5. The Gold Digger’s Grand Scheme in Preparation

"Morning, Harano!"
"Morning."
"Here early today, Harano?"
"I woke up a bit early."

Entering the ward office, Harano Tsukasa was greeted periodically by colleagues from other departments as he stowed his umbrella. With only thirty or forty staff members in the Health and Welfare Division's office, two years of working together had made everyone familiar enough to at least exchange basic pleasantries.

Harano returned to his desk, tucked his umbrella into the stand, took his laptop out of his bag, and turned on his desktop computer. He entered his employee ID and password as he began his morning routine.

He was currently considering resigning.

Now that he possessed the "List of Malice," he no longer needed this job—which seemed stable but offered a poor return on investment—to survive. Focusing his energy on studying the List of Malice was far more important.

However, the resignation process for civil servants was tedious; one could not simply hand in a letter and walk away. Submitting a written application, review by the personnel department, approval by the appointment and dismissal authority, notifying and filing with the department, and finally, the handover of duties and official departure—every step was mandatory.

Resigning without authorization would be treated as a dismissal. One’s salary and personnel records would be frozen. While the outstanding subsidies were worth less than what he could earn by lying at home for half a month, he believed in respecting his own past labor. There was no need to act like an arrogant nouveau riche, loudly declaring that he didn't care about the money; that would be tacky and unpleasant. Handling the resignation through the proper channels was the best approach.

Moreover, Harano had no concrete plans for what to do after leaving, so the matter remained open for debate.

"Harano, did you see the body on that woman across the street just now? So big, so fair!" Takizawa Ryota, who had arrived at work slightly later, spoke before he even reached his desk.

Harano turned to look at a young man with a buzz cut, an ordinary face, and an expression of slight excitement. Takizawa was wearing a suit and was a bit shorter than Harano. His small eyes were always darting around, giving him a perpetually lecherous look. As he walked over, he used his hands to gesture a massive curve in the air, saying with exaggerated expression, "Super big! So generous!"

"I saw. It was indeed quite fair."
"Right? It’s beautiful. I’d trust her with the future of Tokyo just for having such a broad mind."
"Ahem..."
"If I could touch them, I’d definitely vote for her."
"Ahem, ahem..."
"What are you coughing for? Don't you want to touch them?"
"No, I don't."

"Just kidding, can't you play along?" Takizawa said, feeling a bit speechless. But then he noticed Harano looking past him, and a chill instantly surged from the soles of his feet to his head.

He turned to look behind him and saw a girl with chestnut-colored hair staring coldly at him, her face expressionless behind her glasses.

Takizawa forced a smile, swallowed hard, and said sheepishly, "Takanashi-san."

"Pervert!"

The chestnut-haired girl cursed coldly, turned on her heel, and walked away without hesitation. Even when Takizawa called out to her twice, she didn't spare him another glance.

Takizawa looked as if he’d had the worst luck imaginable. He grumbled, "Harano, why didn't you warn me? My reputation with Takanashi is completely ruined!"

"I gave you a hint," Harano said with a shrug and a faint smile.

Takizawa had joined the service in the same year as Harano after passing the local civil service exam. Though he was a bit lecherous, he was enthusiastic, and they were on good terms. However, having been single his entire life, he was currently pursuing the chestnut-haired girl and cared deeply about her opinion. After a long and intense campaign, she had finally agreed to a date this weekend, but it looked like that was now in jeopardy.

Takizawa knew it wasn't Harano's fault. He slumped into his chair, leaned back, and sighed at the ceiling. "Sigh, fine. My luck is terrible."

After a moment of existential despair, he suddenly asked, "By the way, Harano, didn't you arrive late yesterday afternoon?"
"I had something to take care of during lunch."
"When did you get back?"
"A minute or two before clocking in, I suppose."

Hearing this, Takizawa sprang up as if his seat were fitted with springs. His expression turned grim as he whispered, "That's trouble."

"What's going on?" Harano raised an eyebrow.

"You know how Hoshino has been acting like a maniac lately, trying to show off? Even if you made it back before clocking in, it was too close for comfort." Takizawa glanced around, looked to the front left, then leaned in closer to whisper, "I heard from Hiraga that the moment you got back yesterday, that woman Hoshino went straight to the Section Chief to report you. With the Metropolitan Government conducting strict inspections lately, she even acted hypocritically, saying things like, 'I saw him rush out, is he okay? Should we send someone to check on him?'"

"The Section Chief didn't call me in before leaving yesterday," Harano recalled, also glancing toward the front left.

That was where Hoshino Ruka's desk was located. He quickly locked onto his target. A beautiful woman with light brown hair sat across the aisle, currently applying lip glaze with a cushion applicator. Her white skin was visible at the cuffs of her suit jacket, and she seemed oblivious to the conversation.

"Hiraga said that as soon as Hoshino finished reporting you, the Section Chief left for a meeting at the Metropolitan Government office," Takizawa explained.

"I see," Harano nodded.

"She's such a bitch! She’s doing everything she can to become the Section Chief. The day before yesterday, she even reduced Chiba-san to tears—it was blatant workplace bullying, and they’re supposed to be at the same rank!" Takizawa whispered indignantly.

Harano was aware of the situation. The Health and Welfare Division was split into three sections; he, Takizawa, and Hoshino all belonged to the Medical Security Section. The previous section chief had been a middle-aged man who faced an amputation after a car accident last month and had since taken early retirement. Consequently, the position of section chief for the Medical Security Section was vacant, and the competition behind the scenes was fierce.

Because of this, their section was currently being managed directly by the Division Chief. With the Metropolitan Government conducting institutional inspections, the competitors were making their ambitions very clear.

Hoshino Ruka had worked there for four years. She was relatively young but had been promoted to "Chief" last year according to custom—though the title was more of a rank than a position of authority over subordinates.

In his memory, the original Harano was low-key. He got along fine with the men but rarely interacted with the women, so he likely had no prior grudge against her. However, her reputation was poor; she was seen as vain, and many called her a gold-digger.

At the thought of this, Harano narrowed his eyes.

*A gold-digger.*

The term might carry a negative connotation for others, but for him, it triggered his "Element Perception." Compared to malice that was extremely difficult to realize or rooted in twisted values, the vices of vain women obsessed with gold-digging seemed much easier to manipulate.

After all, the malice of a gold-digger was simple.

They only loved money! They would stop at nothing to get it. And what woman who practiced gold-digging didn't have a few tricks up her sleeve? Wouldn't she be forced to open her purse? In other words, these were potential hidden energy reserves for his "good sisters"!

Before Harano could check Hoshino Ruka's List of Malice, Takizawa suddenly said, "Hiraga is coming."

Harano looked up to see a slightly chubby young man with round black glasses walking quickly toward them. He leaned in toward Harano and whispered, "Harano-senpai, Section Chief Suzumiya wants to see you."

Hiraga Genji had only passed the exam this year. He was a junior to both of them and had a shy, reserved personality. He looked at Harano, hesitated for a moment, then leaned in closer to whisper, "Senpai, the situation isn't good. The Section Chief is in a bad mood."

"I understand," Harano said, patting him on the shoulder.

Takizawa shook his head.

As Harano stood up, he glanced toward Hoshino Ruka’s desk once more. She was resting her chin on her hand, staring at her computer, chewing on the end of a pen with her glossy, pink lips. She looked completely oblivious, but Harano noticed her cast a fleeting glance in his direction.

[Target of Malice: Hoshino Ruka]
[List of Malice follows:]
[1. I really want an Hermes bag. Damn it, Momoka Yamashita has one, why can't I? If only someone would buy one for me. (White)]
[2. The position of Section Chief must be mine. (Blue)]
[3. I hate rainy days. If only I had a car. But used cars are so pathetic, people would look down on me, and I can't afford a nice one. Why are the men chasing me all broke? Damn it. (Blue)]

Three instances of malice, two related to money.

This gold-digger was exactly his type!

After pondering for a moment, Harano said nothing more and turned to walk toward the Section Chief's office.