Chapter 101: Being Hired

The girl who had been sleeping inside the military facility was named Xena.

She had been inside a capsule marked “X,” so Xena it was.

She looked about ten, maybe a little older. Young and without any memories, she seemed somehow more mature than other children her age, but she was still powerless.

Naturally, I brought her back to the campsite.

Once I did, we found out that she was one of the “good” Sleepers.

I had vaguely guessed as much from Endo-san’s reaction, but she was probably made under the same concept as him, or something close to it.

Her physical abilities were high, and so was her intelligence.

She could become a first-rate soldier, and she had a promising future as an engineer too.

That was what the test results told me.

But she very easily cut off the path of becoming a soldier. At the campsite school, she chose the technical track, and in her free time, she works as a teaching assistant.

As one of the adults at the campsite, technically speaking, I asked her whether she was sure about that.

Her answer was calm.

“Because I can’t reach you, Father. I might be able to become first-rate, but I’ll never become truly top-class. I mean, isn’t that obvious? As long as ‘strength’ is measured by a yardstick within a specific environment, people like you, who specialize in that specific environment, will always be stronger.”

A very early resignation for her age. And the fact that she reached it through reason, not emotion, made her seem terribly precocious.

…Well, that was fine. It did not matter.

It was her own path. I was not an educator, so I had no intention of butting in over every little thing.

The problem was what she called me.

“Is something wrong, Father?”

“I am not your father or anything of the sort.”

“I know that. But I want to have a connection with you. If possible, I would prefer to be your lover, but…”

“Spare me.”

“Yes. Yes. I know you do not have such tastes.”

She giggled.

“And calling you Big Brother would not make you happy either, given your preferences, would it? So, Father,” she said and giggled again.

“…I see.”

Convincing her was too much trouble. More importantly, she had craftily started calling Eevee “Mother” and gotten her on her side.

So I let her do as she liked.

My master had no pups other than me.

So I did not know from experience, but apparently, when you had many pups, becoming a hound was a lot of trouble.

That day, I was supposed to be off.

It took a full day by Monoc to travel between Uraba, the city where Doggy House was located, and the campsite where I lived. For that reason, I rented a room during work. Around eight in the morning, someone knocked on its door.

As was my habit on days I went home, I had planned to sleep until noon. I ignored the knock and pulled the blanket over myself, but Rudo did not let things go that easily. He had woken up, and now he wanted to go outside. Driven by that simple thought process, the long-bodied, short-legged bread roll began his operation.

First, he scratched at the door where the knocking had come from.

When he decided I showed no sign of moving, he whined sadly through his nose.

Even then, I did not move, so at last he shoved his face under the blanket and pressed his wet nose against my bare skin.

I could not endure that.

“…Fine. I’m up.”

So stop pressing that prune-like nose against me.

Rudo was healthy again today. His nose was properly wet.

I yawned once. Then I remembered I had gone to sleep in nothing but boxers and a T-shirt. I thought about getting dressed, but it was too much trouble. I gave up, pulled only my pistol from under the pillow, and gave hand signs to Tiger Unit and Boar Unit, who had been on watch. Once I confirmed they were in position, I opened the door while keeping the pistol hidden in the door’s blind spot.

“…I wasted my caution.”

It was Shinzo.

“Sorry for waking you.”

“No, it’s fine. Trouble?”

I yawned hugely again. I still was not awake. Oxygen had not reached my brain. That was not good. As I thought that, I tucked the pistol into my waistband.

Thud.

It fell.

I had forgotten I was wearing boxers, not pants, so it did not stay in place.

“…”

“…”

A delicate silence created a delicate atmosphere.

“Is there some kind of trouble?”

I refused to lose to it and asked with a serious expression.

“Hearing that from you in this situation makes me real damn nervous, but yeah. I’ve got a job request for you.”

“You mean you want us to work together?”

That was not especially rare. Why was he being so formal?

“No. I want to hire you as a hound. I’ve been given my exam to become a Sheepherd Dog.”

“I see.”

So that was it.

We agreed to meet at Doggy House in thirty minutes, and I got ready.

Now then.

I had to think of a good excuse for Ox Unit, who had already loaded our luggage for the trip home, and Horse Unit, who had already turned into a Monoc.