Arifureta Shokugyou Chapter 307

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TN: It has been two weeks, this is Shirakome.

The update will resume from today.

The content is being a bit vague, this chapter feels more for rehabilitation for me but,

Best regards.

A certain place in Britain.

Within the city where buildings were built cramped with each other, there was a restaurant with wooden plank standing quietly around the outskirt.

――ILS

A cute letter font was decorating above the entrance in arch shape.

It seemed to be the name of the restaurant. It was really small, but there was a sentence "I Love Salmon" written under it, so it could be understood that it wasn't the abbreviation of some kind of organization or system, but a mere sentence of salmon lover.

The wooden plank had salmon dishes that seemed to be regular menu――ninety percent of it was salmon sandwich dish though――written on it, so it could be immediately prehended that it was a café that was offering salmon food.

For some reason, a sentence "Those who pass through this door, throw away all your preconception" with oppressive calligraphic style. Two lines were drawn on top of it and a sentence "Enjoy salmon sandwich normally!" was written on empty space with cute font that felt mellow.

It was as though an obstinate cook wrote words that were strangely obsessive, but a girl pletely rejected it and rewrote the sentence.

Well, in fact it was exactly like that.

「Boss~. Please look! I finished a cute salmon illustration! Let's put it in front of the café!」

「Rejected.」

Inside the shop, a cute female with brunette hair in short bob style――the employee in this café named Samantha was holding up a sketch book energetically.

Seeing that, a hard faced and short haired large man who was continuing to polish a glass that was already shiny behind the counter――shop manager Woody pletely rejected the proposal.

「Why!?」

「Don't you understand!?」

It seemed Samantha-chan didn't get it. She looked puzzled.

Samantha――a university student who was nineteen years old this year, she was doing part time job at this shop while attending college. A pain in the neck who tended to be careless and blindly believed other people.

Previously, Samantha was working in the café that was chosen as the place for handing over Emily to Gamma Pharmaceutical in the Berserk incident. She carelessly declared 「This café's salmon sandwich isn't that delicious!」 loudly and got fired.

After that, she had her eyes opened to the deliciousness of salmon sandwich in ILS that she found by accident. She begged to manager Woody and got hired. That was the chronology of the event.

To be frank, Woody who came to that café as unlawful agent from Gamma Pharmaceutical washed his hand from that business due to Kousuke's salmon sandwich transmission, and like this he opened a business of café that specialized in salmon sandwich.

Actually, beside the café occupation, manager Woody also doubled as an informant using his experience as former human of the underworld. At first, many suspicious people came and went from this café and he didn't have intention to hire a civilian girl like Samantha but……

He pletely recalled, 「Eh? This girl, isn't she the girl from that café? The girl who got addressed by boss and then blundered?」.

Somehow his awkwardness was growing knowing that. And then, seeing her figure that was stuffing her cheeks with his prided salmon sandwich while making rave review, and how with sparkling eyes and full mouth she said 「I will be the evangelist of salmon sandwich! Please hire me!」 which made him worried about her future, manager Woody folded.

Samantha who became an apprentice evangelist of salmon sandwich (?) with such sequence of event seemed to be greatly displeased with outer appearance and management of ILS.

The evangelist tried to do something in order to improve this café that tended to have slow business so that it would be advertised more.

Even now she was swinging around her sketch book while insisting her displeasure.

Manager Woody opened his mouth with a weary face.

「No matter how I see it, it ain't matching the atmosphere of this café. What's this, this excessively cute illustration. My café is somber, a café for hardcore salmon sandwich lover.」

「That's the reason why there aren't that many customers here! Let's make this place cuter! The target should be the young girls!」

Indeed, the illustrations that were drawn on the sketch book was a cute deformed salmon swimming and picture of cute salmon that explained the menu. If the pictures were put on the signboard at the front, it would surely attract the attention of young woman.

Although, it wasn't like manager Woody wanted to make his café modernly stylish so that his café would be teeming with young females.

Rather, it was the opposite. A famous café that was known only to those in the know. It would be fine if it was a café where only regular customers would gather and rejected first time customer that came without introduction. The café was barely scraping by with only the sale every month, but he was properly earning money as informant, so there was no problem with his living.

And so,

「Rejected.」

「Whyyyy! Boss, do you have any motivation!? Do you think you can take the world like that!?」

It seemed that within Samantha, manager Woody was like a master. Of course, it wasn't in the sense of the master of café. If it had to be said, it was a master in the sense of an expert.

He was the master of salmon sandwich road. What Samantha meant seemed to be something like 'How can you stay like this without having your name reverberating throughout the world!'.

「I understand. Then, not just young girls, how about this illustration so that boys will also visit!? I have confidence with this one!」

Saying that, Samantha lifted up her sketch book once more.

Manager Woody's expression convulsed. He massaged his temple as though enduring a headache while responding.

「I'm really unwilling, but let's say we make this café cute. But still, no matter how I look that picture ain't cute at all! That's a monster! What kind of imagination you have to think that young man will e with that picture!? If we put up that kind of thing here, this café will pletely turn strange! Just what are you planning with my café huh!?」

On the book, there was the picture of deformed salmon. Limbs were growing from fish torso, and for some reason it was wearing a skirt, while winking with fish eye.

Certainly, it was a monster no matter how one looked at it.

Manager Woody launched a tsukkomi, however, Samantha made an irritating gesture that looked like 「Good griefYare yare」, then she began to explain like a teacher remonstrating an ignorant student.

「Boss, don't you know? This is the so called "anthropomorphication". It's the essence of Japanese culture! It seems that Japanese people will love anything by anthropomorphing them. Such culture right now is getting prevalent to the degree it is spreading throughout the world.」

「Spit it out, Samantha. The one who planted that kind of half-baked and prejudiced knowledge, was it Paradis-neesan?」

「Yes! Vane-oneesan taught me!」

It seemed the two had been really close to the degree that she called Vanessa with a pet name. Even though he was an informant, he overlooked how the employee of his own café got encroached! Woody held his head.

But, at that time a somewhat awkward voice resounded.

「That's……sorry.」

「Oou!? Who――wait, ain't this boss!」

When he noticed, a Japanese youth was inside the café smiling wryly. Samantha raised her voice 「Kya!?」 in surprise.

Kousuke harbored a subtle feeling of guilt for some reason due to his inability of controlling the missionary work of the subculture evangelist Vanessa. He apologized while sporting a wry smile.

「I told you to stop calling me boss didn't I, Woody.」

「Aa~, sorry. It was a habit. Then, head. What is it today? Are you going to have a take home like usual?」 (TN: Head in the sense like headmaster, head director, etc. I know it sound strange, but that's how it is in the raw. Bear with it)

「No, calling me head is also a bit……well, for now, it's okay I guess. Today I came for a request of "that side".」

「Oops, is that so.」

Manager Woody's eyes narrowed slowly. It was a sharp gaze that was fitting for a former human of the underworld.

Kousuke sat on the counter seat. Samantha was looking alternately at Kousuke and manager Woody whose atmosphere changed while her eyes sparkled.

「Good afternoon, mister Kousuke. Seeing that you are here, how about a new salmon sandwich dish? It's a new concept that I thought of that the boss okayed.」

「Samantha, hi. So there was new recipe again. Right, I'll have that. I think I'll eat it while Woody is investigating.」

Not to mention Kousuke who often came to buy salmon sandwich, even Vanessa, Grant family, and furthermore the agents of security bureau were also frequently ing here as regular customer, so Samantha was acquainted with them.

By the way, regarding manager Woody's hidden face, he properly explained it in the interview, so Samantha also knew about it. It seemed Samantha who was full of curiosity was also unable to resist the little smell of the extraordinary.

Although, the point of how she was trying to reform such café to have fancy atmosphere was a mark of how she was truly a pain in the neck. The visit of the agents would be receding like that.

Samantha went behind the counter with light footsteps and immediately began to prepare the new salmon sandwich variant. Manager Woody and Kousuke began to talk while glancing at her.

「And, what kind of situation you are poking your nose into this time? Is it related with the forest burning case by "that person"?」

「As expected, your information is fast. About that matter, I also don't know anything about it. I cannot contact him.」

「Then……could it be, it's the explosion incident of Vatican?」

Manager Woody gave coffee to Kousuke while making a half-exasperated expression because it felt like this would be another troublesome case.

Also, "that person" manager Woody referred to was about demon king Hajime.

Kousuke couldn't help but smile wryly everytime at Woody's way of speaking that really sounded like talking about a mastermind of a secret society.

Kousuke explained blah-blah yadda-yadda about the incident at Vatican.

A fantasy human like Kousuke actually also existed in Vatican. Such information seemed to be a shocking fact for manager Woody who was a former human of underworld who worked under an occult organization.

「As I thought you didn't know huh.」

「Well, although I belonged to Hydra, I was like a private soldier of Kaysis. I was just an underling among underling. I can boast a wide information network due to my connection from my mercenary period, but a secret information of a country is something that doesn't reach my ear as expected.」

「Well, guess so. Rather, I wonder if the top brass of Hydra didn't know about this, like Kaysis and also Jefferson and others?」

「I wonder about that. I think they might know seeing that they were an organization with long history but……」

Actually, the top brass of Hydra knew about it. But, thinking about that organization's objective, it was meaningless even if they laid their hand on it. In addition, throughout long years, that organization had received painful retaliation many times throughout the process of confirming it, so they were unable to lay their hand on it even knowing about it.

Back to the topic

「More importantly, I want to know the connection of those guys. I think there is an organization that they belonged to but……」

「Hmm?」

Kousuke showed the recording of ID and face picture of five people――Leda and others who died strangely in the church to manager Woody.

Manager Woody took the smartphone and took a look. After that he transferred the data into his own smartphone.

「From a glance, there isn't anyone with big name in the underworld. Can I take a bit of time with this?」

「Around how long it will take?」

「It will depend on the parison result in the database that I have and contacting my acquaintances, so I cannot say. Well, this is a request from head, so I'll do it super express. For now, please wait for thirty minutes.」

「Got it. Until then, I'll taste Samantha's new salmon sandwich.」

「I don't know about being evangelist, but her motivation is amazing and her skill is also good. Please enjoy to your heart's content.」

Samantha brought the new salmon sandwich at that timing. Manager Woody's evaluation about her seemed to make her got into a really good mood. Manager Woody's expression became one of 「Damn it」. Samantha-chan, she was the type who would blunder when she got carried away.

Kousuke waved his hand casually to Woody who was entering his work room as informant at the back while turning his gaze to the salmon sandwich that was brought to him.

「Here, please enjoy. It's the new work, "miso mustard salmon sandwich"!」

「Miso mustard!?」

The new recipe seemed to be a Japanese style salmon sandwich. It seemed that the influence of a certain SOUSAKANagent caused Samantha to develop interest to Japan. She seemed to get the idea from miso cutlet sandwich and set out to develop a salmon sandwich that used miso.

She didn't use raw salmon, but a salmon that was fried with thin coating with somewhat soft miso curstard coating it a lot. The shredded cripsy cabbage also had mayonaise applied on it.

Kousuke put it into his mouth a bit timidly.

A beat later

「De, delicious……」

「Yes-! Yes! Yaaahaaaa!!」

Samantha, she made powerful guts pose repeatedly.

If manager Woody was a master for Samantha, then Kousuke was the grand master. Or perhaps a maestro. No, he was the founder of salmon sandwich road, he was already the salmon sandwich god……

As a trainee, the word of praise from the salmon sandwich god was truly the highest peak!

「Yep. It's seriously tasty. But, well, as expected, I like sandwich with raw salmon the best I guess.」

「!?」

Samantha fell on all four. She was hitting the floor *bang bang* in vexation. Dust was going to rise up from her doing that, so Kousuke wished that she would stop it.

「Samantha. Can you give me the standard salmon sandwich too?」

「……Yes. I will bring it right away.」

Samantha disappeared behind the counter with a face that looked like the emoticon (????ω??`). The day the title "trainee" was taken away from here seemed to be still far away.

Exactly thirty minutes after that.

While Kousuke was making trivial talk with Samantha about salmon sandwich, manager Woody got out from the back room.

「How is it?」

「……Sorry. I don't get any good information.」

Manager Woody scratched his head awkwardly. However, his expression looked conflicted and baffled to be said that he simply didn't obtain any information.

「If, there is an organization behind those guys, it feels like it will be better to rely on the intelligence bureau. If it's head, you will be able to request them through security bureau right?」

「I think I can do that but……」

From manager Woody's state, there must be something. Kousuke questioned him with his gaze. Manager Woody made a coffee for himself, then he drank it all with one gulp before starting to report his investigation result.

「I investigated using various pulls too, but I cannot believe that those guys has connection with underworld organization. Lawyer, university student, priest, retired former teacher. Everyone of them has clear background. Other than that Vatican's man called Leda that is. In addition, it's like these guys have nothing connecting them. Like participating in some kind of convention, or having transaction with each other……there is no connection at all.」

「Are they hiding it so thoroughly you cannot find it?」

「I cannot deny that possibility. That's why, in that case you better rely on the intelligence bureau, or give me a few days to put serious effort into investigating this.」

If it was manager Woody who had underworld information network, Kousuke thought that he would be able to pull out all information regarding their connection, but it seemed it couldn't go that easily.

「But you know, head. There is a bit of "mon point" that bother me.」

「mon point?」

「……All of these guys, the people close to them are dead. By so called tragic incidents.」

「! Specifically?」

From what he was told, for the lawyer it was his fiancée, for the college student it was his parents, for the priest his wife and son, for the former teacher old man it was his son and daughter-in-law, for the laborer it was his wife. They lost their important people. Killed. What's more, all of those happened in the shape of betrayal by someone they trusted.

Kousuke recalled the scream of death agony from Leda.

――This world is hell. Human, is making it hell

Was that man, also saw a "tragedy" that made him thought like that……

「Also, there is one more point. The former teacher old man, and the college student, about them……」

Manager Woody's report caused Kousuke who was about to get absorbed into his thought to return to his senses feeling taken aback.

「After their incident, they got involved with police several times.」

「Police? Were they gotten involved with incident again?」

「No, it's the opposite. They caused incident.」

「……What kind?」

「Even if I said incident, it wasn't at the level of getting jailed. There were only things that only got them strictly warned……the former teacher was with his wife, while the college student was with several of his friends. Both of them tried to influence other people to stop believing in religion.」

――God won't answer. He won't grant salvation.

Leda's words crossed Kousuke's mind once more.

「The man called Leda, was someone from Vatican……the holy ground of religion right? Thinking about his act of betrayal too, I think this is really suspicious.」

「Certainly……」

Manager Woody had picked up good information in this short time. Kousuke didn't say that with words, but inside his heart he sent his praise to Woody.

Then, at that timing, Samantha who was endeavoring to make new anthromorph salmon illustration quietly so that she wouldn't be a bother seemed to be actually listening. She suddenly opened her mouth.

「Saay, Mister Kousuke.」

「Hm? Samantha, what's the matter?」

Even while addressing Kousuke, Samantha sent a glance at manager Woody. Just in case, she confirmed to the manager Woody whether it was alright for her to enter the conversation.

This point where she could discern that in the end she was just an employee made anyone couldn't hate her despite her being a pain in the neck. Manager Woody thought that while nodding with a wry smile.

「You see, that act of overdoing it in making someone to stop having faith? Actually, there is also my friend who experienced that……」

「Eh? Seriously?」

「Seriously. It was about two months ago I think? The boyfriend of my friend went through misfortune in his family. My friend, she said that she would support her boyfriend, but after that, the condition of that boyfriend seemed to turn strange.」

「Strange you say? Like what?」

「My friend said, that he was scary. It was like he was a bit not normal. And then, me and several other friends had discussion with her. But then, it seems that there also quite many friends of my other friends who are like that boyfriend too.」

「That many?」

It seemed that such kind of people had appeared here and there since around a year ago. After a while, those people would return to how they were before, so it didn't seem like to bee a widespread topic, but……

「Yes. And also, that's……」

「Hm? What's wrong? Is there something else in your mind?」

Samantha faltered as though it was difficult to say. After she was urged to continue, she started with 「Saying it like this, is a bit bad but……」 while saying.

「Everyone said it. It's as though――"they are possessed by demon