I wonder why I’m so tired.
I managed to suppress a wry smile and felt relieved that the storm had passed.
“How do we recover from here?”
I muttered softly so no one could hear, and reassembled the significantly delayed schedule in my mind.
At first, it was good.
I simply went to greet Kaido’s mother, Meguri-san, and there, I informed her about Kaido’s work environment and the recent situation of the woman he was dating.
It would have been easiest if she had accepted it then, but that was a gamble, and conversely, it was inconvenient.
Even though she heard that her son’s company was strange, she accepted it without question.
This meant that she had no interest in her son or marriage.
I didn’t think it would come to this, but it was a situation to be avoided.
However, I wasn’t too worried.
What I said wasn’t the kind of thing that people would easily believe, and most people would either disbelieve or become suspicious.
So, in a way, I had expected Meguri-san to want to visit the company, and it was within the scope of my plans.
A “company tour” was still within my expectations, and I could have made preparations for it in advance.
However, everything that happened afterward was completely unplanned.
Originally, after guiding her through the underground mall, I was supposed to guide her through a safe dungeon, explain the world view during breaks, and then she would understand the current situation and Kaido’s position. Finally, I would take her to a restaurant at an appropriate time to meet Amili-san.
Then, after a change of venue, I would introduce the Twin angels. But Kaido’s extreme nervousness, his contact with the instructor, and the exchange between the president and Evia were all outside of my predictions.
As a result, my schedule was ruined, which caused me an indescribable fatigue.
I understood and accepted it, and I’m still dealing with the aftermath, but Evia and the president’s exchange just now sent a chill down my spine.
Evia’s ability is dangerous, and even though I know she’s not the type to act impulsively, her intensity was chilling.
Well, compared to my previous company, it’s still minor stress because she doesn’t nag, and while the impact is big, it’s not continuous.
Overall, it’s minor stress, and since I’m physically enhanced, I have plenty of leeway as long as I make sure Amili-san and the Twin angels don’t quarrel with Meguri-san.
“You’re working hard too, aren’t you?”
“Hahaha, I appreciate you saying that.”
I managed to create an opportunity for conversation and return to the original members, albeit with a time limit until the instructor arrived.
Whether it’s a good or bad thing that Meguri-san now recognizes me as a hard-working person because of the process leading up to this point.
Given the sympathetic glances I’m receiving, I’ll consider it a positive development that Meguri-san is showing a willingness to listen to my story.
After all, I’ve been dealing with various things since I met Meguri-san, so that impression is hard to erase.
“The difficult son should have handled all of this, shouldn’t he?”
“No, at this point, the company’s environment is special, so it is natural for me as his superior to participate in the explanation. He is a valuable asset, and we would like him to continue working for us.”
Besides, I find this junior so endearing that I want to support him, even if it means going through so much trouble.
I can push through this much.
Kaido is worth it for developing that kind of mindset.
I hid my embarrassed and affectionate true feelings as a senpai, and instead, I answered Meguri-san by mixing in my true feelings as a working adult superior. She then gave me a smile as a mother, which was hard to imagine given her youthful appearance.
“It makes me feel like raising this child was worth it.”
Meguri-san smiled brightly like the sun. Her smile was exactly the same as Kaido’s usual smile.
It makes one feel the blood connection.
“Yes, he’s quite remarkable.”
“Huh? Senpai is honestly praising me, does that mean there’s some dangerous work tomorrow?”
Even though we were at a banquet with Amili-san and the others, the instructor would also be joining us later.
I praised him precisely because I considered the trouble that would follow, but he was already being suspicious.
“Shall I prepare something for you?”
“I’m alright!! I’m satisfied with my current work!!”
I had intended to offer him a choice of several available jobs, but he declined with a salute.
“Is that so? I thought this job would be a little easier. Well, it’s not the time to talk about work now.”
“I, on the other hand, would like to hear more about my son’s performance. You’ve known him since his previous company, haven’t you?”
During this brief respite, I wanted him to deepen his relationship with Amili-san and the others instead of talking to me, but I couldn’t say that.
“Yes, I’ve known him since our previous job, so it’s helpful that I don’t have to worry about certain things. You could say we’re comrades who have survived near-death experiences.”
I couldn’t dismiss Meguri-san’s words, so it would be best to answer vaguely and subtly pass the conversation to Amili-san and the others.
“We’re still doing dangerous work in a sense even now, so that perception hasn’t changed.”
“I heard that too. When I was young, I often did reckless things and thought I might die, so I can’t strongly admonish my son. I wish he hadn’t inherited that fiery spirit.”
Kaido himself explained his work as a Dungeon Tester, and Amili-san explained the dungeons, so I had a general understanding of the business content.
Thus, we can now enjoy tea and conversation.
There’s still plenty of time before the banquet begins.
With the tea and sweets provided by the store, a relaxed time finally arrived.
“In the past, this child was more timid and cute, like his father.”
“Tell me more.”
“We would love to hear!”
“Mom!?”
As a result, we became close enough to have lively conversations about Kaido’s childhood, which is a common topic for the women.
The fact that Meguri-san doesn’t particularly mind things like wings or horns, which humans don’t have, has greatly contributed to forming our bond.
Amili’s appearance is something some people might care about.
According to Meguri-san:
“I had a rowdy friend in the past. Some of them even had tattoos on their faces. Compared to her, Amili-chan’s appearance is quite cute!”
It seems there’s someone doing even more outrageous things; she’s accepting mechanical elements as fashion.
Meguri-san said so and complimented Amili’s appearance, and Amili smiled happily in return, which was memorable.
“You two too, you’re quite adorable. Those wings look warm in the winter.”
She not only complimented Amili but also noticed and praised the Twin angels’ appearances, showing her thoughtfulness.
I believe she can bring the group of ladies together because she can find these good qualities.
Regarding the appearance of others, she has a complex about her small stature, and I believe she focuses on seeing people’s inner selves. I don’t think that’s a bad assessment.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to lead the ladies, who were at the peak of their youthful rebelliousness.
She understands people and leads them.
I heard that she was able to unite the prominent ladies in the Kanto region in the past precisely because of that talent.
It’s quite convenient for me, and frankly, I feel relieved.
As a result, it seems our relationship is steadily improving.
She’s happily fiddling with her smartphone right now, searching for photos to show.
“Sure! Look at this one, I even digitized a photo to carry around, isn’t it cute! It’s Tadashi at five years old!”
“I want the data too!”
“We want photos!”
“Stop!! That’s a photo of me crying hysterically when Mom took me for a motorcycle ride as a kid!!”
Once Kaido’s stories start, I’ll be on the sidelines.
I don’t feel lonely; instead, I’m happy that they’re becoming friends like this.
After that, when the mood gets awkward, I’ll intervene and liven things up.
Despite all the twists and turns that made me sweat with worry, it’s reassuring to see things moving in the right direction.
“That’s nostalgic.”
“Are there any other stories about Tadashi?”
“Yes, Tadashi doesn’t usually talk much about himself. Hey, Shiik.”
“Yes, Miik. We definitely want to hear everything on this occasion.”
It seems they have somewhat accepted the harem situation, seeing that Kaido and the others are handling it well.
“Make sure you take good care of the children! If you give up halfway, you know what will happen, right?”
Regarding the financial aspect, she seems reassured, seeing Kaido’s pay stub from last month and his savings passbook. She seems to have given her approval with the condition that he take responsibility.
They were apparently having such a conversation while I was dealing with Evia and the president.
After the conversation between the parent and child is finished, the next step is to deepen their connection with Amili-san and the others.
“Sure! Ask me anything!”
“Stop! Seriously!!”
I grabbed Kaido’s shoulder and made him sit down as Meguri-san happily recounted stories from his past.
It looks like Amili-san and the Twin angels are gradually becoming fond of Meguri-san.
Is this the charisma of a former leader at work?
As it would be inconvenient for me to interfere with that, I’ll have Kaido swallow his tears this time.
Unlike manipulating people’s emotions, Meguri-san is closing the distance with Amili-san and the Twin angels, as if showing the origin of Kaido’s friendliness.
Perhaps due to her initial intention to treat them kindly, the distance between them is rapidly shrinking.
This might be a situation where I need to seriously consider protecting Meguri-san.
For now, Kaido is only being watched by the Japanese Government, but there’s a real possibility of overseas agents taking notice in the future.
Relatives become a bottleneck in such situations.
Kitamiya is also in a similar situation.
Katsu and Minami are almost estranged from their relatives, so there’s no need to worry too much about them.
As Kaido becomes more ingrained in this world, such problems will arise.
When one job is finished, another begins.
That’s what society is like, and work continues until life ends.
I’ll accept this as just another job.
I noticed a large presence moving outside.
It was numerous enough that even the three people engrossed in Kaido’s childhood stories could sense it.
“Instructor, how many people have you gathered in such a short time?”
And the store staff are rushing to prepare for the banquet that follows, but it doesn’t look like the preparations will be completed much longer.
In that case.
“Amili-san and the others, please continue your conversation. I’m going to have a little talk with the instructor.”
My job from now on is to handle the instructors at this location.
Before entering the store, I need to determine the number of instructors and arrange for their meals.
And then, coordinating the celebration for Amili, the tasks keep piling up, but it’s the start of a beloved junior’s journey.
I’ll do everything I can, so I’ll face today’s hardships positively.
Today’s word:
Don’t begrudge the effort it takes to move things forward.
Thank you for your continued feedback and reports of typos.
If you enjoyed this, please leave a review, rating, bookmark, etc.
I am also currently serializing another work:
Pandora Pandemic Panic – Pandora’s Box has been opened again, but we’re fighting back with secret bases and other means!!
Please check it out as well!
