CH 38

Chapter 38 – Request

TL: Just one chapter today because I’m a bit busy, but there’s 6 sponsored chapters coming tomorrow in one batch.

On the other side of the monitor, I let out a sigh. The nervous tension in my body relaxed as a sense of accomplishment took its place.

The negotiations weren’t completely over yet, but for the time being, it was safe to say that I had gained a business partner.

But I think I might have gone a bit too far with Enjou’s character. Even though I had a pretty shallow knowledge of anime and manga, I think the character turned out pretty well.

Well, even if the negotiations fell through, I would only lose a [Copy Doll] and some firearms, so it wouldn’t be that bad.

All that remained was to spread word about Enjou a little bit more so people would soon begin to reach out to Enjou on their own accord.

Through Enjou, the number of people who would want to contact Kaiba and Torimoto would also increase. This would stimulate my market and cause my profits to balloon even further.

The risk would naturally increase along with it, but there wouldn’t be any problems as long as I was paying attention to it. However, there would be times when Sol wasn’t around. I often had her go out to gather new intel.

…Should I buy another Familiar to serve as my personal bodyguard…?

That way, I could ensure my safety to some extent. I wanted such a bodyguard to be pretty strong and, if possible, to have a better combat ability than Sol… No, I guess just a better ability to protect and escort. With such requirements, it would surely be quite expensive, so it might be better to think about buying it after concluding this time’s large deal.

“Master, you have a visitor.” (Sol)

Sol’s voice echoed in my head. I had Sol keep Kanna company while also keeping an eye out for anyone approaching my room. I put the monitor back into the <Box>.

Then, there was a knock at the door. Once I gave permission to enter, a rather unusual visitor appeared.

“Well, well, long time no see―Akito-san.” (Torimoto)

It was Fukuzawa Akito, Jouichirou’s eldest son, who was also a doctor.

“It’s been a while. May I have a moment of your time?” (Akito)

“Yes, I don’t mind. Is it something urgent?” (Torimoto)

“Actually―” (Akito)

After that, he told me that he had a childhood friend whom he had known since elementary school and was still in contact with, but that man’s family had been attacked by monsters.

While they managed to preserve his life, it seemed that the acid that the monster spewed had gotten on his wife’s face, leaving her in a pitiful, disfigured state.

“I see. So you want me to heal him?” (Torimoto)

“….Would it be difficult?” (Akito)

“As I’ve mentioned before, the medicine isn’t free of charge. It costs quite a lot to make the medicine.” (Torimoto)

“Yes, I understand. They already said that they would be willing to pay the asking price if you can heal him.” (Akito)

….That’s good. Then it would be worth meeting this guy in person to discuss the price.

“I understand. Would you mind letting me meet this person before deciding?” (Torimoto)

“Ooh! By all means! With a condition as bad as his, even the effectiveness of plastic surgery would be a bit…” (Akito)

Well, no matter how horrible the acid burns were, it wouldn’t be a problem for the [Elixir・Mini]. As long as they weren’t dead, it would be a simple matter to restore the target.

“If you don’t have anything else to do at the moment, we can go right now…?” (Akito)

It was late afternoon. I had just finished doing what I needed to do and had no other plans for now. I agreed, and we headed to his friend’s house in his car.

—

His friend’s house wasn’t far away, and he also lived in a magnificent single-family house. It wasn’t as grand as the Fukuzawa mansion though. While in the car, I heard a little bit about Akito’s friend. Apparently, he was a successful, well-known author.

I was surprised when I heard about it. Even I had heard about him before.

“Hey! Good to see you, Akito. Umm… Could it be, that person is…?”

The man who welcomed us at the door had a slim build just like Akito. Just going by his appearance, it wouldn’t be easy to guess that he was a successful writer.

The image I had in my head was a literary master with a large beard and a kimono, since he always wrote in a pretty stiff-sounding prose. But when he opened the door, I found that he looked like an ordinary salaryman.

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“Ah, right. This is Torimoto-san, that Restorer I mentioned.” (Akito)

“Oh! It’s an honor to meet you. Ah, pardon me for being rude at the start. My name is Tanaka Yaichi.”

“It’s nice to meet you. My name is Torimoto Kentaro.”

“Thank you so much for going out of your way to come here this time. Please allow me to show you in.” (Tanaka)

We were led to the living room, where there were two children and a woman with bandages wrapped around her face like a mummy, sitting on the sofa.

“Let me introduce you. Rin, Jin, come here.” (Yaichi)

““Okaaay!~””

Also―

“I apologize for this appearance. I am Sayuri, the wife of Yaichi.”

She had a dignified air to her, and she seemed like a gentle, broad-minded woman.

I see. This person is…

I was seated at the table and offered tea and sweets. The kids were chattering and giggling energetically as they read a picture book. Meanwhile, Yaichi and his wife were sitting opposite me, looking at me in a rather nervous manner.

“S-So, Akito… Can Torimoto-san… really fix Sayuri… my wife’s face?” (Yaichi)

Hearing what he had said, Akito directed his gaze towards me, seemingly wanting me to explain.

“Yes. As far as I can see, it wouldn’t be a problem. If I wanted to, I could restore her face to its original beauty right now.” (Torimoto)

“…!? I-Is that really true?! Then please, by all means! I’m begging you! Please save my wife…!” (Yaichi)

He suddenly got up from his seat and prostrated himself before me.