Chapter 79: Nanahoshi Shizuka's Confusion (Patreon)

To be honest...

Nanahoshi Shizuka had never really given much thought to her own future — not once. Honestly, that was normal enough. For a middle schooler whose mind hadn't fully matured, how many people could really think rationally about what lay ahead?

What's more, Shizuka's family was fairly well-off. She wasn't bad-looking either, and she'd always gotten along fine with people and done well enough in school. All things considered, life had been pretty good — as many would put it, she was the very picture of someone living a charmed life.

Add in the comfort of nearby convenience stores and no shortage of fun little diversions, and she'd grown completely used to a happy, easy daily life. Then, without warning, she found herself thrown into the world of Jobless Reincarnation — a world overflowing with swords and magic, and utterly dangerous.

Naturally, her first impression of it was less than pleasant. And so, with her once-pleasant surroundings replaced by this harsh new reality, Nanahoshi Shizuka found herself desperate to return to her own world.

After being teleported here, she happened to run into Dragon God Orsted, who had come to investigate the Teleport Incident. She ended up tagging along behind him, and through the teleportation knowledge he kept sharing with her, she worked hard to find a way back. That effort had already gone on for more than two years.

Until, at last, Dragon God Orsted crossed paths with Rudeus — and in the Red Dragon Mountain Range, the two of them fought a battle so fierce it seemed to turn heaven and earth upside down!!!

Listening to Rudeus talk a little about his tedious life as a corporate drone, Shizuka found herself, for the first time, trying to guess at her own future. No matter how she reasoned it out, the outcome never seemed especially good. But at the very least, compared to this world of Jobless Reincarnation, brimming with danger — it was still leagues better!!!

At least there, her parents could look after her. At least there, she wouldn't constantly have to worry about someone trying to kill her. At least there, everything was already familiar to her, and there was no shortage of things to entertain herself with.

The more she thought about it, the more curious she grew about Rudeus's life as an adult. After all, strictly speaking, the Rudeus in front of her was basically old enough to be her father's peer. What was the adult world really like, anyway?

Looking at the rather reliable-seeming Senior Rudeus before her, Shizuka couldn't help calling out, "Senior Rudeus."

"Hm?" Rudeus turned, smiling. "What's up?"

Shizuka asked curiously, "You mentioned before that you're from the Republic of Xiya, west of Japan. How did you find it there? Is being a corporate drone really as awful as they say?"

Rudeus laughed. "Yeah, every day you just grind through the same boring stuff, over and over. On top of that, housing's expensive, and even finding a wife is a hassle."

"Oh right, what year did you come from? I'm from 2023."

"2023?" Shizuka said, startled. "But then why am I from 2012?"

Rudeus shook his head, smiling. "No idea. But if you do go back, things won't be easy in Japan either. Ever since 2019, the global economy's taken a nosedive. A lot of middle-class families back there have had to take on some not-so-respectable work just to get by."

"I don't know if you'll really end up back in 2012 or not. But if you do... after you get through your happy school years, step out into society, and marry someone decent enough — by 2019, your family will probably take a serious economic hit. Whether your whole family can still manage to live well after that, I honestly couldn't say."

"With the economy crashing hard, work will naturally get much harder to come by. Even if you and your husband's feelings for each other stay strong... you should understand that a person can only bottle up their frustration for so long before it explodes. Someone as strong-willed as you — let me put it this way. What do you think would happen to the whole family? If you couldn't earn any money... what would you do, for your child's sake, for the family's sake?"

Hearing that... Shizuka flinched. She asked cautiously, "That work you mentioned — the not-so-respectable kind?"

Rudeus smiled. "What do you think is the fastest way for a woman to make money?"

Shizuka's face went ghostly pale in an instant. Would things really get that hard for her, in the future?

Just then... Eris, curious, chimed in. "Rudeus, what is the fastest way for a woman to make money?"

Rudeus laughed. "Well, Grandfather Sauros bought plenty of beastfolk girls, didn't he? It's roughly the same kind of thing... If it weren't necessary, who would want to sell their own dignity just to get by?"

Eris nodded, understanding. Shizuka asked again, "What if I go back to 2023 instead?"

Rudeus smiled. "Your parents would be older, and their ability to earn would've gotten worse. You're stubborn and proud by nature, but I'd guess your ability to spend money isn't weak either. So my best guess is you'd have no choice but to grit your teeth and go earn money yourself. And at that point, you won't have many skills, and you won't have much of an education to open doors for you. So — what do you think would be the thing you're best suited for, and the most profitable, at that?"

"I..." Shizuka slowly lowered her head.

Rudeus went on, still smiling. "Also, doing that kind of work makes it pretty easy to catch an STD. Starting in 2021, they've already become rampant back where you're from."

For a moment, Shizuka couldn't help but hug her own legs tight. Her whole body trembled violently, uncontrollably.

Rudeus smiled. "Of course, you did say your family's fairly well-off. So it's possible you wouldn't have to go that far."

Shizuka nodded, saying nothing. Her mind was in complete chaos — utter, total chaos!!!

She knew Rudeus was only talking about a possibility. But who could really say these things wouldn't actually happen to her?

Was this really... the twenty-first-century Blue Star she'd been longing to return to this whole time!!??