_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Akio waved his hand casually. "Nah, it's fine. I don't really have anything to do at home anyway, so I might as well hang out here with you."
Nanami Aoyama's face instantly flushed, a hint of pink spreading across her cheeks.
But she knew he didn't mean it that way. She quickly forced the color down and pulled out her phone. "How about I give him a call?"
"Sure." Akio nodded.
Nanami dialed immediately, but no one picked up.
She tried again. And again. Still nothing.
Akio frowned. Don't tell me something happened to him…
Considering how chaotic this stitched-together crossover world was—monsters, vampires, mechs, gangs, psychics, ghosts, urban legends—it really was a nonstop free-for-all.
For an ordinary person, one careless step could mean game over.
When the calls all failed, Nanami reluctantly explained the situation to the convenience store owner.
The boss told her not to worry and said he'd find someone to cover Akio's shift right away.
About half an hour later, another employee finally showed up, and Akio handed everything over.
He was officially off work.
After this little "part-time worker" experience, Akio realized he had completely lost interest in the job.
So as he clocked out, he went ahead and told the boss he was quitting.
The owner didn't try to stop him at all—actually, he agreed almost too quickly.
As the saying goes: if you won't do it, plenty of others will.
In this day and age, part-time wage slaves were everywhere. Nobody was going to miss one guy like Akio.
But Nanami, on the other hand, was shocked when she heard he'd quit. She couldn't help blurting out, "Wait, Akio, aren't you an exchange student? Don't you need living expenses? Why would you quit?"
Akio answered calmly, "Because I've already found a new way to make money. So, what do you say, Aoyama? Want to work with me? I can pay you ten times what you earn here."
Nanami's eyes widened. Ten times her wage? That was insane.
At the convenience store, she made about 800 to 1,000 yen an hour.
Ten times that was 8,000 to 10,000 yen.
That was ridiculously high. Even employees at major corporations didn't get that kind of pay.
Her curiosity burned—just what kind of money-making scheme had Akio stumbled into, that he could casually throw around an offer like this?
Unless…
A sudden thought made her face grow serious. "Akio… you're not talking about some illegal kind of work, are you?"
Akio rolled his eyes. Seriously? Does she think I need to resort to crime? I'm a dimensional demon god—why would I bother with shady jobs?
If he really wanted money, earning it was child's play.
"Relax," he said. "It's nothing illegal. Our work doesn't just make money—it helps people too."
"Helps people… while making money?" Nanami muttered to herself, her mind racing.
And before she could stop it, her cheeks reddened all over again.
Akio groaned. "I don't know what you're imagining, but I can guarantee you're absolutely wrong."
"I-Is that so?" she stammered.
"Yeah. Definitely."
Good grief, he thought. Are all high school girls' imaginations this wild nowadays?
After a while, Nanami finally calmed down and asked, "Then can you tell me… what exactly is this 'work' of ours?"
Akio was just about to answer when the door swung open and a girl with bright orange hair walked in.
A girl with a lot going on, to put it bluntly.
Akio had always thought Erina Nakiri's figure was impressive, but compared to this fiery-haired newcomer, Erina was still a little behind.
The more important point was that this girl looked about the same age as Nanami and Erina—clearly another high school student.
What the hell? Are high schoolers these days really developing like this? Is it overnutrition or something—all of it going straight to their chests?
Nanami noticed Akio's gaze immediately snap toward the newcomer and couldn't stop herself from huffing in irritation.
Sure, they weren't in a relationship, but he'd been talking to her just fine, and then the second another girl walked in, his attention went flying.
Didn't that basically prove that the other girl's charm far outstripped hers?
Or maybe it just meant she, Nanami Aoyama, didn't measure up to this busty, orange-haired high schooler.
…Which, okay, might be true, but still! She was a genuine high school girl too, thank you very much.
Of course she'd be annoyed.
Akio heard her little huff and gave a sheepish laugh, then pointed at the new girl.
"You asked me what our work is, right? Well, here's your answer. Our job is to help girls like her—help people solve their troubles."
The orange-haired girl, hearing this, tilted her head in total confusion.
Honestly, who wouldn't be baffled if some random stranger pointed at them and said, "We're here to solve your problems"?
"Troubles? Me?" she asked blankly.
It wasn't that she didn't have any worries—everyone did.
Of course she had her own.
For instance, her chest was so big that it bounced uncomfortably when she walked, and her shoulders were constantly sore.
But did she really believe this guy could fix that little issue? Yeah, right.
Nanami narrowed her eyes, glancing between Akio and the girl. "And how exactly did you figure out this pretty lady has problems?"
When she came in, the girl had been smiling, walking lightly—she didn't look troubled in the slightest. At least, not from where Nanami stood.
So of course she suspected Akio was just making things up.
"Oh, I know all about it," Akio said with a grin. His eyes flicked toward the malicious spirits and filth clinging to the girl, invisible to everyone else. He couldn't help but chuckle.
"You're tired all the time, aren't you?" he said, stepping closer. "Even though you haven't done anything, your whole body feels weighed down, like something's pressing on you. Am I right?"
The girl couldn't see the evil spirits knotted around her, but they were there—twisting and clutching at her, dragging her down with every step.
No wonder she felt exhausted.
"..."
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________