After the incident where Tachibana Yuumi was slaughtered by Guang Xi and the storefront was nearly destroyed by the Dragon Fiend's flames, the Family Burger shop shut down temporarily.
Kobeni retreated to her small rented room and refused to go outside.
After everything she had gone through, she felt like she was falling apart.
She took the chance to rest, and at the same time, care for her younger brother, who had just been discharged from the hospital.
Her brother, Higashiyama Yori, was staying with her for now.
His middle school was under reconstruction and would not reopen for another month.
Yori had considered returning to their hometown to recover, but their father made it clear over the phone that he should stay with whoever saved him. He would be an adult in three years, so he should stop depending on them.
Their parents only cared about giving birth, not raising their children. Taking care of Yori was out of the question, and paying medical bills was even less likely.
To them, it might have been better if Yori had just died at school.
At least then, they could have caused a scene and gotten compensation.
Cold life, turned into warm money.
With no other choice, Kobeni took full responsibility for her brother.
Expenses went up immediately.
Recently, the bounty on the Fire Devil had caused a lot of noise, but even though she desperately needed money, Kobeni never considered getting involved.
Money mattered.
But she was more afraid of dying.
Still, things were about to get worse.
After a week, the Family Burger shop finally finished repairs and prepared to reopen.
Then, one night, Kobeni was suddenly removed from the company group chat.
No call back to work.
No explanation.
Just a termination email.
She was fired, with zero compensation.
Her probation period had not ended, so legally, they could dismiss her at any time without notice.
The new manager, Hanyuu Gen, made it clear in the email.
"Kobeni, you've been here over two months, and your performance has consistently ranked at the bottom. We don't run a ranking system, but your results speak for themselves.
After what happened at the store, Manager Tachibana is dead.
You were not the main cause, but you were the trigger.
Compensation is impossible. Not holding you responsible is already generous.
If you disagree, we can settle it in court."
Just like that, Kobeni lost her job.
The sudden blow left her overwhelmed, frustrated, and completely helpless.
That night, she buried herself under her blanket and cried silently until morning.
If not for her stubborn will to live, she would have given up long ago.
But she wanted to live.
And to live, she needed money.
Kobeni quickly found a temporary job as an online customer service agent.
It allowed her to work from home, but the hours were long and the pay was terrible.
Still, she had no choice.
Without income, even eating would become a problem, not to mention rent.
Every day, she worked overtime handling customer complaints.
And every day, she endured abuse.
This kind of job attracted all sorts of people.
Customers who made unreasonable demands.
People who insulted her for no reason.
Even things that were not human.
Some messages were outright disturbing. Verbal harassment was the least of it.
The job drained her mentally.
After a week, Kobeni looked visibly exhausted.
She had barely earned anything, but the stress piled up endlessly.
Compared to the people she dealt with online, even Tachibana Yuumi seemed normal.
That night, around 11 PM, the living room light was still on.
Yori sat on the sofa, browsing on his phone.
Kobeni sat at her desk, still working.
The customer on the line was being especially aggressive, so she quietly muted her headset.
After the shouting finally stopped, she turned her mic back on and spoke carefully.
"Um… your issue has been submitted. Do you… have any other questions?"
"Screw you!"
The call ended immediately.
Kobeni let out a long breath, removed her headset, finished the report, and shut down her computer.
Another miserable day was over.
Just looking at the screen made her feel sick.
Bang.
Yori suddenly jumped up from the sofa, nearly losing balance as he leaned on his crutch and hurried toward her.
"Sis! I just found something crazy on a job site!"
Kobeni blinked, tired.
"What is it?"
"It's a new company. You meet all the requirements. Starting salary is 800,000 yen a month!"
He shoved his phone toward her.
"Take a look before it disappears!"
Kobeni frowned.
"I don't have qualifications or experience. There's no way a job like that is real. And just to be clear, I'm not working at any bar or shady place."
Even if she was broke, she would not sell herself.
"It's not like that," Yori said quickly. "Just look."
Still doubtful, Kobeni took the phone.
On the screen was a listing for a large funeral home.
"Rest Pavilion…"
She hesitated.
Working with the dead, a higher salary made sense.
But why were they only hiring women?
That sounded suspicious.
Still, curiosity got the better of her, and she kept scrolling.
Then she saw the employer's name.
Her tired eyes widened instantly.
"Ca… Cael?"
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