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Jiro Tanaka: 28 years old – Has Girlfriends
Girlfriend(s): Suela Handelberg & Memoria Tris
Occupation: Dungeon Tester (Regular Employee)
Magical Aptitude: Nine (Quasi Demon King Class)
Job Title: Warrior
Don’t back away from me with this level of glare.
It’s good that I intervened, but when I think about it, the only way I know how to deal with someone who doesn’t listen to me is to just let them walk away on their own.
I glared back at him because he hit me, but he easily backed away, and I was not amused.
I am not even half as intimidating as the instructors, and they exert a sense of mental intimidation and physical pressure.
“Haa.” (Jiro)
“What the f*ck!! What the hell are you!!” (Tester)
I felt it was troublesome, and a sigh came out as a conditioned reflex.
If you look at it from the side, as it came out without permission it will look like I am disappointed by them.
That’s not a good thing to do to someone who is not calm.
“Stop that.” (Jiro)
I stepped in front of the guy who was about to activate magic in his hand, and I flicked him with my finger.
It made a sound that shouldn’t come from someone flicking his finger against someone’s head.
“Agah!?” (Tester)
“This is not a dungeon. It’s forbidden to use magic.” (Jiro)
“No, I don’t think he can hear Senior when he was finger-punched and is now spinning and flying.” (Kaido)
“Eh?” (Jiro)
From my point of view, I intended to do it lightly, but it seems that I made a mistake in my strength.
If it were me, I would be throwing a tsukkomi, “Are you going to kill me!?” as I get up, but…
“Let’s get this over with for now and have another drink.” (Jiro)
“No, no, no, no.” (Tester)
A single finger-flick settled the situation.
The other testers, realizing that my blow was too much, ran away, dragging the man who had been stretched out like a spider.
I was impressed by their spirit of not abandoning friends.
The onlookers seemed to be dissatisfied, wondering if this was the end, but they dispersed one by one.
The only ones who remained were Kaido, the other tester, and,
“Are you okay Jiro?” (Suela)
“You don’t need to hit them that hard you know.” (Memoria)
The other two were Suela, who cooled down the bruised area with a hand towel, and Memoria, who touched my body to see if I had any other injuries.
“I’m sorry, for worrying you again.” (Jiro)
“I hope so.” (Suela)
“You don’t seem to be hurt, but if you need anything else, don’t hesitate to go to the infirmary.” (Memoria)
“Yeah.” (Jiro)
While being bathed with Kaido’s envious gaze for some time, the two of them were satisfied after finding no injuries, and at the right time, they moved back a little.
“Do you both want to go back to the store?” (Jiro)
“Yes.” (Suela)
“We should.” (Memoria)
“Eh? That’s it? Like, what’s going on, why did you get involved?” (Kaido)
“”“? Why (I’m being kind.)””” (Jiro, Suela & Memoria)
I suggested we drink again, and we were about to return to the restaurant, but Kaido stopped us, saying it was too easy for things to be over.
“It’s possible that you can’t guess the reason from the flow just now.” (Jiro)
“No, you’re too cold-hearted, aren’t you?! My friends got involved in a fight!!” (Jiro)
“Sorry Kaido, I’m not clocked in right now.” (Jiro)
“Damn it! I hate myself for being convinced by those words!!!!” (Jiro)
But that was meaningless in the face of the mutual understanding between Kaido and me, who, due to our past history, had a steadfast spirit of not bringing trouble into our private lives.
“Don’t worry, I’ll listen to you at work.” (Jiro)
“Promise!! You will definitely listen right? You better not be pretending!!” (Kaido)
“Of course, I’m not pretending.” (Jiro)
After adding, “we’ll talk later.” that’s the end of that.
Kaido made me promise and then disappeared into a group of stores at the depths of the district.
“I’m sorry for getting you involved in the mess we caused.” (Jiro)
“No, as far as I’m concerned, I had nothing to do with it.” (Suela)
“This kind of quarrel is a common thing between Giants. It’s useless for either of us to worry about it.” (Memoria)
“Is that so? Then I’m glad I wasn’t born a Giant.” (Jiro)
“Yes, because a fight of that caliber would be seen as children playing.” (Memoria)
“That’s scary.” (Jiro)
I jump on Memoria’s joke we enter the store again.
The man who was thrown into the room has already been carried out of the room, and there is no sign of the other three customers.
We are greeted by a clean, quiet store.
We ordered sake and oden from the owner, who quietly asks us if we want to seat in our original area.
“There have been a lot of people lately, protesting that there is too much difference among the testers.” (Suela)
The conversation that began there naturally turned to the topic of the previous conversation.
I thought that Suela was also a little tipsy and wanted to vent out something, I took a sip of the sake offered to me, and then I encouraged her to talk about it.
“The price of weapons is too high, the enemies are too strong, their status is not improving, I’ve read those things in reports for quite some time.” (Suela)
“I’ve had customers come into my store asking if they can get a higher price for their loot. They also want a discount on the price of potions.” (Memoria)
This is probably a common complaint heard in every company.
The boss is annoying, the co-worker doesn’t do anything, the guy at the human resources doesn’t care about our situation, etc. I heard these stories endlessly at my old company.
Suela and Memoria must have worked hard and things started to pile up in this unfamiliar world.
As far as I have heard, the employees of this company are relatively friendly to humans.
Even these women accumulate stress like this.
So, the only thing I can do is say to them,
“Thank you, you did your best.” (Jiro)
I can only pat the heads of the two women who are suffering in a way I don’t know and hope that they will be unburdened even a little.
“Fufu.” (Suela)
“……” (Memoria)
It is a blessing for me that they are able to unload their burdens on me.
That shows they depend on me.
That’s what a man is supposed to do.
“I wish all the testers were like Jiro.” (Suela)
“That would be nice, and I’m sure the store would be able to help out more.” (Memoria)
“Give me a break, I don’t know if you’d gone out with me if that had happened.” (Jiro)
Jokes are exchanged, and our leisurely time continues.
“Well, then, it’s not so bad if we consider all this hardship as a trial to meet you.” (Suela)
“…that’s right. It’s as Suela says.” (Memoria)
“Yeah, I also think of it that way.” (Jiro)
I have to do something about it.
If this continues, the rift between the testers and the company will deepen.
If that happens, it will hinder our work.
What needs to be resolved is the dissatisfaction on the part of the testers. …something that will solve all of that.
I’d like to ease their hardships as much as possible, but even as a chief, I can only do so much of the former and not so much of the latter when I compare what I can and cannot do.
I wonder if I can do something more than just sit with them like this.
“Jiro, your hands stopped.” (Suela)
“Same.” (Memoria)
“Sorry, sorry.” (Jiro)
It seems that the girls noticed my hands stopping while I was pondering the situation.
“Memoria?” (Suela)
“Nothing at all.” (Jiro)
“That’s a lie, Jiro, you are easy to understand.” (Suela)
“…I was just thinking about what I could do for you guys, and I thought there’s not much I can do.” (Jiro)
I thought I was that it might be a coincidence, but then I thought about it, they are both older than me.
The difference in our experience may have been part of this.
Suela and Memoria gently pulled the weight they are putting on me.
It’s as if to show that they felt they are relying too much on me.
“You’re doing a great job. More than enough for us.” (Suela)
“I agree. You even give me blood once in a while.” (Memoria)
“Do you even do that?” (Suela)
“It’s a vampire’s privilege.” (Memoria)
The hands of the clock ticked away, while we chatted over a cup of sake every now and then.
“Then I’m going to introduce Jiro to my parents!” (Suela)
“What?” (Memoria)
The air freezes in an instant, though.
Memoria, instantly sobered after hearing Suela, then she stared at Suela smiling proudly.
“Is it true?” (Memoria)
“Oh, yeah. You told me about it during the time you said I could have a contract with a spirit, right?” (Jiro)
I didn’t tell Memoria about it, come to think of it.
I had not expected it to be revealed in such a way, and my body was a little tense as I wondered what she would say next.
I was in a cold sweat for a moment when Memoria hugged my arm, but then she said,
“That’s unfair, so please meet my family after that.” (Memoria)
“Yeah, I understand.” (Jiro)
The storm passed faster than I had expected.
Two of the most nerve-wracking occasions of my life were laid out in front of me, but it was only my resolve that mattered.
I had no choice but to do it.
“If you want, I can call them over here.” (Memoria)
“I’ll do my best, so give me time.” (Jiro)
“Yes, I will be waiting.” (Memoria)
Memoria looking satisfied pressed her cheek on my arm like a cat.
I know this because we’ve had a few drinks together, but this is a sign that it’s time for Memoria to reach her limit.
Despite being a vampire, she is not much of a drinker.
She is usually cool, but when the amount of alcohol crosses a certain line, she suddenly becomes bolder with more body contact.
And speaking of Suela.
“Please don’t sulk.” (Jiro)
“I’m not sulking.” (Suela)
As the amount of alcohol increases, she becomes a little younger in spirit.
My other arm is blocked, and she is in a bit of a bad mood because I have been pampering Memoria.
“So… me too.” (Suela)
“Of course.” (Jiro)
The right hand that was stroking Memoria’s head is returned to Suella on the left side, and if you stroke her head again, you will find that she is not in her usual good-working-woman mood.
She smiles like an innocent girl.
I can’t encourage the girls to drink any more alcohol.
I feel like I did not drink enough, perhaps because I’m comparing drinks with the instructors, but I guess that’s not the case either.
I looked at the owner and told him the bill, and the bill came to me magically.
The price was reasonable for the amount of food and drink we consumed, and it made me want to come back again.
I take out two ten-thousand-yen bills from my wallet, pat Ms. Clingy and Ms. Sulky on the shoulder, and we got up from our seats.
“Thank you for the food.” (Jiro)
“Please come again.” (Dark Elf Chef)
The underground facility is probably a blessing in disguise, as I am not exposed to the December winter chill as I leave the restaurant after being escorted out by the owner.
I walk out with them into the hustle and bustle where employees have finished work and are coming in for a drink.
The destination is Memoria’s store.
It’s convenient for us because it also serves as a living space.
It’s also where I kept my equipment, which makes it even more convenient for me to retrieve it.
“Are you okay?” (Jiro)
“I’m fine.” (Suela)
“Yes.” (Memoria)
I walk slowly, taking care of the two of them, my steps are steady.
I’ll pass the trouble of this moment to tomorrow, and just enjoy this moment.
Jiro Tanaka: 28 years old – Has Girlfriends
Girlfriend(s): Suela Handelberg (Dark Elf) & Memoria Tris (Vampire)
Occupation: Dungeon Tester (Regular Employee)
Magical Aptitude: Nine (Quasi Demon King Class)
Job Title: Warrior
Note for the Day
Maybe it’s better to keep things a little simpler.
A/N: That’s all for this time.
Are you having a sudden craving for oden?
This is something I wrote after having such an urge.
I hope you will continue to support this work.
T/N: If you like the series rate, review and add on your reading list on Novel Updates. You can also donate through Paypal or Ko-fi, or subscribe on Ko-fi. Thank you!
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