kscans

Chapter 179 - Drawing a Line

"Private First Class Satou Hideo! I have returned, though I am ashamed!!"

He opened the front door and saluted, holding back tears. Satou Hideo had finally returned home, a whole half a day later.

"I wonder why Hero Uncle always throws these curveballs out of nowhere. Welcome home."

"Ahaha, welcome back."

"Oh?"

I tilted my head when I saw the face that emerged from the living room with Sakuya-chan. Why was Hikaru at my house? I mean, I’d heard we were supposed to take on a request together today. Apparently he’s been working hard lately to participate in the Halloween subjugation event. But that was beside the point.

"Well, it seems Hikaru has something on his mind. And considering what it is, I thought Hero Uncle might be able to help."

So she had invited him over on the way home. Hmm. Seeing as he didn't come to me directly, it probably isn't related to the Supernatural World.

"Fine by me. If I can help, I’m happy to listen."

"I’m sorry to impose."

"Don’t worry about it."

I handed my jacket to Sakuya-chan and went into the living room.

"Ah, were you two studying?"

"Sakuya-san was kind enough to help me with my homework."

"Teaching someone else helps you review the material yourself. It’s a win win."

This was bad. With Hikaru and Sakuya-chan here, the alignment of the Satou household was tilting heavily toward lawful good. And just yesterday, my secret games with Kawasaki had served as a fresh reminder of what a piece of scum I was.

"So, Hikaru, what’s this problem you have?"

"Actually, recently, we’ve been getting a lot of pushy salespeople and religious recruiters at our door."

"Oh? Pushy salespeople and religious recruiters, huh. It’s been a while since I’ve heard about that stuff."

"Come to think of it, we never get anyone like that, do we? Even though we don’t have any stickers on the door or anything."

"My name’s probably on a blacklist somewhere."

My words made the two of them jump.

"Still, it’s been nearly twenty years. You’d think they’d have cooled off by now."

"A b, blacklist? Satou-san, what on earth did you do?"

"As you know, I was a little bit rowdy back in high school."

"A little, bit?" they both repeated.

"It’s one thing to cause trouble in the Supernatural World, but doing it in the Surface World is a problem."

For the record, I don't have a criminal record or anything.

"Anyway, for a rowdy kid like me and my buddies, those types were great toys."

We had a whole lot of fun with them.

"But my story doesn’t matter. Let me hear yours, Hikaru."

"Ah, yes. We’d had those kinds of solicitors before, but it was never nothing. Lately, though, there’s been a lot of them. And they’re persistent."

Hikaru held his head in his hands, wondering why this was suddenly happening. Hearing his story, I knew the reason immediately.

"Well, the cause seems pretty obvious."

"Eh?"

"They’ve caught a whiff of money."

Hikaru started bringing money home after he began taking requests in the Supernatural World. Knowing the Akatsuki family, they probably weren’t living in extravagant luxury. But I doubted they were putting every last yen into savings either. They were likely buying the twins clothes, making up for all the times they had to go without. And knowing Hikaru’s personality, he had probably bought his mother some presents, too.

"Once your finances start looking up, you’re bound to attract attention."

That goes for the salespeople, but especially for the religious recruiters. I hate to say it, but to them, a single mother household is a prime target. Even a poor one is a mark, so one with money is like a mark served up with a side of leeks.

"W, why? Could it be because of the Supernatural World!?"

"No, no. They can figure it out just from what’s visible on the surface."

The clothes I just mentioned are a clear example. If you went from wearing the same few outfits over and over to suddenly having new things, well, you see?

"How should I put it. The information networks those people have are a mile wide and an inch deep."

They probably inferred the Akatsuki family’s financial situation from a bit of neighborhood gossip. Both Yuri-san and Hikaru are good natured people, and they aren’t the type to be assertive. It’s only natural they’d decide to push hard.

"I don’t know if they investigated directly or bought the information from someone who makes a quick buck selling it, but..."

"W, what should I do?"

"Honestly, you can’t completely stop some information from getting out."

Not unless you’re willing to kill every suspicious person you meet. But even that wouldn't be a fundamental solution.

"If you want to solve this, you have to make them think, ‘These people are a lost cause.’"

You have to make them feel that spending time on you won’t make them any money. If you can do that, you win. That’s what happened with me, after all.

"What specifically should I do?"

"Both you and Yuri-san are too kind. You probably find it hard to be firm with people who are being a nuisance. So the first thing you need to do is draw a line."

"Draw a line?"

"That’s right. You flip a switch in your head. ‘This person is an enemy.’"

You establish your own internal criteria for judging whether someone is an enemy or not. Then, once you’ve labeled them an enemy, you just need to resolve to be firm. If you act according to a rule you’ve set for yourself, you should be able to push back to some extent.

"Calling them an ‘enemy’ feels a little dramatic."

"If you don’t think of them that way, they’ll wear you down eventually, you know?"

The moment you think, "They’ve come all this way so many times, maybe I should listen just a little," it’s over. If you think about it calmly, all they’re doing is persistently bothering you without any regard for your inconvenience. But you and Yuri-san probably can’t be that detached about it.

"Do you ever find yourself thinking things like, ‘They have a life to live too,’ or ‘They’re only inviting me because they genuinely think it’s a good thing?’"

"Ugh."

"If you think that, you’ve fallen right into their trap. They’re professionals at making people spend money. It’s all part of their calculation."

What’s more, people like that won’t hesitate to step into legally gray areas if it suits them.

"That’s why you have to harden your heart and tell yourself that anyone who crosses the line is an enemy."

"And how should I set that line?"

"It’s simple. Just tell them, ‘I don’t have time right now,’ and see how they react."

If they back down, they’re still a nuisance, but for now you can let it slide since they aren’t an enemy.

"If they don’t back down and say something like, ‘This won’t take a moment,’ they’re an enemy."

When that happens, you scream this in your head and flip the switch.

"‘You’re taking my time right now, you bastard!!’ Yelling it out loud is also an option."

You’re seen as a good person who’s weak to pressure. A mark. You can use that to your advantage. If a quiet person suddenly snaps, the other party will get scared.

"That’s all it takes for them to be an enemy, Hero Uncle?"

"Of course."

They say they won’t take your time, but they are actively stealing it in that very moment. At that point, the person clearly has no problem inconveniencing you. They’re prioritizing their own needs.

"What else would you call a bad person who prioritizes only their own needs and steals another’s precious time, if not an enemy?"

"Ugh. I feel like I’m being tricked by a con man."

"For the religious recruiters, you can say this to them. ‘Does your god approve of bothering other people?’"

A persistent one will try to argue, but you can just push back with, "Well, I’m being bothered right now."

"Whether or not someone is being bothered is subjective. But if you feel that way, and they keep arguing with you despite that, what does that say? It’s like they’re broadcasting to the world that they have no consideration for other people’s feelings, right?"

There. Now you have no reason to feel bad. As long as you don’t break the law, you can do whatever you want.

"U, ugh. It really feels like we’re being skillfully manipulated somehow," they both said.

"If you can’t reconcile it with yourself that way, you can use a different logic."

The important thing is to create an excuse for yourself that gets rid of your guilt so you can be firm.

"W, well, even if I can flip the switch, snapping at them seems difficult, so is there a more moderate approach?"

"Get their affiliation and name. If they have a business card or something, demand it."

If they don’t, make them write their name and affiliation on a piece of paper or something. Then, while looking right at them, start fiddling with your smartphone right in front of their face.

"My smartphone? What for?"

"If you suddenly start doing that, they’ll ask what you’re doing, right?"

If they don’t ask what you’re up to, you can mutter something to yourself to hint at it.

"I suppose they would."

"‘A friend’s dad is a detective in the community safety division, and I heard there’s been a lot of annoying salespeople in the neighborhood, so I thought I’d send him the info.’"

That’s what you tell them. Any legitimate person will back off then. Even the ones doing shady stuff know what they are, so they’ll figure it’s not worth the trouble and retreat quietly. Some of them might just be making a temporary withdrawal, but you can deal with that when it happens. Next time they do something, just call 110 right there on the spot.

"With an adult, it’s a toss up whether the cops will do anything, but you’re a high school student, Hikaru."

If you act like you’re panicking from the aggressive sales pitch or recruitment, there’s a high chance the cops will respond. Yelling something like, "Why won’t you help me!? Help!" will make it even more effective.

"I, I see. Saying I have an acquaintance in the police force might work."

"Right? And if they still don’t leave, you can just call me."

"C, call you, Satou-san? No, I really couldn’t."

"It’s not just out of the kindness of my heart."

Listening to him talk must have reawakened some fond memories of fun times. I suddenly felt the urge to play with people like that again.

"I want to remind them that the man on the blacklist is alive and well!!"

I have a social standing to maintain now. So I can’t be as free as I was in high school. It’ll inevitably be a restricted playthrough, but,

"That just fires me up even more!!"

"…"

Wahahahaha!