CH 33

Exciting Starting Salary

Translated by Dawn

The next day, Wednesday, May 2.

When I, Kiriha, and Miine arrived at school, the classroom was in an uproar.

“Hey Okui, I saw you on TV this morning!”

“Why did you hide it from me until now?”

“Is it because of confidentiality? But why don’t you at least tell us?”

“That’s right. We’re in the same class!”

Everyone, regardless of gender, approached me with a twinkle in their eyes and fanned out to surround me.

“Chill out for a second you guys, what’s the story on the news this morning?”

I overslept this morning so I came to school without watching the news.

By the way, Kiriha didn’t wake me up because she was going to take pictures of my sleeping face.

“What’s this?”

When the boys opened a news site on the MR screen, a video played.

The content was an interview I did yesterday.

In the upper right or lower corner of the screen, it says [High school student who earns 8 trillion yen a year] and [Blitz interview with super psychic who solves fuel problems all by himself]. (+)

That made me say, “Wow.”

To be clear, I neither had star aspirations nor was I aware of them.

Whenever I saw or heard the news of celebrities being bashed by the media, I always thought that the fame tax was too heavy.

Besides, I was just invoking my abilities, not paying for any hardship. It was like lifting a one-kilogram dumbbell and getting in an uproar.

Of course, I knew that I had solved the fuel problem with my abilities. I also felt a sense of accomplishment being in the same league as Miine, Shisae, and Kiriha.

But I didn’t feel comfortable being praised by those around me.

And yet, everyone was eager to communicate with me, their eyes shining with curiosity and longing, smiling affectionately at me.

“Hey, you guys, what’s the fuss, Okui!?”

“Oh, Bando, are you out of the hospital?”

When I turned around, I saw that it was Bando, who was hospitalized with a high fever, diarrhea, and vomiting after falling into the sewers again and causing an infection.

For the third time, Kiriha was quick to narrow her eyes and turn hostile.

Bando, too, wrinkled his brow and glared at her, but it did not last long.

“Tch.”

He spat disgustedly and turned his back on us, and Bando entered the classroom through the door on the other side.

His back was round, and as he took his seat, he began surfing the net. His face was a mass of grumpiness, and his eyes were squinted as he stared at the MR screen that had unfolded in mid-air.

Then one of the guys surrounding me asked.

“Hey, Okui, be honest with me, how much do you get paid?”

“What? Why should I tell you that?”

“Fine, whatever. Tell me or I won’t let you through.”

What a depressing bunch, I thought, and took a breath.

“Base salary is 200,000. The basic psychic allowance is 100,000. The rest will come with a special psychic allowance based on each individual’s job description, but I don’t know what that will be for April because it’s still being calculated.”

Total 300,000 per month.

Too much for a high school student’s income. I’m kind of sorry.

“It’s kind of like a percentage. Because it’s the first time, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is having a hard time coming up with the right amount.”

Kiriha said, looking at me.

Although she recognized Miine and the others as her friends, she apparently had no intention of exchanging words with her classmates.

–She is still a bit lacking in communicative skills.

But on the other hand, I don’t want Kiriha to talk to these guys.

Especially boys.

Is this possessiveness?

There, in the lower right corner of my field of vision, I saw an envelope symbol floating in an AR image.

–A message? From Director Sayuri?

When I opened it, I heard the dignified and beautiful voice of Director Sayuri.

[Ikuo Okui, we have decided on a special supernatural power allowance for you.]

–Heh, I wonder how much it is? 100,000? 200,000?

[The politicians are also very stubborn. Methane hydrate is government property, and you just transported it, so you got an allowance for drilling and transportation.]

–So, I guess that’s about 50,000 yen. Well, even 300,000 yen is good enough. I’m just exercising my abilities.

[It amounted to 600 million yen.]

“Ah 600 million, huh. 600 milliooon!!!!???”

I yelled out in a spinal reflex.

–What the heck is that reward amount! The numbers are inflated! If this is a battle manga, fans are going to start asking what the initial boss was!

“Honey, I read the message, too. I’ve only recently started making royal jelly, so I’ll only get 10 million yen this time, but next time they’ll give me 300 million yen. Tsk, I was going to give Honey a gift, but you passed me.”

While Kiriha tutted and puckered her lips, her classmates had the faces of lions of legal joy in front of a zebra dripping with blood.

“600 million…”

“Like a lottery ticket…”

“Every month…”

“Okui! We’re friends, right!”

“I’ve always thought that Okui-kun’s a good friend of mine!”

“Okui! Let’s buy a whole floor of a high-rise apartment as a second home for everyone!”

“I have a birthday next week, I want a present! Okay!”

“You’re my after-school paymaster starting today! You’ve got 600 million!”

Pressured by the raging Takari(Takari is an act of threatening or crying out to someone for money or goods, or forcing someone to buy you a meal or other treat.)behavior, I couldn’t respond quickly enough.

Kiriha was also unusually confused. She was not being violent, so she was probably wondering how she should respond.

But the help came from behind.

“Okay, that’s enough.”

Holding me and Kiriha by the shoulders from behind, Miine looked around at everyone with a kind face.

She spoke to her classmates, who were all baring their animalistic desires.