Am I Not the Boss Around Here?
“Tch! Failed again. Do I really lack charm or something?”
Mary, fresh out of the office after getting an earful from Actor, groped her overwhelmingly impressive chest—which had grown even more so—and grumbled in frustration. Seducing the boss had failed today too. And it wasn't just her; the other women were in the same boat.
That child who had saved them after they were sold into slavery to an evil mage, used as sacrifices for demon summoning rituals and guinea pigs for biological experiments. The boy who didn't even have a name of his own had become their lifesaver, allowing them to survive to this day. He was the sole emotional sanctuary for her and her monstrous comrades. It was only natural that, over time, he evolved from mere boss or leader into an object of admiration.
Grope! Grope!
“Haaah... Even by my standards, these are pretty huge... Does the boss even get how women feel?”
Sensing her rivals multiplying, she had a premonition that new love interests would soon swarm around the boss. She was dashing forward aggressively to strike first, but Actor wouldn't budge an inch. Her frustration had boiled over just before leaving the office moments ago.
'Boss! I've got a question before I go!'
'What?'
'Boss! You're not impotent, right?!'
...
'Maaaaryyyy!!!--- Aren't you coming to work?! I'm seriously gonna write you up today!!--'
'Sorry! I'll go do my mission now!-'
'Get back here right now!!--'
...
“He denied it so hard, so he's probably not... Is it because mine are a bit smaller than Rina sis or Vanessa sis? Nah! Shera, Mira, and Rina sis are basically ogres with huge builds, so exclude them! I'm the second biggest in the organization body-wise!-”
Grope! Grope!
“Hng~♥ Boss~♥”
Now 18 years old, a full-fledged adult with a mature figure, she kneaded her snow-white skin, voluptuous breasts, and hips once more to double-check her appeal. She knew her body turned heads and stirred lust in countless men outside the mansion, but Actor was oddly oblivious to women. Or rather, he lacked that side entirely. That was her biggest regret.
She'd once tried sneaking into his bedroom at night to pounce, only to get caught in Estelle's pre-laid spiderweb trap and spend the whole day trussed up tight. Now, she was the most guarded against by the other women. And lately, some of the female members from ten years ago were starting to talk about Actor and show interest. She knew better than anyone that she couldn't afford to waste time.
Especially the biggest threat: Vanessa, who called herself the boss's secretary. The moment they saw her, Mary and the others instinctively knew—this woman had been into the boss from the start, and no one in the organization could beat her.
But that didn't mean she could give up on love!
“No matter what obstacles stand in my way! I'll settle this by the end of the year! The boss is mine!!~~”
Her affection for Actor and her resolve to claim his love only grew firmer.
...
...
...
“Boss.”
“Hm? What's up, Vanessa?”
“Move your bedroom starting today.”
“Huh? Why all of a sudden?”
“Seems like flies are buzzing around you more lately. I'll show you to a new, quiet, clean room.”
“Flies?”
“Yeah, those exist. Got it? Let's move your bedroom right now.”
Vanessa glanced out the office door for a moment. Was it my imagination, or did a chilling aura flicker in her eyes? She looked ready to kill something on the spot.
'Just my imagination?'
“Boss. Are you listening?”
“Yeah? Oh—yeah, I heard. But was there another empty room?”
“[The one I was using] is available. Switch to that one.”
...
“Hey, switching to a room a woman was using out of the blue? Is that okay?”
“Does it matter? Isn't it better that the boss gets to use my room? I'm clean, so no problem at all!-”
“Hey...”
“My! Room! Has! No! Pro! Blem! At! All!”
...
“O-okay. Got it... I'll switch.”
“Good. Then right now! Move your bedroom first. I'll handle the paperwork, so move right now!!--”
“Yessir!-”
Overwhelmed by her intensity, I packed my clothes from my room without protest and moved into the one Vanessa had used. I had no clue why she was like that, but my instincts screamed not to ask. I decided to trust that gut feeling.
I've gotta live long, after all!
**
...
...
...
“Phew~ This is exhausting. Why'd she suddenly make me move rooms...”
“Whoa? Boss, you look wiped.”
“That you, Allen? Just the usual clusterfuck from the troublemakers.”
As I packed clothes to change into and headed to the new room per Vanessa's firm demand, Allen approached from afar.
Allen, who fused with a hell demon called a [Soul Eater]—a devourer of souls and mana—during Dantalian's summoning ritual where he was used as bait. Now demonic, with massive goat horns, blood-red pupils, huge bat wings on his back, and a snake-faced tail.
But he still had that same innocent personality from back then, fully human at heart, and was precious family to us. Though merciless to enemies, like the rest.
“Hahaha. Who fucked up this time?”
“Don't ask when you already know? This boss is gonna die.”
“C'mon~ They're just trying hard for the boss~ Don't be so sensitive? Shera and Mira yesterday, Mary, Rina sis, Estelle sis—all doing their best for you, right?”
“Sigh~ Don't you think that's a bit much?”
“Whaddya gonna do? They all like the boss.”
“What?”
“Ah! N-no, I mean they like their precious family boss! They're a bit off-track, yeah! So be forgiving~♪”
Allen panicked mid-sentence. But as he said, their actions were extreme, but I knew full well the kids were all acting for my sake.
“Still, it's too much. Starting to worry about our kids' personalities here?”
“Anyway, perfect timing. Got a [letter] for you, boss.”
“Letter?”
Flutter!
“Here. One of Big Daddy's underlings just dropped it off, said deliver to the boss. I was outside, so I grabbed it. Haven't read the contents myself.”
The continent's situation has been changing rapidly lately. Accordingly, a summit has been arranged for the bosses of each organization to discuss the future of the North Continent. Don't you dare miss it tomorrow, rookie! -Big Daddy-
I took the letter from Allen's pocket—emblazoned with a blood-red skull emblem—and read it right there. Straight to the point.
...
“Pfft! The North's future? Oh sure~ What a total sham? The factions that've been beating each other up forever... now gathering for a summit? Even a passing goblin would laugh!”
“Boss, what does it say?”
“Short version: the bigwigs are gathering to fuck around, inviting me too.”
“Again? Last year's 'summit' was basically nothing, and now again? That old man's gotta think we've got time to burn like him?!”
Allen remembered tagging along as my guard last year and watching the circus. He scowled and snarked.
And rightly so. My first North Continent summit: the local big shots—elves, dwarves, beastkin—in neighboring cities, plus a failed Western Continent rebel royal-turned-boss, a self-proclaimed pirate king, etc. All the smug bastards gathered to play politics.
Criminals acting like nobles or Earth politicians, droning about power balances, demon updates, alliances, sowing discord. All that sleazy shit at the summit-cum-banquet. As a modern soul, how could I stomach it?
In just eight years, we'd wiped out every hostile org without mercy, building infamy as Big Daddy Family's fixer subs. Eyes turned to us, so the old guard summoned me to test the waters. Some picked fights on purpose; Allen and Derek lightly disciplined them, turning it into a shitshow.
'Especially that pirate king wannabe and the subhumans! Calling us inferior humans? After getting wrecked by one? Grr!-'
Big Daddy mediated to stop it. Gentle image aside, the narrow-minded geezer had pull as a centuries-old North Continent powerhouse. Even the smug subhumans and other bosses wouldn't cross him lightly.
'Of course, he dragged me aside later, bitching why I didn't hold back and kill 'em all! They came at us armed first—self-defense!'
As victims(?) of that clusterfuck, neither Allen nor I were thrilled about another North Summit summoning us.
“Boss. How about we take out those geezers this time?”
“Whoa, easy. Don't say scary shit like that. Remember our org's basic principle.”
[Ignore unless they pick a fight first?]
“That's too passive, no?”
“No need to make enemies ourselves. Prep like last time, Allen. Annoying, but the recent situation's a headache. Guess I gotta go.”
“Mm~ How about bringing Shera and Mira too? They were moping after getting chewed out yesterday.”
“Those two... I'll think about it. Gotta move my stuff first. Don't wanna hear it from Vanessa if I'm late.”
“Got it. I'll prep like you said. Bringing Derek again?”
“Tell Derek to guard the house. You, Shera, and Mira can handle most things. Worst case... slap on Ostis's face skin.”
...
“If the boss can't handle that face skin, those geezers are the ones getting massacred.”
“Ahem! Ahem! Gotta show boss strength!- Got a problem?!”
“Mm...”
Why's he giving me that untrustworthy look? Am I not the boss of this organization? Huh? The head of the North Face Family! Why don't my kids believe in me?!
Anyway. Having to go back to that pointless North Summit? Honestly annoying. Humans, subhumans—once they taste power, they all waste time on this posturing bullshit.
'Fine. Go more peacefully than last time. Time to bust out my past-life salesman skills! The corporate bootlicking inner power from schmoozing big shots! Don't underestimate it!-'
And so, the next day, we headed to the summit hosted by the Big Daddy Family.