It wasn’t as if I had a burning desire to work, nor was I bored or struggling for money. It was nothing like that. It was just a passing thought—that if I intended to live in this world for good, I should probably have some way of earning my own income. It was a casual sentiment, yet Alice had intervened with an expression more deathly serious than any I had ever seen before.
“...Um, w-would it really be that much of a disaster?”
“It would. The mere thought of it leads to a terrifying state of affairs... It seems you don't quite grasp the gravity of the situation, Kaito-san, so I shall explain the potential fallout to you step by step.”
“A-Alright.”
Her voice was low, reminiscent of the ‘assassin mode’ I had seen her adopt back in the Arclesia Empire. With a look that seemed to emanate menacing sound effects, Alice continued her lecture.
“First, let’s assume you were hired somewhere. What do you think would happen then? Do you think that insane God and her ilk would stay silent while someone occupied the position of ‘Kaito-san’s superior,’ even in name only?”
“...I suppose not.”
If such a situation actually occurred, I couldn't imagine Eden-san remaining calm. Actually, it was an absolute impossibility. I shuddered to think of the consequences.
“And even if we somehow managed to mitigate that and you actually started working... I’m telling you now, you would be treated like a ticking time bomb. Everyone would handle you with extreme delicacy. After all, if anything happened to you—no, if someone even raised their voice to scold you—some truly dangerous people would come flying in immediately.”
“...You mean people other than Eden-san?”
“My own unhinged subordinates, a maid who has reached the level of religious fanaticism, the Gods of this world, the ones who would whisper ‘...don’t... bully Kaito...’ and various others.”
“...”
Now that she mentioned it, I realized I was an incredible social landmine. The truly frightening part was that most of those people would likely finish their ‘retaliation’ before I even realized anything was happening. In a sense, Eden-san, who acted conspicuously, might have been the easiest one to handle.
“Now, next, let us consider the case where you aren't hired by someone else but decide to start your own business instead.”
“O-Okay.”
“First of all, there is a one hundred percent chance that Anima-san would fall into despair and start sobbing.”
“...Huh?”
“‘B-Because my own efforts were insufficient... I have forced... Master to work... I-I am so sorry! Please, please, reconsider! I will work even harder! I will ensure Master never has to be troubled again... so... please...’ and so on.”
“...Would it really go like that?”
“According to the predictions calculated by Alice-chan's intelligence that surpasses a supercomputer, it is a mathematical certainty.”
...Then it would definitely happen. It made sense; Anima was almost too serious for her own good. She really would think it was because she had been inadequate.
“Then there is the fallout after that... ‘K-Kaito-kun!? What’s wrong? Do you need money? I’ll prepare it for you. How much do you need? ...For now, would ten thousand Platinum Coins be enough?’ Thus would speak the world’s greatest billionaire in genuine distress.”
“...”
“Furthermore, the Creator God would recognize that you working means a decrease in the time you spend with her. She would likely manifest Platinum Coins by the ton and send them to you.”
“...N-No, surely creating money like that is against the rules...”
“This is Shallow Vernal-sama we are talking about. Who is going to complain? For that matter, Kuro-san would be on Shallow Vernal-sama’s side for this one. As I said, if you start working, it becomes a crisis for Kuro-san too, because it means her time with you might be cut short.”
Indeed, Shiro-san was the absolute existence of this world. While the Three Worlds were officially treated as equals, that wasn't strictly true. The beings considered on the same level as the Six Kings of the Demon Realm were the Supreme Gods, not Shiro-san. Even the Six Kings—Alice and Ein-san included, despite their familiarity with the Supreme Gods—referred to Shiro-san as ‘Shallow Vernal-sama,’ treating her as entirely separate and transcendent.
Shiro-san had once joked that she was ‘the rule,’ but in truth, that wasn't far from the mark. She was the God of this world. If she declared a crow was white, the world itself would recognize the crow as white. No one could oppose her. The only exception was Kuro, but if Alice was right, Kuro would be aligned with Shiro-san on this particular issue.
“...I mean, it sounds strange to say it this way, but... basically, no one would be happy if I worked?”
“Correct. There are zero benefits to you working, Kaito-san. It would only result in the mass production of miserable people.”
What was this? It might have been an overstatement, but it felt like the entire world was aligned to keep me unemployed.
“Besides, it’s not as if you have some desperate, burning passion for a specific career, right?”
“Well... that’s true.”
“And you aren’t hurting for money.”
“Y-Yeah.”
“...Then isn’t there absolutely no need to work?”
“Maybe... not.”
I had no rebuttal for Alice’s logic. In fact, after hearing the litany of potential disasters, I couldn't see a single advantage to seeking employment.
“If you’re worried about long-term finances, you can just leave that to Anima-san. She can easily earn enough for you to live in luxury without a care in the world.”
“...I might be a bit late in asking this, but is Anima really that remarkable?”
“Of course. Anima-san is currently a well-known hope in the financial world. Her skill in asset management is quite formidable.”
“She is!?”
That was an unexpected revelation. I knew Anima was a hard worker, and the fact that she had doubled the money I’d left with her proved she had grown, but I hadn't realized she had reached such heights. To receive such high praise from Alice—who was usually stingy with her evaluations—meant she had truly excelled.
“That’s amazing. She’s grown so much in just two years.”
“...Well, her instructor was quite the monster, after all.”
“...Instructor?”
“The mogul of the financial world who loves to nurture talented fledglings. She had plenty of free time because she’d cleared her evening schedule just to meet Kaito-san, only for you to be back on Earth.”
“...You mean Kuro?”
I see. So Anima had been receiving lessons in investment and economics from Kuro.
“Kuro-san’s ability to foster talent is the best in the world. I honestly admit defeat in that category.”
“It feels rare to hear you say that so plainly, Alice.”
“The sheer number of people she has raised is on another level entirely...”
It was true. From what I had heard, nearly everyone living in the city where Kuro’s manor was located had been nurtured by her at some point.
“I mean, I think I have a fair amount of leadership and teaching ability myself... but for some reason, whenever I raise someone from the ground up, a glitch inevitably appears in their personality.”
“A glitch?”
“An easy example would be... Pandora.”
“I see... N-No, but Kuro really is incredible. To take someone from nearly zero to that level in only two years...”
“Actually, she finished teaching the basics of economics in about six months. She spent the rest of the time teaching combat techniques.”
It seemed my lover was a far more terrifying instructor than I had realized. Thinking back, even I, with almost zero magical talent, had reached a level where I could make simple Magic Tools in just six months after meeting Kuro. She really was extraordinary.
“...Kuro is amazing.”
“Yes. Honestly, even I didn't think she would be able to make a muscle-brain like Anima-san master high-level martial arts in just over a year.”
“...Wait, exactly how strong has Anima become?”
“I won't bore you with the technical details, but she could probably fight Lilia-san to a standstill.”
I’d lost count of how many times I’d thought it today, but Kuro really was incredible.
Serious-senpai: “...We’ve reached Part 7... and yet, where is the party...?”
Mystery Entity: “It’s fine. Next time, we’ll cut all of Ryze-san’s scenes and jump straight into the party.”