Let’s talk about how I first ran into the Lepsitol anti-establishment faction.
To be honest, it was pure chance.
It seems obvious in hindsight, but customers seeking safe sushi flocked to the sushi bar we were running. Since raw fish was out of the question, the menu naturally focused on Chirashi Sushi, Inari Sushi, and Norimaki. We added everything from vegetable sushi to Iwakuni Sushi, Kokera Sushi, and even Steamed Sushi to the lineup.
Takeout was selling like wildfire, and the money wouldn't stop coming. Since this variety of sushi is perfectly fine frozen, we shifted production to a factory to increase safety. We wanted to minimize any risk of the chefs contracting the Ghoul infection, so we made it so the sushi could just be thawed at room temperature.
We focused on DIY hand-roll Norimaki and Chakin Sushi as our mainstays. My personal favorite, Battera, was banned. It was a tragedy—never mind that I was the one who caused the ban by getting food poisoning from blue-skinned fish in the first place!
Everything was processed by freezing it at a temperature that kills Ghouls. Of course, since it was all being produced on Planet Kamishiro behind its defensive barrier, there was no contamination to begin with.
Then the Anjo Conglomerate—one of the Four Great Conglomerates—decided to rip us off entirely. That said, there was no way they could pull off the same operation as us, considering we controlled the Pirate shipping routes.
We weren't being petty, mind you. It’s just common sense: "There’s no way the passage fees for us, who were originally part of the same organization and share a friendly history, would be the same as the fees for a total newcomer."
Furthermore, building a factory in Chronos is one thing, but training the locals is another beast entirely. The Kamishiro Group bypassed that hurdle by utilizing Ozenian and Magellanic migrant workers. It’s a rice culture, after all. Besides, because we split the work into specialized tasks and simplified the process, our production volume skyrocketed, allowing us to manufacture everything cheaply.
I suspect such a feat is impossible for Lepsitol companies, given how much they love to skimp on labor costs. Our whole point was to create jobs for our citizens, so we didn't mind the higher labor costs in the slightest.
That’s how things stood when Rikochi and I took our turn on bodyguard duty.
You might wonder why guys in management were doing grunt work, but we were young and outsiders at that. If you don't take the initiative to socialize in these kinds of internal circles, you'll find yourself alienated pretty quickly. After all, we were soldiers in a physical-education-style organization. We understood how things worked.
We showed respect to the Captain by calling him "Cap’n-san" and flattered the other ninjas by calling them "Paisen." This was the survival tactic for those of us who had risen through the ranks at a young age. Nothing good ever comes from acting high and mighty!
For that reason, I also properly did the bodyguard work, which had a reputation for being "extremely boring since you can't drink."
The men in black acting as gatekeepers were security guards who also served as our protection. As for what we actually did, we just pretended to be a couple and sat at the counter eating sweets. No, really. When the Paisens did it, they stood around looking a bit more intimidating, but we were able to pull off this specific role.
I’d set my hair to look appropriately frivolous, wearing a mysterious Japanese-patterned jacket that looked like a Souvenir Jacket over a hoodie and leather pants. My shoes looked like sneakers but were actually combat shoes with steel plates in them. On my ear, I wore an ear cuff, a common accessory for Latarnians. By wearing this, people would assume I wasn't a pure Lepsitolian.
However, it wasn't particularly unusual. People who carried the blood of the Latarnians, who were once slaves, were everywhere.
Rikochi stopped attaching scales and instead wore a pendant favored by Chronosian Believers. Her outfit matched mine, and she’d added pink extensions to her hair. Her makeup was full Jirai-kei Goth Punk. We’d styled ourselves as Yankees who looked like we were just barely on the right side of being employed.
In fact, in Lepsitol, you could often see Yankees dressed exactly like this drinking alcohol starting from broad daylight.
...Even so, Rikochi really transformed with makeup. I don't mean just becoming a beauty; her entire vibe shifted. She was born to be an Infiltration Agent.
So, we idly snacked on cut fruit. It was an all-night shift. If anyone moved suspiciously, we’d report it over the radio. There was no need for us to act personally. Except, perhaps, when a fight started nearby.
"Oraaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
See? A fight typical of a pub broke out. I approached and—squeeze. Rikochi also choked her opponent out and handed them over to security. Security treated them like common drunks, tossed them outside, and that was that.
"Nothing's happening, huh~?"
"Yeah~."
They weren't even carrying knives. It was the same as nothing happening.
I ate some watermelon. Agricultural products were safe. We had ensured the safety of the employees, and we tested them frequently. Rikochi was eating Cactus Fruit. We ate it on Planet Kamishiro too, but... it was gross. It was good for hydration, but it felt like it had no flavor.
"It's delicious. Want some?"
"I'm good. You eat it, Rikochi."
"What's with that lukewarm look on your face?"
It was because that was the taste of the "not-so-tasty" side of my home planet. While we were having that conversation, someone called out to us.
"Hey, are you two the bodyguards?"
"That’s right~. Just a part-time job, 'ssu."
I hadn't been told to hide everything—just the fact that we were ninjas. So, I went with the part-timer excuse. The speaker was a tall woman, a trait characteristic of pure Lepsitolians.
"I'm Shino. A student at Lepsitol University."
Lepsitol University was the most elite institution in the nation. It was a private university... and I guess that’s where things differed from the Empire. In Lepsitol, an autocracy ruled by corporations, the prevailing thought was that public schools were for the poor, while private education was the absolute pinnacle. I probably wouldn't have been able to rise up in a place like Lepsitol. I really hate that kind of elitism.
In other words, Shino-san was likely a young lady from a good family. Or an incredibly brilliant scholarship student. In Lepsitol, the scholarship system was usually just a loan that guaranteed you'd become a corporate slave, so she was likely the former.
"I'm Kawagon, and this is..."
"Riko. Nice to meet you."
Ah, she was going with her real name. Well, whatever.
"Are you Latarnian?"
"A fraction of me is."
I answered her in the Latarnia Language. For the Lepsitol Language, I wore a device that handled the pronunciations that were physically difficult for my vocal cords.
"Amazing! You can speak the Latarnia Language?"
"My old lady won't even acknowledge me if I'm not speaking Latarnian."
"As for the Lepsitol Language... yeah. Our vocal cords aren't the same, after all."
"That’s how it is. Right, Riko?"
"Don't throw it to me. I'm just a migrant worker."
"A Chronosian Believer?"
"Yeah, my family is."
"But he's a Latarnian Believer, right? And you two are living together, yeah?"
"...H-How did you... know that?"
Rikochi froze with a mechanical creak.
"I mean, you just have that kind of aura."
She seemed to have high insight. I'd better be careful.
"So, what do you want?"
"This."
I was handed a flyer. I see. An anti-establishment student organization, huh?
"Why don't you come to a meeting? I think the current Lepsitol is wrong."
And so, we made contact with the anti-establishment faction. Then, as a result of participating in that meeting...
"District Chief!"
Shino-san turned a gaze of pure respect toward me. How did it end up like this?!
"Well, Leo-kun does have an aura, after all."
"What the hell even is an 'aura'!?"
Yes, I had somehow ended up becoming one of the executives of the anti-establishment faction.