“………………Didn’t you just say that this company doesn’t have any of the three essentials?”
The internal struggle completely shattered, Luo Shiyin silently turned her head, though there was still a faint trace of hesitation in her eyes.
In response, the middle-aged man continued walking, entirely ignoring whether she would follow: “Strictly speaking, the salary is only five dollars a month, but the boss will give an extra fifty thousand as a hardship bonus.”
“………………Show me around this place that’s about to ruin my life.”
Taking a deep breath, Luo Shiyin jogged to catch up with him, her expression serious yet tinged with a touch of tragic determination.
Anyone who didn’t know her might think she was about to become the toy of some rich loli.
“Now, let’s greet the colleagues.”
Exhaling a puff of smoke, the middle-aged man paused at the corner of the hallway, turning his head to glance at the black-haired, straight-lolita behind him.
Hearing this, Luo Shiyin curiously poked her head out from his side.
What she saw was a fairly ordinary office space of less than 100 square meters.
In the center was a hollow circular table that could seat ten people, with two opposing sofas on either side.
In the middle was a tea table full of snacks.
At this moment, a pink-haired girl wearing headphones and chewing on something was lying across the sofa, playing with a tablet.
Her long legs, exposed beneath her shorts, were casually crossed, with her ankle resting on the opposite armrest.
Further away, there was a small office separated by frosted glass, no bigger than ten square meters, right next to a wooden door embedded in the wall, likely belonging to the boss, as indicated by the “Office” label hanging on it.
It seemed that the girl lying on the sofa noticed the movement around the corner.
She tilted her head backward and looked at the two newcomers, blowing out a large pink bubble.
Then…the bubble burst and stuck to her face.
“Ugh!”
In a panic, she tossed her tablet aside and tried to scrape the gum off her face.
However, her wide movements caused her to fall off the sofa.
Fortunately, she was wearing a cropped top, so there was no risk of any embarrassing moments.
“Miho, try to act a little more reserved in front of the newcomer.”
The middle-aged man, holding a slowly burning cigarette in his mouth, spoke calmly, as though this kind of situation had become normal to him.
The girl, after finally peeling the gum off her face and getting up from the floor, waved dismissively, a carefree look on her face: “What’s the big deal? But really, why did you bring such a young kid in here? Has our organization really fallen so low that we have to recruit child labor?”
“First of all, you’re still a high school student, so you’re still in the ‘kid’ category; second…Miss Luo is already twenty years old, so you should call her ‘senior’ if you’re going by age.”
Without even looking at the black-haired girl next to him, the middle-aged man spoke in a monotone, as though reciting facts: “Third, she came here because of the boss’s recruitment ad, and had complete autonomy in making the decision.”
“Eh? Twenty? By the way, did that recruitment ad actually work?”
Upon hearing this explanation, the pink-haired girl’s eyes widened in disbelief, looking at Luo Shiyin as if she were some rare creature…although legal lolis are indeed quite rare in real life.
“Um… I was actually about to ask, is there some special meaning behind that recruitment ad you guys keep talking about?”
Only then did Luo Shiyin finally ask.
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man was about to respond when the pink-haired girl named Miho pulled out her phone and leaned in with a smile: “Didn’t the boss tell you about this?Let me ask you—do you know that magical girls are real in this world?”
Looking at her youthful, even makeup couldn’t hide her girlish face, Luo Shiyin silently took half a step back, gently nodding her head.
Upon seeing this, Miho’s face immediately fell: “What? You already knew? I was hoping to collect a cute, confused expression from the new colleague to add to my collection…””The recruitment poster was personally made by the boss. Everyone who can see that poster has the ‘talents’ our organization needs. And those who can figure out where to go based on the limited information on that poster are the ones eligible to become cadre candidates with the freedom to choose their positions.”
Ignoring the back-and-forth between them, the middle-aged man walked to the window, flicking the ash from his cigarette while explaining in a neutral tone.
Hearing this, Luo Shiyin couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow: “Let’s not talk about how you guys confidently call that palm-sized recruitment ad a ‘poster,’ but you do know that putting riddles on it makes it impossible for people to find the place, right?”
“See! I told you that design had problems!”
Upon hearing this, Miho seemed to be activated and immediately raised her hand, shouting: “I said no one would understand it, but you guys insisted it was me being dumb!”
“Well, she found it, didn’t she?”
The middle-aged man spoke calmly, turning his head to look at the now exasperated Luo Shiyin: “Since you can accept the idea that magical girls are real, I won’t explain why ordinary people can’t see that poster. As for now, you should head to the office and talk to the boss. You can ask her all your questions.”
He paused, as if to emphasize his point, then added: “Remember, all your questions. I’m busy.”
[This doesn’t really feel like a busy atmosphere here…]
Luo Shiyin thought to herself as she looked at the wooden door labeled “Office.”
She swallowed nervously.
To be honest, she was still a bit confused.
She had suddenly transmigrated into a girl, joined a pitifully small evil organization, and now she was about to meet the boss… was this pace too fast?
“Don’t worry, the boss may look a little scary, sound like a villain, and be a bit tough, but she’s actually really nice. Just think of her like that teacher who frequently checks on discipline at school but would help you hide your phone if she catches you with it.”
Bending down, Miho patted Luo Shiyin’s delicate shoulder, giving her a thumbs up with an utterly unreliable attitude.
Luo Shiyin’s lips twitched slightly as she turned her head toward the middle-aged man.
But at that moment, he was already leaning against the windowsill, gazing at the clear sky—looking like a middle-aged office worker who was slacking off.
“Alright… I hope you’re right.”
With a helpless sigh, Luo Shiyin lifted her foot and walked toward the wooden door that had “Office” labeled on it.
However, just as she reached the door, it automatically opened a crack, and a deep, commanding voice filled with the air of authority came from within: “Come in.”
Luo Shiyin froze halfway through raising her hand.
However, since she was a young man in his twenties at heart, she quickly adjusted her mindset and pushed the door open, as if she were about to meet the CEO of the company.
Contrary to what she had imagined, the office behind the door wasn’t luxurious or spacious like the tone of the voice suggested.
Instead, it had a stifling, oppressive feeling.
The office, which was about ten square meters in size, was dominated by large file cabinets and bookshelves, leaving just enough space for a desk.
At that moment, a tall figure, fully clad in menacing black metal armor, with only two scarlet spots glowing through the eye slits, slowly lowered his head, looking at the black-haired, straight-lolita who had to jump to reach his knee.
“You are the newcomer?”
Feeling the overwhelming pressure from the figure, Luo Shiyin instinctively swallowed.
It was then that she truly realized—this wasn’t any normal company she had joined.
“Damn, I think I scared them. Will this little kid cry? But if I change my voice now, would it be too suspicious?”
The armored figure’s heart gave a jolt as he noticed the black-haired girl, who seemed stunned by the sight.
He immediately began to regret his approach.
Just as he was considering whether to comfort her, Luo Shiyin suddenly closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again, her expression now calm and composed.
I’m not scared.
“Hello, I’m Luo Shiyin. Are you the person in charge of this organization?”
“Huh? Ah, yes, I am.”
The sudden change in attitude caught the armored figure off guard, leaving him momentarily speechless.
However, he quickly regained his composure and nodded gently.
“Anyone who can find this place using that recruitment poster proves they are capable. And we never hesitate when it comes to talented individuals.”
Saying this, the armored figure opened a drawer, took out a blue card, and gently pushed it toward her.
“This is an anonymous cash card that can be used at designated banks. It contains five thousand yuan. Consider it a welcome gift.”
“……Thank you for your consideration.”
Seeing the card that seemed to shimmer with golden light, Luo Shiyin immediately felt that the armored figure had become more approachable, and his voice didn’t seem as intimidating.
However, before she could take the card, she restrained herself and asked: “May I ask a few questions?”
“Of course. As the boss, it’s my duty to answer any questions my employees have.”
The armored figure raised his head slightly, signaling for her to continue.
“Earlier, the person who interviewed me mentioned that this is a world with magical girls, and we’re part of an evil organization… May I ask, what is the purpose of our organization, and what is our approach to action?”
Luo Shiyin took a deep breath and asked these questions all at once, waiting for a response.
These questions had only occurred to her after she had felt the immense pressure from the armored figure.
Though she prided herself on having a flexible moral compass as a youth of the new era, she knew if she was required to be a true villain and indiscriminately kill innocent people… well, she would agree for the moment and look for a chance to join the so-called magical girl faction later on.
As for why she didn’t immediately quit?
What was she thinking?
The organization had already announced they were evil—she didn’t want to experience being the protagonist in some weird story.
“Great question!”
On the other side, it seemed like the armored figure’s eyes gleamed a little brighter, and he raised his hand to gesture grandly.
“As an evil organization, our goal is to interfere with any actions of magical girls, deal with or steal the monsters they are supposed to defeat, and make sure they have nothing to do! As for the approach, there are no strict requirements. Just follow the laws and regulations and try not to harm the interests of ordinary people during our actions.”
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