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The next day.
As soon as Rin woke up, she noticed her older sister looking utterly dazed, with faint dark circles under her eyes. She did a little hop-skip over to her sister and gently touched Sakura's forehead.
"Are you okay, Sis?"
Not really. Elysia and her brother were both toxic. Yesterday, Sakura had simply sent a little "snitch" report on her phone. As a result, she'd been solo-killed by Kaito in her dreams all night. Like sister, like brother—they never let a grudge last until the next day.
"Rin..." Sakura's voice was exceptionally raspy. She quickly took a sip of water to moisten her throat. "I'm fine, just had a nightmare."
Rin observed her sister's expression and made an immediate decision. "I'm not going to work today. I'll stay home with you."
"Don't be silly," Sakura shook her head gently. "You just found a job. How can you take leave on your first day?"
If you get fired, my effort in pulling those strings will be wasted.
Ahem. Sakura paused, pretending to ask casually, "By the way... is Kaito also at your company?"
Rin instinctively recalled the man from yesterday, her eyes showing a hint of satisfaction. The thought of being able to slack off and look at a handsome guy while working gave her something to look forward to.
"Don't get too close to him." Sakura's voice suddenly turned serious.
Rin tilted her head. "Why?"
She felt the Senior was a pretty good person; at least he'd warned her who the boss was, otherwise, she might have stepped on some toes before even starting.
Sakura hesitated for a moment. "...He was a colleague of mine. This guy is incredibly petty."
Elysia was too, but Elysia's pettiness felt more like a girl's innocent whimsy—more like acting spoiled.
Rin blinked rapidly. Petty? This kind of gossip-filled terminology only made her more curious. Sakura flicked Rin's forehead and didn't explain further.
"Hurry up and get to work. You're going to be late."
After all... that was just a company rumor she'd heard. She and Kaito weren't close, even if they had worked at the same company in the past. Kaito certainly wasn't "clean," but there wasn't much to complain about there—back then, Reason Studios hadn't gone independent and was still under Anti-Entropy. And Anti-Entropy itself wasn't exactly clean.
As two international organizations that transitioned from arms dealing to mass entertainment, it was impossible not to be a little "gray."
"I'll be careful with the Senior!"
Carefully talk to him, carefully hang out with him, and carefully dig for gossip! Rin added silently in her heart.
Once certain her sister was physically fine, Rin skipped off to start her first day. She had even hallucinated countless scenarios—like the handsome Senior Kaito personally showing her around, or a gentle supervisor offering patient guidance...
But—
Reality isn't a novel, and the workplace is exceptionally cold.
"This is the new hire. Lily, you take her under your wing," the supervisor said flatly, pointing at her with his beer belly.
Looking at the exhausted-looking auntie in front of her, Rin's heart sank. Shouldn't it be Senior Kaito leading her? Why an auntie? And the supervisor's belly was so huge... ugh, a beer belly! Not handsome or dashing at all.
"Whatever. Since I'm here, time to work!" she cheered herself up.
During her lunch break, Rin stood by the water dispenser, feeling pensive.
"Not used to the office environment?" A familiar voice came from the side.
Kaito was crouching nearby, filling a cup with scalding hot water, then shaking it to mix his instant milk tea more evenly.
"Senior!" Rin shouted suddenly.
Kaito was startled by the sudden enthusiasm. What's up with this girl?
But he gave a refreshing smile. "I'm here. How was your first day on the job?"
He was in a great mood today. His sister had slept in, her voice sounding tired. He'd checked several times to make sure she was just sleepy from binge-watching shows and reading novels all night. After ordering her some food, he'd come to the office. He felt like even the sky was brighter.
Binge-watching and novels... anything is fine, as long as she has her bad habits back.
Rin sighed. "It's not quite what I imagined."
It felt like being back in university studying under her sister, but even less free. In university, she could be in the dorm, on her bed, or even sitting cross-legged on the desk in any posture she wanted.
"Work is like that. You'll get used to it." Having mixed his tea, Kaito wasn't planning on chatting much longer and turned to leave.
"By the way, Senior, do you know Sakura?" Seeing him turning to go, Rin, who had intended to carefully probe her sister's past through work, couldn't wait any longer.
Sakura? Kaito's thoughts jumped. Who's Sakura? Based on the name, she probably has some connection to Rin.
"Don't know her," Kaito shook his head.
Rin puffed out one cheek. So either my sister or Kaito is lying to me. Which one is it!
"Where did your sister use to work?"
"Anti-Entropy."
"Oh," Kaito nodded. "No wonder you could get in right after graduation. You're a 'backdoor' hire, just like me."
It made sense instantly. How else could a fresh grad work here? He'd met his mentor in university and wormed his way into the Anti-Entropy inner circle—Auntie Tesla, Uncle Welt... Oh, and the Boss, but that was through racing. He'd skipped ten years of career climbing!
"I AM NOT A BACKDOOR HIRE!!!"
Kaito's casual tone made Rin's face turn beet-red with anger, like an annoyed hamster. "I am a fresh graduate with four years of work experience!"
"Four years of work experience!!!" she emphasized, dragging out every syllable.
"I get it. I don't consider myself a backdoor hire either," Kaito shrugged.
What's wrong with using a connection? Don't make work sound so noble. As long as you're willing to learn, no one is useless. A connection just means a senior paid your "tuition" for you... except for the useless trash who don't know anything and refuse to learn.
Rin's cheeks puffed out, looking like she was ready to fight him. Four years of experience! Four!!! She hadn't even taken a proper vacation during those four years of university. How could he dismiss all her hard work with a single phrase like "backdoor hire"?
"If it wasn't a connection, why would a fresh grad choose Reason Studios?" Kaito found this interesting. He wasn't in a rush; he stood there ready to tease the girl.
"Because my sister recommended it, and I just happened to pass the interview! I have four years of work experience!!! And I'm a fresh grad!" Rin grit her teeth and emphasized it again. She got here on her own merit, not her sister's connections!
"Why did your sister recommend this place?" Kaito pressed.
"Because Reason Studios is excellent!" Rin shouted, her voice drawing looks from others nearby.
Kaito chuckled and pointed toward a nearby fire exit, leading the way to a place where they wouldn't be overheard. Once he was sure no one was eavesdropping, he explained unhurriedly:
"I'll tell you why. Because Reason Studios is a subsidiary of Anti-Entropy... and Anti-Entropy is a place that values personal connections. If the skill levels are similar, we always prefer hiring someone with a connection."
"So, your 80% score can beat a 90% score. Don't be sad; it just means you at least had an 80%."
Rin went quiet for a moment, her youthful fingers clenched tight for the sake of all her hard work.
She decided to settle this with Kaito once and for all!
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