chapter4 · 088-ep88

Episode 88: A Talk with Me

In the end, I couldn't come up with a way to fix the training-camp thing.

No — to be accurate, I came up with a few.

Ask Mom not to mention the training camp in front of Kujō-san.

...That won't work.

If I said that, she'd definitely ask why.

Then how about telling Kujō-san first?

I holed up in a dungeon for a week on my own. My parents think it was a government training camp.

...Yeah.

All I could see was a future where I got chewed out.

And I'd have to start by explaining that there's a Gate in my room.

"Sigh..."

And so, with zero countermeasures in place, the day of the explanation arrived.

Incidentally, I did contact the school properly.

I got a bit of a scolding for forgetting to contact them for a whole week, but so far it hadn't become a bigger problem.

Well, I really had been absent for Awakener-related activities.

That part was fine.

Today was the problem.

"Ren, isn't it about time?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah."

Mom called out to me in the living room, and I checked my phone.

About ten minutes until the appointed time.

He could show up any minute.

"What kind of person is coming?"

"A guy named Kujō-san. He helped me out during the development program before."

"Huh. So you know him."

"Yeah. I think he's pretty important."

"'I think'?"

"I don't actually know how important he is."

At the very least, he's definitely above Saeki-san and the others.

And he was insanely strong when he went up against Kanzaki.

If someone like that was going out of his way to come to our house, the government had to be pretty serious about recruiting Cooperation Officers.

...Not that I'm being singled out for special treatment, right?

They should be giving the same explanation to other underage candidates.

Right as I thought that, the doorbell rang.

"Oh, maybe that's him."

"Yeah."

I stood and headed for the entrance.

When I opened the door, a familiar face was there.

"Hello, Himuro."

Thinking that a "hello" from this guy had way more force than expected, I gave a "hello" back for now.

"I'll be counting on you today."

"Likewise. Please, come in."

Kujō-san gave a slight bow, took off his shoes, and stepped up into the entryway.

Unlike at the training facility, he was in a suit today.

Then again, he'd worn a suit before too, hadn't he.

While thinking that, I led him to the living room, where Dad and Mom stood up.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Himuro Ren's father."

"I'm his mother. Thank you for always looking after our son."

"The pleasure is mine. My name is Kujō. Thank you for making time today."

Kujō-san bowed politely to both of them.

Ohh.

Something about him felt different from usual.

Well, he was dealing with my parents, not me, so that made sense.

Dad offered him a seat, and Kujō-san took some documents from his bag.

"Then, without further delay, allow me to explain the Awakener Incident Special Cooperation Officer program, which is what I'm here to discuss today."

With that, he placed documents in front of Dad and Mom.

Awakener Incident Special Cooperation Officer.

Still a long name.

I already just call it Cooperation Officer.

"First, this system is being established to respond to the rise in crimes by Awakeners and unauthorized entries into Gates in recent years."

Kujō-san opened the documents and began explaining.

The content itself was mostly the same as what we'd been told before.

Awakener incidents had increased since information about Achievements went public.

There were situations the police and Self-Defense Forces couldn't handle alone.

And the government wanted to secure Awakeners willing to lend their strength in those situations.

Today, though, the way it was explained was a little different.

Before, it had been a pitch asking us to cooperate. This time, it was an explanation for my guardians to decide whether they were okay entrusting their son to it.

"In other words, our son would be fighting Awakeners who've committed crimes?"

Dad asked.

"That possibility exists. However, Cooperation Officers won't be doing the same work as police officers."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Fundamentally, you'll coordinate with police officers and staff on scene to guide evacuations, prevent escapes, and subdue targets when necessary. Arrests themselves are the police's job."

"I see..."

Dad looked down at the documents.

"But subduing someone means there's a chance of being attacked in return, correct?"

"Yes. I can't deny that."

Kujō-san answered immediately.

He apparently wasn't going to offer any false reassurance.

"For that reason, you'll fundamentally operate in groups. We aren't planning an operation model where everything is left to a single Cooperation Officer."

"I see."

"The government will also cover necessary equipment, training, and medical costs during missions. Compensation is also in place in the event of lasting aftereffects or death."

Death.

At that word, Mom looked up from the documents.

"...Is it really that dangerous a job?"

"I can't say there is no danger. In fact, there have already been incidents involving Awakeners that ordinary police officers have difficulty handling."

"I see..."

Mom looked at the documents again.

She'd been listening normally until now, but at this point she seemed to be getting a little worried.

Well, of course.

I'd nearly died fighting Kanzaki, after all.

And just because the opponent's human didn't mean they were necessarily weaker than a monster.

...No, wait.

I'd been way weaker back when I fought Kanzaki.

What would happen now?

If I used Battle Armor Release—

"Ren?"

"Huh?"

"Are you listening?"

"Ah, yeah. I'm listening."

Oops.

I'd been thinking about something completely irrelevant.

Mom was giving me a slightly exasperated look.

"This is about your own job, so listen properly."

"Yes..."

I mean, I already know the content.

Obviously I wasn't going to make that excuse.

I didn't want to say something weird here and make them worry more.

"As for Ren-kun, through his training in the development program and this aptitude assessment, we've judged that he has sufficient ability."

Kujō-san continued.

"Of course, that doesn't mean we'll assign him any dangerous mission. We'll decide the work he takes on based on his abilities and experience."

"We'd appreciate that."

Dad nodded.

Several more questions followed.

About balancing it with school.

How often he'd be called for missions, and how it would work when he couldn't deploy.

How much training there would be.

Dad seemed especially concerned about that part.

"Our son is still in high school, so we'd have a problem with him constantly missing school."

"Please rest assured on that point. With schoolwork as a precondition, we'll adjust his available deployment hours individually. We'll also explain things to the school on our side."

"I see. In that case..."

Dad thought for a moment, then nodded.

Good.

So far, this was going pretty smoothly.

Mom didn't seem opposed to the job itself, either.

If it just kept going this well—

"That reminds me."

Mom spoke up.

.........

What.

I had a bad feeling about this.

"You were at a training camp for about a week last week too, weren't you?"

"........"

Ah.

Here it comes.

It came.

I reflexively looked at Kujō-san.

Kujō-san happened to be looking my way too.

"........"

"........"

Our eyes met.

This is bad.

He definitely heard that, right?

No, there was no way he didn't hear it.

We were sitting at the same table.

"When he came back, he looked awfully tired. Will there be training camps like that in the future too?"

Mom.

Please.

Not any more.

Stop it!!!!

I'm scared!!!!

"For future training, we plan to inform you of the content and schedule in advance."

Kujō-san answered.

"As long as he's active as a Cooperation Officer, regular training will be necessary, but we'll adjust it so it doesn't interfere with his school life. If long-term training becomes necessary, we'll properly explain it to his guardians."

"Oh, I see. Then I'm relieved."

.........

Huh?

It just went right past her?

Mom nodded as if satisfied, and Dad turned his eyes back to the documents.

As for Kujō-san, he'd moved on to the next item as if nothing had happened.

Eh?

Hold on.

She just asked about the training camp, right?

The one where I'd holed up in a dungeon for a week on my own.

Kujō-san obviously wouldn't know about any such camp.

And yet he'd answered like it was nothing.

Why...?

Not that I wasn't hugely grateful.

I looked at Kujō-san again.

But he was talking with Dad and didn't even glance my way.

...Did he know and cover for me?

No.

If he'd figured out I'd done something on my own, he'd probably just ask.

.........

Well, whatever.

Right now, I was just glad.

I'd think about why later.

With that thought, I finally let my shoulders relax.

A while later, the explanation moved on to the contract terms.

"The base contract fee will be five hundred thousand yen per month."

"...Five hundred thousand yen."

Dad muttered, looking at the documents.

Mom was checking the figure too.

Well, we'd already been over this once.

They probably weren't going to be surprised like last time.

"This is paid regardless of whether he deploys. However, there are contractual obligations, such as participating in regular training and responding to communications."

"And there's a separate allowance as well, correct?"

"Yes. It's fifty thousand yen or more per case, with additional pay based on risk and time required."

Ohh.

I knew already, but hearing it again, it's impressive.

Five hundred thousand yen a month.

Plus a deployment allowance.

I hadn't received a single yen yet, but I was honestly looking forward to it.

What should I buy?

Right, Mom had told me to save it.

Not that I planned to spend all of it.

Buying a new game release should be fine, right?

"Ren."

"Hm?"

"Do you really want to do this?"

Dad was looking at me.

Kujō-san had stopped explaining and was waiting for my answer.

"Yeah. I want to."

"You heard there's danger."

"I know that."

Honestly, I want the money too.

Being able to enter Gates was a plus, too.

And if I became a Cooperation Officer, the government training facilities should be easier to use.

The terms were pretty good for me.

But it wasn't just that.

"I've been taught a lot through the development program, and ever since I became an Awakener, I've only used my abilities for myself. If that kind of power can be useful as a job, I want to try it."

After saying it, I wondered if I'd been a little too earnest.

It wasn't a lie or anything.

Hearing myself say it, it sounded like I was trying to be noble. Kind of embarrassing.

"I see."

Dad nodded.

"Then I think it's fine."

"Huh, really?"

"The government's explained things properly, too. And more than anything, you want to do it, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then do it properly. But if you think it's dangerous, don't push yourself."

"I know."

I was grateful.

Dad really was quick to get things when it counted.

I looked at Mom, and she thought for a moment before speaking.

"I'm not going to object either, but please be careful about getting hurt."

"Yeah."

"And school. Don't neglect your studies just because the work starts."

"Ahh... yes."

So that's coming too.

Well, of course.

"And contact us properly if anything happens. Disappearing for a week out of nowhere like this training camp worries us."

"...Yes."

Yeah.

I really was sorry about that.

For a lot of reasons, this time.

"Thank you."

Kujō-san bowed to them both.

"Since we've confirmed his own wishes, we'll proceed with the formal process once we have his guardians' consent."

After that, he explained the necessary paperwork, and Dad and Mom checked the contents.

I peered at it from the side too, but it was mostly what he'd just explained.

Nothing looked like a problem.

Man.

I was glad.

So I could finally become a Cooperation Officer.

There were apparently still training sessions and paperwork left, but at least the biggest hurdle — my parents' consent — was cleared.

"That concludes today's explanation."

Kujō-san said as he gathered the documents.

"The office will contact you again regarding the schedule for the remaining procedures and training."

"Understood. Thank you for coming all this way today."

Dad bowed, and Mom followed.

"Thank you as well. Please look after our son."

"Yes. Likewise, I look forward to working with you."

Kujō-san stood and picked up his bag.

I stood too, to see him off.

...Man, it worked out.

When the training camp came up, I thought I was done for, but thanks to Kujō-san smoothly deflecting it, it didn't turn into a problem.

That was a huge help.

I'd have to thank him properly next time.

While thinking that, I reached the entrance, and Kujō-san turned toward me and said something.

"Father, Mother. There's one last thing I'd like to speak with Ren-kun about—"

Huh, a talk with me...

Is that a safe kind of thing!?