chapter4 · 064-ep64

Episode 64: Yeah, I Figured It'd Be Something Like That

Kujō-san was bowing to us.

I wasn't seeing things.

And not just a little nod. He was bowing deeply.

This was the man who'd held Kanzaki down with one hand and defeated him without letting him do much of anything, despite how wildly he fought.

And he was asking us to lend him our strength.

Wait, what was he going to ask us to do?

I hadn't even heard the details and I was already kind of scared.

"Kujō-san. Please raise your head."

One of the participants spoke up.

Kujō-san remained bowed for a few seconds more before finally straightening.

"Thank you. Before I tell you what I'm asking, there's something I need you to know."

At that, Saeki-san operated a machine by the wall.

The broadcast from the other day appeared on the large screen in front of us.

A white room.

A boy sitting on a chair inside it.

The one who'd called himself a Gate Administrator and talked about Achievements and World-First Rewards.

"I think everyone here knows about this broadcast."

A few people around me nodded.

Of course I'd seen it too.

I'd even watched with my own achievement list open.

"In that stream, he said completing Achievements can reward you with Skills, and being the first in the world to complete an Achievement grants an additional reward."

Kujō-san stopped speaking for a moment.

"The government already knew that."

A murmur ran through the training room.

Yeah, that figured.

When I learned about Achievements, I'd wondered why nobody had announced them.

I'd considered the possibility that the government simply didn't know, but after gathering Awakeners and starting the Program, it was hard to believe not a single person had reported an Achievement.

"We knew Achievements existed and that Skills could be gained as rewards. We'd also received reports from multiple Awakeners about World-First Rewards."

"Then why didn't you tell us until now?"

A man near the front asked.

I thought I heard some anger in his voice.

That was understandable.

If they'd known about Achievements, some people might have obtained Skills much sooner.

They weren't all going to be happy that the government had kept that information quiet.

"There's one reason we didn't make it public."

Kujō-san answered without pausing to look for an excuse.

"To prevent the kind of trouble happening right now."

The screen changed.

Now several news clips and what looked like security-camera images were displayed.

An Awakener grappling with security guards in front of a Gate.

Someone leaping over a no-entry barrier.

A man lying in a back alley with another Awakener standing nearby.

I couldn't tell the details of any of those situations from the images alone.

But it was immediately clear that none of them were pleasant.

"We could predict what would happen if we announced that Achievements came with Skills."

Kujō-san looked toward the screen.

"Some would enter Gates without understanding their own abilities. Some would try dangerous conditions to claim World-First Rewards. And there'd inevitably be people who thought they could unlock Achievements by hurting others."

Several of my own Achievements had conditions that involved fighting other Awakeners.

Defeat an Awakener at a higher level in a single hit.

Deal at least twenty percent of a combat Job holder's maximum HP in damage.

In my case, Sakagami and Kanzaki had attacked me first.

But looking at the conditions alone, it wouldn't be strange for someone to try to complete them by assaulting somebody.

I understood wanting Achievements.

I wasn't about to deny that feeling after throwing myself a party for reaching six thousand uses.

But going so far as to hurt someone else for one? That wasn't right.

"I understand the frustration that we delayed making this public. But we weren't planning to hide Achievements forever."

Kujō-san faced us again.

"Conditions people could attempt safely. A system to manage the information. A framework for handling incidents caused by people pursuing Achievements. We planned to put those in place before formally announcing it as a government."

It felt a little... no, quite late.

Still, with this many problems arising right after the information got out, I could see why it wasn't something they could announce with no preparation.

"Even now, I don't think the decision to hold off on an announcement was itself wrong."

Kujō-san said it plainly.

"What's happening now is exactly what we were concerned about."

Quiet voices sounded around me. Maybe some had expected nothing but an apology for keeping Achievements secret.

Even so, Kujō-san didn't try to dress up their decision.

"But the information spread before we were ready. There's no point staying silent now. Once we've gotten the current confusion under control, the government will make a formal announcement about Achievements."

Once they've gotten it under control.

From that wording, it sounded like things were nowhere near under control right now.

The numbers on the screen changed.

Cases of attempted unauthorized Gate entry.

Assault cases involving Awakeners.

It'd only been a few days since the stream, but every figure was higher than I'd expected.

"Naturally, the police are working with us. The Self-Defense Forces have assigned more personnel than before to Gate security and emergency response too."

Kujō-san continued.

"But an Awakener who's not doing anything wrong is still a citizen. We can't point a gun at someone just because they come near a Gate."

That made sense.

Were they going to the Gate to chase Achievements, or just passing nearby?

You couldn't tell by looking.

"It becomes a problem when someone ignores a warning and tries to force their way in, too. There are increasing cases of ordinary police officers trying to restrain Awakeners and getting injured instead."

Awakeners' physical abilities differed with level and Job.

Even I got much stronger than an ordinary person when I used a Strength enchant.

If someone with a combat Job went on a rampage, several people together might still have trouble holding them down.

"We don't have enough people to guard Gates, investigate dungeons, or deal with Awakeners who commit crimes. We're short in every area."

Kujō-san looked around at us.

"That's why I'd like everyone here to help."

New text appeared on the screen.

There were two main duties.

One was preventing unauthorized entry into Gates.

The other was responding to crimes involving Awakeners.

"I'm not asking you to make arrests in place of the police. Police officers or government personnel will always be present at the scene."

Kujō-san explained further.

"Warn Awakeners attempting to enter. Evacuate civilians. Prevent suspects from escaping. If necessary, restrain them until the police can take them into custody."

In short, it sounded like a job stopping Awakeners ordinary people couldn't stop, using an Awakener's strength.

Surely they wouldn't all be like Kanzaki.

I hoped.

If someone like that showed up every time, there was no way I could respond to several incidents a month.

"Of course it's dangerous work. I won't ask you to do it out of goodwill alone."

At those words, notification sounds rang out across the training room.

My phone vibrated too.

An email had arrived from the government's Awakener Development Program office.

The subject line read:

【Awakener Incident Special Cooperation Officer Scheme: Overview for Candidates】

Yep.

That was a long name.

It definitely sounded like a government scheme, but I wasn't sure I could remember it after hearing it once.

"You should have just received a document outlining the terms. Read the details later if you like. I'll explain the important points here."

I opened the email.

The first thing displayed was a planned new national certification.

【Awakener Incident Special Cooperation Officer】

【Those who pass an aptitude assessment and complete the required training are slated for certification as the first cohort of qualification holders】

A national certification.

And I'd be in the first group to get it.

It still said "slated," but once the scheme began, I'd apparently be among the first people with that qualification.

All of a sudden, this sounded like something I could put on a résumé.

I became an Awakener.

My Job is Enchanter.

I'm nationally certified too.

If I'd heard all this three months ago, I'd have wondered what game someone was talking about.

"Those who qualify and wish to contract with the government will work as Awakener Incident Special Cooperation Officers."

I scrolled down the document.

And my finger stopped.

【Base Contract Fee】

【500,000 yen per month】

"...Five hundred thousand?"

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

Rio-senpai beside me was staring at his screen with wide eyes too.

Mibu's expression hadn't changed much, but her hand had stopped scrolling.

Five hundred thousand yen a month.

Not a year.

A month.

Five hundred thousand yen every month.

For a high schooler like me?

That wasn't a mistake, was it?

I checked that I hadn't misread an extra digit, but it definitely said five hundred thousand yen.

"The monthly contract fee will be paid even in months when you aren't deployed," Kujō-san explained.

"In return, we'll expect you to attend regular training, respond to communications, and stay ready to use your abilities. We'll set your available deployment hours individually when you sign the contract so you can prioritize school or your primary job."

Below that, there was even more compensation.

【Deployment Allowance】

【50,000 yen or more per incident】

【Additional payments according to risk level, time of day, and time committed】

Hold on.

It wasn't just five hundred thousand a month?

I'd get at least fifty thousand every time they called me out.

Even one deployment a month would put me at five hundred fifty thousand yen.

Two would be six hundred thousand.

I was honestly scared to ask what Dad made.

No, I knew I shouldn't compare them.

This was dangerous work, and only Awakeners could do it.

But it didn't feel like the sort of amount that ought to be deposited into a seventeen-year-old's bank account each month.

"That's a lot..."

I heard someone say it a short distance away.

I didn't know who, but I could tell every participant was thinking something similar.

"I have no intention of asking you to take on this danger for compensation that doesn't reflect it," Kujō-san continued, his expression serious.

"The government will cover all treatment costs for injuries on duty. There will be compensation if you're left with lasting effects. Survivor benefits in the event of death, equipment expenses, and travel costs will also be covered."

The document listed the same things.

Compensation for missing school or work because of an assignment.

Medical facilities specifically for Awakeners.

Legal support if using our powers resulted in someone getting hurt.

It wasn't as though we could do whatever we liked, of course.

It clearly stated in bold that this applied only when acting within the prescribed limits.

I kept reading.

Coordination with schools for students.

Consideration for needed remedial lessons and exam schedules.

Support for further education after certification.

Priority access to government-managed training facilities.

And then—

【Conditional access to government-managed Gates permitted】

There it was.

Five hundred thousand yen a month was insane.

I'd definitely take a deployment allowance too.

But being able to enter government-managed Gates was just as big a deal to me.

Since the Program stopped, I hadn't had a single chance to enter a dungeon.

I couldn't easily raise my level, and I'd only tested the new Battle Armor Form in my room.

If I could legally enter a training Gate, I could try everything I'd been wanting to try.

Achievements too—

No, maybe thinking about that right now was in bad taste.

We'd just heard that incidents were increasing because of Achievements.

But if I could go for them, I wanted to.

Safely, without causing trouble for anyone.

"Of course, minors won't be signing a contract here today."

Kujō-san's words made me look up from my phone.

"Only those who pass the aptitude test afterward will be eligible, but we'll explain everything again to them and their guardians. We won't sign contracts without the guardian's consent. We'll handle the explanation to the school as well."

Explaining it to Mom and Dad.

If they heard the five-hundred-thousand-yen part alone, they'd probably ask me to repeat myself.

But they'd probably object the moment they heard it involved stopping Awakener crimes.

Mom in particular.

Dad would worry too, but I felt like he'd hear me out in the end.

Rin would probably say something like, "Aniki getting five hundred thousand a month is gross. In that case, you can support one little sister, right?"

"Having heard all this, if you can't cooperate, you're free to leave."

Kujō-san looked toward the training room door.

"Refusing won't affect your evaluation in the Program or how we treat you going forward. It's dangerous work. It's only natural not to want to do it."

The training room fell quiet.

Nobody stood up immediately.

I looked at the document on my phone and thought it over.

The terms were ridiculously good.

National certification, five hundred thousand yen a month, deployment allowances.

I could even enter Gates under certain conditions, and they said school would take priority.

Well, I could take or leave that last part.

Honestly, I was pretty grateful for the offer.

But our opponents would be Awakeners committing crimes in pursuit of Achievements.

People like Kanzaki, whom ordinary police couldn't stop, existed.

If Kujō-san hadn't come that day, we wouldn't have been able to stop him by ourselves.

Of course I was scared.

But I'd already fought Awakeners several times.

Sakagami and Kanzaki.

I hadn't fought either of them because I wanted to, but without my abilities, more people might've been hurt.

If there was a chance I could stop someone.

And if the conditions were this good too.

Personally, it was harder to find a reason to go home.

After a while, one man stood up.

"...Sorry. I can't balance this with my regular job."

"I understand. Thank you for coming."

Kujō-san didn't try to stop him.

Another person stood and bowed before leaving the room.

Some time passed, but those two were the only ones who left.

Almost everyone stayed.

Kujō-san surveyed those of us who remained.

He looked a little surprised, then his expression softened.

"...Thank you. Honestly, I didn't think this many of you would stay. This really helps."

Kujō-san bowed again, then immediately raised his head.

"All right. Let's start the aptitude test right now."

An aptitude test.

With this particular group assembled, hearing "test" brought one possibility to mind whether I liked it or not.

"It's simple."

Kujō-san gestured with his thumb at the instructors lined up behind him.

"You're going to spar with us instructors."

"Ahh, yep. Yeah, I figured it'd be something like that."