EVALUATIONs
It is a booth seating located in a high-rise building. A man and woman are sitting in the booth.
“Got better legs now?”
“Had to after that fall.”
“Hear that it was a demon. Congratulations. You can now put on your resume that you fought a demon and survived.”
“What’s with the venue?”
“Orders from the top that I have to talk to you. They are pleased that you manage to get info on the devil fragment, Kei. By the way, how does it feel? Seeing that the Okinawan Devil is crossed out.”
“Happy, wish I was the one who did it. But I’ll settle for this. Sato-san, really, what’s the deal? I’d rather get some shut-eye than spend time with a washed-out Agent.”
He pours whiskey on his glass.
“Evaluation.”
“Oh. Finally?”
“Yeah. The Shichinin no Ken recognized your hard work and now has given you the approval to proudly call yourself an associate and a partner legally.”
“Yay. Already been doing that though?.”
“Which also means that you’ll get subsidies. Your face looks happier.”
She cuts the steak.
“Money is money. Hunting down anomalies is bad for the body and if I didn’t have the discount. I’d have to be sitting here with a wheelchair or plastic legs.”
“That so? Heard you got trapped with the new hire for an entire week, naked. Got a good fuck in there?”
“What are you even saying? We didn’t do anything at all. You’re right, he really is a professional stooge.”
“Yup. Willingly came to debt-slavery for two times now. Company hopped for a while. Landed on many companies that unfortunately bankrupted.”
“Wait, he wouldn’t cause a mess with my Office, right?”
“I had his luck checked and it’s alright now. You could say that the last company took away his bad luck.”
“So he was company-hopping until he got rid of it. Bad luck like that isn’t easily gained. Did he break a taboo of some sort?”
“Possibly. But it’s gone now. Hmm, what, want me to get rid of him for you? We do have positions and he’s not a bad employee.”
“I'd rather keep him. God knows I need someone with patience like that with Eta around.”
“True. Your girls are lazy about paperwork. Didn’t have to worry about paperwork after he took over. Yeah, keep him.”
He takes another sip of his whiskey.
“Besides, it’ll help having another helping pair of hands around the office. Information’s valuable, Kei. Lots of thieves these days.”
“So that's all? No offense, but I really need to sleep.”
“I called Eta. She said you got a good sleep. So sit down, lass.”
“Fine… tsk, are you so lonely right now that you have to bother a young woman like me?”
“I still have a lot of things to discuss. Back to the new hire, I’ll keep him in your office. He passed the 3-month probation period and you don’t hate him.”
“He’s alright like I said. A stooge, but he has the manners of a gentleman. Don’t want to see him lose patience though.”
“High praise from you.”
She takes another bite.
“Hard to find someone with that self-control. As long as we pay him well. He doesn’t.”
“Bit of a klepto though. Saw him taking cash from wallets and that dimenbag isn’t his.”
“Well, he doesn’t steal from the office… I think.”
“I’d know if he does. If it's useful, why would he not take it?”
She raises her head.
“Okay, now you’re being too lenient. You have high expectations, I get it. But Sato-san being this lenient. Something feels off.”
He raises his whiskey glass.
“Are you misunderstanding me, Kei?”
“Am I?”
“Yes. Assistant-san… he’s a good employee. That’s all.”
“Suspicious.”
“Hmm, well, he does have a dubious record before he went company-hopping, but beyond that he is just a hardworking employee.”
“Fine. I’ll just take this as what it is.”
"Oh, perhaps being trapped inside a 4 feet thick room of titanium and chromium has tempered your manners?”
“Maybe. I had some time to think. And ain’t it Changye rule? No digging your personal info unless it’s a job or business. We don’t do that. It’s practically a taboo now in this city.”
“Smart girl.”
She snorts and takes a sip of her drink.
“So, other than you being weirdly impressed by my obedient and patient assistant. What made you so generous to bring me here?”
“Business. You know that the anomalies after Shanghai have become… unstable. Warpers cause damage and devils and demons are a pain to ass to contain because they could bring hell with them. The pale fog outside has become thicker and transport between cities has become a lucrative business itself. Trucks needing OB agent escorts. Outside is plagued with cryptids and monsters. Even a colleague of mine describes it as our old folklore and myths truly turned to reality.”
“I prefer to call them spawns from hell, personally.”
“Have you eaten a troll, Kei?”
“Isn’t that an outskirt favorite?”
“Trolls don’t easily die. You continue to feed it and it can regrow its flesh back naturally. It's a grotesque creature, but its flesh is like a pig. Many villages around Eurasia have started cattle farms for trolls. Norway’s villages are particularly eager to skin them alive and make a meat out of them. They say that old ancestors ate troll meat, and they are simply doing what their ancestors did now that they appeared again.”
“You tasted it?”
“I told you it tastes like pig.”
“And? What about all of this? I do appreciate you for sharing international news, but this does not concern my office here.”
“Indeed. It doesn’t. But anomalies are priced high and the Shichinin no Ken is hoping to invest in this regard.”
“Wouldn’t that mean I'd go out of business?”
“Not necessarily, your office is not combat-oriented and your job is to get as much information. That dock problem you solved? It sold 13 million in credits.”
She whistled.
“Ah, are they trying to imitate these anomalies?”
He smiles.
“Correct. Imagine that? A factory that repeats the process. No machines. Just ceaseless cadavers that do their job in a timely and orderly manner. Of course, a necromancer could do the same, but anomalies don't need pay.”
“That is until someone demeans them and makes them cry into rage.”
“Regulations will be set up. It’s only a concept now and what the Bureau wants is to study the Anoms and Anomalies and make them useful. Do you see what I’m getting at here?”
“I do. But the concept’s too little and too dangerous. To replicate them will be dangerous itself.”
He raises a finger.
“It is. Hell, their attempt to replicate might just wipe a country off the planet. You know what they call them?”
“Mini-warpers. Anomalies have the same effects that Reality Warpers have on a smaller scale. I noticed.
“If the Bureau is able to replicate Anomalies. It will benefit the world and also make it worse.”
She cuts a piece of meat on her plate.
“No wonder they think it's valuable enough to make me do this. I’m assuming that they’ll open branches everywhere too?”
“Obviously. But you’ll be in-charge here. You and your team will focus on anomalies. For now, I want you to stay off anything that resembles CODE ORANGE levels of danger.”
“Impossible to predict the risk level of an anomaly. I was able to gather data because so far no anomaly has been hostile enough to attack humans unless they sense that we are there to kill and neutralize them. So I can’t promise you about us not poking ORANGE-coded dangers simply because we have no idea if we’ll ever encounter one.”
He crosses his arm.
“I was supposed to convince you about taking this… but you’re exactly agreeing to this much more calmly.”
“Why not? Ah, did you think I was so concerned about that? Sato… did you think I was that of a good person to worry about how anomalies are going to be replicated and misused? If anything, I’m surprised they are being open about using this method.”
“No. But greedy? Yes, you are.”
“Morals are secondary to monetary needs. Besides, as you said, and what our grateful head of company wants, they want cash. What others do what we give is and will never be my business.”
“How cruel!”
“I’m not a psychopath, I’m just a businesswoman.”
He smiles.
“That you are, Kei. One of our youngest office-owners is affiliated with the Shichinin no Ken. I sometimes forget that.”
“Was this you poking at my head again?”
“Possibly.”
“Hate it when you try to do that. This is why I hate eating with you.”
“For someone who finished the steak faster than me. You sure complain a lot.”
“Steak is steak. So, we're done here?”
“I think we are now.”
She shrugs and takes a sip of the wine she hasn’t touched.
“Tell the Shichinin no Ken that there are no worries. Kei’s office will continue to function as usual. That subsidy will really come in handy, don’t forget that ‘kay?”
She left. The man sighs deeply and finishes his whiskey.
EVALUATIONs
It is a booth seating located in a high-rise building. A man and woman are sitting in the booth.
“Got better legs now?”
“Had to after that fall.”
“Hear that it was a demon. Congratulations. You can now put on your resume that you fought a demon and survived.”
“What’s with the venue?”
“Orders from the top that I have to talk to you. They are pleased that you manage to get info on the devil fragment, Kei. By the way, how does it feel? Seeing that the Okinawan Devil is crossed out.”
“Happy, wish I was the one who did it. But I’ll settle for this. Sato-san, really, what’s the deal? I’d rather get some shut-eye than spend time with a washed-out Agent.”
He pours whiskey on his glass.
“Evaluation.”
“Oh. Finally?”
“Yeah. The Shichinin no Ken recognized your hard work and now has given you the approval to proudly call yourself an associate and a partner legally.”
“Yay. Already been doing that though?.”
“Which also means that you’ll get subsidies. Your face looks happier.”
She cuts the steak.
“Money is money. Hunting down anomalies is bad for the body and if I didn’t have the discount. I’d have to be sitting here with a wheelchair or plastic legs.”
“That so? Heard you got trapped with the new hire for an entire week, naked. Got a good fuck in there?”
“What are you even saying? We didn’t do anything at all. You’re right, he really is a professional stooge.”
“Yup. Willingly came to debt-slavery for two times now. Company hopped for a while. Landed on many companies that unfortunately bankrupted.”
“Wait, he wouldn’t cause a mess with my Office, right?”
“I had his luck checked and it’s alright now. You could say that the last company took away his bad luck.”
“So he was company-hopping until he got rid of it. Bad luck like that isn’t easily gained. Did he break a taboo of some sort?”
“Possibly. But it’s gone now. Hmm, what, want me to get rid of him for you? We do have positions and he’s not a bad employee.”
“I'd rather keep him. God knows I need someone with patience like that with Eta around.”
“True. Your girls are lazy about paperwork. Didn’t have to worry about paperwork after he took over. Yeah, keep him.”
He takes another sip of his whiskey.
“Besides, it’ll help having another helping pair of hands around the office. Information’s valuable, Kei. Lots of thieves these days.”
“So that's all? No offense, but I really need to sleep.”
“I called Eta. She said you got a good sleep. So sit down, lass.”
“Fine… tsk, are you so lonely right now that you have to bother a young woman like me?”
“I still have a lot of things to discuss. Back to the new hire, I’ll keep him in your office. He passed the 3-month probation period and you don’t hate him.”
“He’s alright like I said. A stooge, but he has the manners of a gentleman. Don’t want to see him lose patience though.”
“High praise from you.”
She takes another bite.
“Hard to find someone with that self-control. As long as we pay him well. He doesn’t.”
“Bit of a klepto though. Saw him taking cash from wallets and that dimenbag isn’t his.”
“Well, he doesn’t steal from the office… I think.”
“I’d know if he does. If it's useful, why would he not take it?”
She raises her head.
“Okay, now you’re being too lenient. You have high expectations, I get it. But Sato-san being this lenient. Something feels off.”
He raises his whiskey glass.
“Are you misunderstanding me, Kei?”
“Am I?”
“Yes. Assistant-san… he’s a good employee. That’s all.”
“Suspicious.”
“Hmm, well, he does have a dubious record before he went company-hopping, but beyond that he is just a hardworking employee.”
“Fine. I’ll just take this as what it is.”
"Oh, perhaps being trapped inside a 4 feet thick room of titanium and chromium has tempered your manners?”
“Maybe. I had some time to think. And ain’t it Changye rule? No digging your personal info unless it’s a job or business. We don’t do that. It’s practically a taboo now in this city.”
“Smart girl.”
She snorts and takes a sip of her drink.
“So, other than you being weirdly impressed by my obedient and patient assistant. What made you so generous to bring me here?”
“Business. You know that the anomalies after Shanghai have become… unstable. Warpers cause damage and devils and demons are a pain to ass to contain because they could bring hell with them. The pale fog outside has become thicker and transport between cities has become a lucrative business itself. Trucks needing OB agent escorts. Outside is plagued with cryptids and monsters. Even a colleague of mine describes it as our old folklore and myths truly turned to reality.”
“I prefer to call them spawns from hell, personally.”
“Have you eaten a troll, Kei?”
“Isn’t that an outskirt favorite?”
“Trolls don’t easily die. You continue to feed it and it can regrow its flesh back naturally. It's a grotesque creature, but its flesh is like a pig. Many villages around Eurasia have started cattle farms for trolls. Norway’s villages are particularly eager to skin them alive and make a meat out of them. They say that old ancestors ate troll meat, and they are simply doing what their ancestors did now that they appeared again.”
“You tasted it?”
“I told you it tastes like pig.”
“And? What about all of this? I do appreciate you for sharing international news, but this does not concern my office here.”
“Indeed. It doesn’t. But anomalies are priced high and the Shichinin no Ken is hoping to invest in this regard.”
“Wouldn’t that mean I'd go out of business?”
“Not necessarily, your office is not combat-oriented and your job is to get as much information. That dock problem you solved? It sold 13 million in credits.”
She whistled.
“Ah, are they trying to imitate these anomalies?”
He smiles.
“Correct. Imagine that? A factory that repeats the process. No machines. Just ceaseless cadavers that do their job in a timely and orderly manner. Of course, a necromancer could do the same, but anomalies don't need pay.”
“That is until someone demeans them and makes them cry into rage.”
“Regulations will be set up. It’s only a concept now and what the Bureau wants is to study the Anoms and Anomalies and make them useful. Do you see what I’m getting at here?”
“I do. But the concept’s too little and too dangerous. To replicate them will be dangerous itself.”
He raises a finger.
“It is. Hell, their attempt to replicate might just wipe a country off the planet. You know what they call them?”
“Mini-warpers. Anomalies have the same effects that Reality Warpers have on a smaller scale. I noticed.
“If the Bureau is able to replicate Anomalies. It will benefit the world and also make it worse.”
She cuts a piece of meat on her plate.
“No wonder they think it's valuable enough to make me do this. I’m assuming that they’ll open branches everywhere too?”
“Obviously. But you’ll be in-charge here. You and your team will focus on anomalies. For now, I want you to stay off anything that resembles CODE ORANGE levels of danger.”
“Impossible to predict the risk level of an anomaly. I was able to gather data because so far no anomaly has been hostile enough to attack humans unless they sense that we are there to kill and neutralize them. So I can’t promise you about us not poking ORANGE-coded dangers simply because we have no idea if we’ll ever encounter one.”
He crosses his arm.
“I was supposed to convince you about taking this… but you’re exactly agreeing to this much more calmly.”
“Why not? Ah, did you think I was so concerned about that? Sato… did you think I was that of a good person to worry about how anomalies are going to be replicated and misused? If anything, I’m surprised they are being open about using this method.”
“No. But greedy? Yes, you are.”
“Morals are secondary to monetary needs. Besides, as you said, and what our grateful head of company wants, they want cash. What others do what we give is and will never be my business.”
“How cruel!”
“I’m not a psychopath, I’m just a businesswoman.”
He smiles.
“That you are, Kei. One of our youngest office-owners is affiliated with the Shichinin no Ken. I sometimes forget that.”
“Was this you poking at my head again?”
“Possibly.”
“Hate it when you try to do that. This is why I hate eating with you.”
“For someone who finished the steak faster than me. You sure complain a lot.”
“Steak is steak. So, we're done here?”
“I think we are now.”
She shrugs and takes a sip of the wine she hasn’t touched.
“Tell the Shichinin no Ken that there are no worries. Kei’s office will continue to function as usual. That subsidy will really come in handy, don’t forget that ‘kay?”
She left. The man sighs deeply and finishes his whiskey.
