kscans

Chapter 244 - It's Not Just About Fighting

It was the night after the incident with the artificial god had been resolved. The six of us, myself, Chika-san, Takahashi, Suzuki, Yanagi, and Onisaki, were once again gathered in the same place. Today’s business was not about some trouble from the past. It was a request from the Mutual Aid Society.

"..."

"What’s wrong, Chika-san?"

"Well, it’s just that for this group to be all together..."

Chika-san looked over all of us and murmured with an indescribable expression.

"...is this really for job support?"

This request was neither troublesome nor violent. It was a job support consultation event. To be precise, it was job support for non-humans who wanted to make a life for themselves in human society. The event was a large-scale affair held in a rented municipal gymnasium somewhere in Tokyo, and the request had come down to us, as we all had our own roles as working members of society.

"I know, right."

"Yeah. I mean, I’m not complaining or anything."

Takahashi and Suzuki both showed their agreement.

"You say that, but if it were a world-ending crisis, we wouldn’t be needed," Yanagi said.

"Exactly. If they were short-staffed like with that villainess affair, that would be one thing, but Satou-chan can usually handle things on his own," Onisaki added.

In contrast, Yanagi and Onisaki seemed enthusiastic. I guess they were the types to worry about humanity out of some misplaced sense of meddling in the first place. Once you remove the problematic parts, they just become regular busybodies.

"That’s true, but..."

"Come on, now. We might be overkill in terms of combat strength, but we’re actually quite suited for this, you know?"

This is a line of work where you can earn a salaryman’s annual income by just taking on simple requests. It’s particularly noticeable with the younger generation, but relatively few of them have jobs in the Surface World. Even among those who do have a public face, many don’t actually perform any work duties. People like us who work regular jobs are actually quite rare.

"And our fields are nicely varied, too."

I’m in sales at a trading company, Chika-san is a business owner in the beauty industry, Takahashi is a childcare worker, and Suzuki works in food service. Onisaki is well-connected in the nightlife industry, and Yanagi has his hands in so many things he’s like a joker who can handle anything. You couldn’t ask for a more reassuring lineup for a job consultation event.

"...But can we really give any useful advice?"

"That’s what I’m saying. I mean, Saionji is a company president, so she’s probably good at this sort of thing."

"I’d be troubled if you asked if I’m good at it... but I plan to do my best."

As we were talking, the time came, and we all went to our stations. A short while later, an announcement was made, and the non-humans who had been lining up came into the gymnasium. The different counters were divided by industry, but Yanagi and I were handling all fields, so our table had a "General" sign on it. My only experience is in sales, but I do deal with other industries as part of my job.

"Um, is it all right?"

As I waited while sucking on a piece of candy, a consultant immediately approached. He was a well-built man with horns growing from his head. An oni, I guess.

"Please, have a seat. My name is Satou, nice to meet you. Could I see your information sheet first? Did you bring one?"

"Oh, yes. Here it is."

I took the document from the oni and looked it over. His name was Saiga... cool. He was 321 years old. Born in the Edo period. In terms of era, that would be around the time of the Chushingura, right? Let’s see, he was scheduled to graduate soon from a night school in the Supernatural World that teaches about human society. This night school also provides a Surface World high school diploma, which is helpful. His grades were neither good nor bad.

"You don’t have a human family register yet. Is that the next step?"

"Y, yes. I thought I’d apply after I graduate and have a better idea of how I’ll manage in the Surface World."

"I see. Have you decided on a name or age? If not, we can think about that together."

"Yes, please."

"Okay. Then let’s start with the name. Do you have any preferences?"

"Not really. Oh, but, um, what do you call them? Those strange names humans use..."

"Kirakira names?"

"Yes, that’s it! I’d rather avoid something like that."

That makes sense.

"For now, let’s go with the surname Saiga."

"Okay, I don’t mind, but why?"

"In your personal life it might be different, but at work, it’s normal to be called by your surname."

Since Saiga has the same pronunciation as his real name, he wouldn’t have an unnatural delay in his response. Even if he made friends in his personal life, he could just say he doesn't really like his first name and continue being called by his surname.

"I, I see. That’s very helpful."

"Next, your age. Can you use your humanization technique?"

"Yes."

His horns disappeared, his skin color changed, and his body became a size smaller. He didn’t look that old, so maybe twenty-three... no, let's make it twenty-five.

"How about we go with a backstory where you started working after middle school and recently graduated from night school to get your high school diploma?"

"Please."

"Okay. Now, for your desired occupation... construction related, I see."

"Yes. I was originally a carpenter in the Supernatural World."

He said he was interested in the technology of the Surface World and wanted to learn it.

"Do you want to do your own design work someday?"

"I’m interested, but first I’d like to experience many different work sites."

"I see."

So he could gain practical experience as a worker on-site while studying on his own to become an architect. Or maybe it would be best if he could get into a company with good support for acquiring qualifications.

"This might be a silly question to ask an oni, but are you a drinker?"

"Yes. I love sake. Oh, but I hear human society is very delicate about these things, so I plan to be careful."

"Oh, that’s good. That kind of awareness is important. But I see. Yes, being able to drink is a good thing."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. We live in an age with all sorts of talk about alcohol harassment and what not, but the construction industry is different."

Smaller companies especially have a strong sports club mentality, so there are a lot of drinking parties. If he can show them he enjoys a drink, they’ll take a liking to him. From the way he talks, Saiga-kun seems to have a serious disposition. Combined with that, I see him as the type who would catch the eye of his superiors.

"Hmm."

"Satou-san?"

"Let’s chat for a bit. Think of it as practice for an interview. Try to answer while keeping in mind that you’re a human."

"O, okay."

For the next ten minutes or so, I engaged in some idle chatter with Saiga-kun. Of course, I didn’t do this for no reason. It was my way of assessing him.

"...Seems like you’ll be fine."

"Yes?"

"If you’re okay with it, would you like me to introduce you to a construction firm run by an acquaintance of mine?"

It’s not a major company, but they handle a wide range of work, and the president and employees are all highly skilled. They also offer great support for acquiring qualifications, so I think it’s a good workplace. I explained about my acquaintance’s firm in simple terms, and it seems Saiga-kun was interested.

"That’s an incredible offer! But are you sure?"

"Yeah, I’ve decided you seem like someone I can introduce without any problems."

Besides, they were looking to hire because a few of their workers were returning to their hometowns.

"And I’m here to support people like you who are trying to make it in human society."

I smiled, telling him he didn’t need to feel indebted, but Saiga-kun seemed about to protest.

"If you want to repay me in some way, then giving it your all is the best reward I could ask for."

"Satou-san..."

"Good luck. I’ll be rooting for you."

"Yes!!"

Alright, next.