In truth, nothing seemed to happen for the next few days.
As usual, dungeon reservations were fully booked, but there were no new reports of anyone obtaining a "Partner." No new dungeons appeared either. In a way, it felt like Awakeners had returned to their original duties—a surprisingly peaceful period. Of course, in reality, some Awakeners still got themselves seriously injured or even killed from overdoing it, but such was the nature of the job.
And during those few days, one small change occurred. For example, the doorbell that had just rung. Seeing the person who appeared on the monitor, Inari exclaimed, “Coming nowww,” and dashed to the front door.
Incidentally, like in most homes, the voice doesn’t reach the other side unless the intercom button is pressed. But since she was going right away, there was no issue. When she opened the door, there stood the girl she had met just a few days ago—Hikaru.
"Hey. Thanks for inviting me."
"Glad thou came. Well then, do come inside."
Hikaru wore a hat and sunglasses—a simple disguise to avoid being recognized. Given her idol-like marketing approach, such precautions were necessary. Inari was marketed similarly in some respects, though she didn’t seem to care much about such things. And since Akai didn’t press the issue either, it wasn’t a problem.
After letting Hikaru in, Inari cheerfully led her to the living room, only for Hikaru to let out a stunned voice.
"I mean, I’m not picky, but this is pretty bad. You’ve barely got any furniture."
"'Tis fine as it is. Akai keepeth tryin’ to recommend me beauty devices and whatnot, but I care not one whit for such things."
"Akai’s your rep, right? Looks like both our sides are the same kind of mess."
Yes—after they exchanged contact info in Akihabara, Hikaru casually messaged Inari via the Awakener-exclusive messaging app, D-Messenger, and they quickly became close. Or rather, it might be more accurate to say Hikaru grew attached to Inari all on her own. Inari, however, wasn’t quite on board with the idea that Hikaru thought of her as “like a granny.” In any case, Hikaru had already dropped all pretense in front of Inari—at least when no one else was around.
"Oh, I brought a little gift. Thought you’d like it—bought some yokan from Suzurando."
"Oho, my thanks to thee. Let us slice it up at once, then."
"I’ll help."
Inari pattered off to the kitchen, and Hikaru followed close behind. Together they quickly prepared the tea and yokan. Not that it was a two-person job to begin with, but nonetheless, soon enough the beautifully cut yokan and plain tea were set on the table.
One bite revealed the delicate, smooth flavor of the red bean paste as it spread across the tongue, and a sip of tea washed the mouth clean in preparation for the next. In that way, each bite became even more enjoyable. Yokan was the very image of a model tea snack—one that demonstrated exactly how such sweets should be.
"Ahhh… yokan is most delicious."
"Told ya. But my manager’s always on my case, saying I should eat more cakes or fluffy sweets instead."
"That be part of the so-called 'image crafting,' is it not?"
"Yeah, that. Man, what a pain."
"Hohoho. Judgin’ by thy tone, I wager they also insist thou eat Western food on the regular, no?"
"…And just what counts as Western food?"
"Let’s see… curry and omelets?"
"Knew you’d say that."
Inari tilted her head as Hikaru nodded in satisfaction. Given that Inari was perfectly content with just rice and furikake, it seemed unlikely she’d be updating her culinary knowledge anytime soon. Incidentally, although she had eaten croquettes before in Akabane, they didn’t come to mind under “Western food” because she classified them as “side dishes.”
"Well, yeah, they tell me that too. Stuff like sandwiches this, salad that… It’s so pretentious. I actually prefer fish and stuff. Too bad it’s expensive."
"Aye, there was that news bulletin. Seemeth fish shall be scarce for a while yet."
"Prices are already going up, or so I heard… Oh, that reminds me."
"Hm?"
"The Fishing Federation put out a request. A job for high-level Awakeners."
The Fishing Federation—an organization established after the monster crisis, committed to “safe fishing and stable seafood supply.” Essentially, it was a reorganized version of an older institution built to adapt to the new era.
The Federation viewed the current situation very seriously, and they felt relying on the Awakener Association’s slow response was getting them nowhere. So they negotiated with the Association and secured a verbal agreement: If the Fishing Federation hires Awakeners independently, the Association won’t interfere.
In short—the Fishing Federation had no intention of surrendering to the Mermen.
Of course, some emergency contracts had already been signed with various clans. But beyond that, the Federation decided to recruit a large number of freelance Awakeners on a temporary basis—for duties like joining patrol boats, emergency response assistance, and security. The terms were good, and apparently there were many applicants.
And today, it seemed… was the orientation and first meetup for those recruits.
"So c’mon—let’s go check it out!"
Beaming with excitement, Hikaru already had a pair of sunglasses ready—for Inari’s use, of course.