2-01: Don’t Look down on a Mother (3/4) (SHORT)
“A-As a man, I’m not so sure about that…
At least I should be more dependable financially.”
“Sure, sure… This wife here will wait patiently~”
There was just too much of a difference between the income of a normal salary man and an elite like her, so she just gave him that half-hearted reply and ignored his crestfallen expression as she turned to her sons, where the simple scene of an older brother playing with his younger brother was.
Perhaps it was because he had just returned and had just lived with them for a few days, but aside from his reservations both to his own dad and to her, Rinko found him to be a perfectly normal boy that happened to have a slightly complicated situation.
Which is why she quietly seethed in rage as Shinichi passed his days under observation.
Just remembering her boss’s orders made her shake in anger.
Of course, she knew where he was coming from, but her husband had been waiting for this day for so long, and yet the voices that welcomed Shinichi weren’t all positive, so she couldn’t find it in herself to comply so readily to her boss’s orders.
She was affiliated with the organization established to deal with the problems that arose from the otherworld, which was disclosed to the public 8 years ago.
With otherworldy technology and knowledge being revealed to the public, and the otherworldly people of Garesto also beginning to interact with the Earthlings, although the various exchange between citizens was being monitored on a political level, problems were still bound to arise from time to time.
Such problems were expected, however, so several sections have already been created beforehand to address them.
Included in those sections was how to deal with crimes committed by a Garestonian, as well as the establishment of an organization specifically meant to deal with crimes committed with Garesto’s advanced technology and/or by means of the otherworld, the Otherworld Crime Countermeasure Office.
There weren’t many people able to handle photon just yet, however, so the benefits provided by the organization both financially and non-financially were exceptionally competitive, not to mention that its employees were also considered to have high social standing. The maternity benefits were also good, such that Rinko felt she could take a maternity leave and actually be able to return to her job. [1]
The organization was also in charge of crimes committed with tools using photon or tools from Garesto, but their main duty is the supervision of illegal otherworld travel from Garesto, which is why Rinko could only be shocked when she was given her orders.
“You want me to monitor Shinichi-kun!?
W-What exactly do you mean by that!?”
3 days after Shinichi’s return, on the very day he was taken in by the Nakamura family, an order came from the top supervisor, a person that was transferred from the Metropolitan Police Department.
It was an order so shocking that Rinko could only ask if she heard correctly.
That person was the sort that only cared about his career and had no interest in anything else. His behavior was the kind that made one feel he was lacking in other aspects of life. Rinko instinctively hated his guts.
But no matter how much she disliked him, she would still follow his orders so long as his orders were proper. Alas, the orders she was being given now demanded an explanation.
“I thought you’d ask that… After all, this is you we’re talking about.”
Although he made it clear as day that he found her question irritating, he still answered with an emotionless voice. He probably answered her because he knew that she wouldn’t do as asked otherwise.
“Nakamura Shinichi.
The data says he is who he says he is, but even though 8 years has passed, he has only spent 2 years in that dangerous region.
I’m sure you understand just how odd that is.”
Though her superior spoke politely, he spoke in a way that suggested this wasn’t debatable.
[1] – Apparently, despite the maternity benefits officially available, most Japanese women just leave their jobs when they get pregnant. The same seems to be true for paternity benefits, but the sources below don’t cover that.
Source: CLICK HERE
Source 2: CLICK HERE
DISCLAIMER: I’m not an expert on this topic, I just googled it.
Tl Note:Have to end here, as I’m out of time. Sorry for the turtle steps, this series has a really annoying prose, which makes it take longer to translate.