Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Tall Uncle
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“Haa... Anyway, commoner!”
Harumi planted her hands on her hips and jabbed a finger at me.
“You... If you tell anyone I work here, I won't let you off easy!”
“Oh? And what if I don't let you off easy?”
“Eh, wha...? I dunno.”
Like a small dog that barks fiercely from afar but puts on an innocent face up close.
“Pfft! If you don't know, what're you gonna do about it?”
“Ugh! You wanna die!?”
“I'm kidding. This must be part of that 'commoner experience' thing, right?”
“R-Really? Y-Yeah! Exactly!!”
Until now, she'd been utterly caught red-handed with her poverty exposed, but she latched onto the excuse I tossed her like a lifeline.
“Ku, kuku! R-Right! As if I'd seriously do a crappy job like this?”
“Indeed! As expected! You're amazing, miss!”
Clap clap clap
I pretended to be impressed and clapped, so she puffed out her flat chest and lifted her chin high. No matter how hard she tried, the height difference was too much for her to look down on me.
“Ahem! Anyway, I'm heading home now. Make sure you show up at the place we agreed to for dinner. And no more weird fake accounts messing around!”
“...I really didn't send that. Block the account, miss.”
“For real?”
“For real. Anyway, I'll treat you to dinner tomorrow instead. I promised last time, after all.”
“Ooh...! A-Ahem. Sure!”
Her face lit up with joy before she quickly tried to play it cool.
“And I hate to say it myself, but guys who approach you like that usually have bad intentions. There aren't many gentlemen like me, so be careful.”
“Ugh... Yeah, you're right. Got it. I'll be more guarded from now on. Anyway, I'm off!”
She bolted toward the bus stop, probably eager to get home and rest. Exhaustion was plain on her face, but her steps brimmed with the joy of earning money through her own efforts.
Should I secretly tail her home today too?
This wasn't for my own selfish reasons—it was purely for Harumi's safety. That mystery paparazzi creep had sent another DM earlier, after all.
.
.
.
Hiss—
Thud!
The bus's front doors slid open, and Harumi stepped out.
The night in the 3-chome where Harumi lived was so eerie it made even me uneasy. And this was one of the notorious crime-ridden areas in Tokyo's Nakano ward. I'd rationalized following her as half-joking concern without ulterior motives, but seeing the neighborhood up close made me glad I came.
“Lalala~ hum.”
Despite the grim atmosphere, a vibrant energy surrounded Harumi alone.
She must have been thrilled to finish her first day of work unscathed.
Passing crumbling walls riddled with holes and leaning utility poles, she finally reached her shabby home.
Click—
Thump.
Whoosh—
She must have gone straight to wash her hands upon entering. Well brought-up girl. Gotta wash your hands and feet right after getting home. Hm.
Someday, I want to wash Harumi's feet for her. How tiny and cute would they be? Even someone as small and adorable as Harumi—do her feet smell after a long day? Probably unavoidable since she's human.
If I tried touching her bare feet, she'd probably blush beet red and yell in embarrassment.
“Hmph... Hee hee.”
After washing up, Harumi sat in the living room for a short rest. Through the cracked window, her figure was faintly visible.
True to her personality, she'd kept the place as tidy as possible— not a speck of dirt on the glass.
A rich young lady wouldn't touch chores like that, but Harumi cleaned it all herself.
She's a strong one.
Blissfully unaware of my intense staring, Harumi giggled uncontrollably, unable to hide her delight.
“Fuhehe! What to buy with my first paycheck!? F-First, I gotta get that cod roe bento! And m-maybe cup ramen...? Nah, cup ramen might be too greedy?”
Oh no... The girl who only ate top-grade wagyu is now trembling over convenience store bentos and instant noodles.
“Argh, whatever! I'll get gummy bears too! A-And yeah! I'll buy some canned beer and try it! I'm an adult now! And I earned it with my own work, so beer it is! And... uh... and more...”
She folded her fingers one by one, listing off foods.
After happily fantasizing for a while about what to buy with her earnings, her expression suddenly clouded over as something occurred to her. She sank deep into thought.
“And... ugh... th-that... and... then...”
Harumi's mood plummeted sharply.
Her perked-up ears, full of laughter, slowly drooped.
What's wrong?
“...M-Mom......”
Mom?
The moment the word slipped out, her buoyant excitement crashed down—I could see it vividly.
Her chin quivered, hot, moist breaths leaking through clenched lips.
It was as if a red-hot iron lump clogged her chest, stifling her; her nose stung like it'd been dunked in pool water.
But even then.
Harumi didn't cry.
“Tch. Thinking about it, I'm not even that hungry. I never ate cheap crap like that anyway.”
It wasn't true contempt for commoner food—it was closer to self-hypnosis.
Chanting it to herself like this was the only way to keep from truly breaking down. Self-brainwashing.
“Yeah. I don't need that stuff. It'd just ruin my taste buds. Better not. More logical to use that money for Mom's hospital bills instead. Hehe...”
Gurgle—
Her resolute words aside, her body was brutally honest.
“St-Still, maybe just 1,000 yen... N-No, 500 yen... that'd be... fi-fine... right...?”
Gurgle—
So pitiful.
Utterly heartbreaking.
Drip—
The tough girl didn't cry, but her tears flowed freely, beyond her will.
No matter how hard her spirit fought, her screaming stomach kept reminding her.
Of her dire straits, trembling over a mere 500 yen.
Sniff
“Ah, something must've gotten in my eye... Better sleep! If I get sick too... it'll be bad.”
Instinct told her lingering in sorrow would make it unstoppable, so she roughly wiped her tears and stepped into the tiny shower stall.
-Hic... h-hic... sob...
A muffled sob echoed faintly off the sealed bathroom tiles.
Seeing that much was enough. I relaxed my eyes and bowed my head.
“Guh... guhuk... cough... damn it!”
Watching Harumi grieve like that tore my heart apart.
I silently sobbed, barely swallowing a man's tears.
“Hoo... damn it all! What bastard's tormenting Harumi like this?”
From what I could gather, her mother was hospitalized, and Harumi was footing the bills.
She'd already fallen that far.
I'd theorized that in the game, some incident bankrupted her family, leading to her being sold as a sex slave at an underground auction—a classic scenario. But I'd been wrong.
She'd been a fallen lady for a while now, blackmailed for over four months until the NTR ending in late August, her mother's life held hostage.
That explained it.
Why the rich girl obsessed over money like that.
But even in such dire straits, how had she refused my casual 100,000 yen offer back then?
Did she sense something off about taking that much money for nothing?
Or was it diligence? Pride?
I couldn't know for sure, but one thing was clear: I had to protect her, no question.
If I couldn't safeguard a pure girl striving so innocently, there'd be no point in my brain exploding and soul-possessing this world. Even if it burst again, I'd have no regrets.
Sorting my thoughts, I peeked back over the wall, curious how she was doing. A 1.8m wall was too short to hide someone my size.
Just then, Harumi emerged from a quick shower, shaking her damp hair in her pajamas at the rattling old fan. No hairdryer? Or saving on electricity?
Every moment watching her was gut-wrenching.
How exhausting must it be, putting on high-society airs in front of me while living like this?
No way she holds out till payday.
Forcing money into her hands felt wrong too. She had her pride, vowing to earn it herself honestly—shattering that resolve would be cruel.
Then...
Hire her.
I wasn't swimming in cash, but beyond seed money, I had plenty liquid. Enough to "pay wages" to Harumi short-term.
If some shadowy bastard was tormenting her, what was wrong with a mystery tall uncle helping her out?