kscans

Chapter 77 - A Tolerant Heart

(Messages are flooding in...)

I was out on a big business trip making rounds. Before heading back to the company, my subordinate Itou-kun and I decided to take a break at a tea shop. When I checked my phone, I found dozens of messages from Robo Woman, Dr. Kawasaki.

Dr. Kawasaki isn't her real name, of course. Kawasaki is apparently her actual surname, but she's discarded her first name. It's not because of family friction or anything like that.

"Because 'evil scientist Dr. Kawasaki' is my soul's name," she says.

I have no idea what that means. Apparently only the surname goes after "Dr." Including the first name is forbidden. And Dr. plus the first name is also out... why?

"Chief, what's wrong?"

"Well... I'm getting tons of messages from a girl I met yesterday."

"Oh, are you interested in her?"

"Not a chance! She's good-looking but her personality is a bit... well, take a look."

Since it's not about supernatural matters, there's no problem showing him. When Itou-kun saw my phone screen, his face contorted dramatically.

"Uh... she's going on and on about robot anime... and this..."

"Yeah, she's just rambling one-sidedly without expecting replies."

It's not the depressing "Why won't you answer me?" type. She's surprisingly refreshing about it. So dry she could probably make dried fish. Though I do feel bad not responding, so I throw in casual acknowledgments. I apologized at first for not being able to reply due to work, but she immediately went "I see, anyway..." and returned to her own topics.

"Certainly, even if she looks good... by the way, how beautiful is she?"

"About this much."

I show him a photo I took for mutual aid society documents.

"Whoa... that's quite high-level... So they do exist, these Yamato Nadeshiko who seem straight out of male fantasies."

"Well, she looks like a Yamato Nadeshiko, but..."

"Ah yes. Even just looking at her appearance, you can smell trouble from the lab coat over her kimono."

I drain my ice-cold coffee and stand up.

"Well, one more push. Let's go back and finish the paperwork."

"Yes! It'll be good timing then, so let's do our best!"

"Right."

I return to the company and throw myself into desk work for a while. Thanks to my focused effort, I manage to finish ten minutes before closing time. Now what should I do today? Takahashi and Suzuki... I feel bad bothering them every day. Maybe I'll drink alone for once. Or maybe call up a high school classmate who seems free... oh?

(An email... from Hikaru-kun. What's this... oh no.)

I check the contents and frown. Apparently Sarna-chan got caught up in a Queen-class subjugation (though she was weak). She's already beginning to awaken to her powers and is currently being examined at the mutual aid society.

(How pitiful...)

To put a middle school girl through such harsh treatment when she's working hard to live in an unfamiliar foreign country... Though there's nothing that can be done about it now. If she were just caught up in it, that would be one thing, but if she's awakened to powers, she has no choice but to persevere.

I sigh, gather my things to leave, and head to the facility as soon as the bell rings. I run into Sarna-chan, who had just finished her examination, along with Rika-chan and Hikaru-kun as her escorts...

"..."

Sweat pours out of me. Why? Because I sensed power derived from "death" from Sarna-chan that I hadn't felt before. From the aura, it seems like an atavistic type... though that doesn't really matter.

(If I remember correctly, she's from Greece.)

Maybe she had an ancestor who mingled with a death god. The underworld crowd are mostly serious types like Hades, but... think about it carefully. As Persephone's story shows, even Hades becomes foolish when it comes to women. Furthermore, even the chief god of Greek mythology is a ridiculous womanizer. They tend to be promiscuous when it comes to sex and romance. So it wouldn't be strange if a death god had relations with a human.

The problem is why it awakened now.

"...Sarna-chan."

"Wh-what is it, being so formal..."

"I'm so sorryyyyyyyyyyyyy!"

I prostrate myself on the spot.

"Hey, Uncle, what's with you all of a sudden?!"

"R-right, Satou-san! Look, you've made Sarna-san freeze up!"

"...No, I have to apologize... Nine times out of ten, it's my fault that Sarna-chan awakened to her powers."

That day on our little trip. That night. There were Greek death gods swarming around like sardines. I had shut out anything that might have a bad influence with barriers, but blood excitation wouldn't have been covered.

"Damn you, Hades... even after death you keep causing me trouble!"

If it were just me, that would be fine, but to an innocent middle schooler!

"I absolutely won't forgive this... but he's already dead... anyway, those guys who attacked that day. I've already punished them, but this is extra. I'll strengthen the curse and leave them like that for eternity! But that's still not enough, still not enough. Maybe I should turn the entire underworld into a brothel!"

Those idiots from Olympus! If Zeus had properly disciplined his brother, I never would have had this feud with him! This is a debt of all of Greece. I'll make sure to collect it properly.

"U-um! Um! I-I don't really understand, but please calm down!"

"Ah... sorry, Sarna-chan... Really, it's my fault..."

"Uncle, Uncle, Sarna-chan is troubled too!"

"What on earth happened?!"

Ah, that's right. I should explain first. I give them a detailed explanation of my dealings with Hades, the events of that night, and the origin of Sarna-chan's powers.

"No, that's not Uncle's fault at all!"

"That's right, Satou-san! Hades is the one to blame!"

"Even so... if I hadn't shown strange mercy and had killed him completely a couple encounters ago..."

Anyway, here's the thing.

"Sarna-chan. I'll take personal responsibility, and I'll make sure those airheads from Olympus pay properly too."

"N-no no no! From what I heard, Hero-san has no responsibility at all!"

"B-but..."

"Hades and his subordinates are the bad ones, nothing else!"

Sarna-chan, you're such a... such a good girl...

"Besides, um... well, as someone from Greece... you see. Regardless of whether what Hades was trying to do was right or wrong, he's a solemn and merciful god of the underworld."

Well, that's true. He probably runs the underworld flawlessly.

"I'm sure my ancestors are also in his care, so doing something to the underworld is..."

"But..."

"A-and above all... um, probably there are international relations in the supernatural world too... right?"

Ah, yeah. She wouldn't want to cause international problems because of herself.

"...Sorry, my head has cooled down."

"No... um, you really don't need to worry about it... I don't hold any grudge against Hero-san at all."

"However..."

"Then, if you really insist... could you train me too, like Rika-san and the others?"

That's not compensation or anything... no, that's not right. This is her consideration. Having a middle schooler say this much and continuing to grumble would be too pathetic.

"...I understand. I'm grateful for your kindness."

"P-please don't mention it."

Both I and Olympus have been saved by this amazing middle schooler... I won't forget this debt.