Chapter 89: Endo

Potato Man had made imo-mochi¹ as a new menu item.

Crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, and cheese-flavored, they were very much to my taste. With poor manners and no fork, I reached for my third oval-shaped piece. The browned part gave a crisp little crack. I washed it down with ale.

“So, what do you need, Suen?”

The narrow-eyed man in the double-breasted suit sat across from me.

“I would like to request a job.”

Suen operated his terminal. Mine vibrated. I looked at it.

The mission was to destroy a facility. Apparently, I would be paired with another team. As for the amount,

“The number of digits…”

“Is not a mistake.”

Whew. I tried to whistle. Failed.

“…”

I cleared my throat to cover it up. On the terminal in my lowered gaze, the number thirty million C danced across the screen. An outrageous amount. I operated the terminal. Howard-san and Sachiko-san were within communication range. I sent the data to them. Subject line: “May I accept this?” Pathetic as it was, I was still forbidden from taking jobs on my own.

“That is an awfully good price.”

“It is a battlefield worthy of the price.”

“…Expected enemies?”

“Bubbles and Dolls.”

“…Dolls?”

Faceless humanoid weapons. Things packed full of flesh worms inside.

“If I recall correctly, those are your company’s products.”

“Yes. They are our products,” Suen said with a bright smile.

“…Cleaning up your own mess?”

“That is a crude way to put it, but yes. Our company is not monolithic. The Doll was developed under the slogan ‘surpass the Heroes,’ but before it even received an official name, it became clear that it did not reach the Heroes’ feet. However, part of the development department refused to accept that and ran wild.”

“I’ve wondered this for a while, but what exactly is this product called a Hero?”

“Those who possess the possibility of saving the world. People such as yourself.”

“…I see. Very poetic.”

Not wonderful.

Well, he probably meant skilled mercenaries.

As a result of whatever sickness they suffered from, they had given it the grandiose name “Hero.”

Their poor heads.

I looked at Suen with a touch of sympathy. Then I realized I was the pitiful one for being noticed by people with such poor heads.

This was a problem. I wanted to refuse if I could. But technically, Abacus had bought me. It was like being hired under an annual contract. Their work had slightly higher priority than Doggy House’s.

If Howard gave me an NG, that would be my excuse to refuse.

My terminal vibrated. I checked it.

Tch.

I clicked my tongue once. The message said I was allowed to accept.

“I do not think this job is very suited to me…”

I was not especially strong against buildings.

“Please think of your role as anti-Doll and anti-Bubble, Touji-sama. We will prepare the Bomber. Like you, they are a Hero we recently acquired. Their skill should be reliable.”

“I see.”

Then it should be fine. The job had more than enough chance of success. Was there anything else I should ask? I thought. I touched my necklace, lightly. The chain gave a small clink. Ah, there was something.

“The battlefield you tried to send me to as payment for that earlier aid. Is this it?”

“…Yes. That is correct.”

Suen nodded with a very displeased look.

Seeing that, I grinned. I displayed the contract on my terminal, switched to editing mode, and drew a line through the payment section with my finger. Then I slid the terminal across the table to Suen.

“Should I say it out loud?”

“…With my authority, I can only go as far as…”

This much, he indicated with three fingers. An extra three million C.

As extortion went, not bad.

I held out my hand with a smile.

Suen held out his hand with a strained smile.

And then we shook.

***

He was a red-haired man.

His trained body made him look like a soldier.

The eyes behind his glasses made him look like a scientist.

I knew he was both. I had read that in the files. If I remembered right, his name was,

“Endo.”

Right. That was it. I remembered thinking it sounded like a surname.

“Touji.”

I gave my own name back to the man with the mechanical tiger.

“I know.”

“…I see. Nice to meet you.”

I answered his spit-out words with a smile. Then I offered him my hand.

He did not take it.

“Touji.”

“Yes.”

“Hound.”

“Yes.”

“Ratchet.”

“Yes.”

I answered every name he called me with a smile, my hand still held out.

The corner of Endo’s mouth twitched.

“Nice to meet you.”

“You’re really going to insist this is our first time meeting?”

“…Yes, well, because it is.”

“…”

“…”

My expression did not change. He glared at me with anger in his eyes.

Well, I knew what he wanted to say. I knew Search Dog had been digging into me. I knew he had found out what I had done to him.

So I said, “Nice to meet you. Do you dislike handshakes?”

“I was attacked by bandits once.”

“Well, it is a dangerous world.”

It happens.

I nodded as if in sympathy.

“My Monoz was destroyed in that attack. Its core too. In other words, it died completely.”

“…”

My expression shifted slightly.

I see.

That made me feel a little sorry.

Only a little.

I was a mercenary, and so was he. Killing and being killed was our work. Apologizing for killing an enemy would be nonsense.

Even so, I had no intention of denying his anger. If someone killed one of my Monoz, I would want to kill them too.

“…Would you rather work with someone else?”

“…”

I asked, but he did not answer. His red eyes only glared into me.

I shrugged and gave up. I started to lower the hand I had offered for a handshake, only for him to grab it.

“Looking forward to working with you!”

“Yes. Likewise.”

“…”

“…Um?”

“…”

“Um, could you let go of my hand n…!”

Something cracked.

Pain shot through me.

“Now we’re even.”

“Well, well.”

How kind of you.

One silent bit of sarcasm.

I crouched there, sweating from the pain, while his cold stare bored into me.