Vol. 9 Chapter 1.1 – ～Report of a Certain Poorly Paid Shinigami and Section Chief～

“Mail has arrived for you, Section Chief.”

On the Monday substitute holiday after the school festival ended, a plain brown envelope was placed in front of first-class Shinigami Fukumune Iria.

“……An envelope addressed to Iria?”

After slurping up her tenth consecutive lunch of somen, Iria looked up at Paoi Malbec, who had set the envelope down.

As always, Malbec’s breasts were unnecessarily huge. Since she was close to thirty in human years, they were sagging a little, but she was still a Shinigami who boasted a magnificent figure.

Iria herself was also active as a current high school gravure model, so she had a cute face and a wonderful figure. However, her breasts were fake breasts created with a Shinigami technique, and in truth, she was actually a flat-chested A-cup……

“Where’s it from?”

When Iria asked, Malbec flipped the envelope over and read out the sender.

“It’s from the Executive Solidarity.”

The Executive Solidarity, that was the organization above Iria, who held the absurdly long title of Chief of the Far East Branch of the Special Affairs Office directly under Melro Life Insurance Executive Solidarity. Incidentally, Malbec also belonged to the Far East Branch of the Special Affairs Office, making her Iria’s subordinate.

“That’s rare. For the old guys at headquarters to contact us.”

After slurping up the last of the somen, Iria finally picked up the envelope.

“Could it be a notice about a bonus?”

Malbec spoke of a fleeting dream.

“Melro is so poor that it skims off all of Iria’s salary as a gravure model and your salary as a lecturer, and you think there’s a bonus? Don’t dream such stupid dreams.”

At Iria’s words, Malbec drooped her shoulders and said, 『Yeah, I guess so』. Just from that, her slightly sagging breasts swayed. Seeing that, Iria clicked her tongue and then turned her eyes to the envelope.

“Whatever it is, I feel like it’ll only mean more work…… but I guess there’s no helping it.”

She roughly tore the envelope open. Seeing that sloppy way of opening it, Malbec spoke with an exasperated expression.

“Still as rough as ever.”

“What?”

“Being bold really does lead to being proactive, doesn’t it!”

With just one glare, Malbec easily switched to flattery.

“Let’s see, what does it say…… geh!”

Reading the documents she had taken out from the envelope, Iria reflexively caught her breath. Seeing that, Malbec leaned forward.

“Wh-What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you’re fired?”

“Don’t be stupid. Unlike a fourth-class Shinigami like Malbec, Iria is one of the few first-class Shinigami at Melro Life Insurance, you know? There’s no way I’d get fired.”

After lightly glaring at Malbec, Iria lowered her eyes to the documents again.

“Listen, clean out those ears of yours and listen carefully.”

“Ah, yes.”

“An interim report on the infiltration activities at Momozono Academy by Lisara Restall, candidate heir of the Restall family and first-class Shinigami…… According to the date, it has to be submitted by the day after tomorrow.”

Pushing the document she had read aloud onto Malbec, Iria let out a small sigh.

“Even though they’d completely ignored it until now, they suddenly want a report…… Something might have happened.”

“What do you mean by something?”

“How would Iria know?”

“Well, that’s true, but……”

Still looking unconvinced, Malbec took the document that had been pushed onto her.

“So, what are we going to do with this?”

“Of course we’ll put it together and submit it. There’s nothing to lose by keeping the Executive Solidarity in a good mood.”

“But it has to be done by the day after tomorrow, right?”

“Yup.”

“That’s rough, having to start now……”

“Oh nooo, come on. Malbec, what are you talking about?”

Clasping both hands in front of her chest, Iria smiled sweetly.

“Of course, the one making the report is going to be Malbec, isn’t it? ♡”

“Eeeeeeeeh!?”

Malbec leaned back with all her might, making her breasts shake with a burun burun. Iria glared at them, then immediately remade her smile.

“The role of a subordinate is to have troublesome work shoved onto them, isn’t it? Until you finish a report that satisfies Iria, there will be no sleep for you. None. At. All. ♡”

“That’s too cruel! You demon! Devil! Inhuman boss!”

Malbec protested with a face that looked ready to cry, but Iria kept smiling brightly.

“Oh my, Malbec, so that’s how you thought of Iria? In that case, as an inhuman boss, maybe Iria really should do something properly cruel to you. ♡”

“Hiiiiiiiiii! I lied, I’m sorry! If you do anything crueler than this, I’ll die!”

Right there on the spot, Malbec dropped into a dogeza.

“You’re making it sound like Iria really does cruel things to you.”

“No, I mean, you act like you’re the landlord of this apartment, Section Chief, but I’m the one paying the rent……”

“It’s cost reduction. Cost reduction.”

“And before, you abandoned me in front of Galdabroeg and ran away……”

“I couldn’t let my subordinate’s noble spirit of self-sacrifice go to waste.”

“……Haaaaaaaaaah. I understand.”

Apparently realizing that nothing she said would work, Malbec finally gave up.

“I’ll write the report.”

“Mm-hm, mm-hm. Iria is so happy to have such a good subordinate.”

“However…… to be honest, I don’t know anything and I have no idea what’s going on, so please tell me.”

“Tell you?”

“Yes. I mean, Section Chief, you’re also Lisara-san’s classmate, aren’t you? Naturally, you should have a pretty good grasp of her movements, right?”

“Well, that’s true, but……”

In order to investigate Lisara, who had infiltrated Momozono Academy’s Class 2-B as a human, Iria had also entered the same class as a human.

Naturally, that made them classmates.

Their seats were close too, and she certainly had a far better grasp of Lisara’s movements within the school than Malbec did.

“Even so, I feel like a lot of the incidents revolve around Ryousuke-kun……”

Kaga Ryousuke.

He was the human with whom Lisara had formed a temporary contract in order to continue existing in the human world.

From Iria’s perspective, honestly, he was ordinary, his face was average, and he was a contract partner who made her think Lisara had drawn the short straw.

However, after going through various disturbances together with Lisara and Ryousuke, what Iria had come to think was that Ryousuke seemed different from usual whenever he fell into a crisis.

There had even been times when, despite herself, she had thought he was a little cool.

“That’s right. The relationship between Lisara and Ryousuke-kun is exactly the kind of information the Executive Solidarity would be pleased with.”

Iria nodded with a『Mm』.

“Relationship? Um, what do you mean by that?”

Malbec asked with a blank look on her face.

“We’ll bring into focus what kind of human Lisara has formed a contract with through the events that happened inside the school. Even if it’s only a temporary contract, he is the human chosen by the heir of the Restall family. Don’t you think his personality is information perfectly suited for an interim report?”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, it is. Besides, this is personal, but I’m absolutely sure something happened between Lisara and Ryousuke-kun during this school festival.”

Iria was certain of it.

When the school festival had ended, Lisara had been shaken in a way that even Iria, who had known her for a long time, had never seen before.

On the surface, Lisara had tried to keep herself composed, but Iria had clearly understood that Lisara was in a mental state where she might burst into tears at any moment.

And Ryousuke, as well as his childhood friend Ookura Mina, had been acting strangely too.

“Mina-san also seemed to have feelings for Ryousuke-kun……Something, yes, something definitely must have happened between those three.”

“Is that so……”

“Yes, it is. That’s exactly why, while we’re digging up and reporting on their relationship so far, organizing the relationship between those three too will, fufu, have meaning, don’t you think?”

“……Um, isn’t that just curiosity from wanting to gossip?”

“Is that bad? Besides, Malbec, you’re interested too, aren’t you? It’s possible that that Lisara may have been rejected, you know?”

“That has nothing to do with the report anymore. Isn’t that completely personal interest……”

“It kills two birds with one stone.”

“Haa, well, fine……”

Malbec nodded as if she had given up on something.

“In that case, Iria will explain to you what she’s seen and heard, so hurry up and bring a notebook and pen!”

“R-Roger that!”

Malbec started moving, then brought over a notebook made from the backs of flyers and a ballpoint pen she said she had gotten from the staff room.

“Let’s see……First, maybe we should start from the time an exhibitionist appeared at Momozono Academy.”

At Iria’s words, Malbec clapped her hands with an 『Aaah!』

“Come to think of it, there was an incident like that, wasn’t there? Huh, but weren’t you not here yet at that time, Section Chief?”

“That’s right. So this is hearsay. But…… apparently, Lisara and Ryousuke-kun were actually the cause.”

“Those two were?”

“Yes. Listen, actually……”