Wednesday.
Mizuno-san and I went to the Umeda office, but strangely, instead of Akashi-san, it was Hime who ended up handling the contract negotiations.
Nevertheless, the contract was successfully completed, and Mizuno-san officially became a full member of the EPO Corporation, under my direct supervision.
However, after that, both Mizuno-san and I found ourselves sitting in seiza, sweating profusely as we were given a stern lecture.
「So, Taira. Do you understand what I’ve been saying?」
「I’m sorry for acting on my own.」
「Can you be specific?」
「Disclosing important information like the Growth Ring and Growth Ribbon and personally providing Mizuno-san with an experience potion before the contract was signed was careless. I sincerely regret my actions and will work hard to ensure nothing like this happens again.」
「Honestly. Contracts are important. Well, there wasn’t any real risk of her being poached since no other company offers better terms than ours.」
Yesterday, when we talked on the phone, I had the sense Hime was laughing for some reason—apparently, this was why.
I thought it was safe to assume Mizuno-san and her family could be trusted, but this was a violation serious enough to warrant a one-shot game over, let alone a three-strikes rule.
「A-Ano…..Hime-chan, why am I getting scolded too?」
「Of course, I’m angry. What? You’ve been secretly adding money into your parents’ wallet while working part-time? Any normal parent would be mad. The only reason your parents aren’t is that they feel guilty.」
「Ugh… but I didn’t have any other choice.」
「Obviously. If you could handle it all by yourself, your parents wouldn’t be in this situation. If you really want to help, either find a job that you’re passionate about and dedicate yourself to it, or if you’re still deciding on a career, study hard and get into a good university. That’s the best way to show your gratitude to your parents.」
「You’re absolutely right.」
Mizuno-san said, utterly defeated.
Hime was right, as she usually is in moments like these.
「It’s not a problem for Mai to contribute to household expenses, but Taira, don’t just spoil her by handing over large sums of money. Pay her the proper salary for a blacksmith.」
「Should I go with the amount Akashi-san suggested?」
I asked in formal speech, recalling that the base salary was set at 200,000 yen.
「Of course not. That included hazard pay. She has three blacksmithing skills, so she’s certainly capable, but considering it’s two days of work a week for six hours each day, I’d say a base of 150,000 yen with an additional 30,000 yen for her skill level—180,000 yen in total sounds about right. She’ll help with office work, too.」
「That’s much higher than a part-time job at a convenience store. Thank you so much.」
Mizuno-san bowed deeply.
「You can relax now.」
「Thank you. By the way, I’ve made something that I’d like you two to see.」
「Something to show us?」
「Yes—using my blacksmith skills, I made these. Ichino-kun gave me some iron ingots.」
She pulled out a shuriken and… a pointed iron rod of some sort.
「I recognize the shuriken, but what’s this rod for? Do you spin it inside the shuriken ring or something?」
「This rod is a bo-shuriken. And the one you’re calling a shuriken is actually a flat-shuriken. The bo-shuriken is convenient to carry and makes no sound when thrown, but it’s much harder to throw accurately. The flat-shuriken is easier to throw but inconvenient to carry, and it makes noise when thrown. You made these?」
「Yes.」
「You can craft them without a furnace, as long as you have a hammer and an anvil, thanks to blacksmith skills. But just because you’re a blacksmith doesn’t mean you can carry or make dangerous weapons without permission.」
「I have permission. My family’s factory once did subcontracting work for dungeon-related weapon parts. They figured it would be useful, so we applied for the necessary licenses.」
Ah, so that’s why Mizuno’s father, who once mentioned having been inside a dungeon before, got involved in all this. Makes sense now.
「Akashi!」
「Yes, I’ve just looked into it. Mizuno-sama’s father’s factory indeed received certification from the Osaka Dungeon Bureau seven years ago after completing the Dungeon Weaponsmith Technology Development Workshop. They obtained permission from the Dungeon Bureau to manufacture weapons for dungeons. The factory’s skills were highly regarded, and it was involved in producing quality dungeon gear.」
「Then why is such a factory on the verge of bankruptcy?」
「The company that had been contracting them to produce parts for weapons decided to cut costs and outsourced the manufacturing to a factory in Southeast Asia. Additionally, Mizuno-sama’s father became a joint guarantor for a friend, who then disappeared, which led to their financial troubles.」
「—! Wait, was that what happened?!」
It seemed even Mizuno-san hadn’t known this. Should she have heard that?
But this situation… isn’t this one of those patterns?
「Is this the kind of setup where we swoop in, invest in the factory’s technology, and help save the business?」
I asked, getting caught up in the moment.
Mizuno-san’s eyes sparkled with hope as she looked at me expectantly.
「You’re watching too many dramas. We’re just a newly formed EPO Corporation. We don’t have the know-how or the manpower to be investing in factories.」
She was right.
I felt bad for raising Mizuno-san’s hopes like that.
「Hmm? Hime, this shuriken is amazing!」
「How so?」
「It’s got three attributes: increased accuracy, enhanced destructive power, and higher speed when thrown.」
「Are you serious? It’s incredibly difficult to imbue an item with three attributes!」
Hime took the shuriken in her hand and looked over at Mizuno-san, who nodded and explained.
「At first, I couldn’t do it very well, but after making several, I got a feeling that I could combine the blacksmith skill with the equipment enhancement skill, and that’s when it started to feel like I was adding attributes. After a while, I became able to make ones like that.」
「Wait, but using blacksmith skills requires a lot of concentration, and beginners aren’t supposed to be able to do it so easily.」
「Really? I used to carve metal molds all the time, so compared to that, this wasn’t too difficult.」
Even Hime looked shocked at this revelation.
Could Mizuno-san be an unexpected prodigy?
At that moment, I felt two strong presences quickly approaching the office.
The door burst open, and in rushed the sources of the strong presences.
「「Is it true that Taira (Ichino-san) brought a new girl?!」 」
Milk and Ayame shouted in unison as they barged into the room.
Leave a Reply