These Dangerous Girls Placed Me Into Jeopardy-Chapter 8Vol 3. : I Met a Loli on the Way

Around 9:30 in the morning, after telling Mom and Serena that I wouldn’t be coming home for lunch, I left the house.

Then, without even stopping to eat, I wandered the entire commercial district nearby looking for part-time work—but didn’t find a single place that was hiring.

Most shops didn’t want high school students, and especially not someone like me who could only work after school or on weekends. Most stores shut down by evening anyway, so I had to aim for places open 24 hours.

Unfortunately, I tried tons of supermarkets, fast food joints, and cafés, but none of them were hiring me.

If it were summer vacation, it might be easier. But during the school year, finding a job is seriously hard.

Exhausted after running into wall after wall, I slumped down on a bench in the plaza and drained the last of a canned coffee in one gulp.

“Guess I’ll have to try someplace like a karaoke bar or a pub...”

I sighed and tossed the can toward the trash can nearby.

I missed.

The can hit the rim of the bin with a clank and bounced off to the side—

—And smacked someone right on the head.

“Ah—!”

I quickly got up and rushed over, raising my hand in apology.

But the person clutched their head and yelled back, spinning around to glare at me.

“You trying to kill someone or what?! Can’t you just throw it in properly?!”

Didn’t expect it’d be someone I knew.

No wonder the can hit her on the head—she was barely taller than the trash can.

The poor soul I’d beaned was none other than my classmate, Kan Tsukiyo.

Though we were in the same class, judging by appearance alone, she looked like an elementary schooler. Her height barely reached up to my diaphragm. And since she wasn’t in her school uniform today but wearing a full-on gothic lolita outfit, she looked even more like a kid.

A gothic lolita outfit, huh... You’re a ghoul, but you dress like a vampire? Or is this cosplay too?

Still, I had to admit—the outfit really suited her.

Especially with her waist-length straight black hair cascading behind her, and her neatly trimmed bangs covering her forehead. She was the perfect embodiment of the dark gothic loli I’d imagined in my head. Yeah, and in reality, she was literally from the dark side too... I mean, she does eat people.

Kan Tsukiyo realized it was me who hit her and blinked twice before flashing me a bright smile. She cheerfully walked over, hands on her hips, and said:

“Isn’t this Ethan-kun!”

“Don’t call me in such a weird way... Doesn’t it sound awkward to you?”

“I think it sounds super cute~”

“It sounds really unnatural to me.”

“Ethan-kun, Ethan-kun, Ethan-kun-kun~ Kun-kun Ethan~ Kun Ethan Kun~ Kun-kun Ethan-kun~”

“Shut up already! I’m starting to forget how to even write my own name!”

Didn’t expect I could suffer semantic satiation just by hearing my name repeated. Also... the way she clapped and skipped around while chanting was kind of... cute...

...

“Huh? What’s wrong, Ethan-kun? Why’d you suddenly close your eyes?”

“...Just protecting my virtue.”

Thankfully, her gothic lolita outfit wasn’t too revealing, so I managed to calm myself down quickly and reopen my eyes.

Kan Tsukiyo was already right next to me, and she casually patted my stomach, smiling.

“Hey... come to think of it, Ethan-kun, when did «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» you get discharged? Out and about already?”

“Got discharged this morning. And hey—I’m not just out goofing off. I’m looking for part-time work.”

“A job? That’s weird~ Ethan-kun, are you short on money?”

“Why do you think I’m out looking for—”

—Which bastard emptied out my—

I narrowed my eyes and glared at the loli who was now sweating nervously. She quickly averted her gaze and waved her hand vaguely.

“Ahaha... well, that’s for medical expenses~ Medical expenses, yeah~ A ghoul’s saliva is super valuable, you know!”

“...Is that so?”

“It’s totally true~ And even if it didn’t have any healing effects, just plain loli saliva is worth that much, right?! Way better than those seedy massage parlors! Those could give you AIDS, but my saliva is all-natural, no side effects, even has healing properties—super good deal!”

...Is that right?

I gave her a skeptical look but didn’t say anything. Instead, I suddenly changed the topic with a smile.

“Well, it’s thanks to you that I healed up so fast. So to thank you, I’ll treat you to dinner tonight. How about steak? Eat as much as you want.”

...This sounds like some creepy old man luring a loli with candy. Then again, I wonder if this expired loli who’s actually over five hundred years old would even take the bait.

“Really?! Yay~!”

...Nope. I overestimated her.

As soon as I said “treat,” Kan Tsukiyo’s eyes sparkled, and she clapped her hands, bouncing on one foot with excitement... drool dripping from her mouth.

I immediately dropped the smile and crouched down, grabbing her cheeks and tugging hard.

“Liar! You start drooling just from the sound of food—what part of that saliva is supposed to be precious?!”

“Wu-mumu! Hotohthaso! (It hurts, I said!) Kwikthooseme! (Quick, loosen me!)”

“You lying brat. Snowy already told me. You used my money to buy clothes, didn’t you? And it was her saliva, not yours.”

Still pinching her cheeks, Kan Tsukiyo finally had enough. She yanked my hands off with force and shouted while holding her now-red cheeks:

“Ithhawahnutoth! (Enough already!)”

“I should be saying that!”

Because of your reckless spending, I had to go job hunting—still haven’t found anything. You owe me more than an apology.

“Yesh yesh yesh, it’s my fault, okay?! I didn’t mean to! I just hadn’t gotten my pay yet, and then I saw this gothic lolita outfit online and couldn’t stop myself—I just had to commission it...”

“Oh, so it was custom-made. Makes sense—it does look really cute, I’ll admit that.”

The outfit seemed really well made, not the kind you could buy off the rack. From the headpiece to the little black leather shoes, everything matched perfectly and fit her like a glove. It had to be tailored.

“Right?! I fell in love with it at first sight!”

It really was cute. Makes you want to just take her home.

...Well, whatever. The money’s already spent, and I won’t get it back. I’ll just chalk it up as “medical expenses.” And honestly, what she said earlier wasn’t entirely wrong. Since Kan Tsukiyo was possessing Snowy Jiang, the saliva did have healing effects. Thanks to that, I’ve had the chance to sample the sweet taste of loli saliva and those small, cherry-like lips... and that delicate little head...

“Whoa there. Slipping into mental corruption again...”

I silently counted to twenty-two, forcing the sticky sensation down, then opened my eyes and looked at Kan Tsukiyo.

“What?”

“Nothing~ But are you okay, Ethan-kun?”

“Ah... yeah, I’m probably fine for now.”

Getting turned on by a loli. I’m seriously beyond help...

“Don’t worry, Ethan-kun! I’ll pay you back once I get paid!”

“No need. Just... are you working anywhere? If you are, can you refer me? I’m trying to find something I can do on weekends, but no luck so far...”

If even a loli can do it, then I should be able to, too... though... wouldn’t hiring Kan Tsukiyo technically count as child labor?

She tilted her head and tapped her cheek with one finger.

“Too bad~ My job isn’t something I can hand off to someone else... You saw what I do last time, remember?”

“...Ah.”

Her “job” probably referred to disposing of corpses—for which she gets paid.

“Yeah... not something I can do.”

I sighed and dropped my head again.

Time to keep searching for a job, then.

“Well, see you.”

Just as I was about to say goodbye, Kan Tsukiyo tugged on my sleeve.

“But I can introduce you to another job, Ethan-kun. And this one’s perfect for you.”

“Oh? What kind of job?”

“Can’t tell you the details yet. Just wander around for now. When you get back home after dark, you’ll find out~”

She won’t tell me what it is... I’ll only find out when I go home... and she wants me to stay out until dark? What kind of job referral is this? Is the job going to come find me or something? Sounds shady as hell.

“Don’t worry~ I won’t lie to you~”

“You already did...”

“Mou~ Just trust me this once!”

Sigh.

“...Fine. I’ll go home sometime between eight and nine, okay?”

“Perfect! That’s enough time~ See you later then~”

Kan Tsukiyo seemed to suddenly remember something, got fired up, and dashed off.

Her expression looked like she’d just come up with some devilish idea. She licked her lips, waved energetically at me, and ran off.

I ended up wandering around until about 8:30 p.m.

Not that I was bored or anything—because I happened to run into someone else during that time.

After barely escaping her clutches, I made it home around 8:40.

Still wondering what kind of job Kan Tsukiyo meant, I noticed an envelope sticking out of the long-unused mailbox by my door.

“Huh? A letter?”

In this day and age?

Back when I was a kid, people used to send letters to Dad, but once smartphones became standard, no one sent mail anymore.

Maybe it was just an ad...

Curious, I pulled out the envelope and glanced at it.

“...Huh?”

It was addressed to me.

My name—An Ethan—was written clearly on it. But there was no sender’s name, no stamp... was this hand-delivered?

Seemed suspicious, but I opened it anyway.

Inside wasn’t a letter, but a flyer.

It was actually really well-made. High-quality paper, trimmed edges—it looked more like an invitation than an ad.

So why did I say it was a flyer?

Because it read:

[NOW HIRING]

Cleaning Service – Mansion Work

No experience needed

Only once per week

Travel expenses reimbursed

Address: Building 212, Jingqiu Gardens, Baoshan Road, District 1

Ohhh!

So this is the job Kan Tsukiyo was talking about?

“Come home and you’ll find out”—so this was what she meant. She arranged to give me a flyer. Maybe she dropped it off on purpose. But why did I have to wait until nightfall? Hm... no idea.

“I think it’s best not to respond to this kind of sketchy job flyer.”

Rainie Bai suddenly appeared behind me and said that, nearly making me faceplant.

“At least give me a warning when you show up...”

If you keep popping up like this, my heart won’t last.

Rainie walked over with a serious look on her face.

“I sincerely apologize... If you need money, I can offer some. I have up to 800 million at your disposal.”

Pfft—

Why the hell does a high school girl have that much money?!

Just from the look on my face, she guessed what I was thinking and gave a brief explanation.

“Leftover wealth from a previous life. I only found part of it. But this money belongs to you anyway.”

Ugh, another past-life thing...

Still, eight hundred million? That’s way too much. Feels like cheating.

I don’t like relying on methods like that. I’d rather work honestly and spend money I earn myself.

“Nah, I’ll pass. It just... feels wrong, you get what I mean? Besides, I’ve already found a job, haven’t I? I’ll go check it out.”

“But...”

“Relax—it was introduced to me by a friend. It’ll be fine.” frёeωebɳovel.com

Rainie still looked worried, but I’d already made up my mind.

A job this suited to me, with such good conditions—I doubt I’ll find another.

Of course, I won’t just walk into a trap. I’m not stupid enough to get sold off and thank the buyer for the opportunity.

Besides, it’s a job Kan Tsukiyo introduced... I don’t think she’d hurt me. A ghost that can possess Snowy Jiang can’t be a bad ghost. Plus, her name shows up blue—so I’ll choose to trust her.

More importantly—I’m running out of options.

If I can’t find a decent job this week, my date might have to be postponed.

So yeah. I’ll go check it out tomorrow.

That said... with benefits like this, I bet tons of people applied. The flyer doesn’t say how many they’re hiring, or what the mansion is like... Guess I’ll have to see for myself.

Better get up early, put on something respectable, and leave a good impression.

Grrr...

My stomach growled.

Ah, come to think of it—I haven’t eaten anything all day. Kinda starving.

I shoved the letter into my pocket, turned around—

—And of course, Rainie was gone again.

I rubbed my nose, walked up to the door, and opened it.

“I’m home!”

Anyway—first things first, dinner.