["Are you okay?"] –asked the bitch Carla, crouching down beside me.
["My head… Can someone just kill me and end my suffering?"]
Okay my ass. I have a damn concussion.
["You deserve it~~~."]
["Tsk."]
I ignore Carla and her annoying smile, and get up, using the desk for support.
["Wench, how's the rat kid's complaint coming along?"]
I look at the cold-eyed woman serving as the receptionist at the police station and ask about the progress of my claim. Did I even make a claim? The rat kid doesn't remember, but any excuse is a good one to complain.
Looking at the woman up close, her aura intimidates the rat kid a little, but the rat kid is brave.
This isn't going to end like this. The rat kid's effort to evade taxes cannot be in vain.
["After an exhaustive investigation, we have reached a conclusion."]
["And?"]
["We have determined that we don't give a damn about your request."]
["Tsk, you bitch. Is that any way to treat the one who pays your salary?"]
["Oh, dear, my sincerest apologies. What I meant to say was: 'Esteemed citizen, we are currently working at maximum capacity to meet your demands, but there are too many emergencies. Therefore, we beg you to be patient'."]
["Which translates to…?"]
["We have determined that we don't give a damn about your request."]
Son of a…
["I've never seen you express so many emotions before, Flora."]
["Well, this spoiled brat of yours knows how to bring out the worst in humans."] ["Ahahaha…."]
This cold woman excites the rat kid for some reason.
["We finally meet."]
As the rat kid was planning his next move, an… orangutan? No, a gang member in a uniform.
Next to him, another bunch of men with gang member and yakuza faces in uniform. How long have they been there?
["Auntie, I know the situation is critical, but you can't just take prisoners out and give them weapons for support. The rat kid saw that movie; it doesn't end well."]
[[[[The rumors about his mouth are conservative…]]]]
["Ahahahaha…."]
Some men behind the orangutan seem to know the rat kid. The rat kid doesn't remember men; the rat kid is a heterosexual rat kid.
But I do remember one of them.
["Oh? The gorilla tamer. Why haven't you tamed the gorilla yet? Where'd you get your license? I'll sue you. Couaaaaaaaaa."]
I get punched in the stomach. The rat kid feels like he's going to spit out his intestines at any moment.
["Kid, I'm doing my best, okay? But it's a work in progress, and my daughter makes it difficult for me too. Couhaaaaaaa."]
As I was trying not to die of pain, the gorilla tamer falls down with me. I don't want your bitch excuses, I want facts, I want bounties.
["Well?"]
Fear…
["Astrad."]
A chill runs down my spine when a familiar, yet unknown, voice whispers at my side.
When I turn, Sophie is looking at me with a smile that doesn't reach her eyes.
["So you're that secret support of my father's~~~. It's a pleasure."]
In that moment, all the pieces clicked into place in my head: that familiar smell of a desperate divorcé from the room before, and those familiar features in this girl, who is apparently dangerous on the inside.
["Honey, calm down…"]
["Shut up, father."] ["Guck…"]
Don't shut up, you moron. Save the rat kid from this damn daddy-complex.
["Well, well."]
["Let's all calm down."]
"Grii, grii."
The girls come to the rescue and start dragging Sophie away from me.
The rat kid will live another day.
Meanwhile, Sophie, who is being held back, and my aunt, who has her arms crossed, look at each other in silence.
[[…Humph.]]
They both huff as they look away.
["Do you have Saiyan blood?"]
["I don't want to hear that from you."]
I complain to the gorilla tamer, but he accuses me unfairly… No, wait… I just got depressed.
["Anything else?"]
My aunt interrupts our conversation with a threatening tone.
["Nothing…"]
["I want to file a complaint…"]
["Hum?"]
["Nothing…"]
The rat kid suffers from police brutality. The rat kid will take his message to the news.
["He's an interesting kid, just like the rumors say, ahahaha."]
["Chief, you're not helping…"]
["Gajajaja, come on. Kids will be kids. Those who spend their time being angry get wrinkles fast."]
["Mooo…"]
The orangutan gang member defends me. I like the orangutan gang member. Even when he approaches me and pats my shoulder, I don't feel repulsion.
Because the alternative is the gorilla's punch. Only a select group of beings can touch the rat kid. The rat kid has decided that the orangutan grandpa will be one of them.
["Grandpa…"]
He has that neighborhood grandpa vibe. The rat kid will use anything usable.
["Gajajaja, see, see. He's not so bad."]
["He's just using you."]
Slander. The rat kid feels like he's the grandpa he never wanted. A convenient grandpa who spoils and defends the rat kid.
["Enough nonsense. Hey, brat, you're the leader of those girls, aren't you? You have a lot to answer for."]
[Tsk.]
At the words of a man in a suit, the orangutan grandpa clicks his tongue.
["Orangutan grandpa, who are they?"]
["What kind of way is that to address the Chief of Police?"]
["They're just a plague."]
["Don't play along with him."]
["I don't know what they are, but tell them I hate them."]
["My new grandson hates them."]
The orangutan grandpa hugs me as he says it. His arm is as wide as the rat kid's head. The rat kid feels the safety.
["Wiston, this has gone too far..."]
["That's because you're a weakling. I think it can go a little further."]
The atmosphere becomes heavy as two sides face off. It's the same as when I arrived.
The rat kid is a lover of despair and pain, not an abnormal lover of dangerous atmospheres.
Whatever. I'll leave as soon as I finish my business here. I hope the orangutan grandpa comes too, because he'll be a convenient pet.
["Kid, I'll ask you directly. How did you get associated with the monsters? What are your intentions?"]
The man in the suit interrogates me, but he doesn't press too hard because of the orangutan grandpa, who is glaring at him with hostility.
["Wench, I need you to look for these people. Tell me what you know about their situation after the stupid apocalypse. And make it quick, I want to leave early tomorrow."]
I ignore my surroundings and, after separating from the orangutan grandpa, I hand the list of names the girls gave me to the receptionist.
I also show her the photos I had on my phone.
["This…"]
[[…]]
The cold woman freezes for a second, and I feel like the room went silent. What? Did the monkey king descend or something?
["H… Hey, kid, listen to what we have to say."]
The man in the suit insists annoyingly. Why are you talking to me? Don't talk to me.
["And how does that benefit the rat kid?"]
The man's face changes color at my provocations. His anger is truly delicious.
["Kid, do you know who I am?"]
["I'd say my bitch, but the rat kid hasn't sunk that low yet."]
The rat kid has standards. You expect me to go home and tell Zeus, "look, my bitch"? Hell no. Don't let his fluffiness fool you; his pride is high.
["You damn brat!"]
["GAJAJAJAJAJAJA! Everyone look, that's my grandson!"]
[[Hahaha!]]
["I knew this would happen…"]
It seems I'm getting support from the orangutan grandpa's colleagues. His colleagues are… um… chimpanzees? It's a colorful herd. On the other hand, my aunt isn't scolding me, so they're not important, yes.
[Tsk.]
As I was wondering if this would turn into a fight, the man in the suit clicks his tongue and leaves, along with other men in suits.
Why are you wearing a suit in the apocalypse? No, wait, suits are usually thick. That's protection +5. Yes, the rat kid understands.