Flask of the Drunken Master Read Online Free Page A

message incorrectly.”
    After an awkward pause the yoriki added, “I need you to break the news to Chikao’s widow.”
    “Widow?” Ren’s forehead wrinkled. “What happened to Chikao?”
    “A fight—” the yoriki began.
    Before he could finish Ren exclaimed, “Ginjiro killed Chikao?”
    “We do not know that,” Father Mateo said.
    The yoriki cut the Jesuit off with a glare.
    “Ginjiro must be involved,” Ren said. “There’s no other reason to send me here, and I know they argued yesterday. Ginjiro hit Chikao and threatened worse. Where is my partner’s body? I want to see him.”
    “The bearers have already carried him off,” the yoriki lied, his words surprisingly convincing. “Ginjiro is under arrest and will be punished, though the evidence shows the death was accidental.”
    “Chikao is really dead?” Ren’s eyes reddened. “This will devastate Mina.”
    The yoriki nodded. “All the more reason for her to hear the news from you and not a d ō shin . Will you accept the responsibility?”
    Ren dipped his head in consent. “Of course.” He clenched his jaw and looked away, fighting to keep his emotions under control. “How did this happen? How did he die?”
    “The details remain under investigation,” the yoriki said. “I cannot tell you any more.”
    “Would you like me to accompany you?” Father Mateo asked the brewer. “Often, a priest can make these burdens lighter.”
    Ren looked at Father Mateo. “Thank you, but Mina would prefer a Buddhist priest.” He bowed to cover the need to wipe his tears. “Please excuse me, I have sad news to bear.”
    He straightened and walked away.
    Hiro doubted Chikao’s family and friends would accept the yoriki ’s explanation quite so easily after the initial shock wore off. Still, grief came first. Questions would follow later.
    When Ren had left, Father Mateo turned to the yoriki . “I trust your familiarity with the victim and his family didn’t influence your decision not to investigate the crime.”
    Hiro stared at Father Mateo. Even a fool knew not to accuse a yoriki a second time.
    The yoriki narrowed his eyes at Hiro. “Translate my next words with exceptional care.
    “I need not defend myself to any man. However, I will explain—once more—because the magistrate respects this foreign priest.
    “I know Chikao because I arrest his son on a regular basis, usually for fighting and public drunkenness. I know Chikao’s partner, Ren, because the profits from their brewery often go to pay young Kaoru’s fines. I assure you, I do not consider either man a friend. In truth, I regret it was the father—not the son—who died today.”
    At the end of the Portuguese translation Hiro added, “Do not antagonize him further.”
    Father Mateo held Hiro’s gaze just long enough to make the shinobi wonder if the priest would ignore the instruction. Finally, the Jesuit nodded. “Will the magistrate punish Ginjiro’s wife and daughter?”
    The yoriki shook his head. “The brewer’s guilt will not extend to his family unless they played a role in the crime. Based on the facts, that seems unlikely. I will tell the magistrate they are innocent.”
    Hiro’s attitude toward the yoriki softened slightly at those words, though he disagreed with the man’s conclusions about Ginjiro.
    “Please excuse me,” the yoriki said, “I must report to the magistrate.”
    “What about the body?” Father Mateo asked.
    “The eta will see to the corpse.” The yoriki indicated a trio of men approaching from the north. They walked unusually close together, heads low and faces bowed to the ground. Strips of cloth around their heads identified them as members of the untouchable caste.
    The yoriki walked away. He paused to give instructions to the untouchables, who nodded in understanding but did not speak or meet his eyes.
    Father Mateo watched the silent men walk past and enter the alley. “Are they outcastes?” he asked with interest. “I’ve never met