"The bicycle factory! Production is finally going to start! I wonder if I'll be able to buy the first bike!"
"Why don't you submit a résumé, then move back a bit? Can't you see we're all standing in line!"
Many villagers stood holding brand-new résumés, ready to compete for a position at the new bicycle factory.
Torifu made a rough estimate: about five to six thousand people were participating, but the company would only hire around two thousand. More than half of the applicants would be rejected. Among them were many who had directly resigned from their previous jobs to gamble on this opportunity.
If they weren't hired, their former jobs would likely be gone too. A kind-hearted boss might rehire a resigned employee, but the salary and treatment would definitely not be as good as before. Therefore, these people would have to look for new work if they didn't get this one.
However, such people were ultimately a minority. Most applicants had kept their original jobs and were submitting their résumés, giving them a fallback plan.
Torifu glanced at the crowd briefly, then paid them no mind.
He had walked out today using the Concealment Jutsu, or else he would have been engulfed by the torrent of applicants, and wouldn't have been able to get out for at least an hour. To save time and avoid unnecessary trouble, he simply activated the Concealment Jutsu and walked on.
The business of receiving résumés and hiring employees was not his concern, so Torifu didn't worry about it; he only needed to know the final number of employees hired.
Arriving at the Hokage Residence, there were not many villagers here. They must have all been drawn to the bulletin board. The people constantly coming and going in front of the building were all shinobi.
Torifu didn't linger; he went straight up to the office.
As soon as he entered, he saw Anka handling official duties alongside an intelligent Puppet. The Puppet didn't stop working when it saw Torifu enter, continuing to diligently review and approve documents. Anka, however, immediately put down the task in her hand. "Hokage-sama, you're here? Has something important happened?"
Torifu usually did not come to the office unless it was an urgent or major matter, so Anka was long accustomed to this. Now that the Hokage-sama had personally arrived, she wondered what instructions he had.
"Nothing. I was bored at home, so I came to check on the work here."
Anka felt a bit helpless when she heard this, but she said nothing. Although Hokage-sama liked to slack off, he had many methods up his sleeve. The 'clone' he sent handled official business with remarkable speed; Anka could barely keep up with it.
"I see. In that case, Hokage-sama, please have a seat. I'll go brew you some tea."
Just as Anka was about to leave, Torifu quickly waved his hand. "No need, I'm not very thirsty."
Torifu then gestured for the Puppet to work at a small desk on the left side of the office. He sat down by the main desk and asked Anka, "I heard Amado mention that you two ran into each other on the street yesterday?"
Torifu brought up the name out of the blue, causing Anka to pause, a slight self-consciousness appearing on her face. "Ah… yes, yes, I happened to run into Amado-sama yesterday. We spoke a few words and then parted."
Torifu smiled. "Is that so? Well, that makes sense. You and Amado haven't met many times."
Last night, Torifu and Naori had observed them for a full ten minutes, and when the couple left, Amado and Anka were still talking. That was more than 'a few words.'
Anka nodded repeatedly. "Yes, I've only met Amado-sama two or three times. But I've always admired him, after all, so many electronics are thanks to him."
Anka seemed unaware that her lips subtly curved upward whenever she spoke of Amado. She showed no such expression when discussing other matters. If Torifu had previously thought Amado was harboring unrequited affection, he was now eighty percent certain that Anka also held a certain degree of affection for Amado.
However, it was still unclear how far this affection might develop. After all, just as Anka herself had said, she and Amado hadn't met many times. It was possible she had simply been excited to suddenly meet someone she admired and had chatted a bit more yesterday.
"Haha, Amado also said you are a wonderful person. After chatting with you yesterday, Amado went home and praised you for a long time, saying you are a very serious and responsible person."
Undeniably, Torifu's ability to weave a lie was top-notch, though Anka didn't try to discern its truthfulness. Hearing Torifu's words, her smile was nearly impossible to hide, but she forced it back down.
"Re-really? Amado-sama spoke so highly of me? I'm very happy."
Anka was exceptionally focused during work and would not be easily distracted by other things. However, she couldn't stop Torifu from forcibly dragging her into a casual conversation. This broke her professional demeanor, and her personal feelings almost slipped out.
Torifu nodded. "Indeed. It seems you two mutually admire each other. How about this: come over to my house for dinner tonight. It's a good opportunity for you two to get to know each other."
"There will certainly be times in the future when you'll need to work directly with Amado. Getting familiar with him beforehand will help move work along later."
Torifu gave a very sufficient reason, framing the get-together as necessary for work purposes. Of course, once they knew each other, who would still care about the work aspect?
As expected, Anka initially wanted to refuse, but when she heard Torifu's latter half, she swallowed her objection.
"Yes, Hokage-sama, I will be there. Thank you for the invitation."
Torifu smiled and waved his hand. "Don't be so formal. You are my most capable assistant. Even without Amado, I had planned on inviting you over. Naori is cooking tonight, so you're in for a treat."
"Naori-sama is cooking? Then I truly am honored."
Following this, the two discussed some private matters, such as how she felt about the New Year festival yesterday, and if she was scared by the Nian monster.
After chatting for about twenty minutes, Torifu gradually brought the conversation back to business.
"Oh, right, Anka. Kaito told me that General Mifune is scheduled to leave Konohagakure tomorrow. We need to remember to hold a send-off ceremony and give Mifune a few small gifts."
Anka nodded immediately, writing the matter in her notebook. "Understood, Hokage-sama. I will take care of it. I have a decent relationship with General Mifune and know some of his preferences."
Torifu was aware of this. When Mifune had not yet become a general, Anka had accompanied him on his visit to Konohagakure. For a whole week, Anka had led their sightseeing tour. They could be called old friends, but now that Mifune had become a General, he naturally could no longer address Anka as a casual friend.