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Kid who steals from people

Introduction to Hikoichi

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English translator　REN HANADA(花田れん)

　Once upon a time, there was a very clever child called Hikoichi.

　One day, Hikoichi was sent by His Highness to go to a distant island on a boat.
　And that night, he had to sleep on the boat.
(Well, I think I'll go to bed.)
　And just when he thought,
"Pirates!”
　They heard a loud scream.
　Looking out to the sea, the ship carrying pirates with weapons in hand was already close at hand.
"Oh my God! They'll rip you to pieces!”
“Hide important things quickly!”
　Passengers are making a fuss about where to hide their money and valuables.
　But wherever you hide them, pirates will find them.
　So Hikoichi got on the table and said loudly.
“Everyone, stay calm! The pirates will find them wherever you hide them. Therefore, put a little of the money in your pocket and leave them to me. I'll protect your money from the pirates, I promise.”
　Hikoichi said, with full confidence, that the passengers entrusted him with the feeling like this is the last straw.
"Okay, we'll leave those to you.”
　Then, Hikoichi divided the money into bags and hid them here and there in his kimono so that they couldn't tell just by looking at it.
　Then he asks the passenger to wrap his body around the pillar.

　 After a while, the captain of the pirates came aboard the ship and started to take the purses from passengers.
“It's alright, just obey me meekly and I won't be rough with you.”
　Then, when he noticed Hikoichi, who had fallen into a pillar, he called out.
"Kid! What happened to that?”
　Then Hikoichi lied and cried and had tears in his eyes.
"I'm an orphan, and I'm hungry, so I tried to sneak into the ship and steal a passenger's wallet. But they found me and caught me before I could get a penny.”
　When the captain heard that, he grinned and said,
"You're a kid, yet you're stealing. That's a big one, isn't it? But the passengers on this ship are all poor, so they don't make lots of money. Let's both go for the rich next time.”
　The captain said so and went back to his ship with his henchman.
　 After that, the passenger’s money were only taken a little so they were very grateful to the clever Hikoichi.

End

One point advice : There is honor among thieves.

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