Chapter 61
Even though Max had signed the contract for the office in District 14 two weeks ago, opening it in a day or two like last time was impossible.
He had to call a cleaning Company to spruce the place up for guests, and he had to move his belongings from District 27 and organize them using Psychokinesis.
As if the opening preparations ended there.
He couldn’t just take the Office Sign he used in District 27 and attach it because the dimensions didn’t match, so he had to wait for a new one to be made.
The Association had apparently tried to prepare it in advance, but since the size and suitable sign design varied depending on the building, it couldn’t be helped.
He waited, taking comfort in Meredith’s guarantee that it would be produced quickly. And it actually arrived so fast it was hard to believe it was custom-made.
On top of that, for the grand finale, Flora and Ellen submitted their Experiential Intern applications, which created paperwork that Max had to fill out himself, and this task kept him the busiest.
Did that mean Max was just a busy unemployed man? No.
He was told that when a Minerva Academy Cadet applied as an Intern, the business that hired the Cadet would receive a subsidy.
Since it was a mere Mercenary Office and not a Corporation, the subsidy was set at the lowest tier, but it was confirmed to be a substantial amount, more than enough to cover both of their salaries with money left over.
Two weeks flew by so fast he didn’t even know how they passed, and Max finished the entire process required for the Office Opening.
But he couldn’t rest.
District 14 was a fierce battleground where the offices of renowned mercenaries were hidden in every corner. For a nameless new office to secure work, doing the legwork was not an option but a necessity.
Leaving the office to Flora and Ellen, Max stepped out onto the streets to show his face around and hand out business cards.
The place he was currently visiting was Bogwang Temple.
It was a unique temple featuring lanterns embracing neon signs and a holographic Buddha statue inside the main hall.
“Amitābha Buddha.”
“Amitābha Buddha.”
After offering a certain amount of credits, Max sat face-to-face with the Head monk of Bogwang Temple.
Bogwang Temple was a temple located in District 14, a monumental place that was the first among the religious facilities in Haze to accept pure androids rather than modified humans.
It gained sensational popularity through marketing that featured androids recognized as monks. The small temple, which had been situated in the Lower District for decades, rode that momentum to grow large enough to establish a foothold in District 10.
“When I was a novice monk, I, from Bogwang Temple, wandered around the Lower District where synthetic food, cultured meat, animal feed, and bug dishes were the staple diet. Because we inevitably lived facing various mercenaries, we do not hold any discriminatory views. Rather, we recognize the necessity.”
“I Feel Relieved hearing you say that.”
Whether it was sincere or just lip service, it put his mind at ease.
It was easier to deal with than people who openly showed aversion to the word Mercenary.
“Furthermore, a mage… I feel that a precious connection has arrived in District 14. You have no idea how surprised our novice monks were by the hand gesture you showed earlier.”
“You don’t need to view it so grandly; you can just think of me as heavy machinery rather than a mage. When you need to pull out trees or move heavy materials, there won’t be a better Worker than me.”
“Even so, your tier does not seem ordinary, so how could we ask you to do such menial tasks?”
“Even if my essence is a mage, my profession is a Mercenary. As long as the unit price is right, I’m not one to be picky about the work.”
“Haha! How wonderful.”
Max drank the tea brought by an android wearing monk robes and exchanged words with the Head monk of Bogwang Temple.
He was completely unaware of what kind of guest had visited his office.
* * *
“Honey. No, I mean… Max?”
The heads of the Wolf and the dragon guarding the office snapped around with enough force to break their necks. Whip!
Under the gazes piercing her like blades, Usagi almost took a step back without realizing it.
Flora and Ellen took in the woman standing at the entrance and read her in an instant.
“Her tier is probably the 4th tier?”
Even though she had her hat pulled down low and her lower face hidden by a mask, she was a woman exuding a lofty aura.
And then there was the title they couldn’t just gloss over.
Flora narrowed her eyes and asked.
“…Who are you?”
“Honey? Are my ears broken? Isn’t Oppa unmarried?”
By the question with a bewildered intonation, Usagi was also taken aback.
Max was nowhere to be seen in the office, and there were only two beautiful women he had never seen before in his life.
“Did I come to the wrong place?”
Usagi subtly rolled her eyes to double-check the nameplate on the door.
It was indeed Max’s office. She had come to the right place.
‘…Max’s acquaintances?’
Ignoring her growing chest tightness, Usagi took off her hat and mask out of politeness.
She properly conveyed her business to the two people whose presence was anything but ordinary.
“I came to see Max.”
Usually, revealing a hidden lower face shatters expectations and results in a downgrade in appearance. That’s why the slang term 'mask-fisher' exists.
But Hoshikawa Yukina was different.
She possessed an appearance beautiful enough to startle Flora and Ellen. On top of that, her towering rabbit ears provided a unique charm that was the crowning touch.
“Oppa didn’t mention having any guests coming over.”
Flora asserted that she was aware of Max’s schedule.
This time, the corners of Usagi’s eyes twitched.
“Oppa? What is her relationship with Max?”
Both people in the office looked far too different from Max for either of them to be the biological younger sister he had mentioned.
There was absolutely no feeling that they shared blood.
“Maybe office employees? But even so, would an Employee call their boss Oppa…?”
Honestly, they didn’t seem like office employees either.
Even if Yukina didn’t have the talent to read tiers, she had developed some ability to size up opponents through her repeated Mercenary life.
The two were extraordinary. They were not ordinary people.
Furthermore, they were so strongly individualistic and beautiful that they brought to mind the Scions of a Magic Noble Family she had only heard about in rumors.
‘But there’s no way the Scions of a Magic Noble Family would be in a Mercenary Office.’
Her composure returned at the absurd imagination that defied logic.
Yukina calmly opened her mouth.
“I received a call from the Association that he had opened his business, so I came to pay the requested fee.”
“A Request Reward?”
“Yes. Did Max happen to mention anything?”
“I haven’t really heard anything. I will receive the reward on his behalf and record it.”
As Flora turned on the computer and sat in the chair, Usagi shook her head.
“It’s a reward I must deliver to Max directly… so asking you to pass it on is out of the question.”
Ellen, who had been listening quietly, suddenly stood up and approached Yukina.
She had a face that said this was suspicious no matter how she looked at it. She had also already read that the left prosthetic arm was a Combat Model.
“I haven’t seen a Client like this while I’ve been in the office. And there’s no way a Genius like me would forget.”
“…”
As Ellen met Usagi’s eyes and pressed her advantage, Usagi felt a crushing pressure.
“What request and what reward are you talking about? Tell me.”
“I cannot say.”
Her instincts naturally pieced together formal speech. However, she couldn’t mention the Request Details to people she didn’t even know, so she kept her mouth shut.
When Usagi zipped her lips at the word 'request,' Ellen brought up what was practically the most important question.
“What was that about calling him Honey when you came in?”
“That title was a mistake…”
“Who makes a mistake and calls someone Honey? Oppa is single. Does that even make sense? Are you trying to block his marriage prospects?”
“…”
Yukina opened and closed her mouth like a fish before averting her gaze as if she had nothing to say.
And she felt a sense of bitterness toward herself.
‘So Max isn’t married.’
Even in this serious situation, this kind of thought popped up first, making the corners of her mouth twitch.
She was out of her mind.
Meanwhile, at the title 'Honey,' a request flashed through Flora and Ellen’s minds.
But this was also a problem.
If they mentioned the Association-Designated Request and asked if she was the party involved, but she wasn’t, it would just mean they leaked information to an outsider.
“Anyway, you’re saying you know Oppa, right?”
When Yukina gave a small nod of affirmation, Flora and Ellen exchanged glances.
Somehow, it felt like they had reached an understanding.
“Hmm~ Oppa is out to greet the neighbors right now. Wait a bit.”
“Please have a seat for now. He’ll be back soon.”
Being guided to the sofa, Yukina handed the beverage set she was holding to Flora.
“Um, this is an opening gift for the office…”
“Thank you.”
What was the relationship between this red-haired beauty and Max? And the lively beauty with horns?
Despite being simply office employees, their attitude seemed to share a private side with Max.
Wouldn’t that be only possible for Family or an equivalent relationship?
“Could it be?”
Sitting on the sofa, Yukina thought of one possibility.
‘Are those two Max’s lovers…?’
A reasonable guess that explained everything.
Just imagining it made her feel as suffocated as if a boulder had been shoved into her stomach. An earthquake struck her mind, making her nauseous.
The drinks and refreshments that Ellen and Flora neatly placed on the table didn’t even register in her eyes.
She didn’t even notice that two cups were being prepared opposite her.
Flora and Ellen sat down on the opposite side of Usagi at the same time.
With Usagi across from them, they pushed against each other’s shoulders and hips, glaring at one another.
“You stay out of this. I’ll Handle the reception.”
“Idiot. Have you ever even handled a guest? Practice is different from theory, so watch what I do and learn.”
“Even if I haven’t, I bet I’ll do better than you.”
“Oh please, guests prefer talking to a friendly beauty like me rather than a wooden block of a Girl like you. This is what you call market value.”
“That’s completely wrong.”
As Flora and Ellen bickered, Usagi snapped back to her senses.
With eyes on the verge of losing all vitality, she forced her voice out.
“Excuse me…”
Flora and Ellen, who had been glaring at each other, looked at Usagi.
Usagi immediately continued her sentence.
“Who are you two… no, what is your relationship with Max…?”