Chapter 6: Office job
"Well," Yurika says brightly, "this desk looks cute. And it's even got a cute little laptop!"
Michael rolls his eyes as Haruto grins. "It's not cute," the hacker corrects her, slightly offended, "it's a highly expensive and most up-to-date model."
"Highly expensive, huh?" the blonde says in an appreciative tone. "Then this is definitely mine."
"Guess I'll take the seat with a view," Haruto says, sliding into a rolling chair. "Never thought I'd take a plain ol' office job."
Karasuma shakes her head. "Trust me, after a while, you're going to wish that were the case," she says. "Because of the caseload, we've been pulling double-time here. I can't tell you how glad I am that the two of you are here."
"How long have you worked here?" Haruto asks her.
"Since I was thirteen," Karasuma replies, straightening her suit jacket. "Ever since most of the staff moved up to the main Solomon headquarters, it's nice to be part of a younger crowd again."
"How old are you, exactly?" the teen squints.
"Haruto," Yurika scolds him as the other woman laughs.
"It's okay," Karasuma says, "I'm seventeen."
"What?" both teens chorus.
"You seem so much older," Haruto blurts out, "ow!" He glares at Yurika while rubbing his arm.
Karasuma doesn't look offended, instead, she looks pleased. "Thanks," she says, running a hand at the bottom of her short but stylish dark hair.
"So, how did you get into the STN-J so young?" Haruto wonders, although he's got an idea.
"I'm a Craft-user," she says matter-of-factly. "I can scry strong emotions from objects by touching them. It helps to develop a profile on the witch that might not otherwise be apparent by simple background checks."
"I see," Yurika says knowingly, "so Michael's got computer skills and you've got Craft skills. What do you have?" she asks Haruto.
He glares at her. "I passed the test, same as you," he says.
"I would've gotten in anyways," she says blithely, "my daddy's rich and he has some influence around here."
Haruto rolls his eyes. "Great," he says. He's stuck with a Craft-user and the girl he thought was cute is some rich brat. Some team.
"Sorry to interrupt the introductions," Michael says, "but Amon needs you."
"All right," Karasuma nods as she grabs her coat. "Guess the rest of the tour will have to wait," she says lightly, "we're going to the armory."
"Cool, we get guns," Haruto grins, relieved he won't be stuck in the office any longer. The two women roll their eyes as he sprints to the hallway. "Hey, what are we waiting for?" he asks.