Deep Thinking

"Yes, good afternoon! Li'l missy, how can I assist you?"

The brunette receptionist shows you a befitting smile and hospitality, despite you feeling like she sees you as someone younger. Taking a closer look, you can see the word Pizzel is written on the nametag on her badge holder necklace.

Your throat tightens. Despite you having been through more death scenarios than you can count on both of your hands, social interactions still freezes your mouth and numbs your tongue. A supposed vampire but can't even hold a conversation with a receptionist.

Fortunately, Lues came to the rescue.

She floats and shoves her upper body forward to cradle her head with both of her backpalm on the desk. "My sister and I have taken a fancy into this organization, may there be any chances that the Assailant department will recruit more personnel for the time being?" she says with a confident smile.

The petite woman mirrors Lues smile to a certain extent, squinting her eyes purposefully. This is probably one of those customer service techniques where they hide their discomfort from the weird customers. A prime example is you two.

"I can input your data first to let the top brass know, could you tell me both of your names?"

"Lues." With a flick of a finger, she moves out from the receptionist's vision. "This one is Pitka."

'Another new name.'

The receptionist is operating the device below the desk that you can't see clearly. "I see, thank you very much. Both of you can wait at the longue until the interviewer is ready—approximately ten minutes from now. And with that, I wish you good luck for the test and trial!"

"Thanks to you too," replies Lues.

Now is the waiting game, ten minutes feels like forever especially when it comes to interviews and tests. You thought that this world is all about monsters and magic, so something about searching for jobs is out of your expectations. Who could've guess that there are still intelligent beings 12,000 years into the future, then again it was better than being the last surviving person on a broken earth with no shoulder to lean on. Although the current two individuals you can depend on are highly questionable in terms of personality.

Thinking about it, you wonder if one person can take more than two departments at the same time. This might be a stupid idea, but you really want to get your hands on magic device craftsmanship ever so because of how mana circuit works. Imagination is a fun thing to explore and you had a couple of ideas with your current knowledge regarding the blue energy coding.

About mana, why blue? Moreover, the one Chronos utilizes is neon pink colored and crimson red for Lues. Is there any special trait from person to person? The concept of unconnected metaphysical strings to create a mini fusion reactor is already sci-fi enough in this baffling world. Your technique core is also getting denser inch by inch with each second passing you're moving using the blood exo-muscle, you might want to hide them somewhere safe within your athenaeum.

So many things to keep in track of, having the Chrolings and Lueling save your mental energy or else you would already collapse from managing so many things at once. It seems like you need to learn how to multitask soon enough.

'Imagine that multitasking has a technique's core.'

"Oy, Pitka, are you listening?"

"Awawa!?"

"Daydreaming? Jeez, the prick and I have already conversed about something you need to keep in mind," says Chronos, sitting with the two of you at the pleasant lounge.

Lues, meanwhile, is lying down on the couch as if the longue is her personal room. She materializes a pillow to snuggle with Goyang before facing you with her usual grin. "Firstly, your name will be Pitka from now on. Also, being a Vagant personnel will require you to make a codename. You can ask for them to name it or you can input it yourself—but be fret not! We already found a matching codename for you~"

'Will it be Razorblade!? Fafnir? Vampira? Blood Master?'

The numerous possibilities of cool looking codenames makes you excited like a child opening a Christmas gift.

"Lewd-ass will be taking 'Libera', and you got 'Long Leggy'."

"Oh…"

'ISN'T THAT THE SAME FROM BEFORE!?'

They must be joking, surely those two are!

"...You're kidding, right? Come on! Tell me my actual codename!?"

Lues replies with a powerful smile, "Long Leggy."

'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—'

The codename will usually be asked on the last phase either way. So it is time for a rebellion! You mustn't let those two choose everything for you any longer! You need your own freedom! With maximum calculation, you decide to use another codename when they ask you after the trial. Yes! That dumb nickname will not be carried over and you really don't want the enemies of this former body to hunt you like a heat seeking missile.

'Yes, a perfect plan.'

Unexpectedly, the view of Chronos playing with a vial with an incomprehensible-colored liquid appears in the frame. "If I don't see any 'Long Leggy' on the new recruit list. This wonderful solution will be starting its journey into your stomach through your rectum."

"YES!"

Aborting the plan, it seems like the future won't be something easy like a walk in a park. With mild agitation, you deem the situation is too much for you to let it go like that. "Don't you think donning that codename will only alert my haters and the whole Vagant!?"

"You're not an idol, you have assassins and killers craving your ass, not a hater," says Chronos, still playing the dangerous vial as she shows you some dexterity tricks with it.

"Besides, your former appearance is too memorable. Nobody would think that someone with 'Long Legs' on their name to be a shorty. Moreover, you and I will be reckoning a pleasant experience given by the Assailant dept after this, because of the stuff you did in Kauhu Forest." Lues then sits like a proper guest after a while.

"Shit."

Chronos continues after her chortle, "The amount of people who would be offended by that codename can be counted on your hands. I assure you, my dear, there's little to worry about~.."

'Why do they keep insisting that I have this name?'

Ten minutes have passed, two Assailant personnels in their usual uniform under holographic capelets, probably someone in higher ranks. One is an Aiseirighian, the other is a new race with small feathers wings on their head.

"Two of the entrants need to follow us to the examination room for an interview."

Before going, Chronos sneakily slinks an unknown barrier formation to both of you.

This is not going to end well.