arc2 · 077-ch77

Chapter 77: I Got a Tax Accountant!

Sorry. I had Hayate's level wrong, so I've corrected chapter 75.

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Having secured a meeting with Arihara-san, I hopped on a train and headed for the government office. I'm not the same me who used to hide deep under a hoodie. It's still a little embarrassing, but trusting Umi's compliments, I'm walking around with my face fully exposed.

But it seems I got a little too full of myself. The people around me started glancing my way and whispering, and even though the train car should've been fairly crowded, for some reason nobody came near me. Everyone was just staring at me from a distance.

Wait, did I jump the gun...?

No no no, hold on. No matter what people around me think, I decided I was going to live with confidence, didn't I? I can't let something this small get me down!

"Um, excuse me, would it be okay if we took a photo together?"

—or so I was thinking, when a young woman who looked like a high schooler suddenly approached me. Why would she want to take a photo with someone like me? Is she mistaking me for someone else?

"Ah, uh, umm, me?"

"Yes, would that be okay?"

I mean, a photo isn't a problem or anything, but President Yamamoto told me to be careful about not having my identity discovered, so I should probably turn her down properly.

"Um, I'm sorry. Photos are a no-go for me..."

I turned her down as apologetically as I could, and to my surprise, she backed off pretty easily. The two of them were chatting saying, "See, I told you he's a celebrity!" while I left the scene thinking, "That's completely wrong. Sorry about whatever that was."

Figuring it'd be a real pain if more people came up to me, I quickened my pace toward the taxi stand.

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Arriving at the government office, I made my way to the usual room with familiar steps.

I knocked and entered, and just like always, Arihara-san was there to greet me, but...

"Umm... Soramine-san... right?"

My identity was being questioned here too. Apparently just cutting my hair is enough to make everyone lose track of who I am.

"Yes, it's Soramine. I had a bit of a change of heart, so I got a haircut."

I explained as much, but Arihara-san didn't seem convinced.

(Just a haircut? That's an understatement. I thought you were a completely different person.)

He seemed to be muttering something under his breath, but I couldn't catch it very well.

However, Arihara-san quickly broke into a smile and guided me inside.

"Here, please have a seat."

Prompted by Arihara-san, I sat down on a soft sofa. Huh? Was this sofa always this soft? It feels more comfortable than last time...

"So, I understand you're looking for a trustworthy tax accountant today. If so, I believe I can be of assistance."

Oh, what a welcome thing to hear right off the bat. Does this mean Arihara-san is offering to take on the role himself?

"Really? I'd definitely love an introduction."

Seeing my enthusiasm, Arihara-san nodded with satisfaction and began to speak.

"The truth is, before I joined the Dungeon Agency, I worked as a tax accountant. Oh, you've probably heard this from Yamamoto, haven't you? I never would have imagined that you and he were acquainted. Well, thinking about it now, I should have predicted that Soramine-san would have a connection with the foremost authority on drone manufacturing... I'm reflecting on that oversight now.

Oops, I got off track. Anyway, I don't mean to brag, but I consider myself to have been quite a capable tax accountant. So, Soramine-san—would you be interested in hiring me?

I've already obtained permission from the higher-ups for this, so if you leave it to me, not only can I safely manage your assets, I can also protect you from various kinds of trouble. After all, the Dungeon Agency has my back."

So that's the direction he went. I'd predicted this answer ever since my conversation with President Yamamoto. Honestly, even from our previous interactions, it was clear that Arihara-san was a good person and highly competent. Still, there was one concern about entrusting things to Arihara-san. Namely, my personal information would be completely exposed to the Dungeon Agency.

Well, having my savings amount known probably wouldn't be that big of a deal, but having my actions monitored by the government? No thank you.

"Oh dear, I phrased that poorly. When I say the Dungeon Agency has my back, I don't mean I'd leak your personal information without your permission."

Whoa, can Arihara-san read my mind!?

"But Arihara-san, if you're a Dungeon Agency employee, wouldn't the information already be transmitted to the Agency the moment I ask you for help?"

"Well, since I am indeed a Dungeon Agency employee, that interpretation isn't wrong. However, even within the Agency, the only person who would know your personal information would be me."

Hmm, what does that mean? Is it really okay to trust this kind of talk? Wouldn't he have to spill everything if his boss ordered him to?

"If that's truly the case, I'd be incredibly grateful, but why would you go that far for me?"

Curious about why Arihara-san would go to such lengths for me, I decided to ask.

"Soramine-san, are you aware that there's been a sharp increase in informal visits by foreign government officials to Japan over the past few weeks?"

Huh? Why was he suddenly bringing that up? There's no way I'd know about something like that.

"No, I had no idea at all."

"Of course you wouldn't. They've been coming secretly. Though when I say 'secretly,' we at the Dungeon Agency are properly tracking their movements. So, why do you think these foreign government officials have been coming to Japan in such numbers?"

Hmm? Even if you ask me why, there's no way I'd know. I considered that they might be after Japan's dungeons, but dungeons have appeared all over the world too. There's no need to come all the way to Japan.

Maybe they're here to scout Japanese explorers? But while Japan isn't ranked low on the world explorer rankings, there's always someone better. If you're scouting, you'd go for those top players instead. Well, when it comes to the world's top-ranked explorers, they probably aren't easy to recruit anyway.

"Umm, I wonder why? Maybe they came to eat Japanese food?"

I just said whatever popped into my head.

"Hahaha, Japanese food is certainly delicious! But no, that's not it. Their objective is you—the only person in the world who can communicate from inside a dungeon."

Huh? Me? I'm the objective even though I can't even become an explorer? Is he joking? But Arihara-san's expression was dead serious. Wait, seriously?

"Um... me?"

I still couldn't quite wrap my head around it, but do I really have that kind of value?

"Soramine-san, it seems you still haven't fully grasped your own value, so allow me to explain it clearly. Your Job is a mass of potential. It's already useful at its current stage, but if your Job were to level up, I can't even imagine what you'd be capable of. In fact, some of the more extreme nations are apparently searching for you with enough fervor that they might actually try to kidnap you."

Wait, is that seriously happening? Kidnapping is way too scary. Setting myself aside, what about Umi and Mom? Would they be okay?

"Is that really happening..."

I don't think Arihara-san would lie about something like this, but I'm having a hard time believing it.

"The Dungeon Agency detected this information early on and has already made arrangements to prevent SS and Soramine-san from being connected. So for now, at this stage, you can rest easy."

Whoa, not only had my identity been discovered, but they'd been secretly protecting me too... Maybe I can afford to trust these people a little more.

"How should I put this... um, thank you very much."

"Not at all—Soramine-san is a treasure of Japan. We simply did what was only natural."

If he's going to go that far, then I suppose it's time for me to commit as well.

"Arihara-san, I had no idea the Dungeon Agency was protecting me. With that in mind, may I formally ask you to manage my assets?"

I bowed my head and made the request to Arihara-san.

"Leave it to me. First, regarding tax measures..."

After that, Arihara-san walked me through the procedures while teaching me about various things. I also asked whether I could get permission to sell items inside dungeons. To explain the reasoning, I told him about my new skill 'Storage,' but...

"Um, I know I'm the one who said it, but it really is a mass of potential. Storage, huh... I can hardly believe it offhand, but if it functions exactly as you describe, Soramine-san, there shouldn't be a problem. Of course, I'll need to verify the effect in practice.

That said, consulting with Yamamoto was a wise move. Personally, my honest feeling is that I'd rather you not attract any more attention, but I understand that keeping it hidden completely would be difficult too. I'd want you to use it without hesitation if you're ever caught in an unexpectedly dangerous situation."

Oh, that's a relief. It sounds like if I demonstrate the Storage function to Arihara-san, I'll be able to get permission from the Dungeon Agency to sell items inside dungeons.

"The Dungeon Agency would also welcome you selling potions and taking on transportation work. If the dungeon environment improves even a little, the number of explorers will increase. However, as Yamamoto also advised, please make sure to emphasize that your capacity has limits."

Right, President Yamamoto already told me that, so I'm good on that front.

After this, Arihara-san explained what I needed to be careful about with the Storage skill. With this skill, I could essentially smuggle anything, and I was told it could change the very concept of warfare. But since there's no way to restrict an individual's skill, the only thing stopping misuse was relying on my own conscience.

Of course, I have absolutely no intention of using it for anything bad, but I resolved to be careful not to do anything that might invite suspicion either. After that, we continued working through the procedures while he taught me about various other things.

"Thank you so much for everything today."

"Not at all. Our goal is to ensure that Soramine-san stays in Japan, so we're prepared to cooperate fully. If there's anything you need to discuss, please don't hesitate to reach out. Oh, and if I may offer one piece of advice—presumptuous as it is. Right now, the biggest concern regarding SS and Soramine-san being linked is the risk of your drone's takeoff and landing site being discovered. Because of that, we're currently making arrangements to build a landing pad on the Dungeon Agency rooftop.

Until that landing pad is completed, how about constructing one on that company's grounds? They would keep your secret, I'm sure. I'll mention it to Yamamoto as well."

I see. That might be a good idea. To avoid putting my family in danger, I should ask President Yamamoto about it.

"Thank you for the advice. I have plans to meet with President Yamamoto soon, so I'll ask him myself."

"Yes, please do. I'll pass the word along as well, so it should be fine."

I thanked Arihara-san once more and left the government office, thinking about my next steps.