At this moment, Lucia sat trembling on the sofa, barely daring to lean back, afraid she might damage something and have to pay for it…
Even this sofa underneath her looked like it cost tens of thousands. If it got deformed from her sitting, she simply couldn’t afford to compensate.
As an intern just entering society, still not even graduated, and newly arrived in Central City, Lucia was under a lot of pressure. She’d been tense the entire trip on the spaceship, until…
She saw Miss Clara.
Even though it was their first meeting, she didn’t feel nervous at all. Somehow, she felt relaxed, even comforted…
As for why, Lucia couldn’t quite say.
But now, seeing the dormitory and Miss Fran, her nervousness and unease returned.
This apartment’s environment was excellent, more luxurious than any hotel she’d ever seen. It even had independent rooms as a dormitory…
The conditions were so lavish it felt like a dream—but precisely because it was so good, it made her suspicious.
She couldn’t help but recall her brother’s advice.
When looking for a job, you have to do your homework. A startup company with no information available is not something to blindly trust. Losing the airfare is one thing, but losing yourself would be far worse.
She hoped nothing bad would happen to her.
The problem was, she simply didn’t understand…
Dream Witch Staffing Agency was a startup, so a lack of manpower was understandable, and she could even accept limited funding. But why spend so much money on employee dormitories?
Three months into employment, then tricked into going abroad for a fake vacation?
According to Miss Fran, this large apartment was the boss’s own property, rented out to the company as dormitories. Could it be that he was trying to embezzle investment funds through this scheme?
And Miss Clara was the company’s sole hero, a magical girl at that.
Lucia was hired as a maintenance staff member, but she had no experience maintaining magical girls, and didn’t even know why the boss had chosen her…
Fran looked at the girl who was pretending to be strong and cheerful.
“Are you feeling uneasy, Sister Lucia?”
She sat down beside her, leaning close as she coaxed:
“Don’t worry~ It’s definitely better here than other companies. Other hero agencies treat interns like beasts of burden! Here, following a genius like me, you’ll actually learn something and build project experience…”
Lucia was Uncle Squire’s younger sister, and although she was older than Fran, Fran felt a strong need to take care of her…
Was it a sense of responsibility?
“I’m fine. It’s just my first time in Central City, and my first time seeing such a wealthy company—it’s a bit overwhelming. Miss Fran, did you and the boss know each other before?”
Lucia didn’t want to show too much worry as she said this.
“Yeah. ‘Dream Witch’ really is a startup, but the capital behind it isn’t. So don’t worry! We’re definitely not some small company that will close down and run off in a few months. If it comes to it, just stick with me. With my project experience, I could get a job anywhere~”
Although she had just caused several billion in losses, geniuses were always confident.
Fran bragged, thumb pointed at herself.
However, her fashionable appearance and attitude obviously didn’t fit the usual image of a technician, and being younger than Lucia with a doctorate made it hard for Lucia to fully trust her…
She hesitated before asking again:
“So, Miss Fran, can you really do maintenance for magical girls?”
“No. That requires attending training from the Magical Girl Association and obtaining relevant certification. But Clara’s case is special—her ‘magic gem’ adjusts itself… Your job is called ‘maintenance,’ but it’s more like helping me investigate the secrets of that driver.”
Nyx was a black box, difficult to interfere with externally, but as long as its core wasn’t damaged, it would repair itself without outside interference.
“Huh? Driver?”
A magical girl’s power source was usually a magic gem, and “driver” was typically used to describe a masked hero’s transformation device, so Lucia didn’t understand what Fran meant by “driver”…
“You’ll understand in time. The truth might surprise you.”
“Truth?”
Lucia didn’t understand a word Fran said, and Fran didn’t plan to explain further, only advising:
“It’s getting late. Go pick a room and settle in. I’ll persuade Clara to stay and keep you company, but I have my own research to continue… so I can’t stay with you.”
“Alright. I’ll see how things go at the company tomorrow.”
Fran’s reassurance allowed Lucia to temporarily set aside her worries. She picked up her bag, dragged her suitcase into an empty bedroom, and closed the door behind her.
Then she took out her phone to calm her anxious heart.
“Brother, I’ve arrived at the company dormitory. The conditions here are really good. I’m fine!”
Though uneasy, she still sent a message of safety to her brother, who was ten years her senior.
She’d finally made it to Central City, only for her brother to go on a business trip at this time.
Even though she was anxious, she didn’t want to worry him.
On the open balcony of the fourteenth floor, Fran and Clara stood in the cold breeze, illuminated by the city’s night lights. It wasn’t that they feared the cold—they just wanted to avoid being overheard by Lucia in the living room.
“Look, that girl didn’t forget to check in with me~”
Clara… Squire had listened to the voice message from Lucia, sighed heavily as he looked at Fran’s glowing phone.
“Sigh, she’s still forcing herself too much.”
Fran popped open a can of cola and leaned against the balcony railing.
“She just doesn’t want you to worry. Being in an unfamiliar place unsettles her. Didn’t you feel that? You should stay with her tonight. It’s your duty as an older brother, isn’t it?”
Accompanying your sister, but not as an older brother…
Would that really put her at ease?
Clara sighed. “I can’t stay with her all the time. The more I act like her brother, the harder it is to be honest with her about the truth… But Fran, you really plan to let her participate in research on Nyx? You’re just pushing me into the fire, aren’t you?”
“That’s not fair. The boss hired her for your sake.”
“Huh? That sounds like a prank to me.”
Even now, Clara still resented the boss’s arrangements.
“You don’t understand the value Nyx holds, do you? It’s cutting-edge World Tree Technology. Countless people want it. Even if we return it to the World Tree, we’d still get a fortune. Can’t you see the profits behind this?”
Clara fell silent. Fran continued:
“That’s why if anyone else researches the Nyx driver, they could have ulterior motives. Only your sister is trustworthy… as long as she knows you’re her brother.”
“So, you plan to tell Lucia my identity eventually?”
“That’s up to you.”
Clara hesitated.
She tossed the empty can into the trash, and Fran returned to the earlier topic.
“So, stay with her for one night?”
“Just one night.”
“Ha, then I’m off~ Here’s the key.”
Fran tossed the dormitory key to Clara, then went back inside to knock on Lucia’s door to say goodbye, finally waving as she left the apartment.
After packing, Lucia stepped out of her room and glanced at Clara, still hesitating on the balcony.
“Miss Fran has left. Miss Clara, what are your plans for tonight?”
Though asking casually, Lucia truly hoped Clara would stay and keep her company…
“I’ll stay here for one night.”
“Just one night?”
“Yeah…”
Just as she was about to agree, Lucia suddenly shouted:
“Miss Clara, what’s that?”
“Huh?”
Clara turned around. In the deep night sky, some faintly glowing points were gradually enlarging in her vision…
Finally, someone collided onto the balcony and grabbed Clara with one arm.
“B Rank Hero Magical Girl Kamui! Received a report of smuggling here. Please cooperate with my investigation!”
“Huh?”
Clara was completely at a loss.
“Little Lucia, I’m here to save you!”
“Huh?”
Lucia inside the living room was equally confused.
Aware that Qingming is also a holiday, there will be an extra update tomorrow morning~