Saki is not pleased. For the umpteenth times, his hand went to the neck-tie in an attempt to loosen it, only to be glared by Tobias. Saki groaned and his hand returned to his pants pocket.
"You are not the only one, I'm also suffocating here," El said in a low voice.
"I can see that. Compared to you, I have it easier," Saki replied.
True, compared to Saki, El had it worse. He was wearing full business suit. Only he, and Tobias is wearing a full business suit. Saki and Loreno wore the buttoned-up shirt, necktie and a sleeveless vest over them.
"Are you all dressed up already?" Graham asked as he peeked into the room before entering.
"No, not yet. The ladies are still changing," Tobias replied.
"Mr. McMiller! Do we really have to wear this?" Saki asked, slightly feeling irritated.
"Yes. It is my company's policy that all employee must be well dressed. And since on the outside, you are working as an intern, you have to abide by this rule," the older man replied. "It is only for a week, Mr. Koizumi. For the sake of the mission, it is not much to handle, is it?"
Saki grunted in response to that. Saki can't say anything because he, himself knows how much this operation meant for his father. His great grandfather was the cause of this mess, and out of the sense of duty, Saki's father wanted to right all the wrongs. Just when Saki was deep in thought, Esther and Veronika came out of their room. Unlike the males, they did not have to wear vests. Veronika wore long pants while Esther wore skirts.
"Good, everyone seemed ready. Now gather around for pictures. I promised the director to send him reports and this will go in the reports," Graham said as he held his camera.
This, adds more to Saki's displeasure. They went to position themselves, with El standing behind Saki. But as the ladies approached them, Saki noticed how they are surprisingly taller than him. It shouldn't be, since Saki's height is close to theirs. Out of suspicion, he looked down to their feet and sure enough, they were wearing high heels.
"That is so not fair," he stated, pointing at the high heels.
"Well, life isn't fair, Saki," came the reply from Esther. Ever since that event where she saw him joking around with Tobias, she had been cold to him.
Saki just frowned, pouted, and kept quiet as Graham took the picture. Sure enough, Saki looks like a kid amongst giants, especially with El, who was over 190cm tall stood behind him.
Once that was done, they proceed to go downstairs for breakfast before they go to the research facilities. They made sure to keep it short because they are slowly running out of time. They have learned what to be learned about Graham's company, which makes people believe they have been working there for quite a while now.
A few hours after, they stood in front of the tall imposing building of the research facility. Seeing it in person, one could see how tight the security is, as well how well developed the building is; considering how they are equipped with the latest defensive system.
"Wow… breaking through this place will be hard," Loreno whispered. His eyes were filled with awe.
"Not a problem! If everything goes according to plan, we'll be able to break the system from inside. We just need to make use of the one week we're staying here," Saki replied with a slight smug. Technology is his forte, so him being confident is not baseless.
"How? We're not allowed to bring our spatial ring inside," Loreno was sceptical when he heard it.
"My man, Loreno… who do you think you're talking to?" Saki smirked at him. "This is me, we're talking about. What if… I show them something, that they have never seen before… by 'accident'?"
They didn't need any more words. If Saki says he can show something they've never seen before, they might as well believe it. After all, compared to the rest of them, Saki is more knowledgeable in terms of technology.
"Just make sure not to get caught, Saki. It will implicate Mr. McMiller too," Tobias gave him a little warning. Of course, Tobias knows Saki won't do that. It was just something that he says to assure himself.
After a little discussion, they finally walked through the gate after showing the guard their worker I.D that shows that they are employee of McMiller Pharmaceutical Corporation. At first, they thought they might be in trouble when the guard says their name wasn't on the list when El told them to check it again. It took a while, but they finally got through after the guards found their name. Loreno was complaining, but Tobias told him that it was understandable since they have to go through hundreds of names.
"But this is the main research facility! You would've thought that the guard would use some device where they just type in a name and it'll pop up! But no, they just have to go traditional!" Loreno complained to which, for once, Tobias has no counter for.
Inside the building was even more awe-inspiring compared to the exterior of the building. The technology that was used shocked them, including Saki.
"Are you sure you can show them something they haven't seen?" Loreno asked in a whisper.
"Good question. If anything goes wrong, I'll just show them how to make a spatial ring like mine… or if worst comes to worst, I'll hack the system on the last day."
"That sure sounds 'reassuring'," Loreno hissed back. "Where did your smug face go, huh?"
"Right over here," Saki showed him the same face he gave Loreno earlier. They were about to start bickering when Tobias cleared his throat.
"I do hope you remember that we are here, to 'learn,' not to fight each other," Tobias reminded them, emphasizing the word learn to make sure they remember why they are here. To figure out the layout of the building and to find out where they develop the pill.
"Of course, Toby. We'll behave. Right, Loreno?" Saki replied, nudging the Italian to agree with him.
"Of course, we're just playing around!"
"Good. Now, I see someone approaching us, get your act together."
"Are you the employees from McMiller Pharmaceutical Corporation?" the person asked when she finally stood in front of them.
"Yes, we are," Tobias replied with a smile as he held out his hand for a handshake. "My name is Tobias Mitchell. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Loreno inwardly snickered as he saw the face the lady made when Tobias showed her his smile. She was totally smitten. She looks about thirty, but it looks like she didn't mind younger men. He thought he might as well spice things up.
"It is, indeed a pleasure to meet you, my lady," Loreno says, shooting her a smile of his own. "I am called Loreno. You can call me Reno if you'd like," he winked.
El almost laughed, but he managed to fake it as a cough. Saki on the other hand, had to pinch himself to stop him from laughing. The only one who doesn't seem to be affected by Loreno's lame act was the girls in the group. But, they were doing an act of their own, by appearing jealous when the 'men' of their workplace appear to flirt with another female from another company.