Looking at this shameless person who had no sense of propriety and just stuck himself over without invitation, Kisho felt a bit uncomfortable.
The way Jitt made him feel right now was even more annoying than a tour guide trying to pressure you into buying souvenirs.
What Jitt was saying now was exactly like those tour guides too—not a single word could be trusted.
But after all, he was his direct superior. The respect that needed to be shown, the scene that needed to be played along with, still had to be given and played up.
"Really?"
Kisho asked in a slightly exaggerated tone, pretending to be surprised.
He widened his eyes at Jitt, revealing just the right amount of hesitation and wavering.
Right now, he looked exactly like a humble worker who had come from the countryside into the city, wholeheartedly saving money yet secretly tempted:
"Then… when I save up a bit more money, I'll come find you to exchange for a little, just to try it out."
Jitt laughed. He probably believed Kisho's nonsense. He walked to the side of the well-behaved youth and patted his shoulder:
"Don't worry, it definitely won't disappoint you."
He lowered his voice:
"...If you want to try it, you can come find me anytime."
The next second, Jitt reverted to that proper person who had never said any of those things. He straightened up and adjusted his tie:
"Roy just contacted me. After dinner tonight, he'll need you to assist him in carrying out a task."
"Isn't my job to be the young lady's bodyguard?" Kisho frowned and asked.
Jitt gazed at him, revealing a bourgeois smile:
"No conflict. After the task is finished, coming back to continue being a bodyguard is the same."
"Ah, it's not like I can't do extra work." Kisho shrugged.
He turned his head to look back at Jitt:
"But overtime means overtime pay."
"If you don't pay me overtime, how am I supposed to save money and exchange for the 'good stuff' you mentioned?"
Jitt: "...?"
How rare. This was the first time he'd seen a worker who dared to ask for overtime pay on their very first day.
He looked at Kisho's face and saw he wasn't joking. After a moment, he slowly spat out a word through clenched teeth:
"...Fine."
He looked at Kisho meaningfully and said:
"Alright, go to the young lady now. If there's anything, I'll notify you through the pager."
"Okay."
Kisho nodded, and under Jitt's gaze, walked into the room.
He picked up a magnetic-card-like pass, along with an anonymous credit card identical in style to the one from his previous life. Then he picked up a black pager and stuffed it into his pocket.
By the time he left the room, Jitt was already gone.
...
On the other side...
"Oh?" Vervik set down the book in his hands. "According to what you're saying, that little fellow came prepared?"
"It can't be ruled out."
Jitt bent slightly and spoke slowly:
"After all, that little fellow who suddenly appeared can play a strange instrument whose origins even Mr. Arlens cannot identify. If that's a coincidence, then it's far too coincidental."
"That instrument called the 'guqin' was something Arlens brought in exchange for protection, wasn't it?" Vervik asked, slightly uncertain.
"Yes, my lord." Jitt answered respectfully.
"I understand." Vervik nodded faintly and continued,
"Isn't Roy taking him to see those things tonight? After that, we'll decide based on the little fellow's reaction."
He paused, staring at the newspaper in his hands:
"There's no need to worry too much."
"No matter what his intentions are, under the raw liquid, no one can harbor ulterior motives."
As he said this, a cold glint flashed through Vervik's eyes and vanished in an instant.
Jitt's body stiffened slightly as the atmosphere suddenly turned cold.
After a brief silence, he bowed his head and said:
"...Yes, this subordinate understands."
Anida's instrument room.
Kisho stared blankly as he put down the violin in his hands, and said helplessly to Anida, whose eyes were still shining:
"Isn't that enough, my young lady? This is already the fifth instrument."
Anida shook her head like a rattle drum, her gaze sweeping across the wall behind Kisho that was completely covered in instruments:
"No, no, there's still—"
Kisho carefully placed the violin back into its case and said firmly:
"No more. No matter what you say, I'm not doing it."
"Hmph!" Anida snapped angrily. "If you don't listen to me, I won't let you stay here anymore!"
"Really?" Kisho pretended to be overjoyed, making a motion to stand up.
"Then I'm leaving!"
Anida was shocked, her mouth hanging open as she couldn't say a single word for a long time: "..."
"I'm really leaving then. Goodbye, young lady~"
Kisho walked toward the door, not forgetting to squint his eyes provocatively at Anida.
"...Come back! I was joking!"
Anida stamped her foot in anger—
Why was this kid, who didn't even look much older than her, so sly?!
The trick that worked extremely well on those annoying servants before—why was it completely ineffective on this person?!
"...Then, just one last piece, okay?"
Anida decided to compromise. She pointed at the Fixed Anchor resting in the case:
"I want to hear you play the piece you just played, using this."
Kisho turned back and looked at her:
"Alright… but it's agreed, okay? The last one."
"The last one, the last one!" Anida waved her hands.
Kisho smiled, returned to the guqin, carefully took it out and set it in place, then placed his fingertips on the strings…
"Um, Noah, can you teach me how to play this?"
When the piece ended, Anida, who had been listening with her chin propped on her hands, made her request.
"Of course. As long as there's time, and you want to learn, I can teach you."
As Kisho spoke, he bent down and lifted the instrument.
When he put it back into the case, he seemed to think of something:
"Young lady, how about I show you a magic trick?"
"Hm?" Anida was intrigued by his words and looked at him curiously.
Kisho smiled, placed the Fixed Anchor into the case, then closed one side of the lid. While touching the Fixed Anchor, he stored the instrument into his The Fantasizing Musician.
As the new instrument was absorbed into the book, that magical sensation surfaced once again.
However, without the Song of the Four Seasons, he still couldn't accurately describe what this feeling actually was, nor could he use this ability.
But one thing was certain: after storing an instrument imbued with nen and possessing a certain history into the book, his nen capacity would increase by a small but absolutely non-negligible amount.
"...Let's set a small goal first. Once I get out of here, I'll go beat up the boss!"
"And then, take my ability back fair and square!"
Kisho thought to himself in self-amusement (self-deception) as he opened the case toward Anida:
"Look~"
"?!" Anida rubbed her eyes, then stood up with an extremely genuine reaction, took a few steps to the case, and leaned her whole body inside.
"Impossible!" She propped herself up from the box, shocked.
"Where did you hide the instrument?"
"I told you it's magic. How could I tell you?" Kisho said smugly.
"Step back a bit—back a bit more. No peeking. I'll make it come back."
Anida pouted and stepped back, then stepped back again, following Kisho's demands.
Then, she saw in shock as Kisho stuck his hand into the box and opened the lid.
The Fixed Anchor was resting neatly inside, as if it had never been moved.
Meeting Anida's face full of disbelief, Kisho spread his hands, signaling that she could check—he hadn't done anything at all.
"So amazing!"
Having found no flaws, Anida praised him without reservation:
"Can you teach me this?"
And Kisho refused without mercy:
"I already said it's magic, so I can't teach you."
"Damn it!" Anida stood up and angrily used the same move again.
"I'm going to tell Dad not to let you be my—"
"Knock."
The door to the instrument room was gently tapped. A maid's voice came from outside, interrupting Anida's ineffective casting:
"Miss Anida, it's time for dinner."
At the same time, the pager in Kisho's pocket vibrated.
He took out the pager, pressed the receive button, and Roy's voice came through the speaker.
"Come to the courtyard. I'm waiting for you here."
"Oh."
Kisho responded, politely declined Anida's request for him to eat together, and walked slowly toward the elevator.
"An extra… task?"
He thought to himself:
"It'd better be a difficult one. After all, I need to earn trust points quickly…"
He felt a bit helpless:
"Even though Anida really is cute, and fun to tease, still… staying alive is more important."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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