Chương 114: Big Boss Stella

The next day, I was looking through my closet for a professional looking outfit. In just about an hour, Luna and I would be going to meet this Ashley Becker person for an interview. Something also to note is that both panda mister and crystal mister responded yesterday shortly after I messaged them. [Lonely Panda Lover: I am available for communication at anytime.] [Raccoon: Then, tomorrow at 15: 00 EST, are you available for a voice call?] [Lonely Panda Lover: That will be fine with me.] …

[White Crystal Addict: I'm free to talk whenever.] [Raccoon: Tomorrow, 16: 00, EST. Are you available for a voice call?] [White Crystal Addict: I can do that.] … So, aside from the interview I have with Ashley today, I also have those two to look forward to! Oh jeez, I seem to have become super important and successful~ I'm even interviewing people now. Hehe.

"Hm…" I pondered my options. Honestly, I didn't have much. All my clothes leaned towards the cute side of aesthetic rather than business casual or formal attire. I didn't even have any of those smooth, straight skirts or whatever those are called. After a short while, I finally picked an outfit. Today, I'd be wearing a skirt, sheer tights, and a tan cardigan. To add to my cuteness—I mean, professional aesthetic, I also wore a beret.

I thought about wearing glasses, but, I couldn't since I'd be wearing my domino mask. Anyways, after getting dressed, I headed to the bedroom. Luna was applying makeup; She had bought a makeup table to have here. Now that I think about it, I have still yet to use makeup. It's not that I'm purposefully avoiding it, I just haven't felt the desire to try it. I am a little curious on how I'd look with some on. Though, that can probably wait. Maybe I'll surprise Luna on one of our dates. On a similar topic…

I looked at my nails. I know some girls liked to keep their's long and pointy, but I've always kept mine short and trimmed. I don't plan on changing that since it'd make working with materials harder if they were long, but, I could probably paint them, no? I think that'd look pretty cute, right? Hm… As I was pondering these thoughts, Luna must've noticed me whether it was by my reflection in the mirror or her cheat trait, as she spoke.

"You're dressed?" She asked.

"Yeah," I nodded. I walked behind her and rested my chin on her shoulder, hugging her from behind. She leaned her head back into me. On the mirror's reflection, I could see a slight red on her face.

"Do you know what questions you're going to ask?" Luna asked.

"Um…" I paused, "I'll play it by ear."

"Pfft," Luna chuckled, "That's so like you."

"Is there anything specific to look for in a personal agent?" I asked, "Would you know?"

"Specific…" Luna thought for a moment, continuing to apply her makeup, "Not that I can think of? Maybe just general questions like their background or multitasking ability?"

"What about their personality?"

"For me, personally, I don't care about their personality as long as they're unproblematic and get the job done well." Luna replied.

"Makes sense." I backed away, "Alright, well, I'll just spitball some random things I guess~ Honestly, there's a 95% chance I hire them without a second thought just because it's free and useful. But, you never know."

"Pfft, of course." Luna laughed, "You're just going through the process for fun." Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

"You know it! Hehe!" Before heading to the living room, I asked, "By the way, are you going to wear a mask?"

"No," Luna shook her head, "It's not like the association doesn't already know our connection."

"So, I'll get to stare at your pretty face the whole time? ~ Good." I smiled. Luna flinched, her face instantly flushing as I giggled and headed to the living room. … Ten minutes before the set time, Luna and I arrived at the cafe. We decided on meeting here since, well, for one, we don't have an office. And two, it's in a good location. After this meeting, Luna and I can hang out for a bit before I have to talk to the enchanter and glassblower.

"So, what do you think Ash is going to look like?" I asked.

"Ash?" Luna repeated.

"Ash, short for Ashley."

"…I'm not sure she'd appreciate her potential boss giving her nicknames before they've even met."

"It's a compatibility test~" I said as we entered the cafe, "Personally, I'm expecting a tall, sharp looking woman with black hair tied in a ponytail. She'll be wearing a business skirt with heels and glasses."

"…So, the stereotypical office lady?"

"Exactly!" We found an isolated table near the far wall and Luna took a seat.

"Do you want something to drink?" I asked, "I'm gonna order a hot chocolate."

"I'll probably get a Frappuchino, I'll come with." Luna started to get up, but I pressed down on her shoulders.

"It's alright, just hold our spot for us. We can't be looking unprofessional when-" I stopped when I saw someone approaching us. She held a cardboard drink tray in her hands, the one usually meant for takeouts. The girl had short but curly brown hair and a average height for a woman—probably around 160-170 cm? She wore a black straight skirt and a long-sleeved white collared shirt that was tucked into her belt; She also wore a handbag and black tights that were dark enough you couldn't see her skin through them.

For the shoes, she had on black heels, pushing her height up a few centimeters.

"Excuse me? Ms. Bin, Ms. Luna, I'm Ashley Becker, the personal agent here for the interview today. Excuse my assumptions, but I've brought drinks that I believe you two will like." She had a sharp, pointed voice that wasn't unpleasant to hear. In only a moment, I completely looked over her appearance. Darn it, my guess was off.

"Ashley?" I said, "You're here early, you bought us drinks?" I asked.

"Yes, for you, Ms. Bin, I've brought a hot chocolate, based on your potions all being described as 'Sweet', I assumed you liked sweet things and remembered your opinion about chocolate cake." She placed the cup of hot chocolate on the table next to Luna,"For Ms. Luna, excuse me, but I haven't been able to make a reasonable guess on what you'd enjoy, so, I brought you a popular menu item, the caffe mocha." She placed the cup in front of Luna.

"Thank you." Luna said, looking at her drink. Pfft! She doesn't know that Luna is a sweets lover just like me! I guess that's to be expected though. Luna usually looks aloof and cold in public. If I didn't know her, even I'd think that she likes bitter tasting drinks.

"Thank you! I do love hot chocolate," I smiled, "For future reference, Luna also likes sweet things."

"I'll keep that in mind." I took a seat next to Luna and Ashley sat across from us. She had also gotten herself a drink, though, I didn't know what it was.

"So! Can I call you Ashley?" I asked to start off the interview.

"Yes, that's fine." She nodded.

"Alright, Mouse, first, could you put up an isolation barrier?" I asked Luna.

"Please allow me," Ashley said, "I have a related skill for improving the quality of one." I nodded and a moment later, red mana isolated us. I took notice of the color. Though I don't know whether or not mana color actually means anything, this was my first time seeing red mana in person. It looked quite nice. It felt similar to the one Nero had formed, but a little less complex. I'd have to ask Luna about the skills later.

Even if I might be Ashley's boss, I can't just suddenly inquire into her specific skills and traits.

"Great," I nodded in approval, "So, Ashely, to confirm, you are the personal agent the association is offering, correct?"

"Yes, that's correct." Ashley replied.

"Now, I don't know much about the association or what personal agents actually do, however, I have heard that they're also basically personal assistants as well, is that right?"

"It depends on the personal agent and if they offer that in their services," Ashley explained, "I do include that in my services on the stipulation that my association tasks are limited to one to three people."

"I see, so, if it's just me and Mouse, that stipulation is fulfilled, correct?"

"Yes, that's correct." I nodded,"Now," I clasped my hands together, "Tell me a bit about yourself. Your past work experience and your goals for the future." Hehe, I saw this in a movie! I bet I look super professional right now, don't I? I internally nodded smugly.

"About myself…" Ashley thought for a moment, "I am 28 this year, I awakened when I turned 20 years old as a manager utility-type class. I always wanted to be a teacher or personal trainer, so, it was the perfect class for me; I worked as a teacher for young awakeners for two years at a private company before switching to working for the association at 22. There, I was assigned to work for Lightning Lord when he wasn't as established as he is now. That went on for three years until I was assigned to Sword Princess.

That lasted a year and for the past two years I've been managing young awakeners who join the association. My goals for the future… I simply want to be able to live a happy life and have a family; My class and job are simply supplements for that."

"Manager class?" I asked. That's a thing?

"It's a class that focuses on supporting and aiding others. It can help out with physical development and I'm able to understand what awakeners should work on to get a better foundation."

"Interesting…" I nodded, "You worked for the Lightning Lord and Sword Princess?"

"Yes, I will not divulge the specifics due to privacy concerns though." Good to know, I do like people who can keep secrets! I also like how she isn't saying something like 'I want to be the best manager out there!' or 'I want to manage the very best awakener!' or something like that. She simply wants to make money for a happy life and this job works best for her. Even though we've just started talking, I'm already leaning towards hiring her.

"Got it, moving on, I'm interested in your capabilities in completing tasks. If I were to assign you three different tasks at once, what would you do? The tasks are as follows: Task one: I'd like for you to get me a list of the top 10 best selling potions at the moment. Organize it via their grade, price, supply and demand. Task two: Can you look into eight different awakeners assigned to Luna's party, just their basic specs and if there is any bad rumors about them.

Task three: I need you to schedule a meeting with ten separate people within three days." Ashley listened to the tasks and paused. She thought about it for a few moments before replying,"I'd prioritize the tasks. First, I'd start with the second task of looking into Ms. Luna's party."

"Why?" I inquired.

"Because, I believe safety is the most important. The other two tasks don't involve risks that could potentially be dangerous. If someone with disturbing rumors or the information doesn't match up in the database, Ms. Luna could be in danger and I'd like to cut that risk at the start." I nodded and she continued,"Next, I would do the third task of scheduling people. This would take the shortest time as I can either send messages or call people to do so."

"So, the first task you'd complete last?"

"Correct, getting a list of the top selling potions would take the most time. I'd need to compile the data and make sure everything is accurate before sending it to you." Oh my goodness! Why are her answers so professional and perfect!? I can really see her experience from them! And aren't I as equally as impressive? I'm thinking of questions on the spot and I sound so professional! I'm literally the big boss in movies! Call me Big Boss Stella!

"Interesting." I nodded, "I like those answers. And that's right, you should always prioritize Luna's safety before any other task." I said.

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Before getting to the next question, I'd like to know if you have any questions for me." I said.

"If you decide to hire me, would I be working in person or remotely?" She asked after a second. I looked at Luna before turning back to Ashley,"I think it'd be primarily remotely. However, there will probably be times when you're needed in person. Later on though, it might change as I'm still just starting."

"Understood." Ashley nodded, "And what would the working hours be like?"

"What are the usual working hours like?" I asked.

"It's standard to be a regular eight hour work day. So, from 09: 00 to 17: 00 or 07: 00 to 15: 00. Anything like that." I nodded, "Mouse, any thoughts?" I turned to Luna.

"Nine to five works fine." Luna said.

"Then that'll likely be your working hours." I said to Ashley.

"Understood, no further questions at the moment." She replied.

"Mouse, do you have anything to ask her?" I asked.

"No, you've covered everything important." Luna replied.

"Okay~! So, Ashley," She listened intently to my next words,"That's the first part of the interview done. For the second part, I'd like to have a casual chat so we can know each other more personally! Gah! It's so hard being professional!" I complained. Big Boss Stella is tired! I need Cutest Little Stella back! Ashley blinked a few times, likely needing a second to take in the words. Luna from next to me sighed under her breath, hiding her smile. Hehe!