The construction supply company was in the third district.
The woman at the reception desk was polite. She took his form. She read it. She smiled in a way that didn’t reach anything.
"We actually just filled the position this morning," she said.
The listing had been posted four hours ago.
Kai nodded and thanked her and left.
『 Rejected. Reason: Position suddenly filled upon seeing application. 』 『 Host’s expression upon hearing this was admirably neutral. The system notes this. 』
’Thank you,’ Kai thought flatly.
『 You are welcome. Next location. 』
The food delivery service office was on a street that smelled like fried oil and ambition. A young man at a standing desk took Kai’s information with actual attention, which was already better than the first two.
"You have a license," the young man said, reading the form.
"Yes," Kai said.
"And you’re available mornings and evenings," the young man said.
"Flexible schedule," Kai said. "I have obligations midday but I can work early and late."
The young man nodded. He typed something. He nodded again.
"Gift classification," he said.
"Unclassified," Kai said.
The young man’s typing slowed slightly.
"Our premium routes require speed classification," he said. "For time guarantees."
"What about standard routes," Kai said.
"Standard routes pay sixty percent of premium rates," the young man said, like he was apologizing for something that wasn’t his fault.
"I’ll take standard routes," Kai said.
The young man looked at him. Then he typed something else.
"I can put you in the system," he said. "First shift availability is three days out. We’ll send the app to your phone."
"That works," Kai said.
It wasn’t enough. Sixty percent of standard delivery rates for morning and evening shifts was not going to close the gap on its own. But it was something. Something was the beginning of a plan.
『 Partial success. 』 『 Food delivery: standard routes, sixty percent base rate. 』 『 This will not solve the financial situation. It will slow the deterioration. 』 『 The system appreciates that Host did not argue with the sixty percent. Dignity in acceptance is underrated. 』
’Are you complimenting me or criticizing me,’ Kai thought.
『 Both. Next. 』
He tried two more places on the way home.
A pharmacy that needed stock assistants , they wanted Gift-enhanced memory classification for inventory tracking. A tutoring center that needed academic support staff , they were interested until he mentioned his family registration had been changed and the call they made to verify came back with the Renmei name flagged as restructured.
Flagged as restructured.
That was the polite way of saying struck from the register.
Kai stood outside the tutoring center and looked at the street for a moment.
’They flagged the name,’ he thought. ’So that’s going to follow me.’
He noted it. Filed it. Started walking to the station.
『 Rejected. Reason: Family registration flagged. 』 『 This will be a recurring obstacle, Host. The Renmei name being restructured is public record. Employers who run checks will see it. 』 『 The system suggests building credentials that do not require family registration verification. 』 『 This takes time. You have eight days. 』 『 The system acknowledges this is not helpful timing. 』
’That might be the most honest thing you’ve said,’ Kai thought.
『 The system is always honest. It is occasionally also inconvenient. These are not mutually exclusive. 』
He got home at eleven forty.
He hung his jacket by the door and went to the kitchen and checked on the porridge in the cooker. Still warm. Neither of them had touched it.
He looked in the living room.
Shira was in her wheelchair by the window. The blue folder , the physio exercise sheet was open on her lap.
She closed it when she heard him come in.
She didn’t look at him.
"How did it go," Shira said. Aimed at the window.
"One place took me," Kai said. "Delivery work. Starts in three days."
Shira said nothing for a moment.
"Delivery work," she said.
"It pays," Kai said simply.
He went back to the kitchen.
He opened the fridge and looked at what was left and started calculating lunch.
Behind him, from the living room, he heard the blue folder open again.
He didn’t turn around.
He started on lunch.
Mira came out of her room at noon.
She made her way to the kitchen table the way she always did now , twelve steps, two left, chair edge found by fingertips and sat down. She had her whiteboard.
Kai set her bowl in front of her and described it. She picked up her spoon.
They ate in silence for a while.
Then Mira set her spoon down and wrote something and pushed the board toward his voice.
How much is left on the card.
Kai looked at the question.
He thought about deflecting. About saying manageable again. About the various ways of not quite answering that were technically honest.
He looked at Mira’s face instead the composed expression, the eyes aimed just past him, the way she held her whiteboard in both hands like she was ready for whatever he said.
She wasn’t asking to worry. She was asking because she wanted to know the actual situation.
He respected that.
"Eight days if nothing unexpected comes up," Kai said. "The delivery job starts in three. That buys us more time. It’s not a complete solution but it’s a start."
Mira was still for a moment.
She wrote: You went to more than three places.
"Five," Kai said.
She wrote: And only one took you.
"Yes," Kai said.
She looked at the space where he was sitting for a long moment.
Then she wrote something slowly, more carefully than usual, and turned the board toward him.
My family’s account has enough for two months of what we need. I know you said it’s my money. It is. And I’m choosing to use it for this. For us. Don’t argue with me about it.