"Gulp, gulp~" Toga Himiko happily drank from a bottle of grape juice. Shinpachi Shimura ignored her, taking out his phone to browse his social feed and chuckling to himself.
Come to think of it, there would not be many days this leisurely. They had only finished a mission and had a few days off. After that, they would have to return to the kind of life where their heads hung by a thread.
So Shinpachi Shimura cherished these peaceful days.
"Are you done drinking?" Shinpachi Shimura recalled everything that had happened recently and drifted off for a moment. By now, he figured Toga Himiko should have finished.
"What the hell are you doing?" Shinpachi Shimura's expression changed when he saw drink bottles scattered all over the floor around Toga Himiko's feet.
"Burp... I'm full..." Toga Himiko let out a satisfied burp and rubbed her stomach. She had really enjoyed herself today, drinking so many beverages she had never tasted before.
"I told you to drink one bottle, but you drank a whole eight!" Shinpachi Shimura shouted. "You're even burping! Did you drink them as a meal?"
"Stop yelling. I already drank them, so what can you do? I'll buy some more tomorrow if it comes to that." Toga Himiko was somewhat unhappy at Shinpachi Shimura shouting at her like that.
"These are imported drinks. Do you think they're that easy to buy? Even I only drink one can at a time, but you drank seven or eight in one go like they were food." Shinpachi Shimura spoke in anguish. These drinks were not cheap. Every can was expensive, and some cost several times more than ramen from the island nation.
"What's going on?" Wu Shiyin walked in at that moment. First, he saw the two arguing. Then he saw the empty bottles and cans around Toga Himiko's feet, and his expression changed as well. "Y-You drank that much by yourself?"
"Hehe, Gin-san, I couldn't help myself. They were just too good, so I drank a little more. Don't blame me." Toga Himiko put on a pitiful act.
Indeed, before she started drinking, she had not expected these beverages to taste so good. But once she tried them, she found that she simply could not stop.
"What a waste..." Wu Shiyin rubbed his forehead and sighed. Then he simply waved a hand. "Go work with Yang Xiao."
"Gin-san, you're just letting her off like that?" Shinpachi Shimura's eyes widened. The last time he drank one extra can, Wu Shiyin had scolded him half to death. Why did women not get scolded for the same thing?
That was way too unfair.
"Forget it. What can we do now that she's already drunk them?" Wu Shiyin looked at Shinpachi Shimura. "Be nicer to the new recruit. Just don't let it happen again."
Yang Xiao had no idea what had happened in the recreation room, though he could hear the shouting. It was not his business. At the moment, Tae Shimura and Kagura were teaching him how to organize the relevant files.
From the documents, Yang Xiao learned a great deal of information.
For example, these documents were mostly completed jobs, while some were new assignments. The jobs were marked with dates, lists of names, and completion requirements.
Yang Xiao had looked through them. The names on completed jobs had been stamped over in red, with two scarlet words written on them: Death.
When Yang Xiao saw the rewards, he froze for a moment. The compensation for these jobs varied, but monetary rewards were rare.
Two out of every ten used the client's own organs as payment, such as kidneys, livers, and even corneas.
Others used valuable objects, plants, or even positions as payment. Money was actually uncommon, but Yang Xiao saw that jobs paid in money started at the equivalent of at least fifty thousand Huaxia yuan. Fifty thousand was the minimum.
It was clear from this that the jobs taken by the Problem Solver were all major and dangerous.
Yang Xiao also occasionally saw terms such as "Tenth Mortal Realm" and "Sixth King Realm," things he had never heard before. But for now, he would not ask Wu Shiyin and the others what they meant.
His current job was to organize the files and wait at the core hub to receive intelligence.
"Do you think the information on these jobs is strange?" Tae Shimura suddenly asked with a smile while Yang Xiao was diligently sorting through the files and assignments.
"Yes. I think it's all very bizarre." Yang Xiao nodded. Since he was already one of the Problem Solver's core members, he would not worry about whether these were things he was allowed to see or ask about.
If he could neither look nor ask, what was the point of having him organize the files here?
"That's how the Problem Solver works. We accept any job, but only if the target has a criminal record or is utterly wicked. If we cannot investigate the background of the person to be dealt with, then we cannot act. In other words, we need conclusive evidence before we make a move."
Tae Shimura explained patiently, "Of course, dealing with a target does not necessarily mean death. Some receive lighter punishment, such as having a hand or foot chopped off. Those are relatively mild outcomes."
Yang Xiao nodded to show that he understood, but as he looked at the huge stack of jobs before him, he asked doubtfully, "But there are so many jobs here. How can the three of you possibly handle them all? Gin-san has to guard the Problem Solver and can't leave."
Kagura sneered. "Do you think the Problem Solver only has this many people? Don't forget, these are core members. Besides the core members, there are also regular personnel. They gather intelligence outside and carry out missions just like us."
Yang Xiao suddenly understood. That explanation made perfect sense. Otherwise, the Problem Solver could never complete so many jobs with only three people. But Yang Xiao still found it strange. He had only been with the Problem Solver for a few months, yet he had skipped past the regular personnel and entered the core ranks directly.
"Your task now is to do your job well. Those regular personnel all want to enter the Problem Solver's core hub, but they do not have your luck. Count yourself fortunate," Kagura said.
Yang Xiao did not feel that he had anything to be fortunate about. His original purpose in coming to the Problem Solver had been to earn living expenses and solve his basic needs.
It had not been to join a mysterious organization like some assassin alliance, one that took orders and dealt with people as long as the request was justified.
Now that he had been dragged into it, leaving was no longer possible. Still, Yang Xiao did not regret it. Joining the Problem Solver could be considered a form of training, perhaps even an opportunity.
The fact that the Problem Solver could trust him was already a very good thing. Otherwise, he might not even have been able to continue attending school. After all, he had already come into contact with their core. Even if they did not allow Yang Xiao to go to school now, what could he do about it?
At that point, Toga Himiko returned to work with them as well. She was not attending school at the moment, so she basically had to stay at the Problem Solver every day. However, Wu Shiyin did not restrict her freedom.
So she picked up the work far faster than Yang Xiao. Once the two of them became familiar with their duties, the three core members would head out on missions again.
At least the Problem Solver had now resolved its worries at the rear. The intelligence personnel at the core hub were in place.
Before you continue