Following the address, Wada Saki arrived at the new office building located in a secondary business district.
The interior was clean and bright, filled with office workers in suits and leather shoes, which helped her relax quite a bit.
Saki wasn't completely naive; if the workplace had been some decrepit old building, she definitely would have turned around and left without a second thought.
————————
"A commercial building? I didn't expect this scam ring to be so formal. If I didn't know the plot, I might have actually believed it."
Following behind Saki, Natsuhi also blended into the crowd with her hands in her pockets. She was now wearing a baseball cap (borrowed from Student Nikaido, otherwise she felt it would be too easy to get exposed).
She reached up to pull the brim lower, hiding most of her face. It would have been even better if she could change out of her conspicuous school uniform, as she felt somewhat out of place among the crowd of corporate drones.
In fact, some people were already casting curious glances her way, perhaps mistaking Natsuhi for someone's daughter coming to pick up an adult.
"Wait, why does my phone have no signal?!"
As soon as she stepped into the lobby, Natsuhi noticed her phone's signal bars had eerily turned into a red "×". How could a place like a commercial building have no signal?
Or was it only her phone?
System: [How else could it be? This is a core plot area. The world rules automatically block external help channels to prevent you from calling the police.]
Not only that, she also noticed that in this seemingly brand-new office building,
the elevator floor indicator screen specifically skipped the 13th floor where "Shining Moment" was located; it required a manual button press to reach.
Closely following Saki, Natsuhi manually pressed the button for the 13th floor. When the elevator doors opened, the hallway was exceptionally quiet, a stark contrast to the noisy lobby downstairs.
Could it be psychological?
Although the hallway was bathed in soft light, Natsuhi felt uneasy, as if there were ghosts ahead.
"Whatever. At least it means I've found the right place. Since I'm already here, even if it's a dragon's pool or a tiger's den, I've got to do this!"
System: [Not bad, not bad! Great resolve! Good luck, I'm looking forward to your brilliant performance!]
Natsuhi: "Are you the hype squad? I feel like you're just watching the fun and hoping for chaos. Let's get one thing straight: if something happens to me, there won't be anyone to do your work anymore."
System: [Can't you have a little confidence in yourself?]
"In the past, I'd take on ten as a warm-up, but now... hiss—it's hard to say..."
Natsuhi looked at her own thin arms and legs, feeling troubled.
She was currently only at the level of Physical Fitness +1, which felt like the physical capability of an ordinary woman.
She wanted to be confident, but she lacked the capital for it...
Damn it! I really miss my former invincible self!
System: [Warning! The host has entered a "Plot Lockdown Zone." The possibility of external intervention has dropped to 1%. You are now a true "Guardian." Good luck.]
After the system's cold prompt sounded, Natsuhi slowly walked toward the depths of the hallway, trying her best to look like she was just wandering around.
————————
Saki quickly found the floor where "Shining Moment" was located. The heavy frosted glass double doors and the glowing minimalist sign looked more professional than she had expected.
"Please come in. Miss Wada, right? We spoke on the phone."
A decently dressed young receptionist with a standard smile welcomed her in.
The environment certainly looked the part.
"I need you to register here to confirm your identity. I'll go inform the manager right away."
The receptionist smilingly handed over a leather-bound registration book.
Saki took the book and flipped through the previous pages, seeing that they were indeed filled with rows of names and contact information.
[It seems it's really popular...]
Thinking this, she picked up the pen and signed her name in the blank space of the latest row.
After the receptionist left with the registration book, Saki sat alone on the sofa in the spacious reception area.
The soft leather cushions and the exquisite coffee table couldn't completely ease the anxiety in her heart.
On one hand, she was full of longing for this high-paying and glamorous job, fearing what would happen if she didn't perform well in the interview later.
On the other hand, a tiny doubt quietly surfaced—
[Even though so many people were written in the registration book and appointments should be fully booked... why is it that from the time I entered until now, besides the receptionist, I'm the only person in the entire lobby? It's... too quiet, isn't it?]
[I hope I'm just overthinking it...]
After all, since she was already here, it would be unreasonable to back out now over such a small suspicion.
To distract herself, she began to examine the room's decorations.
Several huge artistic posters hung on the walls, mostly featuring models with graceful figures dressed in various fashionable outfits, showing charming smiles under the spotlights.
Looking at these posters, Saki's mind couldn't help but wander.
She imagined that in the near future, her own face would be printed on such posters, and even appear on the color pages of fashion magazines... What kind of envious looks would her classmates give her then?
A warm current mixed with vanity and expectation temporarily dispersed that faint, lingering unease in her heart.
She could get high pay and also gain unimaginable prestige.
For a moment, Saki felt there could be no more perfect job than this; it was practically tailor-made for her! (A trap...)
Time passed quickly in her fantasies.
Before long, a slightly greasy middle-aged man in a casual suit walked into the lobby. As his gaze quickly swept over Saki, a flicker of hard-to-detect satisfaction passed through his eyes.
He very naturally switched his expression to a smile and approached her, joking:
"You must be Miss Wada. You seem to be in a very good mood. Did you think of something happy?"
"Ah!"
Saki, who was immersed in her fantasies of becoming famous, was startled by the voice. When she regained her senses and saw a seemingly professional gentleman standing before her, her cheeks instantly turned bright red.
She said somewhat awkwardly:
"No, it's nothing. I just think the posters here are very beautiful..."
"No, no, no. In my eyes, you are even more dazzling than them."
"Moreover, you're much prettier in person than in your photos! This kind of natural star quality isn't something that can be achieved through training."
"Re-really? It's not as exaggerated as you say..."
Saki waved her hands, her cheeks turning even redder. It was obvious she was being made dizzy by the man's flowery words.
[Hmm, although the start was slightly awkward, the first impression left on the manager was quite good.]
The man extended his hand in a friendly gesture, his tone sincere:
"Just call me Inoue. The company has just started, and our capital is mainly invested in equipment and high model fees, so the decor is a bit minimalist. I hope you don't mind."
"And today's interviews are almost over; you happen to be the last one. If you were just a few minutes later, I would have really had to pack up and leave."
[So that's how it is...]
The man calling himself Inoue dispelled Saki's last bit of doubt with two sentences. Her hanging heart finally settled, and she shook his hand somewhat sheepishly.
"I'm so sorry for making you wait."
"Not at all. For a beautiful lady, any wait is worth it."
Inoue's hand gripped hers.
At first, it was a polite, brief touch.
Saki was about to naturally pull her hand back when she found that the other party's fingers didn't release immediately.
In that brief, almost negligible moment, Inoue's fingertips slid gently across the skin on the back of Saki's hand with a slow pressure.
The feeling carried a hint of deliberate appraisal.
[Hmm, young and tender. Such a top-tier specimen, with a little polishing, will definitely be irresistible.]
Filthy thoughts surged in Inoue's heart, yet his face maintained that gentle smile.
Saki was slightly stunned. The strange sensation from her hand caused a flicker of discomfort to cross her heart, making her feel inexplicably repulsed.
Was it an illusion?
Judging by the other party's previous words and behavior, he was clearly a very well-bred gentleman.
Just as a hint of confusion flashed in her eyes and she wanted to discern it carefully, Inoue had already released her hand at just the right moment and very naturally.
[Tsk, this little brat has quite the high level of alertness. But it doesn't matter; the more they're like this, the more flavorful they are to play with.]
After inviting Saki to sit down, Mr. Inoue placed his crossed hands on the table. With a burning gaze and a professional posture, he went straight to the point:
"Miss Wada's appearance is outstanding, and your temperament fits the positioning of our project very well."
"However, in the modeling industry, looking at the face isn't enough. Overall body proportions and dynamic expressiveness under the lens are also particularly important."
He leaned forward slightly and suggested in a professional tone:
"To make the most accurate assessment and to be responsible to you, could I ask you to stand up and do a simple turn in the open space? I want to confirm the overall lines and proportions of your shoulders, waist, hips, and legs from different angles."
"This is a step required for all models before signing. If it's suitable, we can immediately move on to the screen test. If all goes well, we can finalize the contract today."
"Okay..."
Being watched by Inoue's shining eyes, Saki felt a bit shy but still stood up as requested and walked to the open area to do a somewhat stiff turn.
"By the way, do it a bit slower."
Inoue didn't forget to add at the right time. Just as Saki turned around,
that seemingly professional gaze covertly swept over the silhouette outlined by her school uniform and the lines of her legs.
His face remained calm as he picked up a water cup and took a sip, masking his emotional fluctuations.
[Oh! This body... it's even better than I imagined. I've really found a treasure.]
[After I let the boss finish the business, I'll also...]
His thoughts gradually drifted, but his face still maintained the look of a serious and professional manager.
After Saki turned back, he even feigned a cough to cover up his restless emotions.
"Ahem! Very good!"
——————
Outside the door,
System: [So, do you think this is real or fake?]
Natsuhi: "Do I even need to say it? It's definitely fake. I've done some modeling before, and the scenes are basically a huge crowd of people interviewing."
"There are countless people who want to be models. How could a manager have the time to look at them one by one?"
Ding-dong!
[Emergency Mission Issued: [Pure Love Purification Operation]]
[Mission Description]: Detected a B-rank group threat [Scam Trio] implementing a standard trap plot against the protection target [Wada Saki]. As a defender of pure love, please execute the extermination protocol immediately and deliver the "Guardian's" punishment.
[Threat Targets]:
[Manager · Inoue] (Threat Level C)
[Receptionist · Fujino] (Threat Level C)
[Enforcer · Dark-skinned man] (Threat Level B+)
[Mission Requirement]: Dismantle the criminal group before the target suffers substantial harm.