Chapter 162 - What Kind of Jade Will Only Harm You, Renji!
"This little girl really has a bad cold, and she's wearing clothes that don't even fit her. Just whose child is she? Her parents are far too irresponsible!"
Miko muttered, and she agreed with Renji's explanation.
After all, if Renji were truly a pervert, there would have been no need to call her over.
It did seem like he really had picked her up on the roadside.
"Then why don't we call the police and let them help find her parents?"
Keeping her here wasn't a long-term solution. The girl was still burning with fever. Even if her parents were unreliable, right now they must be frantic with worry.
"At least wait until she wakes up first."
Renji shook his head. He knew very well she didn't have a home anymore.
Still, since he had already picked up Shiho Miyano, her fate should have changed.
Where was his lottery reward?
Renji wouldn't let her leave until he drew something from Shiho Miyano.
"Pay me more! You have to pay me extra!"
She had been about to get her beauty sleep, the natural enemy of all girls, when Renji dragged her out in the middle of the night. Now it looked like he wasn't going to let her leave either—he wanted her to stay and look after this girl.
Though a little annoyed, this did change Miko's view of Renji.
He was indeed somewhat perverted, but also a pretty decent person. And she had noticed recently that while Renji sometimes teased with words,
Most of the time he kept his behavior within bounds. At the very least, he never forced anything. That had made her lower her guard somewhat.
"Don't worry, when payday comes, you'll get a number that will satisfy you!"
"Can you even pay wages?"
Hearing his promise, Miko's eyes flickered. Renji's ability to paint illusions with words was getting stronger.
Judging by the state of the agency, there wasn't a soul in sight. No—there was just Sadako. With no clients coming in, she doubted the agency could even last long. And he talked of paying her?
What if after months of work she not only didn't earn money but even had to pay out of pocket?
"In any case, I'll stay here tonight. But you have to stay too. Let me be clear—next time you leave me alone with Sadako, you'd better give me some kind of life-saving ability!"
She sighed helplessly, dropping the matter of money. Sadako was the real problem weighing on her.
Sadako, who was constantly scheming to eliminate her and claim the title of outstanding employee, had become truly terrifying.
All she wanted was to look up some information for Renji. Yet Sadako decided she was competing for the outstanding employee title and secretly began working even harder.
Sadako's gaze toward her now was filled with danger.
Even on her first day, Sadako yearned for the boss's approval.
Miko had no idea why Sadako felt such a strong sense of crisis, nor why someone could work so hard for nothing. Renji had only promised empty words, nothing concrete, and yet Sadako still enjoyed it—like someone starved for attention finally craving recognition.
She seemed to be seeking acknowledgment from Renji.
Once she realized this, Miko understood her own situation was dangerous.
Without realizing it, she had been classified as a rival by Sadako.
"That Sadako is really out of control, actually wanting to kill an old employee. Speaking of which, where is she?"
"Hey! Were you even listening to me just now?"
Miko angrily stepped closer, her face right up before Renji's, her eyes deadly serious. Clearly, she wasn't joking.
If this went on, Sadako might truly kill her.
She had always thought Sadako was easy to trick, but once Sadako decided she was a rival, Miko finally realized how naïve she had been.
"That one? You tricked her into working, didn't you!"
Realizing how close they were, Miko let her grip on Renji's collar slip and stepped back a few paces, her gaze shifting nervously.
To ease her own awkwardness, she quickly explained that Sadako had already left.
Apparently, seeing her working hard had provoked Sadako, who then rushed off to complete the task Renji had given her.
"I see. So how did your own work turn out?"
You're still not worried about my life!
Miko screamed inwardly, feeling both furious and powerless.
"It's done, though with little result. I did find some things, but no one has heard of our agency. It doesn't look like anyone wants to come here."
She rubbed her forehead helplessly. Since Renji wouldn't listen, she gave up.
Forget it.
She'd just live one more day at a time.
"I see. Then I'll leave it to you, Miko. As for Sadako, I'll talk to her. Don't worry—if I said I'd protect you, I'll protect you."
Renji had no intention of letting Sadako really harm Miko.
He had only wanted to tease her earlier. Since she worked for him now, he had to give her some reassurance.
"You…"
Miko opened her mouth, wanting to say a lot but unable to speak.
He was infuriating, yet somehow also a little heartwarming.
"So, if you're really touched, Miko, maybe you can repay me a little tonight?"
"I really shouldn't have expected anything good from you, perverted boss!"
Miko's dead-fish eyes instantly killed the fleeting warmth in her heart.
She had just been thankful, and now the inhuman boss had gone and ruined it.
This made her realize that Renji was still the same Renji.
As they spoke, the television beside them began to flicker, and Sadako crawled out, looking flustered.
The moment she saw Renji, embarrassment flashed across her face.
"Um… I'll just go back to the well to rest!"
Was she guilty about something?
Renji glanced at her, then crouched down and grabbed her pale foot, yanking her fully out of the TV.
"Sadako, as an outstanding employee, shouldn't you be reporting your work results to your boss?"
He smiled gently as he spoke, but in Sadako's eyes, it was terrifying.
She swallowed hard, hesitating whether to confess, but under Renji's gaze, she finally decided to speak.
"Boss, I think I might have messed up the task you gave me!"
Her eyes went blank as she spoke, realizing her title of outstanding employee might already be lost in Renji's heart.
She had clearly wanted to work hard and get everything done!
But why?!
Heaven was truly unfair to her!
"Messed it up?"
Renji was surprised. He had only asked Sadako to promote the agency a bit, so how did things suddenly get messed up?
"Did you run into someone who could deal with you?"
"No."
"Then was it because you didn't have the flyers?"
"No."
Miko had printed plenty of flyers earlier, and they were nearly all handed out. Using her ability, Sadako had moved through household televisions, distributing them quickly.
But then an accident happened.
"Then what was it?"
Renji asked curiously. Since none of those were the problem, why was Sadako saying she had failed?
"Actually, when I went to deliver a flyer to one house, I happened to run into a couple about to… do something. I crawled halfway out of the TV, and they both fainted on the spot."
Sadako had never been so embarrassed.
Her face had just emerged from the TV, and she was met with two stunned stares. The two glanced at each other, then immediately collapsed unconscious.
In panic, she dropped the flyer and fled.
She had thought she had failed the task and hurried back.
"That's it?"
Renji had thought she had done something terrible.
"But boss, didn't you say I wasn't allowed to hurt anyone?"
Surely that counted as harm?
"Unconsciousness doesn't count. Besides, I never said you could never harm anyone—I told you to at least ensure your own safety and use judgment."
Renji looked at her with surprise. How had she managed to misunderstand him so badly?
Still, imagining the couple—about to get intimate, when suddenly a ghostly woman crawled out of their television—if they hadn't died of fright, that was already lucky.
Hopefully the guy wouldn't be left with lasting trauma.
"So… I didn't do anything wrong?"
Sadako, who had been discouraged and guilty for failing her task, had thought she would lose the outstanding employee award this month.
She hadn't expected Renji to dismiss it as nothing.
"No, you didn't. It was just an accident. No need to be so afraid. Go back to your well and rest."
Renji let go of Sadako's foot, signaling that she could leave.
But Sadako didn't intend to leave. She had been planning to avoid him out of guilt, but with Miko still here, how could she back down now?
Damn it!
Earlier she had been told she could clock out on time, but Miko was still here working overtime. Good thing she came back to check, or she really would have been tricked.
So the so-called senior employee, who claimed she didn't care about the title, was actually working behind the scenes.
Despicable old employee!
"Boss, I think I can work overtime!"
Sadako said this while shooting a provocative glance at Miko, clearly despising her.
That look left Miko exhausted. She didn't know how to explain herself. She couldn't very well say she had already gone home to rest, but Renji had forced her back with a phone call. That was why she was working overtime.
Even if she did, Sadako probably wouldn't believe her.
The misunderstanding between them only deepened.
Still, it didn't matter. As long as Renji gave the outstanding employee award to Sadako next month, the misunderstanding would be resolved.
"Fine, but be careful. We've got a patient here, so don't scare her."
Renji didn't mind, settling into his boss's chair and scrolling through the latest updates.
A lot had happened recently, and new problems from other worlds were piling up. He also needed to consider future plans.
The agency and the phantom thief group had to remain separate.
Renji didn't want the two tangled together. Their strength and purposes were completely different.
He still had to deal with Gin. The Black Organization line couldn't be broken. And Shiho Miyano was equally necessary.
That drug's ultimate goal was immortality. In the anime it didn't seem to work, but what Renji valued was her scientific ability.
To him, Shiho was a genius shackled by the world. Scientists were valuable in any world. He might need her help for research in the future, so she had to stay.
That meant balancing between the Black Organization and Shiho Miyano. He couldn't lean entirely to one side. That was in his best interest.
Besides, picking one side completely would lose him chances at rewards.
And this world might not just be a simple fusion—it could be a chaotic mix of countless daily-life and crossover anime. Safety might only be an illusion.
"Boss, she's waking up."
Miko pointed to Shiho Miyano, who weakly raised her hand. The bright light made her dizzy, but hearing Miko's voice, she snapped awake, and the bad memories rushed back.
Had she escaped the Black Organization, or had she been captured again?
She remembered the voice that haunted her, but this place, though simple, didn't feel as oppressive. Maybe she really wasn't back in the Black Organization?
"Kid, I got soaked in the rain saving you today. Call your parents and have them pick you up!"
"Parents?"
Shiho's eyes showed confusion, and bitterness welled in her heart. She had no family left in this world.
"Sorry. I have no family."
Her face fell, realizing there was no one she could rely on.
Suddenly, she thought of something—maybe Renji could take her to Shinichi Kudo's house. For now, she had no one else but that "similar kind."
"Then stay here and work."
Renji nodded, not saying more.
Miko and Sadako were stunned.
You'd even hire a child laborer?
Boss, you're inhuman!
That's illegal!
Even Haibara Ai looked at Renji strangely, pointing at herself uncertainly. "Are you sure? I'm a child."
Unlike in the anime, she wasn't at Dr. Agasa's. She knew his connection to Shinichi Kudo, and normally she would have stayed there. But here, she had nowhere else to go.
Her identity was risky. As a child, she couldn't survive alone, so she had chosen Agasa's house in the original.
But Renji's situation was different. She knew her identity could bring him ruin.
"Of course I know. But you aren't purely a child, are you?"
Renji's eyes gleamed with a smile. But to Haibara Ai, it was terrifying.
Cold. Trembling.
In an instant, she thought her identity was exposed. Renji was with the Black Organization!
(End of Chapter)
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