CH 5

The next morning at school, I was surrounded by my classmates as soon as I arrived at the classroom.

Everyone's eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“Hey Okui, what was that all about yesterday!?”

“What's this about a national project!?”

“Is it true you're a teleporter!?”

“It's super convenient because it means that you’ll never be late!”

-I guess that's true when you put it that way. I usually walk to school and was lost.

On the other hand, I thought I should not use it on a daily basis.

Because, from the point of view of people at the destination, a person suddenly appeared out of nowhere within a space, it would startle them.

Plus, I was afraid that I would become some kind of a good-for-nothing person.

I had chills as I imagined myself becoming unhealthy due to a lack of physical activity.

“Hey, Okui, don't be so presumptuous and tell us!”

“Ah, ah-“

I had never been attracted this much interest in my life, and I was kind of unaccustomed to it.

At the same time, I was angry at my classmate's different attitude toward me.

“I can't go into details, but I'm talking about our ability to help society. We each got a job that suited our abilities, and we're going to start working today.”

“Where do you get to work at, Okui-kun?”

“No, my job is to transport people with abilities to and from their work sites. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications itself is supposed to be my workplace.”

“””Oooooh”””

The classroom was filled with exclamations of admiration.

Behind the crowd, some students whispered to each other.

“What is Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications?”

“Generally speaking, it's where all the bigwigs work, right?"

“Like the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, or the Ministry of Finance?”

“It's got the word "general" on it, so it sounds kind of awesome.”[1]

“How much of a career boost is that Okui guy getting!”

“They all turned around to me and deployed their MR screens in the air.”

“Okui-kun, may I have your contact number---“

“Ah, good morning, Bando.”

At the appearance of the boss monkey, everyone shut their mouths and switched their interest.

All at once, they moved away from me and swarmed to Bando, who entered through the door on the other side.

“Hey, I heard that, Bando! You guys were recruited by the government for the sake of society!”

“I heard Okui will be working at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, but where would Bando work at?”

Bando, who looked grim at first, mended his expression in an instant.

He also brushed his bangs back with his usual big attitude.

“The job of those of us with combat skills is to protect VIPs. Who we are supposed to protect will be announced in due course, but politicians, royalty, and national stars are all important people, aren't they?”

-- No, you refused a psychometric test, so you don't have a job.

“Amazing….”

“As expected, Bando!”

“B-by the way, if you ever get to be an escort for a big celebrity, let me know right away.”

I was disgusted at the sight of my classmates who were all excited by Bando's words.

I could see it clearly when I looked at it objectively.

People who flock to powerful people were very ugly.

“Ah, good morning, Okui-kun. Quite a commotion going on here.”

“Oh, Uchimine.”

From the hallway, Uchimine greeted me.

She was in the next class, so she must have seen me near the entrance as she passed our class.

She put her hand on the door frame and looked into our classroom.

“Bando-kun, he's as popular as usual.”

“Well, I guess you could say that….”

Since childhood, Bando had always been a leader in his class.

When I wondered whether I could use the word "popular" to describe him, she immediately took her eyes off Bando.

“Right. So, Okui-kun, since I'm also working today, will you teleport me to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications with you after school?”

“Mm, alright. The destination is the same anyway.”

When I nodded, Uchimine smiled at me.

“Thank you. Hehe, it's nice to have a friend who's a teleporter.”

“That's a little too pinpoint.”

“Come to think of it, it seems that Okui is the only teleporter in Japan at the moment.”

“I guess it's an ability that not many people seem to have.”

A student noticed our conversation and voiced his envy.

“Woah, that's so nice, Bando and the others. A high school student participating in a national project for society, working at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, and being picked up and dropped off by a teleporter after school. What's with that Super Sentai way of doing things......”

“Hey, hey, don't be jealous.”

Bando snickered with pride.

The expression on his face pissed me off, so I decided to tell the truth, determined to get back at him.

“What? No, I, Bando, am not teleporting you.”

“””Huh?”””

“Okui, you b*****d!”

Everyone's expressions became neutral, and Bando's face tensed.

“Bando has not participated in the project because he was removed from the job of guarding VIPs. Right, Uchimine?”

I wasn't sure if I could get them to trust me alone, so I felt bad and let Uchimine get involved.

“Ah, yes, that's true.”

Uchimine's gaze swung awkwardly between me and Bando.

Maybe she was concerned that what she just said would make Bando's position worse.

But I didn't lie, and it was Bando who was at fault for trying to gain popularity with a lie.

Everyone's uncomfortable gazes focused on Bando.

Bando tried to say something with a sharp tone of voice.

“It's just a matter of time. How can I, the Ice Emperor, be left out of the project?”

“Then let me know when you get the job. I'll send you and Uchimine to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.”

“Don't worry, Bando-kun. I'm sure you'll get a job soon. There are 713 members of the Diet alone, including both lower and upper house members.”

Uchimine gently followed up, but it had the opposite effect on Bando now.

After biting his teeth in frustration, Bando smiled too hard and then gave Uchimine an affectionate smile.

“Don't get me wrong, Uchimine. I'm deliberately refusing to do this. If I jumped in right away, I'd be seen as a cheap person. When I'm in trouble because there are no competent people worthy of being entrusted with the responsibility of escorting a ministerial-level official, I'll come forward with my full potential.”

“I see. Then, when the time comes, let's all go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.”

“Yeah, right. Well, until then, I'll enjoy my last bit of freedom at best.”

Saying this, Bando took his seat with a dignified step.

However, no one tried to crowd around Bando anymore.

Everyone was comparing me and Bando as if they were weighing us against each other.

They were probably thinking about which side they were going to take, me or Bando, but there was no point in worrying about it.

From the beginning, I had no intention of pretending to be the king of the mountain like Bando.

I just didn't feel good about being flattered.

“Well then, Okui, I'll see you after school.”

“Yeah.”

I took my seat, opened the AR screen that only I could see, not the MR screen that everyone around me could see, and started surfing the net.