Chapter 5: Slap ’Em with a Wad of Bills

Chapter 5:
Slap ’Em with a Wad of Bills

 

“LET’S SEE. There’s the head tax, delinquency on the Second Division’s residential tax, interest on said residential tax, the damages caused by her parents, and the fees for her right to travel freely. That adds up to…precisely 500,000 Ener.”

“You cannot be serious.”

The man behind the counter met my outburst with stone cold indifference. He was the very picture of a boring public servant with his neat, well-fitted suit and side-parted hair. And he was not budging on the outrageous sum he’d just demanded. Five hundred thousand Ener. In Japan that’d be…50,000,000 yen. How the heck did some back taxes add up to that?!

We’d come here, to Tarmein Prime’s Resident Administration Bureau Third Division branch, to make formal preparations for Mimi to join my crew. But as soon as they confirmed her identity they’d started demanding shiploads of money for all her taxes and fees. I had no idea what was going on with any of this.

Elma bailed on the whole ordeal with some quip about how she hated government offices. Meanwhile, Mimi and I got summoned to this drab little room. As soon as the official announced the sum, Mimi went pale and shook like a leaf.

“I am entirely serious,” the official said. “This is actually less than the true total because I truncated the decimals. Would you like to see the breakdown?”

“Sure, let’s take a look,” I said.

And I did take a look. I took a good hard look, and the numbers stayed the same. But how would I know what a reasonable fee was around here? What even were “fees for her right to travel freely?” Why did that cost 200,000 Ener alone? It sounded like a big number they’d just tacked on to jack up the total.

“Don’t you think it’s kind of awful to put the burden of unpaid debt on a child whose parents just died?” I said. “You don’t have any way of canceling out inherited debt or a voluntary bankruptcy system or whatever?”

“It’s not that we don’t,” the official said, “but the inheritor of the debt must file an appeal within three months of being notified of the liability. That grace period has already passed. The only safety net or exemption would be her staying in the Third Division. If she does that, she won’t have to pay back the debt.”

Some safety net. This guy wasn’t budging an inch, and he really expected “stay in the Third Division” to be some sort of consolation? Sure, she wouldn’t have to pay if she stayed here, but it was basically a declaration that this place had given up on her.

Besides, anyone could see what would happen to a little girl with no job or skills if she had to make her way alone in the Third Division. That wasn’t a safety net. They were throwing her away, treating her like garbage. Out of sight, out of mind. What was wrong with this place?

“I hear mercenary work pays well,” the man continued, “but surely 500,000 Ener is too much for you to pay. Any more discussion is a waste of both my time and yours. I would not know myself, but I assume there are plenty of places in the Third Division for you to satisfy yourself. Why not do that, instead of trying to frolic beyond your means?” He grinned sadistically, like this was all just so amusing to him.

Oh? Is that how we’re gonna do this? Despite the man’s insinuations, I wasn’t trying to drag Mimi off for whatever dirty crap he had in mind. But if he wanted to play it this way and look down on me, fine, I was willing to play his sick game just to call his bluff.

“Okay, let’s do it. Five hundred thousand, yeah? I can pay off that pocket change right now, if you want.”

“Excuse me?” The official blinked rapidly, taken aback by my suggestion.

Nice. That’s exactly the reaction I was hoping for.

“What?” I said. “I know you’re a piece of shit at heart, but is your hearing also rotten? Listen carefully: I’m going to pay off all 500,000 Ener right here, right now. Get the paperwork ready.”

“This is hardly the time for jokes,” the official said.

“I’m not joking,” I said. “Chop chop. Get to it. I asked you for that paperwork.” I pulled my handheld terminal from my pocket to display just how willing I was to pay the ransom.

I gotta say, despite his crappy personality, the official worked fast once he finally got going. He put together all the paperwork in a hurry, even while obviously reluctant to do it.

Once the transfer of 500,000 Ener from my bank account to Tarmein Prime was confirmed, the man issued a certificate of release from debt, along with a certificate of her right to travel freely. That last bit cost a pretty penny. A “right to travel freely” came at such a steep cost because it basically exempted the bearer from paying taxes as long as they didn’t settle down somewhere. It made up a full 40 percent of that 500,000 Ener, but it was like paying all your taxes in advance.

Explanations and documents and payments finally complete, we got the heck out of that dreary office. The moment we stepped outside, my terminal pinged to alert me to a message from Elma. Directions to a clothing store. Looks like that’s how she’d spent her time while we were stuck with Side-part back there.

“Are you okay?” I asked Mimi as we walked.

“Y-yes, I’m fine.” She still looked kind of shocked from the whole ordeal, but in fairness she’d been through a lot: being attacked by thugs, being saved by me, having to reveal her painful life story at the café, and learning of her debt at the government office. It was probably best not to push her. I didn’t know how old Mimi was, but anyone would be wound pretty tight after that kind of stress. I really wished I could just take her to the ship and let her rest, but if she didn’t get some new clothing now she’d have nothing to wear tomorrow. Her current clothing was dirty and torn from the attack; unfortunately, we couldn’t really delay on getting her something new.

“How’d it go?” Elma asked when we met up with her at the clothing store.

“I smacked him with a wad of bills—uh, Ener,” I said.

“Nice, nice. That’s how mercs do it! By the way, I went and picked an outfit I thought Mimi could wear.” She shoved a bag of clothes and a bill at me. Thankfully, this particular bill was a lot more reasonable than the one I’d just paid.

“I grabbed a bunch of everyday clothes, underwear, and other stuff she’ll need,” Elma said. “It won’t even be close to enough, so make sure you take her shopping again some time.”

“Thanks. That’s a huge help.”

“You ought to be grateful,” Elma huffed.

“Hey, I paid you a fair price. And you got to waste some time, right? Better than being in that government office, trust me.”

“It totally wasn’t worth the effort,” Elma said. “Ugh, whatever. Sure, it wasted some time. Can I go now? I wanna return to my ship.”

“We’re going back, too. Mimi’s gotta get some rest.”

“That’s a good idea. Mimi, make sure you don’t get on his bad side. Also, keep an eye on him. He has a tendency to stick his nose where it doesn’t belong. Before you know it, bam, he’s dead.”

“Y-yes, ma’am.” Mimi stood up straight and answered respectfully, as though Elma were a nice, reliable older sister or something.

“That goes for you, too, bub,” Elma said. “Keep her safe. That means no more ridiculous stunts like today. If you do something stupid and get yourself killed, she’s all alone again.”

“Yeah, I know,” I said. “You’re more caring than you let on, Elma.”

“That’s the wisdom of age. You might’ve forgotten, but I’m way older than you, little guy.”

“Oh, yeah. You did say that.”

She looked so young that it was hard to believe, but she’d said she was like twice my age. She certainly had the abundant energy of youth. No matter how hard it was to swallow, though, I just had to accept it. Energetic or not, Elma was old.

 

***

 

When we returned to the ship, I showed Mimi her room. I took the private room but gave Mimi one of the two-person rooms, identical and facing each other across a hallway. Since they were basically the same, I didn’t care which one she chose.

“I like this room,” Mimi decided. “Um… Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Of course,” I said. “Once you put your stuff down, feel free to take a shower. After that, we can use the medical pod for a quick check of your vitals.”

“Wow, you have a medical pod?” Mimi said. “Th-this ship is incredible. It’s like a house from the First Division.”

“That so?” I’d never actually seen the First Division, of course, so I had to take her word for it.

After sorting out rooms, I gave Mimi the complete tour: laundry room, kitchen, infirmary, training room, cockpit, and cargo hold. The whole dang ship.

“Try to avoid being in the cockpit except when I give you permission,” I said.

“Yes, sir.”

“Also… Oh, right. I’d better get you a terminal.” She’d need a handheld terminal like mine so she could contact me and organize information. Hm, might not be a bad idea to get us matching tablets, too.

“Um, I don’t need anything that expensive…” she protested.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “It’s a necessary expense.” I resolved to get her a tablet tomorrow. She’d need it when she left the ship. It wasn’t like she was just going to stay on board 24/7. Plus, Elma said Mimi would need more clothing, so we’d be going out shopping again soon.

“You must be tired,” I said. “Take a nice shower, get yourself clean, and rest. We can talk about the vitals check and your job after.”

“Okay, sorry.”

“Don’t apologize; make that a thank you instead. Now, do you know how to use the shower?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine. Thank you.”

“Sounds good. I’ll be in the cockpit or my room, so if you need anything just let me know. Speak up when you’re hungry. We’re going to be living together, so don’t be shy.”

“Yes, sir.” Mimi nodded meekly. Good. There’d be no sense in her starving herself for the sake of modesty. Hopefully she really would speak up.

I left her to her shower and headed for the cockpit. She didn’t need me fussing over her. I still hadn’t asked her age, but surely she was old enough to manage some simple personal grooming on her own. How old was she, anyway? From her story, it sounded like she might still be school-age. My best guess placed her somewhere in her late teens. She was pretty short, but her curves definitely weren’t those of a child. Hmm, I’d have to ask later.

Having nothing better to do, I researched maps of the Third Division for the next day. I’d need to be able to navigate this place if I was going to find her some clothes and everyday necessities. While we’re at it, should we buy medicine and stuff? Yeah, definitely. She still needs that terminal, too. We’ll have to hit a lot of shops to cover everything.

I looked up some shops in the Third Division, and boy, were the reviews ever something. They scammed me into buying fakes! The medicine was expired! I opened the box and there was nothing in it but trash! Yikes. Okay, excluding those…not a whole lot left. It didn’t look like we’d have very good luck with the stores in the Third Division. Elma must have really known her stuff. The grocery and clothing stores she’d taken us to were some of the only good places to shop in the whole division.

I was still researching when Mimi poked her head in the open door of the cockpit. The shower had certainly helped. She looked cute after washing up, but she had to be cold in that skimpy clothing with the air conditioning going full blast.

“Are you hungry?” I asked.

Mimi blushed a little and nodded.

“All right. How about some grub? Good job letting me know; keep it up.”

“Yes, sir.”

I could sympathize with how uncomfortable it was to ask for food, but it was important that she kept doing it. She followed me to the kitchen, bashful the whole way. I called it a kitchen, but it didn’t have any real cooking implements. The automatic cooker did most of the work, so maybe it was more accurate to call it a cafeteria.

“Eat anything you like, as much as you like,” I said. “Oh, hey, I did buy some artificial meat. I think I’ll try it out. Wanna give it a go, Mimi?”

“I’ll try it, sure,” she said.

I used the menu on the automatic cooker to pull up all the foods with artificial meat. I chose a large serving, while Mimi picked a more normal size. In just a few moments, the cooker dinged to announce our meals were ready.

“So this is artificial meat,” I mused. “It’s white, but dang, it tastes great.”

“Yes, it does.”

The meat on the plate was nearly the color of whitefish and covered in some sort of sauce. Pilaf and potato salad were on the side. And boy, the machine wasn’t kidding when it said “large.” My serving was enormous.

“Mmm. Not bad at all,” I said.

“It’s delicious,” Mimi agreed.

I could almost believe I was eating a meal from back home. The artificial meat was chewy but not greasy, and the sauce only made it more delicious. The fat from the meat flavored the pilaf so it complemented the meal perfectly. And I could have sworn the potato salad was real, honest-to-god potato salad.

“You don’t have to force yourself to eat it,” I said when I noticed Mimi dithering over her portion.

“I’m okay…” Mimi said.

Mimi picked at the normal helping, apparently still trying to clear her plate, but it looked like a bit too much for her. I’d have to suggest a small serving next time, perhaps.

We tossed our plates in the dishwasher when we were done, but then Mimi just stood there looking up at me. I raised an eyebrow.

“Wh-what do we do next?” she asked nervously.

“Next? Hmm, well, it isn’t good to sleep on a full stomach. Maybe we could go work out in the training room for a bit?”

I’d become well acquainted with the Krishna’s training room from all my time holed up on the ship after arriving here. I used it nearly every day to keep in shape. The whole thing was state of the art, with all the equipment you could ever need to stay in shape on a long space journey.

As much as that all sounded tempting to me right now, Mimi looked dubious.

“You can go ahead and rest, Mimi. You must be tired,” I said. After all, she’d been through a lot in a single day. If I was feeling sleepy, she was probably completely exhausted.

“No… Um, okay. I’ll rest.”

I was relieved she’d changed her mind. She looked like she was nodding off even as we said good night, and I headed to the training room.

I kept my training regime moderate. I wasn’t trying to be a bodybuilder or anything. The whole ship worked in tandem to design my workout plan, from the automatic cookers to the terminals. All that data got grouped up, organized, and calculated to produce the optimal regimen for my body. It wasn’t an easy workout, but at least I knew I was in good hands and had a tangible goal for my training.

I went right from the gym to the showers. It wasn’t much different from how I’d lived before Mimi came on board, but having her here made me extra aware of my hygiene. If she thought I was a slob, I’d die inside.

I took a little more care than usual with my shower that night before heading for bed. The one downside to the whole arrangement was that I couldn’t keep wandering around in my underwear, even for a quick trip from the shower to my room. I threw my jacket and pants back on and hurried to bed. The moment I hit the mattress, a huge yawn seized me. What a day. All I’d planned to do was go grocery shopping, but the moment I’d met Elma everything had gone off the rails. That little space elf invited trouble, I could feel it. Maybe I should steer clear of that one.

Despite all the craziness, though, I had to admit that I felt great. I was living a way healthier lifestyle here than I had back home: frequent, balanced meals, optimized exercise, sufficient sleep. It didn’t get much healthier than that.

While I pondered all this, Mimi peeked around my open door. For some reason, she was blushing and nervous.

Ah, whoops. I was so used to leaving doors open because I lived alone. And I was in my freaking underwear! “What’s wrong? Also, I’m half-naked. Gimme just a sec to get dressed.”

“…”

She paused only a moment before stepping right in while I was still pulling my pants on.

“Whoa, what?!” Why had she barged in when I told her to wait? And what was with that negligee? It was totally see-through. I couldn’t avoid getting a look at her whole body.

“Stop, stop, hold on! Why?!” I covered my eyes immediately, though I have to confess I gave in after a second and peeked between my fingers. I couldn’t help it.

“I’m here to do my job,” Mimi whispered as she approached. She had nothing on but that sheer negligee. Even her feet were bare.

“No, wait, seriously. We should get to know each other better first, right?” I said.

“This is all that I can do. I don’t mind doing it with you, Hiro.”

She said my name for the first time! No, wait. That’s not what I should be focusing on. Aaargh, no! Miss, please, no! Aaah, we can’t do this, we mustn’t!

As I panicked, Mimi sat next to me on my bed and hugged me. Something soft pressed against me. For someone so small, her chest was not only huge, but dangerous. I’ve been bombarded! Heeelp!

“I took my medicine, so I’m fine,” she said.

“Medicine? What medicine?!”

“Elma got me this birth control, and, um…stuff that makes the first time hurt less. She gave me this negligee, too.”

Damn that elf! What has she done?! Or am I supposed to say thank you?!

“U-Um… Do you not want me? Would you prefer someone prettier like Elma?”

“That’s not it at all, I swear. You’re not the problem.”

“But this is all I can do to pay you back. And I…I’m so scared. Please?”

Scared? Scared of what? I didn’t understand this situation at all.

Mimi continued, “I don’t have any other skills to offer, so I’m doing this to protect myself. If I do this, you won’t…abandon me.” Her voice tapered off. Oh God. She was actually thinking I would change my mind and kick her out if she wasn’t “useful.” That’s why she was doing this. The implications there cut deep. Did she think I was that much of a piece of garbage?

“I don’t think you would do something like that, Hiro, but…can you reassure me?” she said.

“Oh? That’s it?”

It wasn’t that she doubted my character. She just wanted to be reassured. But still! I was continuing to panic when my handheld terminal dinged beside me, flashing an eerie message. Take responsibility and give her what she wants.

Only one person ever sent my terminal messages. This whole thing had been arranged by that poor little space elf.

“Please, don’t abandon me,” Mimi said. She sounded on the verge of tears. Elma must have really convinced her that I’d kick her out if she didn’t do this. Next time, I’d put that elf in a darn armlock, I swore.

“Okay,” I said. Mimi gasped. “Uh, what am I supposed to say at this point? This is really strange. I’m at a total loss, to be honest.” All I could think to do in that moment was return Mimi’s hug and pat her on the back.

Finally, I said, “I’ll be as gentle as I can.”

She nodded and relaxed in my arms.

***

 

What am I supposed to do?

That mantra played over and over in my head for the past half a year. After the accident, after Mom and Dad died, I faced a world of constant worry. Crushed under an impossibly large debt and with my nest egg steadily evaporating, I had to drop out of school and live the stingiest life I could, but bankruptcy still barreled toward me. I was running out of time.

It all came to a head three days ago, when I lost my home and my right to live in the Second Division. They forced me into the Third Division, which everyone knew wasn’t the nicest neighborhood. Only people who couldn’t pay their taxes lived there. Violence and vice ruled in the Third Division, the colony’s trash heap. Oh, how low I’d fallen.

I wasn’t stupid. I knew what happened to women who ended up in the Third Division. They got kidnapped, treated like playthings, then drugged and sold until they couldn’t attract customers anymore. When men were done using them, they got tossed aside in some back alley to die. Every once in a while a mercenary or merchant would buy a girl’s freedom, but that was very lucky and very rare. It was way more likely you’d just wither away in an alleyway, suffering from drug withdrawal, all alone. The bodies got cremated right alongside the garbage.

The prospect was too terrifying to face. I ran. I hid. But with no Ener for food or water, and my terminal confiscated by the colony, I didn’t have many options open to me.

“Stay still, dammit.”

“Heh heh, finally got you.”

I was exhausted when that group of men kidnapped me, too tired to even flinch away from the disgusting smirks on their faces.

“She’s a little dirty, but hey, I don’t mind.”

“Let’s get to it already! I can’t wait any longer.”

My feeble resistance didn’t even slow them down as they dragged me into a dark alleyway and violently tore away my clothing.

“Give it up, girl!”

“Quit struggling! Do I gotta hurt you to make you understand?”

I resisted, one last surge of desperate strength.

“I oughta clock you a good one.” The man lifted his fist. The moment he brought it down, I’d be done for. But just before he did, a burst of red light flashed bright in the alleyway.

“Eeeeek?!” Each time the light dyed the darkness red, another thug screamed.

“Get the hell away! The next one will do more than just burn!” The assertive voice stopped the thugs in their tracks. The one holding me hastily let go, fleeing with the rest of them.

I slumped against a wall. Although still dazed from my ordeal, I tried to find the source of the voice. Another man stood in the alley now, dressed in sturdy, unfamiliar clothing. He had to be a mercenary. He even had a gun, though he looked pretty nervous about actually using it. He had black hair and gentle eyes. I placed him in his early or mid twenties, perhaps. He shot a look my way before pointing his laser gun in the direction the thugs had fled.

“Fix your clothes while I keep guard,” he said. “We’re leaving.”

Was I really safe? I hastened to straighten out my clothing, barely believing my rescue was actually real.

“Welcome back.” When we left the alley, an elf woman dressed like the man addressed him. She was probably a mercenary, too. What is their relationship? Why was I wondering that? Why did it bother me?

“So, what are you gonna do about her?” the elf said.

“Well, I mean…” The man turned his attention to me. His eyes really did look kind. They helped ward off some of the terror still pulsing through me after the attack.

“Don’t just stare. Answer me,” the elf said. The elf and the man talked like old friends. For some reason, my heart ached at the sight.

“I was thinking of letting this girl onto my ship,” he said. “Maybe she could help out with chores or gather info.” I was shocked by the man’s words. Wait, am I going to his ship? That means doing…that, right? But we’ve only just met. I suppose I would be in worse trouble if he didn’t save me, though. If I stayed in the Third Division, more men like those thugs would eventually find me. Going with this guy seemed way better. At least he was nice.

“Chores? Are you saying she’s your type or something?” The elf woman leaned in toward me. She was beautiful, with smooth, unblemished skin and the longest eyelashes I’d ever seen. It made my heart skip a beat.

“My type…? I mean, yeah, she’s cute.” The man who saved me looked to me again, but I quickly turned away. His eyes flickered down to my chest. Men often ended up looking there. I admit, my breasts often made my back hurt, but maybe this was one time I could be grateful for them.

“Actually, we shouldn’t just stand around here and chat while she’s in this state. Let’s find a place to sit and calm down.” Wow, he really was being kind. Suddenly, I felt embarrassed about the state he’d found me in, dirty and haggard like this. I hadn’t managed to bathe in days.

“Fine, but you’re paying,” the elf said.

“Aye-aye, ma’am,” he said. “Hey, let’s go. We won’t hurt you. If it hurts to walk, you can grab on to me.” I obeyed his instructions and gently pinched his clothes. That was as close as I was willing to get. Any closer and he might get a whiff and I’d die from the shame.

At the café the elf told the man bluntly what me being on his ship implied. He blushed furiously. Was he actually a little stupid? Did he not realize what it meant to have a woman aboard? The sight of him all flustered over it was kind of adorable. But wait. If he was so clueless then he really wasn’t trying to abduct me in the alleyway. He’d really saved me out of the goodness of his heart. How did someone so kind survive down here?

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur. I learned his name was Hiro and the elf’s was Elma. He took me to a government office, where he paid an enormous sum to the mean public servant. The massive debt hanging over me nearly made me faint, but Hiro…no, Master Hiro paid it off like it was nothing, all to buy my freedom. I had this overwhelming feeling that my whole life had been leading up to our meeting like this.

Later, Elma gave me a bag full of clothes. It was all thanks to her that I could be Master Hiro’s. I owed him most of all, but she was a close second. Finally, Master Hiro took me back to his ship. It was surprising. I expected a mercenary ship to be more cramped and stuffy, but Master Hiro’s was big and clean, like a First Division home. It might’ve been nicer than my old home.

I took a shower at Master Hiro’s suggestion. After so long without one, it felt incredible to be under the warm water, and I scrubbed my skin clean of all the muck of the Third Division.

Then I checked out the bag of clothing Elma gave me earlier. It contained three pairs of panties, two sheer outfits, and one plainer outfit, as well as a skimpy negligee, bottle of liquid, two pill cases, and a note.

What’s all this about? The note came from Elma and included instructions on how to use the bottle of liquid—perfume, apparently. That’d be helpful. I’d never used the stuff before. On to the pills. Elma said one was birth control and the other a medication to make the first time less painful. I’d heard stories that it could be uncomfortable, so I definitely appreciated that. I even had friends back at school who had to navigate some awkward conversations with their boyfriends after the first time.

I dabbed perfume onto my wrist. It made me feel mature and confident. Suddenly, the sheer outfits appealed to me way more than the plainer ones.

The moment Master Hiro saw me he blushed. Good, he was taking notice of me. I feared that even with all this he might still look at me like a little sister or a daughter, so it was a relief to see him react.

After a delicious meal, Master Hiro headed for the training room and then went to bed. I bided my time, waiting for the right moment before taking the two medicines and putting on the negligee. I wouldn’t dare charge into Master Hiro’s room, but when I approached, his door was open enough that I could peek inside.

He was in his underwear, his body exposed for me to see. Heat washed through me. Was this the work of the medicine?

“What’s wrong?” he said. “Also, I’m half-naked. Gimme just a sec to get dressed.”

When we locked eyes, he blushed and panicked. Spurred on by my instincts, I stepped into Master Hiro’s room. It had taken a long time and a lot of pain for me to get here today, but finally I was safe in Master Hiro’s embrace. I relaxed, content and happy in his arms.