If it were a different interviewer, having Clara introduce the Dream Witch Manpower Dispatch Company wouldn’t be impossible…
Though it was a front for the Undercover Department, all the procedures were legal and compliant.
Except for Fran’s somewhat dirty resume—she was a researcher fired by a criminal company—the others had no major stains on the surface. Letting Clara give a simple introduction wouldn’t cause any slip-ups.
But sitting across from her was the “Mechanical Angel” Alice, the person Fran Livka had identified as her father’s murderer. How could Clara possibly introduce the company under these circumstances?
There were only four people total, and it would be easy to mention Fran. Maybe Alice even remembered her…
No, she definitely remembered!
An AI wasn’t human; how could it possibly forget?
Even a human would remember the face of the daughter of the person they killed.
If she brought up Fran here, their plan to get close to Alice would be ruined.
“Well, it really is a company built around me. Actually, most Hero Companies are founded that way, right? You need a hero first before you can establish a company…”
Alice shook her head and interrupted Clara’s conclusion.
“No, there are also companies that are founded first, and then heroes are ‘manufactured.’”
“Huh?”
“After all, I once belonged to such a company.”
Clara vaguely recalled that the Hero Company Alice belonged to had been destroyed by a direct attack from a Mutant organization.
Alice had once belonged to a company that created AI heroes. After that, she became a solo hero for a time.
Fortunately, as an AI, she had no weaknesses like family or friends, so even when targeted, she managed to endure until she joined the Association and finally found a new organization.
That “story” sounded quite inspiring and matched a hero’s growth arc.
But in Fran Livka’s eyes, that so-called attack was just an “accident” that Alice had staged to break free from the company’s reins.
Because Fran had constantly instilled this idea in her, Clara was also quite wary of Alice.
“Th-the Dream Witch is a very small company. We’ve just been founded and haven’t even recruited yet. There’s really nothing to talk about. Currently, including me, there are only four employees…”
“Are you nervous?”
As Alice asked this, data streams still flickered in her eyes.
“Huh?”
“Your speaking speed is fast, your posture is tense, and your pupils are shifting erratically—these are signs of unease… Miss Clara, does communicating with me make you feel pressured?”
So she could tell after all!
Clara had tried to act as naturally as possible, but the other party was an AI, after all, with a much stronger ability to capture and analyze details than an average person.
“…A-a little nervous.”
“Is it because I’m a Top-tier Hero, or because I’m not human?”
Obviously neither…
“No, Miss Alice looks almost indistinguishable from a human. In fact, you’re more beautiful than most humans…”
Clara explained quietly while throwing in a compliment, which unexpectedly worked.
A faint, barely noticeable smile appeared on Alice’s indifferent face.
“Miss Clara has a sweet mouth, but we’re still in the middle of the interview. You don’t need to flatter me like this. And of course, don’t be nervous. We’re having an equal conversation.”
Alice quickly suppressed that faint smile and continued asking:
“What kind of person is your President?”
“Even though your employee count is very small, your registered capital is surprisingly substantial. Why are you still grilling me about the Dream Witch?”
As for President Cexia’s identity…
It was also a mystery to Clara.
“Uh, actually, I don’t know much either.”
She only knew she was a relative of the Supreme Leader, but Clara couldn’t guess the exact relationship. Maybe a daughter or a younger sister?
After all, she had the same type of dream manipulation ability as the Supreme Leader.
“Can I take that to mean you weren’t familiar with the President before joining the company?”
“Yeah.”
“Is the President very rich?”
“Mm, probably a mysterious sugar mama?”
“Then how were you recruited?”
“A friend recommended me. When she found out I got a Magic Gem and became a Magic Girl, she said there was a big boss willing to back me as a hero…”
Up to this point, Clara’s answers were all “truths,” just concealing the half that was a lie. Doing this at least allowed Clara to speak from the heart.
“Then this friend you mentioned—is she your current colleague?”
When Alice asked this, cold sweat broke out on Clara’s forehead.
She had accidentally steered the conversation back to Fran again.
“Y-yes.”
“May I ask her name?”
“No!”
“Hmm?”
Clara’s sudden firmness confused Alice.
“Th-this is a confidential matter for our company. Besides, the registered hero network only requires the hero’s personal information, right? There’s no need to register support staff members too, is there?”
“…Mm, the regulations do say that. Like I said at the beginning, this conversation is conducted with respect for personal privacy. If you don’t want to answer, you can completely refuse.”
Alice didn’t press further, but Clara tried to maintain control of the conversation.
“Even though you’re supposed to be verifying my personal identity, you keep asking about the company. If I didn’t know who you were, I could totally see you as a corporate spy, you know?”
“Alright, let’s end this topic here.”
Alice blinked, and the data stream that had been rapidly passing through her eyes disappeared.
‘Phew, finally stopped.’
Nyx also breathed a sigh of relief.
On the invisible network battlefield, Nyx had been constantly fabricating false data to deal with the fellow AI Alice, while also avoiding detection.
‘The background check is over.’
‘She’s decided to talk to you on a personal level.’
“Clara, you’ve performed excellently among the new generation of heroes. It’s not just me; other high-ranking heroes in the Association are paying close attention to your performance. If possible, we can give you special treatment and waive these tedious procedures.”
Having predicted Alice’s rhetoric, Clara twitched the corner of her mouth.
‘I knew it.’
“But that won’t work.”
Then just let me register directly!!
“But that won’t work.”
Alice continued to explain:
“The hero network is an important project for the Association. We must ensure the abilities and conduct of registered heroes, as well as protect your personal information… Please understand. If this has caused you any discomfort, please allow me to apologize on behalf of the Association.”
Clara shook her head.
She didn’t want to hear such polite formalities.
“How does the Association guarantee the security of our information? The black-box system of an AI is not an unbreachable fortress. In fact, many heroes think the Association’s system is unsafe…”
Then she changed the subject.
“If you can prove the system’s security to me, I might be able to convince Kamui to register too. The reason she came with me today was to see how things stand.”
“I see. Miss Kamui still hasn’t made up her mind?”
Alice thought for a moment, then looked up at Clara again.
“When a computer’s computing power develops to its limit, it can simulate everything, even predict the future. Would you believe such a statement?”
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