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I just got back from a mission, and a hefty amount of money was spent.

The tailor quoted me a custom suit that costs around a million won. Depending on one’s income, that could be a lot or maybe not so much for some.

In my case, it was the latter.

No matter how many allowances the Information Agency throws my way, a civil servant’s salary stays the same. It’s not exactly a job that pays in heaps of cash.

Still, since I don’t have anyone to feed, I live reasonably well.

But I do have one dependent.

“Hey. We’re in big trouble.”

—’Fred, what’s with the “hey” towards your sister? You wanna die?’

“Ayla swiped my card without telling me.”

—’Where are you?’

That would be my younger sister.

—

**Side Episode – Handle Personal Information with Care**

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Ayla Nostrim.

As the second daughter and youngest child of the Nostrim Family, Ayla is a magician.

You might find her existence strange considering our family’s history with martial arts, magic, commerce, and politics, but frankly, Ayla isn’t that out of place.

There was a magician among her maternal ancestors.

Of course, her maternal family isn’t as prestigious as the Ranieri family, but considering that it has been generally accepted in the magical community that “magical abilities are a genetic trait passed down through generations unless in special cases,” Ayla clearly inherited that bloodline of magicians.

Perhaps thanks to this lineage, Ayla has a high suitability for magic and is quite intelligent.

She excelled in school and the academy, eventually getting into a prestigious university. She did well enough there to join a social club reserved for high achievers or those with notable backgrounds.

She was even recognized by professors and offered a position in a research lab, so it would be fair to say Ayla is a promising talent.

But now, Ayla is unemployed.

Not just unemployed, but the type of unemployed person who doesn’t study, doesn’t work, and isn’t even doing part-time jobs.

It’s puzzling as to why such a well-regarded magician from a prestigious university is living like that, but nobody knows the reason. Not even her family.

She’s constantly giving her parents headaches, yet they haven’t cut ties with her because, after all, she’s their child. At least, they hadn’t until last year.

According to what my brother told me, our mother kicked her out saying, “Don’t come back until you find a job,” but I haven’t heard any news of her returning to the family home, so she must still be unemployed.

Of course, Ayla wasn’t thrown out with absolutely no money. She’s been living back and forth between a townhouse in the capital and my brother’s and sister’s houses, occasionally getting assistance from our well-meaning relatives. Plus, our brother Jerry, sister Adela, and I chip in a bit to make sure she at least eats.

But this little rascal tampered with my bank account while I wasn’t around.

Without needing to investigate further, I wielded the powers of the Information Officer and called for an Information Agent.

“You here?”

“Fred!”

At 1:30 AM, the hour when humans can get the most brutal, I arrived at the townhouse located in the capital. I had downed quite a bit, but thanks to my insomnia, my mind was sharp.

Jerry and Adela were already there, waiting for me at the front gate.

“Where’s Ayla?”

“Hey, hey, Fred. Calm down a bit. You look like you’re about to kill someone.”

“Enough about that. Where is Ayla?”

Jerry put a hand on my shoulder, trying to soothe me.

“It’s been three years since we last met. What’s with this reaction? Just calm down a bit.”

Adela, leaning against the gate with an indifferent look, interjected.

“Hey, who did you come in all hot-headed for? Chill out.”

“If you were me, would you be able to chill out?”

“Dude… Look at you glaring at your brother and sister. I raised such a brat…”

“That wasn’t me, it was our mother! You were only babysitting because you thought I’d give you pocket money!”

“Wow, throwing facts around like that.”

Jerry and Adela were holding me back with all this nonsense. To be precise, they were blocking the entrance.

Here I was, facing off against the Ministry of Finance civil servant, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs official, and the Ministry of Defense official.

The first to speak was Jerry from the Ministry of Finance.

“Fred, I know you’re mad, but just calm down and hear me out, okay?”

“I’m not mad.”

“Then why are your fists clenched?”

“Just gonna hit one person.”

It was a little serious. I felt like I needed to land at least thirty light jabs to calm my nerves.

As I quietly observed the situation, Adela, the Foreign Affairs official, chuckled to herself.

“Let it go. Back then, Ayla swiped your card and caused a ruckus in the city, remember?”

“Oh, right.”

Ayla wasn’t a first-time offender. Back when I was a squad leader in the front lines during my early service, she inexplicably swiped the money I had saved up for a car.

I had saved that up to buy a used SUV since the road network around No Man’s Land was horrible, but I guessed she had spent it all partying at her social club. All in just one night.

Thanks to that, I was walking to and from work every day.

As I felt a hand on my shoulder, Jerry suddenly seemed to remember something and smacked his forehead.

“Oh right. She also used my card to buy drinks that one time.”

“Jerry, are you laughing right now?”

Adela nudged him in the ribs, urging him to read the room.

“She came to me that day, asking for pocket money to go out. She probably lost it all gambling instead of drinking at the social club.”

“How do you know she was gambling?”

“Because she was playing with a friend of mine. They’re fellow alumni.”

What a sight to behold.

In this way, Ayla was worse than a mere delinquent. She never went into debt, but she was definitely a massive burden.

Anyway, that’s not what’s important right now.

The important part is that Ayla drained my wallet.

“Where is that unemployed brat? Hand her over, now.”

I pressed on like a loan shark looking for a runaway debtor. She charged a custom suit on a card I gave her for food, so if I catch her, half her life is over!

I couldn’t see myself in a mirror, but I’d bet I didn’t look too pretty right now.

Adela, glancing at me, excused herself saying it was cold and slipped away.

I watched her retreating figure before turning back to my brother, who was awkwardly chuckling.

“So, what’s she doing now?”

“Uhm… This isn’t really the place to discuss it. Let’s head inside to talk.”

Jerry scratched the back of his head and opened the door. As he led the way, he casually dropped the bomb.

“She got a job.”

Adela, my older sister, replied briefly.

“Yeah.”

“Are you two teaming up to prank me or something?”

“Me? With this guy?”

Adela shot a disapproving look at Jerry, my older brother, who was sitting beside her.

“That sounds ridiculous.”

“What’s that supposed to mean to my brother?”

“Brother? He’s nonsense. I’ve never had a brother like you.”

“Our family’s really gone to hell.”

Ignoring the two siblings who were constantly bickering and fighting, I drifted into thought.

I heard the idle younger sister, who hadn’t lifted a finger for years, just got herself a job. It was hard to believe, considering she barely did anything until I was dispatched to the cult.

While Adela kicked Jerry off the sofa to stretch out, I directed a question at both of them.

“Wait, why is the kid getting a suit with my money?”

“A suit?”

“Did the youngest actually get a suit?”

Adela, who was pushing Jerry away, and Jerry, who had lifted his feet because of the smell, both turned to stare at me simultaneously.

I showed them the mail I had brought.

“It’s real?”

Adela muttered while looking over the invoice.

“Does Ayla have a reason to get a suit? Where does she even work?”

Even though tailored suits could be acquired by anyone in 21st century Korea with money, that was not the case around here.

For one, suits cost slightly more than in Korea. But also, because of the caste system and the social environment around here, the clothing one wears varies depending on their job. Wearing a hoodie was something only magicians did, and my sister happened to be one.

I shot a question at Jerry.

“Hey, did Ayla get a job somewhere other than in magic?”

Jerry squinted at each letter, scratching his chin as he leaned back on the sofa.

“I’m not sure how to explain it, but it looks like she got a job in a private enterprise.”

“In a private enterprise?”

“Yeah. It’s a company that develops and exports magical items.”

The Treasury Department official discussed my sister’s workplace.

“I looked into it a bit, and it doesn’t seem like a problem. The company registration, the office location, the buildings and factories—they’re all fine. Financial statements and accounting books look normal too.”

“She’s not involved in any crime, right?”

“No, nothing like that. I checked with acquaintances at the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Justice, and it looks clean.”

He investigated through friends in the police and the prosecution, and apparently, nothing suspicious came up.

I subtly turned my gaze away.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I was just wondering if you knew something.”

“I’m not a private detective or anything…”

The civil servant from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs whined briefly while lounging around.

“I took a quick look and there’s no problem. It’s just a regular trading company.”

“Really?”

I never expected this day would come. That idle person finally got a job.

I felt a strange emotion recalling my sister, who used to come to the official residence and treat it like her own studio. The day I could invade her studio and mess it up would come. How nostalgic!

From there, Jerry and Adela shared more information.

“The company the youngest works for is in the countryside. It’s a safe area.”

“The registered corporate name is Pax. They develop various things, including magical items, but that’s still in the beginning stages. Essentially, they survive on exporting raw materials.”

“It’s a small company, but it looks quite solid, considering it has branches abroad.”

“They’ve gone through both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Treasury Department, and they’re working on a few projects with the Trade Promotion Agency and the International Investment Cooperation Agency. Nothing special.”

“The youngest has been in the countryside for a few months now but should be coming back soon.”

After listening for a while, I couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief.

“Some people are sweating it out working abroad while the youngest is just gliding through life like it’s nothing?”

“Well, your news seems to come up every time the news is on.”

Adela opened the newspaper next to her.

“Look. You’ve become quite the celebrity, and now the reporters are trying to cover us too. They even have our main house and townhouse addresses listed here.”

“This is crazy. Is everything okay?”

“Aside from the police lurking around the house, nothing really?”

Anyway, it seems everyone is doing well for now.

Glancing at the clock, I realized it was already past 3 AM. With the last bus long gone, I decided to stay the night and began preparing to head upstairs.

“I’m going to sleep here. What about you guys?”

“We don’t have a car.”

“Who gets the big room?”

“Me!”

Adela jumped up from the sofa, claiming the largest room for herself, still acting immature as ever.

Leaving the bickering siblings behind, I grabbed a bottle of whiskey stored in the cupboard.

“I’m off tomorrow; don’t wake me up.”

“Off?”

“Yeah. They told me to stay off work.”

“Okay, got it. Should I set up breakfast for you before you leave?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

As I waved my hand and climbed the stairs, I stopped midway.

“Oh, right. Make sure to let me know when Ayla comes back from the countryside.”

“Why?”

I answered Jerry, who looked at me with a strange expression.

“I need to get back the money she owes me.”

I still hadn’t been paid back.

*

As I drifted off to sleep, an alcohol-laden haze surrounded my mind, and I always woke up feeling dazed. When I opened my eyes, my mouth felt dry, and a faint scent of alcohol tickled my nose.

-Ding dong.

With bleary eyes, I glanced at the clock. It was already 8:57 AM. Panic gripped me as I realized I was late, but then I remembered that because of my slapdash punishment, I had to stay put at the residence for a while. Who said that, Charnoy or Clevenz?

Looking around, I noticed that the tiny living quarters were nowhere to be seen, but instead, a large, clean room awaited me. Right. This wasn’t the official residence.

Realizing that, I wriggled deeper into the blankets like a caterpillar. Today is safe under my covers.

-Ding dong.

Sniff.

I heard a snorting noise and noticed the window was slightly open. Ah, right, Adela left it open when she left yesterday.

-Ding dong.

“…Damn it, who is it?”

I kicked the covers off and got up. I was already irritated because of my younger sister, and I needed to find out who the hell was disturbing my sleep on my day off.

As I went down the stairs, I checked the living area and saw that Jerry and Adela were already gone to work. On the table, breakfast was covered with a cloth.

The doorbell rang ceaselessly.

“Who’s messing around and ringing the bell this much before work—”

I was ready to unleash a stream of curses when I froze, holding onto the front door, caught in an awkward pose.

At the door were people I recognized staring back at me.

“Hello!”

“…Camila?”

“Yep!”

“What are you doing here…?”

“We came because we saw it in the newspaper!”

“…….”

*

Side Episode – Managing Personal Information Cautiously – END –

 

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