kscans

Chapter 15 - The Winner's Plan

"Hmm, senpai, you have a great figure for a man. I thought I was pretty confident in mine, but..."

Kaede-chan grumbled as she prodded my body.

"My body doesn't matter. This is just the form I use for business."

Praise my male form, will you.

"...Well, I'll buy you some underwear. But what about clothes?"

"A black robe is fine. I'm going for a mysterious vibe!"

"So that's why you talk like that..."

I practiced!

"Well, it's fine, isn't it? In this form, no one would think I'm Okita Hajime, right? No matter how you look at it, I'm the mysterious woman, Eleanor Ocean."

I spoke in a feminine tone.

"Amazing! You sound so intelligent!"

"Right? You may call me the Fixer."

"Amazing! You instantly sounded like an idiot!"

By the way, what's a Fixer? Would CEO have been better?

"Whatever. Let's just hurry up and make some money."

"About that, what's the plan now?"

"Hm? I'm going to sell a ton of potions and Item Bags."

I sell. I profit. Life is great. Yay!

"Umm, that's incredibly suspicious, you know."

"It's fine. The plan is to sell them by transferring between guilds over and over."

If I sell them a little at a time, there shouldn't be a problem.

"Senpai, I'll be blunt. You're already a person of interest. There probably isn't a single Guild Master in any of Japan's branches who doesn't know the name Eleanor Ocean."

"Why?"

"Selling five potions is a big deal. On top of that, senpai, you tried to sell them at a trade-in store without even knowing about recognition numbers, didn't you? That incident was reported to Guild headquarters, and a notice was sent to all branches."

Was it really that bad... Ah!

"You should have told me about the recognition numbers! You're a receptionist!"

I confronted Kaede-chan.

"Well, I thought you didn't need to know since you'd be selling through me."

Like I'm her exclusive client?

"Whatever. It all worked out in the end."

"It did, it did."

"Besides, what's the big deal? Is there something wrong with me selling things?"

They're not stolen, and they're not fakes. I'm just making and selling them.

"Are you just going to brazen it out... You know what, let's just go with that."

"What do you mean?"

"Senpai, no matter what anyone asks you, just play dumb. It dropped by a Slime. It dropped from a Goblin. Let's stick to that story. In any case, that form isn't your real one. If things get dicey, you can just stop changing into her. Let's really commit to being the mysterious woman, Eleanor Ocean!"

That's what I've been saying from the start.

"Exactly. Let's hurry up and make some money."

"Senpai, you need to transfer guilds."

"Eh? You don't want me to make money in Ikebukuro? It'd be good for your numbers, wouldn't it?"

It helps your performance review, right?

"No, no, Eleanor Ocean belongs to Ikebukuro. But Okita-senpai needs to transfer. Because the Status Cards are linked."

Ah... Right.

"Our levels go up together."

"Yes. And your level 5 Swordsmanship is a problem. It's too high. It stands out. At the very least, you should be in a different guild."

My talent and skill are a curse.

"Alright, maybe I'll move to Shibuya then..."

"...Why Shibuya?"

Because that's where the former gravure idol works.

"Hee hee, you know what they say, the best place to hide a tree is in a forest, right? I'll move to Shibuya, which has the most adventurers. There are a lot of skilled people there, so it's perfect."

"Wow! So smart!"

My junior applauded me. This girl is definitely making fun of me deep down.

"Right?"

"...Though I bet you're just after the receptionist."

N, no, you're wrong...

"I know you'll be lonely without me, but you'll have to be strong."

Stay well, okay?

"No, you'll still be coming as Eleanor-san."

"Well, yeah."

I chugged my beer. Kaede-chan chugged her beer too.

"Also, since we need to completely separate senpai from Eleanor Ocean, please stop leaving this house as Eleanor Ocean."

"What? You want me to change in some public toilet?"

"That's what it comes to."

Seriously... Well, I guess a park restroom will do.

The mysterious woman, Eleanor Ocean, reporting for duty from a park restroom!

That's so lame I have to laugh.

"Guess that's the plan then."

"One more thing, senpai. You should get our Guild Master-san involved."

"Hm? Your boss? Is that a good idea?"

"She's someone you can trust. And she's easily swayed by money."

I wonder if my definition of trust is different from Kaede-chan's.

"Hmm, well, I guess some explanation is needed."

"Right. You don't have to tell her that Eleanor Ocean is you, senpai, but you should probably explain your skill."

Well, that should be fine. Like Kaede-chan said earlier, I can always just run away if things get bad. The important thing is that they don't find out about the TS Potion.

"Alright, let's do that."

"Okay. Then I'll handle your transfer paperwork tomorrow, so please come to the guild as Eleanor Ocean the day after. I'll introduce you to the Guild Master-san."

"Okay, okay."

Guess I have the day off tomorrow. I'll go buy a bag.

"Alright! Let's drink!"

We're already drinking.

"Wanna get some yakiniku?"

It was already past five.

"I have work tomorrow."

"Oh yeah, that's right."

Yakiniku might not be a very girly thing to suggest anyway.

"Senpai, we're closing in on one hundred million, aren't we?"

"Of course. This bag alone is worth a hundred million. But let's not think small with just a hundred million. Let's make enough money to live the rest of our lives without working! Goodbye, work!"

"Goodbye! Black company!"

""Ahaha! Hooray for the winning team!""

...Hmm, I really should have changed back into a man sooner. I missed my chance.