_________

Myth Inc. HQ. In the lobby, a soft chime echoed and then a pair of black-haired beauties walked out of the elevator.

Alpha stepped out first. She wore casual clothes, a black sweatshirt and jeans paired with some gray boots, but it couldn’t hide her beauty.

Following after her was Wang Zhaojun. Like Alpha, she was wearing casual clothing. A white blouse paired with a black suede coat. Loose black sweatpants and brown boots. Nothing too fashionable or complex, but because of her natural beauty, it didn’t matter.

Alpha looked back at her aunt and smiled. “Thanks for spending time with me like this, Auntie.”

Zhaojun walked over and ruffled Alpha’s hair. “You don’t need to thank me, Alphy. It’s Auntie’s pleasure.”

“Heehee…” Alpha’s smile widened and she closed her eyes.

Zhaojun smiled back and then pulled Alpha in for a hug. “Come now. You said that you wanted to take Auntie out for a ride to see the city?”

“Oh, yes!” Alpha nodded and said, “Papa left his spare car for us to use, so we can go exploring! I haven’t gotten to see much of the city yet and I was scared to go alone, but if Auntie’s there with me, it’ll be perfect!”

Zhaojun laughed, a clear sound like crystal bells. “Yes. You always were prone to trouble just like your father.”

Alpha blushed. “N-Not on purpose!”

“I never said it was.”

Alpha’s blush deepened and then she grabbed Zhaojun’s hand. “W-Whatever. Let’s go already, Auntie.”

Zhaojun smiled and said, “Yes, yes. After you, Alph-” She cut off, her crimson eyes suddenly widening.

Alpha paused and looked back. “Is something wrong, Auntie?” She frowned and followed Zhaojun’s gaze.

Suddenly, the doors to the building opened and someone walked in. At the same time, a male voice called out. “Hello? John? Qing? Is anyone here?”

A middle-aged man wearing a gray coat. Takashi Kimura.

But he wasn’t the only one walking into the building.

“U-Um. Pardon the intrusion!”

A beautiful girl with orange hair the color of flames. Clear eyes like rubies and refined gestures. But more importantly…

“Zhu…que?”

…A face that Zhaojun could never forget. The smiling face that hid a lifetime of tears as she bade them all farewell and returned into the stream of reincarnation.

“Hm?” The girl turned to look at Zhaojun and tilted her head. “I’m sorry?”

Zhaojun blinked and then let out a slow breath. After that, she smiled and said, “My apologies.” She looked to Takashi and said, “Senior Brother- That is to say, John Smith and the staff are currently out at the moment.”

Alpha frowned and looked at Takashi before turning back to Zhaojun. “Are you sure that it’s okay to tell him Papa’s out, Auntie?”

“Papa?” Takashi blinked and then tilted his head, staring at Alpha. After a bit, his eyes widened and then he smiled. “So you’re John’s daughter! Nice to meet you at last.” He walked over and bowed his head. “My name is Takashi Kimura, former officer and soon to be head of security here in Myth Incorporated.” He raised his head and then looked back. “And this is…”

The beautiful young woman stepped forward and bowed as well. “My name is Akairo Suzume. P-Pleased to meet you!”

Akairo Suzume… A red-colored sparrow. Or, translating the characters…

The Vermillion Bird.

Suzume raised her head and let out a hesitant smile. “Um…” She held up a worn-out flier and said, “C-Can I audition here?”

—–AI|IA—–

Sitri knelt on the ground, head bowed in a dogeza.

Qing crossed his arms and stared at her. “Do you understand what you did now, Sitri?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Boss.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Qing let out a deep sigh and rubbed bridge of his nose.

They were back in his office. After the mess of the interview, he made sure to give a long and through scolding of everything Sitri did wrong back then when he was talking with Yuri. The Azure Dragon also tossed a stack of books about how to work in HR and be a proper secretary to her and assigned it as homework.

Sitri subtly raised her head, peeking at Qing.

Qing narrowed his eyes and said, “Sit there and repent. I don’t like clingy and incompetent women. Understand?”

Sitri flinched and quickly nodded. “Understood, Boss.”

“Good.” He shook his head. “Honestly… You have a good head on your shoulders if you could record all those details, but you need to know when to set it aside for work. Even if I find you attractive, if you ruin things for me or my own Boss, then I can’t help but let you go. Understand?”

“Yes, B- Wait!” Sitri quickly looked up and said, “Y-You like me?”

Qing coughed. “I-It’s a bit too soon to be talking about a relationship, but I have to admit that you are hardworking, observant, and your beauty aligns with my inclinations so-“

Sitri jumped to her feet and then fist pumped. “Yes! I didn’t mess up too bad!”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself!”

Sitri flinched and then quickly jumped back into a dogeza. “Yes, Boss!”

Qing sighed. “…Study hard. If you are serious about being my companion and not simply a casual lover, I need you to be proper and competent. Understand? If it is in private, you can be as wild as you want, but on the job or in public-“

“Deal!”

Qing blinked. “P-Pardon?”

Sitri looked up and winked. “You’re a man of your word, right, Qing? So if I act like a proper noblewoman and do my work well, we can be wild in private!”

“I-I didn’t say-“

Sitri immediately got up and walked out of Qing’s office to her room. “I’m studying now! But don’t forget! You promised!”

Qing watched her leave and then rubbed his face in his hands. “…I am beginning to see why John was so adamant about returning home.”

If he had to deal with these sorts of situations even after he announced his marriage with Princess Yue in the Three Realms then it was a miracle his sanity was still in one piece.

…Though considering that he was always a bit eccentric…

“Well.” Qing leaned back in his chair and said, “I suppose I don’t mind it too much.”

Sitri was exuberant and a bit too clingy, but she was competent, beautiful, and devoted. …A bit too aggressive in that devotion at times, but he didn’t hate it.

Qing shook his head and then opened up his laptop. Checking the time, he hummed and said, “Still quite a few hours left to go until the interview with Miss Chihiro. But for the most part…”

Shu Yozora. A diligent and hardworking individual like her was a necessary anchor, so she was approved. Also, from his background research, she was skilled in swordsmanship as well as some martial arts, so there could be some interesting streams there.

Yuri Miyamoto… Qing wasn’t sure about her. But since it *was* his fault that the interview went wrong because he brought Sitri, who was still far from professional at the time, it wouldn’t be fair to not give her a second chance. Especially considering her expression as he was leaving. So… tentative approval.

Chihiro Kimura… Qing still had yet to interview her, but knowing Takashi’s character and seeing Chihiro’s fanart and support of Project MirAIs, he was already leaning towards approval.

So three potential candidates for John to meet and do a final check before signing them on as the next generation of Project MirAIs.

A prodigy at martial arts, a prodigy at cooking, and a prodigy at drawing.

So far, there were only three. Ideally, Qing would have preferred one more to show that Project MirAIs was continuing to grow, but-

A sudden phone call. Qing blinked and picked up his phone. “That’s strange…”

There shouldn’t be anyone calling him at this time… and his phone number wasn’t public so it couldn’t be a potential applicant.

Qing glanced at the caller id and then paused. “Miss Alpha?”

That was even stranger. She had his number because John left it for all the girls in case something went wrong, but…

Qing shook his head and then picked up the call. “Hello?”

“Mister Qing?”

As expected, it was Alpha. John’s eldest daughter.

Qing leaned back in his chair and nodded. “Yes. Is something wrong, Miss Alpha?”

“No, everything’s fine. But um… There’s someone here at the headquarters who wants to apply. And Auntie Zhaojun says that you should come meet her. You and Mister Bai as well.”

Qing blinked and then said, “Lady Zhaojun said that…? And she asked for both myself and Bai?”

“Mmhm. I don’t know why, but she seems really adamant about it. And she’s acting a bit weird too…”

Wang Zhaojun acting strange. Insisting that both himself and Bai meet the applicant…

It couldn’t be a random practitioner since Alpha would recognize it. And it couldn’t be a hostile person, so…

“I don’t know about Bai, but I’ll be there shortly.”

“Alright, Mister Qing. Thank you!”

“It’s fine. I’m the one handling your father’s business affairs, so I should do this much at least.”

Alpha laughed and said, “And that’s why I’m thankful!”

The call ended.

Qing stared at his phone and frowned. “Just who is this mystery person…?”

Someone that Wang Zhaojun insisted on…

Qing’s frown deepened and then he called Bai.

One ring. Two. Three… Just when Qing was beginning to think the lazy tiger wouldn’t pick up, the call connected.

“‘llo?”

Qing sighed. “Could you be at least a bit more professional?”

“Meh. It’s just you, right, Bro?”

“And can you be more formal? Honestly, has spending so much time lazing about ruined your manners that much?”

*Mister Qing is right, Bai! Speak properly!*

A female voice in the background. Eri Iyasu’s.

“Yes, Wifey. I’ll try to be a bit more formal.” Bai sighed.

Hearing that, Qing wanted to sigh too. He also wanted to scold Bai for having a woman around when he was supposed to be doing work.

Then again, that would make Qing a hypocrite considering his current situation, so he didn’t say anything. Instead, he said, “Are you free right now?”

“Mm? Yeah. I just finished sorting out all the paperwork for the medical stuff.”

“Good. Lady Zhaojun wants us to meet someone at the headquarters applying for Project MirAIs.”

“Huh? Shouldn’t you be enough for that? I mean, we’re just screening the girls to send to John to interview, right?”

“That’s why I’m curious. Miss Alpha called me and said that Lady Zhaojun was acting strange.”

“Hm… Alright. Should we meet up first?”

Qing nodded. “Just in case.”

“Gotcha.” Bai’s voice grew a bit distant and he said, “I’m heading out, Wifey!”

*Stay safe, Tiger!*

Qing blinked and said, “Tiger?”

“Pet names. Cute, right?”

“…Whatever. I’ll see you-“

“Boss!” Sitri’s voice echoed from outside his office. “I’m a bit hungry, so I’m going to cook some food. Did you want anything?”

Qing froze.

The other side of the line fell silent too, Bai completely shutting up. And then…

“You son of a bitch.” Bai cursed and said, “You get mad at me about Eri and it turns out that you’ve already got a girl on the side?!”

Qing coughed and said, “It’s not what it-“

“Ah, I know. Maybe you want a bath? Or…” Sitri’s voice trailed off and then continued in a husky tone. “Do you want me?”

“…”

“…”

“…You sly snake.”

“…Just meet me there in fifteen minutes.”

Bai laughed. “Sure, bro. Catch you later. And remember to not let too many little dragons swim upstream.”

The call ended.

Qing slipped his phone into his pocket and let out a deep sigh.

“Boss?”

“…I’ll just have a light snack, Sitri. And no, not you. Not today.”

Sitri squealed and said, “Alright! I’ll whip something right up, Boss!”

Qing paused, wondering why she was so excited.

And then he realized what he said.

“…Goddammit- No. Dammit, John.”

Qing sighed and covered his face with his hands.

—–AI|IA—–

In a ski resort in the northern islands of Hokkaido.

John and Yue had gone skiing for the next part of their long date.

Snowy mountain drifts, pure white as far as the eye could see.

And heading up those drifts on a ski lift were those two lovebirds.

A peaceful scene. Because John had spent all morning running around preparing things and then teleporting them to their next location, he was taking a nap on Yue’s lap.

The Jade Princess watched over him, smiling as she tousled his golden hair and stared at his peaceful sleeping face.

The ski lift would take a while to reach the top, so it was the perfect time for a nap. And in truth, Yue wished to do the same, slumbering peacefully with her beloved husband. But…

A faint ripple in the air. Thin black threads connecting not to her husband, but to herself. Karma of ill-intent. Not towards her… but from her to others.

It wasn’t anything new. There were plenty of obsessive women who went wild and tried to wage war for John’s hand. Women who weren’t so kind as those three that John cared for as his true family and knew for so long.

Girls who John saved in passing and believed that he was their soulmate. Women who fell in love at first sight and refused to believe otherwise. Evil demons that coveted such a brilliant light.

Beautiful women that John didn’t even know about and yet believed they should belong with him.

Yue put them all in their place.

It was the right thing to do.

But…

Yue plucked the three strings drifting nearby.

There hadn’t been any before. When she first appeared, the only threads of karma had been to her children, John, and those three women that he called family.

But now there were three more. And these three she knew well.

…Because they were the ones she forced out of John’s life in the beginning without him knowing. The ones she smiled and played ignorant about when he asked where they went.

Yue clutched the strings to her chest and then trembled from the guilt.

She looked down at her husband’s face and then closed her eyes. “…Will you still love me if you know how ugly I am, Husband?”

He didn’t answer, still deep in slumber.

Yue sighed and then shook her head. Leaning back, she stared out the window at the white mountains.

…If only her past and her heart could be just as pure…