The part-time job was thus decided.
Amuro Tooru asked a few more questions about the situation.
Upon learning that Jiang Xia had often worked part-time before and was familiar with common part-time jobs, Amuro Tooru realized that this new apprentice, whom he was forced to accept, might be very useful.
Amuro Tooru often had to work various part-time jobs.
However, many businesses that hired people required part-time staff with stable hours.
Amuro Tooru himself, holding multiple positions and busy with work, often ghosted his bosses.
Therefore, even though he was very capable and did his work well, he was still inevitably fired by some businesses.
Amuro Tooru worked part-time to gather information. This situation would interfere with his work.
But with Jiang Xia, everything was different.
When he was busy, he could completely let Jiang Xia temporarily fill in.
This way, as long as there wasn't a serious problem like "insufficient staff during busy times," Amuro Tooru's risk of being fired by businesses would be much lower.
Although, according to Jiang Xia, the store he worked at had a risk of being vandalized by thugs.
However, Jiang Xia also said that those people couldn't openly defeat him, so they resorted to underhanded tactics, and they probably wouldn't dare to follow Jiang Xia continuously.
Only when Jiang Xia stayed at a certain store for a long time and was accidentally seen by them would they seek him out to cause trouble.
And finding Jiang Xia to fill in for a part-time job, letting him stay for half a day and then leave, would not easily lead to trouble.
If the people who vandalized the store were truly difficult to deal with, he could secretly arrange for a few Police officers to patrol nearby and apprehend them...
Amuro Tooru listed Jiang Xia's advantages 12345 in his mind, feeling much more at ease.
He rummaged through a drawer, took out a spare set of keys, and handed them to Jiang Xia: "Do you know the process for receiving clients?"
Jiang Xia glanced at the teacup on the table: "Just like how you just received me, right?"
"Mm." Amuro Tooru nodded, then pointed to the bookshelf nearby, "The commission forms are there, the tea is in the upper cabinet, there are cold drinks in the refrigerator... If you find it troublesome, just serving them water is fine, anyway, this Detective Agency doesn't need to chase performance targets."
Jiang Xia: "..."
People with organizational funding are truly arrogant.
Amuro Tooru then found a contact book:
"If you're unsure about a received commission, just say our appointments are full and refer them to other Detective Agencies—the list is all here, with notes on other Detectives' areas of expertise, you can refer to it."
After explaining everything, Amuro Tooru started to send him away: "Alright, you can go back for today. Starting tomorrow, you can come over to watch the Detective Agency when you're free."
He planned to tidy up the Detective Agency after Jiang Xia left, to avoid leaving behind any items that might expose his identity.
And also to add more cameras and listening devices.
No matter how salvageable Jiang Xia seemed, he still needed to be wary.
When Jiang Xia left the Detective Agency, it was still early.
He observed the nearby buildings and realized that if he wanted to attract more ghost-carrying clients, he might need to order a billboard.
From the Amuro Detective Agency, walking about ten meters forward, was the main road.
And diagonally opposite the main road was the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.
The Police were not omnipotent, and many people, disappointed after leaving the Police station, would go to find a Detective.
This was probably one of the reasons Amuro Tooru dared to choose a Detective Agency location near the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department—it had a legitimate reason and made it easier to attract clients.
Therefore, Jiang Xia thought, if there was a more conspicuous billboard, when clients came out of the Police station, they would see the "Amuro Detective Agency" sign at a glance... maybe they would turn in along the way.
A week later.
Amuro Tooru went on a business trip.
When he returned, he originally wanted to go home first to organize the information he had collected.
But as he passed the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, he suddenly noticed a few people gathered on the street, looking up at something on a utility pole.
Amuro Tooru raised his head in confusion, following their gaze upwards.
A strangely shaped billboard came into view.
The sign had a black and silver background, an arrogant and impactful appearance, and bore large characters—Amuro Detective Agency.
Amuro Tooru: "..."
What in the world was this?
Originally, Amuro Tooru should have gone straight at this point.
But he stared at that billboard, frozen at the intersection for several seconds, and finally, his feet turned, he entered the alley, and headed towards the Detective Agency.
He remembered telling Jiang Xia that the Detective Agency didn't need performance targets.
Moreover, the funds he allocated to Jiang Xia were ostensibly "operating expenses for the Detective Agency."
But in reality, Amuro Tooru thought they both should have known—this was a subsidy for Jiang Xia.
Only now it seemed...
This "mutual understanding" was unilateral on his part?
Jiang Xia was unexpectedly an honest person, didn't understand his hint, and therefore actually used that money to buy a billboard and advertising space?
"..."
Amuro Tooru walked into the Detective Agency with a complicated feeling.
He immediately saw Jiang Xia sitting on the sofa in the Detective Agency, holding a bottle of cola, eagerly waiting for business.
Seeing that it was him who entered, he seemed a bit disappointed.
Amuro Tooru, enduring his employee's "Why is it you?" look, felt even more complicated: "What's with that billboard at the intersection?"
Jiang Xia first got up and brought Amuro Tooru a glass of cold water, reviewing the hospitality rules of this Detective Agency.
Then he said: "I put it up a few days ago—the massage parlor next door happened to go out of business, and its advertising space was transferred at a low price. I asked about the price, felt that the clients it attracted could cover the advertising expenses, so I bought it."
Amuro Tooru nodded: "I see..."
After speaking, he was a bit lost for words.
Mainly, he couldn't immediately think of how to tactfully and gracefully say something like "You don't need to advertise, just embezzle the organization's funds yourself."
However, for now, it seemed that this new apprentice was very dedicated to the Detective Agency.
And on second thought, professionalism was actually a virtue.
This was a good thing, a good thing...
Amuro Tooru reluctantly swallowed the topic of "embezzling public funds."
Moreover, putting aside the matter of funds for now. It seemed that with the billboard, the effect was indeed different.
Amuro Tooru found a pile of photos spread out on the desk, which should have been brought by a client.
He walked closer and looked: "You received a commission?"
Actually, this wasn't Jiang Xia's commission, but a commission that the Detective next door received a while ago.
This commission was related to a murder case that occurred in Gunma Prefecture.
Someone spent a lot of money to commission the Detective next door to follow someone. The Detective next door followed for three days and received the commission fee. As a result, on the fourth day, the person being followed was burned to death in a bonfire during a memorial ceremony.
Now, many suspicious points pointed to the person who placed the commission, but the Police and the Detective next door had no evidence.
This matter originally had nothing to do with Jiang Xia.
But this morning, when the Detective next door and the suspect—who was also the former client—came out of the Police station together.
Jiang Xia passed by nearby, and inadvertently turned his head, seeing a very flat, paper-like soul clinging tightly to the suspect's leg.
Jiang Xia looked at it and slowly stopped.
This kind of soul had a common name, called a Leg-Clinging Shikigami.
Both Ghost Fetus and Leg-Clinging Shikigami were formed after a person's death.
The strength and intelligence of a Shikigami were far inferior to a Ghost Fetus, but they also had many uses—for example, as raw materials, to form and strengthen some unscientific puppets.
In short...
He wanted it.
So at that time, after the Detective next door and the suspect parted ways unhappily, Jiang Xia walked into the fellow Detective's Detective Agency, spent some effort, and borrowed the case-related photos from the Detective next door.
Although the Leg-Clinging Shikigami was a bit dull, precisely because of this, its thinking often didn't deviate, and it was exceptionally persistent.
To collect it, the perpetrator must receive some punishment.
And if the perpetrator continued to live freely, even if the Shikigami was forcibly torn off, it would only break and become a useless discarded soul.
A mature Spiritual Medium would, of course, not do such a soul-damaging and self-defeating thing.
Jiang Xia therefore decided to try to find evidence to send the murderer to prison, so that the Leg-Clinging Shikigami's wish would be fulfilled and it would let go and be easily picked up.
This was Plan A.
And if Plan A didn't work, Jiang Xia had a Plan B.
Put a sack over the suspect and beat him up until the Shikigami felt satisfied and detached from his leg.
Originally, Jiang Xia was struggling with which plan to execute.
But now, whether it was fate or not, Amuro Tooru unexpectedly appeared at the Detective Agency.
And without Jiang Xia even hinting, he himself noticed the case-related photos Jiang Xia had placed on the desk.
Amuro Tooru was looking at the photos.
Jiang Xia was looking at Amuro Tooru.
In his eyes, several large characters were faintly reflected—Plan C.