{Chapter 2} First request from World Ability Users Agency
Part I
“Yoo-hoo! Hooray—–!”
Hiroto was bursting with joy when he finished his school work and came back from his part-time job to his Home….. the tent. After all, the first request from the World Ability Agency that he had been waiting for had finally arrived.
“I’ve been waiting for this day, for this moment! Now I can make a living! I’m going to get a lot of work from now on, and I’ll never have to live in a tent again! Mmm! Mmm!”
Hiroto kissed the envelope that contained the request over and over again.
“Now, what is the request, what is i? Hmmm~”
Hiroto carefully opened the envelope and found several documents inside, the first of which listed the reward for the success of this contract.
“Ehh!? …… That’s an amazing amount of money! It’s such a good reward!?”
Hiroto’s hands were shaking as he looked at the contract so closely that it almost touched his face.
“W-Woah, It’s too good to be true. I can repair my house with this one job. …… How much does a Rank D earn?”
Hiroto was so surprised and happy that his tension almost overcame the threshold of safety, but he was even more surprised when he continued to read the details of the request on the two sheets.
“……eh? Ehhh!! Helping Shitenji-san and Marion-san!?”
It says that Mizuho Shitenji and Marion Mia Shlian, who are already on a mission, and Hiroto to join them and work together on the job.
His head cooled down and he became serious.
Of course, he hadn’t seen or heard from Mizuho and Marion since that rookie rank test.
For Hiroto, they were the only people who had been strongly involved with him during that exam. The events that occurred with Mizuho and Marion during the examinations were each memorable for Hiroto, and he wanted to meet …… them again someday.
At that time, when the vampire …… Gaston attacked during the celebration party for obtaining the rank right after the examination, they rushed in without considering their own danger and fought side by side until the end.
“……But they don’t remember me, do they?”
Hiroto muttered sadly.
However, Hiroto thinks of his classmates and friends who are important to him…….. his childhood friend Matsuri, his best friend Ichigo, and Shizuka, who is Matsuri’s best friend and therefore also connected to him.
These friends have forgotten about him in the past.
But this time, they hadn’t forgotten him.
It was because Hiroto continued to relate to them as if he were starting over from scratch over and over again, even when they forgot about him, that they connected again, and this time they remembered him without being affected by the backslash of this power.
And of all the people ……, Matsuri was the only one who has never forgotten about him.
As far as he knows, aside from his immediate family, there are only two other people, including Matsuri, who can do that.
Among them, the person who embodied it in front of his eyes many times was a girl named Liserotte, whom he met in the demon world through the demon cave.
But …… She was no longer in this world.
As Hiroto closed his eyes, the irreplaceable memories of her flashed through his mind.
Because of her, he was able to survive against the demon gods that were spreading in the demon world.
Because she was there, he was able to protect her country and her people in the demon world.
Because she said it was okay, He was able to move forward.
Because she was there, he was able to believe in his bond with others.
And because of her, he could think like this now.
“Lise, I will never give up. No matter how many times I am forgotten, I will connect with these peoples who make me feel good again.”
Hiroto wanted to meet Mizuho and Marion again. And let them remember who he is again.
“Because I want to be their friend.”
Hiroto opens his eyes, which were now full of life.
“Okay!”
Hiroto nodded to himself and continued to read the letter of request from the agency, entering the third page. Then, a bunch of papers of different sizes slipped out from between the letters and fell to the side.
What is it? Hiroto thought, and took it up.
“Money ……, and it’s foreign currency! Eh? Eh? What do you mean?”
Hiroto looked at the third one and saw that it was an airline ticket with a QR code.
“…… Seriously?”
Then he looked at the fourth piece and saw the details of this request.
“Booooo!”
Hiroto read the contents and blew up.
“I don’t know any country called Miramar! Escort work …… okay, that’s fine, but the period is one week!”
Hiroto looked pale and thought that this was indeed a …… job, but, neither the location nor the date is relevant to the work of the agency. It’s just a matter of receiving a request from the other party and fulfilling it.
This time, it just happened to be a week in a foreign country.
The image of his homeroom teacher, the ultra-cool beauty Mirei Takano, came to Hiroto’s mind.
Mirei who was about 5 meters tall grabbing Hiroto’s head with one hand.(TN: He’s imagining )
[You’re a student of our high school, yet you’re taking a break from school for a part-time job?]
“No, no, teacher! T-This is for my livelihood and house repairs. ……”
[And! you skipped for a week because of that…?]
“Hiiiiiii!”
Hiroto was flabbergasted.
“Oh no, that’s not good, I’m going to get killed! What should I do?”
Hiroto thought about refusing this request. The reason is that his life is even more precious.
But when he read it again with cold sweat on his face, there were words spelled out in large font.
{{Refusal will not be accepted. If you refuse, you will lose your rank.}}
And underneath it, there was a small handwritten message that read.
{{‘I’m sorry, Domori-kun. I’ll buy you dinner next time as an Apology’ by Kakitate.}}
Even though Shima was apologizing, the text was surrounded by pink and yellow hearts drawn with a highlighter. For some reason, you can feel the excitement through it.
“What the hell! This!”
Hiroto took Shima’s as a bad joke, but this was a no-brainer.
He wondered if there was any better way to do it, but he couldn’t come up with a good idea, and time just flew by and he was filled with frustration.
He thought of the faces of his friends. Normally, the faces of one’s immediate family would come to mind, but Hiroto didn’t have that option. His father was still in the demon world. And his Grandfather is just a delinquent old man.
“That’s right! I should talk to Matsuri and the others about it.
That is…… He knew that no matter how he thought about it, it would not solve anything, but he had nothing else to rely on.
◆
“What? Of course you can’t!”
In the classroom of class D, the first year of Horaiin Kitsurin High School, everyone was peacefully having lunch when a loud voice rang out.
Moreover, since the owner of the voice is a girl who has firmly established her position as the most popular Madonna of the 1st year within two months of entering the school, she attracted a lot of attention, and Hiroto’s body shrunk hearing that.
“W-Well, Matsuri-chan, Ah, Calm down.”
Now, the matter of the request from the World Ability Agency, it was supposed to be a normal part-time job here, but Hiroto, who completely regretted discussing it with her, was turning pale.
Matsuri’s fierce attitude was such a threat.
She shouted loudly and drew attention to herself, which caused her to blush and finally calm down.
“However, it’s true Hiroto. I can understand what Shirasawa-san is saying. This isn’t good, is it?”
Hiroto’s friend Hakama Ichigo also agreed with Matsuri, and Mito Shizuka crossed her arms beside her.
“That’s right~, taking a week off from school for a part-time job. There’s no way such a reason can be accepted, right?”
“Of course it is! What were you thinking! And what’s this about going abroad for a part-time job? You’re definitely being deceived!”
“No, no, I’m not being deceived.”
“You’re being deceived!”
“Hiiiii!”
Hiroto stretches his back to Matsuri, who he can’t win against. Matsuri is usually kind and ladylike to everyone, but only to Hiroto, her this side is the main rather than …… that.
“Generally speaking, where does the company get the money to pay for your part-time work overseas? The company, of course, is the one that makes a profit. There’s no such thing as a job that can pay for sending an ordinary high school student to a foreign country for a part-time job!”
For Hiroto, the place that gave him the job was the World Ability Agency, and there was no way he could explain …….
Ichigo puts his hand on his cheek as he looks at Matsuri gasping for air.
“Hiroto, why don’t you refuse this time? Shirasawa-san got a valid pont, and above all, it’s a week you’re talking about. Even if you decide to say that you were sick, the school knows that you live alone, right? Mirei-sensei might come to your house.”
“Ugh! That’s bad…….”
“Ah right, Domori-kun. Where is this foreign country? What is your job anyway?”
Shizuka asks a question that has not been asked up to this point.
“It’s a country called …… Miramar, and the …… job is something like protection …… security guard?”
Matsuri opened her eyes wide when she heard the name of the country Hiroto mentioned.
“Eh…..what the hell!? Miramar is a country with a military dictatorship! It’s a very dangerous country where the democratic movement has recently intensified and the military government is said to be divided and on the verge of civil war! Are you going to join the civil war?”
“Ehhh!? Really? But It’s different! It’s not like that at all!”
Shizuka was surprised by Matsuri’s explanation.
“Hey, ……, that’s beyond the realm of part-time work, Domori-kun. I’m against it not just because of Matsuri. As a friend, I would never want you to go to such a place.”
Ichigo put his hand on his chin as he listened to the conversation with an expression that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.
“Hmm, but, if it’s such a dangerous country, isn’t it forbidden by the Foreign Ministry to travel there? Such a country wouldn’t issue visas or tickets. Are they idiot? That company you work for.”
Everyone was strongly opposed to the idea, from every angle, and Hiroto was in a state of exhaustion, but he felt that he could not tell a lie now, and he confessed.
“It’s …… already in my possession. …… the ticket.”
“Seriously !? What kind of power does that company have?”
Both Matsuri and Shizuka were surprised, but could not hide their anxiety. Especially Matsuri, she was very anxious.
She also realized that what Hiroto was saying was becoming more and more realistic.
“Hiroto, you must absolutely refuse. If anything happens to you, it won’t be a laughing matter.”
Ichigo and Shizuka both nodded at this. All three of them thought that if they said this much, Hiroto would think that he had no choice but to make that decision. However, the answer from Hiroto was contrary to their expectations.
“Well, yes, but I can’t refuse …….”
“What? What do you mean? Hiroto.”
“Actually, it’s a …… contract.”
“What kind of contract, Hiroto? I was relieved because Gaston-san told me about it, but it’s not a normal company, is it? I’ll call Gatson-san as well and ask him to convince you.”
Hiroto was rather surprised that Gaston had a cell phone from what Matsuri had just told him.
You’ve been a loner for almost 1500 years.
“Moreover, the job description is a security guard – it’s a bit fishy, isn’t it? I think it’s too dangerous, don’t you Domori-kun?”
Shizuka is also completely against the idea. It’s only natural, of course.
Hiroto was in trouble, teary-eyed, because his consultation had completely backfired.
It had been a while since Matsuri had been this angry.
And the result of consulting the three of them for help was the complete opposite of what he thought.
I wondered if I should tell them the truth? He even had such thoughts.
Both about himself and the agency. And that he was an ability user.
But in reality, there was no way he could say such a thing, and he slumped his shoulders.
“When is the departure?”
When Matsuri asked, Hiroto remembered the departure date.
“Today is Thursday, so …… the day after tomorrow……”
“Is it that urgent?”
“Uh-huh.”
As Matsuri sighed heavily in anger, the bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch break. Matsuri was in different classes, so she stood up with her hands on the desk.
“Hiroto, you better turn down the offer by the end of the day. You understand.”
“…… Yeah.”
He had no choice but to say so. However, Hiroto knows that he can’t refuse this request anymore.
While he was thinking inwardly about what to do, Ichigo casually put his face close to Hiroto’s ear as he left.
“…… Do you have time after school?”
When he whispered this to him, Hiroto looked at Ichigo. Then nodded lightly.
And so, everyone went back to their seats.
As soon as the class was over, Hiroto got ready to leave the school and left.
He took a different path from the one he usually took on his way home, and when he arrived at a park where almost no students from Kitsurin High School came, he exhaled lightly and sat down on an empty bench.
After a while, Ichigo, who had specified the location, also showed up.
“Hiroto, here.”
Ichigo threw him a can of coffee, and Hiroto caught it with one hand.
“Oh, thank you.”
“Here we go!”
Ichigo raised his fatherly voice and sat down beside Hiroto, opened his own can of coffee and sipped it.
Hiroto too opened his own can of coffee and sipped it.
“Hey, Hiroto.”
“What?”
“You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”
—Part I end—
Spoiler: Don’t have high hopes, got my expectations shattered
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Thanks for the chapter
Thanks for the chap!
Jt seems like Hiroto’s personality is too inconclusive, like the author adapts him to one cliche every different scene… At least it’s what I think