“Most excellent! Now, just so you are aware, I am trying to recruit you for a job. It’s a low-stress, high-reward position that I am thinking you’ll be a good fit for.”
Akane furrowed her brow. “You think I’ll be a good fit? How? You don’t know me and we’ve said like, twenty words to each other.”
Seraphi sighed. He hated this part of the process. It usually weirded most people out. “I would be lying if I told you that this was the first time I’d seen you. Please, don’t freak out about this, but I’ve been collecting data on you for several years, Ikeda-san. When I find a candidate that I think is proper, I do my due diligence and I investigate them thoroughly. I have had conversations with coworkers, friends, family, employers, customers and former romantic partners. Every single one of them have said roughly the same thing. ‘Akane is a wonderful person, and I have always left our interactions feeling good about myself and my place in the world.’ Every. Single. One.
“Ikeda-san, there are many people who say that they’re a Good Person. You actually are. In fact, there is one more person I need to interview before we can continue. It is vital that I get their input as well. Do you have any reservations about me doing this in front of you?” Seraphi smiled gently.
Akane sniffled softly and motioned for him to go ahead. Seraphi bowed his head and dialed a number.
Markus jumped in his seat as his phone vibrated on the table. Looking at the ID, it simply said “UNKNOWN CALLER” Irritated, he sent it to his voicemail.
Seraphi chuckled. “It seems they don’t accept random calls. No matter. I’ll make sure they answer it in a moment.”
Markus looked at his vibrating phone. A message from an unknown number popped up, and he opened it.
Answer the call, Markus. Please?
He stared at his phone in disbelief. It rang once more.
“Hello?”
“Markus Barton?” Seraphi asked, causing Akane’s eyes to widen as she heard the intimately familiar voice on the speakerphone .
“Yeah? Who th’fuck is this? How did you get my fucking number?”
“Easy, sir. I mean you no harm. I simply wish to ask you some questions, if I may. Would it put your mind at ease if I told you that there was nobody hurt, nobody in trouble and no unpleasant consequences at stake?”
“It might. Still doesn’t tell me who you are.”
“I am afraid that information is irrelevant to the conversation, sir. You will understand once I’ve begun to ask my questions. I swear it on all you find holy.”
Markus heaved a sigh, trying to keep his attention on Akane. “Okay then. Ask. But the moment I feel uncomfortable, I’m hanging up. Clear?”
“Excellent, and I approve of your wariness.” The voice cleared his throat. “How long have you known a woman by the name of Ikeda Akane?”
Markus’ eyes opened wide. “Almost a week. Why?”
“Very good. You will understand the ‘Why’ by the time I finish, I assure you. Now, what is the nature of your relationship with Ikeda-san?”
“She’s my girlfriend, and I love her.”
Seraphi smiled and sighed happily. “That is wonderful to hear, sir. This world needs more love, wouldn’t you say?”
“Yeah. I think that’s probably the biggest thing the world needs right now.”
“As do I. Now, how do you feel whenever you two are together?”
“Huh? That’s an odd question. But, I’d suppose the best answer is that I feel whole. She makes the bad in the world seem far away and distant. Even if we’re just sitting together on the bus.”
“You know, I miss those days of my life. But we aren’t here to discuss me. Would you say that she is helpful?”
Markus laughed softly. “Supremely. She’s helpful and kind and loving. There aren’t enough good things to say about her in any language. People like her are rare.”
“I think so too, Markus. Which is why I think I will continue with my interview now. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me.”
The line went dead as Seraphi hung up the phone. “And now that I have that out of the way, we may continue, Ikeda-san.”
Akane sniffled and nodded, wiping tears from her eyes. Seraphi produced a handkerchief from a pocket and handed it to her. “I see you understood all that. Is everything okay?”
Akane nodded and dabbed at her eyes. “Yes. I just…It feels really good to hear that, especially from him.”
A smile broke out on Seraphi’s face. “I can see how much you love each other. Astonishing how fast it can creep up on us, yes?”
Akane nodded and smiled. “It certainly was fast, I’ll agree. Almost like it was a crafted thing.”
Seraphi nodded. “I understand that. Perhaps some kami somewhere decided that the two of you would make good partners?” Akne shrugged. “Well, I have some more…unusual questions, and I hope you’ll stick around for all of them. Few of my prospective employees get much further than this.”
Akane nodded. “I’ll hear your questions. All of them. After this week, I highly doubt there’s anything you can ask that will put me off.”
“As you wish. Firstly: How do you view death?” Seraphi leaned forward and folded his hands on the table.
“Death? Well, it’s a natural, normal part of life. I don’t have any strong feeling one way or another.”
Seraphi nodded. “If you were to die tomorrow, do you think you’d be rewarded or punished?”
“Well, since I don’t think there’s any real ‘punishment’ awaiting, I think I’ll go to Yomi and continue until it comes time to return.” She cocked her head to the side. These were certainly odd questions.
“I’ve no doubt you’d enjoy Yomi. It’s quite nice. Do you think you can handle dealing with angry people screaming at you? For example, say you had a job at a help desk. Someone comes in with a broken computer and starts berating you about it, demanding that you fix it. How would you handle that? Take all the time you need to mull it over.”
Akane thought for a moment, then said, “I’d tell them that I do not personally fix computers. Our technicians do that, and if they would be so kind as to leave it along with a name and number, we would fix it as soon as possible.”
Seraphi nodded. “Are you able to keep a secret from everyone around you? From Ichikawa-san? From Barton-san? Yamato-san? Your new friends?”
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
“If I must. I will always keep confidences. You could give me your deepest, darkest secret, and it would stay secret with me. I wouldn’t want to keep secrets from Barton-san, but if I must, then I must.”
Seraphi smiled and with a flourish, produced a sheet of paper and a pen. “If these terms are agreeable, sign and be hired.”
As Akane read over the sheet, Seraphi made a hand motion to Markus, calling him over. Markus rushed as quietly as he could, stopping to stand by Seraphi’s side. Looking up at the burly man, Seraphi put a finger to his lips and made a motion with his hand.
Akane’s eyes widened as she read the paper. That much money was insane. Easily five times what she made at Kitscho. If she took this job, she and Markus would never have to worry about money again.
“Seraphi, is this real? Like, you’ll pay me seventy-three thousand yen an hour?”
“Roughly, yes. It will be real work, you know. Low-stress, high-reward.”
“Offers like this don’t just come with no strings. What’s the catch?”
Seraphi laughed. “A shrewd woman. Yes, there are some caveats. For starters, there is no day off. No such thing as a weekend. This is balanced by having only a two hour shift. I have eleven employees in this region, and adding a twelfth will make things easier on everyone. Second, you can tell nobody about your job. Doing so will result in immediate expulsion. There are a number of cover stories we can give you, should you wish. Third, your training period is a month straight. Eight hours per day for a month. During that time, it is assumed that you will face nearly all types of client. Most are fine, but a few are like I’d mentioned before. It begins the last day of February. Next, you will be required to work in a somewhat noisy environment. Finally, you might be forced to work some overtime, paid at double the listed rate. We do not want to overwork our employees. Is this acceptable?”
Akane signed her name, handing the paper to Seraphi. “This sounds too good to be true, but I’ll at least try.”
Seraphi took the paper and grinned. “One moment. I have to document this.” He pulled out his phone and typed a message in a note app.
Go to your office. Message me when done.
Markus sent a positive reply, and walked off, searching for the nearest door.
“Now, as your training period begins next Tuesday, we have prorated your pay for the one day. It should already be in your account.”
Two minutes later, Seraphi’s phone buzzed and he looked to Akane. “Would you like to see where you’ll be working?”
She nodded and checked her account, seeing half a million yen sitting there and nearly choked. “Is this real‽”
“As real as the sunrise, Ikeda-san. Message your boyfriend. Wouldn’t want him to worry.”
She nodded and did so.
You’re staying with me tonight. No argument.
A moment later, she received a reply.
(￣ー￣)ゞ
She giggled and put her phone away. Seraphi had already risen, and Akane looked up at him once more, his height now more apparent than ever.
“I would ask that you indulge me in a bit of trust, Ikeda-san. What is about to happen will shock you, to say the least. Follow me, please.” Without waiting for a response, Seraphi led the way to the elevator and waited until the car was empty. He ushered Akane inside, and stepped in a moment later.
“Close your eyes. Thank you.”
Akane heard a snap.
“You may open them.”
She opened her eyes, finding herself in an empty cafeteria of some sort. There was a stovetop and an oven over there, and several tables and chairs scattered about. The dishwasher was running and she smelled the pungent aroma of coffee.
“Where am I, Seraphi? This isn’t the mall!”
Seraphi took a step back and held his hands out towards her. “Like I said, this will shock you. There is someone you might want to meet that works here, though. Follow me, please?”
Seeing no way out of this place, she followed the man warily. They walked through several twists and turns, passing door after door, all with lettering on them. She had no patience to spare for them, as all she could think about was how stupid she had to have been to follow a strange man.
Seraphi stopped in front of a door and knocked. A muffled voice replied, and he opened the door, gesturing for Akane to enter.
Only to see Markus, sitting behind a large, heavy desk with a sheepish expression on his face.
“Hi, sweetheart. No, you’re not imagining this. Yes, the amount is real.” He stood and slowly walked to her, reaching out a hand.
A wide-eyed Akane took his hand, sniffling. “Markus, what’s going on?”
Instead of answering, he spoke to the air. “Amun? May I tell her?”
A tall, dark-skinned man poked his head into the open door. “Of course, son! She works for us, now. Tell her everything! Hello, my dear Ikeda-san. You and I will formally meet later. For now, I have a meeting with Chaos. They’re probably not gonna like this.”
“Shit. I forgot about that. Anyway, let’s show you my door, first. It might help you understand what is happening.” Markus led her to the door, where Seraphi stood, a broad smile on his face.
“What’s a Taima-no-Kami?” she asked as she read the lettering there.
“That means he will be your counterpart, Ikeda-san. Well, one counterpart. Several thousand of them work here.”
“Taima-no-Kami? No, it says ‘Soul Liaison’.”
“To you, it says Soul Liaison. To her, it names you a Taima-no-Kami. Things work a little differently here.” Seraphi explained.
Markus nodded and hugged Akane close. “This is why I was called to Japan, Akane. Lucifer is my manager. Seraphi is yours. And we must speak about the elephant in the room. Who thankfully isn’t here right now.”
“Chaos?” Seraphi ventured.
Markus nodded and held Akane by her shoulders, pushing her gently away from him. Looking her in the eye, he said, “Remember the woman I tackled?”
Seraphi’s eyes widened as Akane nodded.
“Well, she works here, too. She was trying to recruit me, and when I refused, sought to force me to do as she wished. She’s a manager as well. She isn’t a bad person. Seriously. Just not able to follow instructions very well. She represents the Primal force of-”
“Chaos.” Morrigan said, as she appeared in Markus’ office.
Markus sighed as his shoulders drooped. “Hello, Lady Chaos.”
Akane gasped and wrapped her arms around Markus, burying her face in his chest.
“Markus, why did you not tell me you were trying to get her hired?”
“I apologize. It all happened so quickly that I didn’t think of it.”
“YOU CAN’T HAVE HIM!” Akane shouted at the woman. Chaos, startled, took a step back.
Chaos sighed and set her jaw. “Ikeda-san, I will not take him from you, nor will I try. I am simply hurt that he didn’t warn me. You see, I enjoy teasing men. Your Markus is unusually adept at ignoring my advances. It makes him a very enticing target.” She walked over to the pair and smiled. “However, I promised the CEO that I would not interfere in your relationship, nor in your friend’s well-being. Your fine specimen of a man here agreed to help me. Even after I tried to kill you. He even showed compassion toward me, which is something I have historically received very little of.”
Gently, she took Akane’s shoulders and turned her so that she faced her. “I want him, yes, but I’ll not take him from you. I would, in all truth, like to be your friend. Both of you. You’re not the timid little rabbit I mistook you for, and he’s not the brutish warrior I had hoped he was. I’m not asking you to blindly trust me. I’m asking you to give me the chance to prove myself. Will you, can you do that?”
Akane grumbled, then looked back at Markus, who nodded. “I do not like you. However, I will give you this one chance. Don’t fuck it up.”
Chaos heaved a relieved sigh and smiled. “Thank you, Ikeda-san. Outside this space, you must call me Morrigan. In here, Chaos is fine. Markus calls me Lady Chaos, and it makes me feel happy, so I allow it. I must go. I have to speak to one of my employees,” she said and popped out of existence.
“You’re mine, Markus. I won’t allow her to have you,” Akane said vehemently.
Seraphi chuckled. “Let’s get you to your office. Come with us, Markus?”