For the third time since I'd arrived in the village, I found myself standing in Sugimoto-san's office. The old man, who really should have been spending his days with grandkids and enjoying retirement, was once again asking me the same question:
"Akira-san, are you sure about this? I'll have to discuss it with the Hokage… We do have someone with those abilities, but I'm not convinced it makes sense to assign them to this mission." He scratched his temples as he spoke.
"I'm ready to discuss it with the Hokage," I replied calmly.
"All right, have it your way, but I'm not promising anything. Please wait outside - there are some confidential documents here." He got up from his chair, not without effort.
"Of course." I headed for the door, Sugimoto following behind. He didn't even bother locking it - after all, there were eyes everywhere here, and he knew I understood that. He didn't have far to go, since the Hokage's office was on the same floor. So I just sat down on a chair in the hallway and settled in to wait. Whether it was the hospital's waiting room or here, there was always one thing missing - newspapers or magazines to pass the time.
Not that anyone printed those here anyway. The powers that be hadn't realized yet that print was a great tool for propaganda. And business owners didn't see the point in starting newspapers either. After all, papers and magazines are single-use info, and you need a lot of not-so-cheap paper to make them. Plus, as I'd thought before, in this local feudal system, they were extremely strict about spreading important information.
Even something minor, like a price hike on certain goods, could be considered an economic secret you weren't supposed to share. Maybe that'll change in the future, but for now, the higher-ups are dead set on keeping things tight, so there's no point in me poking around in that direction.
Barely five minutes had passed when the Hokage's office door swung open into the hallway.
"Akira-san, Hokage would like to speak with you," Sugimoto called.
…
"No." After the usual greetings and a brief pause, the Hokage gave her opinion on my request, short and to the point. [ image ]

"Two million," I said, making Hiruzen cough into his pipe a couple of times.
"Four," he replied with a grin, changing his mind in a flash.
And so began what you'd see at any Turkish bazaar - haggling. Only we weren't bargaining over watermelons or pistachios, but over a particular shinobi I desperately needed in Tanzaku.
"Come on, Hokage, I'm not asking for your best shinobi. Let's say 2.8 million ryo."
"We don't have shinobi like that to spare, so I'm already giving you a deal - 3.4 million ryo," he said, looking pleased with himself.
"What do you mean, you don't? Figure it out - it's not like there's a shortage of suitable wives in the village. 2.9 million!" Honestly, we might as well be haggling over cabbage.
"Ahem, ahem," coughed both the Hokage and Sugimoto, who was standing quietly off to the side. "All right, fine, 3.3 million, not a ryo less."
"Deal." I nodded, and the Hokage stamped the mission.
****
"An amusing and rather interesting man, wouldn't you say, Sugimoto-san?" Hiruzen remarked to his old friend some time after I'd left.
"Mark my words, Hokage, one day he'll ask how much it would cost to hire you," the old man replied with a barely-there smile.
"Is that even allowed?" the Hokage asked, a little surprised.
"Who knows? There aren't any rules or laws against it."
"Maybe that's something we should fix… then again, I wouldn't mind a walk in the fresh air myself, say… for ten million ryo," Hiruzen thought, deadpan.
****
Man, it had been a while since I'd walked around this much. There were still three hours left in the day, so I headed to McDonald's to wrap up my last bit of business.
The restaurant was still booming. The day wasn't far off when profits from my first venture would hit one and a half, maybe even two million ryo. People were starting to realize it was actually more convenient to eat at McDonald's than at home.
The prices suited everyone, since the markup on the simplest burger was a measly thirty percent. For comparison, even Ichiraku's margin was higher, and in regular cafés and restaurants, the markup could hit a hundred and fifty or even two hundred percent.
Plus, the speed of service was a huge draw. Any time of day, you'd see a couple of shinobi in my restaurant, wolfing down three or four burgers before rushing off. I even suspected some ANBU came in under henge just to grab takeout. And let's not forget the kids, who were dying to eat tasty - if not exactly healthy - food and play on the Code Code playground. I'd seen more than one kid literally dragging their parents into the place.
Even now, with closing time approaching, people weren't in any hurry to leave. They ate at their own pace, chatting, some sipping mojitos on the bench by the Code Code playground, keeping an eye on their kids. And there was Ayumi, strolling around, bored out of her mind. Well, I had some good news for her.
"Oh, good evening, Akira-san, are you hungry?" Manami-chan came right over. She was a young woman who'd started out as a cleaner in the first months after McDonald's opened.
"Evening. No, I already ate. If you're not busy, come with me." Without stopping, I headed toward my office, nodding to a few regulars along the way. "Oh, and call Ayumi too."
I'd known my employees long enough that I didn't bother with formalities anymore.
****
"All right, Manami, let's start with you. You've been with me since day one, and you've shown a real knack for learning. Ayumi's always spoken highly of you as her assistant."
Not that Ayumi really needed an assistant - I just didn't want her working every day from morning till night. I needed someone who could fill in if necessary, and Ayumi herself had suggested our energetic redheaded cleaner. For about a month now, she'd been shadowing Ayumi, learning the ropes of dealing with suppliers and merchants, and my manager was completely satisfied with her progress.
"So, starting today, I'm officially making you the manager of McDonald's. Congratulations." I don't know if she was really that happy, but she literally jumped up and shouted, "Yay!" [ image ]

"Ayumi, you're relieved of your manager duties." The redhead's happy shouts stopped instantly, and she looked at me in confusion. Ayumi just lowered her head.
All right, no need to drag out the dramatic pause - this isn't some Indian soap opera.
"I've been watching you for a long time, Ayumi. You've been a fantastic manager - honestly, I doubt I'll ever find anyone better for the job. But…" Ugh, I couldn't help myself - had to go for the dramatic pause after all.
"But?" Ayumi asked, trying not to show any real emotion.
"But I think you're meant for bigger things. Ayumi, would you like to be my secretary?" I asked, straight to the point.
"Sec…retary?" Her face went a little blank. "Sorry, Akira-san, but what exactly does a secretary do?" Of course she had to ask.
"You could say I'm offering you the role of my right hand. I'll trust you with more important tasks - things I won't have time for myself. For example, checking on how things are going at my branch in Tanzaku. You know it's opening in a week, and in the future, I won't be able to go there often to check up on things."
Honestly, I'd just be too lazy. And Ayumi had already proven she was worthy of my trust.
"So, I'd need to check in on the restaurant from time to time and handle your assignments, is that right?" she clarified.
"More like restaurants, plural, but I'll still be able to drop by here myself sometimes. But yeah, that's basically it." I nodded with a smile.
"But how will I get your assignments?" she asked - a good question, and honestly, one I hadn't thought about. She was right - there were no phones here, and I didn't want to have to go to Ayumi's house or meet at McDonald's for every little thing.
"Hmm… I remember you asked me a couple of weeks ago if I knew of any houses for sale in this area. Did you find anything?"
The house Ayumi lived in had come from her parents, and to them from their parents. It was pretty old - the roof leaked when it rained, the floors needed replacing, but she'd managed for ten years. The real problem was the foundation, which had cracks big enough to make it clear the house needed to be torn down. So she'd been looking for an apartment in the southwest district, hoping for a more comfortable place and a shorter commute to work.
"Yes, there are a few apartments for sale here. One is right across from your house, but even if I sell my land, I'd still need another five hundred thousand ryo to buy it."
Yeah, the southwest district was considered more upscale than the southeast. Prices reflected that. The most expensive real estate was in the center and the northern districts.
"Perfect! Buy the apartment across from my house, and then we won't have any trouble passing along assignments. And don't worry about the money - I'll help you out," I assured her, as she blinked in surprise.
"But, Akira-san… I can't just accept your money," she protested right away.
"And I'm not just giving it to you. Your salary as my secretary - or personal assistant - will go up to eighty thousand ryo. I'll hold back half your pay until next year." Manami-chan, who'd been listening in shock, now looked at Ayumi with a hint of envy.
🔥~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~🔥
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