Chapter 54: Quiz-Netorare

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“Hey, aren’t you the guy from before?”

“You remembered?”

“Of course. There’s no way I could forget a guy crazy enough to turn such a disastrous experience into a self-deprecating joke.”

“Well, a perverted guy acting like a newspaper solicitor isn’t exactly easy to forget either.”

“Fair enough.”

We formed an impromptu trio for a bit of comedy. The drunk guy grabbing Kojima-san’s arm sobered up and quickly disappeared into the crowd once he saw us, with me shouting and the two perverts rushing over.

As for Kojima-san…

“Please don’t arrest me.”

Seeing the perverts, her fear increased tenfold. I can’t help but wonder just how much trouble she’s been in before.

“If there was no money exchanged, it’s considered consensual. Is there any reason for arrest here?” 

Kojima-san finally noticed me as I stepped forward.

“Yuuta, why are you here?”

She looked embarrassed. There is no need to worry about that.

“I should be asking you that. Why are you looking for a quick job like ‘Immediate Start, Liver Chives!’ when you’re so frigid?”

“…”

“Oh, is this a lovers’ quarrel?”

“You’re hearing things.”

Is she really that desperate for a quick-paying job? It seems Kojima-san is in some financial trouble. I appreciate the perverts’ help, so I decided not to dig deeper. Who knows if she’s actually frigid?

But it seems Kojima-san’s situation is quite serious.

“I told my family I didn’t want to go home anymore. We fought, and they said they wouldn’t support me if I didn’t come back.”

She admitted this without any humor.

“Can’t you get a scholarship or something?”

“In this tight situation?”

“…”

Her problem seems more severe than my struggle to cover food expenses. If she's that desperate to escape her toxic environment, I can understand to some extent.

However…

“That kind of job won't work if you're frigid.”

“If it’s just customer service, it should be fine, right?”

“Do you think such a job won’t involve any sexual stuff? Of course it will.”

“Then what should I do…?”

She looked like she was about to cry. While I can see she's struggling, there’s only so much I can do, and I can’t give irresponsible advice.

“Hey, girl, if you’re really in a tough spot, why don’t you let the cops protect you for a bit?”

“What?”

“Sure, it’s a hassle, but it might solve some of your problems.”

I was surprised by the pervert’s casual suggestion. Although there’s a limit to what the police can do, it seemed like a sincere offer. I mentally decided to start referring to them as officers.

But Kojima-san…

“Are you going to arrest me?”

She's not just distrustful of her family but also of the police.

***

Eventually, the officers left, giving me their business cards. I wasn’t sure if it would be helpful, but I kept it.

As for Kojima-san, I couldn’t just leave her to wander the night streets and risk getting into worse trouble. If she ended up in a scandal, it could tarnish our university’s reputation.

We can't have our department called the ‘No-Pants Shabu-Shabu Department.’ That would lead to ridiculous misunderstandings.

… I suddenly remembered Takuya from our old karate dojo. I should get in touch with him sometime.

With that thought, I started lecturing her.

“Do you really think someone with your loner personality can survive in that world?”

“But… I need money quickly, and that’s the only way…”

“That's naive! I knew a woman who fell into that life and worked herself to death with a broken heart, all for a bleak future. She had dead eyes. You can’t even imagine that with your frigid attitude.”

“…”

I was referring to Jones-san’s ex-wife, the one who had that loose affair and tried to pin the kid on him, who ended up in the sex industry to pay off alimony after a messy divorce. I wonder if she’s still alive.