Well, a few weeks have passed since then.

　As for me, I was in the middle of job hunting.

　I got out of the 4th largest party in the world, but I couldn't find the next party at all.
　Even if I found a party, they don't accept me.
　There are several ways to find a party.
　One is to use your contacts.
　Unfortunately, this doesn't work. Although I have a large number of acquaintances, their assessment of me is only 'For some reason, I'm in Fenix's party [Black Mage]'.
　Considering that I was left out of Fenix's party, which is crucial, it's hard to ask for help.
　One has to look for a party to recruit members.
　This seems like a better option at first glance, but these things basically have a clear [position (job)] that they are looking for.
　'Urgent, vanguard position! It's like. There's no wrong way to ask for a [Black Mage].
　One can use the Adventurer's Union's matching service. It costs a lot of money, and it doesn't mean you'll never find your friends, but it's a quicker way to find them than searching steadily.
　In fact, I came here today to try this out.
　It was a disastrous result.
　Why does the [Black Mage] exist? No one wanted it, to the point where I felt like crying that it was a bullying by God.
　I found several 【Black Mage】 parties, a pitch-black group of 【Black Mages】 by 【Black Mages】 for 【Black Mages】, but as expected, I couldn't think of contacting this.
　It was too unbalanced for four of the five 【Black Mages】 to be 【Black Mages】.
　Some people might think that if we make them all 【Black Mage】 and debuff them all, we could defeat the enemy just by hitting them.
　That strategy itself is, well, doable. It wouldn't be very popular, though.
　There was a practical problem, however.
　According to the rules, one person in the party must be a 【Brave Person】.
　In recent years, the number of adventurers has continued to increase.
　It's such a popular job that it's fighting for the top spot in children's future dream rankings.
　The children who become [Brave] will almost certainly become adventurers. Without them, a party can't be formed, so the aspiring adventurers gather with the brave ones.
　Unpopular 【Position(Job)】 people flood the world, and one or two more disappear from the industry without being picked up by anyone.
　Yes, I'm a [Black Mage]. I can't create my own party.

''It's not good...''

　I can't go back to my parents' house.
　When it turned out that I was a [Black Mage], my parents were in despair. Well, it can't be helped. There's no decent job for 【Black Mage】 to wear. An adventurer would be the only one.　
　Even so, my parents found a job for me, but in the end I kicked it off and became an adventurer.
　That's why it's a little hard to see them.
　If not, I wasn't going to give up.

''All right!''

　I crumple my face between my hands and chase the dark thoughts out of my head.
　I walk out of the Adventurer's Guild branch. It's still daylight and the city is alive with activity.
　For now...!　Let's get something to eat.
　I was hungry.
　As I walked toward the marketplace to grab a spit of meat, my eyes met the eyes of a young girl.
　She recognized me right away, and her doglike ears and tail wagged.
　I was about to run out of the room, but she held it together and instead waved her hand in the air to make her presence known.
　I hastily changed my destination and smiled back at the baby girl.　
　It was a fruit store where a big, good-natured middle-aged man set up his stall.

'Hey Reme,'

Hello. Hello, Kash.

Yes!　Hello, Leme.

　Subhuman. In the broadest sense, it is a generic term for all creatures that look similar to humans, including goblins and orcs.
　Basically, however, sub-humans are mostly the same as humans, and refer to those who have some of their own species characteristics.
　Kash is a sub-human of dogs. His brown hair is fluffy, and his ears grow taller than people's. He has dull eyes and facial expressions that move around a lot.
　I've missed this childish woman with her dull eyes and well-moving expression.

I'm not sure if it's to your advantage to get such a well-paying regular, or if it's to your advantage to be a good-looking old man or a kid.

　He returned the shopkeeper's blurbs with a wry smile.
　Kash wasn't helping the shopkeeper.
　He spreads a furoshiki between the stalls, with misshapen fruit stacked on top of it.
　The shopkeeper makes Kash sell what he deems to be unfit for sale at a substantial discount.
　However, it is not compulsory. The shopkeeper, who is a friend of Kash's mother, suggests the current arrangement to Kash, who wants to help the family with their finances.
　The day after I left the party, I was quite depressed, and I happened to see Kash working, which was very encouraging. You could say I was encouraged.
　Kash is only 8 years old. She's a little girl, but she works very hard.
　It's because she got kicked out of the party. She doesn't have time to be depressed.
　I took the liberty of buying some fruit to return the favor.
　Apparently I was the first customer, and Kash was very happy to see me.
　I understand the joy of getting paid for my first labor.
　Her smile was so radiant these days that when I'm feeling a little down, I naturally turn to this place.
　When I see her innocent smile, I feel that a little moisture will return to my dry heart.

''What will you have for today?

　Kash looks excited and starts serving customers.
　I asked him to mend a few recommendations, and he took a bite of one himself and gave one to Kash.
　Kash showed some restraint at first, but when he saw that I didn't pull my arm back, he accepted it with a smile on his face.
　The red-skinned, fist-sized fruit was yellow with a slight tartness and a refreshing sweetness.
　It was distorted to be a sphere, but the taste was the same.

'Yeah, it's delicious.'

　I nodded, and Kash looked pleased.
　She, too, held the fruit in her hands and gently took a bite of it. I heard a shuddering sound.

'So, how's it going, Leme? Do you think you'll find a job?

Oh no, that's not quite...

You're a [Black Mage], right?

That's what it is, isn't it?

I think the Black Mage is pretty cool too!

　Kash said with a huff and a snort, as if he thought the owner had made fun of me.
　The gentleness of the situation stung my heart.

Thank you.

　I was so happy that I patted her head and she squinted her eyes pleasantly.

''Can't you use anything but black magic?''

　The owner is a shopkeeper and he's worried about me, who I've only met for a short time.
　Yes, the whole world isn't cold to me.
　It's just that the adventurers look down on 【Black Mage】 as an unnecessary existence.

''It's not that I can't use them, but inexplicably, when I dabble in anything other than the right job, I can't get much accomplishment.

　The [position (job)] will show you the right job, but that's it.
　It doesn't help you if you're interested in other jobs.

'Oh, I get it, man. I wanted to be a tailor too, but no matter how much I practiced, I couldn't reach the [position (job)] holder.

If the hard work had paid off, I would have been [position (job)].

You're not gonna make it.

I guess I'll just have to divide it up and do what I can.

Yeah. In case it doesn't work out, you can spread a furoshiki next to Kash.

'Haha thank you very much.

　Sweet fruit sellers.

'Kyah!'

　I heard such a cry from a short distance away.
　I instantly look around. We find a lady who has fallen down.
　We also spot a suspicious man running in the direction we are. He has a bag in his arms.
　The lady's shout confirms it's a snatch-and-grab.
　I think for a moment and call out to the owner.

'Could you stand in front of the man, please?　It's okay, I won't let you get hurt.

　The owner was on the road before I could say anything.
　He has a strong sense of justice.　

'What the hell, Leme, you're going to do something about it!

Yeah well, it's black magic, so it's just support.

　A man approaches.
　I cast a spell on him.