The mysterious boy said all of that in one breath.
With a big smile on his face.
Right in front of the president’s office.
“…Huh?” the secretary inanely spluttered.
There was perhaps no better way to sum up everyone’s feelings than that one single utterance.
“You’ve seriously never heard of a seagull before? Freaky-looking rats with wings, those things. They must’ve done something real horrible in a past life. I mean, have you ever actually taken a deep look at their eyes? You can literally see the madness! Anyway, not to change the subject, but I’m one rice ball down, so I’m getting prett
y hungry. Got anything I could eat?”
“Excuse me? Uh, um… Excuse me?” The secretary was absolutely baffled.
It stood to reason. The young boy was mirthfully rambling on until he suddenly saw something in the room and shut his mouth. His almond eyes surveyed his surroundings before creasing even further.
“Hmm… Looks like you’ve got your hands full.”
Fukuzawa came back to his senses. Who was this boy? He seemed like nothing but trouble.
“Eh, not that it’s any of my business. Anyway, could you give me the paper? Oh, is it somewhere in the pile? You expect me to find it? Sounds like a real pain in the neck. Hey, Mr. Secretary, how about you find it for me while you’re busy killing time? Besides, I’m not interested in the fingerprints in this room.”
Each thing he said was more bewildering than the last, and some things didn’t make sense at all. “Killing time”? “Fingerprints”? The boy began to walk, heading toward the center of the room—toward the center of the ocean of documents. Right as the bottom of his foot was about to step on the first wave of papers—multiple documents with the company seal that looked like contracts with other companies…
“Ack! Wait, wait, wait! Stop right there! Do you have any idea how many years it took to close those contracts?!”
…the secretary grabbed the boy by the shoulder, barely stopping him in time. The boy stared at him, puzzled, then took a moment to deliberate.
“Nope,” the boy replied before beginning to walk once more.
“Ahhh! Stop that!” the secretary shrieked as he desperately snatched up the documents. The boy’s foot landed right where the documents once lay.
“See? You can do it if you really put your mind to it,” the boy said with a smirk.
“What is wrong with you?! Regardless of the tragedy that occurred here today, this is still the president’s office! Authorized personnel only!”
“I know,” the boy admitted nonchalantly. “But I’ve been authorized. I was told to come in for an interview today. Isn’t it obvious?”
An interview?
“O-oh… You’re the applicant. I do remember the president mentioning something about conducting an interview for an apprentice office clerk…”
An apprentice office clerk? This destructively disobedient kid?
The boy claimed it was obvious he came in for an interview, but Fukuzawa was taken by complete surprise. He simply figured it was some sort of gremlin or troll who had shown up to make some demands now that the president had passed. The kid stood out like a sore thumb.
Fukuzawa turned his gaze to the secretary, who was still arguing back and forth with the boy near the entrance. He wanted to help, but he was standing by the door to the adjacent room, far from the entrance. The sea of paper on the floor blocked his path, making his only option to observe the proceedings.
“Sheesh, just look at the mess you made here. I get that you didn’t want anyone to search the room, but…this? Adults puzzle me. What a puzzling world we live in!”
“P-please stop talking nonsense!” the secretary screamed in falsetto.
Fukuzawa’s curiosity was sparked, for he saw a hint of dismay in the secretary’s pale expression.
“I understand why you’re here,” the secretary continued, “but our company has no time for that right now! The president was assassinated. Therefore, your interview must be postponed. I have to find which documents are missing and report it to the authorities before the suspect is turned in to the police—before they hook ’em and book ’em! Now please just go. Run along, now.”
“For the last time already—I know,” the boy complained with a pout. “Do you enjoy stating the obvious? I came to get my certification. You know what I’m talking about, right?”