The Ludicrous Escapade Pt.4

Rules are Made to be Broken

Of course, before the next fight could start, Josuke still needed to glue his beetle's mandible back on. Joshu watched, grinding his teeth as he did so. He was doing it so hard, you half wondered if he'd have any teeth left by the time Gappy was done with his task.

In the meantime, you had gotten back to chatting with Jobin. You were trying to be more friendly with him, hoping it could lead to more useful information down the line. He wasn't half bad to talk to. Certainly more enjoyable than talking with Joshu, though the bar to achieve that was far below the dirt at that point.

"Norisuke has done an excellent job of maintaining the Higashikata Fruit Company, but I've heard that you're actually the reason it's become as prominent as it is." You were curious to know if there was any truth to the rumors.

So used to the dull mind of his younger brother, he was glad to find someone he viewed more as an equal. "While I love my dad, I have no problems admitting that he is too complacent. He has no desire for change and is too concerned with doing things the 'right' way. He's agreed to some of my ideas, and they've paid off, but he always has excuses for why we shouldn't."

You nodded, understanding what he was getting at. Complacency was often said to be the enemy of progress.  "You know, no matter how great the excuse, in the end, an excuse is just an excuse."

Jobin grinned from ear to ear. "Mitsuo Aida! It's such a great quote-"

"-after all!" The two of you finished the phrase together, rounding it off with yet another high five.

Joshu and Gappy were maybe even a little unnerved at this point with how well the two of you seemed to be getting along. Joshu's feelings mainly stemmed from jealousy, even though the relationship between you and Jobin was completely platonic.

Jobin eventually let out a sigh. "Man, if only you were my sibling instead of Joshu. My life would be way less boring."

Joshu sounded on the verge of tears after hearing that. "...what...?" Did his brother forget he was still in the room?

You laughed. "Almost anyone would be better than Joshu."

Joshu's mind immediately started doing some mental gymnastics to try and paint your words in a positive light. He still honestly believed that you had wanted to get it on in that bathroom the day before. So surely you were just playing hard to get.

Gappy handed the glue bottle off to Joshu. "Thanks... Could you put this back in the drawer?"

Joshu grumbled loudly under his breath but did it anyway.

That was when Jobin stood up, remembering he still had to prepare for the match. He came back out with another beetle. After digging around in his pocket, he tossed some car keys onto the table. "All right... The car cost me thirty million yen, but... I'll give it to you! If your Dorcus Palawanicus wins, that is."

Gappy picked up the keys. "Man, even the design of the key is cool. I guess the first thing I'll ever drive in my life is gonna be a Lamborghini, though I don't have a license..."

"Don't go touching the key yet, damn it!" Joshu swiped them out of Gappy's hands.

Jobin presented his new contestant. "And here we have the Java-born Allotopus Rosenbergi, the golden stag beetle. It takes three months to reach adulthood." He placed the timer in front of you and tidied up the arena. "Their eggs are laid in forest trees that have certain fungi growing on them. The horns are like those of an oni and their mandibles curve outward. This one's length is seventy nine millimeters. This will be your opponent for match two, Josuke."

Joshu watched the beetle with wonder-filled eyes. "Man, that Rosenbergi's mandibles! They're short, but they're heavy at the base!"

"Hey! Joshu!" Snapped Jobin. He was visibly unhappy. "I told you before, didn't I? You're going to be Josuke's ally. I haven't been joking around here. So do it now! Say something supportive!"