Chapter Five: Reluctant to Know

"Hello? Hello?"
"Oh, oh, oh, yes, yes, yes."
"Of course I remember! The young man from the park, right?"

In the dim office, Tamaru wore a peculiar smile as he chatted on the phone.
"I can't really explain the details over the phone, but the pay is truly excellent. I guarantee it’s double what you’re making now, and it’s in cash!"
"Ah, you’re with a friend? No problem. Then the two of you can work as a team for a week."

Back in the park, Jin hung up the phone and tossed it to K.
K scrambled to catch the phone, grumbling indignantly, "How did you find that business card?"
Jin shook his head and said, "Let’s go. We’re heading out to find out exactly what’s going on."

The car soon arrived at the location. Jin’s gaze fell upon a group of young people ahead; in the dim light, they seemed to be waiting for something.
"Are they waiting for work, too?"
K glanced over, unbuckling his seatbelt as he replied, "Yeah. These guys have to take jobs like this just to get some cash."
"For cash?"
"These guys don't qualify for credit cards. Cash is all they can earn."
"According to the reports, every victim—every 'Hopeless'—suddenly came into a large sum of cash before they died. This definitely has something to do with Tamaru."

Jin thought for a moment, then countered, "Tell me, why did you choose to become an agent?"
"Ugh, why the sudden question?"
"Why do this dangerous work? To save the world?"
K laughed silently and waved a hand. "If that were the case, the pay would be far too low."
"Then it must be out of some conviction," Jin surmised.
"Of course."

A truck soon rounded the corner and pulled up beside the road where the young people were standing. Seeing this, K’s eyes lit up. He hurriedly pushed the door open.
"Here it is! Quick, follow them!"
Jin also scrambled to open his door, but before he could follow, the mysterious woman in white appeared beside him. Her eyes were fixed on Jin with a look of concern, and she urged:
"Jin, be careful."

Her eyes were filled with an undisguisable, deep-seated worry, and her tone of concern sounded like that of a lover. However, Jin didn't have much time to dwell on this. He simply nodded, quickly shut the door, and hurried after the others.

The truck's cargo bay had been opened, and the people climbed inside. Once everyone was in, a man in a suit pulled the bay doors shut. Immediately, the truck began to drive toward an unknown destination.

The overhead lamp swayed continuously as the truck moved. The people in the back sat wherever they could, but it was quiet; no one spoke.
K looked slightly anxious. "They didn't tell us where we're going."
Jin nodded, saying nothing, just waiting quietly.

No matter how long a journey is, there is always an end. He was already here, so he just needed to wait patiently for the final destination to reveal itself.

The swaying of the truck stopped. Soon, the man in the suit opened the cargo door and waved at them, signaling for them to get out and follow. There were no streetlights nearby, leaving the area quite dark, but it appeared to be some sort of factory. Jin looked around briefly, then joined K at the back of the line.

Footsteps echoed through the dim corridor, followed by a flight of stairs. Before long, an area located underground appeared before them. In a corner of the space, near the stairwell, was a small office area where Tamaru was sitting.

Seeing Jin, he looked quite delighted. He tossed aside his pen, walked over, and said, "Oh, welcome, welcome! The young man has arrived!"
He looked at Jin and K, smiling. "Indeed, adults always need work!"
He hopped on the spot, as if out of habit, his smile overflowing. "Want to make some money, right!?"
K leaned against the counter and chimed in, "Of course we do!"
"Good!"
Tamaru stepped forward, pressed his hands on the counter, and looked at K. "I like your straightforwardness!"
"It’s paid out daily, right?" K looked around. "Quick, tell us about the job!"
"Ha! Of course!" Tamaru nodded. "Work is unavoidable!"
"There are two types of jobs today. You can choose whichever one you like."
K asked, "What kind of jobs are they?"
Tamaru wagged his finger. "One has low pay but no risk—it’s manual labor! The other has high pay and is quite fun, but it comes with risks—it’s mental labor!"
Tamaru took a sip from a teacup nearby and added, "As you know, in this day and age, the pay for mental labor is much higher than for manual labor!"
"Which one will you choose?"
"What kind of risks are involved in the mental labor?" Jin asked, looking at Tamaru.
"It’s no big risk, really~" Tamaru set down his cup and waved his hand dismissively. "I can't explain it clearly here. How about this? I’ll take you to see them first, and then you can decide, okay?"

Inside the factory, which was running through the night, people in protective suits walked by from time to time. It looked like work related to the pharmaceutical industry. Jin watched one of the workers walk away.
Tamaru, walking ahead, introduced the facility: "We’re still expanding here! Everything is still in development!"
Passing through a corridor, Tamaru stopped and gazed at the work area not far away. "This is it!"
Jin and K both stopped and looked up.

"That is..."
It was a massive mechanical construct, with three openings emitting a yellow glow. In the passageway, workers in yellow and white protective suits were busy and tense. Their task seemed to be merely maintaining the operation of this machine—nothing more than manual labor.
Tamaru introduced it: "The first job is to help build this!"
Jin turned to Tamaru and asked, "What is this device?"
The smile on Tamaru’s face faltered. He looked at Jin strangely. "Why do you want to know?"
K turned his head as well, while Jin replied, "If we don't even know what we’re building, we can't work."
Tamaru’s mouth twitched, and he looked at him with an odd expression.
"Oh, really?"
"That’s the first time I’ve heard such an argument. Why do you need to know what you’re making? You need cash, and I need your labor. Fundamentally, it’s just a process of exchanging your labor for cash. Why do you need to know the purpose of the work?"
Jin said, "Even under Japanese labor law, we have a right to know."
Tamaru shook his head. "You’re just stray dogs of society, aren't you? You can't even get a credit card, and you’re talking to me about the right to know?"
He chuckled and continued, "In fact, I’m the one providing you with this job, aren't I? If it weren't for me, poor things like you wouldn't even be able to eat. You'd just be sleeping and starving in that little park day and night."
"But..."
Tamaru waved him off. "How about this? Look at them. They never ask what they’re building; they just focus on finishing their work so they can get paid. Isn't that nice?"
As he spoke, he waved at a worker and called him over to ask him a question on the spot.
"What’s your name?"
"Ryosuke. Ryosuke Okuda." The man in the protective suit couldn't be seen clearly, but in front of Tamaru, he couldn't help but hunch his back, appearing very humble.
"Do you know what this is for?" Tamaru asked, digging at his nose nonchalantly.
"Eh? I actually don't," Ryosuke Okuda replied.
Jin couldn't help but ask, "If you don't know what you're making, how can you dare to work here?"
Ryosuke Okuda looked at Jin strangely. "What’s wrong with that? I’m just finishing my work to get my pay. As for what it is, what obligation do I have to know?"
"Even if it’s something that harms people?" K interjected.
"What does that have to do with me? The government ignores us. Mr. Tamaru provided us with this job, and that’s enough. We can't even eat our fill, and we don't have a place to sleep, yet you ask us to worry about other people? What kind of logic is that?"
Ryosuke Okuda speculated, "You guys must be from some wealthy family, right? Just a little short on cash, so you’re looking for work, which is why you’re clinging to these ideas. Once you’re like us—hungry, cold, homeless, and with empty pockets—you’ll understand!"
Tamaru flicked away his nasal mucus and waved for Ryosuke Okuda to leave, then looked at Jin and K with an amused expression.
"So, you two, do you still want to go see the second type of job?"