Chapter 52: The Biggest Problem with the Light Job System Is…
“That’s not it, Gouto. This is… well, you see… yes. It’s actually a test. A recruitment test designed to attract talent from all walks of life. The fact that you got caught up in it’s proof of how capable you are. Why don’t we start by taking pride in that, hmm?”
As expected of the man who stood at the very top of the Kirishiro Group.
One moment he had let out that strange, high-pitched cry, and the next he had already grasped the situation and begun firing off excuses at machine-gun speed. The swiftness of his recovery was honestly impressive.
Even so, at this stage, trying to explain it away like that could only be described as a desperate struggle against the inevitable.
“Father, please calm down and listen to me. Do you really think someone who managed to climb this far wouldn’t know the philosophy behind Light Jobs?”
“Pyuu~ pupyuu~ pyufu~”
Father responded by whistling badly.
Apparently, the dignity of the Chairman of the Kirishiro Group had officially gone out of stock.
Well, this was hardly the first time I’d seen him like this. Whenever he was around family, he occasionally turned into something resembling a harmless old man rather than one of the most influential people in the country.
It wasn’t enough to make me disappointed.
Though it did make me want to sigh.
After ordering for him when it became clear he was no longer functioning as a responsible adult, I waited until the waiter left and spoke before the appetizers arrived.
“Let me ask directly. Does Mother know about this?”
“…………”
“Should I take your silence as confirmation?”
“…I’m sorry. I haven’t told her.”
“I thought as much.”
Just as I’d expected.
This little “hobby” of Father’s had apparently begun without Mother’s knowledge.
That much wasn’t difficult to guess.
If Father had discussed this project with Mother beforehand, it would have been far more systematic by now.
Any problem I could think of, Mother would have thought of as well.
And after thinking it through, she would undoubtedly have built a sustainable framework that benefited everyone involved.
The fact that no such framework existed meant only one thing.
This Light Jobs operation—a charitable endeavor dedicated to helping struggling young people—was Father’s personal project and Father’s personal project alone.
As for why he hadn’t told her…
The answer was obvious.
Because he knew she’d be angry.
Father had always been weak when it came to Mother.
Not to the extent of being completely under her thumb, perhaps.
But whenever they argued, the victor was almost always Mother.
Still.
That wasn’t the issue right now.
Suppressing the urge to tell the middle-aged man nervously studying my expression to please show at least a little more dignity, I began with the most important point.
“First of all, please relax. At this moment, I have no intention of exposing Father’s hobby to Mother. No information will leak from me.”
“G-Gouto!”
“Of course, that’s only at this moment.”
“Urk…”
At this rate, the appetizers would probably arrive soon.
I’d rather settle the important matters before then.
Father’s gaze was probing, silently asking, Then what exactly are you after?
To be honest, I was still considering my options.
Before discovering Father’s involvement, my original plan had been simple.
I would reform the entire structure of Light Jobs and earn compensation for doing so as a legitimate business proposal.
But now?
Several new possibilities had appeared.
One option was to blackmail Father and demand money.
Another was to report everything to Mother and receive a reward from her.
Another was to forget all of this and continue working as a low-ranking member of Light Jobs.
And then there was the final option.
Rather than reforming the system…
I could simply help Father improve it.
“Father, what do you think is the biggest problem with the current Light Job system?”
“The biggest problem… hmm. That’s a difficult question.”
“Well, considering the entire thing is basically a collection of problems, maybe not that difficult.”
“…………”
Why did he deflate every single time I pointed something out?
Honestly, I wished he’d stop looking so crushed just because his son criticized him.
You were never the sort of father whose authority could withstand scrutiny in the first place.
I’m not disappointed.
It’s simply expected.
“Very well. I’ll think seriously about it,” Father said, straightening himself. “The biggest problem, you say?”
“Yes. It’s something anyone would realize immediately after working there. Actually, you don’t even need to work there to figure it out.”
Anyone could see it.
Even a high school student with minimal life experience could identify it if they did their research.
Meiko would understand.
Taketsuru would understand.
Kuwajima would understand.
It was that obvious.
Father emerged from his depressed state, pondered for a few moments, then suddenly snapped his fingers.
“I see! The issue is that… the payment per job is too low to truly help university students?”
“It’s so high that it looks exactly like an illegal black-market job!!!”
“WHAT!?”
This was why wealthy old men couldn’t be trusted.
Surely anyone could understand this.
If someone told you that all you had to do was carry a few boxes and they’d pay you twenty thousand yen, any sane person would immediately assume something illegal was involved.
The ultra-wealthy had completely warped financial instincts.
To people like Father, the difference between twenty thousand yen and two yen was probably becoming increasingly vague.
They simply couldn’t comprehend why a large sum of money might make someone suspicious.
“Listen carefully, Father. Even if your goal is charity, everything starts with attracting the people you’re trying to help. The absurdly high payments are driving away exactly those people while attracting only greedy idiots who care about nothing except money. Unless you fix that, the entire philosophy behind Light Jobs collapses. You’re failing to reach your target audience.”
“B-But, Gouto. Twenty thousand yen is hardly a significant amount. Even if it’s gone, it doesn’t really affect anything…”
“If you said that in front of Mother, she’d punch you.”
Mother monitored money down to the single yen.
Though, considering Father’s attitude toward finances, perhaps she had become that way out of necessity.
I let out a long breath.
The debate inside me was still ongoing.
Should I sell Father out?
Or should I help him?
Still, Father wasn’t an idiot.
The reason his finances were so sloppy here was because this wasn’t business—it was a hobby.
Once the logic was explained, he’d understand quickly enough.
“The entrance,” I said.
“Hmm?”
“The entrance is the only thing that needs to be priced properly.”
Father blinked.
I continued.
“When recruiting people for the first time, prioritize character and offer a wage that’s around market rate, or slightly above it. Gather applicants that way. Then have them do a normal job first. While they’re working, quietly evaluate them. If someone stands out, officially recruit them and start adding Light Job bonuses to their future jobs.”
“Bonuses?”
“Think of them like tips or performance incentives.”
“…………Hmm.”
Now he was listening seriously.
Seeing that, I carefully laid out the entire concept, taking care not to offend the Long-Armed-and-Long-Legged benefactors running the operation.
Offering twenty thousand yen right from the start was absurdly suspicious.
But if the wage matched market standards—or exceeded them by a modest amount—many decent people would be willing to participate, especially if recommended by someone trustworthy like Aoba-senpai.
Once they joined, you could observe them through actual work.
The job itself would become a practical interview.
Those who passed would receive introductions to future opportunities.
Only then would the additional compensation appear.
A reward.
An act of goodwill.
A recognition of effort.
If huge sums were promised from the beginning, people would be suspicious.
But if you later said:
“I liked your work.”
“I’d like you to come back.”
“You’ve earned this.”
Then while the recipient might feel embarrassed or grateful, they wouldn’t reject it outright.
Especially if the people being recruited were genuinely struggling financially.
No one complained about receiving more money than expected.
Adding that single extra step solved nearly every issue.
The hidden objectives of the Light Jobs organizers could still be achieved.
Financially struggling students would receive help.
Workplaces like the facility we’d visited wouldn’t suffer from workers suddenly disappearing.
Everyone benefited.
A perfect three-way win.
Well…
If I absolutely had to point out a flaw…
This method wasn’t actually that different from the recruitment techniques used by shady organizations that trapped people through escalating rewards and incentives.
But this was Light Jobs.
The bright side.
The legal side.
Even if people found themselves unable to leave, they’d merely ascend to heaven clutching piles of money.
So it was probably fine.
Father spent several minutes silently considering my proposal.
By the time the appetizers and soup had arrived, he finally spoke.
“Gouto… while I wasn’t looking, you’ve really grown.”
“I never wanted to discover Father in a place like this, though.”
“Fufu. It seems you’ve changed a little as well. You must have found some very good friends.”
“That… is true.”
Are you listening, Taketsuru?
Kuwajima?
Meiko?
Your existence had just been acknowledged by the head of the Kirishiro Group himself.
Mother had promised employment connections.
Well, I had quietly secured another route for you as well.
That said, Father wasn’t really qualified to comment on how much I’d changed.
I wasn’t exactly living the life of an ordinary college student.
If anything, this was probably his attempt to recover some of the authority he’d lost earlier.
“Hmm. You’re right. We’ve been struggling with talent matching. As a solution, your proposal is surprisingly interesting. I should discuss it with the others. Excuse me for a moment. Of course. We’ll begin without you.”
Father immediately rose from his seat and hurried away.
Choosing urgent communications over dining with his son.
Truly impressive.
People at the top had to move quickly.
That was one lesson I’d learned from watching Father’s back while growing up.
Though honestly, my proposal wasn’t particularly revolutionary.
Anyone with a normal sense of money could have thought of it.
The problem was that nobody around Father had been in a position to tell him.
The Long-Armed-and-Long-Legged benefactors were all somewhat lacking in common sense.
And ordinary people had no means of directly reaching someone at Father’s level.
That, too, was one of the difficulties faced by those at the top.
Now then.
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Soup
Name: Double Consommé Soup
Preparation Time: 10 Hours
Comment: It looks incredibly delicious.
──────
For some reason, I experienced a hallucination that seemed deeply fascinated by the soup.
Ignoring it completely, I reached not for my spoon but for my phone.
One ring.
Two rings.
“Hello, Mother? There’s something I’d like to ask.”
“What is it, Gouto?”
As always, Mother answered before the third ring.
I couldn’t help admiring her remarkable responsiveness.
Then I asked the question.
“Mother… are you familiar with Light Jobs?”
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“Me @ Apparently an Appraisal Skill ★”
Comment: “You said you weren’t going to tell her!?”
──────
The annoying hallucination was shouting something again.
It could go eat the soup information instead.