kscans

Chapter 163 - Interlude: The Awakened Marriage Situation

Side: None

Kasumigaseki, Tokyo. The Central Government Complex.

On one of its floors was the Dungeon Agency.

Here, once again, staff members were gathered around a long table and whiteboard in the corner of a room, holding a meeting.

"…It’s declining, after all."

"Yes, quite significantly."

At Director Akasaka’s murmur, another staff member nodded with a grim expression, a document in hand.

Before them, on stacks of paper and device screens, were the words:

Trends in Marriage and Birth Rates Among Awakened Persons

The management of dungeons and Awakened Persons was the job of the Dungeon Agency.

Therefore, it was only natural that such topics fell under their purview.

"Awakened Persons are considerably healthier than non-Awakened. They also tend to have a skin age far below their actual age… in other words, they have very good skin. Combined with changes in their physique, their appearances often improve after Awakening, but…"

"Still, the fact remains that the marriage rate for Awakened Persons is declining. Misunderstanding and fear of the Awakened certainly exist among the non-Awakened."

"Well, if you get into a fight and your partner accidentally hits you too hard, you’d think you could be killed in one blow. That’d make anyone hesitant."

"But isn’t that the same for marrying a professional athlete? A boxer, for example."

"Martial artists know how to hold back, and those from reputable gyms are drilled in sports ethics. Domestic violence still occurs, but it’s a small fraction of the whole. And that’s a fact that has permeated society to the point that even the general public knows it."

"Considering the percentage of Awakened who become adventurers and the current income situation for adventurers, many of them are high earners. And yet…"

"Could it be that they are avoided precisely because they are adventurers? The risk of dying is higher than in a normal life, and modern Japanese people generally have an aversion to conflict. Perhaps there’s a discomfort with a profession centered on violence, even if it’s against monsters."

"Adventurers aren’t public servants, so their social credibility is low. Their marriage rate is low even compared to police officers and SDF personnel."

"However, marriages between Awakened Persons, and between adventurers, are also rare. Despite there not being much difference in physical ability between spouses, the rate is almost the same as, or slightly lower than, that of Awakened and non-Awakened couples."

"In the case of adventurers, their dating pool is often limited to their own party or clan. Perhaps they avoid romance in such settings because it could interfere with their work."

"There’s also the possibility that some people don’t want to marry a fellow Awakened of equal standing precisely because they can have a dominant position over a non-Awakened person. Especially those who sympathized with Turohorse."

"If an Awakened adventurer couple had a fight, who knows what would happen."

"Umm. There are probably a lot of reasons, but isn’t the biggest one… this?"

A male staff member holding a tablet sent an image to each of his colleagues with a wry smile.

Displayed on their screens was what was clearly a product list from a website selling adult goods.

Normally, looking at such things during work hours would be inappropriate, not to mention a form of sexual harassment.

But everyone showed understanding and agreement. At the same time, their faces soured as if they had just chewed on a hundred bitter bugs.

"The Alchemy Enthusiasts Club’s love doll-type golem…"

Director Akasaka muttered, covering his mouth with his hand.

At the words spoken by their superior, several staff members looked up at the heavens as if it were the end of the world.

Unfortunately for them, all they saw above was a sterile ceiling and the light of fluorescent lamps. The sun was not there to watch over them.

"The model equipped with a high-performance Magi Battery for ‘non-Awakened users’ was released just recently, but a model with a standard Magi Battery… no, a cheaper version with slightly lower performance, has been on sale for much longer. As an ‘Awakened exclusive.’"

Slightly before the Alchemy Enthusiasts Club built their golem factory in Chiba, they had set up a small workshop.

There, to raise funds and for their ‘original plan,’ they had already begun creating love doll-type golems.

The selling price: 300,000 yen, including tax. But the quality was far beyond what you’d expect for that price. It was a perfect blend of reality and unreality, enough to kill the competition. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they had recreated the pinnacle of ‘2.5D’ without any sense of incongruity.

Normally, it would be impossible to turn a profit at such a price point. But the absurdity of skills… and the results of their diligent research, made it possible.

It wasn’t that the alchemical skills of the club members themselves were overwhelmingly superior to those of other skill users.

Rather, it was the efficiency gained from an overwhelming number of trial runs. The simplification of processes. The intellect of the top two members. And above all, their organizational power. These factors allowed them to pull off such an incredible feat. It was an abnormality, like tap-dancing on thin ice without it ever breaking.

Currently, there were no alchemists who could defeat them as an ‘organization.’ That’s how far ahead their accumulated knowledge was.

The united libido of a group of perverts had made what could be called a miracle a constant reality.

"They all look like beautiful characters straight out of an anime. They even move and can do a certain amount of housework. And since they’re golems, they do whatever you want. Of course people are going to choose them over an actual person of the opposite sex."

The male staff member chuckled.

The staff member next to him pressed a hand to his forehead as if fighting a headache.

"I can’t say I don’t understand the sentiment, but…"

"And unlike the non-Awakened version, there’s almost no limit to the number of these. Even with a reservation, the wait is only a month."

"While the high-performance Magi Battery model has a wait time of over a year… What kind of production capacity does that organization have?"

"Apparently, they’ve streamlined the parts that can be made from molds by using machines and work golems. And, well, some Awakened from the Walkers have also been lending a hand."

The Walkers, a clan beyond clans, a guild that had outgrown its name. Their enormous leap forward was deeply connected to their alliance with the Alchemy Enthusiasts Club.

In fact, it could be said that this alliance was what made the Walkers the largest Awakened organization in Japan.

It was only natural for its members to cooperate with their allies in the club. Some even went to the workshop voluntarily.

(We will ignore the story of a certain cat-eared young man who was on the verge of tears when precious high-rank adventurers went off to make ero-golems.)

"Right now, production is heavily skewed towards male-oriented models, but it wouldn’t be surprising if that became gender-equal at any time."

"If that happens, marriage among Awakened will become a hopeless prospect."

"The same goes for the non-Awakened. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Children and Families Agency are treating this as a major issue. If the mass production system for love doll-type golems for the non-Awakened reaches the same level as the Awakened version, Japan’s birth rate will decline even further."

"Japan’s birth rate is already on a downward trend… on top of that, due to dungeons, there have been not a few cases where municipalities in rural areas have become unable to continue existing."

"There have been many deaths due to overflows, but will the people who have been driven from their land be able to secure a stable life in the future? And will they get married and have children…?"

"Can’t we somehow make the Alchemy Enthusiasts Club stop or at least curb the production of love doll-type golems?"

"No, meddling there would be a bad idea."

At his subordinate’s suggestion, Director Akasaka immediately shook his head.

"They haven’t broken any laws. They must have some very capable lawyers. They navigate the loopholes so well that they leave no openings."

"Then…"

"Working behind the scenes is also not an option. The club has gained a reputation that is hard to criticize, having made significant contributions to the medical field. Any careless move could lead to a public backlash. What’s more, many domestic politicians are already on good terms with them. And the combat golems they produce are necessary for Japan’s future. We can’t have them fleeing the country."

"If anything, we’d probably get slammed by all the people waiting for their love doll-type golems. I don’t want to deal with any more complaint calls, man."

The male staff member with the tablet twisted his mouth in disgust.

They were already swamped with daily tasks, and on top of that, they had sent precious combat personnel to America as ‘bodyguards.’

The Dungeon Agency was already operating at the very edge of its capacity. They were barely holding on at the edge of the ring.

"However, the marriage of Awakened Persons is also necessary for the future of our country. We’ll let the other ministries handle the non-Awakened, but this is our job."

Director Akasaka placed his hands on the table and addressed his subordinates.

It was also a way of telling himself.

"The children of Awakened Persons, especially the children of two Awakened Persons, have a high probability of Awakening."

That was the conclusion drawn from the data collected over the two years and four months since the `Day of Awakening`.

"Furthermore, if the parents possess powerful skills, there is a tendency for those skills to be inherited by their children. From a dungeon-countermeasure perspective, we want high-rank Awakened to leave descendants. Even if that holds the potential to become a future source of conflict."

It was something that had been predicted, but now it was confirmed by numbers. That being the case, they had to tackle the matter with all their might.

In other words.

"We must somehow increase the probability of Awakened Persons marrying each other. To that end, I want each of you to propose ideas."

This was an initiative they had been working on for some time. But now, Director Akasaka declared, they must redouble their efforts.

His subordinates nodded in agreement, each of them throwing out whatever ideas came to mind.

Watching them, listening to them, and recording the content of the discussion, Director Akasaka used a part of his mind to mull over a condition presented to him by a ‘certain person.’

—Was this situation also within your calculations, ‘Professor’?

The passage of a certain bill, which she had presented as a condition for selling ‘that crystal ball’ to the government.

It was a proposal that Director Akasaka thought would be difficult to pass with his power alone, but with the current flow of events, it might be approved by the Diet with surprising ease.

Of course, opposition was expected, but by using the connections and weaknesses gained while dealing with the US and the UK, it was entirely possible.

However, what benefit would the professor gain from this?

Realizing this, a cold sweat ran down Director Akasaka’s back as he felt an ‘anxiety for the next generation.’

In his estimation, the professor was already an entity beyond the UK’s control. The timing of when this happened was currently unknown, but no one held her leash. Otherwise, would the UK have let go of ‘that crystal ball’?

The `Invisible Ninjas`. Including herself, a group of only seven Awakened Persons.

But with Yagawa Kyouta leading the way, three of them had qualified as ‘B-Rank Candidates,’ and the professor herself was on par with the candidates, only missing out due to a scheduling conflict.

The other four members also each possessed valuable abilities. Considering the proposal the professor made with all of them together…

"Professor… what in the world are you plotting…?"

His murmur did not reach his subordinates, who were deep in heated discussion. He did not let it reach them.

For now, he must deal with the problem at hand. The director turned his full attention to the meeting.

They had finally escaped the situation of constantly being on the back foot against the UK and the US, but they had not yet even managed to catch up to the professor’s shadow.

—The children of Awakened Persons have a high probability of Awakening.

—The skills of the parents tend to be inherited by the children.

Though he felt a sense of terror at the unknown picture the professor was painting, he sealed away his own heart.

Above all else, to protect this country, right now.