Chapter 4: The Interim Boss is Overworked but Underpaid

----Karne POV----

"Come on Yve, let's go inside. The Doctor is worried that you might catch another cold." [Sigh] I don't know if Yve is doing this for fun or not but every time I find her here, she's asleep even if it's raining. I mean, that's like the worst hobby I've ever seen before. Her brother Vylemor is none the worse because he's barely at home. He literally lives at the ES (Entertainment Section) while Yve here never steps outside the estate unless she goes travelling somewhere none of us ever know. I've been taken in by Doctor Dechat from the suburban city of Nagara when a fire broke out in the middle of the night and killed my last family which was my big sister after going back inside, thinking that I was still there.

----Flashback----

"What! Didn't I tell you that I'd be fine without allowance? Sis, I will work part time on weekends so you don't have to work straight shifts." My sister sacrificed all her time for our daily necessities even though she was a graduating college that year. Our parents died early deaths so we were left behind to fend for ourselves. We don't know any relatives nor do we desire for help from them if ever we had one or two. "Karne, you know that our education is expensive and very important. We don't know what will happen next so we have to give our all in everything we do. In this way, we don't have anything to regret for."

Back then, I was far too young and stupid to even consider what she meant. I thought that we have every time in the world but I was terribly wrong. That was the last time I ever spoke to my sister because that night when everybody was asleep, a fire broke out and burned house after house in a hurried fashion it killed my sister.

I'm a light sleeper so I noticed immediately the commotion and the sound of the indiscriminate hunger of the fire. I saved most of our valuables before the fire swallowed our home but I was worried for my sister so I searched for her because it was by that time when she arrives from work. Right, I saw her and I was relieved but before I could reach her, she ran for the burning house.

My shouts were useless because the noise swallowed my words but when I rushed to go after her, the people restrained me. There was nothing I could do but wait in anguish and worry. I cried and my tear-filled eyes reflected the feelings within them. I knew by then that she was no more when the whole building collapsed.

There was no casualty besides my sister and that I could not accept. I blamed the world and even God for it. I thought that it was a deliberate act that it was no mere accident but in the end I blamed myself the most. A day after that, everyone had moved on but I could not bring myself to. I could not bear the guilt so I just sat on the remains of our burnt house.

I didn't know what to do and I didn't want to do anything and that was when a weird looking car stopped. A man came out and there seemed to be a girl a little bit younger than me next to him. I got goose bumps all over my body because the girl resembled my sister so much, they might have been twins but I still knew that she was not my sister. I considered that I might be hallucinating but it turned out I wasn't. The man walked towards me and I was expecting him to either pity or be mad at me but he did neither of them.

"Let's go eat something tasty. My daughter and I are on our way just now but she says that it would be much more delicious if you would do us the honour of eating with us." The corner of my mouth twitched as I tried to contain my laughter. What on earth are these strangers talking about anyway? They talk as though they've known me in a much more intimate way but clearly, I have no such clear recollection of the matter.

The girl gave me a challenging stare as though daring me to refuse. I don't know what came to me that day but I ended up resigning myself to them. Besides, I knew that they were genuine people because no one would bother stepping on a filthy place just to help someone they never even knew before or hope to be paid with in time. That is of course unless they plan on kidnapping me or make me join a shady group of people and their lofty goals in mind which has in it more shady things hidden from view. The girl which was Yve even tripped and got ashes all over her face but she got up fast, looking so dignified despite what happened to her and her clothes. It was then that I couldn't contain my laughter and the man who was Doctor Dechat laughed with me.

*end of flashback*

I came to live here in his mansion together with his children who were twins but I never saw them together.

I guess I have to carry her again like I always do. It was Doctor Dechat who came after Yve on days like this but I requested that I'd be taking over the task since Doctor Dechat is a busy man himself. I was determined to look after Yve and Vylemor as my atonement towards my sister because I could not accept the fact that it was still my fault that she died. I also broke my ties with any other women back when I shook away my frustrations by seeking merriment. I realized that I was committing misdeeds more than atone for anything at all so I made reparations immediately after that. I strived to be the best big brother for both of them so I granted Vylemor's request of taking over ES but man, which was tough work. Even so, it boosted my confidence being a 19 year old college student who supervises a company as big as ES.

I looked around after carrying Yve, starting from the surrounding area to the neighbour just next to us. I saw the new classmate who ate dinner with us. He was watching Yve and every time I come for her, I see him in the same place. That runt is one eccentric person like the family I'm living with right now.

He saw someone lying in the rain but did nothing. Any normal person would come rushing to find out what happened but he is different. It was the same when we found him and the others at the gate. He just watched from a distance while the others help his classmate. And when you meet him, he acts like a stranger. Every word coming out from his mouth is like a polished blade despite the fact that he stays silent all the time.

I tried calling Vylemor about this but he didn't even respond. Humph! If he thinks that I cannot locate him, he's terribly mistaken. I have learned my lesson well. Ha!

I secretly planted a tracking device inside his shoe so I can find him wherever he is and find out where he always hang out. Doctor Dechat said that it's fine for Vylemor to do whatever he wants but I disagree. After I activated the device, I found out where he is.

There, what the! Why is it leading to Yve's room? Maybe he is in Yve's room, discussing something. I knocked on the door and Yve opened it after her change of clothes. "Karne?" This is kind of hard to ask.

"Yes, I was just wondering if Vylemor is with you in your room." She averted her eyes. "Why would he be in my room? Isn't he at ES? That's where he always hangs out, right?" She's hiding something. I raised an eyebrow and she opened the door for me. "Come check for yourself if you want."

"Yve! You have a package here. Did you order something?" Doctor Dechat is calling for her and I'm curious about it as well. Yve never orders for anything so this is so unusual. She and I went down and found Doctor Dechat staring at the rectangular package. "But I didn't order anything. You have to return this to them." But the package did not indicate where it was from. "The delivery man is gone." That fast?

We opened it to find out where it came from or to know who it is for but none of it indicated anything useful. It's just a book with a title "Vylemor". The doctor held it first, exchanging glances with Yve, shock decorating his features and then me.

'Do you think this might be Vylemor's diary or something? He's got his name on the cover page like a title.' The doctor shook his head in denial, 'Vylemor would never do anything, and much less create anything that will remind him of his memories, never.'

Yve reacted very weird and of course, seemingly sad. Could this book be written by the new classmate? That was what I heard he was into when they came for dinner. I handed it over to Yve but when she opened it to the first page, the letters grew.

It seemed as if they became shadows travelling from the page to Yve's hand to her face and eyes. It didn't seem to be painful or anything though. "I can feel it on my body! What is this sensation?" Yve sounded like she felt great about the situation. Her eyes turned purple and her hair, a mix of black and purple.

"Yve, are you all right? What's with that book anyway?" Doctor Dechat is on alert mode while I'm trying to assess if it was real or not.

"Who are you?" I could not have heard it wrong. Yve asked me who I was. Is she mad or something?

"Yve!" Doctor Dechat is confused as well.

"Who, me?" I swallowed a lump in my throat. I thought Yve was looking at me but I realized that she wasn't when a kid appeared above us. One look and I knew immediately, this one possesses a not so very polite heart though not necessarily evil. He has this dark aura around him. I can sense people like those because where I'm from, I need to know how to discern people and that's how I learned the hard way. He turned to me and spoke menacingly, "Do you want to die, big bro Karne?"

Cheeky little brat, how did he just appear out of nowhere? 'Watch it, where'd you sneak from. Are you one of those street children down the mountain or what?'

The kid ignored me, turning to Yve and launched in her direction. 'Master, we finally meet once again. Do you have an order for me to execute? Please give me instructions so that I may serve you with all that I have.'

What in hell is this kid talking about, some stage play? He's got some favouritism issues.

'Doctor Dechat, we should call… the police.' Where'd he gone? Why is the doctor not here? This could be a break in or some kind of conspiracy. What's wrong with these people? Even Yve seemed thrilled at the thought of dishing out orders. The kid looked genuinely happy about it, perfectly fulfilling all the specifics of Yve's test orders. I have got to be the straight man, 'look here kid, you should hurry up and go back home wherever you live. The rain has calmed down and the night is up, runt.'

Once again, he ignored me and continued pleasing the devil. He played music, he performed an act, he recited trivia, and he sang songs, cooked dinner and followed Yve like a leech. You are getting too full of yourself you know, you brat.

I attempted contact with the police station to inquire a missing child, 'If you don't listen to me then I hate to do it but I must call for the police.' Before I could even say hello, my phone disintegrated to scrap. And before I know it, a huge serpent hovered over me. His huge body trashed the room into a broken mess, 'know your place human.'

I wanted to run out of the snake's sight but my feet don't want to budge. I'm stuck there, not breathing nor is moving but the wheels in my head is turning 120 thought projections per second. 'Yve, come on and help me please. I don't know what's happening but he considers you far more superior than any of us here.'

She remained immobile with that usual pose of hers while reading a book. She sat at the edge of the couch, right hand leaning on the armrest and left leg over the other. 'What are you talking about Karne? Why are you just standing there all alone? In any case, I want to go to sleep. Sweet dreams.'

Wasn't it me who was supposed to say that? Yve really walked in the direction of the stair to the 2nd floor where her room is, 'Didn't I tell you? Call me big brother Karne.' I thought then that the serpent is going to eat me but it went in the direction of the book with a title Vylemor on it and dived into it. He disappeared just like that but when I went to open the book, it's empty. I examined it to pinpoint the publishing company or the author but all I saw was a drop of blood in the first page. 'Get your hands off of me, human.'

'What…' I went to see Doctor Dechat but he told me that he had an important work to finish and that my inquiries would have to wait until morning. I couldn't sleep well that night but fell asleep when the sun rose up. I woke up from an alarm system built for the plasma monitor connecting it to ES. I accepted the request call and an employee of the place appeared, 'A request had been filed for arena 2, sir.'

I hope it's not going to pile up again; dealing with too many competitors is hard even for me. 'What are the specifics?' The employee disappeared from view and then reappeared holding a document, 'They want to use it for a tournament in the ISC (International Sports Committee) next month on the third.' I looked at my watch and it's already 3 in the afternoon, 'Is that all?'

The employee disappeared again only to reappear with a basketful of documents, 'No sir, we have here a total of 275 request forms and 300 contract forms from various corporations willing to partner with us or supply us with the natural resources we are demanding.' I haven't had enough time to sleep and now I don't have the time to think about yesterday, 'I'll be there in an hour. Prepare for a meeting.' I hit disconnect and then prepared myself.

'Just what kind of lifestyle did the twin live all these years that they were able to erect the centre of the business world, ES all on their own?'

It's a good thing that the kid is not around but when I rushed outside with my bike, I saw Yve near the mansion next to us. She appeared to be observing something and when I saw who it is, I could not believe it. He was that new classmate of Vylemor, a misanthrope. But when I think of it, it's not a surprise that one who always seemed to not care and one who is always rude or mean without even trying can get along together. That new classmate is clinging on the wall for some reason I have no idea of while Yve remained as an observer.

'Oh no, stop wasting time you idiot. You have a work to do.' I sped up with my bike when I heard someone call to me, 'Sir Karne.' And right was I for the person is dressed as an employee of ES, 'I have been sent by the head of the zero floorers, Miss Denri. She said that you will certainly use your bike despite the tight schedules and that I have to come fetch you.'

Why is it that she is one level above me in authority? She's younger than me. Of course I know that she had been serving far longer than me but Denri is a slave driver. 'After this, send a cleaners team to the mansion. Some kid trashed the place last night and forgot to clean his mess.' The car sped up; it could be violating multiple rules all at once. 'Consider it done sir.'

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I had to stay for 3 days in ES because of all the work piling up like a work producer. It was beneficial for all the secret projects going on in ES but I have to take care of my health too. My exams are coming up this week too and even if I already have a job, I have to at least finish my education for my deceased sister. Denri on the other hand is currently degrading my choices in life, 'Sorry but your society just influences you in a stupid kind of way that an employee of ES who barely even went to school far outclasses your people and their lifestyles.'

Why am I eating with someone who insults me so openly anyway? I couldn't even find a single argument to disprove her claim. True enough as amazing and unbelievable as it is, not one person under the employment of ES falls under the category of the middle class man. Every one of them is as rich as those aristocrats and just as intelligent but what separates them from the rest of society is their way of thinking. They refer to outsiders as 'your' and insiders as 'us' all under one authority which I thought I knew to which I was mistaken.

They don't find value in any material wealth, even money which is why you can only enter floors in ES by means of access. It doesn't matter how many boxes of gold or money you give them, access is the only means for you to enter. If not, then it's totally free depending on the nature of your business.

'Please give me a break Denri; I'm only doing this for sentimental purpose and not for society or society's common sense.'

'Oh good, you're slowly starting to have your own sense and will. I thought you're some puppet in one of the world's marionette show.'

'And stop insulting me. I've had a tough day as it is.'

'I never insulted you Karne. I was just trying to pull out the facts. It didn't even reach the level of insult. Besides, an Enterian like us are supposed to enjoy what your common people would label as a 'tough day.' She passed to me an inch thick of short bond papers before setting an alarm of some kind.

'What are these for Denri?' I just had a bad feeling about what's going to happen. Every time she wears that starry-eyed, devotion-filled expression of hers when she hears the word related to tough, desperation or problem, expect a storm worse than a typhoon.

'What for, you say? Buckle up, boy! Those are all s class exam papers for college students. I am sure that if you answer them all correctly in the shortest period of time, you will come out victorious.'

What did I just say about a storm? 'But I have to go home today.'

'No you will not. If you do, you will not receive your salary for a year. Until you get this exam absolutely perfect, you are forbidden to get out of this monument.'

I know right, I should be the one handing out salary because I am the interim boss. It should be considered a crime but oddly enough, the government doesn't have any authority over ES. ES has its own sovereignty but it's not a country or a government. And of course, ES has its own security system which is why they do not need any protection from anybody. There were rumours that some country waged war on ES for gain purposes because it is not under the protection of any government but the next day, words say that for some unknown reason the war failed to occur. 'I'm going home regardless of what you impose upon me. Well then, I say my partings to you.'

To my greatest surprise, Denri did not stop me and I was rather curious for she had never failed to restrain people especially when things fail to go the way she wanted it to be. Resisting the urge to look back was no better task that I have to sprint; it might appear I was running away. I may have lost this year's salary for good but way better than for me being unable to stand for a word I have spoken.