Hidden Management Department garrison, third floor, reception room.
The previously quiet room became lively with the arrival of a group of girls.
"Yukinoshita, is the pudding I left in the fridge last time still there?"
Eriri, who had just pushed open the door, went straight to the fridge on the left side of the room.
Hearing this, Yukino Yukinoshita, who entered a step later, calmly replied:
"The pudding? It should be on the top shelf of the fresh-keeping compartment."
At that moment, Utaha Kasumigaoka, who came in after them, headed straight for the sofa while saying lazily:
"Yukinoshita, coffee, please."
"Understood, Senior." Yukino Yukinoshita seemed somewhat accustomed to Utaha's slacking-off habits. After responding, she turned to Megumi and Kisara behind her:
"Miss Kato and Senior Kisara, what would you like to drink?"
"For me, coffee," Kisara answered while looking at Megumi. "What about you, newbie?"
Megumi, unfamiliar with her surroundings, seemed quite uncomfortable and replied weakly:
"...Juice... would be fine."
Hearing this, Yukino Yukinoshita immediately asked:
"For juice, we only have instant juice drinks from the supermarket. Is that acceptable?"
"Anything is fine." Megumi glanced at Eriri, who was sitting on the opposite single sofa, eating pudding as if she were at home.
Then she looked at Utaha Kasumigaoka, who had expertly pulled out a manga from under the central table and was now reading it on the long sofa.
Finally, she watched as Yukino Yukinoshita walked towards the bar counter next to the fridge on the left, preparing tea and snacks for everyone.
At last, Megumi Kato couldn't help but ask Kisara, who was about to head towards the sofa opposite Utaha Kasumigaoka:
"Um... Kisara-san, is this really the Astronomy Club's activity room?"
"Huh?" Kisara turned back in surprise at Megumi's question, then hesitated before replying: "It should be, I suppose."
'What kind of answer is 'should be'?' Megumi really wanted to retort, but seeing everyone about to sit down, she obediently followed Kisara and took her seat.
After all, compared to the seemingly unapproachable Utaha Kasumigaoka and the emotionally volatile Eriri, the consistently calm Yukino Yukinoshita and the seemingly docile Kisara appeared much easier to interact with.
With Yukino busy, Megumi had no choice but to stick with Kisara, trying not to stand out too much.
Fortunately, the other girls present didn't seem to pay much attention to her as a newcomer; instead, they directly sat on the four sofas arranged in a square formation and started their conversation.
Eriri was the first to speak. Seated on the single sofa facing the door with a spoon in one hand and a pudding in the other, she asked between bites:
"Speaking of which, is Kato joining to assist Yukinoshita with paperwork?"
Hearing this, Utaha Kasumigaoka, who was flipping through a manga, replied without looking up:
"Are you asking me, Sawamura?"
"Who else here could answer that besides you?"
Eriri rolled her eyes at Utaha's response:
"You and Luo Shu are the most familiar with things here, aren't you?"
"Hmm?" Kisara suddenly looked up sharply at Eriri.
Immediately, Eriri corrected herself: "I meant familiar with the department's operations!"
Kisara narrowed her eyes briefly before lowering her head again, drifting off into her own thoughts.
Utaha merely chuckled at this before remarking:
"Sometimes I truly have to admire your abilities, Sawamura."
When it came to stepping on landmines, Utaha had never admired anyone else quite like Eriri.
"Spare me the sarcasm. If you want to call me stupid, just say it directly."
Eriri snorted in displeasure. She wasn't completely unaware of her own clumsiness with words, but unless she maintained her perfect lady act, as she did at school, there wasn't much she could do about it.
But this wasn't school. Pretending to be well-behaved all day was exhausting enough, and she couldn't muster the energy to perform in front of her Familia companions.
Especially with Utaha Kasumigaoka - who knew exactly how to push her buttons - right there.
"Should I commend you for your self-awareness?"
Utaha smiled, glancing up at Eriri before returning to her manga:
"I'm not entirely sure about the specific arrangements, but she'll likely be assisting Yukinoshita with manageable tasks while gradually being introduced to relevant materials."
"Just as I thought."
Eriri took another bite of pudding before commenting:
"Yukinoshita handles garrison paperwork, you manage publishing house entertainment projects, Kisara's the personal maid..."
"What's wrong, feeling like a third wheel?" Utaha Kasumigaoka calmly flipped through a manga while smiling. "You could always come help me. I happen to be short of an amusing pet right now."
"Piss off!"
Eriri glared at Utaha with irritation.
A pet? How dare she even suggest that!
"You gloomy woman, do you get physically uncomfortable if you don't annoy me at least once a day?"
"I never said anything of the sort."
Utaha replied nonchalantly while glancing up at Eriri:
"But Sawamura, you have been rather lazy lately. Even Luo Shu has noticed."
"Then why doesn't he assign me something to do?" Eriri muttered under her breath.
Just then, the door opened as Luo Shu entered, saying:
"Didn't I mention before? For the next while, you'll be accompanying Kurumi to the Dream Simulation Chamber to familiarise yourself with your abilities."
Seeing Luo Shu arrive, Eriri quickly set down her half-eaten pudding and murmured:
"U-understood."
Noticing this, Luo Shu glanced at Yukino Yukinoshita, who was approaching with a drink tray, before saying:
"Yukino, later take Megumi to register her information at the server room on the fourth floor and apply for an identification ring. Also, contact the Research Department to schedule a Gene Adjustment session soon."
"Understood, Director." Yukino nodded politely.
At this point, Megumi Kato, who had been quietly observing, finally raised her hand timidly:
"Um... this might be presumptuous... but I don't think I've actually agreed to join the club yet?"
"Are we just skipping the formalities like this?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu looked down at Megumi and asked directly:
"You're not wrong about that."
"Then, Megumi Kato, I hereby formally invite you to join the Hidden Management Department. What is your response?"
"Huh? Wait... wasn't it the Astronomy Club?" Megumi scratched her cheek in confusion. Why the sudden name change?
Luo Shu walked over and sat on the single sofa opposite Eriri, calmly explaining:
"The difference is negligible. You can consider the Astronomy Club as our school-facing name, but externally, in society, we're known as the Hidden Management Department."
Megumi suddenly understood, then asked Luo Shu curiously:
"I'm just a little curious... what would happen if I said no?"
A smile played on Luo Shu's lips as he replied:
"I'd erase your memory and have you choose again, repeating the process until you agree."
Megumi was momentarily speechless: "..."
Had she accidentally stumbled into some kind of chuunibyou organisation?