The Ark Sakura Read Online Free PDF Page B

fair. The bug man may have told you— half of these stalls are here only because I put in a good word for the owners with the management. That gives me a certain stake in what goes on here. I can’t have you picking and choosing among customers.”
    “You don’t understand. These aren’t for sale. That’s what I’ve been telling you all along.”
    “Tsk tsk. The rule is that anything displayed on the counter has to be for sale.”
    “In that case, I apologize. I’m sorry. Now will you please hand it back?”
    “The bug man must have told you some ridiculous story about us. That we’re a couple of sakura or something.”
    “Well, aren’t you?”
    “Officially, a sakura is a shill, a sidewalk vendor’s assistant—somebody who makes a purchase or lays down a bet to encourage onlookers to do the same. Only nobody calls us that anymore. The job’s no different, but we have a respectable-sounding title: sales promoters, we’re called. The department stores treat us like proper agents, with our own accounts and everything.”
    The girl grasped the man’s wrist to hold it still, as the excited swaying of his body interfered with her attempts to focus on the map on the back of the card. Now was my chance. I reached out for the ticket, my fingers moving to the precise spot, at the precise speed, that I had intended. In fat people, the bottom half of the body may be weighted down, but from the waist up, heaviness is no bar to agility.
    Yet I failed. The ticket was gone from between his fingers. Sleight of hand. He waved his other arm with a flourish, and the ticket reappeared, ensconced between two fingers; he blew on it, and it spun like a windmill.
    “I give up. Please let me have it back,” I said. “Then we’ll talk.”
    “Say, this must be pretty valuable, from the way you’re carrying on about it.”
    “Didn’t use the right psychology.” The girl laughed, glancing from the card to me. “You’re just encouraging him.”
    “It is valuable,” I said, in a voice so feeble that I made myself sick. “It’s worth more than anybody here could begin to afford.”
    “Don’t underestimate me.”
    “That’s not what I mean.” That crazy insect dealer, I thought—how long could he go on peeing? “If you don’t know how to use it, it won’t do you any good.” Nothing to do but relax and wait to be rescued. “It would be a total waste.” Still, no telling how effective his reinforcement would prove until the time came. “It’s not like ordinary merchandise, where you pay the money and it’s yours.” In terms of sheer physical strength, the insect dealer might have an edge, but in actual combat the shill would probably prove the more adept. It was a good match. If the shill had the sharpness of wire, the insect dealer had the toughness. And I myself counted for something. Weight can be a valuable weapon, provided you use it correctly.
    The girl spoke up. “A boat ticket can only mean some kind of boat. What kind, is the question.”
    “The real question is the key,” said the man. “What does it unlock?”
    “Finding the answer to that may be easier than you think… .“ Her voice was brightly animated, as if she were leafing through a travel brochure. Then she dangled the key roguishly near the tip of her nose. The ticket might be gone, but I at least wanted the key back. Capturing sitting flies in my bare hands is one of my hobbies. I fixed my eyes on her hand. The man had put one over on me, but with the girl I had more confidence. Still, something made me hesitate. Perhaps it was self-reproach, a warning that I was getting too emotional. The insect dealer had been utterly uninterested, yet I had gone out of my way to press a ticket on him. Now, when the shills grabbed eagerly at the bait, I found myself trying desperately to retrieve it. Mustn’t be prey to impulse. The thing to do was play for time, and wait till I could join forces with the insect dealer. Above all, I had to see that