kscans

Chapter 127 - A Suspicious Person

When I left the reception room, I found the receptionist who had guided me there waiting for me in front of the door.

"The branch manager has instructed me to guide you to the back entrance."

It seemed he had given the order when he went to make the bank transfer. He probably didn't want me wandering around the guild on my own.

"Then, please lead the way."

"Yes, this way."

The receptionist started walking in a different direction from the stairs, so I decided to follow her.

"Hey, are you a former gravure idol?"

I asked the receptionist walking in front of me. I had no ulterior motive.

"I wasn’t a successful one, though."

Oh! Seriously? Her chest was large, and I could tell she had a great figure even through her clothes.

"Is the pay good here?"

"It is. Eleanor-sama, why don’t you become a receptionist after you retire from being an adventurer?"

"I couldn’t. I’m not very friendly."

People online said I had a major scowling face. I just don't know what to do when my picture is being taken. I’m jealous of Claire and Harry, who can flash a perfect smile in an instant.

"Well, you are a witch, Eleanor-sama."

"Heh heh. A witch, huh."

It's a bit late to be thinking about it now, but what exactly is a witch?

I found my own situation amusing and couldn’t help but smile.

As I walked down the hallway talking with the receptionist, another staircase came into view, different from the one I had come up.

"It’s dark."

"It’s the emergency staircase. The back entrance is at the bottom. From there, if you go straight to the right, you’ll reach the station, so you can head home from there."

I see. I guess I’ll grab a taxi at the station and go home.

I followed the receptionist down the stairs, opened a nearby door, and stepped outside. The back entrance, like at the Ikebukuro branch, was a parking lot with several cars parked in it. There were also two security guards standing near the exit, which was another similarity to the Ikebukuro branch.

Even after going outside, the receptionist kept walking. It seemed she was going to see me all the way to the edge of the parking lot.

I continued to follow her, and at the parking lot exit, she stopped.

"Eleanor-sama, thank you for coming all this way today."

The receptionist stopped and bowed her head to me in thanks. And as she did, just as I expected, I caught a glimpse of something befitting a gravure idol.

"Not at all. I managed to do some good business, so it was worth it. Though I don’t want to come back here."

This receptionist is easy on the eyes, but I still don’t like being in enemy territory. There are too many men.

"I can imagine you’d feel that way, Eleanor-sama. I understand. Ah, that’s right, since I have the chance, let me give you a piece of advice. When you’re on TV, it’s important to forget that you’re being watched."

My TV appearance must not have been very good.

"Speaking from experience?"

"No, it’s just something someone from my former agency taught me. I wasn’t very successful, so I was hardly ever on TV."

Still, she must have been on at least once.

"I see. I don’t know if there will be a next time, but I’ll keep that in mind."

"Please do. I’m looking forward to seeing you on TV again, Eleanor-sama. Well then, I’ll be on my way. I wish you the best in your future endea...?"

The receptionist stopped talking mid-sentence. And her gaze wasn't on me, but behind me.

Curious, I turned around to see a young man with a shaved head standing there. He was young. In fact, seeing his uniform, he was probably a high school student.

The boy had his hands in his pockets and was glaring at me.

"Um, Eleanor-sama, is he an acquaintance of yours?"

"I don’t know him. Do you?"

"No, I don’t..."

Who is he?

"...Don’t mess with me!!"

As the receptionist and I were looking at each other with question marks floating over our heads, the boy shouted.

"Huh?"

"What?"

The receptionist and I were startled by the boy’s sudden outburst.

"This is your fault! It’s all your fault!!"

My fault? What did I do?

"Who are you?"

I didn't understand what this boy with the shaved head was saying, so I decided to ask to get to the bottom of it.

"Because of you, my license was revoked!!"

License? Huh? Could this be the kid who insulted me back then?

"...Eleanor-sama, I didn’t recognize him with the different hairstyle, but looking closely, it’s that boy."

The receptionist whispered in my ear.

"Ah..."

I didn’t recognize him with the shaved head. But I think his face and voice are the same. His license was probably revoked, and his parents or someone else made him shave his head.

"Because of you! It’s all your fault!!"

Is it really my fault?

"I didn’t do anything, did I?"

"Shut up! I bet you used your money to pin the blame on me!! You hyena! Thanks to you, not only was my license revoked, but those guys blamed me too, and now I’m an outcast at school! It’s all your fault!"

Wow. This is a textbook case of a misplaced grudge.

"You! That whole incident was entirely your... huh?"

The receptionist stepped in front of me to confront the accuser, but she stopped and turned to look at me when I grabbed her shoulder.

"Stay back."

I stopped the receptionist from stepping forward.

Sheesh. Women should stay back. Well, I’m a woman too, though.