I'm in a Messed Up Situation that I Couldn't Care More. - Chapter 6: Mamejiro

Chapter 6: Mamejiro

“Hey. Sorry to interrupt you out of nowhere, but are you Kashitani Koichi from the Economics department?”

One day, while having lunch at the school cafeteria, I was approached by a stranger. 

He was a skinny, pale man wearing glasses.

The man placed his tray with udon on the table and sat down across from me.

“Sorry, who are you?”

“I’m Mamejiro Ishii from the English Literature department. Nice to meet you.”

“……Mamejiro……? Okay, nice to meet you.”

(What’s with this guy?)

I looked at Mamejiro Ishii’s face.

“I have something to discuss with you about the man with the Hannya mask.”

The skinny, bespectacled Mamejiro raised one eyebrow and looked at me.

“……!”

That’s right.

The Hannya.

I had completely forgotten about him after taking the 1 million yen.

Being kicked out of my apartment.

Suddenly becoming a minimalist.

The mysterious part-time job at the new gym.

The strange skinship with Hiruma-san.

Weight training.

Cafes and izakayas.

Schoolwork.

It might sound like an excuse, but there was just too much going on.

I had completely forgot about the Hannya request.

But to forget about him after receiving such a large sum of money…

I really am too careless.

“……So, you’re the Hannya?”

I whispered to the man.

The man laughed.

“No, I’m not.”

“Then, do you know him? The Hannya, I mean. Wasn’t there a one-year deadline for his job? There should still be plenty of time…”

“What are you talking about? There’s only half a year left!”

“Huh… So, it’s been that long since I met the Hannya?”

Mamejiro, as he introduced himself, burst into a hearty laugh.

What’s so funny?

“I was hired by the Hannya to do a job. I was told to assist Kashitani Koichi.”

“Assist me!?!”

************

“I’ll call you Koichi. You don’t have to use any honorifics with my name either.”

Mamejiro said so.

“Here she comes. Look, this is the girl you have to get close to, Koichi.”

Mamejiro pointed at a group of girls coming out of Building C.

“Which one? There are so many of them.”

“Koichi, didn’t you get information about the girl from Hannya?

Photos, department, and addresses, all written down on paper.

Hannya said he gave all that information to you…”

“I haven’t looked at it yet. It’s still in the paper bag given to me,”

Mamejiro sighed.

“The Hannya was right about you. Koichi, you’re forgetful, or rather, your attention is all over the place.

Anyway, I was hired by him, too.

It was to support you because you weren’t taking any action at all.

The sooner you succeed with this girl, the higher my reward will be.”

“Hmm. How much is the Hannya paying you?”

“That’s confidential. It’s  It’s better for part-timers not to know each other’s hourly wages or rewards.

That’s common sense.” 

“Oh, really? Well, I’ll tell you anyway. I already got a million yen from him.”

“You really are an idiot.

That kind of information shouldn’t be revealed carelessly to others.

Especially to someone you just met like me.”

Mamejiro frowned.

From his behavior and words, it was clear that Mamejiro was several times smarter than me.

Mamejiro… It sounded like a dog’s name, but he was definitely a clever one.

So, he was also hired by the Hannya.

I wondered how much he was being paid, but that remained a mystery.

And the bigger mystery was why the Hannya was so invested in my love life that he was willing to spend a fortune on it.

“Anyway, I want to get my reward from the Hannya as soon as possible.

I’ve received an advance, but I want the rest of the success fee…

Now, let’s go.”

Mamejiro stood up and pulled my arm. 

“Go where? I’m still eating my curry,”

“To the girl you have to get close to, of course.

Her name is Sakurazawa Aoi. Got it?” 

“Hmm. I’ll try to remember.”