"Can't find a job."
For the fifteenth time, he was rejected by the kind-faced holiday hotel owner.
Kurusu Akira stood on Shibuya Central Avenue, holding a bottle of mineral water, looking back at the sunny sea of people.
As a super undocumented person with no resident registration, health insurance card, basic resident register... not even a student ID, relying solely on a good face to find a part-time job with a salary sufficient to cover tuition and rent, there was probably only one path left.
Kurusu Akira trudged towards the train station, each step feeling as if he were walking on soft sand, with an invisible tide of people surging around him, a bone-chilling coldness washing over his ankles.
Was it freedom or an enemy on the other side of the sea?
He didn't dare to go any deeper.
Standing in the underground passage of the train station, Kurusu Akira looked up at the sign for Shinjuku.
As everyone knew, Japan's largest red-light district, the famous Kabukicho, was in Tokyo's Shinjuku.
The host club industry was well-developed there.
Kurusu Akira came back to his senses and looked at the promotional poster for "Attack on Titan: The Final Season" displayed next to the waiting area for the Shinjuku line a little further away.
Alright, Kurusu Akira, quickly imagine what "Eren Yeager" would do at this moment...
All he could remember was the end of the third season of the "Attack on Titan" anime, where Eren, dejected, walked through the seawater, then pointed at the horizon and said that true freedom would be achieved by killing all the enemies across the sea.
So "Eren Yeager" meant that as long as Kurusu Akira eliminated all the hosts in Kabukicho Ichibangai through fierce competition, he could reign over the host world as a king and achieve financial freedom.
Then his life would truly be over.
He couldn't imagine how Igor and Lavenza would view him if he ever entered the Velvet Room—
Kurusu Akira ultimately didn't dare to push open that door to a new world.
It was better to do some low-paying jobs.
Like a convenience store clerk.
Thinking of this, he was about to open the phone book on his mobile phone.
After more than ten consecutive job rejections today, Kurusu Akira's pride and arrogance as a "Phantom Thief" were on the verge of being completely worn away, like a piece of coral stuck in the turbulent flow of people, he lowered his head and fiddled with his phone. After hesitating for a while, he finally chose to dial the only contact in his phone book.
"Hello, Sakura-san?"
"Oh, Kurusu, what's up?"
"Is Sakura-san's coffee shop usually busy?"
"Not very busy... Actually, you're thinking of coming here for a part-time job, right?"
"As expected of an experienced manager."
After a few simple compliments, Kurusu Akira covered the phone's earpiece, squeezed out of the crowd, and walked to a dark corner with a fire hydrant.
"I really need this part-time job."
"No problem, school has started recently, and there are gradually more young customers. It's good to have someone your age help with communication."
He could hear a clear laugh from the other end of the phone, but the laughter quickly stopped.
"I suddenly have something urgent to attend to. Regarding the part-time job, you can come to the shop later to talk to me... You still remember LeBlanc's location, right? Do you need me to send you a location?"
Sakura Sojiro's tone suddenly quickened.
Kurusu Akira leaned against the wall with his hand, his ingrained professionalism instinctively leading him to ask a question that was almost offensive, "Is Sakura-san in some kind of trouble?"
"Kids shouldn't worry so much. Alright, I'm hanging up. Remember to come before nine in the evening, or LeBlanc will close."
Sakura Sojiro seemed to have regained his smile, and a gentle warmth could be felt even through the phone.
The call ended.
The coffee shop owner put away the smile on his face and looked with a slight headache at the girl standing at the door with large and small bags in her hands.
"You are Iseri Nina, right?"
The girl hurriedly bowed, her brown, shoulder-length hair swaying with the exaggerated movement.
"Yes! I am Iseri Nina... I'll be in your care from now on!"
Sakura Sojiro nodded.
"I am Sakura, Sakura Sojiro. For the next two years, you will be living at my house."
"Your father always talks about you being 'troublesome' or 'annoying' on the phone, telling me to supervise your studies more closely. He took off his glasses and rubbed his aching temples with a hint of helplessness, "I thought it would be a very mischievous kid, but it turns out to be someone like you."
Iseri Nina was a very pretty girl, and should have been popular with boys, but she seemed a bit clumsy, the type who easily made mistakes and annoyed people, which was probably why she was treated that way at school.
He would probably have to teach her a lot of things on behalf of her parents in the future.
Sigh, those two stubborn old folks from Kumamoto, unable to teach their own daughter, whom they had watched grow up, how to be flexible...
Sakura Sojiro thought this, then walked over to help Iseri Nina lift the seemingly heavy instrument case.
"Wait a minute! That's... not..."
Iseri Nina seemed to panic all at once, waving her hands repeatedly, explaining incoherently to Sakura Sojiro.
"I see, it's something someone left behind in the train car."
"I originally wanted to take it to the Police Department, but it would require a taxi, which would cost a lot of money." Iseri Nina anxiously wrung her hands together.
"So, do you have the owner's contact information?"
"Maybe..." Iseri Nina struggled to hand over the bulging black backpack.
"The owner is a boy named Amamiya Ren, who studies at Shujin High School." At this point, she quickly explained to Sakura Sojiro, "I just accidentally saw his student ID, I didn't mean to peek."
Sakura Sojiro nodded again, his impression of Iseri Nina improving by a few points.
Then he took the backpack, exclaimed "It's heavy," and placed it on an empty dining table, unzipping it.
There were no customers in the shop now, and the "OFF" sign was hung outside, making it suitable for rummaging through for the owner's personal information like this.
Sakura Sojiro opened "Amamiya Ren's" backpack and found a proof of residence among a pile of haphazardly stuffed clothes.
After that, he principledly refrained from touching any other items in the backpack.
The phone number was... Sakura Sojiro took out his phone and started inputting the digits one by one.
Once the input was complete, a contact labeled "Kurusu Akira" popped up on the screen.
The middle-aged man's expression and movements instantly froze.
He looked somewhat comical, like a "Moblin" in "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" frozen in place by Link's abilities.
----------------
The train's onboard broadcast was playing an evening variety show.
The host gestured wildly, moving among countless screenshots of news reports.
"Everyone's heard, right? This afternoon, a terrible traffic accident happened in Harajuku. A bus drove against traffic, causing forty casualties!"
"..."
"A bus actually drove against traffic with passengers, even though it's public transportation! How can citizens live peacefully?!"
The host of the variety show said this in an exaggerated and lamenting tone.
The passengers' noisy discussions suddenly grew louder.
"How terrible."
"What's going on? Didn't a similar strange out-of-control accident happen last year too?"
"Yeah, but it quieted down for a few months. But I didn't expect it to start happening frequently again recently, even that councilman was attacked in the street..."
"Hey, they say the detective in charge of investigating these 'out-of-control incidents' has become a vegetable."
Kurusu Akira listened to the passengers' discussions all the way, his brows furrowed.
He actually knew the truth behind the so-called "out-of-control incidents."
Because in his original world, Kurusu Akira's primary goal as a Phantom Thief was to find and resolve the source of this series of "out-of-control incidents."
However... "started happening frequently again recently," what did that mean?
It seemed many more things would differ from his expectations.
But before he could think more, the train arrived at the station.
Kurusu Akira had no choice but to move out of the door with the evening rush hour crowd.
It was already evening.
The sunset seemed to open an orange-red flower in the sea of clouds, very beautiful.
But flowers also have a time to wither, and as the cold wind of the spring night blew off their petals, they scattered and fell onto the streets of Setagaya Ward.
Kurusu Akira walked out of the train station, and everywhere his gaze fell was a dazzling red glow.
His phone in his pants pocket suddenly started vibrating.
[Sakura Sojiro is requesting you to answer the call.]
Kurusu Akira answered the phone without hesitation and put the receiver to his ear.
"Amamiya, Amamiya Ren?" The voice in the receiver became a little strange, "That's your real name, right?"
"Yes... I'm terribly sorry! I shouldn't have deceived you!"
Facing the possibility of social death and losing the part-time job he had just managed to get, Kurusu Akira was drenched in cold sweat.
If he were to say now that he himself only found out about the name "Amamiya Ren" this morning, would Sakura Sojiro believe him?
But Sakura Sojiro didn't seem to want to dwell on that issue, "Your backpack and guitar were left on the high-speed rail. My friend's daughter brought them back for you. Come pick them up at LeBlanc."
The call ended.
Kurusu Akira stood in the center of the Setagaya Ward plaza, the towering buildings refracting the lingering glow of the sunset like countless golden swords, piercing him instantly, leaving him riddled with holes.
The cold wind drilled into these dense, crowded holes, making a whimpering sound.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To Read Advanced Chapters, and support this novel, please join me on [email protected]/geats2000