I walked inside of the side room with my wobbly legs and sat down on the sofa in front of Reese-san and Biar-san. There is already a teacup waiting for me and I can see the steam rising from it, but I've decided to not take it.
"Um… Well you see…"
"Spit it out, Kenji-kun. Is this your friend? Does he need help with something?"
"If we can help you, we will Kenji-kun. Just don't ask for money of course! Haha!"
"No it's not that, you see... um…"
They were both staring at me with their happy eyes. Please stop staring at me like this, I don't want to crush your kindness for me. Please stop it.
"You see… I need to…"
"'Need to' what lad? Speak up!"
"Are you alright Kenji-kun? You're looking a little pale."
Why is this so hard to do? I don't want to make them sad or anything! I know they like me a lot and they view me as a proxy son but I didn't want to make this so difficult! I have to just come out and say it! Come on Kenji Fujima! You can do this! Here we go!!!
"I am going to be quitting the job today! I am sorry if this is abrupt! This man here is named Terry and he is willing to fill my position if you are willing to hire him!"
I DID IT! I said it! I feel like puking but I did it!
"Hm? Oh is that so? Why are you quitting Kenji-kun?"
Eh? No anger? Maybe it's just shock.
"I plan to become an adventurer and… defeat… the demon king…"
"Is this some type of revenge thing for what happened to your home, Kenji-kun? I know it's awful what happened but I'm certain that this isn't what your parents would have wanted…"
"N-no it's not that it's just…"
"Come on now Reese, let him try being an adventurer. You can tell by the way he looks; he's nervous but determined, like our son was all that while ago! Besides, he even went through the trouble of finding a replacement!"
This is going far easier than I thought it would, in fact, this is going too easily.
"Well I understand your hesitation, it's hard to replace me after all!"
"No we appreciate the replacement you have brought, we just want to know why you're doing this in the first place."
Seriously? What the h.e.l.l. No grabbing to stop me? No anger? Just "Have fun"?
"So why exactly do you want to become an adventurer? Wonderl.u.s.t?"
"Maybe he wants to find a girlfriend out on adventures or something!"
"Yeah that's probably what it is. He's getting to be about that age after all!"
Hey I'm right here. Please stop talking about me like I'm not here.
"Ahem… I need to kill the demon king, like I said."
"Seriously?" x2
I know they have a low opinion of me, but this is just absurd. Why don't they think I can beat the demon king?
"Um… so am I hired or…?"
"Oh yes your name is Terry, correct?"
"Oh, um, yes. I am Terry. It's nice to meet you."
"Good. Terry-kun, you start tomorrow at 7 A.M. sharp. We close at 7 P.M. every day of the week except for Sundays where we close at 3 P.M. Your weekly salary is 400 juns. Any questions?"
"No sir."
"Good. Well then Kenji-kun, if adventuring doesn't work out for you then just come back here. I might let you have your job back if you beg me in a dogeza."
"..."
Am I angry? No, more like my expectations have been subverted.
I've worked diligently at this shop for 7 months now and I'm being replaced so easily! Wait, I'm the guy that found the replacement… Did I just dig my own grave? Did I just do something stupid? No that's not it. I don't do stupid things! This was the right course of action!
Right…?
"Well then Kenji-kun, we appreciate all the work you've done for us, but we understand the call to adventure that you have. Stay safe!"
Well at least Reese-san is being a little kind.
"Alright Kenji-kun, when you give up just remember to dogeza and you'll be fine."
And Biar-san is not.
I stood up from the sofa, gave a deep bow, and left the shop.
I have just quit my job. I am now unemployed once more. I'm not panicking, instead I feel a sense of excitement. The next part of my new life begins now!
