Chapter 17
The other party who left a missed call besides Flora was the Association.
Max sat in his chair with a lollipop in his mouth.
Grape flavor.
He savored it as he made the call. - This is the Bohemian Mercenary Association.
“This is Max. I had something to take care of, so I’m late checking my messages.” - How is your physical condition?
This number was always answered by the same employee. The one who came to visit was always the same employee, too.
It was nice not having to explain the situation all over again.
“I received good treatment… I have no problems.” - Even if it is Cell Proliferation Therapy, it is a treatment using an early model. You must avoid strenuous movement until you have taken all your medication.
“I’ll try to take only the lightest requests for the time being: things like finding a cat with a jetpack or a 1M Cockroach Extermination.”
After light topics were discussed, the conversation shifted to the request.
It seemed the data had been safely delivered to the client. Max was also curious about what would happen to Gaia Food in the future.
‘I wonder how it’ll go.’
Even with things turning out like this, would they still release their new product and grow their size exponentially like in the past?
Or would they shrink, giving me the realization that I had changed the future of the market? - Also, we have confirmed the death of Gaia Food’s executive, Misumi Renya. Is it correct that Max-nim dealt with him?
“Yes. I tried to avoid trouble as much as possible, but it ended up that way. If I hadn’t advanced to the 3rd tier during the battle, I would have died.” - …It is a very rare occurrence, but not unheard of. Congratulations. As soon as Max-nim’s tier is verified, we will reflect it in your request fees.
“Thank you.” - We will transfer the payment for this request immediately.
With the mention of sending the money, the business was concluded.
They ended the call, stating they would visit the office to verify his third-tier status.
Bzzzt!
A vibration rang out as soon as he hung up the phone.
It notified him of a change in his account balance.
‘Let’s see how much came in.’
From the 25 million credit request fee, the Association deducted its commission.
Then, 9 million credits were spent on the Cell Proliferation Therapy, and the medication cost an additional 300,000 credits or so.
After Max went through this process, the payment left in his hands was quite small compared to the difficulty.
But he didn’t feel too disappointed.
It had been a thrilling and good experience.
“Well, I reached the 3rd tier, so.”
His request fees would go up from now on, wouldn’t they?
He would be able to earn enough to forget today’s disappointment.
“Phew!”
Max lay down on the sofa and looked at the ceiling.
The time spent spacing out wasn’t half bad.
“They say generosity comes from a full barn, and my mind is at ease just because my balance swelled a bit.”
He should do some shopping before Flora comes over next time.
He felt he could buy a decent gift to send in return for the food he received.
* * *
“Stop! That’s enough!”
“Flora Crimsonhowl wins!”
Ellen Clements was defeated in the Minerva Academy match.
Their win rate was back to fifty-fifty.
Ellen reviewed the battle while receiving treatment for her burned areas.
'That girl’s style completely changed overnight.’
The Flora Crimsonhowl that Ellen knew was an extremely cautious type.
This is the kind who wouldn’t even attempt something unless the odds were 100 percent. Would that be a simple way to put it?
Anyway, Flora Crimsonhowl was steady.
She had been like that for the entire three years Ellen had competed against her at Minerva Academy.
But today was different.
Flora Crimsonhowl’s expression wasn’t stiff like usual, but light. She looked relieved.
Her tactics themselves were also irregular and stood out for their unpredictability, unlike anything before.
“Did she realize something all by herself in her little corner… or did someone sprinkle salt on that bland kid to season her up?”
She didn’t even go up a tier, yet she made such a noticeable change overnight. From an opponent’s perspective, this was no ordinary matter.
Perhaps it was a sign that she was about to cross the wall.
“…Making me anxious.”
She wanted to win against Flora. She didn’t want to fall behind.
The honor of her family wasn’t the issue. It was just a personal desire.
“Ellen Clements. The treatment is finished.”
The Genesis Bio machine stopped.
The skin that had been burned by Flora’s flames became clean.
“Thank you~”
Ellen forced the corners of her mouth and the tone of her voice up to show her gratitude, then headed to the classroom.
Cadets were swarming in the corridor, waiting.
“Senior! Are your burns completely healed?!”
“Ellen! Didn’t your clothes get ruined from the fire? This is a new arrival coming out soon - “
“This is a burn ointment made by our family!”
Normally, these were conversations she would have accepted with a smile.
But not now. Ellen’s sharp molars ground together with a crunch.
“You idiots! Did you eat your tact for breakfast?! Stop blocking the way and move!”
At her shout, the path opened up like the Red Sea.
Ellen took large strides and headed into the classroom.
“…”
Opening the door, she saw Flora. Flora was quietly preparing to head back.
It would have been easier on her mind if Flora had teased her, but her attitude remained the same as always.
‘Ah~ It’s turnin' my stomach inside out.’
Ellen didn’t declare war by saying she would win next time, rarely for her.
She left Minerva Academy just like that and headed to District 27.
She opened the office door, forcing herself to lighten her downcast mood.
“The world’s most beautiful part-timer is clocking in!”
“Welcome.”
Max welcomed her with a piece of candy in his mouth, as always.
“Yesterday you told me not to come because of a request, right?”
“Right. I had to be outside.”
“Then you should’ve told me to watch the office. You said it wasn’t good to leave it empty.”
“I was thinking of doing that next time, but I planned to register your fingerprint today.”
“Hmm~”
Ellen, who was heading over to put her bag down, stopped in her tracks.
Her nose twitched.
Her nose, which was more sensitive than an ordinary person’s even if not quite at the level of a beastkin, caught a scent.
‘What’s this peculiar smell…?’
It was faint enough to be considered a trace amount, but something similar to Flora Crimsonhowl’s scent lingered in the air.
But she immediately denied it. It wasn’t realistic.
‘No way. There’s no reason for that girl to come all the way here.’
Was her nose broken because her mental state was unsettled? Today’s defeat must have left a particularly deep wound.
Ellen gathered her wits and took out a lollipop, popping it into her mouth. She quietly watched Max browsing the news next to her before her eyes widened.
“What’s this! Oppa, did you go up to the 3rd tier?”
“You recognized it right away, as expected.”
“Of course! Nothing escapes my eyes!”
“I went up during the request. I was lucky.”
“Oh~ Shouldn’t we throw a celebration party for this?”
At Ellen’s response, Max, who had been watching the news, turned his head.
A piercing gaze was directed at her.
Ellen tilted her head as if asking what it was.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Is my face that pretty?”
“You haven’t eaten, right? Let’s go get dinner.”
“Huh.”
“I’ll buy you meat.”
Ellen looked questioningly at Max as he grabbed his outerwear.
“You always eat Energy Jelly to save money. Is it really okay to eat out?”
“Once in a while is fine.”
Max took the lead.
He headed to a meat restaurant he had seen while looking around the office.
He sat facing Ellen with a heating grill between them.
Max ordered the meat and fiddled with the ordering tablet.
“Something to drink?”
“Zero-calorie soda! Pineapple flavor!”
Receiving the plate, Max placed the meat on the grill.
Sizzle! The delicious sound stimulated their hunger.
“Congrats on reaching the 3rd tier, Oppa. We definitely needed a place to celebrate like this.”
“This isn’t a celebration, though. What’s so great about the 3rd tier?”
“Then what is it?”
Max continued the conversation while swiftly flipping the meat with the tongs.
“I don’t know if the meat in District 20 will suit your taste, Ellen, but eating meat helps you forget most bad things.”
Ellen’s expression became subtle.
She turned on her smartphone camera to check her face. She moved her facial muscles this way and that before putting the phone back, as if she hadn’t understood.
“…How embarrassing. Was it that obvious?”
“It’s hard to say it was outwardly obvious. It was just a feeling. The vibe you gave off was like that.”
“What’s this? Oppa, you’ve got some tact. Have you tried picking up girls before?”
“It would be better if it were from that kind of experience. It’s thanks to walking on eggshells during my days as a salaryman.”
Max didn’t ask what had brought her mood down so much.
Because it was simply a relationship between a boss and an employee.
Even if Ellen acted in a friendly way, she shouldn’t misunderstand. She was certain that the sense of distance hadn’t closed that much yet.
“But Oppa, you only know one thing and not the other.”
“What don’t I know?”
“A meat restaurant is a bad choice for a first date with a girl. The smell seeps in and grease splatters everywhere. It’s important, so keep it in mind.”
“What date… We came here because it’s an office dinner.”
Ellen giggled, seemingly pleased with the joke she told and his reaction.
Max let out a deep sigh and grabbed the scissors.
‘Still, she looks to be in a better mood than before. She’s even joking around.’
Having checked Ellen’s condition, Max snipped the golden-brown meat into chunky pieces.
He piled the cooked meat onto Ellen’s front plate.
“When you’re young, meat comes first. Humans can become happy as long as they’re eating meat.”
“Stop saying weird things. Oppa, there isn’t even that much of an age gap between us.”
“I’m just telling you what I heard from someone else. They said it’s perfect if you eat in the order of beef, beef, pork, chicken, beef, beef, innards, innards.”
“What’s that? I’ve never heard of it.”
Ellen let out a dumbfounded chuckle and started devouring the meat.
The cost of the dinner came out to be three times more than Max had expected.
··
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Max and Ellen returned after finishing their dinner.
A woman was standing in front of the office, fiddling with her phone.
It was a face Max knew.
He has continuously encountered the Bohemian Association employee up until now. She must have come to check his tier.
Upon noticing them, she put the phone she was holding into her inner pocket.
“Max-nim. You’re here just in time. I was just about to call you.”
“It’s for the tier check, right? I didn’t expect you to come right away like this.”
“Yes. I was visiting nearby for business, so I came over.”
Max climbed the stairs to open the door.
Ellen, who was following behind, showed curiosity.
“Who’s that? A customer?”
“An employee from the Mercenary Association.”
“Ah~”
The Association employee took in the sight of Max climbing the stairs and the girl behind him.
“?!”
Upon confirming the girl, the employee squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again. She rubbed her eyes vigorously, not caring if she left fingerprints on her glasses.
“Uh…?”
A face that was impossible not to recognize, even though it was incomprehensible for her to be in District 27.
Confirming it was Ellen Clements, the employee froze like a stone.