Well, Everything’s Finally Looking Up… Oh, Never Mind

Just a few minutes later, the witch re-emerged from the portal with the money.

I counted it excitedly and confirmed everything was in order. I was tempted to ask for more, but I didn’t want to push my luck. Even so, I could keep more than fifty glens after paying off the debt!

The witch, whose name I found out was Ewafarna, was just as happy as I was, because the gallows wouldn’t be waiting for her in the morning.

"The princess said she’ll definitely stop by again to... not buy anything from you... I honestly don’t know what that means."

"Oh, it’s nothing. We all have our quirks," I reassured her kindly.

"You too?" Ewafarna blurted out excitedly. "So-so you also get turned on when your socks—"

"No, no, no, stop! I said we all have them, not that we all share the same ones! And I’d prefer not to know these things about you."

"Oh… sorry," the witch whispered, turning as red as a tomato.

"It’s alright. I hope we’ll meet again, miss." And that you'll bring me another nice pile of money!

"Y-yes, definitely. Maybe next time I’ll come with the princess."

After a moment of silence, she finally realized that this was her cue to leave, and she quickly stepped into the portal.

Sleep-deprived but in an excellent mood, I was leaning casually against the counter, trying to project the aura of a guy who can handle any task and any order – Mr. Perfect!

Yeah, that’s me. A genius destined for a brilliant future in Lumir’s chain of stores. Yes, I’m the one who’ll pull this company out of debt (though I have no idea if it even has any). Even though everyone is trying to bring me down, I won’t give up! I’ll go far. I’ll become Lumir’s right hand (so I can punch him in the face)! Yes, that’s me, Seiichi, your excellent Mr. Perfect, Mr. Brilliant!

The portal crackled, and out came the balding manager who had so lovingly welcomed me on my first day here. He hadn’t grown any more hair, but the bags under his eyes had gotten bigger, and his mouth had begun to curve like a parabola.

"Good day, Mr. Bald—uh, Manager," I greeted him with a radiant smile.

"Hm, let’s have a look." The bald guy walked past me straight to the earnings records.

Wow, he really doesn’t give a shit about me. A nod wouldn’t have killed you. You bald old fart.

"How have you been, manager? I’ve been doing great. Just take a look at the earnings—I think they’re more than satisfactory."

"Hm." Mr. Baldy was reading through the records without sparing me a single glance.

I squirmed at the counter in anticipation, trying to look as natural as possible.

No… not yet. I can’t laugh yet. I have to hold it in. Thirty-five seconds… I’ll claim my victory at thirty-five seconds! (1)

35…36…37…38…39…

"I win, Baldy."

…40!

"What did you just say?"

Shit, I got way too carried away.

"N-nothing, you must have misheard. I just… um… cleared my throat," I tried to cover up my misstep.

At that moment, however, the manager’s eyes widened as he looked at the records.

"T-this is a crystalline dust order for… 822 glens?" he stammered. "What the hell is that?"

"Well, a customer came in and placed the order. That’s all. And as you can see, they paid everything to the last cent, so everything’s fine, right? Right?" Maybe a bit of desperation crept into those last words.

"Looks like it. Everything was paid for. This is… this is really unexpected. I’ve never seen such a large order before. You should’ve reported it first. What if the customer hadn’t paid? The debt would’ve fallen on your head."

Damn, good thing I managed to collect it all in time.

"But like I said, since it’s been paid for, everything’s in order. And not only that—these are excellent earnings. I’m more than satisfied with your performance."

"Thank you, sir. That means a lot to me." (No, it doesn’t—I’m just glad I won’t end up in the Demon Castle.) I said in a hoarse, emotional voice I had used many times to move the inspection teams.

"Excellent. Now get some rest. You’ve got the weekend off, and starting next week you’ll have eight-hour shifts. For now, you’re on your own, but we’ll try to find you a coworker."

Hm, judging by the mental state of about 90% of the people I’ve met in this world so far, I’m starting to worry a bit about that. But who knows, maybe it’ll be some hot chick.

After we shook hands, Mr. Baldy was already heading off. He must be a very busy man.

Ahhhhhh, this is great! Debt paid, and the free weekend ahead of me. I could hit a bar or at least buy myself something decent to wear. Right now, I only have this cheap uniform and the clothes I came here in. Yeah, things are finally looking good.

The left portal rumbled, and three tall figures in black coats emerged. They walked past the confused manager and headed straight for me. Before I could react in any way, the nearest figure shoved a badge in my face, featuring a symbol of three swords crossed into a triangle.

"BSSIS- Bolarian State Security and Intelligence Service, you are under arrest on suspicion of criminal activity related to drug trafficking. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in court."

(1) I hope some of you recognize that this is a silly little reference to the ending of Death Note—specifically chapters 102 and 103. Sorry if it’s a bit too cryptic. I just thought it could be funny.