Just ten years ago, who would have thought of seeing a literal elf on the street—no less, having one as a neighbour? The sun scorched my already tired eyes, heavy eye bags hanging underneath them. The life of a salaryman is so hectic I barely get any sleep, working for about 18–20 hours a day.
I'm guessing this is the price to pay as a non-acknowledged citizen of Earth. At least I get paid about ¥5,899 a month. Then again, according to statistics, that's what the average acknowledged earns in a single day.
I should probably greet my elven neighbour before she thinks I'm ignoring her again. I walked towards her, waving my hand at her. She turned her face with a huge smile, her lustrous, long, silky hair blowing in the wind.
"Good morning, Arle-chan! How's the farm doing?" I greeted her in a polite and friendly tone.
"Here, I packed some freshly harvested oranges. Have a taste." She stretched out her soft, pale hands and handed me the oranges. "Oh! And the farm is doing just fine. How's work been treating you recently?"
She held me by the shoulder in a playful manner. She burst into laughter. "Well, what can I say? Same old stressful and tiring finance management." I brushed her hand aside lightly with an awkward expression on my face. "Haha, don't tell me you are going to pull another all-nighter?" She clutched her stomach and continued to laugh, tapping her hand on her thighs.
"Arle, this is funny. I think I might die before I hit 30 at this rate." My expression lightened. "This isn't funny." I turned my head, joining her in laughter. "I think you are overreacting. Just take a lot of minerals and vitamins, and I'm sure you'll make it past 30." She stood up properly and held my shoulder to console me.
I thanked her for the oranges and got on my way to the bus station. I needed to catch the 7 a.m. bus; if not, I was going to be late to work. I didn't want to deal with my supervisor's punctuality speech. It's so goddamn tiring.
Ahhh, finally, I had gotten to the bus stop. The bus almost left me, but thankfully I got there just in time. "Ughhghhh." I tried to catch my breath. I need to do more exercise. I had to run here, and I'm totally exhausted.
The worst part is I haven't even begun today's work. Oh, silly me—I forgot to introduce myself.
I am Touma Belfort, a 26-year-old finance officer at K Ink, a mana stone conversion company, and a down-to-the-bone salaryman. This is Earth, which changed drastically ever since "The Day of Acknowledgement" and "The Great Integration." It hasn't been so earthly. I don't want to bore you with the details, so I'll make it short, since I've got a bit of time on my hands as the ride to the office is about 30 minutes.
Ten years ago, strange portals began to appear simultaneously across all parts of the Earth—at the bottom of the sea, in forests, even in spatial orbit. The world governments were in complete panic. After a few hours, strange creatures began to emerge from those portals. They first appeared in Shanghai, China. The residents there quickly identified some of their features.
A popular tweet was made: "Elves. They are fucking elves."
After the elves, all sorts of other magical beings began to appear—fairies, druids, pixies, you name it. For real, I didn't even know there was a difference between pixies and fairies. Now every day we get to see creatures that we only thought existed in books and fantasy in real life.
Anyway, the leaders of each of the various factions held a meeting, and it was brought to humanity's notice that these magical beings were seeking refuge because their home worlds had been taken over by something they called "EX," which stands for "Extrapolation Xenos." Over two hundred different species were taken in as citizens of Earth.
A few months after the Great Integration, as they called it, huge red gateways appeared. As usual, we thought it was just another set of magical beings seeking refuge, but this time what emerged from those portals was nothing short of nightmares. They fed on anything they came across and laid waste to several countries.
That's when it came to the notice of the world leaders that these monstrosities were "EX." Savage creatures of unknown origin that fed on all sorts of life forms.
I wish I could continue, but my office is coming into view. Just look at those huge cranes—the high-rise building extending for multiple floors. I can never forget this scene.
"You have now arrived at K Refinement, the biggest mana stone conversion company the world has ever—"
I waltzed out of the bus before that goddamn robot could finish its announcement.
Yet another billboard showcasing the almighty Monarchs—the so-called saviours of Earth. Ehh. I really need to get some sunglasses; the sun is getting even hotter. Well, I guess that's because it's summer.
"Why won't this damn elevator open?" I furiously tapped on the elevator button. "I don't want to take the stairs—my office is on the 314th floor. I'm going to collapse before I arrive."
"Good morning, Touma! It seems you're having some trouble over here. Let me help." A feminine yet well-built figure pushed me aside.
"Annette, good morning. How did the subjugation go?" I tried to balance myself so I wouldn't fall.
Ting!
The elevator doors opened, and we both stepped inside.
Annette is a Level 17 acknowledged, and she was also my classmate during college. She's one of K Ink's CEO's bodyguards.
"It was marvellous. You should've seen me in action. I beat those EX spawns to a bloody pulp." She turned towards me and held my hand so tightly I could swear some cells got damaged. Just look at those arm muscles. My gaze shifted to my own arms. I shook my head in disappointment.
"As expected of you." I removed my hand from her grip, and I couldn't help but feel intimidated by her menacing aura, but as usual, I kept my face ice-cold—expressionless. "You should really try to lighten up." She adjusted the arm of her jacket.
Ting!
I stepped out of the elevator and bade her goodbye.
She's still so full of energy. I barely have any left after working in this hellhole for over nine years.
Where's my desk? I need to sit. I can already smell the Head of Finance's ridiculously strong cologne. Nobody has the guts to tell him—unless they want to lose their jobs.
"Good morning, everyone. Let's all have another productive day." The Head of Finance walked up to my desk. "Touma, you have been put on probation due to the fact that you are suspected of laundering some of the company's funds." He turned his head away from my desk. It was visible that he was happy about my current situation—that disgusting grin on his face said it all.
I sat down, speechless, with only one thought in my mind—I worked diligently for this company for nine good years of my life. Diligently—for nine fucking years.
I clenched my fist. The moment I looked up, I could see the stares of disgust from my co-workers. Those bastards never liked me. I always outperformed their sorry asses in every task we were given.
I could hear whispers.
"He always made us feel like we were lesser than him," a female staff member said to another.
"Self-righteous, my foot. I hope he gets sacked," another replied.
I stood up from my seat and hurried toward the director's office. I was already by the door, just about to open it, when—
"You are so cruel, using a staff member with clean records to take the blame for us. You are still just a scheming bastard." The director's voice echoed through the door.
"Well, I couldn't care less. It's just so unfortunate for Touma. I never liked him to begin with. Anyway, I'm sure he'll come to ask you for help. Just give him false hope that he still has a chance of not getting sacked." The finance manager laughed.
"Will do." The director chuckled along with him. I trusted that bastard—I saw him as a mentor, a father figure even. I wasn't expecting him to be in cahoots with the finance manager. I clenched my fists in intense frustration. I soon heard the footsteps of the finance manager heading towards the door. I ran backwards a bit to make it look like I was just approaching the director's office.
He walked past me with a smirk on his face. I turned my head forward, not giving him any attention. And with an ice-cold, deadass stare, I opened the door to the director's office.
"I quit. I'm guessing you guys won't be needing my resignation letter. According to Protocol 904 of the K Ink handbook, an employee who is not under an exclusive contract can resign at any point in time without giving any prior notice." I stared at him coldly, not giving off any form of hostility.
"It is truly a shame to lose such a dependable staff member like yourself.
Thank you for your service." A fake smile played across his face. I kept my face still, walked out of the office, and closed the door behind me.
I stepped into my office and soon noticed it was livelier than usual—I'm not even surprised at this point. These bastards never liked me to begin with. As I packed my belongings, the whole office filled with chatter. Then my colleague, who sat beside my desk, stood up from his chair and approached me. From his face, I could tell he planned to mock me.
I had always beaten him in the monthly finance staff rankings. He has always been so goddamn bitter—pathetic. "I never believed that little Mister Self-Dignified would ever be involved in something so disgusting as money laundering—I guess the saying about not judging a book by its cover is true after all." He placed his hand on my desk and began to laugh. My other colleagues joined him.
"It's just really pathetic and sad that you will only be ranked first after I have left. At least you can finally step out of my shadow—congrats. You don't need to sleep with executives anymore to boost your chances.
But knowing you, I'm sure you can't stop either way. Such a pity. Now, if you will excuse me, I can't continue wasting my time with trivial beings." His face was filled with nothing but shame. My other colleagues began to ask him a lot of questions.
I carried my belongings and left the sorry and ungrateful company. The first time I walked into that office, I was kind, caring, always playing by the rules. I just wanted to look like a hero to everyone else. But now I'm leaving as a cold-blooded citizen.
This is the end of being diligent.
"I always knew you were nothing but scum. Have a horrible day, Touma!" Annette shoved my shoulder as she walked past me.
My demeanor didn't change. I couldn't care less about a glorified muscle brain.
I walked on the road towards the closest bus station. It was quiet—my footsteps echoed. I had to check my map for directions. The company bus usually takes us back, so I don't usually use the bus stop.
Grahhhhhhh. Grahhhhhhh.
Just as I thought my day couldn't get any worse.
"What's a bloody EX spawn doing in a safe zone?"