The Former Champion's Labor  

The first words out of Anzu's son, who had woken up, were a meaningless surprise. However, he didn't immediately run back. Instead, he spread both hands and lowered his waist. He moved his feet slowly, approaching the wings.

Togekiss, who was being watched, glanced at Shirona. She nodded. After a single cry, it rubbed its wings against Kakeru. Despite his surprise, he hugged it with an unbearable look.

"It smells nice~"

Led by Roserade, who was walking with a pitter-patter, Kakeru headed to another room with Togekiss. Anzu smiled and watched until they disappeared from sight. For a while, the Pokémon would keep him company.

Anzu had woken up earlier than Shirona. Apparently, in about an hour, people who would help with her work were coming. They were called assistants.

"Are you serious?"

In response to Anzu's troubled eyes, Shirona nodded firmly.

"I'm grateful for your help yesterday, but I can't keep relying on you from now on. I need to earn my own living expenses."

"But you know..."

Both of them understood the problem. On the table was a card with Shirona's photo on it. A League Card. It had been updated before she came to this world and was now just an ordinary trainer's card. In her original world, it was an important item that proved her identity.

Of course, it was useless here. Shirona didn't have what was called health insurance. And naturally, she had no family registry in this world either.

"No bank account either. I don't think there are many jobs that pay in cash without requiring an ID."

"It does seem tough."

"Sis, you don't have to push yourself." Anzu pointed to the desks lined up, trying to cheer her up. "I'm actually earning a decent amount with this. This time too, a publishing company's magazine will feature my work. We have some leeway."

However, Shirona had already sensed it. Although she couldn't ask about the details, there was no presence of someone who should be supporting Anzu and her son. It seemed her relationship with Kakeru's father had ended. And when Shirona woke up, Anzu had hurriedly hidden something. It looked like a stack of papers with a bank's name on them.

Even Shirona could tell that the household wasn't very well off. That's why she couldn't rely on them too much. If it were up to her, she would have left after just one night. It was a miracle that they let her stay at all.

But Anzu had stopped her with a strong tone. She straightforwardly said she wanted Shirona to stay. Having someone by her side who properly understood that thing called Gantz gave her peace of mind. Being told that much, Shirona lost the willpower to forcefully leave. For her too, this place had become somewhere she could feel at ease.

Anzu held her smartphone in one hand and flipped through a thick paper book. Apparently, it had many job listings. Shirona also read it and confirmed that she could properly understand the characters. Even the written language was the same. While she was grateful, she briefly wondered if she was really in a different world.

"Found it!"

Reacting to Anzu's voice, Shirona peered at the page.

"Hmm."

Anzu groaned. Indeed, the conditions Shirona wanted were written there. It was the only job listing.

Construction site support, it said.

"Manual labor, huh. Sis, do you have stamina?"

"Well..."

It wasn't that she couldn't exercise. Due to the nature of her previous job, she sometimes had to travel around various places. However, she couldn't say she was confident in her arm strength.

Honestly, she had considered borrowing the power of her Pokémon. However, the Pokémon here that could properly use their arms and legs and carry heavy luggage were not present. If Lucario and Garchomp were here, they would have been a great help. And for Roserade, the only other one with decent hands, the burden would be too much.

But Shirona had already made up her mind. With her inherent handicap, she couldn't afford to be picky about the job content.

"I'll do it."

Anzu still didn't seem convinced. "If you help as my assistant, I can give you a salary..."

"I'm not good at drawing at all. And I've decided not to rely on you too much, Anzu."

"But will you be okay?"

Shirona had an idea. She was confident that if she could just get hired, she would manage somehow. While she still had too many complex feelings to express her gratitude, she was determined to make the most of what was provided by Gantz.

She prepared to call Roserade. This long hair was a bit of a hindrance for a job that directly involved moving her body. Shirona had little hesitation about cutting the hair she had been growing until now.

"So, where is this company located?"

"You're going already?"

"Taking action is important."

Anzu focused on the book and then said reassuringly.

"It's in Dotonbori. Luckily, it's close by."

…

Just being let inside was something to be grateful for.

"So, you want to work?"

For now, Shirona politely placed both hands on her knees. The other person's body was quite burly, and his gaze was stern, but she was no longer the type to be intimidated by that level. Even in her original world, there were several occasions when she encountered dangerous situations.

The man, who seemed to be in charge of hiring and also the site supervisor, was staring intently at Shirona's entire body. Then, he rested his elbows on the desk with a bothersome look.

"Sometimes, there are people who come here dazzled by our conditions without much thought. Many have come until now. Old folks, delinquents who quit school, foreigners who can't communicate. Well, at least you seem to be able to speak Japanese properly."

Japan. The name of this country. It was divided into forty-seven prefectures. This was Osaka Prefecture. The prefectural capital was Osaka City. She had crammed what seemed to be the most basic of basic knowledge in the morning. The task of researching something and putting it into her head was not difficult for her. Especially if it was something unknown.

The other person's reaction was not good. She had tried to wear clothes that were easy to move in. Also, she had cut her blonde hair short enough to cover her ears. Roserade's arms were reliable. It was the first time she had this hairstyle since before she became the Champion. Recalling her initial intentions was a good thing.

"I'll do anything." When Shirona puffed out her chest, the supervisor coughed.

"I know it's strange for me to say this, but our place is terrible. Even new recruits get an unsparing workload. It's a daily wage system, and sometimes the amount varies depending on the mood. To be honest, it's a textbook example of a black company."

"I'm grateful to receive anything at all."

"Are you sure? You're currently at a workplace that's borderline illegal labor exploitation, you know? I don't know your circumstances, but it would be better to find another job."

"Another, you say?"

The man coughed again. His gaze went towards Shirona's chest. She wasn't particularly bothered by it, having seen the face of an even worse pervert before.

"It might be tough without identification, but if you seriously beg, someone will probably hire you. I mean, wouldn't you earn way more working at a place like a brothel? With your looks."

"I refuse."

The frank supervisor, who had been calling her "you" from the first meeting, made a stern expression.

"If you're just messing around, I won't show any mercy. What can you do with those thin arms at our workplace?"

Having reached the desired development, Shirona immediately took action. She put one hand under the desk between them and lightly exerted force. Then, the long desk, seemingly used for meetings, was effortlessly lifted up. It was a weight that even a man with arm strength wouldn't be able to lift alone.

Facing the supervisor who had tumbled from his chair, Shirona asked, "Is this good enough?"

"You're hired."

Even by her world's standards, she could tell. It seemed to be quite a sloppy company. In that case, she wouldn't have to worry about the power of the suit being discovered.

Indeed, what was abnormal was not those men, but the equipment they wore. On the way here, she had also tried it out a bit, and her arm strength had increased several times. Thanks to that, she needed to get used to adjusting things like her walking speed. However, she couldn't think of anything more convenient at the moment.

The supervisor, who was delighted to have found a good worker, opened the door and shouted.

"Hey, Nobu! You're the top of the part-time group, so teach the newbie. It's a rookie."

And Shirona understood. There were naturally others who had the same idea.

"Geh."

Muroya was holding lumber while looking at her. His reaction was as if he had encountered a ghost. The yellow helmet and work clothes suited his delinquent-like appearance well.

Geh, Shirona said the same word in her mind.

For the time being, he seemed to be someone who took his job seriously. Ever since he learned that the supervisor would give him a bonus that included an instruction fee, he had been working especially hard.

"Wrong. You're supposed to carry that over there! Is that it? Are your surprisingly large breasts getting in the way and making it difficult? Give up. No one will help you."

Muroya was clearly enjoying harassing Shirona regardless of whether there was a reward or not. His voice echoed the loudest at the construction site.

Shirona secretly let out a breath and obediently followed his instructions. The labor itself was not difficult for her. Rather, it was a bit troublesome to have to pretend to be tired to match those around her. The part-time workers other than her and Muroya were speechless. They were truly exhausted.

Despite wearing the same suit, she glared at them discreetly. Muroya seemed to notice and was somewhat flustered, but he apparently properly remembered that his position was higher. In the end, his instruction of Shirona continued until night.

Receiving the day's wages, Shirona was experiencing a fresh sense of accomplishment. It had been a while since she had actively worked and obtained money as a tangible object like this. She felt like she had regained something important that she had forgotten.

Even when changing into a light blue sleeveless jacket, she kept the black suit on. While it was convenient, the downside was that it clearly accentuated her body lines. She couldn't easily expose it in front of others. However, realizing there would be situations where she had to, her feelings wilted. Had they already been liberated from such shame?

"Hey."

When she looked to the side, Muroya was standing at the doorway. He was leaning against the door, trying to be nonchalant.

"Congratulations. Let's go eat."

He took her to a nearby food stall. It seemed to serve a dish called oden, which she had never heard of before. Various ingredients, separated by metal partitions, were being simmered in a pot.

"They really fit inside that ball, don't they?" Muroya's face was already red. He didn't seem to handle alcohol very well. Shirona thought that if he tried to touch her using drunkenness as an excuse, it would be a good opportunity to test the power of the suit.

"That's right." 

"What country did you live in? The boonies of America or something?" 

"The Sinnoh region." 

"Are you drunk? That's not even a proper joke." 

"You too."

His laughter was loud. He gulped down the bird eggs along with the alcohol. Shirona drank plenty of water while glancing sideways at Muroya.

"You seem quite normal."

"Huh?" 

"Aren't you scared? Not knowing when you'll be dragged into another life-or-death battle."

"Now that's just absurd, even as a joke." Muroya answered clearly, even while drunk.

"Are you afraid of the hunt? Do you fear the prey?" 

"..." 

"I'm grateful for it. It's good entertainment. Stress relief. Yesterday's was no good though. Your sea slug was stubborn as hell. You should've raised it to be more obedient."

"Gastrodon is a very good child." 

"Yeah, yeah."

He started talking familiarly with the stall owner. It seemed he was a regular here. Even so, Shirona could tell he wasn't going into detail about Gantz. He might use it as a topic of conversation, but perhaps he had some discretion.

Still, Shirona felt something she couldn't quite understand. Was this man also frightened at first? Oka had said he cleared it four times. The calculation was still vague, but it was certain that Muroya had also been captive to Gantz for a considerable period. Did he never once think of running away?

As she was lost in thought, she noticed the presence of someone approaching a little late.

"What are you doing?"

She recognized her. A blonde woman. Her hair color was slightly lighter than Shirona's.

"Oh, Miho. What's up? What brings you here?" 

"What do you mean 'what's up'? Nobu, you said we'd meet up tonight. You didn't show, so I was checking places I thought you might be." 

"You were worried about me? How cute." 

"We're going home. I'll ask for details later." 

"Wanna have another drink at home?"

The woman supporting Muroya's shoulder gave Shirona one last look. Shirona thought she should apologize for drinking alone with her boyfriend, but before that, the other woman turned forward and left.

Left behind, Shirona bit into a piece of daikon radish. Then she asked the owner to wrap up some of the ingredients. Her Pokémon had endured yesterday, but it was about time to fill their stomachs.