After the four people who had an interview left,
we held a briefing session.
「This means, Megumi and Ringo think that the last person is good?」
「Yes.」
「My『ability to judge character』is accurate.」
Well, Megumi-chan’s『ability to judge character』isn’t accurate, though……
「Look, Nancy,
it’s better to give that last person a miss.」
「Why?
That person seems to be most excellent one, right?」
「Well, that’s right, but……」
Umu, it’s hard to explain.
She hasn’t done anything yet……
If I’m forced to say something, it would only be to the extent that the name,『Hiyama Ai』, is a『false name』.
However, I won’t be able to answer if they were to ask me how I know that it’s a false name~.
「Seiji, I didn’t think that you would object~.
Well, for the time being, let’s hire all of them.」
「Eh?
Aren’t we supposed to choose 1 amongst the 4!?」
「Well, the manpower isn’t enough at all.」
Since Nancy has the final decision, I can’t say it somehow or other.
However, I’m worried.
The dangerous person who took the interview using a false name,
we don’t know what she’s up to.
For the time being, I put a【Tracking beacon】on『Hiyama Ai』,
but to be safe, I put【Tracking beacons】on Ringo and Megumi-chan, too.
Ah, while I’m at it, I will also put one on mama-san, too.
———-
While Nancy and the others were chatting at the『tea party』–held on the pretext of『briefing session』–I was secretly peeking into the situation of『Hiyama Ai』through the beacon.
『Hiyama Ai』was cautiously and restlessly looking around and she secretly entered an accessory shop called『Arc・Gold[1]』from the back entrance.
Is this person someone from another accessory shop
and is plotting something like that of an industrial spy?
『Gold-sama, I’ve come.』
Gold?
He’s called with『sama』, so that means this fellow is the boss?
Since they are talking in English, he’s probably not j.a.panese.
『How’s the situation of Nancy・Jewelry?』
The conversation partner was an ossan with an asian-ish villain expression and he was wearing a jinggling, bad-preference gold accessory.
『It was easy, they only had Nancy, 2 children, and an interpreter;
They completely trusted me.』
She thought that I was an interpreter, huh.
『I see, I see,
check properly the information I told you about, got it?』
『Leave it to me!』
They sneak in to check some kind of information, huh.
『Arc・Gold』, what on Earth are these fellows?
「Nancy, it’s an abrupt question to ask,
but do you know the『Arc・Gold』?」
「I didn’t think that I would hear that name from your mouth, Seiji.
You’re fairly knowledgeable about accessory, huh?」
「It’s not like that at all, I just happened to hear a little.」
「Oh well,
『Arc・Gold』is a jewelry brand which grew rapidly in the United States recently, but……」
「But?」
「When I asked mama, she said that it’s not that sort of jewelry.」
Well, such a flashy, bad-preference ornament, it’ll also be rated low as a jewelry.
Or so I thought, but……
「That is『money wear』,
they use it as a countermeasure against tax.」
「Money wear?」
According to Nancy’s story,
It’s said that the company does a Las Vegas show business
and turned most of their profits to『money wear』not cash.
Why do they do something like that?
It’s said that if, for a dancer, an accessory is a part of one’s tool of trade,
then the『money wear』is calculated as an『expense』.
If all the profitable balance is calculated as『expenses』, the profitable balance endlessly nears 0.
It seems that because of that, they don’t really have to pay tax.
Moreover, since the『Money wear』consumes gold lavishly and the value of itself is gold, if you smash it and turn it back into gold, it can be converted into money at the amount close to its original cost.
「Such a thing, isn’t it simply a tax evasion?」
「Well, that’s right,
but they have made necessary preparations at various places from behind the scenes and do something wonderfully at the last moment…it seems.」
I see, those guys are like that, huh.
「By the way, Nancy.
Mama-san speaks ill of them like that, so that means,
the『Nancy Jewelry』and『Arc・Gold』are on bad terms with each other?」
「Oh well, we are probably on bad terms with each other.
After interfering with each other many times over, mama and the president over there are having a huge fight each time.
Ah, come to think of it, it seems the『Arc・Gold』’s president have come to j.a.pan right now.」
The president have personally come to man the ship, huh.
That flashy ossan is probably the president of『Arc・Gold』.
「I’ll go to the restroom for a bit.」
I went inside the toilet stall,
transformed myself into a ninja man,
became invisible using【Transparencification】of【Light Magic】
and then used【Teleportation】to where Hiyama Ai was.
***
『Iyaan, you’re lewd, Gold-sama~.』
『Come on, come on, guhehehe~』
Uwa, I encountered them at an unpleasant place……
Since I’ve become transparent, so naturally, they haven’t noticed me.
Although I decided not to look at the strange scene that much,
I put a【tracking beacon】on the『Gold』’s boss.
Translator’s notes:
[1]This ‘gold’ is written in katakana, ‘Gorudo’ and I’ve translated it as ‘aurum’ in the past chapters, so whether they’re connected/one or not, I still don’t know yet. I’ll leave it as gold for now.
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