An XxX Flyer…?
'The hell? Sent to the wrong person, obviously. This body doesn't even have that kind of capability yet.'
Tetsuya looked down.
[ID services, seal forging, all-in-one package!]
'Fake ID… services?'
That was Tetsuya's first reaction. He hopped on his Bicycle and headed straight to the address on the flyer without hesitation.
'How did they know… maybe they saw me hanging around job sites these past few days…'
So what if it was fake? As long as it could fool the orphanage, he didn't care in the slightest!
Down a shabby little alley, in a dimly lit building, sat two shady young men.
Tetsuya stepped inside and handed them the "card".
"You guys do what's advertised here?"
Despite looking like a seven or eight-year-old, Tetsuya had an imposing presence. The two men, both fairly new to the "underworld", didn't dare to slack off.
"Yeah, of course we do. What kind of document are you looking for!?"
"A Work ID."
"Oh~ That one's the easiest." The young "shop owner" acted like it was no big deal.
"Don't screw this up. If it doesn't pass official inspection, you're taking the fall," said Tetsuya.
"A-Ahem… the Work ID's legit. I've got tons of shell companies. I'll just grab one and make it for you."
The fact that Tetsuya asked for a "Work ID" left the two a bit confused. Almost no one came asking for those. Most of their jobs were forging stamps or faking identity documents.
Hearing their reply, Tetsuya felt a little more at ease. At least it would buy him some time against the orphanage. But he couldn't afford to let his guard down. After he handled the old man's affairs, there would still be more maneuvering ahead.
"…How much?"
"Two hundred. No bargaining."
"Do it fast. I'm in a hurry." Tetsuya deliberately picked up the pace, hoping to make them overlook his age.
"Alright, alright, won't take long! Just need your ID card."
"Hurry up. I'll wait here. Here's the money up front."
As he spoke, Tetsuya handed over two hundred Pokédollars.
Seeing the money made the two move even faster. They didn't even glance at the ID card, just focused on the cash and got to work.
---◓---
One Work ID, printed with Tetsuya's personal information, company position, and topped with the company's logo and official seal…
The whole thing took barely ten minutes. Two hundred Pokédollars earned, and the pair were very satisfied.
Tetsuya grabbed both the Work ID and his own ID card and quickly left.
Now that he had the Work ID, he could move on to the next step.
"Can't wait any longer. I need to report it tonight while it's still dark."
Back home, Tetsuya shut off all the air conditioning, turned on the lights, and moved the old man's body to the living room sofa.
After checking the body and finding nothing out of place, he called the police.
A death report naturally brought the police quickly.
Four officers entered Tetsuya's home. One of them was a forensic examiner who began inspecting the old man's body.
Tetsuya had intended to break down crying in front of the police, but he just didn't have the acting chops. And more importantly… tears couldn't be faked.
---◓---
"…Your grandfather had heart disease, right?" The forensic examiner asked.
"Yes."
"When did you find him dead?"
Tetsuya had already mentally prepared for this line of questioning. After all, the old man had died the day before yesterday. Even though he had preserved the body well, a skilled examiner might still spot the truth.
"I just got home and found him."
He gave a cautious answer in front of the officers.
The examiner nodded and said, "No problem here. Definitely a sudden cardiac arrest. Based on the current temperature and the condition of the body, it looks like he passed away this morning."
The officers took notes.
"Kid, do you have any other family?" one asked.
"No… no one else."
"Sigh… Then the decision's up to you. When do you want to cremate your grandfather?"
"Would tonight be okay? I'm home alone at night…"
Tetsuya's troubled expression didn't go unnoticed by the police. They themselves wanted to wrap things up quickly, and besides, the longer things dragged on, the more likely something unexpected might happen.
The officers all sighed.
"Waaah… Poor kid. Being alone must be scary. Hurry and call a vehicle, let's get to the crematorium!"
Tetsuya finally breathed a sigh of relief…
---◓---
At the crematorium, all Tetsuya had to do was sign a document. The rest was handled by the police.
About half an hour later, an officer handed Tetsuya an urn.
"This is your grandfather's ashes. Take it home. From now on, you're an orphan. …We covered the cremation costs among the few of us."
"N-no need… I have a job. I can pay for the costs myself!"
Tetsuya had no interest in being financially entangled with the police. More importantly, declaring that he had a job served as a strong statement of independence; useful for future dealings with the orphanage.
After he insisted several times, the officers accepted the cremation fee Tetsuya handed over.
Tetsuya returned home with the urn.
Ha, another urn added to the collection.
He casually found a box and placed all three urns together. No way he was spending money on burial plots. Every Pokédollar had to be spent where it counted.
With everything settled, Tetsuya pulled out two bank cards.
Passwords?
Now that the old man was dead, without going to a bank counter, he could only guess the passwords on his own.
Tetsuya compiled the birthdays of his parents and the old man, forming sixteen possible combinations.
You could only try four times a day. It would take four days to test all sixteen.
The thought alone made Tetsuya restless. Even though it was already 11 p.m., there was an ATM just downstairs.
Once…
Twice…
Three times…
Four times!
The card was ejected each time. Any more and the machine would swallow it.
Tetsuya hadn't expected to succeed on the first day anyway…
Back upstairs again, finally alone, Tetsuya felt at ease.
At last, one more thing was taken care of.
He lay down on the bed without guilt and began planning his next steps.
First, he still needed to find a job. Even though he had a Work ID, lounging around every day would raise suspicions. Besides, he had to earn money.
Another complicated issue was school. The League required five years of mandatory education up to age ten. Although the material was child's play to Tetsuya, dropping out without cause would be a stain on his record.
That kind of stain could be used against him, portrayed as disloyal or disrespectful toward the League. No matter how talented someone was, disloyalty would make them untrustworthy. And this identity of his had to appear spotless.
In this world, academic curricula were relatively light, so the school year didn't start until October. He needed to apply for graduation. With his level, passing the exam would be a breeze. After that, he could officially graduate.
Next, there was training Ditto. Even if its only role was disguise, it still needed to be strong enough. For now, he had to rely on it for protection.
He also had to make time to visit Mr. Shellby. There was still a deal he needed to discuss with him…
---◓---
After three days of high-stress activity, he could finally relax a little. Tetsuya even overslept.
When he checked the time, it was already 8:30. He hurried to get up, brush his teeth, and wash his face. Sitting at the table eating bread, Ditto continued to enjoy its milk.
Bang! Bang! Bang…
Suddenly, there was a loud knocking.
Tetsuya didn't get up. He shouted, "Who is it!?"
"Hello, we're staff from the orphanage. Please open the door!"
The moment Tetsuya heard that, a wave of panic hit him…