Chapter 9
Yomi was getting a little hungry, so he took a fig and ate it while watching videos of tunnel-burrowing competitions, trying to study in advance.
Just as he was getting absorbed in them, his optical brain rang again. It was a video call invitation from a new account.
Suspicious, he tapped to open it—and saw that same face from not long ago yet again!
Yomi frowned and made a move to hang up.
“Wait!” The other party hastily attached a copy of his identification, as well as an officially verified social media account under the same name, “Karl.” “I’m really not a scammer!” He then hurriedly held up a photograph. “Did you run into this person yesterday?”
Yomi’s expression changed slightly.
In the photograph was the monster who had followed him yesterday and had even called him by name.
“Who… exactly are you people?”
Karl said, “This matter involves the royal family, so we need to speak with you in person. Please don’t worry. As the Crown Prince’s chief secretary…” As he spoke, he suddenly noticed that the little hand on the other side was tremblingly moving toward the anti-fraud option again, and he quickly stopped him. “If you truly can’t feel at ease, we’ll come see you right now!”
The moment he finished speaking, the call ended.
Yomi froze for a moment, then thought, As expected.
Thankfully, he had seen through the trick. That monster yesterday had caused such a huge disturbance that it would not have been strange if someone had accidentally seen it. Perhaps they were simply using that incident to run a scam… If his savings were cheated away, he would have nothing left.
After finishing the tunnel-burrowing videos, his stomach grew even hungrier. Since he had no work today, Yomi decided to cook for himself.
He took out a chopping board, washed and cut vegetables at the doorway, then set up a small stove and started boiling noodles.
This was a cooking set he had bought at an internal price after seeing, at Vera’s place last week, that they had designed a doll kitchen with real working functions in order to make their props look realistic.
Yomi made himself a small bowl of tomato and egg noodles. They were hot and delicious. But halfway through eating, the sound of machinery approached from above, growing closer and closer.
?
By the time he looked up, the aircraft in the sky had already landed on the open ground in front of him.
The security guard noticed the unusual commotion even earlier than Yomi did. He ran over and loudly demanded to know what was happening, but before he could get close, he was frightened by the two rows of black-clothed men walking out from inside.
The men in black showed the guard their credentials. The guard’s face changed drastically, and he retreated almost reverently back into the guard booth.
Over here, the moment Yomi noticed the movement of those credentials being displayed, sweat began forming on the hand holding his bowl.
He very quickly thought of what Vera had said that morning… Now that someone had paid attention to him, would his work in the black market be exposed? Vera had said employees would not be pursued, but what if…
Yomi’s mind buzzed. At the thought that he might end up in prison on some alien planet, he became so nervous that he could not eat another bite. He did not even dare look over there. But in order not to seem so guilty, even though his hands trembled a little, he still lowered his head and continued eating his noodles.
Karl stepped out of the aircraft with steady strides, and his gaze quickly locked onto the little wooden house not far away.
On the wooden plank in front of it, that tiny, beautiful Snaran was currently holding a small bowl and eating noodles. He was eating extremely slowly. Even with such a huge commotion here, he did not look up, merely kept his head lowered and ate his noodles.
Karl froze for a moment, overwhelmed by how adorable the scene was and not even knowing what to do with himself.
This was his first formal meeting with Yomi. As the Crown Prince’s secretary, he forcibly restrained the urge to circle around the little thing taking frantic photos, and instead walked straight over to him before bowing deeply with the utmost respect. “Mr. Yomi, hello. I am Karl!”
Yomi had been lost in his own thoughts. Hearing the voice, which sounded oddly familiar, he slowly raised his head.
To make it easier for him to see clearly, Karl kindly crouched down and said, “Do you believe now that I’m not a bad person?”
Yomi’s mouth opened slightly.
This was the very man who had video-called him not long ago and claimed to be the Crown Prince’s secretary.
Yomi’s mouth opened wider and wider.
The reverent reaction of the security guard, the credentials of the men in black, and the aircraft marked with the imperial insignia… everything pointed to the same answer.
“So you really are the Crown Prince’s secretary,” he said, putting down his bowl and thinking hard. “Didn’t you maybe find the wrong person?”
Karl looked at his body size and shook his head. “Others might perhaps be mistaken for someone else, but you absolutely would not.”
“…”
Yomi said, “I don’t know any of you at all.”
“This isn’t the place to talk. Please come with me.”
Suspicious, Yomi followed him into the aircraft. Inside was a space similar to a small conference room.
Karl invited him to sit down and made tea for him.
Yomi took a sip, then set down the cup—which for him could practically be used as a kettle.
Karl apologized, “We came in such a hurry that I forgot to switch to the custom small cup prepared for you.”
Yomi shook his head and smiled. “I’m not that small. I can use any cup.”
Karl inhaled sharply, pressed a hand to his chest, turned away, and opened a video for him to watch.
Yomi was dumbfounded.
In the video was the monster he had encountered yesterday.
Only, the situation was far more terrifying than yesterday. The monster seemed to have entered a berserk state inside some kind of base, displaying shocking destructive power. Countless Snarans wearing armor and reverting to their monster forms were unable to subdue him. In the end, it was only a specially made iron cage that stopped him.
It appeared to be drone footage, filmed very close to the monster, which made the oppressive force feel all the more real. Yomi even had the feeling he was watching a horror movie.
“This is His Highness Crown Prince Anxius. During that interstellar battle one year ago, he suffered grievous injuries and lost the ability to transform into human form. But that issue can be solved by wearing a humanoid skin-suit. The biggest problem now is that after becoming disabled, His Highness Anxius will enter berserk states without warning, and he can no longer control himself as easily as before… However, yesterday, we unexpectedly discovered that while he was taking care of you, His Highness Anxius seemed able to control himself even while in a berserk state. That is why we need to hire you!”
Yomi let out an “Ah?” “…Yesterday counted as taking care of me?”
Karl smiled. “He bought clothes for you and helped you gather the scrap you needed. Isn’t that taking care of you?”
“But…”
“We are absolutely serious about hiring you to receive His Highness Anxius’s care.” Karl’s tone turned solemn. “Mr. Yomi, perhaps you can understand it this way—just like drug development, you may treat all of this as a clinical trial. After all, His Highness truly is somewhat dangerous. But please rest assured, we will do our utmost to ensure your safety… While being cared for, you may perhaps suffer certain side effects, such as being frightened or the like? But there will absolutely be no danger to your life. Even though you are the one being cared for, you are making an enormous contribution to us. Therefore, the payment we offer you is what you deserve. We will compensate you according to the highest salary for this type of work.”
Yomi’s eyes widened into round circles.
Seeing that he had not rejected the idea, Karl took out a contract and respectfully offered it with both hands. “This is the contract. If you feel any part of it is unreasonable, we can revise it at any time.”
Yomi opened it in a daze and began flipping through it.
The contract was written very clearly: five working days and two rest days, all the usual Snaran job benefits, and even separate housing.
Only, his job title was a little strange:
—The Empire’s Little Darling
Karl explained in a gentle, polished tone, “The Crown Prince of the Empire taking care of the Empire’s Little Darling. That sounds quite reasonable, doesn’t it?”
Seeing Yomi remain silent for a long time, Karl asked again, “Do you have any other concerns? We will try our best to resolve them for you.”
Yomi lowered his head to look at the contract and quietly asked, “If the experiment fails, and the Crown Prince doesn’t get better… will I go to prison?”
After all, he now knew a royal secret.
Karl paused, holding back laughter with great effort. “No! Of course not! Whether the result is good or bad is something we have to face. As for the secrets of the royal family, we have a separate confidentiality clause. As long as you don’t speak of it, that will be fine.”
Yomi closed his gaping mouth again, then said, “…All right. Please wait a moment.”
Karl nodded and waited for him to consider things properly.
Something this important naturally required careful thought.
But in the next moment, Karl watched as the little one in front of him opened his optical brain, clicked on an app called Contract King, and began scanning the document. Karl knew that software. It was what most Snarans used while job-hunting if they did not have a private lawyer, mainly to avoid being cheated. The program could point out certain traps in contracts, though many times it was also astonishingly stupid.
For example, right now—
“Unable to identify sugar-baby contract!”
Hearing this, Yomi was horrified. “Th-This…!”
Karl broke into cold sweat instantly. “No, no, no!”
He hurriedly opened the same software on his own optical brain, immediately paid for the highest-level membership, and rapidly scanned the contract. “Mr. Yomi, there’s something wrong with your version. Try this one!”
Sure enough, the report this time was different:
“Recognition complete. No problems found with this labor contract! Please work with peace of mind!”
Yomi: “…”
Without money, one truly could not take even a single step.
That night, inside the vast and silent palace, only the dim, shadowy light from a screen illuminated the darkness.
On the enormous light screen, a variety show called Exchange Lives was being replayed over and over again—but this version was somewhat different.
Throughout the entire video, there was only one tiny figure standing atop the music box. Even if anyone else appeared in the frame, they were thoroughly covered by ugly mosaic blurring…
In front of the screen sat a gigantic monster that did not blink once.
The little figure began changing poses. The monster’s pupils contracted slightly.
The little figure smiled at the camera. The monster’s wings trembled.
The little figure ran and skipped while carrying cake. The monster began crawling closer…
When Karl knocked and entered, the usually cold and severe His Highness Anxius was watching the Yomi-cut version of Exchange Lives while rapidly folding a pile of newly purchased doll clothes.
Karl’s footsteps halted.
Then those terrifying eyes turned toward him, looking at him darkly and ominously.
Karl’s hair stood on end. He hurriedly said, “H-He has already agreed to let you take care of him!”
The monster froze. A chilling hoarse sound came from his throat. “Khh… khh…”
After a long while, he lowered his head again and continued folding those tiny clothes. Once he finished, he picked them up and strode out with a thunderous sound.
That very night, a starship left above the imperial palace in the capital and flew all the way toward a private estate in the suburbs.
The next day, early morning.
Yomi glanced toward Karl, who had come to pick him up, while washing up.
His luggage had already been packed the night before. Lynn had helped him pack it. Since the matter involved the royal family, Yomi had only said that he had changed to a job involving confidentiality. Lynn asked a great many questions, and so Yomi used some of the documents Karl had provided to reassure him.
Seeing the government insignia on the documents, Lynn assumed Yomi was going to some more distant factory, and told him to make sure to call and let him know he had arrived safely.
After washing up, Yomi locked the little wooden door and left with Karl. When they passed below Lili’s floor, an anxious voice suddenly called from above, “Mimi! Where are you going?”
He looked up.
Lili and her parents were all standing by the window watching him.
Lili was merely curious, but the two adults looked somewhat worried.
Yomi replied, “I’m going to work!”
Lili’s parents had also heard a retelling of yesterday’s events from the security guard, and from that had vaguely guessed at his job. Just like Lynn, based on the aircraft insignia, they assumed he was heading to some distant base or factory.
Ordinary bases did not send vehicles to pick workers up. Only remote bases in harsh environments offered that kind of treatment…
Lili’s parents waved to him. “Yomi, take good care of yourself! Don’t push yourself too hard!”
Yomi nodded. His hair moved in the morning breeze, revealing a smooth forehead. His tiny body looked almost as though the wind itself were pushing him forward.
Sunlight poured down. The figure carrying a small suitcase quickly disappeared before the hatch door.
Beneath the vast clear sky, the aircraft started up rapidly and soon left the residential district.
Karl arranged for Yomi to eat breakfast in a lounge area equipped with many miniature items.
Yomi’s head was full of hopes and expectations for this new job, and this was also his first time riding in an aircraft, which made him extremely excited.
Yomi had no mind to eat at all. He only ate a little fruit, then pressed himself against the glass window and kept staring out, his eyes full of curiosity toward this unknown world.
Not far away, Karl could not hold back anymore and grabbed his camera, taking several shots in quick succession!
Too, too, too adorable!
These were for His Highness Anxius, absolutely not for my own private selfishness!!!
After quite a while, the aircraft began slowing down, and an alert appeared indicating that it was about to land.
Yomi quickly sat properly. Pressing close to the window, he secretly peeked below—and instinctively drew in a breath.
It was an exceptionally magnificent private estate.
Clearly, this was the royal base where he would be carrying out the “Crown Prince experiment.”
Yomi raised a hand and smoothed the three-piece suit he was wearing. Once the cabin door slowly opened, he picked up his little suitcase and carefully stood to walk out.
