Tyvan Valorum sat down at the break room table, making himself comfortable.

Yan Xue was in his office.

--which was... baffling.

From a cursory inspection, her uniform was clean and well-fitted. He did notice a single tear on the sleeve of her blazer. It was sewn well, the damage imperceptible to a less observant gentleman.

Her hair was too long, tied with ribbons into two high bunches. Long hair, in general, was a combat vulnerability... and that made him uncomfortable. However, he supposed it was... appropriate, considering her civilian status.

Last Tyvan saw her, she was exhausted of her mana, disoriented and confused.

He absentmindedly touched his fingers to his lips.

She had taken his first kiss-- in his new life, anyroad. In contemporary culture... similar to his previous world, a ‘first kiss’ was supposed to carry emotional significance.

Was he mistaken?

Or perhaps the morals of the latest generation had fallen beyond recognition.

He didn’t like it. It didn’t seem proper.

Just for that, Yan Xue could wait.

He’d arranged a lovely spread of condiments: a mix of salt and oil, an Indonesian chili paste, and the Korean kimchi from the break-room freezer. Opening the lid of his take-out bowl, he took in the ever-so-charming scent of simmered beef brisket.

He broke his bamboo chopsticks in twain and was about to begin when his secretary entered, nearly breaking the door.

“Boss! It’s her!!” she said.

“Briar Rose,” he frowned, gesturing behind her.

“Oh, uh-- sorry.”

She closed the door quietly and regained her composure, folding her hands politely.

“Mister Valorum, the girl in the office......”

“She is... waiting-- I am aware,” Tyvan nodded. “Unfortunately, I only bought enough for the two of us. Tell her to come back after our lunch break.”

Briar Rose leaned back, splaying her arms to the sides, “Boss, lunch was two hours ago?”

“Granted,” Tyvan replied. “I suppose this would be second-lunch, then. Is there a word for that?”

“No. There’s not,” she said. “Boss, this is important.”

Tyvan agreed... for the most part.

--but second-lunch was a mission of far greater import.

The restaurant served a poached egg in lieu of a raw one, as was traditional... but that had its own charm.

He closed his eyes, savoring the first bite of egg and beef and rice and oil and the utter loveliness of everything combined.

“She’s the one, isn’t she?” Briar Rose whispered-- rather aggressively, “the one Merlin called about.”

“Indeed,” Tyvan nodded. He took the lid off of the very garlicky kimchi and added a healthy portion to his bowl.

“And why is she still-- you know?” Briar Rose asked.

“I found a different solution.”

He was operating on the assumption that Merlin’s pill functioned as advertised. As such, Yan Xue’s memories as a reincarnator were obliviated in full. If that was not the case, then he was not at fault. Subsequently, he’d contact Merlin and threaten strangulation via telephone cord, lest they correct whatever issues needed correcting.

Nonetheless, Tyvan did feel some measure of guilt considering the cruelty of erasing an entire lifetime of memories.

But it was for the best.

Yan Xue... and whoever she was in her previous life deserved to live comfortably.

In peace.

Free from the yoke of tyrants-- more or less. Free of the aggrieved calls to battle by freedom fighters... more or less.

In a new world with well-lit highroads, grocery stores...

...Lego bricks.

Ah, and hundreds of years of selective vegetable cultivation, achieving size and flavor unrealised in his previous life.

He pushed the container of spicy, pickled cabbage across the table.

“The kimchi is perfect. You must try it, Briar Rose.”

His wonderful secretary sighed before sitting down and breaking her own pair of chopsticks.

“Eating stuff with garlic still feels weird,” she said.

Tyvan smiled politely.

“And seeing you smile is weird too,” Raia said.

Her own honest smile was a pleasant reminder that, despite the uncertainty of their world, there were always brief moments of joy to savour wholeheartedly.

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

But suddenly, her expression broke into concern.

“You... are smiling, right, Boss?”

“I am,” Tyvan said. “Do I not smile often?”

“You mean actually smile?” Raia pursed her lips, “I think I’ve seen that... like... once?”

She took some kimchi with her chopsticks, shook off the excess liquid over the container, and brought it to her mouth, her opposite hand underneath.

“Oohhhh,” she cooed. “It’s still crUnchy!”

Texture was just as important as flavor, along with scent, appearance, presentation-- even mood. He was glad Briar Rose could overcome her misgivings about garlic to enjoy the result of his planning and labour.

Yan Xue...

As peculiar as it was for her to wander aimlessly into the Elysian Heights, it was likely pure coincidence.

(Or it was fate. But that was a loathsome prospect that carried several degrees of ominous implications.)

She was an odd child, having far less mana and subsequently lower mana sensitivity than an average human. But considering her upbringing, her other senses should have been reasonably normal.

Thus, she should have been subject to the repulsion effect established by the magical formations around the complex. She should have walked past, none the wiser to its existence. She certainly shouldn’t have walked through the entryway.

Bah.

However... the formations purposely erred toward less restrictive than otherwise, as to avoid interfering with the comings and goings of his tenants. (He’d received a complaint. A certain pup consistently had issues identifying the entrance.)

So who or what was at fault?

Was it the recent formation modifications?

Yan Xue-- did her mana in-sensitivity give her a unique advantage?

Had a third party provided her specific directions? And, if so, were their intentions ridden with malice?

Or, perhaps... it was merely a combination of coincidences-- several strokes of luck working in tandem?

“Briar Rose,” he said, “Did Miss Yan reveal her reason for her presence?”

His secretary idly reached toward her mouth with the back of her palm--

“Miss Latorre,” he warned.

Briar Rose frowned guiltily before taking a napkin, properly dabbing at the edges of her lips.

“The high school girl is applying for a... custodial position?” she said.

“We already have a custodian,” Tyvan frowned, “We have two if we include your brother.”

“I know that?” Briar Rose replied, “but why did we put out an ad for it?”

Tyvan closed his eyes, raising his eyebrows. He could surmise the identity of the indolent culprit.

Briar Rose clapped her hands together, “Let’s hide here until she leaves! I have plenty of stuff to update you on, anyway.”

Tyvan narrowed his eyes. As tempted as he was, ignoring Yan Xue was highly unprofessional... and the current her had done nothing to earn such disrespect.

Even the kiss... that event was wiped clean by the Memory Erasure pill.

“General hospitality applies,” he said. “Biscuits and tea. If you would.”

Briar Rose let out a general huff of annoyance. She hopped out of her seat and out the door.

A half-moment later, she popped back into the room.

“Boss!”

“...Yes?”

“Boss, she has your pin!”

She disappeared in a puff of smoke and reappeared beside his chair, sitting on her knees. “Make her give it back!”

Tyvan pursed his lips. The golden snake pin was his personal symbol. As such, it would provide Yan Xue a certain measure of protection if she were to keep it.

Hmm.

“No,” he said. “That won’t be necessary.”

“But why did you give her your pin?” Briar Rose whined.

That... Tyvan did not want to answer. He surmised he’d lost it around the time he was deliberating on whether or not to murder the girl in an alleyway.

He gazed into Briar Rose’s eyes, taking a moment to think.

“Did you... also want a pin?”

“Well, yEAH! Obviously!” exclaimed the excitable young lady.

“...If you wanted one so badly, why hadn’t you asked prior?”

“I’m asking nOWw!” she said.

She sounded like a spoiled child-- not that Tyvan wholly disapproved. Considering the relaxed setting, he could forgive the lesser breach in decorum.

He was tempted to pat the young lady’s head, the way she looked up at him expectantly... and sat on the ground, for whatever reason.

He refrained.

There was social etiquette involved in touching a woman’s hair, especially considering the time and effort involved in styling it to their preferences. Thus, it was better to err on the side of caution.

“I’ll have a unique one made,” he said, “but for now, see that Yan Xue is served her refreshments.”

----------------------------------------

Shay was left alone while Raia and Tyvan were talking.

That was fine, though. That gave her mental time to prepare.

She patted her cheeks to fire herself up. This time, she wasn't going to say anything stupid! That was the goal-- the best goal, the ultimate goal!

She paced around the office (mostly because Raia told her not to.)

A job sounded nice. She would need to get one eventually. The school year was half over, and she’d already applied for a few college scholarships. Realistically, though, that might not cover everything.

She wasn't sure if she could balance working so many hours with everything she usually did... but judging by Tyvan's office, the pay might have been worth it.

She glanced through the various grimoires encased in glass.

Elminster’s Standards? What was that?

A set of encyclopedias-- oh, and more up-to-date than the ones at school.

...Darley Porter & the Basement of Shadows? That was a fantasy book. Shay had read it twice already, (since the start of the year.)

She inspected the faded yellow globe, the names and writings in a different language. Italian, maybe? Spanish?

The map looked different too. Maybe it was a fantasy world of goblins and orcs and the occasional cat-boy?

She was going to avoid touching it, but then again... Raia was the one who told her not to touch anything.

So she spun it.