The next morning, Airi was standing at the bus stand, where buses for different routes were stopping and starting in front of her. "So today, finally Imma edit settings and decors of my life game, yosh!" The weather was nice and the sky was clear, and bright, just as Airi's mood was. "Such a perfect day to do things. Lotsa work to do."
"Then would you kindly tell me why I am dragged here where all you are going to talk about some stupid games or what not?" Ryo was sitting on the metal bench of the bus stop, pouting like a small kid.
"Cuz you're the 'nyan-san' in this afterlife, and you've already said you're like a guide," Airi whispered in a low voice, which only Ryo could hear.
"And is your 'nyan-san' supposed to help in your decors?" He sounded more and more irritated by the passing time.
"The settings, of course they are. Otherwise, how'd I understand the gameplay and all? And tell me one thing, why the heck are ya' still sulkin'? Ain't the punishment ya' givin' me enough, now that you're makin' me blabber with ya? People must be thinkin' me as some drunkard or some kinda weird peep, talkin' to myself." Airi was trying her best to keep her voice as low as possible, but somehow people waiting on that bus stop for their busses were noticing her, all by herself yet talking as if she were with someone.
"Deal with it. You ruined my perfectly fine sleep on this beautiful rainy morning…"
"Rain?! Dude, you got your balls busted or what?" she suddenly shouted out loud, forgetting the fact for a while that she was outside amidst a lot of people. And they were oddly and suspiciously eyeing at a weird high schooler, with a black hood on, and behaving weirdly for a while now.
"You are properly acting like the weirdest one now. And thanks to your father's hoodie, you are right now the shadiest person on the planet earth." Ryo cracked up internally seeing the expression of people towards her. But he kept the irritated look plastered on his face as it was. "And what do you mean by balls busted, huh? Could you act like a lady for once? Such indecent words, tsk, " he snorted at her, though a small part of him was having fun seeing her flustered like this.
"What, what? I just meant your eyeballs, goddamnit! People are dirty, and you are the boss, humph!"
Airi became extra watchful of her words after that, and lowered her voice to almost an inaudible whisper. "And where didya' find rain on this bright day, huh?"
"Weather works the opposite in Annwn, " he yawned in between his words. "When it rains here, it stays bright in the Annwn. So now that you are feeling oddly energetic on this bright day, my lovely sleep got ruined thanks to you."
"I'm actually amazed you guys even need sleep, almost feels like a human, " Airi muttered, while looking at the sky.
"It's not that we need, we just like to have them. There is this one angel who loves to sleep more than humans do I suppose. She is Iris, such a mad one I tell you." Ryo smiled a little thinking how sulky she gets when she gets interrupted in her sleep. He turned his gaze at Airi, only to find a weird grin on her face. "And what are you smirking for huh?"
"I see, Iris huh… You guys have a nice time up there…" Airi's smirk intensified, almost to a mischievously devilish one. And seeing that one irked him a lot.
"Wipe that weird grin off of your face, okay. Iris is just a senior I respect, that's all. We don't have time for some stupidity like you humans." Ryo roared.
"Didn't say anything… It's good… Having a nice mate… Sugoi na~" she found it hard to control her laugh, even if she was trying desperately to press her lips to suppress them.
"Okay, shut up with your double-meanings. Now tell me, what was the summon for? All you have told me until now is just some weird game terms and all. So, care to talk human, I suppose?"
"Yah. Thing is, I want a part-time now."
"And?" Ryo repositioned himself comfortably on the bench, closing his eyes.
"And I can't handle interactions, like at all." Airi nimbly added.
"So what? Do I do the jobs on your behalf? Is that what you plan to do with me?" Ryo twitched his eyebrows in response to her.
"Ie ie, muri desu. I wanna say is , look, fine that I don't hate talkin' and stuff, but still, I've kept myself between walls for like 10 years. I feel awkward even lookin' at peeps, let alone interactin' with'em. So, help me findin'..."
"I don't want to, " he cut her off in between, refusing her.
"Nande! Dosh'te? You said you'd help me, ne?" Airi sounded like she was almost about to cry, although that wasn't really the case. "I needta earn bucks, ya know?"
"And what for, to be exact? Why search for a part-time job? Not that you are staying here forever."
"Yeah that's true though, " she nodded in agreement. "But ano ne, I miss playin' games. I hadn't seen the face of a PC for like eternity! I want my OSTs! Maybe I'll hit to a cyber cafe. And the most important thing is, I need decent clothes, I can't wear these weirdies I got at home."
Ryo nodded understandingly, "So what can I do here?"
"Help me findin' a job for me. I ain't sayin' to do it on your own, and I neither wanna search alone. And as I do have a friend now, why not have their company?" she gave a toothy smile, by which Ryo shrunk back a few inches apart from her. "You know. I hate you."
"I hate ya' too. Now, tas'kete tenshi-sama!" Airi clasped her hands together in a pleading manner, while trying her best to show a pleading puppy-face, and Ryo gave in. "Fine, let's get going. But you really think that the black hoodie you have on you right now is going to pass you any interviews? You look like a mediocre smuggler."
"Well, smuggling sounds hella dope actually, now that I think about it. I don't even needta' show my face or talk too much. Just my regular swearing gonna kick *ss... Woah..!" Airi was dragged away from her place, while Ryo grabbed her hands to pull her.
After that, they spend a lot of time moving from here to there. There were quite a few signs in need of part-timers, but either those were for cafes, or daycares, flower shops, or convenience stores. Ryo kept describing the advantages and disadvantages of those working places after observing those, like a broker. And like a disinterested buyer, Airi kept declining to every one of them. So despite going through almost the entire area, they couldn't manage to progress even a bit.
------
"Sigh, this feels hard. Why everything is about cafes and shops!" Airi frustratedly stated, while sipping on the can of cola in her hands. "Ah, colas from this age feels retro-ish, it ain't calming my nerves a li'l bit."
"Excuse me, for your kind information, colas are way healthy and good from this age. And as for the cafes, you yourself swoon over maid cafes and butler cafes." Ryo let out a loud sigh, feeling tired by the long stroll.
"But they are such a kawaii, sexy tenshi~, there ain't any way I wouldn't…"
"Those cute angels of yours don't fall from the sky. Someone works to be like that so that people like you visit their places again and again."
Airi felt more and more dejected by the logical argument. "There ain't any way I even could act like a cute or sexy attendant, being all 'Irasshaimase okyakusama' and all. I ain't got that thing, ya know?"
Ryo shrugged his shoulders in response. "Well, that's a tricky question to answer, to be honest."
"Am I that hopelessly pathetic that words came into a strike for y'er brains?" Ryo nodded in agreement to her question, ensuring a loud smack on his arm by her.
"Okay, stop beating me. That's why you aren't suited for a lady-like job. Do you even have any single shred of girliness in you?" Ryo continued to rebuke her when suddenly his eyes fell on an advertisement. "Airi, do you believe in me?"
"Eh?" Airi halted in her ferocious hand movement on Ryo in confusion. "What's with ya all of a sudden?" Ryo rephrased his question seeing the confused look on her. "I mean, will you believe me if I say anything honest about you right now?"
"I ain't hopin' for somethin' good, so beat it. I at least gotta trust on the disappointments I got on myself."
"It is something good. If I say you do have some good points, then?"
For a second, Airi couldn't believe her ears. To think that she really might have something good about her, and he willingly wants to talk about it, she got hyper excited. "Spill it out then."
"So, If I say you do have a knack for trying out giving your voice somewhere, because I believe you have a nice voice, then would you try this?" he pointed to the very advertisement he noticed earlier, and Airi also looked at it after he pointed to it.
"Searching for potential voice actors, huh…," Airi read out the heading of the advertisement.
"Yes," he nodded. But the response he got from her was something he never thought.