“Ah, it feels like I’ve seen the leader’s face properly for the first time in ages,” I said.
“I won’t deny that we haven’t seen each other much lately, but it’s rather irritating to hear you say it to my face. Still, you seem to be doing well as usual.”
“Hmph! That’s because something good happened! My energy is a hundred times what it was, just like that snack bread hero!”
“Something good?”
I was aware that I’d been so busy lately that I hadn’t been spending much time in the First Division, but I never thought a day would come when a subordinate would tell me they’d seen me in my own seat for the first time in a while.
Since I tend to come to work relatively early, there are other people in the office, but not many.
It hasn’t been finalized yet, but this First Division of mine will eventually have to be handed over to someone.
I showed up to work on the creation of the handover documents, and what I got was Nan’s eyes wide open as if to say, “I’m so surprised.”
She’s a frank woman, but hearing her say that made me feel a little irritated, as if I were being accused of slacking off.
I understand she doesn’t mean any harm, so I brushed it off with a bit of small talk.
And there was Nan, in a good mood because something good had happened.
When I tilted my head and asked what had happened, Nan quietly approached my desk and beckoned me with her hand.
“Are you asking me to lend you my ear?”
I leaned in and brought my ear closer to Nan.
“…Katsu and I have become adults.”
As Nan reported, a little embarrassed.
“Seriously?”
I unintentionally lowered my tone and put on a serious expression.
Normally, one would tease them while offering words of congratulation, but in this case, it’s not that simple.
“What about Kitamiya?”
“Ah, well, I was also swept up in the atmosphere, you know, like, um?”
“…Is this about the Kawasaki incident?”
“That’s precisely why I like your quick understanding, leader.”
“Don’t tease me.”
It was a one-way affair, but Nan and Kitamiya had allowed themselves to share, perhaps not share, but to be together with Katsu.
Hearing that there was a factor called Kawasaki Midori, and that they comforted each other when she was emotionally fragile and things just flowed from there, it’s understandable, but if I had to wish for anything, it would be for them not to have chosen this timing. It’s probably my own selfishness.
“What are you going to do? Knowing her, given the circumstances, she might just pull out.”
“Ahhh, I thought that would likely happen too, so I haven’t publicly announced that we’re dating yet. In times like these, my usual sense of distance, which is always close to them, comes into play. Or rather, I’m wondering if I should be upset that my sense of distance hasn’t changed even after dating.”
“In your case, prioritize handling your relationships.”
“Right.”
Fortunately, Nan also understood that continuing to keep it a secret and dating wouldn’t be ideal.
It’s precisely because Nan and Kitamiya have built a trusting relationship that such an idea comes to mind.
“Honestly.”
“Oh? Leader, what’s with that photo?”
As I was pondering what to do, Nan noticed a photo frame on my desk that shouldn’t have been there and pointed at it, asking.
“Huh? Oh, it’s a photo my family and I took the other day. It came out well, didn’t it? I took it with the latest digital camera I bought when I went out recently.”
I grabbed it and showed it to her, and she began to examine it closely.
“Yes, it’s beautifully taken, but why a family photo on your desk all of a sudden? I don’t recall you ever having one before.”
And she asked me why I would suddenly do something like this, knowing that I don’t usually bring such things to my workplace.
“I’m currently in the middle of a full-blown campaign to flaunt myself as a devoted husband and a doting parent.”
When Nan asked me that, I replied with a pose like that of a certain famous commander who tried to change the world using a certain famous artificial human.
“…Leader, you should just say you’re tired when you’re tired, okay? If you need any help, I can assist you with some of your work.”
Nan, filled with sadness, patted me on the shoulder.
“Don’t look so genuinely sad. This is actually a very serious action.”
I thought I was saying something serious with a playful attitude, but she misunderstood it as me being at my limit with fatigue.
Don’t underestimate me. In terms of fatigue, I’m confident I can continue to function normally for another four days.
That’s not a problem.
“No, but after all, you’re already close with Suella and Memoria, so it’s a bit strange for you to suddenly say you’re going to make an effort to show that closeness, isn’t it?”
“Do I seem that close to them?”
“From an outsider’s perspective, it’s clear you cherish them. If you asked Kaido-senpai or Amy-chan, you’d get the same answer. Honestly, every time I see it, I struggle with whether to chant ‘May all coupled people explode’ with my magic power, and I wish my efforts would be reflected in my bonus.”
“You idiot, in this world, that kind of resentment can actually become an attack, so be careful.”
“The ‘Coupled People Explosion Incident’ that will eventually occur in the world, its cause being an act of jealousy… Hmm, that’s not funny. That’s a case that could actually happen.”
“If magic were to flow into this world, something like that might truly happen. However, to curse someone to the point of explosion would require a magic power on par with an instructor.”
“Is that so?”
When I talk to this person, the conversation always goes off on tangents.
Well, there’s no point in worrying about it, and it always comes back around eventually, so it’s fine.
“Think about it carefully. It’s not a spell that causes an explosion by cursing, but an indirect magic explosion through willpower. Consider the magic consumption.”
“…The fuel efficiency is terrible.”
“Right? You could only take down ordinary people with that. For us General Class individuals, it would only be considered a curse at the level of a military-scale total mobilization, and even then, it would barely feel like a slight heaviness around the shoulders.”
I enjoy such conversations, and can carry on small talk while finishing my work.
“Ah, but this isn’t the time to be talking about such things. So, what are you going to do about Kitamiya?”
However, that’s that, and this is this. I’m the type of person who can’t feel at ease unless I properly settle serious matters. So, when I can, I make sure to steer the conversation back.
Otherwise, she’ll just keep derailing the conversation endlessly.
“From my perspective, I’m worried about how you’re campaigning, leader, but as a last resort, I’ve recently started thinking that getting Katsu and Kitamiya drunk and aiming for a ‘morning after’ scene might be an option.”
She glared at me with her eyes, as if to say, “Are you serious?” But I glared back, letting her know that I do have my serious side, and she grudgingly shrugged her shoulders and revealed the methods she’s currently considering.
What kind of thinking is that for a woman? ‘Morning after’…
“There’s no mood or anything. Your idea is exactly like a dad’s.”
Even in dramas these days, you don’t see developments like that. Nowadays, even alcohol harassment is strictly regulated.
As long as the individuals involved don’t mind, forcing something like that can lead to severe punishment.
“Besides, Katsu is a minor, isn’t she? If I let her drink, I’d be the one in trouble, so you should refrain.”
“Roger that.”
Moreover, Katsu is a minor and not of legal drinking age. Given her personality, she wouldn’t drink in the first place. Nan, knowing this, simply replied playfully.
“It’s not just Katsu who’s the problem.”
It’s not my imagination that her voice sounds a little tired.
“A problem?”
“Yes, leader. It’s not like I’ve been doing nothing with Katsu. I also feel bad for Kitamiya, so I’ve been devising a plan to get Kitamiya and Katsu together in the best way possible from my own perspective.”
“Oh? And what was the result?”
I was impressed that Nan, who came to work so early without being woken by Katsu, had actually been busy strategizing.
“Kitamiya has surprisingly girlish ideas. She said something about the first time being in a penthouse suite on the top floor of a hotel while drinking. Is she asking me to prepare that?”
I was speechless in response to Nan’s dejected expression.
“…Given our salaries, that’s a surprisingly realistic option… Is she thinking of something like dinner at a restaurant with a view of the city lights?”
I managed to squeeze out a neutral response without commenting on Kitamiya’s tastes, but the reality remains the same.
“Yes. I could arrange that kind of situation, but I feel like I’d be losing if I did, and the biggest hurdle to executing it is Katsu’s sense of ethics. Do you think Katsu, who is dating me, would go out to dinner alone with Kitamiya? Let alone imagine her staying the night at a hotel?”
“I can’t imagine it.”
Katsu is serious.
She’s the type to be exceptionally serious. While she may show some leeway towards others, she strictly disciplines herself in certain areas.
“Does she think about… after seeing me and Kaido?”
Taking a gamble on a slim possibility, I asked Nan if she had been influenced by me or Kaido, but Nan shook her head weakly.
“Since she started dating me, she’s been seriously planning for the future. The other day, she even drew up a savings plan.”
Then, she revealed that the man who was allowed a harem was earnestly planning for his future, leaving me wondering how I should react.
“She’s a high school student, right? Hearing Kitamiya’s dream, the contrast is making me dizzy.”
Did I, in my high school days, ever think that seriously?
No.
At least, all I can remember is swinging my bamboo sword and sweating through my youth.
There was no sign of any thoughts about saving money.
“Unfortunately, our durability isn’t something that can be easily overcome.”
This is Nan’s way of saying she’s at her wit’s end.
“Honestly, there’s nothing I can do. Perhaps the only method left is to drug her and force it.”
“…Indeed, the conventional approach is difficult.”
There are indeed men who refuse a harem.
But to think there would be one so close by.
“Well, since it’s about Katsu, once we establish a physical relationship, she’ll take responsibility, so the problem is how to get there cleanly.”
“Leader, what’s with that kind of thought process for a woman?”
“You have too many illusions about women, leader. There are realists among women, you know.”
“It’s fine. I’m a little sick of the way women think in this otherworld, so I can afford to have illusions about women on Earth.”
On my end, I was about to declare myself a devoted husband to deal with someone proposing to his unborn children, and now I’m being told there’s a possibility of being pursued even further.
“I want to see Yukiera and Sachiera.”
“That’s a great idea. I’d love to accompany you.”
Reality is sometimes harsh. Seeking solace, I wanted to see the children.
As I pondered whether to let Nan come along, from behind us.
“Oh my, Nan, it’s unusual for you to be here so early in the morning.”
“Geh, Karen.”
“What do you mean, ‘geh’? Were you talking about something you shouldn’t have been?”
Kitamiya, the person in question, had arrived.
What terrible timing.
Nan sent me an SOS with her eyes, urging me to somehow change the subject. But what should I do?
“Ah, Kitamiya, good morning.”
“Good morning. Jiro-san. You’re here today.”
“Nan just told me the same thing.”
I started with a polite greeting, then thought about what to do next.
“Perhaps it’s because it’s unusual? If you don’t want to be told that, you should show your face more often.”
“My new job is so busy, honestly, I wish I could learn the shadow clone jutsu.”
“Doesn’t that spell only create physical substitutes, and you can’t do intricate work with them?”
I’m doing my best to deflect the conversation. It’s impossible to suddenly bring up Katsu’s relationship. Nan gave a thumbs-up to Kitamiya, trying to be subtle, but I grumbled in my heart, “You’re the one who started this.”
(It depends on the conditions. Apparently, if you use a golem as a medium or prepare the appropriate catalyst, you can implant thoughts.)
“What about the cost of that?”
(Look around this workplace. Do you see any clones?)
“I see.”
“By the way, apparently, creating a being that can think like a human costs as much as building a luxury liner. So, it’s more cost-effective to hire people or increase work efficiency through body reinforcement.”
I broadened the conversation with a smile, but I have no idea what to do next! I haven’t thought this far ahead!
Today’s word:
Don’t get flustered if you can’t do what you want.
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Pandora Pandemic Panic. Pandora’s Box Has Been Opened Again, but We’re Fighting Back with Various Things in Secret Bases!!
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