Chapter 18: The Fox Borrows the Fence's Authority - 5

After reaffirming my relationship with the employees, six days passed by in a flash.

"Time to wake up~ Rise and shine~"

"Executive Director. You should stop sleeping, sir."

"Haaam~ Just a little longer..."

I woke up at five in the morning and started to get ready.

It was early, so everyone rubbed their sleepy eyes, changed their clothes, and headed to their stations.
Cold air lingered on the first floor, but thanks to the heaters I'd installed in advance, the second floor was warm. It was spring, after all.

"Have a good day, you two~!"

"Sarin. Please change into your work clothes."

"Heeing, but they're uncomfortable..."

Following the schedule set by the employees, two of them move weapons to the retail store to sell them there, while the remaining nine work here.
Seven of them operate the machinery, and Arin handles material procurement and accounting.
I walk around the entire factory, thinking about future plans.

Oh, and Sarin plays around. They say she's more efficient when she works whenever she wants.

"We're here!"

"You're on pistols today. You, take care of the sniper rifles."

"What about the boss?"

"He's playing with Sarin on the second floor."

And just like that, it's seven in the morning.
Wakamo's subordinates, who are staying at a nearby hotel because we haven't stocked up on daily necessities yet, arrive.

For now, I'm having them learn how to operate most of the equipment first.
They're the ones who will have to work even if the other employees are absent someday.

"What do you want to eat?"

"I want pizza."

"Bullshit. We had pizza yesterday, sir. How about Western food today? Something like spaghetti."

"Have you forgotten that you ate Western food for three days straight last week?"

One in the afternoon. It's lunchtime.
The employees decide amongst themselves what to eat. I eat anything, so I just go along with it.
It's still dangerous for Wakamo to go outside, so Sarin orders delivery for her.

That girl Sarin, she really likes Wakamo.

After a fierce debate, we decided to have sushi today.
Because the Western restaurant we were planning to go to was blown up by terrorists.

Seriously, what the hell.

The sushi was satisfying. Sarin is good at finding places to eat.

"You here?"

"Good to see you, President. Where's S?"

"On the second-floor sofa."

Then, at four in the afternoon, Utaha from Millennium comes to visit.
This is when Sarin's real work begins.

As if she heard Utaha's voice, I can hear the sound of someone clattering down from the second floor.
She's still in her pajamas.

"Utaha-senpai!!"

"Sarin. Where were we?"

"Type Red has entered the refinement process, and we need to start conceptualizing Type Pale and Purple today! For Yellow, I was just thinking about the arrangement. The problem is the conversion process for Type Pale..."

"You two, get inside. Don't disturb the others while they're working."

"Yes, sir!!"

"Got it, President."

The two of them seemed to get along so well that they kept chatting for a good ten minutes before moving when Arin called for them.
Once those two gearheads go into Sarin's personal workshop, I also have something to do.

The place to go is the sofa on the second floor where Sarin was just playing. Or more precisely, the person she was playing with.

"Wakamo."

"Yes, President. Shall we begin?"

"Yeah."

Unlike her subordinates, Wakamo is living and boarding entirely at the farm.
There's the fact that her amnesia could wear off at any moment and she might go wild, but the most important thing is, in fact, studying.

She may have lost her memories, but her skills as a former wanted criminal haven't gone anywhere, so she's constantly learning how to fight.

It's not that there aren't groups whose military power is concentrated in a single individual, but most of those groups start to crumble the moment that individual is neutralized.
In the farm's case, that would be me. An employee even said it was a living hell for Wakamo's subordinates when she disappeared.

So, we're doing a sort of sparring to make sure we don't fall apart. And to get used to the baseball bat while we're at it.

The venue is the interview spot that boasts our farm's love and history. The vacant lot.
Surprisingly, Wakamo handled even the bat well. I only ever saw her shoot guns, so I didn't know, but according to her former subordinates, she used things like steel pipes too.

The sparring session lasts for about an hour.
Can the boss afford to play around? This is all for the future.

"Here I come!"

I rushed at Wakamo without using my eyes.
I put quite a bit of mystery into it, but Wakamo caught it with one hand as if she were just receiving it.

"Perhaps you should put more strength into it?"

"This is the best I can do."

Of course, it's impossible for someone like me, who at best has some good eyes, to beat Wakamo.
My previous victory was only possible because Wakamo underestimated me and never thought I'd actually bash her with a rock.

The method of using kinetic vision to aim for weak spots is only possible against an opponent who isn't much stronger than me, or someone I'm facing for the first time.
Wakamo fell into both categories, which is why I was able to subdue her. Neru only fell into the latter, so all I could do was run.

To be honest, I'm not sure about Arin, but if I fought Sarin right now, I'm not even confident I'd win. 

"In that situation, you should have aimed lower."

"But her upper body was open?"

Is there something I'm missing?

"If you strike her legs with a baseball bat, it won't just be her upper body that's left open."

"Ah."

Come to think of it, I used that same principle to tie Wakamo's legs and hit her with a rock.
You were smart, past me.

As I stood there with a dazed expression, Wakamo sat down on the chair we'd brought out for resting.

"A bat is different from a gun. Aside from the disadvantage of being a close-range weapon, it's immediate, and you can attack with great force. If you can close the distance well, it can be even better than a gun. No need for magazines, either."

"I know that, you punk. Is theory the same as reality?"

"That remains to be seen."

I said no more and sat down next to Wakamo.
A moment of silence. Wakamo was the first to speak.

"There is something I am curious about."

The expression on Wakamo's face as she asked the question was one I had never seen since she arrived.
It wasn't the innocence of someone who had lost their memories, nor the goodness of someone striving to achieve something.

It was the fear of being abandoned.

Even though I read that emotion in her eyes, I still asked.

"What is it."

"I looked on the internet and saw the things I have done."

"So?"

"So? Are you being serious?"

Wakamo has currently lost a year's worth of memories.
Since her full-scale terrorist activities began three months ago, she probably didn't know she was the Fox of Calamity.

But she would at least know what kind of person she was.

Big decisions aren't made in an instant.
Just as I felt years of pressure and frustration before dropping out and running away, Wakamo must have also suffered years of impulse and pain before resorting to terrorism.

That impulse was probably destruction, based on what I've felt for the past six days.
A person who couldn't live a normal life from the moment she was born.

At least, the Wakamo I saw was that kind of person.

Then my answer is simple.

"You think you're special, don't you?"

"...Pardon?"

"Sometimes, there are people like that. People who live in a different world from ordinary folks and can't be understood. We call those people monsters (goemul)."

"A monster... I see."

"But. There's another word for people who live in a different world from ordinary folks."

People call those they can't understand 'monsters' (怪物, Goemul), as in 'grotesque beings'. But conversely, they are also called... as in 'blessed by heaven' (天) with 'talent' (才)...

"Geniuses (天才, Cheonjae)."

"..."

"I don't give a damn what you did before you lost your memories. Now that you're an employee of our farm, whether you're a monster or a genius, just do your damn job. Got it?"

"But—"

"But what, you bastard. Why are you making such a fuss in a company founded by a dropout?"

I stood up and tossed the bat to Wakamo.

"Take it. Class isn't over yet. What's important is that you try."

"...Very well."

And so, Wakamo and I sparred for about another hour straight.
I don't know what the results of the lesson were, but in any case, as of today...

The number of employees at the farm definitively increased to seventeen.

"Employees who are like family, I mean."

 

* * *

 

The current time is seven in the evening.
It's about time to wrap up work and get ready for bed.

Recently, something new has been added to the routine here.

"You here?"

"Have you dropped the honorifics now?"

"Just like someone I know."

 Kanna visits.
She says she's here to check if I'm protecting Wakamo properly.

Thankfully, it seems she wasn't punished for the Wakamo incident.
As if used to it by now, Wakamo was already standing beside me before I even called her over.

"You know without me saying it, right? Wakamo is fine here."

"I see."

"What 'I see'? Get lost."

"I'm afraid I can't, because I'm not the only one who came today."

"What, did you bring the entire Valkyrie force with you?"

At my question, Kanna quietly stepped aside. And indeed, another person was standing there.
No, it would be a stretch to call it a person.

Its huge frame and iron body had the appearance of the tin can I hated most in all of Kivotos.

The son of a bitch who tried to swallow my sister's academy and tricked me into a fraudulent contract.

"It's been a while."

"Indeed it has, Director Mincheol."

The director of Kaiser PMC.

"If you had told me in advance, I would have prepared a proper reception."

"There's no need for that. I only came to deliver a simple message."

"And what might that be?"

"I'll get to that. But before I do..."

Let's think. Why did this bastard come all the way here?
He could have sent a subordinate, or just sent a Momotalk message.

In other words, his intention isn't purely to deliver a message.
Because the Kaiser Director showed up, all the employees have come out.

The only thing he could do here is reveal information that would be disadvantageous for me to have known.

Considering the current situation, the most fitting thing... would be that.

Fuck.

"The contract. I trust you remember it?"

"...President?"

"What is he talking about? A contract?"

The contract I made with Kaiser over a month ago.
I received the business from Kaiser, and if I couldn't grow it to a satisfactory level within a year, Kaiser would take the business right back. An unfair contract.

I thought I should bear the burden of this alone, so I never told the employees about it.
The despair that all of this could end up as a mirage. I thought it was something I alone should handle.

"Is the business growing well? You have less than eleven months left."

"Please get to the point. Did you come all this way just to say that?"

"Ah~ right. My apologies. It's nothing much, but could you come to Kaiser tomorrow regarding a contract adjustment?"

He reveals the existence of the contract to the employees, then tells me to come out tomorrow under the pretext of adjusting it.
Because of that bastard, I have to tell the employees about the contract anyway. And according to that contract, if I cause any trouble, the business is immediately seized.

In the end, I have to go to Kaiser tomorrow, no matter what.

"...Where?"

"I'll send someone tomorrow."

So he won't even tell me the location.

"I don't mind, but I trust you won't bring any harm to the farm."

"Of course. Well then, I'll see you tomorrow."

The director made a mechanical noise that sounded quite satisfied and got into the car Kanna had driven.
Kanna glanced at me and the employees, then finally got into the driver's seat and left.

"Ogata. That crazy bitch..."

No. This isn't the time to be thinking about that mad dog.
I need to solve the problem right in front of me.

When I turned around, all the employees except for Wakamo were staring at me with strange eyes.
As if to say, 'Explain yourself.'

And those eyes. Arin and Sarin were no exception.

"...President, no. Boss."

"Calm down, Sarin. President, everyone must be tired after just finishing work. First, we will take thirty minutes of personal time, and then we will hear you out."

Arin's consideration in telling me to collect my thoughts. But at the same time, it was also her telling me to prepare a convincing argument for them within thirty minutes.
After that, all the employees went inside the farmhouse. Only after Arin and Sarin, and even Wakamo following Sarin, had gone in...

"...Fuck."

My head started to feel hot.

Things got complicated. Insanely so.
Yesterday, no, just a moment ago, everything was going smoothly. The kids were getting along well and working together.

But because of that director, it's all turned into this.

Where did the problem start? From the moment I didn't mention the contract?
Yeah. That must be it.

These were kids who were so attached to the farm that they were willing to give up their wages.
Of course they'd be shocked by the fact that I had endangered them.

But it doesn't matter.
Because I know a way for those kids to live safely.

I stared at the dirt on the ground for a long time, and only after about twenty minutes had passed did I also enter the farmhouse.

 

* * *

 

"So, what you're saying, President, is that if we don't grow the business to a satisfactory level by the end of this year due to the contract with Kaiser... we and you will fall to the level of Kaiser's slaves?"

Arin summed up my words perfectly.
Hearing that summary, sighs erupted from all around.

It was mainly the employees who started with me.
Sarin looks like she's about to cry.

I smiled as if to reassure them and gathered everyone's attention.

"Don't worry. It's not like I don't have a plan."

"Then?"

"Anyway, it's the company that gets taken, so if things look bad, I'll process your resignations and—"

Smack—!

"...Huh?"

It hurts. What was I hit by?

A gun? No, it wasn't that kind of sound.
Where was I even hit?

As I calmly came to my senses, my cheek was tingling as if it had been seared.

As my dazed eyes slowly adjusted to the light, I finally understood what had happened.

"Hey! Calm down!"

"Please calm down, ma'am!"

A few had run far away, and a few were holding someone back.
And only Sarin was the one being held back.

"Sarin."

"Shut up!!"

Sarin's expression was angrier than I had ever seen it before.

"I think you're misunderstanding. You guys aren't in danger—"

"That's not what's important! Let's say we're safe, what about you? What are you going to do?!"

Her cry pierced my head.
My chest felt heavy, as if it had been bound in chains and thrown to the floor.

The reason Sarin was angry wasn't that I had put them in danger.

"Are we kids? We trusted you and went through all that shit yesterday! If you were going to handle it all by yourself, you shouldn't have gotten close to us in the first place!!!"

It was because I had put myself in danger, leaving them out.

"You should have just told us!! We would have accepted it!! If you told us to earn more money, we would have earned it!! But what?! Process our resignations?!"

Sarin has a childlike personality.
She gets attached easily, which is why she became close to me first in the farm's early days, and she's also the closest to Wakamo.

Arin once told me a story.
That they started their sukeban activities because Sarin rushed out on her own when Arin got hurt.

She's that kind of affectionate kid.
She's the kid who worried about me that much.

And I... I had completely ignored those kids.
Thinking it was my world alone, I had betrayed the kids who had started to believe in me.

"Let's dismiss for today. Sarin, calm down."

Fortunately, Arin mediated and the situation ended. Just like before, everyone went to their respective rooms.

After everyone went into their bedrooms, Arin approached me as I stood there all alone.
The lights were off so I couldn't see well, but her face was clearly angry.

"...After your meeting tomorrow, apologize to Sarin."

"I'm sorry. I never meant to deceive you all."

"If I had my way, I'd hit you too, but I'm holding back because Sarin already did. For tonight, please sleep on the sofa instead of your bedroom. Otherwise, I think Sarin might actually kill you."

"Got it." 

"I'll bring you a blanket and a pillow. And, President."

Ah. This is tough.
The toughest it's been since I ran away from home.

"I'm only saying this once more. If you do this again, you're dead."

With those words, Arin headed to her bedroom without a single glance back.

...

Suddenly, a face comes to mind.

The one with the pink ponytail, the greatest enemy of my life.
The person I cursed at, calling her a worthless piece of trash for trying to take on responsibilities beyond her means.

"Sis. I guess we really are siblings after all."

For some reason, I understood her a little better today.

"I should ask her about it sometime."

With those last words, I went and lay down on the sofa.
I could see Arin bringing a blanket in the distance, but, well...

Maybe it was because so much had happened in one day. I fell asleep just like that.

...Suddenly, I started to feel jealous of Neru, who, despite being only a year older than me, is the next head of a major academy's armed force.
Life.