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102. Money raising
–After that.
Kaa-san and the Special Forces were brought back by Tou-san, but on the other hand, the worn-out Nee-san and Esashi Sana who sided with us, visited my house.
「……」
The said Sana-san is sitting on the sofa in front while drinking tea.
Nee-san only said 「I’m tired. Shower」, and walked to the bathroom with somehow despair looking eyes. She might be regretting that she betrayed the Special Forces.
Tou-san said that it’s regrettable to lose us, but still, Kaa-san has the right to decide. Then, no matter what Tou-san says, it’s for sure that we will receive works as the Special Forces in the future.
「Well, I think Tomomi is okay. With this, she also can’t work in the Special Forces, but Tomomi is a genius, after all. She should be able to find a new job immediately」
「……Can you not read my thoughts?」
Did I show it in my face? While thinking that, I sighed. Then, I felt someone looking at me from behind, and I turned around.
Onikko who’s hiding behind the one-seat sofa which I’m sitting on, was looking at me fixedly.
「Uo……, W-What’s wrong?」
「……Nothing」
However, she stares at me as usual. Because it’s somehow a little embarrassing, I decided to ignore her.
I once again look at Sana-san.
「……So, what was your objective?」
「Oops, looks like you don’t believe me」
「……Well, there’s no way I can believe a person who enters my room and house as you please」
Besides–
I switch my conscious to my back, and as usual, she’s behind me.
I want to be trusted.
But still, the current me is–
「……I see. Looks like that girl is very precious to you」
I sighed instinctively.
What’s this person? How much can she see through me?
When I glared at her, she laughs thinking that it’s amusing.
「Don’t worry. I basically don’t kill children. No matter what they are. Because children are the ones who can change themselves as they still have a long way to go. However, if they are rotten when they are adults, I won’t forgive them」
「……Ah, I see」
Those words are not lies.
The Special Forces compulsory subject–Cold Reading.
To be precise, it’s to read lies rather than reading thoughts.
Well, I’m only specialize in reading lies, but there are few people like her who can read people’s thought from their words and deeds.
「Well, regarding lie detection, you are many times better than me」
「I would be ashamed if I lose in this」
For now, she’s not lying.
In other words, she’s currently–an ally or neutral.
When I breathed out in relief and leaned my back to the sofa, I felt something poking my shoulder.
「……This person…good?」
「Well……I think so」
It’s unusual that this girl ask me something.
I answer her while thinking so, and footsteps can be heard.
「Well, she’s an idiot with a loose screw on her head since the past. As long as you don’t do anything bad, she won’t do anything. Or rather, even when I did something wrong, she didn’t do anything to me because we’re childhood friends」
「I do punish Tomomi when you did something bad, you know? Like a punch」
「What are you saying when you destroyed a country……」
I can understand from their conversation that these two–are childhood friends.
Well, to be honest, I don’t care of such thing now–
「Nee-san, why don’t you wear some clothes first?」
「Oh, sorry……」
She came out of the bathroom half naked wearing only a deep blue jeans. If her red hair is not long, something dangerous might have shown up.
She wears the white shirt that she was holding, and sits next to Sana-san.
「You braless monster」
「Shut up」
Nee-san who replied immediately, breathes out and looks up at the ceiling.
「Now then. King of Black Coffin, King of Heroes, and also the A rank Number One. The three strongest people in the Special Forces are out of job……So what to do now? I have some savings for now, but it will finish quickly」
「Haha, that’s really bad」
Sana-san laughs cheerfully, but there’s no change that it’s a bad situation.
「One thing after another…… It’s good that the problem with the Special Forces has been resolved, but the next problem is money……」
「I’m living with my parents, so it’s okay, but the problem is you two」
「Yeah……now, what to do?」
When I’m groaning with my arms folded, I felt something poking my shoulder again.
When I turned around, I can see the girl standing still with a worry and sad expression.
「……My…fault?」
Muttering those words, I drop a fist onto her head softly.
「Ouch……you…tried to kill me」
「No, I didn’t. Or rather, you don’t have to worry about those kind of things」
「B-But……」
I sighed to the girl who’s not withdrawing yet, and turned around and pinched her cheek.
「No buts. I said that it’s alright, so it will be. After all, I’m strong, and there’s nothing that I can’t do」
That’s why it’s alright.
Up until now, I have protected many people.
Then, I will show that I can at least protect this girl alone.
The girl who looked into my eyes, turns away and runs to somewhere.
「……Does she hates me?」
「Ha, isn’t it the opposite?」
I look at Nee-san who laughed scornfully, but she closes her eyes without saying anything.
I sigh upon seeing that she doesn’t plan to tell me, and turn back to them.
「I don’t know the details, but how long can the savings last? I don’t know much about these kind of things」
「Ah, for example, even though you’re the King of Black Coffin, you started receiving your salary a few years ago. When considering about the girl’s necessities and a middle school student raising her alone……at least 3 years if it goes well」
–3 years.
With my age now, I’m a first year in a middle school.
So it’s until I’m a high school first year which is 16 years old. If I don’t obtain a stable source of money until then, it’s safe to say that I can’t continue living like usual.
While thinking, I suddenly realized the part-time job magazine at the corner of my vision.
When I reached out to the magazine, I open the page which I read before.
「……Convenience store. Recruiting people」
「Well, it would end up like that」
Nee-san sighs.
I’m still 13 years old. Still a kid.
Therefore, I can’t work in a proper business, and the possibility of being rejected is high even for part-time jobs.
Therefore, I’ll take every part-time jobs possible. Take all of it, and work there. Otherwise, my savings will finish.
And while working part-time, I’ll find a stable source of money within these 3 years.
「For example, setting up a company」
「……I see」
I replied so to her who read my thoughts again, and Nee-san’s fist landed on Sana-san’s head.
「Oi, what are you saying to a 13-year-old brat?」
「Eh! This guy can surely do it. Although he don’t have any talents, he’s fast at learning things!」
I smiled wryly to their talk while looking at the magazine once again.
There are too many worrying factors. My extreme ignorance of the ways of the world (I know that myself), the matter of I can’t do manual labor due to my age, and this white hair.
「……Now, what should I do?」
I mutter unintentionally, and touch my bangs with my fingers.
I can see the white bangs swaying slowly–suddenly, I realized that Sana-san and Nee-san are grinning.
「……What are you thinking?」
「Nothing. Nothing special」
While saying that, both of them approaches me while grinning.
Before I knew it, their hands are now holding scissors, and my body stiffens when I realized where they are looking at.
「D-Don’t tell me……」
「Oh, don’t tell me that you were going to go to the interview with such long hair? Leave it to us. We will make you look like a hunk」
「Yeah yeah, leave it to us」
While saying that, they grabbed my arms tightly.
My face twitches upon seeing that they don’t plan to stop, and I exhaled in resignation–
☆☆☆
「……So it became like this」
What’s reflected in the mirror, is a boy with black-dyed hair.
The long hair has been cut short, and the dazzling white hair is now black, or rather, it’s much closer to deep blue.
「Oh! You look good!」
「Nice, very nice. With this, you can easily get every Nee-sans in the world!」
I’m sorry to say this to them, but……I somehow can’t settle down because I look so different.
「In the first place, what’s with this deep blue hair? Did you use some kind of tool that’s loaded with superpower?」
「Ah, you mean that?」
While saying that, Nee-san took out a black-colored shampoo.
「It’s something that was popular long ago. It’s a shampoo that can dye hair into the color close to black temporarily」
「Ah, the one that sells it with the vague slogan “I want to return to the past life”」
Sana-san raises her voice as if she knew it, but to be honest, I don’t know at all. Probably something before I was born.
I look at them with a somewhat closed eyes, and Nee-san who realized that, coughs once and opens her mouth.
「W-Well, um. It looks like a shampoo that can last for two days as long as you don’t get wet by the rain. So use it everyday. If they ask you 『What is your superpower?』 during the interview, just say that your superpower is 【Body Strengthening・Weak】. Then, there’s should be no problem if you don’t use your strength too much」
I-I see……
Certainly, it sounds good.
As expected of a genius. When I was looking at Nee-san, I suddenly felt someone was looking at me from somewhere.
When I turned around to find where, I can see that the door is slightly open and a small eye is staring at me from there.
「……Ah」
I suddenly remembered.
The current me just had a haircut and also dyed, with just a glance, I’m a different person. Then, it’s natural that she don’t know–
「……Who?」
Along with such word, the door was closed. I can’t even call her out.
