TEORA: Do you Want to Change the World

The help wanted ad was quite a strange one.

Company Name: Metallica

Industry: World Domination

Expected Salary: A regular position 700,000¥ per month. A general position 140,000¥ a month. (TL: Around 6250.00 USD and 1250.00 USD)

Qualifications: None (But experience is appreciated)

Numbers recruiting:  A few

We are an evil organization with our sights on world domination! Our bright and lively workplace is awaiting your determination!

Employment: A written exam, and an interview. (We have confirmed your completion of the preliminary examination online)

An examination date and meeting place were kindly laid out.

“… The h.e.l.l’s this?”

Neito unintentionally opened his mouth.

He thought it was about time for him to get a job or something like that.

With a name like Komori Neito, he thought it would be too much for him to remain a hikkikomori NEET.

So from around two hours ago, Neito had been looking through applications on the internet.

He had found himself on quite a strange site. A questionnaire, and several peculiar quiz questions were put out. And strange as it was, he couldn’t bring himself to close the tab. It had a certain intrigue to it.

What do you think about a protagonist standing against the forces of evil, who’d sacrifice the life of a single woman to save the world?

Are you happy right now?

What do you think about Oda n.o.bunaga and Cesare Borgia?

What is your opinion on taking hostages to attain victory?

If you had a goal you had to accomplish, would you be able to die for it?

What would you do if the boss you respected was killed?

Do you think an alien race trying to invade the earth deserves to be wiped out?

Looking at the battlefield below, please fill in the appropriate choices.

Of the following list of enemies, please select the correct order in which to defeat them.

It must have been made by someone with a lot of time on their hands. That on his mind, Neito continued filling out one answer after the next. And in the end, a question popped up.

Do you want to change the world?

Hmmm. Let’s see. It doesn’t look too good out there, and there wars and things like that going on in other countries, and I’m a NEET, and unpopular and a virgin, and poor and all. I do get the feeling I’ve lived being looked down on for a long time. When I see a radiant existence, I am sometimes pained by how far my hand falls from reaching. He thought.

And so…

YES

He answered.

The next question popped up immediately.

Are you sure?

Well it looks like they’re intent on it. If you go that far, then let’s give it a bit more serious thought.

Is the world really fine as it is? Everything in it remaining the same?

No, right, it isn’t, right?

I had my inhibitions. The student life I had lived until last year wasn’t anything decent, and it’s doubtful anything good will happen from here on either. It was my own fault, I’m sure. But there are plenty of people like me out there. This world is suffocating for them to live in. Yep. As I thought, at the very least, I want to change the world. So I’ll answer once more.

YES

He was suddenly redirected to a recruitment site. Metallica’s recruitment site. He had too much on his mind for shock. Neito took his eyes off the screen, and tried to calm down.

–

I think the first time the evil organization came onto the stage was around twenty years ago.

The organization called Metallica was known to implement modified humans, and commit many a misdeed.

Their modified soldiers held monster-like appearances, and they were extremely strong, it seems. Even the police were unable to cope with them. For a period of time, the world had been thrown into disorder. Just what could Metallica’s goal have been. Wasn’t it simple world domination? That was the popular theory, and with the impact behind those words, their exploits took up the news every day.

Right after, the existence known as Dylan became the talk of urban legend. Similarly, Dylan couldn’t be thought of as human, but unlike the modified beings of Metallica, he was a heroic existence, and quite a strong one at that. He prevented all of their evil doings, and was regarded as a hero.

But the populace had grown accustomed to evil organizations, and to Metallica. By the time the news report had grown tired and given up on them, quite a few different organizations had popped up. They eventually started turning to the power of mysterious beings, but instead of containing humans changed through science, they were usually some revived ancient warrior race, or aliens or beings that underwent sudden mutations, or something like that. Anyways, there were many varieties. Sabbath, Megadeath, Crimson and a number more.

Those evil organizations were in essence some suspicious urban legends or credible political organizations, or curious scientific minds. Anyways, there were a lot.

But as of yet, the world has not been dominated. The police and armies have been active, for arguments sake, but it was mostly the doing of mysterious heroes like Dylan. Existences much like his own; The Beatle, Rex, Ramone, and many more have been confirmed as individual cases, and they fought off the evil organizations. Eventually from their peculiar appearances, and their common characteristics, they were often referred to as the Rocks.

And with that trend, the people were completely used to evil organizations. The existence of heroes to fight them was now common sense.

Since such events carried out in reality, the superheroes of the studios stopped airing, but even now, children looked up to real heroes. A certain Neito looked up to them as well.

Sacrificing their own wellbeing, the warriors who fought to protect anyone. How cool must they have been? How wondrous? He respected them. The weaker and more helpless he got, the more imprisoned by society, the more he looked up to them. And on that line, he felt the groups calling themselves evil organizations were far and absurd beings.

So while he was surprised, he laughed the recruitment site off as nothing but a joke

–

“Or so I thought, but…”

On the interview date, he had ended up coming to the specified location.

Unthinkable for the headquarters of an organization of evil, it was in the middle of an urban business district, in a perfectly normal building. The h.e.l.l.

If he was to give an excuse, it was half pure curiosity. If someone went through such lengths to give a user a shock, then perhaps some elaborate event was in store, he thought. Yep, that was all.

He hesitated to enter. He ended up loitering in front of the building a while. It was cold. As the site had indicated, he had even worn a black necktie to distinguish himself, yet he couldn’t help wonder why he was even there to begin with.

Am I an idiot? He thought, as he began walking the way home.

As he turned he noticed a girl pa.s.s him by. Her silky hair cut neatly at her shoulders swayed. A slightly slim build, and porcelain white skin. Her chest was on the lacking side, but her pink and shapely lips alongside her gentle eyes made her quite a beauty. His sights were caught in the illusion of pure wind blowing past her.

Ah, how cute. Not that she has any relation to my life.

He thought to himself, as he continued walking past; but there Neito noticed a certain characteristic, causing his body to stiffen.

A black… scarf…!?

A black scarf for women, and a black necktie for men. That was what had been written on the site. And that scarf stood out quite a bit from the standard formal wear she clad over her body.

Was this child reeled in by that site? Does that make her an idiot too?

What to do. Should I try calling out? No, that ain’t gonna work. Let’s just stop there.

Neito’s internal conflict ended in futility. Unexpectedly, it was the girl to call out first.

“Ah, good day.”

Unthinkable of one who had come to take an evil organization’s examination, a polite and sweet voice.

“G-good day.”

He replied as such with all his might. But the girl paid no mind to that, and continued.

“… You’ve come to take Metallica’s employment examination, haven’t you?”

Her smaller build leaned in, as if to get closer to the answer. By inevitability, her eyes were upturned.

Dammit that’s cute. Please stop. Ah, she asked something, right? I have to answer.

“… Yes.”

He wrung out that answer.

And receiving those words, her face lit up. A radiant smile. He began to realize why the people of old had decided to describe a smile as such.

“Thank G.o.d! Me too!! I didn’t see you at the preliminary examinations in America, so I was a little worried.”

Huh? America? Preliminary exams? What’s this girl saying?

“Yes… well… pleasure to meet you.”

“If it’s okay with you, would you go with me to the meeting room? Being alone is a little… worrisome…”

He had no idea what was going on.

Maybe it was an elaborate fraud. That’s why they hired a girl of her appearance.

He felt compelled to think that.

“Ah, I’m Mayuzumi Maki. Pleasure meeting you.”

The etiquette in her bow were enough to make him think he heard a dramatic sound effect. Along with that, her cuticles rustled. A peach-like smell entered his nose. He didn’t know if it was shampoo, or perfume, or perhaps even her original scent.

Ah, I don’t care anymore. It’s not like I have anything to lose. Yep, let’s try following the cutie. I don’t even have enough money for fraud to be effective.

And since he had first seen that recruitment site, the words had remained on his mind.

Do you want to change the world?

He had answered YES.

Perhaps it had been foolish, but in some part of him, he had always felt that way. That’s why he had answered.

“Yeah. L-let’s go.”

The girl called Maki received those words, and grinned. And she let some outrageous words from her own mouth.

“Yes! I hope we both get a position! Let’s work together to conquer the world!”

Yep. This might be a little bit bad.