convenient for us to inquire about the employer's affairs. Just ask whatever you want!"

"On this planet, which countries or regions have far more substitute messengers than the average?"

"Your home."

"...?"

"I mean—Italy."

Hall Hess stuffed the banknotes into his satchel, and immediately lit a cigarette leisurely.

After puffing out his cigarette, the cowboy glanced at Nero's confused expression and said.

"Look at your perplexed look. I'm afraid you haven't been back to Italy for a while?"

"A week, what's the matter?"

"... Let's say it again."

"I'm just saying seriously, I was back in Rome only a week ago. But the time in Italy in recent years may be less than half a month."

"Then it's normal if you don't know - Italy has changed a long time ago."

"Ok?"

Nero and Polnareff looked at each other.

Hall Hess didn't bother to care about what Nero wanted to do with this investigation, he just answered the employer's questions: "In recent years, a mafia called "Passionate" used the slogan "Anti-drugs" as a slogan, and won many low-level people. With the support of the Mafia, it has grown bigger and bigger in Italy, annexed or eliminated many old mafia families, and now there is no second mafia in Italy that can be compared with "enthusiasm".

"However, according to some gossip I have learned, although Enthusiasm was supported by drug control in the early days of its establishment, it has also embarked on the road of drug trafficking today after it has grown.

"Not only that, although the specific quantity and specific capabilities are not sure, but one thing is certain——

"——In Passion, there are a large number of stand-in messengers."

Nero frowned.

It's not that I feel so surprised, I just feel that everything is reasonable.

After all, he met that pink-haired young man in Rome back then, and obtained a substitute through the arrow that fell from him. Since the other person was in Rome, the arrow could of course also be in Rome.Of course, this does not mean that Nero was stupid enough to know that Rome had arrows but didn't check.

exactly the opposite.

Italy was the first stop on Nero's investigative journey over the years.

Long before he embarked on a journey around the world, Nero thoroughly traveled to every corner of Italy, trying to find the pink-haired young man, but in the end he couldn't find anything.After that, Nero traveled all over the world to find the whereabouts of the arrow.

It's just that I didn't expect to get such information from the cowboy I happened to meet today after many years.

"...it's called 'enthusiasm,' isn't it, Hall Hess? "

"Correct."

"Who is the boss of this organization?"

"do not know."

"Then help me and ask if anyone in your circle knows."

"Don't ask, no one knows."

"...?"

Nero was a little confused.

Hall Hess looked around and lowered his voice.

"When I went to Italy to meet my girlfriend, I was a little curious to investigate, and then I heard such a legend——

"—everyone who knows the truth about Boss Enthusiasm is dead."

"Oh?"

"No one knows who the enthusiastic boss is. Whether he is male or female, fat or thin, tall or short, old or small... everything is a mystery. But the only thing that is certain is that the Italian The hidden emperor of the world must be a substitute messenger. Only a substitute messenger can control an unknown number of substitute messenger groups."

Having said this, Hall Hess got up.

After tidying up the wrinkles on his clothes, Hall Hess took a deep breath.

"That's all I can tell you. I'm timid. After knowing so much, I deliberately didn't continue to inquire. After all, it doesn't matter to me whether he kills people or sells drugs. What I care about is my friends all over the world. Girlfriends. If there is nothing else, I will go first."

"Ah."

Nero responded.

After the cowboy strode away from the coffee shop, Nero looked at Polnareff and handed over the suitcase: "Polnareff, please take this "Bug Arrow" to the headquarters of the SPW Foundation in the United States. I'll go to Italy first to investigate. "

Polnareff was silent for a moment, and then nodded: "Although under normal circumstances, I should say that there is one more person to take care of the road, and it is best to act together. But since it is Nero, you should be fine, right? Compared to your safety, I am a little worried about whether these mafia can withstand your "investigation". "

"So, see you later?"

"Well, see you in a while."

Polnareff picked up his suitcase and left first.

Only then did Nero smile and look at Suzumi Sugimoto.

"Let's go, Suzumi, we should go to the next stop, we should go back to the starting point of my journey for so many years——

"--Italy."

Chapter 3 Handicraft Part [-]

March [-]th, White Valentine's Day.

City of Seven Hills, Rome.

This city on the Italian peninsula is the capital of the Italian Republic and the birthplace of the ancient Roman Empire, with a history of more than 500 years.The Romans who lived on this land called the city——

Eternal City.

This eternal city is the hometown of Nero Zeppelin this life.

At this moment, Nero had just dragged his suitcase out of Fiumicino Airport and set foot on his hometown.Feeling the sea breeze blowing by the Mediterranean Sea and smelling the aroma of tomato sauce from the pizza shop on the street, I feel very happy.

Suzumi Sugimoto is holding the arm of her husband Lu.

"Nero Nero!"

"What's wrong, Suzumi?"