Chapter 10: Volume 1 - CH 2.4

Part 4

After the people from Amagi Development left, Isuzu asked, “Why did you stop me back there?”

“What?”

Seiya had a good idea of what she was referring to, but asked anyway.

“You stopped me from taking out my musket when that guy was insulting our guests.”

“Of course. Any sane person would do that.”

Just what are you trying to say?

“You’re right. I was being a little too rash. I had even thought of firing right at their faces.”

“If you had done that, we’d be in deep trouble.”

“Yeah…” Isuzu sighed. “Cleaning up their exploded heads and brain matter would have been too much of a hassle. Thank goodness I didn’t kill them.”

“You’re one to talk.”

I don’t even know what’s going on anymore. Furthermore, it’s hard to imagine what she’d resort to when she was really angry.

“Also, come to think of it, that was pretty interesting.”

“What was?”

“The number you guessed. That was a very accurate estimation. Did you read his mind?”

“Of course not,” Seiya smiled wryly.

He did not use his magical power on Kurisu; he had only taken into account the information he had beforehand. Of course, he did not know the running costs and employee count last year, so he used a mind game called the Fermi Problem, designed by physicist Enrico Fermi.

It involved making use of information already on hand to make intelligent estimates for problems like ‘how many piano tuners were there in a certain town?’ While this technique would not give the exact answer, it was often used as a guideline to back actual calculations. Since the detailed explanation of this technique was full of boring numbers and would probably take up 8 pages, Seiya decided not to delve into the matter.

“That was just a wild guess. Nothing more than pure luck.”

“…I see.”

“Given that my power can only be used once, I figured it would be better not to waste it on a trivial calculation.”

“…You’re right,” she replied in a weak voice, briefly nodding her head.

“So why did you bring me to meet them?”

“I wanted you to meet our enemies.”

“So that I’ll know who we’re up against when I become the manager?”

“That’s right.”

“Enough with the jokes!” Seiya slammed his hand down hard on the table. He was at his limit. And as he peered at Isuzu, she did not look back, but instead remained fixated on a random part of the room.

“You’ve threatened me with a weird musket, stole my precious weekends, and you’ve still got the gall to ask for my help. What do you treat me as? A retard?”

“…”

“No answer? Then let me rephrase it. If I were to refuse, what would you do? Kill me?”

“I…”

She responded with guilt. She certainly had no interest in drawing her musket.

The room became silent, and only the distant noise from a roller coaster could be heard. It was then, Isuzu finally answered.

“…I never planned to kill you from the start.”

“Hmph.”

That was pretty obvious. It’d be stupid for her to kill him because of something like that.

“My family has a long military background and I was raised for the purpose of protecting the royalty of Maple Land. As such, I was brought up very strictly.”

“Uh huh.”

“So I didn’t know how to ask otherwise.”

“And what about your gun?”

“Its name is—”

Once again, Isuzu drew her musket out from her skirt.

“The magical muzzleloader ‘Steinberger’. It was passed down to me, and certain magical properties can be imbued into the shot depending on the bullet used. By the way, I’ve loaded the bullet called ‘Pain Bringer’ that inflicts about twice the amount of pain of stubbing one’s little toe against a furniture leg.”

“It only inflicts pain and nothing else?”

“Indeed. Do you want to give it a try?”

“Stop it,” Seiya flinched as she pointed the musket at him.

“It’s okay, you won’t die from it.”

“That’s not the point! Furthermore, the description of the pain is way too specific…”

“Anyway, what I’m saying is that I didn’t have any intention of killing you.”

Isuzu put her musket away.

“Amaburi’s staff shortage is severe enough that they made me temporary manager.”

“Why don’t you just hire a professional from a recruitment agency?”

“We did, but they all ended up leaving.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, my musket might have had something to do with it…”

“Hey!”

“I’m aware it’s my fault. In order to prevent the situation from escalating, I even used the bullet ‘Forgotten Realm’ so that they don’t remember what I did.”

I never knew such a convenient bullet existed! I wonder if I could have my memories of coming here erased as well?

“It was Latifa-sama’s oracle who chose you, but I personally feel that there’s something more about you. I hope you’ll consider our offer.”

Seiya sighed and stood up.

“Are you leaving?”

“Yeah. Problem with that?”

“Please give it some thought.”

“The answer is obvious. No.”

Within only two weeks, what could he possibly achieve as manager? Probably just the preparation for closure.

As Seiya was walking down the hallway, Isuzu called out, “Even if I was asking sincerely?”

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“Since when were you ‘sincere’?”

“We even gave you a magical power.”

“I didn’t ask for it in the first place. Don’t worry, I won’t use it maliciously; maybe just as a pastime for my train rides.”

Seiya was serious when he said he didn’t need the power. After all, he was able to make that estimation all by himself.

“You’re our last hope, Kanie-kun. Please save our theme park!”

“Declined.”

Seiya pressed the button for the elevator and turned around.

“Just hurry up and close the park already. Retrench the staff and use the remaining funds to start a croquette business. That’s the best action to take.”

The elevator arrived.

“Wait, please just see Latifa-sama once more.”

An image of Latifa struck his mind. Her gentle smile concealed much sadness. He recalled the aroma of the tea he drank, and his heart ached a little.

“Don’t make me repeat myself. A no is a no.”

The underground passageway was at floor B2. He pressed the ‘close’ button. The elevator doors closed, separating the two of them.

Seiya couldn’t say he felt very good about rejecting a request made out of desperation. He carried his heavy footsteps through the passageway and arrived at the exit. After returning the security pass and signing the log book, he left the park.

Let’s see now…Where was the bus stop again?

As he scanned his surroundings, he saw a man standing in front of the sign for the bus stop. Upon closer inspection, the man was Kurisu Takaya from Amagi Development. The other two weren’t there. Kurisu must have dismissed them right after the meeting.

He held his phone in one hand and smoked a cigarette. His necktie was loosened, and he was gazing far into the distance. Certainly an appearance of a typical businessman.

Seiya didn’t want to get too close, but the bus stop was right next to him. Their eyes made contact, and after giving a simple gesture of respect, Seiya stood at the other side.

According to the bus schedule, the next bus would come in about 5 minutes. After a while, he began to realize that Kurisu was looking at him. He tried to feign ignorance, but ended up asking out of irritation, “What do you want?”

“Nothing…hmm…”

Kurisu gave a puzzled expression.

“Have we met before? Or am I just imagining things?”

“…You must be mistaken.”

“Ah, I don’t think we’ve met, but I’ve certainly seen you before. Oh right, you’re Kodama Seiya, the prodigy who mysteriously disappeared about 5 years back!”

“…”

Seiya was becoming frustrated. He had grown a lot since elementary school, so he should have looked very different. He’d gotten taller, his hairstyle had changed and his gaze had become demonic. Naturally, his voice had broken and his home had since shifted from the notable Meguro ward to the commuter town of Amagi. His family name had also changed.

Despite all that, there were apparently people out there who were still able to discern his identity. Ever since he entered high school, there were only about 3 or 4 people who had discovered who he was, like the old lady from the bento shop and the cashier at the supermarket. However, not a single student in school had noticed, and for some reason, only elderly ladies were able to tell. Perhaps they had acquired the ability to predict how a child’s face would look as an adult based on their own experience with children?

Of course, Kurisu was the first male who had ever took notice of this.

“You’ve got the wrong person,” Seiya retorted.

Kurisu tilted his head, “No, there’s no mistaking it. You’re definitely Kodama Seiya. I already had a gut feeling when I saw you in the conference room earlier. Guess I was right.”

“Like I said, you’re mistaken.”

Despite Seiya’s efforts, Kurisu remained firm in his stance. Seeing how any further attempt to refute him would only make him sound stupid, Seiya decided to leave it at that.

“Even if I were, what business do you have with an ex-talent, anyway?”

“Nothing. It just piqued my interest, that’s all.”

“If that’s the case, then leave me alone.”

“All right, my bad. But well…you’re a student, right? What are you doing in a place like this?”

“Who knows? I could ask you the same question.”

Even though Seiya’s comment had probably come off pretty rude, Kurisu was not in the least bit agitated.

“Those people wanted me to take a look around the place. Although they asked me to work for them, I’ve already refused because I want to lead a peaceful life. So could you please leave me alone?”

Nothing he mentioned was a lie. He couldn’t care less about that dying theme park, and only God knew what was going to happen to Isuzu and Latifa. All he wanted now was to get back home and enjoy his favorite game.

The bus for Amagi Station was coming.

“I suppose you have your own matters at hand. At any rate, let me give you a word of advice. Be careful of who you mingle with. Stick around with losers, and you’ll end up becoming one.”

“Why, thank you.”

He couldn’t help but refute Kurisu’s insult, and continued, “…Wise words coming from one assigned to handle this hopeless theme park, I see. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Look who’s talking.”

Unexpectedly, Kurisu smiled with a complex expression different from before.

The bus stopped right in front of him, and its doors opened. Kurisu boarded the bus, but Seiya remained still.

“Kanie-kun…right? Aren’t you boarding?”

“I’ll wait for the next one so I won’t have to see your face the whole trip back.”

“My, my, did I make you upset? See you, then.”

The doors closed, and the bus departed, slowly fading from his view.

Seeing that Kurisu Takaya’s bus had disappeared from sight, Seiya checked the bus schedule once again. The next bus would arrive in 10 minutes. Such an interval was unacceptable, no matter how pathetic the theme park was. After all, this was still Tokyo, not a countryside. But then again, considering the park’s visitor count, this pace might be fine.

Seiya walked around in search of a place to sit. There was nothing, not even a bench for the elderly and children who spent the whole day walking. One could only stand and wait.

Wait a minute—

He found a handcrafted bench near the premises of the theme park, more than 20 meters from the bus stop.

Ah, I get it…

The bus stop was considered to be a property of the government. There was no way to install benches without their permission. So they had to build it on their own land which was farther away.

Seiya walked to it and sat down. The bench creaked in agony and felt like cheap DIY furniture. Its corners were properly buffered, probably to prevent children from getting hurt. There was an awful painting of the mascots on the wall behind it that had to have been placed there in consideration for kids who were bored of waiting.

If you have the time to do this, then why don’t you devote it to the actual park instead…

Despite that, Seiya couldn’t help but feel that this was the least they could do to please their guests, just like the croquettes. That filthy Kurisu Takaya mentioned earlier that the park’s guests were all idiots. And just moments ago, he said that hanging out with losers would make Seiya one as well.

Indeed, Seiya could not deny it. That man spoke from business experience. Of course, normally he’d just laugh it off as a joke. The cast of Amaburi had failed to put in the effort, so they were biting the bullet now. No matter how one looked at it, it was their fault.

So why am I getting so worked up over petty matters like this? And why am I so pissed at Kurisu’s insults? Am I just intolerant of the arrogance of others?

Amaburi will fall in 2 weeks. That’s a given. However, is it really the end? Is there something that I can do about it?

Thoughts swarmed inside his head, and 10 minutes passed quickly. The next bus had arrived, and several people began boarding. If he made a dash now, he would be able to make it.

But Seiya did not do so.

He turned his back against the bus, and headed for the staff entrance once again.

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