In the endless void.
Kai, who had set off with tremendous enthusiasm, suddenly came to a stop.
After wandering through empty space for what felt like half a day, she discovered a deeply unfortunate problem.
She was lost.
Seriously.
What kind of Acheron behavior was this.
As an Emanator, Kai could travel freely through the void.
Unfortunately, cosmic power did not come with a built-in sense of direction.
It looked like she would have to find a civilized planet and steal.
Buy.
No.
Acquire a terminal.
Preferably an expensive model with reliable interstellar navigation.
Then she would never get lost again, and she would have an easy way to contact people.
Perfect.
The decision had been made.
Pier Point.
Headquarters of the Interastral Peace Corporation.
As Kai strolled along one of the enormous commercial avenues, she could barely contain her delight.
She had chosen a planet at random, yet somehow ended up at the headquarters of the IPC.
Originally, she had planned to grab a terminal and immediately leave.
That plan was abandoned the moment she learned where she was.
Come on.
This was Pier Point.
She had already come all this way.
How could she possibly leave without finding a little entertainment.
Kai studied the magnificent buildings towering before her, and the corners of her mouth slowly curled upward.
There would not be any harm in going inside for a quick tour.
Probably.
Hehe.
…
A short while later, inside an IPC headquarters building.
“One goes here.”
“And another one goes over there.”
Inside a spacious office, Kai carefully placed small, adorable dolls throughout the room.
Each doll was miniature, no larger than the palm of her hand.
More importantly, every one of them looked exactly like a tiny version of Kai.
Inspired by Sparkle’s style, Kai had used the power of an Emanator of Elation to create them.
They were Kai Dolls.
Some people might have had questions.
Had she not claimed that she was only coming inside for a tour.
What exactly was she doing now.
Please.
This was the headquarters of the IPC.
It would have been rude to visit empty-handed.
Kai was a thoughtful and well-mannered young woman.
These dolls were obviously gifts for the employees.
Hehe.
They were so adorable that everyone was sure to be blown away.
That was not quite the right phrase.
Everyone was sure to love them.
Moving without making a sound, Kai arrived outside the office of the Marketing Development Department’s head.
She pushed open the door and quietly peeked inside.
The luxurious office was empty.
The legendary Oswaldo Schneider did not appear to be present.
It seemed Kai would not be able to personally place her gift into his hands.
What a shame.
After casually leaving three hundred dolls in his office, Kai closed the door.
As for why she did not take anything valuable while she was there.
The reason was simple.
Anything belonging to Oswaldo Schneider probably carried terrible luck.
Kai wandered through the rest of the Marketing Development Department and made certain that she had not overlooked any important areas.
She then nodded in satisfaction.
“Five hundred should be enough.”
“All right.”
“Time for the next department.”
“Fifty for the Technology Department.”
“Fifty for the Building Material Logistics Department.”
“Fifty for the Business Consolidation Department.”
Originally, Kai had only planned to blow up the Marketing Development Department.
Then she reconsidered.
Since she was already here, she might as well leave a few gifts for everyone else.
It would barely take any additional effort.
“Kai believes in fairness.”
“I would never single out one person or department for special treatment.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Hehe.”
Strategic Investment Department.
While Kai was quietly distributing her gifts, a blond man appeared in front of her.
He had beautiful, multicolored eyes and striking features.
His clothing was extravagant enough to make him resemble a peacock dressed for a gala.
Kai looked up at him and narrowed her eyes slightly.
Well, well.
Was that Aventurine.
What a coincidence.
She had not expected to run into him here.
Aventurine had naturally noticed Kai as well.
Even he found his attention drawn toward the remarkably charming young woman standing in front of him.
As far as he could remember, the Strategic Investment Department did not employ anyone with her innocent appearance.
Who was she.
Why was she wandering through the department during working hours.
Aventurine offered her a warm smile and voiced his questions.
“I do not believe we have met before, miss.”
“May I ask your name and what brings you here.”
Kai’s pale blue eyes immediately lit up.
“No way.”
“It really is Senior Manager Aventurine.”
“I cannot believe I am actually meeting you.”
She gazed at him with open admiration, countless imaginary stars seemingly sparkling in her eyes.
At that moment, Kai looked like an excited fan who had finally encountered her favorite celebrity.
She took several deep breaths, pretending to calm herself.
Then she gave Aventurine a respectful bow.
“Hello, Senior Manager Aventurine.”
“My name is Kai.”
“I am a new employee in the Strategic Investment Department, and today is my first day reporting to headquarters.”
“I cannot believe I met you on my very first day.”
“This is amazing.”
Aventurine nodded.
So she was a new employee.
That explained why he had never seen her before.
The small amount of suspicion he had felt quickly disappeared.
“Senior Manager Aventurine.”
“I am a huge fan of yours.”
“Could I please have your autograph?”
Aventurine looked down.
Kai had somehow produced a glossy photo book filled with professional pictures of him, along with a pen.
She held them toward him while staring up with wide, expectant eyes.
Her expression made refusing feel almost cruel.
“Very well.”
Aventurine accepted the photo book and pen.
He quickly signed one of the pages before handing everything back.
Kai stared down at the autograph as though she had received an invaluable treasure.
She hugged the book against her chest and looked up at her idol with a sweet smile.
“Thank you, Senior Manager Aventurine.”
“You are such a nice person.”
Aventurine paused.
Had she really just given him the classic nice-guy compliment.
The situation was so unexpected that he did not know whether to laugh or sigh.
He knew Kai had not meant anything by it, so he decided not to dwell on the remark.
It was still working hours.
Aventurine could disappear for a while without attracting much attention.
For a new employee on her first day, however, wandering around for too long might cause problems.
He found this cheerful and slightly mischievous newcomer rather likable.
With that in mind, he smiled gently.
“We work in the same department now, so there will be plenty of opportunities for us to meet again.”
“You should return to work before your supervisor notices that you are missing.”
“Oh, right.”
“I need to get back to work.”
“If I stay away too long, my manager might destroy my performance review.”
“Goodbye, Senior Manager Aventurine.”
“Hehe.”
Kai waved to him with a bright smile.
She put away the photo book and hurried down the corridor.
“Wait.”
Kai stopped when she heard Aventurine calling after her.
She turned around and looked at him with a perfectly innocent expression.
“Is something wrong, Senior Manager Aventurine.”
“I was wondering who you currently report to.”
“Senior Manager Topaz.”
So she worked under Topaz.
The relationships among the Ten Stonehearts varied, but Aventurine and Topaz generally got along well.
Topaz was a decent person.
Aventurine felt confident that his adorable new fan would be treated fairly under her supervision.
“I see.”
“You should get going.”
“Work hard.”
“I will.”
“Kai will do her very best.”
“Thank you, Senior Manager Aventurine.”
“You really are handsome.”
“I will show you some fireworks later.”
“Hehe.”
Kai skipped away down the corridor.
Fireworks.
That sounded like a pleasant distraction.
Unfortunately, Aventurine doubted he would have time to watch them.
His eyes curved slightly as he smiled, silently watching until Kai disappeared from sight.
Only then did he turn and leisurely walk away.
He failed to notice that Kai had already doubled back.
She stood some distance behind him, watching through narrowed pale blue eyes.
A wicked smile appeared on her lovely face.
“Oh my.”
“Dear Aventurine, you are surprisingly easy to fool.”
“What a pushover.”
“Such a pushover.”
“Hehe.”