Chapter 338: Sighs
“She already has an internship arranged, Auntie Longji.”
Hearing Longji’s invitation, Sato Shinichi answered for Kazumi before she could.
“Oh? Did little Shinichi ask your master to arrange it for you? Or… did you ask your senior brothers?”
This answer seemed to be within Longji’s expectations. The brownish-yellow beast eyes showed a scrutinizing gaze, and she leaned forward slightly, looking at the young boy opposite her.
“No, no, no, Kazumi contacted them herself. It’s from a senior from the Hero Department who works at the same convenience store.”
Feeling the atmosphere in the room becoming dangerous, Sato Shinichi quickly waved his hands in denial.
You know, Hamano Tsukasa particularly disliked him relying on his connections to do things. It was fine if he directly asked Hamano Tsukasa, but if he went over his head and used his name, or went to senior brother Crimson Flame then he would likely be beaten severely upon returning.
“Un, is that so? Which agency is it, little Kazumi?”
Seeing the boy’s flustered appearance, Longji’s face showed a hint of playful joy at teasing a junior. She turned her gaze to Kazumi and asked with some curiosity.
“It’s SakuraPreparation Master’s Muscle Agency.”
Regarding internships, Kazumi had mentioned it to Sato Shinichi a long time ago. Compared to dog-like hero agencies, the young girl preferred the agency where Noyoru Yokota was.
Putting aside the emotional aspect, the preferential treatment she might receive at Sato Shinichi’s elders’ agencies was enough to make Kazumi resistant. In front of these professional heroes who were powerful in various aspects, the girl didn’t have much confidence in her disguise.
If she chose the latter, as a transparent support staff member in an agency, she would basically not attract too much attention from professional heroes. What she wanted was to gain good internship experience for her future graduation.
“Oh, SakuraPreparation’s agency. Your senior is quite capable, little Kazumi. I remember that their agency has very strict requirements for applicants.”
Kazumi’s answer somewhat exceeded Longji’s expectations. She initially thought that even with connections within the same school, the girl could at most secure an internship at a neighborhood agency. She didn’t expect the girl to get an internship opportunity at such a prominent agency.
Although SakuraPreparation Yohta, as a newly professional hero, was not ranked very high overall. However, Longji, who had interacted with him, knew of his decent strength. Coupled with his strong background and connections, climbing about a hundred places in the rankings would not be a problem.
“We work together and are quite good friends, so he gave me a chance with a test.”
Wiping her mouth with a tissue, Kazumi replied nonchalantly, as if it were a mere coincidence.
“Ho ho, little Kazumi, you truly surprise me. What about you, brattish boy, have you found an internship agency? You can’t waste your holiday.”
Nodding in agreement, Longji changed the topic, throwing it to Sato Shinichi. The boy’s face became extremely awkward.
“Ah… this… I did apply to a few agencies in Kyoto, but it seems they all rejected me due to my theoretical scores.”
Sato Shinichi’s extremely awkward expression brought smiles to the faces of those present. Longji also laughed heartily for a while before regaining her composure.
“Brat, you always liked to slack off when I told you to study properly. Now that little Kazumi is going to intern with another man, aren’t you jealous?”
“No, I believe in Kazumi! And, and I will definitely find an internship agency. Definitely!”
Actually, Longji was just joking and wanted to tease the boy. After all, as a professional hero, she knew that although there was a system for recommending support staff for internships, it was more of a training and advancement for regular department personnel. Apart from slightly handling the relevant personnel’s information, most of the work involved integrating into the entire agency as a whole. There would be no cliché dog-blood scenarios of one-on-one service leading to secret affections.
However, Sato Shinichi’s reaction was unusually strong. He even lost his politeness in front of his elders, his face turning completely red as he stood up, his large hands clenched tightly. He spoke earnestly, promising as if he were willing to sacrifice his life for it.
“Alright, Shinichi, don’t get so agitated. Auntie was just kidding. Even for recommended interns, they are responsible for the overall branch work of the agency and will not have opportunities for individual contact.”
Longji didn’t expect Sato Shinichi to react so strongly in this regard and could only state the actual situation to try and comfort the boy who seemed to be getting worked up.
“I… I’m sorry…”
Whether it was a moment of impulse or Longji’s comfort had indeed worked, the boy whose blood had cooled realized his失态. He slowly lowered his previously proud head and apologized to the two people in front of him.
“It’s alright, it’s alright. It’s good that you have the desire to work hard. Physical training is important, but theoretical knowledge cannot be neglected equally.”
Waving her hand dismissively, Longji naturally wouldn’t mind the slight loss of composure from this child, who could almost be considered her godson.
However, this kind of mindset where he only had eyes for one girl seemed a bit troublesome…
The love of one’s youth, disregarding everything?
It’s a bit too passionate.
“By the way, little Kazumi, I remember that SakuraPreparation’s agency requires an entry test even with recommendations. Do you want us to put in a good word for you?”
Tossing a piece of post-meal fruit into Sato Shinichi’s arms, Longji asked Kazumi again. Due to SakuraPreparation Yohta’s strict requirements for agency personnel, this test was not particularly easy.
The girl had been sitting there with a somewhat complicated expression as she looked at Sato Shinichi beside her. Hearing Longji’s voice, her gaze turned towards her. A hidden fluctuation flashed through her jet-black eyes, and finally, she slowly shook her head.
“Thank you for your kindness, Auntie Longji, but I don’t think it’s necessary.”
“Why?”
“Because… if I get in through your connections, Auntie Longji, it wouldn’t be my true ability. Whether it’s for my self-awareness or for the problems encountered at work, there could be deviations.”
“Recognizing my own abilities and doing things within my capabilities is very important. I believe that Master SakuraPreparation’s examination purpose is to select those with more outstanding abilities. So, I don’t think you need to break this rule for me, Auntie Longji.”
…
“What do you think?”
In the spacious and exquisite private room, only one woman and one slime remained. The brown-haired, red-clothed woman lazily picked her teeth with a toothpick and turned to ask the blue blob, who was still eating dessert beside her.
“Hmm, when you mentioned [Shadow], there was no unusual reaction. We can completely rule out any connection with [Shadow]. There are no problems with her background.”
“I wasn’t asking about that!”
With a ‘pia’ sound, Hetuan was split in two. This guy, who was serious when he shouldn’t be, made Longji want to put him back in the bottle again.
“I mean, what do you think of little Kazumi?”
“What about you?”
The splitting liquid slowly closed, returning to its original form. The blue slime, however, tossed the question back to Longji.
Looking at the two empty seats opposite her, the woman’s face flashed with a hint of reminiscence. She shook her head helplessly.
“Now I feel like the brat is not good enough for her anymore.”
