My workshop, “Repair Works,” is currently run by me alone.
I handle the repairs myself, but I also have to take care of receiving requests, bookkeeping, managing material stock, and cleaning and laundry.
All of that is, honestly, a pain.
Especially now that Reika-san is going to be stationed here.
So, I put up a “Clerk Wanted” notice.
Hourly wage: 1,200 yen.
In this day and age, even a basic clerical job at an Awakener Guild pays at least 2,000 yen an hour.
There was no way I expected anyone to apply for a job at an F-Rank repair shop that hardly gets any customers.
“U-umm… my name is Mimori Shizuku. I’d like to apply for the position.”
Standing in front of the door was a gentle-looking woman whose light-brown semi-long hair suited her well.
She looked about my age, maybe a year younger.
Even through her blouse, I could tell she was… generously endowed.
“P-please, come in.”
I hurried out from behind the counter.
On the sofa, the S-Rank attacker was watching the newcomer sharply—Reika-san’s pressure was downright intense.
Shizuku-san, as she called herself, was visibly frightened.
“Ah, this is my bodyguard, Hinomiya-san. Please don’t mind her.”
“Bodyguard…?”
Shizuku-san tilted her head, but I quickly ushered her to the guest chair and took her résumé.
Mimori Shizuku, age 21.
When I looked at the work history, I froze.
“… Former A-Rank Shield Knight?”
A-Rank.
Just one step below S-Rank—essentially a national-level combatant.
Why would someone like that apply for a 1,200-yen-per-hour clerical job?
“Yes… But I retired a year ago due to an injury.”
Shizuku-san lowered her gaze as she spoke, a shadow crossing her expression.
She clenched her skirt and shifted slightly, favoring her right leg.
(Her right leg…)
Pretending to adjust my goggles, I secretly activated the diagnostic function of [Repair].
My skill doesn’t just restore objects—it lets me see the “damage state” of whatever I target.
It works, to some extent, on people too.
Through the goggles, I looked at Shizuku-san’s right leg.
Though it was hidden under her suit, a dark haze clung around her ankle.
(… A curse.)
Some dungeon monsters leave behind not just physical wounds but lingering magical debuffs—
the kind that can’t be healed without a high-level recovery skill or a special dispelling item.
The appraisal result read:
“Turtle of Malediction’s Delayed Curse (Slow Curse).”
A nasty one that gradually paralyzes the leg over time.
Plenty enough reason for an A-Rank Shield Knight to retire.
“… I’ve reviewed your résumé.”
I took off the goggles and faced her again.
From the sofa, Reika-san shot me a look that clearly said, “Well? What will you do?”
“Mimori-san, do you have any clerical experience?”
“No, but I did handle reports and paperwork at the Guild. I can use a PC about as well as anyone.”
“That’s good enough. You’re hired.”
“Eh?”
Shizuku-san blinked like a startled pigeon.
“A-are you sure? I… I still have some aftereffects in my leg, so I might not be able to move quickly…”
“That’s not a problem. It’s a desk job, mostly sitting.”
I stood up and rummaged through the medicine shelf in the back of the workshop.
What I needed was a low-grade Curse-Lifting Potion—not strong, but it would serve as a catalyst.
“Umm, Director…?”
“Just call me Kirishima. Also, consider this more of a hiring bonus, I guess.”
I placed a small bottle filled with thick green liquid in front of her.
“That leg of yours—there’s a chance to fix it.”
“… What?”
Time froze for Shizuku-san.
Even Reika-san, from the sofa, widened her eyes.
“Fix it? But even an S-Rank Healer told me it was beyond recovery!”
“Well, maybe an S-Rank Healer can’t—but an F-Rank repairman might.”
I uncorked the bottle.
Shizuku-san hesitated, then nervously rolled up her skirt hem and pulled her stockings down a little.
Her ankle was marred by a dark, purplish bruise.
“That’s pretty bad.”
“… Yes. When it rains or I go near strong mana, it goes numb, and I can’t move it.”
For a Shield Knight, an immobile leg is fatal.
I held my hand over her ankle.
Touching a young woman’s bare skin made me a bit nervous, but the treatment came first.
“Excuse me a moment.”
I dripped a few drops of the potion onto the bruise.
It sizzled faintly, reacting to the curse, but couldn’t dispel it completely.
“[Repair].”
I activated my skill.
Target: Mimori Shizuku’s right leg.
Damage state: Corrupted by the Turtle of Malediction’s Delayed Curse.
Objective: Restore to normal condition (curse contamination zero).
A soft light spread from my hand.
The potion flared golden for an instant before evaporating.
The light wrapped around her ankle.
“Ah…!”
Shizuku-san gasped.
Dark miasma hissed out from her leg like smoke, dissolving into the air.
My MP drained rapidly—apparently curing humans costs more than repairing relics.
But… it worked.
A few minutes later, the glow faded.
When I lifted my hand, the bruise was gone—smooth, healthy skin remained.
“… No way.”
She touched her ankle, disbelief all over her face.
Then she stood, testing her footing.
She even hopped a little.
“It doesn’t hurt…! The numbness is gone…!”
“How is it? Working fine?”
“Yes…! Yes, it’s perfect!”
Tears welled up in her eyes.
Then she suddenly threw herself against me.
“W-whoa!?”
“Thank you! Thank you so much, Kirishima-san…!”
Through her suit I felt warmth and unbelievable softness.
I froze, unsure how to react.
(T-too close! And… too soft!)
She buried her face in my chest and cried for a while.
From the sofa, I could feel Reika-san’s glacial glare stabbing into me.
Terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.
Eventually Shizuku-san pulled away, her face bright red.
“I-I’m so sorry! I lost control…”
“N-no, it’s fine. I’m just glad you’re healed.”
“Kirishima-san!”
She clasped my hands tightly, her eyes now burning with resolve rather than weakness.
“I’ll work here for the rest of my life! I’ll do anything for you, Kirishima-san!”
(That’s… a bit heavy.)
I thought I’d hired a 1,200-yen-an-hour clerk (and a former A-Rank, at that), but it seemed I’d somehow gained an employee with extreme devotion instead.
She immediately exclaimed, “Then I’ll start by cleaning the workshop!” and whipped out a duster from nowhere.
Her movements were amazingly swift—befitting a former A-Rank Shield Knight.
Reika-san glanced between Shizuku-san and me, snorting with clear displeasure.
Now there were two other people in my workshop besides me.
My peaceful workshop life was already coming to an end.
And meanwhile, far away, someone was watching.
On the rooftop of the building across the street stood a woman in a black suit—Kunoe Sayo.
Through a high-precision mana telescope, she observed the inside of my workshop.
(An F-Rank skill that repairs S-Rank relics… and now he’s cured an A-Rank Awakener’s curse? Kirishima Haruto… you are certainly no ordinary F-Rank.)
Her surveillance had only just begun.
What do you think about this chapter?
