episode_0050

050 – Cactus Fruit and Two Tickets # 1

Thump-thump-thump-.

The fists of the two nymphs collided.

You might say there’s nothing remarkable about round, cotton-candy-like fists clashing.

However, one must never overlook the fact that Melinoi knocked down Magnus, who was both the Pirate King and the Mercenary King, with a single, surprising blow.

A torrent of fists, cleaving rocks with a cracking sound, was truly an overwhelming nightmare in itself.

The surprising thing was that Peranoi, that peculiar orange-haired nymph, was also neutralizing these blows by accurately landing her own fists.

“Melly Melly Melly Melly Melly!”

“Peranoi Peranoi Peranoi Peranoi Peranoi!”

Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-.

Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-.

In the end, their fight remained unresolved.

Whoosh-!

The two separated, putting distance between them.

Around them, many people had collapsed, unable to withstand the impact generated by the clashing fists.

A scene of hell.

A chaotic mess.

You could describe it however you liked, but the important thing was that no one would be able to clean up this commotion.

Someone would have to take responsibility for this, and it would clearly be me.

‘It absolutely must be me!’

Gently descending-.

At that moment, someone slowly descended from high in the sky.

I lifted my head to see a muscular man in a red cape and red briefs looking at the utterly chaotic event hall and clicking his tongue in disapproval.

“For such a commotion to break out while I was away for a moment. Audit Team 1, I never thought you would try to get one over on me on such an auspicious event day as today.”

Prince Zagreus.

Flash-.

His red eye-glow shone so brightly that it reminded me of Melinoye nim.

But that was only for a moment.

After landing in the event hall, he plunged his hand into thin air, pulled out something round, and flicked it into the air.

Peranoi, who caught it cleanly, trembled.

“Eek…! It’s nymph-averse bean candy! This Peranoi hates bright red bean candy! I demand it be exchanged for capital-friendly golden honey candy!”

“Mwahaha, this Melinoi received honey candy! Of course, this Melinoi is a mature nymph, so she doesn’t like things like honey candy! I’ll go throw it in the trash can!”

Scamper-.

Melinoi ran off somewhere.

About a minute later.

Melinoye nim, the Goddess of Nightmares, returned to a scene more horrifying than a nightmare itself.

Melinoye nim looked around and was greatly surprised.

“Ahem, ahem, what happened while I was away for a moment?”

“Mwahaha, that Peranoi and Deputy Joy clashed fiercely! He’s the first person to neutralize that Peranoi’s ‘Furious Beating’! Indeed, he’s quite good!”

Again?

The one who fought Peranoi was Melinoi.

Melinoi was forgotten from people’s memories again, and her actions were pinned on me.

“For a mere mortal to clash on equal terms with Prince Zagreus’s right-hand man.”

“Their fists were so fast they couldn’t be seen with the eye.”

“Deputy Joy, truly worthy of someone promoted to deputy within days of being assigned to the head office.”

When I think about the suffering I’ve gone through until now because of this strange phenomenon, my blood pressure rises, you know.

But now, it seemed I could actually use this phenomenon.

The responsibility for the charity event, ruined by Melinoi’s sudden appearance, would all fall on me, wouldn’t it?

So I shouted confidently.

“I am deeply sorry for disrupting His Highness the Prince’s charity event. If you wish to discuss the responsibility for this matter, I will not avoid it.”

However.

Prince Zagreus’s reaction went beyond my expectations.

“No, there’s another culprit who caused this incident, isn’t there?”

Saying so, Prince Zagreus’s eyes looked at his younger sister, Melinoye nim.

Melinoye nim frowned as if she was annoyed.

“What are you looking at?”

Their sibling relationship must be really bad.

That’s what others might think.

But I was different.

Prince Zagreus’s words and actions just now seemed as if he knew ‘Melinoi’.

It was extremely surprising.

Hadn’t even the Chairman nim said he knew nothing about the nymph named Melinoi?

It was the rule that everyone forgot about her after Melinoi disappeared.

Everyone except me.

But what if Prince Zagreus remembered Melinoi?

Wouldn’t it be like having someone right in front of my eyes to ask various things about that Melinoi?

So, just as I was about to open my mouth—.

“Zagreus! To invite people and then get them involved in such a mess!”

“We’ll have to think more about our collaboration!”

“These are expensive clothes! They got dusty! Take responsibility!”

Prince Zagreus was soon surrounded by angry event guests.

Thanks to that, it was impossible for me, merely a deputy, to even approach him.

# # #

“Deputy Joy of the Head Office Audit Team 1 Raids Charity Event!”

“Huge Clash with Nymph Peranoi, Numerous Casualties!”

“Prince Zagreus to Bear Responsibility for the Situation—.”

“Who exactly is ‘Peranoi,’ the first infected person of the Nymph Flu?”

“Attention Focused on Nymph ‘Mr. P,’ the Shadowy Figure of the Safety Management Team!”

“Amazing! Amazing! Not only did you break into the charity event and straightforwardly expose the corruption of a close associate, but you also pinned all the responsibility on Prince Zagreus! Joy, you madman!”

Alecto nim slapped my back loudly with her palm.

This was because the mess that occurred at the charity event had acted as a huge boon for our Audit Team.

“Thanks to you, our Audit Team 1, on the verge of disbandment, has gained significant time! Everyone, be grateful to Deputy Joy! He’s the benefactor who extended your lifelines!”

Benefactor, my foot!

I felt like dying.

Not a single thing had gone according to my plan.

‘I admit that Prince Zagreus has a part of the responsibility to bear as the person in charge of the event.’

However, if he had named me as the culprit who caused this incident, I would not have been able to escape responsibility, like a hamster caught by its paw in a trap.

Since I caused trouble in a situation where there were many executives, disciplinary action like a salary reduction was basic, and getting fired could be considered certain.

But Prince Zagreus did not mention my name.

Why?

Perhaps it was because he knew that the one who caused the problem was not me, but ‘Melinoi’.

That’s why he didn’t demand responsibility from me.

If I thought that way, many parts aligned.

“Alecto nim, what kind of person is Prince Zagreus?”

The culprit of “Work Innovation.”

In a way, he was the cause of my hardships, as it was because of “Work Innovation” that I, a human from the surface world, got a job and started working at “Happy World.”

Until now, I had no desire to know about him.

I also felt that if I delved too deeply, it would become difficult to escape from this “Soul Society.”

However, my current self now had many things I was curious about regarding that man.

At that moment, the office door burst open, and a familiar face abruptly entered.

“You’re from the Safety Management Team!”

“How dare you barge in here!”

The office atmosphere instantly flared up.

Soon, the man looked around and then came directly to me.

And he was patting my shoulder.

“Wow, Joy. You really got one over on them magnificently, didn’t you? I never expected it would turn out like this at all. As expected, an excellent man! This Markius truly acknowledges you!”

It was Markius, the Department Head of the Safety Management Team.

At his praise, my stomach felt like it was burning from excessive stomach acid.

However, Markius observed his surroundings with a thievish gaze and spoke coldly.

“But we can’t just let it pass either. The responsibility for disrupting the event is not entirely absent for Audit Team 1 either. It would be good if you saved our dignity a little. About one employee.”

Demands one employee for dignity?

This meant that our Audit Team also had to produce one scapegoat.

Otherwise, an all-out war would truly break out, where we would bite and tear at each other, and chaos would ensue.

“What happens if we produce an employee?”

“A demotion would probably be enough as a show of sincerity. We can save face appropriately too.”

Demotion!

What a beautiful sound that was.

It was less than being fired, but a demotion was a good option in its own way.

“I will—.”

An opportunity coming to me on its own feet like this.

So, just as I was about to open my mouth, someone grabbed my shoulder strongly.

“I will drink this cup.”

It was Deputy Narcissus, the narrow-eyed character.

“Joy, I’ll be honest. The Audit Team needs you more than me. A capable and fearless person like you must be the one to change the world. So, you stay at the head office. Stay and go to higher places.”

I was flustered.

To think that Deputy Narcissus, whom I hadn’t known for long, thought of me this way.

“…Deputy Joy, honestly, I even disliked you a little. Because I only thought that my connection had been severed when you dismissed Director Apate. But you, you were a hot-blooded man.”

However, his resolve hardened.

“Still, this is my responsibility! It’s my ticket that I must bear!”

“Shut up! That ticket is mine! Give it here!”

“You man obsessed with loyalty! Joy! I never knew you, who only recently came from outside, would have such affection for the Audit Team! To the extent that this Hector feels more like a heartless coward!”

“Joy, when you said you went to the Audit Team, which was practically the middle of an enemy camp, I honestly worried. But it was a baseless fear. This Markius truly acknowledges you!”

“Aaaargh!”

The ticket to the surface world is right before my eyes!

It feels like I could grab it, but why can’t I grab it?!

As I struggled wildly, Alecto nim made a proposition to Marki.

“Department Head Markius, honestly, your team made a mistake, and then asking us to produce one of our subordinates seems unreasonable, doesn’t it? We can’t just give up our people so easily. So, give us some time.”