CH 1.3

Part 3

I finally caught my breath after I got around a corner and lost sight of the old lady.

“My bad, Ringo. Honestly.”

When I said that to Ringo, she shook her head.

“…It’s OK…. We’re fine… So…”

“U-uhuh.”

Even if my condition is rare, it’s probably only a few people like Ringo that find such value in my split-ended hair. In the first place, it’s only this way because my hair is damaged.

However, for the time being I’ll stick it together.

“But, my hair is my hair.”

“I know.”

I hadn’t thought about it much, but I quickly got a reply from her.

I might be wrong, but it seems that she was just trying to help me out while i’m in this trouble.

I wasn’t sure when I first met her, but Ringo is a good girl after all. Indeed, in order to avoid putting her through some tough times, I think it’s a good idea to have some money.

Well then, let’s go get our prize.

We were distracted for a long time because of Hisame’s attacks and her event, but it’s finally time for some enjoyable things.

The time has finally come for us to get our hands on the 80 million E, the money we won by winning the Golden Wild Zlime Elimination Tournament.

(Right. When the money comes in, I’d like to give something to Ringo.)

Thinking about what to do, I grabbed Ringo and proceeded. On the way to the Bounty Hunter’s Guild in the morning, I was in a giddy mood making my way through the city. After all, I was not hearing any mention of Hisame’s Dojo from the townspeople, so I arrived at the Bounty Hunter’s Guild without incident.

“Temporary… closed….?”

At the entrance of the guild that we finally arrived at, this sign was there.

My confidence I had consisting of “There’s no way that this game shall bring me down!” was shaken to its core. However, I think that even if this isn’t the normal scenario, they might still give me the prize. So, I opened the door.

“Oh.”

There was no indication that the door was locked, so it opened easily. I could hear lights and echoing chatter from several people inside. It seems people are still doing work.

I was relieved, thinking that I might be able to manage with this, so I stepped inside. Now i’m surprised.

(What the hell? I’ve got a sudden and overwhelming feeling that everything’s off!)

Compared to what I saw yesterday, the inside of the guild had clearly changed.

There were posters all over the place that weren’t previously there, such as “Simplicity and Frugality”, “One meal a day”, “No desires until victory”, “Money is important”. And for some reason the guy at the reception desk turned into an old man!

“Haa. In recent days hearing has become remarkably hard…”

He’s lamenting his deafness in that monologue like a beggar.

While I inspected the area more, I saw a small, plain girl who looked like one you might see on the streets talking to a middle-aged staff member. She had her back away from me.

“Daddy, do you work here~?

”Yeah, that’s right. It’s a very important job, it allows me to indirectly protect the city. Right now money’s a bit tough, but it’s going to be okay. Daddy will do his best for our family!

From what I can gather, it’s a heartwarming conversation about a tough life, a tough world, etc.

Moreover, The female guild member next to him is holding a baby for some reason.

“I’m sorry my poor baby, I’m having a hard time living this month. I wish I could make it easier on you if I was paid properly.”

Yeah. That kinda stuff is being told to the child.

Next to them, a young guild member and an older guild member were talking about how important their work is to the country and the city.

“….Really? So if this guild can’t sustain itself, it seems something terrible might happen, right?”

“Yeah. However, the government also gives them money, so they won’t go out of business just like that. However, if a guild ever hosted a tournament that a paid out a large amount of money, such as, I don’t know… 82,700,000 E? Perhaps then the guild might have to go out of business…”

The thick-headed me finally understood what’s going on after being bombarded with these scraps of info.

In other words, it’s THAT.