The reason for recommending Saori to Heungsinso was none other than for her own sake. Just think about how many people Saori could even call close friends, and it wouldn’t be hard to figure it out.
The kids of Arius Squad were gradually finding their places one by one.
No, they had long since found their spots. The birds that made up the nest of Arius Squad had left to establish their own homes.
Still, Hiyori was one of my worries, but thankfully she found good connections through her hobbies, which eased my concerns a bit.
But that wasn’t the case for Saori. At least, not as far as I knew. The rare connection she had with Hoshino never led to them actually spending time together, thanks to physical distance and Saori’s personality.
After all, Hoshino was still in a position where she had kids to care for, while Saori had just recently broken free from those chains.
So… Ah, right. As I mentioned earlier, Arius Squad is a nest. Now that the birds that were once its members are fluttering away, shouldn’t the mother bird also be given a chance to fly?
With that in mind, I turned my eyes toward Heungsinso. It was one of the few places where Saori could connect her best skills with new relationships.
Of course, there are many people in the world who manage to live just fine with a narrow social circle. It’s not necessarily a bad thing.
So I was thinking of respecting Saori’s wishes.
I had decided I wouldn’t push her to do anything she didn’t want to.
Accordingly, I first asked for Saori’s opinion, and the answer I received was…
“I don’t think what Mika is suggesting is wrong. So, I guess I’ll give it a try.”
She nodded eagerly.
And that was how Saori ended up getting a job at Heungsinso.
“…Um, Sa-chan?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, just nothing. Yeah.”
To be precise, it was her appearance in a skirt suit in front of me for her interview.
Honestly, her fit was so perfect it felt dangerously fierce. If asked to name the best office lady I’ve ever seen, I’d probably pick Saori right now.
Of course, Rion gave off a similar vibe, but calling her fit perfect would be a stretch—her figure kind of devoured the clothes? It was more about her overwhelming assets that made it feel that way… Ahem.
“…Ah. Is it because of this outfit? I heard this kind of attire is standard for interviews.”
“No, no! You look great! Yeah, it’s more than enough to give a good impression!☆”
“If I need to change, I can do it right now…”
“Absolutely not! You have to go just like that, got it?”
“Ah, got it…”
“Yes, good girl. And your makeup looks really nice today. You look great!”
“…”
Saori, blushing silently, was adorably cute in a way that’s just not normal. Normally cool and chic, our Saori occasionally shows off this cute side.
“Oof…!”
I couldn’t help but tiptoe and hug her tightly because she was that cute.
Inside, I wanted to ruffle her hair, but I decided to hold back today since messing up her hairstyle would be a no-go, and just stick to hugging.
“I shouldn’t be the one saying this since I arranged this, but if you don’t like it, don’t feel pressured to go through with it. I’ll take full responsibility.”
“Mika…”
“You know, I just want our Sa-chan to be happy. Of course, after the hardship, flowers bloom, right?”
“…I think I’m already quite happy as I am.”
“Then we need to make you even happier! Along with the other kids!☆”
Arius Squad is family. And, at the same time, they’re my family too. It’s a bit complex when you think about it.
So, the Saori who silently hugged me like this now, I’m going to be responsible for her happiness. Absolutely.
“I’m doing it, Mika.”
With a voice barely audible while whispering, Saori buried her face in my shoulder as her lips moved slowly.
“Good luck on the interview, Sa-chan. I’ll be cheering for you. Just so you know, everyone is a nice kid, so you don’t have to worry too much.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
To be honest, I had some doubts about the necessity of this interview… but I figured Saori would do just fine. So far, all the connections I’ve helped her with have clicked perfectly.
Yeah, so… it’s bound to work out this time too.
Oh, except for Azusa and Hifumi. Those two just negatively impact each other, a detrimental relationship.
…Or maybe? Did I lead Azusa down a wrong path and that’s why it turned out like this?
If that’s true, I might feel a bit unfair about it.
*
Inside the elevator quickly rising toward Heungsinso 68’s office, Saori mentally organized the general profiles of her interviewees.
Igusa Haruka. A fanatic follower of Aru, the boss, who would die if Aru said to die, and would kill if told to kill. A radical employee perfectly suiting the “villain” role the Heungsinso aims for, effectively serving as a vanguard leader.
Onikata Kayoko. Though she had only met her once, from the brief impressions back then, she seemed like the brains of Heungsinso 68. However, it is presumed that she doesn’t actively take charge outside of operations.
Asagi Mitsuki. To borrow Azusa’s words, a troublemaker. She has considerable combat power and seems to have a significant relationship with Aru.
‘…And for some reason, during my previous encounter, she looked quite friendly with Mika.’
That part stuck in Saori’s mind, but she decided to keep her personal feelings in check. After all, it was likely that they had not looked favorably upon her prior associations with Mika either.
Moreover, since Mika is generally friendly with everyone and strives to maintain amicable relations, there was no need to unnecessarily dwell on others’ feelings. Although, things could change suddenly, investing her energy into worrying about that felt wasteful.
Lastly, the boss, Rikuhachima Aru. A big shot who’s made a name for herself in the underworld, she has built a reputation of certainty in fulfilling commissions promptly within less than a year’s time—a figure of remarkable standing.
Based on her own experiences, Saori judged that while her own strength might rank below Aru’s, she couldn’t afford to underestimate her.
In summary, Heungsinso 68 was an organization that should never be taken lightly. With that in mind, the interview they prepared would likely not be passed so easily—
Ding!
As the elevator doors opened, Saori immediately stepped outside. However, she soon spotted a piece of paper stuck to the door of the Heungsinso office, blinking in surprise.
[Closed for today.]
Did she forget that she was supposed to visit today? But she decided to open the door anyway.
‘Maybe they blocked guests’ visits in advance for the interviews.’
Clunk.
But upon finding the door firmly shut, Saori frowned. The moment of “didn’t see that coming” had dawned.
Standing there dumbfounded, she placed her hand on the doorknob, sighing softly. Then, in annoyance, she ripped the paper down roughly with a shrak sound.
While she was in the act of tearing the paper apart in her displeasure, she noticed something strange.
There was another message written on the back of the paper.
‘…Is this an address?’
Apparently, the interview had already begun.
With no words, as she took out her phone to tap on the screen to search for the address, she inwardly felt grateful that she had learned how to use the navigation app from Mika before coming here.
*
The address written on the paper led to a place that resembled a ruin in the Gehenna Autonomous District. A location lined with dilapidated buildings, it looked like a place teeming with shady characters.
There, Saori was able to find a walkie-talkie.
As she picked up the walkie-talkie, which was sitting in the middle of the floor on the first level of the ruined building,
Crackle—
“Kuhoho. Nice to meet you, prospective intern! Looks like you didn’t turn back when faced with a little wind~? Even though you’re the talent that Angel-chan recommended, I’d rather not have employees who can’t properly observe their surroundings.”
Mitsuki’s playful voice came through immediately.
“…Has the interview already started?”
“Of course! We’re not the kind of company that has the luxury to waste time training someone for a cat-and-mouse game! So, from now on, it’s time for an exciting combat power test♪”
“I feel a bit awkward saying this, but I think I can assure you of my combat power.”
“Well, we all already know that~! Who would doubt the combat prowess of Jomae Saori? But Aru-chan says procedures are important… so from now on, our hired friends will be heading towards that building. You just need to defeat them all without exception!”
“Sounds dull.”
“Well, who knows? Kuhoho.”
Mitsuki chuckled as if finding this situation amusing before suddenly exclaiming, “Ah!”
And then—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion echoed through the ruins.
“By the way, that last one was a tank we swiped from Kaiser Corporation! In truth, they left ages ago♪.”
Having not detected anything unusual during her move here, Saori thought they probably had maintained some distance before entering. Silent and steady, she drew her gun.
“The total number is a whopping 68! Now, let’s see you really go wild!”
Crackle.
With the end of the transmission, Saori dashed outside the building.
She was a woman who was far more suited to being a hunter rather than the hunted.
