After all, Jaid was a spy working for the Central Peace. Actually, she was a Fiend in their private army, but had been assigned to this mission despite her outright protest. Ultimately, she gave in when they laid out why she was the most qualified. Several factors including her age, unfamous background, history taking orders, and Curse designed for combat made her ideal for the role.

Two Lesser Fiends had actually accompanied her as well, but neither of them passed. One had interviewed before her as a member, but given her lack of a mailbox, the results were obvious. The other had actually been one of the four rejected by Drim Drazah at the beginning. Jaid would need to report back on that as soon as her phone finished its modification.

While waiting for it to finish, she decided to check out her new home a bit more. No part of her wanted to be here, but this mission was indefinite. As long as she wasn’t caught or killed, she would remain a spy here for as long as she could. It was quite possible she would spend the rest of her life living in this room, so it was better if she accepted the situation and got comfortable.

The first thing she checked was the bathroom. Thankfully, it was a full bath with all the amenities. The shower was even combined with a jacuzzi tub that she’d have to try out soon. She noticed the shelves in the shower, along with the toiletries on the sink, were all stocked with Smooth Shores products. While it could be happenstance, it seemed that the rumor of the Fiends For Hire being associated with the CEO of that company was true.

There was also a washer and dryer stuffed into the corner, negating another worry she had. It even had a heated toilet seat and floors. While this wouldn’t help Fiends too much, it was still pleasant, and the Lessers probably loved it. They really had thought of everything she could ask for.

Next, Jaid perused the kitchen. She flicked the stove and oven on and off to make sure they were working. There was also a microwave, toaster, and dishwasher, but she accepted their functional condition for now. The cupboards and drawers were filled with basic dishware and utensils that weren’t worth examining.

Jaid went back to the main room, plopped onto the couch and turned on the TV. She immediately turned it back off, not interested in the zoneball match that was playing. Instead, she decided to unpack. While she didn’t have much, she wanted it all neatly organized. Thankfully, she had dressers, a desk, and a bookshelf to use to sort her things.

In the middle of putting away her clothes, her phone finally beeped, confirming its transition had been completed. She picked it up and confirmed nothing had initially changed. All the original apps and settings were still there and seemingly undisturbed. But now if Jaid pressed a button combination, a new screen took over.

There were only two apps on this screen: Reports and Screenings. There were no other identifying marks, and the background was the same as the rest of the phone, so it wouldn’t look suspicious if someone glanced over her shoulder. Reports was a one way street. She could send information to the Central Peace but would get absolutely no feedback.

There would be no communication coming from them, no handlers checking in, no support of any kind. Any other attempts at contact were considered far too dangerous and compromising. So now with the other two spies disqualified, she was alone. It was possible the Central Peace may try to send more spies in the future, but Jaid wasn’t privy to any further plans. The only way she could get updates about their actions now was through the news like everyone else.

Screenings referred to mental health screenings and evaluations she’d take regularly. The intervals she’d receive them in were random, but one was already available. While the main justification was to check on her wellbeing, she knew the real reason. They wanted to make sure that she hadn’t been compromised.

While the Fiends For Hire had been known to be charismatic over this past year, they would never win her over to their side. Of that, Jaid was confident. Another reason she’d been chosen for this mission was her natural disdain for the group. However, it was rumored that Drim Drazah had inherited Eleen’s manipulation power; a power that was never confirmed but made too much sense given the supernatural implications of Fiends.

This was one of the many things that Jaid was here to confirm. However, it wasn’t something she was going to outright ask. This was going to be a slow process, one that couldn’t be rushed if they wanted it to work. So, she had to be patient and committed. Her old life was gone, and she needed to focus on making sure she kept up her new persona.

Since it had been a long day, Jaid didn’t really feel like sending detailed reports. She needed to be in her best state of mind and gather her thoughts on everything that had already happened. For now, she just sent the basics.『Infiltration Successful - Agents 0002 and 0003 were unsuccessful. Agent 0002 needs further inspection. More to come.』

After that, she clicked on the available screening to get it over with. The first prompt was to type her name. However, the name she input wasn’t ‘Jaid Sparka’. That was only an alias for this mission, but it may as well be her real name now. Inputting her old name into this form was the last connection she had.

The rest of the questions were fairly standard, and only one stood out: 『Have you made any friends yet?』 When Jaid selected no, she got a prompt 『Recommendation: Try to make at least 1 friend soon. This will benefit the mission and help you gain favor. It will also improve your long term mental health and feeling of isolation. Try to become friendly with high-ranking members if possible.』

That recommendation would be hard to follow, so thankfully it wasn’t an order. Jaid doubted she’d get along well with anyone who genuinely wanted to be a part of this group. But… she’d try. It was a conflicting recommendation too, since the more friends she made, the higher the chance of her becoming compromised. However, the higher-ups must have understood that and weighed the risk, or they wouldn’t have suggested it.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Before anything else, before she even had the chance to forget, there was something crucial she needed to do. Jaid picked up the storage drive and snapped it in half. The pieces turned to dust in her hands, and she blew them away. One of the few aspects of Common Cards that the CP had been able to figure out thus far was the disintegration tech. She had to admit, it was very useful for transporting and disposing of sensitive information.

Jaid looked at the time now that her obligations were out of the way. While it wasn’t exactly still early in the evening, it certainly wasn’t time for bed either. Even though she was exhausted and really just wanted to go to sleep, Jaid couldn’t waste this time. All the main members were still busy with the interviews, and the newcomers should all still be unpacking and getting settled.

It was the perfect time to explore. If she got caught or questioned, she could say that she was on her way to the shops in Bisomote. Maybe she was dumb and forgot a toothbrush or something. That wouldn’t raise too many more questions.

Jaid grabbed her phone, making sure to return it to its normal screens, and headed to the door. There wasn’t a peephole, so she clicked it open and peered into the hallway. All seemed quiet, so she moved out into the hall and took a single step towards the elevators.

“Going somewhere?” a deep male voice called to her from behind. Jaid’s heart practically leapt out of her body, both from the startle and the accusation. It wasn’t a voice she recognized, so it didn’t mean she was in trouble just yet.

She turned around to find a middle-aged Lesser with crossed arms and a brooding attitude leaning against the wall in the space between the end of the hall and her door. It certainly wasn’t a spot where someone would loiter without purpose, so he had definitely chosen it intentionally. It was also the only spot in the hall that was in a blindspot from her door.

“Oh umm, hello. I’m Jaid.” She did her best to not seem surprised and introduced herself.

“Tize Scound, your new neighbor,” he responded in turn. “The restaurant isn’t open tonight. I already checked myself.”

“Oh, uhh, I was actually planning to go into town.” Jaid was thankful she prepared her lie in advance, already seeing its use. “Can’t seem to find my toothbrush. I could have sworn I packed one.”

“Well, what a coincidence,” Tize smirked and unfurled his arms. “I just so happen to have a spare right here.” What had previously been covered, was now a toothbrush in his hand on full display. “You’re welcome to it. I didn’t prepare any proper welcoming gifts for my new neighbors, so take it as a consolation. It’d be better than heading out so late at night, yeah?”

“Uhh, thank you, very much.” Jaid was of course hesitant, but he had left her no reason to refuse. The toothbrush was still in the packaging, and a fancy electric one at that. It certainly wasn’t something someone just had a spare of. Clearly, something wasn’t right, but Jaid was left with no option but to graciously accept and retreat for now. This had thrown her off entirely.

“I’ll be sure to pay you back, given the chance,” Jaid gave her false appreciation. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I should get back to unpacking.” She opened her door, about to head inside, but her body froze.

“You don’t belong here.”

Her heart froze with it.

“Sorry, wrong choice of words,” Tize apologized, not for the accusation, but for his verbiage. “What I mean, is that you’re lying about your background. Merc, right? Don’t be surprised. The butler told me when I asked about my new neighbor. But that just doesn’t add up. I’ve had my eye on you since we got here, thinking you were one of my kin: a soldier.”

“But that’s not it either. I’ve never seen a merc carry themselves the way you do. Your posture is far too stiff. But no, not quite a soldier either. Something more, something with endless pride. It doesn’t matter really, what matters is you’re hiding your reasons for being here.”

Jaid said nothing for a while, probably far too long in retrospect. This was just too crazy. Had she already been made? No, that wasn’t it. This was all speculation and conjecture. That said, his intuition was amazing, but this was far from over. She couldn’t place his aggression, since she would never be so direct with someone she was suspicious of, but also couldn’t concede to it. If she played it off now, she’d just look even more suspicious.

“I imagine many people here have a past they don’t want to talk about, even if it means bending the truth a little.” Jaid’s own aggression matched his, not denying anything at this point. “Drim Drazah can tell the evil among us, right? So it shouldn’t matter.” More conjecture, though it had all but been confirmed today. It was a pretty popularized theory among even normal citizens at this point too.

“Hmm, valid on both points,” Tize relented. “Fair enough, I’ll back off, for now. But know that I’ll be keeping an eye on you. If there’s nothing to hide, then I apologize sincerely for my intrusive and accusatory behavior. This just became my new home, you understand. I’d hate to find a snake living in it. Now, I’ll be off as well, and I do apologize for dampening what should be a celebratory night. Enjoy the clean teeth.” Tize then walked over to his door and entered his room unceremoniously.

Jaid did the same, almost slamming the door behind her, but catching herself before it made a racket. She then gingerly closed it, sliding along the back until she was slumped onto the floor. Who had she pissed off to get such a scare on her very first day? Tize perhaps, or Cosmos himself. She’d just have to play it as safe as possible for a while. The CP’s suggestion of making friends seemed all the more prudent now. The happier she looked, the less suspicious she’d be. Not that she’d be making friends with Tize anytime soon.

The stress of it all finally got to her and she needed to unwind. She went to the fridge and pulled out the pre-made dinner. Originally, she planned to ignore it entirely, wary of poisons and the like. But, her run in with Tize made her more confident in that regard. If the main group was suspicious of her and planning to take action against her, it wouldn’t make sense to let someone else confront her first. That made her feel a little safer than she did before, and it was comforting.

The food itself was more comforting, and the portion size was huge. It seemed the note about her eating a lot hadn’t gone unobserved. She found herself about to dig into her breakfast too before she realized what was happening and restrained herself. Now satiated and calmed, Jaid decided to finish unpacking. There wasn’t anything else she could do tonight, not without the fear of Tize watching her.

Eventually, she got to a book that was actually several files in disguise. Looking at it head on, it was a classic fiction, but when viewed from a specific angle, it was a list of tasks she was assigned to complete and research requests. It also had dossiers on all the current members of the Fiends For Hire, well, up until last night. There were also several for those that the Central Peace highly suspected might show up to join.

Jaid had already read through it entirely a few times, but once more couldn’t hurt. Now with a bit more context of the compound and the people she’d seen, there’d be a lot of new perspective. But she didn’t make it far, and laying in her new bed while reading it probably wasn’t the best idea, since she didn’t make it past a single page before falling asleep.