Chapter 4

A few days had passed since Mimori Shizuku joined as our clerk.
My workshop, “Repair Works,” had become dramatically more comfortable.

“Director, breakfast is ready.”

“Mmgh… five more minutes…”

“No way. You’ve got an appointment with the C-Rank guild ‘Wild Eagles’ at ten today, so please get up and eat.”

I was shaken awake by Shizuku-san in the living space behind the workshop — formerly my grandfather’s bedroom.
When I walked into the living room, a perfectly prepared Japanese breakfast was laid out, steam rising from every dish.
On the sofa, my bodyguard Reika-san was already sitting up straight, waiting quietly for her portion.

“Let’s eat.”

Shizuku-san’s rolled omelets were out of this world.
The soup stock in the miso soup was flawless.
It was hard to believe that just a few days ago I’d been living like a slob.
Apparently, a former A-Rank Shield Knight also came with A-Rank household skills.

“Kirishima-kun. I’ll be going to the training grounds this afternoon.”

Reika-san spoke as she neatly picked apart her grilled fish.

“Is it alright to leave your post?”

“I still have to keep up with the minimum guild drills. I’ll be back before noon. With Shizuku-san here, the workshop will be fine.”

“Yes, please leave it to me, Reika-sama.”

For some reason, Shizuku-san addressed her with ‘-sama.’
Maybe it was because one was a former A-Rank and the other an active S-Rank—something only they could understand.
That sort of world was beyond an F-Rank like me.

After seeing Reika-san off, I changed into the work clothes that Shizuku-san had ironed perfectly.
As soon as I took my place behind the counter, the bell rang—right on schedule.

“Welcome!”

Shizuku-san greeted them with a flawless smile.
The three who entered were a tough-looking group, decked out in heavy gear—the very image of Awakeners.
The leader, from the C-Rank guild “Wild Eagles,” stepped forward nervously.

“Uh, is this… ‘Repair Works’?”

“Yes. I’m Kirishima, the Director. What’s your request?”

“This!”

He placed a B-Rank lance on the counter, its tip chipped and shaft cracked.

“On the fifteenth floor of the dungeon, the Orc King busted it up… We took it to Kurogane Workshop, but they said it was ‘beyond repair.’ Then we heard rumors that you could fix it!”

(So the rumors have already started spreading…)

Well, I did have an S-Rank like Reika-san coming and going here.
No wonder word got out.

“I see. B-Rank relic, ‘Spear of the Gale.’ Repair is possible.”

I checked its condition through my goggles.
Two points in the mana circuit were severed, and the spearhead was badly chipped.

“I’ll need some B-Rank Griffon flight feathers and a bit of C-Rank iron ore. Including repair costs, that’s fifty thousand yen. Completion—same day. I’ll fix it right now.”

“F-fifty thousand!? … But same day!?”

That was a hefty sum for a C-Rank party, sure.
But buying a new B-Rank relic would cost at least two hundred thousand.
The man glanced at his teammates, then nodded firmly.

“Please! Without that spear, our guild won’t meet this month’s quota!”

“Understood.”

I took the materials from Shizuku-san and activated [Repair] at my workbench.
For a B-Rank relic, the MP cost wasn’t much.
Compared to an S-Rank magic sword, it was practically a warm-up.

Light enveloped the spear.
The C-Rank party held their breath.
After about ten minutes, the glow subsided.

“Here you go.”

When I handed it back, the leader’s eyes went wide.

“Wha—!? Not a scratch left… it’s cleaner than when I bought it!”

“I also cleared out the mana circuit clogging. Its performance should be slightly improved.”

The man gave it a light swing.
Whoosh!—the air split sharply.

“It’s lighter…! And the mana flows perfectly! This’ll make my ‘Wind Pierce’ skill way stronger!”

“That’s amazing! Mister, you’re a god!”

“I’m not ‘Mister,’ I’m the Director.”

The C-Rank party erupted in cheers.
The leader shouted something about “Now we can hunt A-Rank Orcs!” and happily paid the fifty thousand yen before leaving.
Shizuku-san saw them off with perfect politeness.

“Thank you very much! Please come again!”

As we watched them vanish like a storm, I shrugged.

“(It’s really just the materials that’re expensive.) They’re overreacting.”

“No, they’re not.”

Beside me, Shizuku-san smiled softly.
Her expression was full of trust and admiration.

“Director Kirishima Director. To them, that spear is second only to their own lives. You saved it.”

“… That so?”

“That’s so.”

Her gentle smile carried the calm strength of a former A-Rank Shield Knight.
It made my heart skip a beat.

That afternoon—

The Wild Eagles were already bragging in the guild tavern.

“Did you hear!? That F-Rank workshop is the real deal!”

“My B-Rank lance came back better than new—felt like an A-Rank weapon!”

“And the guy who repaired it—an F-Rank, but he’s got god hands!”

“And the clerk at the counter’s a total bombshell! And huge—”

The rumor snowballed, spreading through every guild in Tokyo in no time.

“F-Rank Godhand.”
“A mysterious workshop that returns relics stronger than before.”

Naturally, that rumor reached the government’s ears.
At the Dungeon Administration Bureau – Special Inspection Office, Chief Kunoe Sayo was reading the report her subordinates had brought.

“‘Repair Works’… Kirishima Haruto. It seems marking him as a surveillance target was indeed the correct decision.”

A cold smile curved her lips.

“‘Silver Wings’ is already trying to recruit him—but I won’t allow it. That technology belongs under national control.”

She stood, slipping on her black suit jacket.

“Well then, shall we go for a little shopping trip—or should I say, inspection?”

My peaceful daily life was quietly, steadily becoming a whole lot noisier—without me even realizing it.

What do you think about this chapter?