Chapter 118

“Hmm….”

“…….”

Marina, with her arms crossed, seemed unbothered by the tension as she walked alongside Kên, whom she was already familiar with.

And then there were the dazzling blonde hacker duo, the Gemini Node twins, dressed in matching cargo outfits complete with perfectly styled hair. They glared at each other as they faced off.

…So, what was I doing just a moment ago when I was all riled up?

“Huff….”

I slowly exhaled.

Calm and composed… embodying the qualities of a mature adult, I was patiently tolerating the mistakes made by these young, inexperienced individuals.

Yes, the opponent was a group of engineers often assessed as lacking social skills, especially these top-tier home-working net hackers. Getting irritated over trivial verbal slip-ups seemed laughable.

Any objections to the materials provided? They could raise as many as they wanted.

After all… that was likely a representation of everyone’s inner thoughts in this room.

Just how were we supposed to see what constituted a ‘fair evaluation’? The process was fundamentally unclear.

Despite the higher-ups watching from above, the person in charge appeared rather indifferent.

Moreover, having been forcibly summoned from their respective abodes for an offline interview, their conditions and available equipment varied greatly, making the untimely tests even more questionable.

It seemed more natural to harbor discontent and rightfully question the unfairness. Hm.

…However, it was quite unexpected for our team to be pinpointed as the catalyst and example of this situation.

While having keen observational skills is great, deliberately disclosing that we arrived alongside Sir Léonard felt somewhat insidious, didn’t it?

In our current focus, being the first to get called out, how convincing could it be to claim he had merely come to greet us?

“Are you kidding me?! Why are you all suddenly starting a ruckus when you have solid backgrounds?!”

“Oh? Did it sound like a quarrel? We just wanted to confirm with the person in charge whether we could bring our equipment. …Did it hit a nerve?”

“It’s you two; you’re the ones who’ll be stuck in a safe for two hours! I heard from our shy teammate that you were let go for stealing ledgers at the Central Times news agency… Oh, is your livelihood getting tight because you might not win this case? Huh??”

““……What a bitch.””

The voices of the twins synced in unison.

Wow, did they have surgery or something? Their pitch and tone were identical.

Whether intentional or by coincidence, before the audience could rally, Marina charged in with blatant personal attacks, shifting the focus and undermining the informant’s credibility.

Upon reflection, there really wasn’t a need to justify anything to others.

If anyone found the situation troublesome, they could just leave and head home, wash their feet, and sleep. Of course, the market probably sent Neo Haven to make sure no one could just easily give up….

“If my droid is the problem, I won’t use it during the test. Is that enough?”

I interrupted the busy, glaring individuals to offer a reasonable compromise.

I’ve said this before. I don’t enjoy making enemies or sparking unnecessary disputes.

While there are certainly jerks who pull out pocket knives just for bumping shoulders, I assume that such a trivial disagreement wouldn’t leave a lasting grudge.

So even if they attacked first, considering the topic could be misconstrued, it would be best to find a compromise through yielding….

“……Little lady. This is an adults’ conversation, so don’t barge in. Go play with that damn little Asian kid over there.”

“Are you looking to die??”

Ah, I lost my patience and shot back in their face.

Still, didn’t I maintain some composure? Just managing to hold back Zero, who seemed unsure if that was a signal to attack or not, was something they should be grateful for.

…It appears the shy Kên beside me contributes to my being indiscriminately lumped together with them.

“W-What?!”

“Stop messing with people’s heights, you production house rejects. If you have grievances about the test itself, formally protest to the market instead of constantly going after innocent people! Are you confident?!”

“Pffft…!!”

“Hey, even the little lady is taking a shot!”

“……Oh? No signs of surgery, petite build, and black hair? Could it be….”

Seeing the opponent startled, I leaned in for a few more jabs, causing simultaneous whistles and applause from the audience.

After all, the most entertaining show of all is a fight. With the essence of the matter fading away, I noticed many were simply starting to enjoy the situation as raw criticisms began to leak out.

“Ten thousand credits for the twin siblings!” and “Is this really a catfight?” were among the absurd comments I caught.

At this point, I didn’t care. It wasn’t my fault. I would have gladly let it slide if it were merely a gender issue, but why touch on the already uncomfortable and burdensome height issue?

“Hey, cutie? If you had just waited, I would have handled it myself.”

“It’s not my fault that I just extended my hand for a handshake and got slapped! And Marina, if you keep calling me weird….”

I swallowed the rest of my words, but she had already grasped the unspoken pressure well enough and slightly raised her hands.

However… no matter how I looked at it, she was just pretending to stop for now while maintaining her future attitude. Ugh.

“You crazy bitch… Hey, you crazy bitch…!! You look cute but your mouth is just…!”

“Looks like you operate a separate droid… Do you have a patron or something? You must be popular!”

“…Huff.”

Now that I’d charged in recklessly, I should at least make those two angry folks concede entirely to avoid any future trouble… but what should I do?

Look at that; even while I was supposed to be having a strategic meeting with Marina, those two were constantly throwing insults my way, which is hardly the behavior of a competent engineer.

“……Enough.”

While I can’t assert they’ll pass unconditionally, I’m definitely going to put their records down somehow.

To completely quell these folks at once… Should I reveal the abilities I’d tried to hide? I’d prefer to avoid drawing too much attention…!

“Arrêt——!!”

“!!”

Without a moment’s notice, everyone simultaneously covered their ears.

It felt as though the air was trembling and contorting like a cannon had fired, and the settled grains of sand were momentarily agitated, shooting toward the walls before scattering everywhere.

…I had momentarily forgotten that there was someone here who could forcibly convince everyone.

“Right, a mercenary heading to battle without all their equipment sure talks a big game. The person in charge should quickly help these incompetent Connards find what they want…!”

Léonard, waving away the dust swirling near the loudspeaker, moved his legs.

“Is there another Bébé who left their toys in the stroller? …If so, don’t waste time and get it now.”

One step. The monitor crackled with noise as it faced me and then flickered back.

“Again, I’m not the one deciding your fate. It’s pointless to whine since I have no clue about the higher-ups’ intentions.”

Two steps. Shadows loomed, and heads tilted upward.

“And most of all…”

“…Huh?”

With three final steps, I felt the pressure from his imposing figure as he stood right in front of me, and I noticed the eyebrows of the blonde twins quiver slightly.

Kindly,

Léonard held the twins’ jaws gently with both hands, ensuring they wouldn’t accidentally bite their tongues, and spoke softly while bent over.

“If you have something to say, prove it with your skills first… Don’t dare insert yourself into vile and petty speculations about being better than you…!!”

With a thud, the freed twins dropped to the floor with a bang.

It was strange that these supposedly experienced individuals would collapse without making a sound; apparently, they were constrained in their actions and thoughts by that ominous low frequency.

Truly, his handling is quite skilled. That villainous charisma is overflowing…!

For now, the test was put on hold until the poor field workers, who had received orders from the frightening adult, got back with the candidates’ wish lists.

The nature of the task was now exposed to the world.

It seemed to be an excellent opportunity, as people busily ran about trying to form impromptu groups or heated discussions.

Now then… Shall we have a chat?

Leaning against the wall, Marina, with Kên sitting demurely on his bag.

I decided to comfortably sit nearby on a pile of rocks to have some team bonding time.

But while Marina called him by name naturally, what should I call him?

Isn’t it said that Asians often appear younger than their age? Upon closer inspection, he looks so young that I even doubt he’s an adult… um….

…For now, should I just call him Kên kid?