Chương 83: Chapter 23 Chapter Title: A New Job (Part 2)

"It relates to combat strength," Chiyoda said, "but also to preventing crime among Sweepers. The legislation is being pushed through at an accelerated pace, but civilian-level laws and regulations concerning Sweepers have barely begun to take shape." He let out a long breath.

"The police and Self-Defense Forces lost too much blood in the Stampede. There are approximately 530, 000 personnel in total, but not all of them are Sweepers, and they aren't concentrated in any one place."

"The government intends to establish a new organization to manage and operate the Sweepers, with branches to be established in every prefecture. Until then, we want to train people capable of managing them."

"I understand the reasoning. The country handled the Akihabara Gate incident. Naturally, once that's over, the next step is to look ahead."

"Unfortunately, I'm not well-versed in the law, nor do I have any experience as an educator. On top of that, I used to be nothing more than an ordinary office worker. Management and administration are completely outside my area of expertise. Surely it would make more sense to appoint people with actual experience."

"Yes. Those people will be providing support. But aren't you forgetting something?"

"Forgetting something?" What could I have forgotten? The Akihabara incident was over. Trouble with other countries had nothing to do with me. There was nothing I could do about legislation or research, either. I'd become famous, sure, but people only talked about someone for seventy-five days. Eventually, things would settle down. So what was I forgetting?

"Unfortunately, nothing comes to mind." Chiyoda smiled and pulled out a sheet of paper, sliding it toward me. It contained things I'd discussed during my streams as well as conversations I'd had with Tachibana and the others. Several sections had been highlighted.

"If this is about the negotiating table, I don't know where the materials or the location are."

"Yes, I know that. However, we'd like to establish the location of the table itself as clearly as possible. There's no deadline; consider it a long-term objective. Please continue searching."

"That's one matter. The other concerns your understanding of magic. At present, you are the greatest magic user in existence, with no one else coming close. The Akihabara incident proved that."

"With nothing more than advice, you enabled Chief Sergeant Miyafuji to use magic. Hyodo-san learned how to fly. And apparently Officer Akamine crushed a monster's beam with his bare hands."

"Your explanations tend to be eccentric, but they produce results. The two people you brushed aside during that fight in Akihabara also distinguished themselves during this incident. Those above me believe there is something to your guidance—or at least your advice." Hmm... He wasn't entirely wrong. I did have a high level of understanding regarding Jobs.

After all, the names of the Jobs had originally been created from my own vocabulary, so hearing a Job's name allowed me to make a certain amount of educated guesswork about what it could do. Whether the name actually matched its abilities was another matter entirely. The Witch had certainly failed to live up to my expectations.

"That's speculation based on the results. It isn't certain. Jobs are based on the individual."

"I can give people a push in the right direction, but I don't want to make definitive statements." I thought for a moment.

"Right diagonal, lower left. Where is that?"

"I'm going to have a smoke. Think about it while I'm gone."

"And that's supposed to be the answer?"

"Who knows?" I was tired of the long conversation. I slipped between the people busily working and headed to the smoking room for a cigarette. I attracted a ridiculous amount of attention, but I decided to accept it as the price of being famous. Through the glass, I could see several people already inside. They only glanced at me repeatedly and didn't seem inclined to speak. I should at least greet them. They were working on the cleanup, after all.

"Good work, everyone. Thank you for helping with the cleanup. I know it's difficult, especially after what happened yesterday, but please keep it up." For some reason, everyone stared at me blankly. Had I said something strange? I didn't think my clothes were out of place, either. I checked the hem of my skirt and my sleeves just to be sure.

"Um... thank you? It's just... the way you talk is completely different from what we've seen on your streams."

"Ah. That was acting. If I behaved like that all the time, everyday life would become impossible."

"Oh, really? We only know you from your streams, so we thought you were always like that. You're really beautiful, though. What do you eat to end up like that?"

"If you mean breakfast, I can easily put away five servings. I'm not terribly picky about food. Eggplants are a no-go, though. That purple color is hostile to me."

"What kind of reason is that? You don't like eggplants?"

"I don't mind looking at them. But they're my enemies, so they don't enter my mouth. My wife likes them, so they do appear at the dinner table, but I make sure they stay far, far away from me." I gestured dramatically, pushing them away, and the man smiled happily. Yeah. Eggplants were out. The texture was bad, and since they were my enemies, their color was unacceptable too.

"Ah, I get it. The things you hate are the things you want to keep as far away as possible. Speaking of your wife, is that really true?"

"Yes, it's true. Though there's a lot to it. A lot." It was nothing more than casual conversation while I finished my cigarette, but I was enjoying it. I'd had plenty of conversations like this in the smoking area at my old workplace, too. I took a few leisurely puffs. About five minutes per cigarette. If I stayed any longer, I'd only get in the way of their work.

"Well then, I'll be going. Good luck with the rest of your work."

"Thank you. Everyone here is grateful to you. They all wanted to say thank you for defeating the monsters."

"Oh! Could I get your autograph? It's for my daughter." I signed the notebook they held out, though my signature wasn't anything special. Then the people who had been watching from a distance started asking for autographs too, so I signed theirs as well. They all thanked me, but there was no way I could have done it alone.

"If you want to give thanks, give it to those who died. Not me."

"Got it. I'll go leave some flowers." I left the smoking room and returned to the room where Chiyoda was waiting. So, had he found his answer? It was a deliberately nasty question. There were countless ways to answer it, both affirmatively and negatively. I wondered what he'd come up with.

"Have you found your answer?"

"... No. More precisely, there is no definition. Is the indicated location a point, a space, a plane, or a solid? There is nothing there." You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"If that's what you believe, then that's the answer."

"Using a Job means defining something that doesn't exist for yourself." Chiyoda folded his arms and thought deeply about it. He wasn't a Sweeper, so grasping this particular sensation wouldn't be easy. Come to think of it, perhaps philosophers would become surprisingly powerful if they became Sweepers. I think, therefore I am. Then what exactly is the "I"?

"All the more reason for you to remain as an advisor. If you can come up with a question like that instantly, you should be perfectly capable of doing the job."

"And you did read the sealed letter, didn't you?"

"... Not yet. I've been busy. Interviews and all that." Chiyoda gave me a silent, intense stare. He'd told me to read it when everything was over, but I hadn't had the time. Besides, half my head had been blown off, for crying out loud. It had grown back, but still. I took the sealed envelope out of my ring and opened it. Let's see...

"Special Specific Hazardous Beast Countermeasure Headquarters. Appointment as Chief Director..."

"... Yaaay. I got promoted."

"Congratulations, Chloe. You're one of us now." Chiyoda applauded with a gentle smile.

"Though in terms of authority, yours is considerably higher than mine." This was definitely a collar. A collar declaring that I was officially part of their organization, both domestically and internationally. Still, there was no point in being pessimistic. Maybe I should look at it differently. According to Chiyoda, the countermeasure headquarters were planned to be established in every prefecture.

If that was the case, eventually I could return to the headquarters in my home prefecture without losing my Job, and I'd still receive a salary. Even if I became the head, I had no experience, but there would be support staff. If necessary, I could simply handle the actual work—cleaning—and dump the rest on them. The problem wasn't the lack of personnel. It was that there weren't enough people with the combat strength to actually handle the job.

If we were going to manage and operate the Gates, the first priority had to be combat strength. At the very least, we needed people capable of reaching beyond the fifth floor on their own. Maybe we could even dive together and deal with the monsters in the middle levels... Wait. Where did the middle levels even begin? The Witch and the Sage were both silent. They probably thought that if they told me, I'd immediately go there and never come back. Yeah.

If that dog from this incident was a middle-level monster, I really didn't want to go any deeper.

"Chiyoda-san. I'll accept this appointment, but eventually I'm going back to my home prefecture. Do you have any candidates for the other headquarters directors?"

"The government's current idea is to appoint prefectural governors or people in similar positions."

"No." I immediately shook my head.

"That'll just cause another Stampede. The headquarters directors should be chosen like this. The people actually handling operations should be chosen the same way." I thrust out my fist. Strength. It wasn't that administrative personnel weren't important. But if the people actually doing the work didn't make it home alive, nothing could begin. And if they were going to operate inside the Gates, they needed someone capable of leading them. That meant, inevitably, someone with the strength to back it up.

"Violence?" Chiyoda looked deeply unhappy.

"And what happens if they go out of control? I don't even want to consider it, but if you were to go rogue, we already have no way of stopping you." I didn't want a dystopia either. If I ever went out of control... I'd like to think I wouldn't. If I did, maybe I'd do it inside a Gate and become nothing more than a Roomba-like cleaning robot.

"...'Do your best' isn't enough, is it?"

"Well, it's a matter of balance. Whether you believe in the inherent goodness of humanity or its inherent wickedness, whether it's the chicken or the egg, in the end the problem is the same."

"Will the monsters destroy the world, or will people commit atrocities?"

"If you're afraid of either possibility, raise everyone's levels. Create inspectors capable of dealing with powerful individuals, or make the headquarters directors responsible for enforcement." A system of mutual oversight. The police protected citizens while also monitoring them for criminal behavior. The Self-Defense Forces watched foreign threats and monitored signs of attack.

If that was the case, then individuals who possessed overwhelming power would have to be monitored by other individuals who possessed overwhelming power. Of course, laws would still be necessary.

"... I'll bring it up with my superiors. But if it's approved, you'll be expected to work under that system as well."

"Either way, as long as the Gates exist, we'll need management and administration, as well as an education system for Sweepers. Even under a self-responsibility system, it's not a good idea to needlessly increase the number of deaths."

"It's fine for now, but once the system is properly established, I think becoming a Sweeper should be regulated through a simple licensing system."

"The idea of licensing has already been raised in the Diet."

"That's good. A written examination and practical training. Those should be the minimum requirements."

"The support staff system Hyodo and the others were using should also be incorporated as an educational system. I experienced it myself, and going into a Gate alone for the first time is pretty damn harsh."

"Once the laws concerning Gates are established, there should also be an examination to make sure people understand them."

"Or perhaps a written pledge disguised as an exam, with the whole point being to hammer the concept of self-responsibility into their heads."

"When does my term as an advisor begin? I need to discuss it with my wife as well."

"Oh, yes. There's some good news. Your family registry and related matters have been officially approved by the government."

"Good news?"

"The same-sex marriage you mentioned before has quietly passed and gone into effect. The two of you are now officially recognized as a married couple."

"And as part of that process, your legal sex has been officially changed to female. Only the sex designation was changed, so your age remains the same. Apparently, if you'd prefer to be younger, that can be arranged as well." Oh! That had actually passed? Well, I figured it would happen eventually with the way society was changing, but I hadn't expected it to be officially approved. Good. Good. Without even realizing it, I'd become a genuine girl in the eyes of the law.

Still, nothing about me had really changed, so I supposed that was fine. As for my age... There was no need to change it. It was just something written on paper, after all. I didn't want to lose the ability to buy cigarettes, and there was nothing about my age that was causing me any trouble. If becoming younger were possible, there were probably plenty of women who'd jump at the chance.

"Thank you. There's no need to change my age. Is that everything? If we're done, I'd like to go home and discuss this with my wife."

"Yes. That's all for today. It will take several days to finalize the details of your advisory position. Until then, you're free to do as you please as long as we can contact you."

"... Oh, right. Just to be safe, we'll assign Mochida-kun to accompany you. You two seem to have become quite close, considering you're already calling each other by your given names." Apparently, they were going to assign Mochida to me. I didn't know the city very well, and I had no idea what the current train situation was like. I wasn't particularly interested in sightseeing, but I was getting tired of going back and forth between the workplace and the hotel.

Maybe I could even turn Mochida into a Sweeper and see what Job my wife had received. Assuming either of them agreed, of course.

"Understood. Can I enter a Gate?"

"... I'll permit it, but don't go too deep. You should be fine given your abilities, but accidents can happen."

"The hotel has changed, so I'll drive you there on the way back. Come with me." I followed Chiyoda through headquarters, the dog walking alongside us. The workers from earlier waved at me, so I gave them a small smile and waved back. They looked happy. Good for them. And good work. Once we got into the car, Chiyoda took the wheel. I'd ridden a motorcycle before, but it had been a long time since I'd driven a car. After getting his permission, I lit up with my kiseru and took a leisurely puff.

There were plenty of cars and people outside the window. It was evening, so everyone was probably hurrying home.

"Chloe..."

"Off the record, the people above me are trying to tame you. The fact that no one else is here is also because they're wary of your abilities." As the setting sun streamed into the car, Chiyoda operated something and quietly let the words slip out. Well, that was only natural. If they could pull me into their organization, they'd want to do it as quickly as possible. I'd already been fitted with a collar in the form of an official position.

"That's fine. As long as I have food, clothing, shelter, and my family is taken care of, I'm not particularly concerned about the rest."

"Of course, if someone tells me to strip and provide personal services, I'll knock them flat." My appearance had been made according to the golden ratio, after all. It was quite good. But anyone with ulterior motives could kindly leave. Money? Power? If they thought either of those could control me, they could take that power and dive to the middle levels themselves.

"I can't imagine you acting submissive." Chiyoda narrowed his eyes and chuckled as he looked at me. How rude. I could do it if I really tried. I'd been alive for a long time, after all. I'd seen something like this on television.

"Come on, Daddyyy~ I want some new clothes~♪""Whoa!" Chiyoda slammed on the brakes. Hard. Thank God we didn't crash, but the seatbelt dug painfully into me. I looked up at Chiyoda with tears in my eyes. His face was slightly red, and our eyes met. Why on earth did I have to be staring into this man's eyes?

"Chloe, what kind of clothes do you like?"

"Hm? Anything is fine. I like black, baggy clothes."

"It was a joke. Don't worry about it."

"Then let me give you some advice."

"That behavior just now? You should probably never do that again."

"Ah... was it disgusting? Sorry about that." Apparently, even if you looked good, having the mind of an old man was still a problem. Not that I was eager to do it again.

"The opposite."

"When someone with your voice and appearance begs for something, it makes me feel like I'd buy you anything."

"Just now, when you mentioned personal services, I actually imagined it far too vividly. Then, when you mentioned clothes, the names of luxury brands immediately came to mind."

"... You haven't done that with other people, have you?" So he'd imagined me naked. Well, Chiyoda was a man too. It couldn't be helped. He could deal with that at home. As for begging for things... I'd accept something if someone offered it, but I wasn't good at asking for things myself. It always made me feel like I owed the other person something, as though I'd have to repay the favor. Something I'd received recently... Ah.

"I asked Tachibana-san for some money, and he gave me a card."

"What!? He gave you something like that!?"

"I didn't have any cash on me, so I asked. He said it was my share of the streaming revenue and gave me a card in my name." While Chiyoda was still processing that, we arrived at the new hotel. It seemed to be a back entrance, and there weren't many people around. That was convenient. Parking in front would only cause a commotion.

"Thank you. What room am I in?"

"Room One on the top floor."

"... Chloe, there's a trunk in the back. It's nothing special, but please take it with you." He'd apparently brought me something, so I stored the trunk inside my ring and parted ways with Chiyoda. I headed up to the top floor. Probably a suite. Maybe even a royal suite. It was probably free, so I might as well relax.

"I'm home~."

"Oh, welcome home, Tsukasa." My wife looked up.

"I was talking with Mochida-san. Which one do you like?" She held out her smartphone. The screen was filled with pictures of all kinds of clothes.