“Wow, Aru-chan! Look! The tank just blew up!”
“Eh, hmm. I guess it’s true what they say about the talents recommended by that person. They’re really something.”
“If that’s the case, the first interview is a pass. But it doesn’t seem like the kind of interview Jomae Saori needed, though.”
Hearing Kayoko’s words, Aru’s eyes started to twitch. The truth is, she had a slightly personal reason for conducting this combat power test disguised as an interview today.
Last time, the chase and brief confrontation at Kaiser Corporation’s excavation site ended with Saori’s unquestionable victory.
Not only was Aru outmatched in momentum, but she was also outclassed in skill. While she had not completely failed to find an opportunity for a proper counterattack, the end result was disappointing, to say the least.
Even Aru could see that, and trying to deny it would only make her look worse.
Objectively assessing Saori, Aru concluded that she was indeed strong. It wouldn’t be inaccurate to say she was greatly outclassed in the combat situation at that time…
She realized she had to gain at least a slight advantage over Saori here. This was crystalized into a form of preemptive strike disguised as a combat power test for the interview.
“Ugh… Kayoko, that’s not right. No matter how strong the student is, if we’re thinking of bringing them on as a colleague, we need to be thorough! As the boss, it’s only natural to accurately assess the abilities of a new employee!”
Aru quickly retorted, stung by the truth of Kayoko’s statement. And indeed, it sounded very reasonable.
Had she not had her front and back mixed up, that would have been truly exemplary behavior for a boss.
‘With a properly armed force of 68 members, and on top of that, tanks secretly hidden by the Kaiser side! I thought it would be enough to suppress Jomae Saori’s spirit a little…!’
The reality was that the decision stemmed from the concern that bringing in an employee stronger than herself might flip the power dynamics, leading to a kind of discipline enforcement.
Aru was worried that she might lose her authority as a boss to Saori. With this anxious heart in tow, while watching Saori’s performance from a distance, a playful voice reached her ears.
“Kuhuhu, what’s that? They look really cool too, don’t they!? Making bold decisions and executing them without hesitation! So streamlined and sharp in movements that feel a bit excessive! A perfect candidate that fits the image of a hard-boiled villain who exudes restrained violence… don’t you think so, Aru-chan?!”
“Ah, yeah. Huh?!”
“Of course, I want to give Mitsuki-chan a passing grade~ Or should I even give extra points?”
Glancing at Mitsuki, who was fussing with binoculars, Aru bit her lip slightly.
Mitsuki praising someone to this extent seemed to be a first since meeting Mika. The problem was that unlike Mika, Saori was a hard-boiled villain… someone Aru truly admired in her pursuit.
That meant Saori was a real hard-boiled…
“Huh?”
In that moment, Aru realized something.
Her selfish desire to keep someone who walked the same path as her at bay meant she wasn’t embodying the essence of a hard-boiled character.
Rather, a true villain should cleanly acknowledge that and learn from it to refine themselves into an even better villain.
Feeling competitive against a future subordinate was one thing, but feeling a sense of crisis was uncharacteristic of a first-rate antagonist.
‘Even if an employee is stronger than the boss, if the boss possesses the charisma to harness them… wouldn’t that be the true hard-boiled style?!’
Shaking off her anxious thoughts, Aru pulled her coat as she turned her attention to the building below. Though, given her poor eyesight, she couldn’t see what was happening down there at all.
“Ha ha! Haruka-chan, way to go!”
Before she knew it, Haruka had appeared from the shadows and had begun spraying a shotgun wildly at Saori’s back. Thanks to Mitsuki cheering on Haruka, who was shouting, ‘Please die for Aru-sama!!!’, Aru couldn’t help but smile slightly.
“Mitsuki, Kayoko.”
“Ah, Aru-chan! This is a crucial moment!”
“Yes, boss.”
“We’ll return to the office for now.”
With a commanding presence, Aru continued her directive.
“And issue a recall order to Haruka…—”
“Um, Aru-chan? Haruka-chan just passed out.”
…she was about to continue.
“…We’ll return to the office immediately after retrieving Haruka.”
Finally amending her instructions, Aru walked toward the stairs in a charming manner, followed by the giggling Mitsuki and the expressionless Kayoko.
That day, in the already devastated urban district, only three damaged tanks and 68 wounded personnel remained.
Moreover, the forces hired without knowing that the opponent was Jomae Saori had to spend half of their pay on medical bills.
*
Hours after parting with Saori, Aru wondered how Saori was doing.
Considering her tendency to be a bit clumsy, it didn’t seem impossible that the Heungsinso kids would tease her at times…
Beeep!
“…Huh?”
This is…
When could it be? The communication device that Noa had personally delivered to share information related to the Supernatural Special Forces had finally gone off.
Curiosity piqued, Aru picked up the call, and soon a melodious voice flowed from the other end.
[Oh my, you responded faster than I expected? Did this transcendent genius sickly young girl make your heart race just a little?]
Wow. Really, her narcissism, impressive no matter when or where, is something else… At this point, it would be more appropriate to recognize it as Himari’s charm rather than a mere delusion.
But that’s beside the point.
“I’m hanging up?”
How frustrating, Himari. To subtly resurrect that cute girl title that was just recently stripped away. You’re about to get a lesson.
[Wait! Stop! Honestly, there’s a limit to how mischievous one can be, don’t you think? I know very well how much Mika-chan loves to chat with me!]
Himari seemed to react in surprise to my answer.
However, she didn’t hesitate to flaunt her charm, and this tenacity… No, this audacity to push forward is certainly something only a thick-skinned person like Himari could manage.
To be honest, I did miss this kind of conversation a bit. It gives off a vibe similar to how I treat close friends like Aco.
Perhaps it’s largely influenced by Mika’s personality, but I too think it’s quite cheeky.
“Well, hearing this self-absorbed voice after a while, I can’t say it feels bad ☆”
[…Isn’t the usual pattern with Mika-chan to follow up negative reactions with more teasing?]
“Himari-chan, are you perhaps a masochist?”
[W-What?! Of course not! I’m merely as pure as a single flower that would blend into a snowy landscape if left alone. The chance of being anything but a pristine flower is exceedingly close to zero.]
“Hmm… So saying it’s close to zero means it’s not zero, huh?”
[No, it’s zero. Did I not clearly deny such things before? That’s Mika-chan who’s more submissive than usual—Ugh.]
Huh? How would Himari know that?
“…Hey, how does Himari-chan know that? Hmm?”
[T-That’s a lady’s secret!]
“Sounds more like Himari-chan has stumbled upon a lady’s secret she shouldn’t know, doesn’t it? Admitting it nicely would be better for your own good. Alright?”
[…]
Himari chose silence.
A brief moment of wordless mental warfare followed…
“Well, it doesn’t really matter. Anyway, it’s been a while, Himari-chan. You called to follow up on that, right?”
Ultimately, I was the first to wave the white flag.
The reason? I felt no need to deny something so evident. And when asked if I was uncomfortable with Himari knowing, I could boldly say I wasn’t at all.
Teasing is only fun when the target feels shame.
Since I no longer felt any shame in this regard, that kind of fun had fizzled out.
[Yes, yes. Well… I might need Mika-chan’s help regarding the Supernatural Special Forces. I’m wondering if I could ask if you’re free.]
“Two days… Nah, if I tighten my schedule a bit, I could manage three days.”
[Great! Could you visit tomorrow morning?]
“Sure, that works. But what’s it about specifically?”
[It’s about Decagramaton and the ruins. There have already been incidents, but I think it’s best to go over related materials tomorrow.]
…Ah, was this about that vending machine episode?
I felt a bit glad since a familiar topic emerged after a while.
Nagisa might not be too keen about a trip to Gehenna, but I can persuade her actively enough to handle that.
“Then see you tomorrow, you transcendent lightweight ☆”
[…Hey, I feel like something’s been skipped over. Is it just me?]
Without replying, I hung up the communication.
