Chapter 5 – The Evil Dragon Conducts an Interview 【Part 1】

A few hours after Karma and the others had completed the herb gathering quest.

Ryuuji, along with his mother Karma, was conducting an interview.

The location was a corner of their base town, Kamiina. In a place that was originally a vacant lot, Karma had used her All-Creation skill to build a shack (without a permit).

Inside, the shack had a simple interior, with only a table and chairs.

Behind a long table were the chairs where Karma and Ryuuji sat.

Across the table, in the center of the room, a single chair had been placed.

“You may enter now,”

Karma said to the girl on the other side of the door.

“E-Excuse me!”

Clack

The one who opened the door and entered was a small, beastman girl.

She was a girl in her early teens, with rabbit ears.

She had chestnut-brown hair and rabbit ears of the same color. Her ears were droopy, like a lop-eared rabbit.

She had a childish face, with downturned eyes that gave her a somewhat helpless look.

The rabbit beastman looked around the room, her eyes darting about, and noticed the chair in the center.

She pattered over and sat down on it.

The moment she did,

“Fwwoooooooooooosh…”

Karma let out a long sigh.

Then, while muttering, “Deduct five points,” she wrote something down on the paper in her hand.

“Hau! Um, um… did I do something to get points deducted?”

the rabbit girl asked, her gaze shifting from Karma to Ryuuji.

Ryuuji had no idea. What could this rabbit girl possibly have done to get points taken off…?

Karma adjusted the glasses she was wearing (summoned with a skill),

“In an interview, you do not sit down until you are told you may. This is supposed to be common sense for any working adult, but since you seem to be unaware, I have deducted points.”

Clink

Karma stated flatly, pushing her glasses up with a finger.

She was just like an interviewer evaluating a new graduate. …No, not ‘like.’ She was one.

“I-I’m very sorry!”

The rabbit girl shot to her feet and bowed her head low.

Whoosh

Her drooping rabbit ears swung forward.

“Apologizing won’t help you. The interview has already begun. Now, please be quick and have a seat.”

“Y-Yes…”

The rabbit beastman raised her head. Her droopy, lop-ears seemed to droop even further.

“Mom… don’t bully her.”

“I am most certainly not bullying her,” Karma replied, her expression sharp.

“I am simply measuring her abilities objectively.”

“But there’s a way to say things, you know…”

“A way to say things? An interviewer has no need to show consideration for the applicant, Ryu-kun. What is necessary is to properly assess them. That is all.”

Karma’s gaze shifted from Ryuuji back to the rabbit girl.

She was standing nervously in front of the chair.

“How long do you intend to stand there? We cannot begin the interview because you aren’t sitting down.”

“Hau! I’m so sorry!”

Bob, bob

The bunny-eared girl bowed her head over and over.

“…The only reason it didn’t start is because you were talking to me, Mom.”

“Ryu-kun. Be quiet.”

Shhh

Karma put a finger to her lips. She fully intended to ignore anything inconvenient.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” the rabbit girl kept bowing.

She looks so pitifully flustered, Ryuuji thought.

“How long are you going to stand there. Sit down.”

“Y-Yessir…”

Looking like she was about to cry, the rabbit girl sat in the chair.

“Cannot act without being told what to do. A classic case of someone who just waits for instructions… Minus ten points.”

Scribble, scribble, scribble!

Karma’s pen flew across the paper in her hand.

It seemed she was writing the girl’s evaluation.

“Now then… let’s begin the interview. First, your name, please.”

Karma asked from her seat.

“Y-Yes… Um, well, I-I’m Sheila!”

The rabbit beastman girl, Sheila, introduced herself.

“Hmm… Cannot use polite language correctly. Minus two points.”

“Hau…! I did it again…~”

Sheila’s rabbit ears drooped.

Feeling bad for her, Ryuuji tugged on his mother’s clothes.

“Mom, seriously, let’s just stop this…”

“We will not.”

Snap

Karma shot down Ryuuji’s words.

“If it were you, Ryu-kun, I would happily jump into a fire if you asked.” “You’d really do that…” “However,”

Clink

Karma pushed her glasses up and spoke.

“This girl, Sheila, has the audacity to say she wants to form a party with you, Ryu-kun.”

She glanced at Sheila before her gaze returned to Ryuuji and she continued.

“As a mother, it is my duty to determine whether or not this female is a worthy person for my angel, Ryu-kun.”

Hmph

Karma puffed out her chest proudly.

“Haaah…”

Sighing deeply, Ryuuji recalled the events that led to this point.

After Karma had driven off the orcs.

When Ryuuji woke up, he was back in the adventurer’s guild.

It seemed his mother had taken care of everything.

The girl he had saved at that time was Sheila, and she had thanked him and told him about herself.

Like Ryuuji, she had just become an adventurer that very day. She said she didn’t have any party members yet.

So, Ryuuji invited her, asking if she wanted to party up, and Sheila instantly replied, “Yes!”

And thus, the party was formed… or so it seemed, but then his mother declared,

“Unacceptable. I cannot entrust my angel’s back to some random female I know nothing about!”

And so, in order to determine whether Sheila was a suitable person to be his son’s companion, it was decided that an interview would be held.

“I can’t even make friends freely…”

Karma ignored Ryuuji’s weary words.

She looked at Sheila.

“Well then, let’s move on to the next question.”