The Mob Character Who Woke Up!-Chapter 58: What did he sign up for! (2)

Kaizen slowly nodded his head in understanding, and seeing his increasingly solemn expression, Mr. Finch quickly jumped in to add something.

"That doesn’t mean one can’t study it and make practical use of it before reaching S rank though! It’s fairly simple if you just—"

The Professor cut him off with a surprisingly calm voice without any of the usual luster of naughtiness or drunken slurring.

"Stop sugarcoating words, Finch. If he’s going to stay in this department, then he should know the complete truth about what he’s getting into. We don’t need to trap someone here just because our department will be closed soon and we’ll lose our jobs."

Kaizen was genuinely surprised at that statement because he honestly didn’t believe this drunk professor of his was actually someone who cared about other people in any meaningful way.

But seeing him now voluntarily giving Kaizen an opportunity to run away and change streams was actually a nice gesture. He didn’t have to be tied down to this stream if things weren’t that great after all.

’These two aren’t as bad as I initially thought.’

Kaizen mentally gave them a point for that display of integrity.

The Professor wasn’t done yet though, and he continued while looking directly at Finch and reprimanding him seriously, though he did glance at Kaizen from time to time to gauge his reaction.

"Obviously, it will only be you and me that will go completely bankrupt if something like that happens. We are all this department has left, and this department is everything we have in this world. So if something terrible happens and we lose funding, I would personally have to go down to the street and sit on the busiest sidewalk and beg passersby for money.

"Of course, that would only happen if this brave and smartest student decides to walk out that door right now. But of course, we absolutely can’t force him to stay here against his will."

"Very true, Professor. As your loyal assistant, this twenty-five-year-old young boy would have to step onto the degrading path of begging alongside you if the department gets officially decommissioned by the Dean.

"But of course, that would only happen if this heroic student who is clearly destined to become the next SSS rank, no wait, the next SSR ranker in history, decides to cruelly abandon us to our fate."

Both of them wiped away imaginary tears dramatically and shook their heads in synchronized sorrow.

"..."

Kaizen stared at them in complete disbelief.

’I take back everything nice I just said about them. What a bunch of stupid actors!’

Seeing the utterly pathetic acting performance of these two grown men, Kaizen was now completely convinced that this drunkard guy must have somehow blackmailed the Association to give him an S-rank badge through some kind of elaborate scheme, because there was no way this terrible actor who was undoubtedly stupid and goofy could have legitimately become an academy professor through normal channels.

Kaizen crossed his arms and closed his eyes while his eye twitched with increasing annoyance.

"Ha! Only if this excellent student with unlimited potential stays could I possibly afford three meals a day instead of starving! Whaaa!"

"Ha! Only if this kindest student with a heart of gold stays could I possibly afford keeping a roof over my head instead of sleeping in the rain! Whaaa!"

Kaizen’s eye twitching increased exponentially, and the stupid theatrical murmuring from the two stupid actors continued escalating until Kaizen finally snapped completely and slammed both hands on the low table.

BANG!

Both the Professor and his assistant immediately became silent and stopped their pathetic crying act, turning to watch the student with perfectly synchronized puppy dog eyes that would have been adorable if they weren’t so obviously fake.

Seeing this ridiculous display, Kaizen was completely done with this department and everyone in it.

’What a pair of dog poop! No, dog poop has much integrity than these two!’

An S-Ranker gets at least two million Crowns deposited into their account every single month as a salary! How is this stupid guy claiming to be bankrupt when literally all he does from morning to night is drink and drink some more!

’And you, Mr. Finch, I thought you were supposed to be a good guy! Ha! You must have been corrupted by this alcoholic professor into becoming this pathetic!’

Kaizen sighed out a foul breath and slumped down in defeat while the other two men leaned forward eagerly with exaggerated puppy eyes, waiting in breathless anticipation for his answer.

"Fine, I’ll stay."

Hearing those magical words, the two actors immediately jumped up from the ground and started dancing around the room like they had won the lottery.

Of course, being thoroughly drunk, the Professor lost his footing mid-celebration and fell forward, hitting his head directly on the low table with a resounding crack, ricocheting off the hard surface, and immediately started snoring loudly on the ground like nothing had happened.

"What the actual hell?"

Kaizen could only rub his forehead in exasperation while watching this circus. What had he actually signed up for? What kind of cursed department was this?

Kaizen craned his neck downward to look at the floor where the Professor had collapsed.

Professor Mortimer was snoring. Loudly and obnoxiously. A small bubble of snot inflated and deflated rhythmically from his nose with every single breath like some kind of disgusting biological balloon.

’He just fell asleep! How is that even possible?! He literally just face-planted directly into a solid wooden table!’

Kaizen looked at Mr. Finch with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"Is he actually dead? That sounded like a severe skull fracture."

Finch just shrugged casually while adjusting his glasses like this was a completely normal Tuesday occurrence.

"He is an S-Ranker. His skin is harder than industrial-grade diamond. He just reboots sometimes when he overexerts himself. Like a faulty computer that crashes randomly."

"Reboots? More like he himself is the virus infecting this entire department."

Finch cleared his throat awkwardly, trying desperately to regain some semblance of academic dignity after that embarrassing display.

"But Kaizen, may I ask you a serious question that’s been bothering me? Why exactly did you choose this particular stream out of all the available options?"