The deer guy looked back at the wolf.
"Standard?"
"Standard," he agreed.
This entire exchange happened without either of them showing even a single change in expression.
"You will get about 48 vacation days. Sick days need to be supported with a doctor's note. You would also get about 10,000 yen per day of work. Tips you get are yours; you don't need to give them to us. Now go. Work starts tomorrow. And here's about 500 yen. Can't have you keel over before you even start," he said, handing over the money with a small smile before carefully maneuvering me to the door.
And then I was out the door. On the outside… and I didn't even get the chance to actually accept the job offer. Though I knew declining that offer, by any standard, would have been insanity. Having secured a job, even though it wasn't my intention, I decided to return "home" and look for a potential shelter within a reasonable distance.
Once I got closer to the building, I spotted a small space I could possibly reach from my own window while also being accessible from outside the building due to an escape ladder. But the only way to be sure I could get there was to try. So I grabbed the first step of the emergency ladder and began climbing up its stairs slowly — a design much like you would expect to find in America.
Then, once I finally passed my own window, I allowed myself a short break to catch my breath. My window was exceptionally close to the stairs. The platform built to accommodate the change of direction in the stairs acted much like a balcony. The railing was slightly lowered, so I could easily jump out of the window if need be, without worrying about my feet getting caught on it.
Eventually, I reached a hidden and hard-to-get-to corner near the roof. It was right below the edge. The corner had once been part of a section where the original roof had collapsed inward after a piece of the neighboring building hit it, causing the collapse. The landlord had never actually restored the roof after that. Instead, the wrecked parts had been removed, and then a redesign of that section had been conducted. The resulting little space was protected from both rain and wind — but sadly not from the cold. So I knew I had to get creative rather soon if I wanted to avoid freezing to death later on.
Once I had returned inside the apartment, I knew I had to get out of there quickly. My room was trashed, and it smelled like Inko had taken drugs. I nearly choked — that's how heavy the smell was. There were only a few times Inko had actually resorted to taking drugs. Those times usually ended with me being unable to go to school for a few weeks, until my organs healed.
Yeah, you heard right. Organs. Her quirk — being able to telekinetically control small objects — worked even on things she couldn't see. Now imagine her pulling on your heart and lungs. No wonder I was sick and close to dying each time she did that. Worse even, as abusive as she was, she didn't drink while taking drugs. Just intelligent enough not to accidentally kill herself — only to make my suffering last longer. That drug, of course, made her more aware of her surroundings and incredibly irritable. So I knew she would wake up faster than usual, if she wasn't already awake.
I grabbed the important stuff quickly: toiletries, blankets, and clothes. Then I jumped out of the window and quickly climbed up the stairs. I was fast and quiet — I was sure of that — but almost as soon as I had closed the window from the outside (blocked it from actually locking), and ducked out of view, a sharp gleaming knife shattered the window. It flew out at high speed, quickly leaving Inko Midoriya's range.
Honestly, I don't even know why she has it out for me besides me being quirkless. It's not my fault the only jobs she can get all hate quirkless people and fire everyone related to them. It's not my fault that whore can't keep a job because she can't be bothered to even try.
I quickly disappeared up the stairs. The sound from the broken window and the increased noise from the city ought to irritate and draw her attention away from me, essentially making her unable to hear my steps on the staircase.
I took my time organizing the few things I could call my own once I got onto the roof. I knew this wasn't a permanent solution, but it was enough for now. Once I got enough money from my new job, I would try to buy a place of my own.
While yes, society had it out for me and any other quirkless, it didn't want us to be homeless. That however, wasn't kindness. While they made sure we could each buy ourselves a home, even at massively reduced rates, they ensured that we remained unnoticed by giving us only reduced rates for abandoned buildings. And considering that the average quirkless person couldn't hold a job — as almost every company would rather fire them and switch to a quirked individual if one applied— most quirkless could buy a small apartment or even a house on the outskirts, but that would be it. After they bought it, they would either end up job-hopping or just living out of trash cans.
The government provided just enough "help" to keep the homeless numbers down — but not enough to protect us quirkless from starvation. At least, not in our generation. Another problem the government caused us was by considering us lawful adults once we reached the age of fourteen. That meant taxes and more problems.
As I was thinking about all of this, trying to figure out a possible way to ensure my survival in the future, the system finally sent me a notification.
[Congratulations on completing the daily quest.]
[Rewards: +5 EXP, Skill (Passive): Detection, Voucher for Food (x2)]
[Explanation – Skill (Passive): Detection]
This skill's sole purpose is to detect if you are being followed — i.e., noticed. It's your early warning system. You notice traces of people and animals more quickly than others.
Makes you aware of their intentions once they begin observing or looking at you.
Improved due to natural affinity with Detection, Observation, and Conclusion. May eventually level up to a higher state.
[The system hopes you utilize the skill to your benefit.]
The skill was definitely useful — especially in combination with the "Low Presence" skill. It was bound to be helpful, not only for avoiding Bakugo and the other bullies, but also for avoiding my mother, and even during my new delivery job — to prevent muggings and people stealing the food.
Speaking of food… what are those food vouchers, and how do they function?
[The Food Voucher offers food for a day, i.e., three meals. These meals will cover everything the host needs — from vitamins and proteins to other essentials. The type of food and exact dish depend entirely on what the host desires. Food containers and cutlery will disappear once per meal and reappear for the next meal.]