"Wow! This is amazing!"
Tatsumi stood in the middle of the wide paved road. In his sight was a bustling city he had never seen in his life, much larger than his village.
"So this is the Imperial Capital..."
"If I get rich here, the entire village will be saved!"
Full of conviction, Tatsumi quickly headed towards the military barracks. Unbeknownst to him, not far away, a girl was drinking tea and observing the young man.
"Oh, another one coming to register. Fill out this form and give it to me."
Tatsumi frowned at the form and hesitantly asked, "So... I'll have to start as a lowly foot soldier?"
"Well, that's obvious, isn't it?"
The middle-aged man at the counter rested his chin on his hand, glancing at Tatsumi with impatience. The young man angrily slammed the form onto the wooden table, drew the sword from his back, and spoke with an overly confident tone and posture.
"Who has time for that?!!"
"Witness my skill! If I perform well, will you let me become a commanding officer?"
The middle-aged man's face went blank, then quickly turned furious.
"Get out!!"
Tatsumi was kicked out like a ball. He picked himself up and turned around to question him.
"What the heck! Why did you kick me out?"
"Don't be so stupid! Do you think becoming a commanding officer is that easy? The economy is in decline now, so we're only recruiting a limited number of people!"
"Is... is that so?"
"If you understand, then scram, kid!!"
The barracks door slammed shut, leaving the young man frozen there. Tatsumi sighed, feeling that his path to wealth was not going to be easy.
As he was lost in thought about what to do next, a figure appeared behind him.
"Hi there!"
A girl's voice rang out. Tatsumi looked up behind him. It was a girl with blond hair, wearing wide-leg pants and a simple top that exposed her shoulders and waist.
"Having trouble, kid? Need this big sis to help you out?"
Tatsumi gasped because what filled his sight was the ample bosom of the blond-haired woman.
"So... so this is the Capital... it's huge..."
He thought to himself.
"What's wrong, kid?"
"Heh heh heh heh..."
Still craning his neck back, Tatsumi nearly suffered a nosebleed.
"You journeyed all the way up here, wanting to fulfill your dream in the Capital, right?"
"How did you know?"
"I can tell just by looking. I've seen many people like you."
"Anyway... I know a very quick way for you to get a job in the military."
"Really?"
"Wanna know?"
"Yes!"
Tatsumi nodded furiously. The woman smiled brightly.
"Then treat me to a meal!"
The two went looking for a place. The girl intended to go to her usual spot, but today she unexpectedly saw a newly opened store and excitedly dragged Tatsumi inside.
"Owner! Do you have any alcohol?"
The new store was quite empty. There were no employees, only a young man who was both the owner and the server. Asahi.
"This place is a café. But yes, we do have alcohol."
"Then hurry up and bring it over."
Asahi shook his head and smiled. Although he opened a café, given the mindset of this era, alcoholic beverages were still the top choice, so he had stocked up on plenty. Fortunately, this identity came with a considerable amount of starting capital.
"Hahaha, drinking in the morning is truly a wonderful thing!"
"Let's drink together, kid!"
Compared to the blond girl who was eating and drinking freely, Tatsumi was much more reserved. He ordered a bunch of drinks, but only the person in front of him drank; he didn't touch any of it.
Finally, unable to wait any longer, Tatsumi anxiously banged on the table.
"Hurry up and tell me how I can get into the military!"
The girl poured herself another cup, looking straight at him, her face flushed from drinking too much.
"Well, it's simple..."
"You just need connections and money, and everything will be fine."
"Money?"
"This big sis knows a guy in the military. Just give him the money, and everything will be settled."
"I see."
Tatsumi lowered his head to calculate, then pulled out a jangling bag of money from the satchel next to him, placing it on the table.
"Is this enough?"
"Ohh, that's enough, that's enough!"
The girl's eyes lit up, flashing a cunning glint. Meanwhile, Tatsumi was still showing off his achievement like an innocent lamb.
"This is the reward money from killing a monster on the way here."
"Then you must be very strong. You'll become an officer soon."
"Yes!! I'm counting on you, big sis!"
"Alright, I think this meeting will be an important lesson for you, kid."
The girl took the money bag and walked out of the store. Before leaving, she waved at Tatsumi and winked.
"I'm going to sort this out. You just wait here."
"Yes!"
With that same carefree expression, Tatsumi waved goodbye to the girl and sat still.
He waited, waited for a very long time, waited until his backside was numb, but she still hadn't returned. By this time, it was already evening, and the shop was about to close.
Asahi finished serving a customer. He still saw the young man from the morning sitting there. Feeling puzzled, he approached and asked.
"Hey there, is something wrong? I'm about to close."
Tatsumi's face was pale. He mechanically turned his head toward Asahi, his voice trembling.
"Sir... sir shop owner... I'm waiting for someone..."
"Oh, the girl from this morning?"
"Yes... I met her outside, and then I..."
Tatsumi recounted the entire story. When he got to the girl's final words, Asahi chuckled.
"Young man, you've been tricked."
"Huh... Hehhhhhh!!!!"
Tatsumi's mouth dropped open, his pupils rolled back, and his eyes went white. He was tricked? So that last sentence had a double meaning?
"I don't know whether to call you naive or foolish. Giving money to a complete stranger without any guarantee."
Asahi looked at the young man in front of him, whose soul seemed to have left his body, and forced a wry smile.