In my childhood, I used to be lazy… Hell, I could even put Nobita-kun to shame.
Instead of collecting beetles or visiting to sea with my friends during the summer holiday… I preferred to stay home, doing nothing and watching anime.
My laziness gave my parents a headache… especially my late father. Well, my mother didn't really mind it as I'm sure she preferred me to stay home with her.
This continued until I entered middle high. It wasn't a cat-robot from the future that fixed my laziness; rather, my old man lost his patience and finally took charge. He kindly advised me to get off my ass through the use of various "slaps of love". This got him a slap of love from my mother… wonderful family, right?
While rubbing his cheeks, he told me to get a job! He wouldn't tolerate lazy bums in his house, then he forced me to work at my uncle's ramen restaurant as a part-timer. The young me was opposed to the idea, because "Someone who has to work has already lost! Only losers work! I am the great Kyo-sama who won't work!". You could thank my chuuni side for that…
This made my parents speechless; I still remembered their face that time. The 13-year-old me knew I was fucked up as this made me earn another slap of love from him and even mom joined him this time. Then he told me to work hard if I wanted an allowance. If I didn't, I definitely would work for free… Thus, I started learning how to hard work… to gain my allowance.
So, what is the definition of working hard? I don't know… maybe Mr. Google can help you?
Anyway, as I started learning how hard it was to earn money, I finally understood that life didn't work like how I thought.
One day, my father told me a certain quotes to motivate the lazy me.
Success is no accident. It takes hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, the greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.
I didn't really know where that came from but it really resonated with me, like something imprinting inside me and changing me…I guess talking no jutsu can work in real life too. I believed those quotes so much even though I was sure he ripped those quotes off from somewhere.
Since then, I started getting serious about working hard. I had the integrity and ability to work. I kept telling myself that I could achieve anything if I worked hard enough! Without hard work, I gained nothing. So, I always worked like I didn't need money.Well, money was important though. I had money. There was quite a large savings. That savings was enough to make it so I didn't need to work for a decade as long as I wasn't being wasteful. However, the money wasn't infinite and wouldn't last forever.
So, I needed more. I had to work to earn my keep. To work meant I had to find a job.
Yes, finding a job was very important. Especially now that I had someone who was willing to spend eternity with me.
I could take my time to find one, but I desperately searched like a madman… I guess I am a workaholic, huh?
It's your fault for making me this way, old-man!
——-
Two weeks passed since I sent a ton of resumes to several local companies and I finally got a response two days ago.
The interview day came quickly.
Seriously, finding a decent job was hard, especially with a criminal record. I'd been out every day, beating the bushes, checking every Internet job search site I could locate and I even went to the classified ads in the newspaper. It was near the end of the day and I was tired and frustrated. The last guy I'd called had left it with "… don't call us, we'll call you."
But I never really got a proper response until yesterday. I wondered why? Was it really just my criminal record? Tsk!
Anyway, since today was my job interview, I had to prepared myself and even cut my hair to make my looks proper and clean. When I saw myself on the mirror, I saw a confident handsome man in my late twenties! Yup, this looked like me during my golden age! I was back to what I used to be! That was good sign! I even had to get my suit dry and cleaned. It smelled a bit. Well, that was because the other day Evelyn saw me in it and well… She asked me for "exercise", so… Let's just say thanks to a little "exercise", it smelled like sex, cough… I mean it smelled funny. The dry cleaners gave a disapproving stare as they returned the suit. That was mortifying, but I made sure to keep it clean for this day. And keep Evelyn from asking for more "exercise".
Evelyn cooked me a delicious breakfast and before I left, she gave me a kiss of encouragement. I was in heaven. Of course, I went to the company for my first interview with a burning spirit.
Also, while it was unexpected, Evelyn kept my house clean. She cooked for me and did my laundry. One could call her a goddess in all respects. I definitely wouldn't let her down. She basically acted like my housewife, so it was imperative that I provide for her.
This company paid a little less than what I had been making in my first job, but it was far more than that construction job. That wasn't unexpected. It had a lot of travel requirements, even more than I had from my first job. Right now, that was actually a benefit as far as I was concerned. I could take Evelyn during travel as I wanted to show her my world. So, it was not really a problem.
I entered the building with great confidence; I wasn't the kind of guy who got nervous easily. The location was very clean and the receptionist was friendly. I also didn't see any other applicants sitting in the lobby, so I was getting more excited that this would go well.
!!!
This was when I felt something tingling at the back of my neck.It came from my experience back in the army. It was akin to feeling killing intent. It was like someone was looking at me while filled with malice and hatred. This instinctually caused me to look back behind me. That was when I saw him. It was a man in a suit. He immediately turned away and ducked into a side room. I had only seen him for a second, but I had a sense of familiarity or rather he looked very familiar… Where had I met that man before? Hmmmmm…..
"Mr. Ogawa, we're ready to take you right now," a woman spoke up.
I didn't have time to think about the strange scene, so I turned away and stood up, putting my best face on as I nodded to the woman.
I followed her as she lead me to a small conference room. There was a tidy guy sitting there, he had dark eyes and short black hair. He was much younger than I was; however, given how my own appearance had changed recently, the difference between our ages wasn't as obvious as it might have once been. I saw his name and his position on the name tag. Tanaka Akifumi, Manager.
"Mr. Ogawa, please sit down," Tanaka suggested without standing to meet me.
Already nervous, I didn't mind it as I sat down and tried to exude as much confidence as I could.
"So, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?" He offered, un-smilingly.
"Yes, well, I used to work for the FK Group."
"You haven't been working there for the last 2 years, yes? Instead, I see you've been working in construction." The man eyed some papers on his desk.
"Yes, I've been working on construction since… well, my relationship with my wife ended, and I needed a few years to find myself. However, I'm ready to return and-"
"Find yourself? That's very interesting, Mr. Ogawa," Tanaka cut me off. "But didn't you end up going to jail for that?"
I frowned, a little unhappy especially how he put it. I had expected I'd need to answer for that eventually. I had just hoped I could push forward my own strengths a bit before he brought it up.
"Yes… well, I caught my wife in bed with another man. It was a messy situation. However, I'm confident now that I-"
"How did it feel?"
"Uh… what? I'm sorry?"
"How did it feel when you caught your wife on top of some strange man?" Tanaka's question was spoken so matter of factly that my mouth simply fell open in surprise.
"Naturally, I was angry. However, I served my time." I calmly spoke while I suppressed my irritation toward this rude man.
"Do you really think if you couldn't control your anger then, that we can expect you to control your anger in our workplace?"
"I'm sorry, but that was in the past, and an extremely emotional event. I'm sure you understand, had you caught your own wife-"
Tanaka let out a laugh. "Of course, I'd never be stupid enough to not know my wife was cheating on me for years before hand."
"I-" I shook my head, anger rising inside me.
What was this guy's aim? Is he trying to piss me off? Is this a test to see if I could keep my anger? If this was, it was a cruel one. I knew I had anger issues that made me blame anyone who made me angry but it already started to mellow thanks to my previous Evelyn's presence. So, I swallowed my anger the best I could. This was my chance at a job, i couldn't just give up. Wait… I just thought of something wrong with what he said.
That skank cheating on me for years? Yeah, I knew that. That was old news, but…
"How do you know my wife cheated on me for years?" I asked darkly.
Is that information on my resumes? Hell no! It'll be bad for my job prospects!
"Hah… isn't that always how it goes?" The man looks away, but I saw a flash of something in his eyes that told me he was lying. "Either way, I ask the questions in this interview. Are you still in love with your ex-wife? Are you here because you found some other woman to abuse? So, now you feel like you deserve to make mo- ahhhh!"
I immediately stood up and grabbed the man, pulling him towards me and slamming him down on the table. Ahhh, I fucked up… but I felt better as I vented my anger.
"What the fuck are you talking about?"I viciously asked him.
"You-! Se-seee! You're just some angry criminal. What company would ever hire you? The fact you even had the gall to apply to this position when you ex is married to the CEO of a major company?"
"I'm asking what the fuck my ex-bitch and her husband have to do with any of this?" I shouted.
"Fuck yo-" I slugged his face, giving him a bloody lip as he gawked at me in surprise.
"I've already been to prison. You said so yourself. I am an angry criminal! Do you want to die?" I threatened him as I spoke in a low voice.
"You— s-securi-" I slugged him in the face again.
"TALK!"
"Ah! Okay… okay… you… bastard… you don't even know this company is a subsidiary of Furukawa Kenji?"
"Furukawa?" the name came crashing home. "That man…"
The man sneered at me, his teeth bloody. Furukawa Kenji… that was a name I never wanted to hear again. It was a name I only became familiar with because it was the name of the man I assaulted, the new CEO of FK Group two years ago. It was the name of the man who put me in jail. It was this bastard who had fucked my ex-wife, took everything from me and ruined my life. I had only seen him once or twice before. And at that time, I had messed his face quite badly, so I didn't recognize him by sight, but now I realized it was the same man who had hidden when I glanced at him outside.
"You get it? You never fucking had a chance at this job!" Tanaka, the man who interviewed me was likely one of Furukawa's yesmen, and he had been put up to insulting me in this interview, because at his heart, Furukawa was a coward who didn't fight for himself.
"Fuck you!" I cursed. "I don't need your fucking job. I'll just get another-"
"You don't fucking get it!" He spat. "You beat up the wrong fucking guy. Furukawa Kenji may be a fresh upstart CEO, but he has influences everywhere! You've been blacklisted. There isn't a single company in Japan that'd dare hire you!"
WHAT THE FUCK!? That man actually had that big of an influence?
"Fuck!" I cursed, tossing the man off the table.
That's why I was having so much trouble? It wasn't just that I had a criminal record, but Furukawa had fucked me over throughout the entire business industry. I ignored the laughing man behind me and shoved my way out the door. I was actually planning on tracking down that asshole and beating the shit out of him again, but a part of me stopped it…as much I want to beat him to pulp, I had Evelyn waiting for me at home.
As soon as the door opened, I found it surrounded by six security guards.
"Mr. Ogawa, we're here to escort you out of the building." The head security guard declared, holding something in his hand that looked like a taser. "Mr. Tanaka, are you alright?"
"He fell and hurt his face." I declared, shooting back a glare.
The glare was directed only at Tanaka who was hidden behind me. He was standing there with a bloody face. It looked like he was about to start some trouble, perhaps trying to get me arrested for assault. However, I watched him with killing intent, like a predator eyeing his prey. For a man who used to be in the army, I could exude a killing intent that most normal people couldn't tolerate. His entire body shivered as he suddenly felt the sensation of a knife pressed to the edge of his throat. He rubbed his neck nervously. Even sucking up to his boss wasn't worth his life.
"Uh… yes, I fell. Just escort him out of this building." Tanaka, looked away unable to meet anyone's eyes.
The security looked confused. Clearly, they had all been planning to set me up and send me away in cuffs. However, Tanaka couldn't describe the feeling of certain death that shot through him from my look. Since he didn't admit I hit him, there was nothing illegal I had technically done. The security guards were helpless as they brought me to the lobby and let me go. As I walked out of the lobby unharmed, I felt those same hateful eyes. Furukawa himself was likely looking at me, hidden behind a corner, like the scared little coward he was.
I didn't look back, walking out of the enemy base with my back held high and my knuckles covered in blood. The whole interview had been a long set up by that wimp Furukawa. Even though Furukawa had caught me in his trap, I walked out of it feeling like a winner.
However, there was one thing I knew for certain. I wasn't going to be able to get a job in my old field of engineering. For someone with a master's degree, the degree had essentially become useless. Twenty years ago, I worked my ass to get that degree back in college to find a dream job. I wanted to work for a large company that had a big government contract to develop devices that would help wounded soldiers become completely mobile despite spinal cord and other serious injuries. Then I finally hired by one of the big company. But that bitch and her husband ruined it for me… Fuck them!
Guess my degree can't be used anymore?
However, I really needed a job, a decent job with good payment. Should I return to that old fat bastard? The answer was no. That old fart was a demanding, arrogant bastard. He wouldn't hire me back anyway after how I quit. Also, I was looking for a long-term job, not a laborer on a construction site.
Now, what should I do? I'd always thought that I had pretty good luck. But that's not the case, I guess. I stopped believing in luck since that day.
I still don't have a job, I really felt ashamed… Especially, I didn't know how to face Evelyn. Evelyn maybe would just shrug it off and smile saying "Tough luck" then start comforting me by putting my head in her soft huge boobs. She had been doing that when I felt down or depressed. While it was very comfortable, I couldn't let myself dwell on it. It would make me spoiled.
I sat in the car, about ready to head home while thinking about my next plan to find a job while knowing every opportunity to find one was very hard or I should say impossible.
While thinking that, I browsed my phone contact before starting the engine. Maybe some old-friends could help me but most of them drop me after the divorce. At least, I still have few true friends that still remained loyal to me.
I kept browsing until I stopped at on certain number.
"...…" I just keep looking at that specific number with a hard look.
[Grace: xxx-xxx-xxxx]
I know her number is still working.
Shall I call her? She's the only person I can ask on this matter. Who the hell was Grace? She was my colleague back in military and my so called ex-girlfriend for two years. Grace was a Korean-Japanese woman. You could say she was very beautiful if we didn't compare her with Evelyn. While she was very strict and disciplined, she was very gentle and kind.
Why contact her? Ahhh, I did mention I had military experience, right? I could get a job easily through her. She had contacts and connection with foreign armies. You could say, she did dirty jobs. She trusted me enough to tell me about this as we had a history together.Of course, I would take her secrets until I died… Well, it was not like I could die now… I would keep her secrets for eternity.
She could give me a job with a big payment and to be honest, I didn't really care about if the job was dirty. Especially now, after what just happened.
During my high-school years, I'd go out looking for trouble and I did a lot of things that broke the law during those days which resulted in a lot of bad memories. I was a stupid teenager back then which caused my late father headache. After I graduated from high school, my father used his influence to enlist me in the military to make me a better person.
At first, I hated it as why would I need to do this but as I spent my time in the military, I grew to like it and start reflecting on my stupidity. Of course, I worked hard since I would die in battlefield if I slacked off.How do you think I could survive a war if I sucked? Luck saved my ass? Well, take that luck and shove it in you hairy ass and thanks me for my hard work. Later I enlisted to a certain special squad and there I met Grace. We spent time together until we had a relationship. Of course, that included sexual relations before we start dating.
We fought together in a few campaigns in Africa, Eastern Asia and Central Europe.
Did I kill people? The answer is yes and no… Yes, I kill, a lot of soldiers, but no, I never killed civilians. Even if I did, I won't regret it… I think we're getting kind of off topic… don't look at me like that.
Okay, I was in this dilemma, should I call her? But what I can say? I never talked to her since my wedding. After retired from army and went to college, we remained in a relationship during that time, but finally decided to break up because we didn't have the time to meet up anymore, especially since she traveled to other countries for missions.
The break-up was painful but we separated on good term but we know lost something important.
Over the next several months, we tried to avoid running into each other even the chance are very low then I meet that Yuriko, the Bitch. I started dating her as my relationship with Grace grew more distant. When I married, I did invited Grace to my wedding, but she's didn't come. Guess she did not really want to see me. But I kept her number. It never changed anyway. She once told me those digits were lucky. So I added her phone number to my phone, even I never really planned to call her. I also put it in my address books in case, I lost my phone.
It has been 21 years since I talked to her…Guess, I decided to make a phone call after all.
After few rings… she picked up.
"Hello."
"Hello. It's been awhile, Grace, it's me."
"....."
Silence, but I knew she'd speak soon.
"After 21 years, here you called me… What do you want from me, Kyou?"
"Nothing… I just want to speak to an old friend."
"Old friend?"
"Yes, it's been quite a long time since we talked, I just want to speak to you."
"Cut the crap, Kyou. You must be need "something" to have called me." She spoke with asnarl.
Her voice didn't really change but her words sounded very cold and sharp. I couldn't help it, dammit! I didn't know what to say… it had been 21 years since we talked.
"No… I.." I stuttered.
"I said cut the crap…."
"Erm… it's kinda hard… to tell you… but…".
"But what?"
"I need a job."
"....."
Silence again. I didn't know what reaction she wore right now, but she seemed quite surprised. After a while, she spoke again.
"Job? If you called me… you know what kind of job you will get, right? "
"Yes, I know but I already don't care if it's dirty… "
"What happened to your job? If I remember correctly, after you graduated from college, you were hired by the FK Group, and started working on their Engineering Division…"
"Yes, but I was fired two years ago…"
"….what?"
"I caught Yuriko cheating on me, and her lover happened to be the new CEO, Furukawa Kenji…"
"...…"
Again with silence, geez… then she screamed loudly, almost breaking my eardrum.
"YOU BASTARD! Didn't I tell you to stay away from that woman! I told you, she was a parasite! This wouldn't have happened to you if you did not retire from the army!" Grace furiously scolded me.
Yes, Grace had met Yuriko once. She immediately told me to break up with Yuriko after a single glance, telling me Yuriko was a parasite. Back then, I didn't know why she hated Yuriko so much to the point calling her "parasite" but I could understand now…
"I'm sorry for disappointing you, Grace."
Grace gave a sigh, "So, you must be very desperate to call me."
"Not really… Ah, I mean, yes, I'm really desperate here… I need a job."
Yes, I really needed a job especially after that shitty farce…
Silence again but this time, I was sure she was thinking about my offer.
"...Please?" I said in most pleaful voice.
"Hah, a week from now. Meet me in Luben Club. You know where it is, right?"
The Luben Club? That recent nightclub that was just opened a few days ago? Well, It didn't matter. I'd find it.
"Ah, yes, I know but next week? Can't we meet right now?"
"We can't. Currently, I'm spending my vacation in France with my daughter."
For some reason, I felt hurt when she mentioned she had a daughter. Of course, she'd have a daughter. It has been 21 years. It was not weird for her to marry someone… then I remembered Evelyn's smiling face which snapped me back to reality.
"Oh, ok… I'm sorry for bothering you and your daughter…"
"….It's okay… I'm also sorry for yelling."
"Nah, It's my fault for being unreasonable and asking favors out of nowhere. Sorry."
"Kyou…" she whispered.
"Yes, what is it, Grace?"
"I'm so sorry. And it's been awhile," she murmured. "I should have made an effort to be in your life."
"Yeah, I'm just as responsible, I'm sorry for everything. And yes, it's been while," I replied.
""..."" Both of us fell silent as there was nothing else to say.
"Well, okay…I guess that's all for now, let's meet up next week," I told her.
"Yes, I'll call you back when I return to japan," she added.
"Goodbye," I whispered.
"Yes, goodbye," she responded in a soft voice as she disconnected the call.
Hah… Grace had a daughter, huh… I wondered what kind of beauty she was. She must be beautiful like her mother. But who was the lucky guy? Well, I could ask her when we met.
A few minutes after Grace hung up; I pulled out of the parking lot, and began driving my way back home. On the way home, I still didn't know how to explain this to Evelyn. Let's explain this later after dinner.
And with that thought… I reached my home.
As I entered the house, Evelyn was there wearing an apron and welcoming me with her lovely smile. This instantly made my stress go away.
"Welcome back, how was it?" she asked.
"Long and tiring. And…I failed…" I wryly said that.
"Ohhh…," She put apologetic face when she heard that.
She pulled me onto her arm, wrapping them around me and embracing me. I returned the favor.
"It's okay," she said. "You have been doing this for two weeks now. Thank you for everything you've done for me."
"You deserve it. You're a very special person." I kissed her cheek before moving to kiss her lips. She kissed me back, with our mouths pressed tightly together and our tongues being used in the same way.She abruptly broke the passionate kiss and said, "I was preparing dinner"
"What's for dinner?" I asked as I saddled up behind her and reached both arms around her waist.
I kissed her on her neck and snuggled up to her affectionately.
"Mnn…Fried chicken, burger and Salad. I just have to finish cutting up these vegetables." She said as she held her naughty voice.
I released her, "All right, I'm gonna change. You can keep going."
"Okay." She return to the kitchen while I went to my room, changing out of my suit.
I took off my underwear as well. Then I put on a plain white t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. I could feel more comfortable this way.I headed to the kitchen as I couldn't wait to eat her cooking anymore with the smell of her delicious meal permeating the house.
"Ah, there you are. Here."
Evelyn looked up at me as she put a plate on the table. She cooked quite a lot but I could eat it all. She sat in front of me. I stared down at fried chicken, burger and salad and then started eating it slowly.
Evelyn took a bite of the burger and swallowed, then looked at me slow movements with her ruby eyes.
"…. Not good?"
"Yes, sorry."
"I meant the food…" She pouted.
"Ah, It's great… very delicious, sorry."
"It's okay," Evelyn assured me as she chewed another bite.
I rolled my eyes, "I still failed you though…"
"Kyou, you don't need to beat yourself over failing once."
"I know… still, I'm sorry," I sighed. "It feels like a worthless apology… I'm showing you my pathetic side…"
She put down her burger and sighed as she looked me in the eye. "You're not pathetic, Kyou… I know we just met and have barely spent three weeks together and I still could barely be considered as an acquaintance, but I know you are great man and I love you."
I felt embarrassed when she told me that.
"Beside, you have more than enough money, right? I think you should stop looking for a job."
"No," I immediately rejected that.
"Why?" She ask while glaring me, wait…Is she mad? Why would she be angry?
"So, I can show you my worth! Not by using the money I have."
Sure, I have money. My savings is more than enough to keep both of us alive for 10 years at most if were careful. But it didn't mean I didn't need work. Like I said, the money eventually would be used up and gone. So, I needed to work. I know it's just me, but I'm so desperate looking for job I even went as far as asking Grace to give me a job, thanks to the shitty couple.
Evelyn's look softens as she feels my emotion and desperation through our bonds.
"You really are a troublesome workaholic man…normally when someone has money, they tend to spend their money."
"Well, we do have money, but I won't spend it all…"
Well, I said that… but in the truth, I was spending more than enough, like buying Evelyn lots of clothes, make-up and etc. Evelyn looked more troubled than happy.
Evelyn silence looked like she was thinking about something for a second.
"I see… money is quite a problem in this world, huh… then let me help…"
She slightly lifted her hand and pulled out something from her Dimensional Storage. What appeared on her hand were two pieces of jewelry. It was a beautiful expensive looking necklace and ring.
Evelyn handed them to me and I took them.
"Why are you giving me this?" I looked at Evelyn before examining the jewelry; they looked so damn expensive. If that bitch saw them, she definitely would try to steal them.
"Insurance," Evelyn responded.
"Insurance?"
"Yes, if you can't find a job. You should sell them, I'm sure you can get quite a lot of money from them. Enough to make it so you don't need to work for quite a long time and more than enough to cover our life expense."
Was it just me or did she actually not want me to find a job?
"….Sell these? But…they looks important?"
Yeah, this set of jewelry looked too important. Just looking at the designs and the gems decorating them, they were very beautiful. Was this a gift or a family heirloom?
"Not really…" She shrugged.
"Is this not really important to you?"
"No, they are not. I don't care if you sell them now."
"Why?"
"Well, I don't want become your burden."
Burden? Really? She actually thought I would treat her as a burden?
"You're not a burden, Evelyn," I reprimanded her.
"I know… I just don't want to see those again…" Evelyn looks at the jewelry with contempt.
"You hate these?" I asked as I look at the jewelry again.
"Not really…"
She seems very uncomfortable with this conversation. I changed the subject.
"What are those? I never seen such beautiful gem"
"Those are called Adamline, one of the most expensive gems in my world"
Most expensive gem!!!? She was actually giving me this!?
"….You sure were giving me this?"
"Yes"
"Are those gem hard to get?"
"No, you can find those gems easily in the Lieben forest."
"Lieben forest??"
"The forest where we met."
Ahhh, it had been three weeks since we met, but how nostalgic… So, the forest where I had that fateful meeting with Evelyn was called Lieben Forest. A forest where a Tree of Life was located. But seriously, the most expensive gem was easy to find… What kind of setting was this?
Evelyn seemed to notice my questioning look.
"I said easy to find, not easy to get…."
Ohh… This gem was the "easy to find but hard to get" type…
"You can find them in a specific location, see them but to get them, it is very hard?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Where is this mine located?"
"Close to the Tree of Life, we kind of passed it when we ran from the Cyclopes."
"Really?!"
Ahh, I wanted to see this Gem's mine now…Then it suddenly struck me. Wait a minute, I had been wondering about this for awhile… what was she doing in that forest, the Lieben Forest, that late at night, anyway?
"Evelyn, can I asked you about something?"
"Hmmm, yes?"
"What were you doing in that forest?"
She fell silent as I asked that. I supposed this was another uncomfortable conversation for her but I pushed forward anyway.
"I mean, you took a bath in the river late at night, wasn't that very dangerous? Especially with the Cyclopes coming out of nowhere."
"….For a ritual…" she murmured.
"Ritual? What ritual?"
"Cleansing soul ritual… My kind believes if we take a bath under the full moon, our soul and body will be pure. It's very important for my kind… Especially for a 22 years old lady like me."
"I see…. Wait… 22?"
Did I mishear what she just said?
"I'm sorry, what did you just say? 22?"
"What? Are you having a problem with that?" Evelyn looked irritated.
22? She was 22 years old!! She was actually 20 years younger than me! Geez, I thought she was a Baba in an 18 years old body! To think she was that young!
"No, I just thought you were an over 200 years old baba with an 18 years old appearance," I bluntly responded.
SLAM*
"YOU WHAT?!" She yelled as she stood, slamming her hand on the table."YOU BASTARD! YOU ACTUALLY THOUGHT I WAS OVER 200 YEARS OLD?!!?"
Her face went red as she made an outburst. If this was a cartoon, her face would be the sort that let steam out the ears and looked ready to explode any time. While this situation was kind of funny, I decided to calm her before she actually attacked me.
"Sorry, I just under impression that you are older than me."
"SINCE WHEN WERE YOU UNDER THAT STUPID ASSUMPTION!?"
"When you explain about our Eternal Pact…"
"WHAT?!!! THAT'S 3 WEEKS AGO! SO, ALL THIS TIME, YOU BELIEVED I WAS OLDER THAN YOU!! HOW DARE YOU!" she grabbed my collar and then started shaking me…
"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! But won't you be just as beautiful at 200 hundred as you are now? Doesn't that mean I love you no matter what?"
"Ah!" Those words seemed to catch Evelyn off guard, breaking her anger. "That is… never mind that, what exactly happen with your interview?"
She quickly changed the conversation and finally used my moment of weakness to ask about this.
"Well, I-"
"Actually, stop right there… let's finish our dinner first."Evelyn interrupted me as I was about to open my mouth.
"Alright…"
We ate our dinner silently.
....
Right after finishing dinner, the silver haired woman was sitting across from me while wearing a serious face.
"Now, tell me what happen," Evelyn demand while glaring at me.
Could you please not glaring me like that? You're making me nervous. I know you're still mad about me mistaking your age. Geez, women are really sensitive to their age.
"This is really hard to explain."
"Well, I am a little confused, which is why I want you to explain it to me."
Her eyes focused on me, expecting me to start.
I looked down and thought quickly. Did I want to make something up, tell her the whole truth or just tell her part of the truth? But could I even do that? Our bond connection was basically a lie detector… Also why would I need to do that? So, I avoided lying to Evelyn as much as humanly possible. I've always felt that trust between lovers must be rooted in honesty regarding all things, no matter how uncomfortable they may be. Some things, however, are best left unsaid. Like considering taking a dirty job or Grace… Evelyn will definately be mad at me if I took on a dirty job.
I took a deep breath and decided to face this.
"Well," I began "The whole thing was just one big setup."
She glanced up at me with her red eyes as she listened.
"What do you mean?"
"The interview was just a farce set by my ex-wife's husband to humiliate me. Hell, I'm pretty sure that woman also involved with this. Will those two give it a rest already!!" I said vehemently.
"Kyou, calm down. I know you are angry… but can you tell me the whole story?" Evelyn spoke while handing me a glass of water.
I drank the water and took a deep breath and started explaining from beginning. Evelyn just sat and listened.
I talked about what happened, about the interview, how I let my anger get the better of me, beat my interviewer up and learned all of that was just a farce to trap me. As I continued to speak, I started insulting and blaming the bitch and her husband for my predicament.
"So… in short, all the resumes you sent were rejected because of the man called Furukawa Kenji's influence? Then the man himself set the interview using his influence to trap and frame you?" she inquired.
I nodded at her question, causing Evelyn to sigh.
"I really think you should stop looking for a job," Evelyn said as she took a sip of water.
"…You know, for the past two weeks since I started job hunting, I had a feeling you were against it."
She smiled and ran her fingers through my hair all the while looking me in the eye. "I'm not. I know you're doing this for us, but to be honest, I'd prefer if you stayed with me."
"I see…"
So, Evelyn was a lonely type girl that loved being spoiled by her beloved. Damn… now I was in a dilemma…
"Well, what I am supposed to do now? Now, I know I can't find a job… Should I go to your world and become a merchant or adventurer?" I jokily said, but it actually gave me an idea.
That brought her up short and gave her a moment of pause."You want to go to my world?"
"Yes, is there problem?"
"No… there…is no problem… But why?"
"I just got the idea…Well, just few second ago, how about selling some of the magical items for profit so I can open my own business. People in this world will pay millions on useless magnets. Imagine selling them a bracelet that ACTUALLY increased their vitality. Well, I wouldn't want anything that miraculous, it might get me in trouble, but I'm sure there are things in your world that my world doesn't have."
Yup, for example, this Adamline… I'm sure I could earn more than a million dollars if I sold this for few grams of it. With that I could live comfortably with Evelyn.
Evelyn put on a complicated face, "Why can't you just open up a business here?"
"I feel I can gain more there? I don't have trading skills but maybe buying stuff over there and selling them here will give more profit. I'm not confident I can sell things on my own. In the past, a lot of profits came from transporting things from one part of our world to another, such as the spice trade. I have the ability to literally cross worlds, though I still don't know how to use it. Isn't this just taking advantage of my innate abilities?"
I have been thinking about why I can go to Evelyn's world… I'm not summoned like novel clichés. I'm going there and I can return here on my own. I came to the conclusion that this was my power. No, it was definitely my power. But why did it activate after all these years? What was the trigger? Then again, how to activate it was still a mystery.
Of course, opening a business was still just talk. I didn't even know how to use this power. Before going there, what I needed to do was learn about this ability of mine.
While I thinking that, I didn't realize Evelyn had put on a difficult face.
"..."
"Evelyn?" Evelyn glanced at me while wearing a serious look.
"Kyou, I don't know how to tell you this…" Evelyn spoke with uncertainty, "Returning to my home world is a bad idea. Under no circumstances are we to go back."
"Why, what's wrong with your world?" I asked, as Evelyn had suggested it was a bad idea.
"It's just, my family… they wouldn't understand."
"Your family? Like your father?"
"My parents… and my sisters…" Evelyn sighed.
"You have a sisters?" I didn't mean to sound so excited, it's not like I was into that kind of thing, I swear!
"Mm…" Evelyn lowered her head sadly.
I could feel some fear and apprehension through the bond. This wasn't something Evelyn wanted to talk about. I wasn't really one to want to push her, however, this was her family.
I wasn't surprised that the family might take some issue with me. Evelyn was way outside my own class. Putting aside species, just her beauty alone made me unworthy of her in any sense of the word. My own ex-wife's family actually got along with me at first. However, as we drifted apart, they became more hostile. After I had caught her cheating, her mom and dad had decided I was the scum of the earth.
They made no attempt to hide their dislike when I saw them in court. Both they and her old friends always felt she was too good for me and wondered why she would marry beneath herself. I was a 'good-looking trash' according to her father. Seriously, where did the people I used to respect go? Why did everyone take her side? Is she actually using some kind of charm magic or hypnosis app like in ero doujinshi?
Those were latent thoughts from a different me. This time, I had a goddess, and our bond told me how she truly loved me. To be honest, I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't feel it myself. It doesn't really make sense to me how she could look at me and feel affection. Perhaps years of abuse had made me begin to think I truly didn't deserve it. In that respect, Evelyn was the perfect girl for me.
"Evelyn…" I spoke, moving down to one knee in front of Evelyn and putting on a serious look.
"Eh? Eh! Eh!" Evelyn began to grow flustered as I kneeled in front of her and grabbed her hand.
Wait, isn't this kind of position suggestive of something? I mean, she's sitting down, so it's not quite the same thing, but suddenly this situation looks like I'm about to make a life decision here. Well, I feel this is a bit of a life decision, but perhaps it isn't on that actual level. I really wanted to go to her world. I needed to find out more about the woman I would spend the rest of eternity with.
Staying here with her was wonderful, but there was something missing. What is that word? What is that missing thing I feel I need before I could our tail to rest? Ah, that's right, closure! I need closure. I need to meet Evelyn's family. I need her to be able to see her home and then choose to come back to this world with me. Last time we left, it wasn't really her choice or rather I kidnap her from her world.
Going to her world wasn't just about a job. I wanted to take Evelyn back to her world. In a way, I never finished saving her those weeks ago until I finally brought her back. That was the simple truth of it.
"Evelyn, I want you…" Before I could finish the words, there was a growing light.
My body started to tingle and I felt a floaty feeling. The world turned to white. This was a familiar feeling, one I've already done twice before. I had merely held her hand and wished for her world, and it activated. Was my desire and intent all that was needed? There had to be some kind of cooldown right? I don't know, the only thing I know is that we're teleporting again.
With that, I went to Evelyn's world again…
Had I known what would happen after this… I definitely wouldn't have returned to Evelyn's world.Just like she said, it was a bad idea, a very bad idea… especially when I saw Evelyn's tears…
Instead of collecting beetles or visiting to sea with my friends during the summer holiday… I preferred to stay home, doing nothing and watching anime.
My laziness gave my parents a headache… especially my late father. Well, my mother didn't really mind it as I'm sure she preferred me to stay home with her.
This continued until I entered middle high. It wasn't a cat-robot from the future that fixed my laziness; rather, my old man lost his patience and finally took charge. He kindly advised me to get off my ass through the use of various "slaps of love". This got him a slap of love from my mother… wonderful family, right?
While rubbing his cheeks, he told me to get a job! He wouldn't tolerate lazy bums in his house, then he forced me to work at my uncle's ramen restaurant as a part-timer. The young me was opposed to the idea, because "Someone who has to work has already lost! Only losers work! I am the great Kyo-sama who won't work!". You could thank my chuuni side for that…
This made my parents speechless; I still remembered their face that time. The 13-year-old me knew I was fucked up as this made me earn another slap of love from him and even mom joined him this time. Then he told me to work hard if I wanted an allowance. If I didn't, I definitely would work for free… Thus, I started learning how to hard work… to gain my allowance.
So, what is the definition of working hard? I don't know… maybe Mr. Google can help you?
Anyway, as I started learning how hard it was to earn money, I finally understood that life didn't work like how I thought.
One day, my father told me a certain quotes to motivate the lazy me.
Success is no accident. It takes hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, the greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.
I didn't really know where that came from but it really resonated with me, like something imprinting inside me and changing me…I guess talking no jutsu can work in real life too. I believed those quotes so much even though I was sure he ripped those quotes off from somewhere.
Since then, I started getting serious about working hard. I had the integrity and ability to work. I kept telling myself that I could achieve anything if I worked hard enough! Without hard work, I gained nothing. So, I always worked like I didn't need money.Well, money was important though. I had money. There was quite a large savings. That savings was enough to make it so I didn't need to work for a decade as long as I wasn't being wasteful. However, the money wasn't infinite and wouldn't last forever.
So, I needed more. I had to work to earn my keep. To work meant I had to find a job.
Yes, finding a job was very important. Especially now that I had someone who was willing to spend eternity with me.
I could take my time to find one, but I desperately searched like a madman… I guess I am a workaholic, huh?
It's your fault for making me this way, old-man!
——-
Two weeks passed since I sent a ton of resumes to several local companies and I finally got a response two days ago.
The interview day came quickly.
Seriously, finding a decent job was hard, especially with a criminal record. I'd been out every day, beating the bushes, checking every Internet job search site I could locate and I even went to the classified ads in the newspaper. It was near the end of the day and I was tired and frustrated. The last guy I'd called had left it with "… don't call us, we'll call you."
But I never really got a proper response until yesterday. I wondered why? Was it really just my criminal record? Tsk!
Anyway, since today was my job interview, I had to prepared myself and even cut my hair to make my looks proper and clean. When I saw myself on the mirror, I saw a confident handsome man in my late twenties! Yup, this looked like me during my golden age! I was back to what I used to be! That was good sign! I even had to get my suit dry and cleaned. It smelled a bit. Well, that was because the other day Evelyn saw me in it and well… She asked me for "exercise", so… Let's just say thanks to a little "exercise", it smelled like sex, cough… I mean it smelled funny. The dry cleaners gave a disapproving stare as they returned the suit. That was mortifying, but I made sure to keep it clean for this day. And keep Evelyn from asking for more "exercise".
Evelyn cooked me a delicious breakfast and before I left, she gave me a kiss of encouragement. I was in heaven. Of course, I went to the company for my first interview with a burning spirit.
Also, while it was unexpected, Evelyn kept my house clean. She cooked for me and did my laundry. One could call her a goddess in all respects. I definitely wouldn't let her down. She basically acted like my housewife, so it was imperative that I provide for her.
This company paid a little less than what I had been making in my first job, but it was far more than that construction job. That wasn't unexpected. It had a lot of travel requirements, even more than I had from my first job. Right now, that was actually a benefit as far as I was concerned. I could take Evelyn during travel as I wanted to show her my world. So, it was not really a problem.
I entered the building with great confidence; I wasn't the kind of guy who got nervous easily. The location was very clean and the receptionist was friendly. I also didn't see any other applicants sitting in the lobby, so I was getting more excited that this would go well.
!!!
This was when I felt something tingling at the back of my neck.It came from my experience back in the army. It was akin to feeling killing intent. It was like someone was looking at me while filled with malice and hatred. This instinctually caused me to look back behind me. That was when I saw him. It was a man in a suit. He immediately turned away and ducked into a side room. I had only seen him for a second, but I had a sense of familiarity or rather he looked very familiar… Where had I met that man before? Hmmmmm…..
"Mr. Ogawa, we're ready to take you right now," a woman spoke up.
I didn't have time to think about the strange scene, so I turned away and stood up, putting my best face on as I nodded to the woman.
I followed her as she lead me to a small conference room. There was a tidy guy sitting there, he had dark eyes and short black hair. He was much younger than I was; however, given how my own appearance had changed recently, the difference between our ages wasn't as obvious as it might have once been. I saw his name and his position on the name tag. Tanaka Akifumi, Manager.
"Mr. Ogawa, please sit down," Tanaka suggested without standing to meet me.
Already nervous, I didn't mind it as I sat down and tried to exude as much confidence as I could.
"So, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?" He offered, un-smilingly.
"Yes, well, I used to work for the FK Group."
"You haven't been working there for the last 2 years, yes? Instead, I see you've been working in construction." The man eyed some papers on his desk.
"Yes, I've been working on construction since… well, my relationship with my wife ended, and I needed a few years to find myself. However, I'm ready to return and-"
"Find yourself? That's very interesting, Mr. Ogawa," Tanaka cut me off. "But didn't you end up going to jail for that?"
I frowned, a little unhappy especially how he put it. I had expected I'd need to answer for that eventually. I had just hoped I could push forward my own strengths a bit before he brought it up.
"Yes… well, I caught my wife in bed with another man. It was a messy situation. However, I'm confident now that I-"
"How did it feel?"
"Uh… what? I'm sorry?"
"How did it feel when you caught your wife on top of some strange man?" Tanaka's question was spoken so matter of factly that my mouth simply fell open in surprise.
"Naturally, I was angry. However, I served my time." I calmly spoke while I suppressed my irritation toward this rude man.
"Do you really think if you couldn't control your anger then, that we can expect you to control your anger in our workplace?"
"I'm sorry, but that was in the past, and an extremely emotional event. I'm sure you understand, had you caught your own wife-"
Tanaka let out a laugh. "Of course, I'd never be stupid enough to not know my wife was cheating on me for years before hand."
"I-" I shook my head, anger rising inside me.
What was this guy's aim? Is he trying to piss me off? Is this a test to see if I could keep my anger? If this was, it was a cruel one. I knew I had anger issues that made me blame anyone who made me angry but it already started to mellow thanks to my previous Evelyn's presence. So, I swallowed my anger the best I could. This was my chance at a job, i couldn't just give up. Wait… I just thought of something wrong with what he said.
That skank cheating on me for years? Yeah, I knew that. That was old news, but…
"How do you know my wife cheated on me for years?" I asked darkly.
Is that information on my resumes? Hell no! It'll be bad for my job prospects!
"Hah… isn't that always how it goes?" The man looks away, but I saw a flash of something in his eyes that told me he was lying. "Either way, I ask the questions in this interview. Are you still in love with your ex-wife? Are you here because you found some other woman to abuse? So, now you feel like you deserve to make mo- ahhhh!"
I immediately stood up and grabbed the man, pulling him towards me and slamming him down on the table. Ahhh, I fucked up… but I felt better as I vented my anger.
"What the fuck are you talking about?"I viciously asked him.
"You-! Se-seee! You're just some angry criminal. What company would ever hire you? The fact you even had the gall to apply to this position when you ex is married to the CEO of a major company?"
"I'm asking what the fuck my ex-bitch and her husband have to do with any of this?" I shouted.
"Fuck yo-" I slugged his face, giving him a bloody lip as he gawked at me in surprise.
"I've already been to prison. You said so yourself. I am an angry criminal! Do you want to die?" I threatened him as I spoke in a low voice.
"You— s-securi-" I slugged him in the face again.
"TALK!"
"Ah! Okay… okay… you… bastard… you don't even know this company is a subsidiary of Furukawa Kenji?"
"Furukawa?" the name came crashing home. "That man…"
The man sneered at me, his teeth bloody. Furukawa Kenji… that was a name I never wanted to hear again. It was a name I only became familiar with because it was the name of the man I assaulted, the new CEO of FK Group two years ago. It was the name of the man who put me in jail. It was this bastard who had fucked my ex-wife, took everything from me and ruined my life. I had only seen him once or twice before. And at that time, I had messed his face quite badly, so I didn't recognize him by sight, but now I realized it was the same man who had hidden when I glanced at him outside.
"You get it? You never fucking had a chance at this job!" Tanaka, the man who interviewed me was likely one of Furukawa's yesmen, and he had been put up to insulting me in this interview, because at his heart, Furukawa was a coward who didn't fight for himself.
"Fuck you!" I cursed. "I don't need your fucking job. I'll just get another-"
"You don't fucking get it!" He spat. "You beat up the wrong fucking guy. Furukawa Kenji may be a fresh upstart CEO, but he has influences everywhere! You've been blacklisted. There isn't a single company in Japan that'd dare hire you!"
WHAT THE FUCK!? That man actually had that big of an influence?
"Fuck!" I cursed, tossing the man off the table.
That's why I was having so much trouble? It wasn't just that I had a criminal record, but Furukawa had fucked me over throughout the entire business industry. I ignored the laughing man behind me and shoved my way out the door. I was actually planning on tracking down that asshole and beating the shit out of him again, but a part of me stopped it…as much I want to beat him to pulp, I had Evelyn waiting for me at home.
As soon as the door opened, I found it surrounded by six security guards.
"Mr. Ogawa, we're here to escort you out of the building." The head security guard declared, holding something in his hand that looked like a taser. "Mr. Tanaka, are you alright?"
"He fell and hurt his face." I declared, shooting back a glare.
The glare was directed only at Tanaka who was hidden behind me. He was standing there with a bloody face. It looked like he was about to start some trouble, perhaps trying to get me arrested for assault. However, I watched him with killing intent, like a predator eyeing his prey. For a man who used to be in the army, I could exude a killing intent that most normal people couldn't tolerate. His entire body shivered as he suddenly felt the sensation of a knife pressed to the edge of his throat. He rubbed his neck nervously. Even sucking up to his boss wasn't worth his life.
"Uh… yes, I fell. Just escort him out of this building." Tanaka, looked away unable to meet anyone's eyes.
The security looked confused. Clearly, they had all been planning to set me up and send me away in cuffs. However, Tanaka couldn't describe the feeling of certain death that shot through him from my look. Since he didn't admit I hit him, there was nothing illegal I had technically done. The security guards were helpless as they brought me to the lobby and let me go. As I walked out of the lobby unharmed, I felt those same hateful eyes. Furukawa himself was likely looking at me, hidden behind a corner, like the scared little coward he was.
I didn't look back, walking out of the enemy base with my back held high and my knuckles covered in blood. The whole interview had been a long set up by that wimp Furukawa. Even though Furukawa had caught me in his trap, I walked out of it feeling like a winner.
However, there was one thing I knew for certain. I wasn't going to be able to get a job in my old field of engineering. For someone with a master's degree, the degree had essentially become useless. Twenty years ago, I worked my ass to get that degree back in college to find a dream job. I wanted to work for a large company that had a big government contract to develop devices that would help wounded soldiers become completely mobile despite spinal cord and other serious injuries. Then I finally hired by one of the big company. But that bitch and her husband ruined it for me… Fuck them!
Guess my degree can't be used anymore?
However, I really needed a job, a decent job with good payment. Should I return to that old fat bastard? The answer was no. That old fart was a demanding, arrogant bastard. He wouldn't hire me back anyway after how I quit. Also, I was looking for a long-term job, not a laborer on a construction site.
Now, what should I do? I'd always thought that I had pretty good luck. But that's not the case, I guess. I stopped believing in luck since that day.
I still don't have a job, I really felt ashamed… Especially, I didn't know how to face Evelyn. Evelyn maybe would just shrug it off and smile saying "Tough luck" then start comforting me by putting my head in her soft huge boobs. She had been doing that when I felt down or depressed. While it was very comfortable, I couldn't let myself dwell on it. It would make me spoiled.
I sat in the car, about ready to head home while thinking about my next plan to find a job while knowing every opportunity to find one was very hard or I should say impossible.
While thinking that, I browsed my phone contact before starting the engine. Maybe some old-friends could help me but most of them drop me after the divorce. At least, I still have few true friends that still remained loyal to me.
I kept browsing until I stopped at on certain number.
"...…" I just keep looking at that specific number with a hard look.
[Grace: xxx-xxx-xxxx]
I know her number is still working.
Shall I call her? She's the only person I can ask on this matter. Who the hell was Grace? She was my colleague back in military and my so called ex-girlfriend for two years. Grace was a Korean-Japanese woman. You could say she was very beautiful if we didn't compare her with Evelyn. While she was very strict and disciplined, she was very gentle and kind.
Why contact her? Ahhh, I did mention I had military experience, right? I could get a job easily through her. She had contacts and connection with foreign armies. You could say, she did dirty jobs. She trusted me enough to tell me about this as we had a history together.Of course, I would take her secrets until I died… Well, it was not like I could die now… I would keep her secrets for eternity.
She could give me a job with a big payment and to be honest, I didn't really care about if the job was dirty. Especially now, after what just happened.
During my high-school years, I'd go out looking for trouble and I did a lot of things that broke the law during those days which resulted in a lot of bad memories. I was a stupid teenager back then which caused my late father headache. After I graduated from high school, my father used his influence to enlist me in the military to make me a better person.
At first, I hated it as why would I need to do this but as I spent my time in the military, I grew to like it and start reflecting on my stupidity. Of course, I worked hard since I would die in battlefield if I slacked off.How do you think I could survive a war if I sucked? Luck saved my ass? Well, take that luck and shove it in you hairy ass and thanks me for my hard work. Later I enlisted to a certain special squad and there I met Grace. We spent time together until we had a relationship. Of course, that included sexual relations before we start dating.
We fought together in a few campaigns in Africa, Eastern Asia and Central Europe.
Did I kill people? The answer is yes and no… Yes, I kill, a lot of soldiers, but no, I never killed civilians. Even if I did, I won't regret it… I think we're getting kind of off topic… don't look at me like that.
Okay, I was in this dilemma, should I call her? But what I can say? I never talked to her since my wedding. After retired from army and went to college, we remained in a relationship during that time, but finally decided to break up because we didn't have the time to meet up anymore, especially since she traveled to other countries for missions.
The break-up was painful but we separated on good term but we know lost something important.
Over the next several months, we tried to avoid running into each other even the chance are very low then I meet that Yuriko, the Bitch. I started dating her as my relationship with Grace grew more distant. When I married, I did invited Grace to my wedding, but she's didn't come. Guess she did not really want to see me. But I kept her number. It never changed anyway. She once told me those digits were lucky. So I added her phone number to my phone, even I never really planned to call her. I also put it in my address books in case, I lost my phone.
It has been 21 years since I talked to her…Guess, I decided to make a phone call after all.
After few rings… she picked up.
"Hello."
"Hello. It's been awhile, Grace, it's me."
"....."
Silence, but I knew she'd speak soon.
"After 21 years, here you called me… What do you want from me, Kyou?"
"Nothing… I just want to speak to an old friend."
"Old friend?"
"Yes, it's been quite a long time since we talked, I just want to speak to you."
"Cut the crap, Kyou. You must be need "something" to have called me." She spoke with asnarl.
Her voice didn't really change but her words sounded very cold and sharp. I couldn't help it, dammit! I didn't know what to say… it had been 21 years since we talked.
"No… I.." I stuttered.
"I said cut the crap…."
"Erm… it's kinda hard… to tell you… but…".
"But what?"
"I need a job."
"....."
Silence again. I didn't know what reaction she wore right now, but she seemed quite surprised. After a while, she spoke again.
"Job? If you called me… you know what kind of job you will get, right? "
"Yes, I know but I already don't care if it's dirty… "
"What happened to your job? If I remember correctly, after you graduated from college, you were hired by the FK Group, and started working on their Engineering Division…"
"Yes, but I was fired two years ago…"
"….what?"
"I caught Yuriko cheating on me, and her lover happened to be the new CEO, Furukawa Kenji…"
"...…"
Again with silence, geez… then she screamed loudly, almost breaking my eardrum.
"YOU BASTARD! Didn't I tell you to stay away from that woman! I told you, she was a parasite! This wouldn't have happened to you if you did not retire from the army!" Grace furiously scolded me.
Yes, Grace had met Yuriko once. She immediately told me to break up with Yuriko after a single glance, telling me Yuriko was a parasite. Back then, I didn't know why she hated Yuriko so much to the point calling her "parasite" but I could understand now…
"I'm sorry for disappointing you, Grace."
Grace gave a sigh, "So, you must be very desperate to call me."
"Not really… Ah, I mean, yes, I'm really desperate here… I need a job."
Yes, I really needed a job especially after that shitty farce…
Silence again but this time, I was sure she was thinking about my offer.
"...Please?" I said in most pleaful voice.
"Hah, a week from now. Meet me in Luben Club. You know where it is, right?"
The Luben Club? That recent nightclub that was just opened a few days ago? Well, It didn't matter. I'd find it.
"Ah, yes, I know but next week? Can't we meet right now?"
"We can't. Currently, I'm spending my vacation in France with my daughter."
For some reason, I felt hurt when she mentioned she had a daughter. Of course, she'd have a daughter. It has been 21 years. It was not weird for her to marry someone… then I remembered Evelyn's smiling face which snapped me back to reality.
"Oh, ok… I'm sorry for bothering you and your daughter…"
"….It's okay… I'm also sorry for yelling."
"Nah, It's my fault for being unreasonable and asking favors out of nowhere. Sorry."
"Kyou…" she whispered.
"Yes, what is it, Grace?"
"I'm so sorry. And it's been awhile," she murmured. "I should have made an effort to be in your life."
"Yeah, I'm just as responsible, I'm sorry for everything. And yes, it's been while," I replied.
""..."" Both of us fell silent as there was nothing else to say.
"Well, okay…I guess that's all for now, let's meet up next week," I told her.
"Yes, I'll call you back when I return to japan," she added.
"Goodbye," I whispered.
"Yes, goodbye," she responded in a soft voice as she disconnected the call.
Hah… Grace had a daughter, huh… I wondered what kind of beauty she was. She must be beautiful like her mother. But who was the lucky guy? Well, I could ask her when we met.
A few minutes after Grace hung up; I pulled out of the parking lot, and began driving my way back home. On the way home, I still didn't know how to explain this to Evelyn. Let's explain this later after dinner.
And with that thought… I reached my home.
As I entered the house, Evelyn was there wearing an apron and welcoming me with her lovely smile. This instantly made my stress go away.
"Welcome back, how was it?" she asked.
"Long and tiring. And…I failed…" I wryly said that.
"Ohhh…," She put apologetic face when she heard that.
She pulled me onto her arm, wrapping them around me and embracing me. I returned the favor.
"It's okay," she said. "You have been doing this for two weeks now. Thank you for everything you've done for me."
"You deserve it. You're a very special person." I kissed her cheek before moving to kiss her lips. She kissed me back, with our mouths pressed tightly together and our tongues being used in the same way.She abruptly broke the passionate kiss and said, "I was preparing dinner"
"What's for dinner?" I asked as I saddled up behind her and reached both arms around her waist.
I kissed her on her neck and snuggled up to her affectionately.
"Mnn…Fried chicken, burger and Salad. I just have to finish cutting up these vegetables." She said as she held her naughty voice.
I released her, "All right, I'm gonna change. You can keep going."
"Okay." She return to the kitchen while I went to my room, changing out of my suit.
I took off my underwear as well. Then I put on a plain white t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. I could feel more comfortable this way.I headed to the kitchen as I couldn't wait to eat her cooking anymore with the smell of her delicious meal permeating the house.
"Ah, there you are. Here."
Evelyn looked up at me as she put a plate on the table. She cooked quite a lot but I could eat it all. She sat in front of me. I stared down at fried chicken, burger and salad and then started eating it slowly.
Evelyn took a bite of the burger and swallowed, then looked at me slow movements with her ruby eyes.
"…. Not good?"
"Yes, sorry."
"I meant the food…" She pouted.
"Ah, It's great… very delicious, sorry."
"It's okay," Evelyn assured me as she chewed another bite.
I rolled my eyes, "I still failed you though…"
"Kyou, you don't need to beat yourself over failing once."
"I know… still, I'm sorry," I sighed. "It feels like a worthless apology… I'm showing you my pathetic side…"
She put down her burger and sighed as she looked me in the eye. "You're not pathetic, Kyou… I know we just met and have barely spent three weeks together and I still could barely be considered as an acquaintance, but I know you are great man and I love you."
I felt embarrassed when she told me that.
"Beside, you have more than enough money, right? I think you should stop looking for a job."
"No," I immediately rejected that.
"Why?" She ask while glaring me, wait…Is she mad? Why would she be angry?
"So, I can show you my worth! Not by using the money I have."
Sure, I have money. My savings is more than enough to keep both of us alive for 10 years at most if were careful. But it didn't mean I didn't need work. Like I said, the money eventually would be used up and gone. So, I needed to work. I know it's just me, but I'm so desperate looking for job I even went as far as asking Grace to give me a job, thanks to the shitty couple.
Evelyn's look softens as she feels my emotion and desperation through our bonds.
"You really are a troublesome workaholic man…normally when someone has money, they tend to spend their money."
"Well, we do have money, but I won't spend it all…"
Well, I said that… but in the truth, I was spending more than enough, like buying Evelyn lots of clothes, make-up and etc. Evelyn looked more troubled than happy.
Evelyn silence looked like she was thinking about something for a second.
"I see… money is quite a problem in this world, huh… then let me help…"
She slightly lifted her hand and pulled out something from her Dimensional Storage. What appeared on her hand were two pieces of jewelry. It was a beautiful expensive looking necklace and ring.
Evelyn handed them to me and I took them.
"Why are you giving me this?" I looked at Evelyn before examining the jewelry; they looked so damn expensive. If that bitch saw them, she definitely would try to steal them.
"Insurance," Evelyn responded.
"Insurance?"
"Yes, if you can't find a job. You should sell them, I'm sure you can get quite a lot of money from them. Enough to make it so you don't need to work for quite a long time and more than enough to cover our life expense."
Was it just me or did she actually not want me to find a job?
"….Sell these? But…they looks important?"
Yeah, this set of jewelry looked too important. Just looking at the designs and the gems decorating them, they were very beautiful. Was this a gift or a family heirloom?
"Not really…" She shrugged.
"Is this not really important to you?"
"No, they are not. I don't care if you sell them now."
"Why?"
"Well, I don't want become your burden."
Burden? Really? She actually thought I would treat her as a burden?
"You're not a burden, Evelyn," I reprimanded her.
"I know… I just don't want to see those again…" Evelyn looks at the jewelry with contempt.
"You hate these?" I asked as I look at the jewelry again.
"Not really…"
She seems very uncomfortable with this conversation. I changed the subject.
"What are those? I never seen such beautiful gem"
"Those are called Adamline, one of the most expensive gems in my world"
Most expensive gem!!!? She was actually giving me this!?
"….You sure were giving me this?"
"Yes"
"Are those gem hard to get?"
"No, you can find those gems easily in the Lieben forest."
"Lieben forest??"
"The forest where we met."
Ahhh, it had been three weeks since we met, but how nostalgic… So, the forest where I had that fateful meeting with Evelyn was called Lieben Forest. A forest where a Tree of Life was located. But seriously, the most expensive gem was easy to find… What kind of setting was this?
Evelyn seemed to notice my questioning look.
"I said easy to find, not easy to get…."
Ohh… This gem was the "easy to find but hard to get" type…
"You can find them in a specific location, see them but to get them, it is very hard?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Where is this mine located?"
"Close to the Tree of Life, we kind of passed it when we ran from the Cyclopes."
"Really?!"
Ahh, I wanted to see this Gem's mine now…Then it suddenly struck me. Wait a minute, I had been wondering about this for awhile… what was she doing in that forest, the Lieben Forest, that late at night, anyway?
"Evelyn, can I asked you about something?"
"Hmmm, yes?"
"What were you doing in that forest?"
She fell silent as I asked that. I supposed this was another uncomfortable conversation for her but I pushed forward anyway.
"I mean, you took a bath in the river late at night, wasn't that very dangerous? Especially with the Cyclopes coming out of nowhere."
"….For a ritual…" she murmured.
"Ritual? What ritual?"
"Cleansing soul ritual… My kind believes if we take a bath under the full moon, our soul and body will be pure. It's very important for my kind… Especially for a 22 years old lady like me."
"I see…. Wait… 22?"
Did I mishear what she just said?
"I'm sorry, what did you just say? 22?"
"What? Are you having a problem with that?" Evelyn looked irritated.
22? She was 22 years old!! She was actually 20 years younger than me! Geez, I thought she was a Baba in an 18 years old body! To think she was that young!
"No, I just thought you were an over 200 years old baba with an 18 years old appearance," I bluntly responded.
SLAM*
"YOU WHAT?!" She yelled as she stood, slamming her hand on the table."YOU BASTARD! YOU ACTUALLY THOUGHT I WAS OVER 200 YEARS OLD?!!?"
Her face went red as she made an outburst. If this was a cartoon, her face would be the sort that let steam out the ears and looked ready to explode any time. While this situation was kind of funny, I decided to calm her before she actually attacked me.
"Sorry, I just under impression that you are older than me."
"SINCE WHEN WERE YOU UNDER THAT STUPID ASSUMPTION!?"
"When you explain about our Eternal Pact…"
"WHAT?!!! THAT'S 3 WEEKS AGO! SO, ALL THIS TIME, YOU BELIEVED I WAS OLDER THAN YOU!! HOW DARE YOU!" she grabbed my collar and then started shaking me…
"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! But won't you be just as beautiful at 200 hundred as you are now? Doesn't that mean I love you no matter what?"
"Ah!" Those words seemed to catch Evelyn off guard, breaking her anger. "That is… never mind that, what exactly happen with your interview?"
She quickly changed the conversation and finally used my moment of weakness to ask about this.
"Well, I-"
"Actually, stop right there… let's finish our dinner first."Evelyn interrupted me as I was about to open my mouth.
"Alright…"
We ate our dinner silently.
....
Right after finishing dinner, the silver haired woman was sitting across from me while wearing a serious face.
"Now, tell me what happen," Evelyn demand while glaring at me.
Could you please not glaring me like that? You're making me nervous. I know you're still mad about me mistaking your age. Geez, women are really sensitive to their age.
"This is really hard to explain."
"Well, I am a little confused, which is why I want you to explain it to me."
Her eyes focused on me, expecting me to start.
I looked down and thought quickly. Did I want to make something up, tell her the whole truth or just tell her part of the truth? But could I even do that? Our bond connection was basically a lie detector… Also why would I need to do that? So, I avoided lying to Evelyn as much as humanly possible. I've always felt that trust between lovers must be rooted in honesty regarding all things, no matter how uncomfortable they may be. Some things, however, are best left unsaid. Like considering taking a dirty job or Grace… Evelyn will definately be mad at me if I took on a dirty job.
I took a deep breath and decided to face this.
"Well," I began "The whole thing was just one big setup."
She glanced up at me with her red eyes as she listened.
"What do you mean?"
"The interview was just a farce set by my ex-wife's husband to humiliate me. Hell, I'm pretty sure that woman also involved with this. Will those two give it a rest already!!" I said vehemently.
"Kyou, calm down. I know you are angry… but can you tell me the whole story?" Evelyn spoke while handing me a glass of water.
I drank the water and took a deep breath and started explaining from beginning. Evelyn just sat and listened.
I talked about what happened, about the interview, how I let my anger get the better of me, beat my interviewer up and learned all of that was just a farce to trap me. As I continued to speak, I started insulting and blaming the bitch and her husband for my predicament.
"So… in short, all the resumes you sent were rejected because of the man called Furukawa Kenji's influence? Then the man himself set the interview using his influence to trap and frame you?" she inquired.
I nodded at her question, causing Evelyn to sigh.
"I really think you should stop looking for a job," Evelyn said as she took a sip of water.
"…You know, for the past two weeks since I started job hunting, I had a feeling you were against it."
She smiled and ran her fingers through my hair all the while looking me in the eye. "I'm not. I know you're doing this for us, but to be honest, I'd prefer if you stayed with me."
"I see…"
So, Evelyn was a lonely type girl that loved being spoiled by her beloved. Damn… now I was in a dilemma…
"Well, what I am supposed to do now? Now, I know I can't find a job… Should I go to your world and become a merchant or adventurer?" I jokily said, but it actually gave me an idea.
That brought her up short and gave her a moment of pause."You want to go to my world?"
"Yes, is there problem?"
"No… there…is no problem… But why?"
"I just got the idea…Well, just few second ago, how about selling some of the magical items for profit so I can open my own business. People in this world will pay millions on useless magnets. Imagine selling them a bracelet that ACTUALLY increased their vitality. Well, I wouldn't want anything that miraculous, it might get me in trouble, but I'm sure there are things in your world that my world doesn't have."
Yup, for example, this Adamline… I'm sure I could earn more than a million dollars if I sold this for few grams of it. With that I could live comfortably with Evelyn.
Evelyn put on a complicated face, "Why can't you just open up a business here?"
"I feel I can gain more there? I don't have trading skills but maybe buying stuff over there and selling them here will give more profit. I'm not confident I can sell things on my own. In the past, a lot of profits came from transporting things from one part of our world to another, such as the spice trade. I have the ability to literally cross worlds, though I still don't know how to use it. Isn't this just taking advantage of my innate abilities?"
I have been thinking about why I can go to Evelyn's world… I'm not summoned like novel clichés. I'm going there and I can return here on my own. I came to the conclusion that this was my power. No, it was definitely my power. But why did it activate after all these years? What was the trigger? Then again, how to activate it was still a mystery.
Of course, opening a business was still just talk. I didn't even know how to use this power. Before going there, what I needed to do was learn about this ability of mine.
While I thinking that, I didn't realize Evelyn had put on a difficult face.
"..."
"Evelyn?" Evelyn glanced at me while wearing a serious look.
"Kyou, I don't know how to tell you this…" Evelyn spoke with uncertainty, "Returning to my home world is a bad idea. Under no circumstances are we to go back."
"Why, what's wrong with your world?" I asked, as Evelyn had suggested it was a bad idea.
"It's just, my family… they wouldn't understand."
"Your family? Like your father?"
"My parents… and my sisters…" Evelyn sighed.
"You have a sisters?" I didn't mean to sound so excited, it's not like I was into that kind of thing, I swear!
"Mm…" Evelyn lowered her head sadly.
I could feel some fear and apprehension through the bond. This wasn't something Evelyn wanted to talk about. I wasn't really one to want to push her, however, this was her family.
I wasn't surprised that the family might take some issue with me. Evelyn was way outside my own class. Putting aside species, just her beauty alone made me unworthy of her in any sense of the word. My own ex-wife's family actually got along with me at first. However, as we drifted apart, they became more hostile. After I had caught her cheating, her mom and dad had decided I was the scum of the earth.
They made no attempt to hide their dislike when I saw them in court. Both they and her old friends always felt she was too good for me and wondered why she would marry beneath herself. I was a 'good-looking trash' according to her father. Seriously, where did the people I used to respect go? Why did everyone take her side? Is she actually using some kind of charm magic or hypnosis app like in ero doujinshi?
Those were latent thoughts from a different me. This time, I had a goddess, and our bond told me how she truly loved me. To be honest, I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't feel it myself. It doesn't really make sense to me how she could look at me and feel affection. Perhaps years of abuse had made me begin to think I truly didn't deserve it. In that respect, Evelyn was the perfect girl for me.
"Evelyn…" I spoke, moving down to one knee in front of Evelyn and putting on a serious look.
"Eh? Eh! Eh!" Evelyn began to grow flustered as I kneeled in front of her and grabbed her hand.
Wait, isn't this kind of position suggestive of something? I mean, she's sitting down, so it's not quite the same thing, but suddenly this situation looks like I'm about to make a life decision here. Well, I feel this is a bit of a life decision, but perhaps it isn't on that actual level. I really wanted to go to her world. I needed to find out more about the woman I would spend the rest of eternity with.
Staying here with her was wonderful, but there was something missing. What is that word? What is that missing thing I feel I need before I could our tail to rest? Ah, that's right, closure! I need closure. I need to meet Evelyn's family. I need her to be able to see her home and then choose to come back to this world with me. Last time we left, it wasn't really her choice or rather I kidnap her from her world.
Going to her world wasn't just about a job. I wanted to take Evelyn back to her world. In a way, I never finished saving her those weeks ago until I finally brought her back. That was the simple truth of it.
"Evelyn, I want you…" Before I could finish the words, there was a growing light.
My body started to tingle and I felt a floaty feeling. The world turned to white. This was a familiar feeling, one I've already done twice before. I had merely held her hand and wished for her world, and it activated. Was my desire and intent all that was needed? There had to be some kind of cooldown right? I don't know, the only thing I know is that we're teleporting again.
With that, I went to Evelyn's world again…
Had I known what would happen after this… I definitely wouldn't have returned to Evelyn's world.Just like she said, it was a bad idea, a very bad idea… especially when I saw Evelyn's tears…
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