[Message Sent!]
I'm fucked. I really sent it.
What did I send, you ask? A school withdrawal application. As a bonus, I also declared to my only living relative, that sister of mine, that I was running away.
You heard right. I just abandoned both school and family.
Ha, I'm shaking like crazy. What do I do? Should I tell her it was a mistake?
...No, I've made my decision. If I had kept going to school like this, I probably would have started a family brawl because of my sister. And I would've gotten my ass kicked.
Yeah. It'll be fine. My sister is a strong person, after all!
*Ding—*
Ah, a text.
Who is it? There's no one who would message me.
[Sister: The hell is this, you psycho?]
Ah, it's spam.
Well, my sister will understand. How many years have we spent together?
Surely she wouldn't start spamming me with texts like some crazy psycho, right?
*Ding—*
[Sister: Not coming back right now? Hey, I'm coming to find you.]
Seems like there's a lot of spam these days.
Right! From now on, I just need to worry about my own future!
I've always fantasized about living alone, so I guess I should look for a place to live first?
*Ding—*
[Sister: Has this bastard really lost his mind?]
They say personal information gets traded a lot these days, and I guess it's true.
Otherwise, there's no way spam could be coming from my sister's number in my sister's tone, right?
Lamenting the incompetent security of the General Student Council, I tried to turn off my smartphone.
*Ding—*
*Ding—*
*Ding—*
*Ding—*
*Di—*
Wow, all my personal information has been leaked. Well, that's a shame.
With a light heart, I blocked the spam and headed to a nearby bank.
I saw it in a drama once; you're supposed to start with monthly rent and later move on to a *jeonse* lease.
If so, shouldn't I follow in the footsteps of my predecessors?
I took out my card to withdraw my entire fortune.
It may not look like it, but I've been planning this for a while, so I have quite a bit of money saved up.
I should be able to afford at least a month's deposit and rent. If it's a semi-basement apartment, that is.
Still, that's something, right? Next month's rent is a problem for later, so this is a pretty sweet deal.
And so, I took the card—
"Ah, right. The card."
...I'm fucked. I didn't bring it.
I left it at home? Aish, this dumbass.
Let me say it again: I'm fucked. I've completely, royally screwed up.
And so my journey, which started with dropping out of school and boldly declaring I was running away, plummeted into the abyss from the very start.
* * *
For now, I'm taking a short break on a bench in Kosagi Park, D.U. Central District.
No, this isn't a break. There's no way shaking my leg and breaking out in a cold sweat can be called a break.
"If I go back and get on my knees now, would she forgive me...?"
No, if I did that, I'd probably have to spend about three months in the hospital.
Knowing that crazy bitch's personality, she'd never let me off the hook.
...How did it come to this? It's a bit of a long story.
I have a sister. An older sister who's two years older than me, currently in high school.
To put it bluntly, my sister is a total deadweight.
You know the type, right? Someone with no skills of their own who constantly chews everyone else out, and who screws everything up while claiming they're trying to help.
That's my sister, exactly. She was already a deadweight, but she became even more of one after starting high school, and I just couldn't take it anymore, so I left.
Think that sounds crazy? Just roll with it. I heard on the news there are even terrorist groups that blow up restaurants because the food tastes bad. Compared to them, I'm pretty normal, right?
Anyway, I'm definitely not seeing my sister again for at least a year, even if it kills me. If she finds me before I'm settled, getting dragged back is a given. If I'm lucky, my limbs won't be intact, and if I'm unlucky, my life won't be. Why would I go see her?
She's an academy native anyway. It doesn't matter.
"Seriously, what do I do now."
A house doesn't matter. If it really comes down to it, I can just sleep on the streets in Kosagi Park.
...No, is that going too far? Being a public nuisance in the park is a bit much, even for me.
The real problem is food. I ran out of there without even eating breakfast, so the problem is that I'm crazy hungry.
They say humans can survive for 30 days without food, but people don't usually call something that looks like a half-dried jerky corpse a "person," so to me, that's just bullshit.
What should I do? Should I rob a convenience store?
Huh? Good idea. Or should I just go big and rob a bank?
...Never mind, forget it. What the hell am I thinking?
In the first place, robbing a bank or a convenience store would be impossible. That's because this isn't another academy's autonomous district, but the D.U. Central District.
The Justice Task Force. Even if it weren't them, I'm confident I could escape from C&C or the Prefect Team, but... this place is different.
Valkyrie? No, not those weaklings.
SRT. A special forces unit directly under the General Student Council President. They're the problem.
I've heard rumors that one of their squads has the combat power of the Seven Prisoners, but... I couldn't care less. What's certain is that their overall average skill level feels high, so it would definitely be tough.
On top of that, if I get caught and they run my ID... my sister will come looking for me, won't she?
I'd rather go to jail than meet my sister.
Haaah, so what do I really do?
No, wait, as a change of pace, maybe I should try applying to the SRT?
Right, I remember what my sister said when we fought once...
"Ah, tap!! I'm tapping out, TAP!!!!"
"Give it up. You suck at fighting."
"No, I said I give up!!!"
Ah, I got my ass kicked, didn't I?
The joints of the limbs she bent that day are throbbing again. Dammit.
...Should I really just go kneel? I have no money, no school, and no skills.
If I could, I'd feel like barging into any random interview site and raiding their break room supplies.
But that'd be too much of a nuisance, and I do have a conscience.
Yeah. Honestly, doing that to a respectable company would be wrong, right?
Even though I'm the guy who ran away because his sister's a pain in the ass, I still have some lines I won't cross.
"...So, what's your reason for being here?"
"I was hungr—, no, I came here because I want to stand on my own two feet!"
"...And you think you can be helpful? Do you even know what this interview is for?"
"Yes! Of course."
In that case, wouldn't it be fine to just raid the interview of a shitty company?
Preferably one with lots of money, like Kaiser PMC.
As expected, I'm a genius.
"Isn't this the interview for the 'Clean and Sanitary Basic Industry Support Program for Students'?"
"You're not in the wrong place... Anyway, Kosei? Why didn't you write your last name?"
"I forgot."
"Your school?"
"I dropped out."
"...Did you really fill this out seriously?"
"Of course."
"How did a bastard like this... Anyway, I have a few questions for you."
I have no idea if I'm doing well. I've never even had a similar conversation, let alone an interview.
Well, my sister did say I was a good talker, so it should be fine.
Besides, the interviewer's head is a robot, so he can't read my expression.
See? Other than blinking red, there's nothing to it.
"What would you do if there was an obstacle in your way?"
"I'd destroy it."
"With what?"
"...A fucking strong cannon?"
No, judging by the atmosphere, there's no way I'm passing this.
It doesn't matter. My goal was the snacks in the waiting room, not passing the interview.
"An old person and a child are at a crosswalk. If you were in a car, what would you step on?"
"I'd step on the pedal."
"Which pedal?"
"The accelerator, of course. If I pass before they finish crossing, there won't be an accident, right?"
After a few more questions and answers, the interviewer, perhaps impressed by my brilliant responses, gestured for me to get lost.
Yes! Time to go sweep up all the snacks.
* * *
After the interview, I helped myself to the snacks in the waiting room.
They said to take as much as our consciences allowed, so I guess I can just take an amount equal to my own broad and deep generosity.
It's fine. The other candidates already went home. I guess they get a notification on their smartphones or something. When's my notification coming?
As I was continuing to stuff my pockets, a huge robot came in.
Its shoulders alone looked twice as wide as mine. What's this? Are they kicking me out for taking too many snacks?
"Ah, Kosei-kun?"
"Yes? Yes."
I guess not. His voice is smooth. Though it's not a voice with any deep emotion.
Seeing the interviewer from before standing behind him looking flustered, he must be someone important.
If so... is there any reason someone like that would come looking for me?
Surely, if the company had any brains, they wouldn't hire me, right? A kid who forgot his own last name and doesn't even go to school.
"I am a Director of the PMC."
"Yes, nice to meet you, Director Min-cheol."
His name is fucking weird. He looks like an Mk.3, but his name is Park Min-cheol?
The fact that his initials make PMC is just absurd.
But does a director usually come to deliver a rejection notice?
"But why..."
"You've passed."
"What?"
"Do I have to say it twice? You've passed. If possible, you can start working today."
Ah, so the company is fucking brainless! Right, that must be why they're always getting roasted on the news.
But still, to hire someone with a questionable background?
...No, wait. Maybe there's a job that only someone with a questionable background can do.
"What was it about me that made you hire me...?"
"Because you're a madman."
"Bullsh—, I mean, what?"
"Most of the other applicants are the same. They talk about contributing to the company, or fulfilling their dreams. But what about you?"
"The accelerator, of course. If I pass before they finish crossing, there won't be an accident, right?"
"Chicken? Egg? I don't have enough money to buy either, so do I really have to think about the order?"
"That's just your opinion... sir interviewer."
"Honestly, we're already overflowing with by-the-book elites. What's important is desire. A desire that borders on madness."
Ah shit, I think I've gotten tangled up with a cult.
I just wanted to eat some snacks, though?
Sister, is this what they mean when they say leaving home is hell..?
Still, I don't miss you.
Now that it's come to this, I'll have to read the room and make a run for it.
"The salary is about 300,000 yen, and you can keep any additional income."
"Thank you, Mr. President."
"It's Director."
And that is how I got a job at Kaiser.