"Selene, come back here! You still have to sign the paperwork for the new project "
Hearing a commotion outside the office, the group saw a hairless man in his forties following with several documents in hand a beauty with waist-length black hair and a business suit.
"Jams', what is this scandal"
"It is only Selene who is delaying even more the start of the new project of MY department, you do not have to worry about a thing Oak"
Looking at Oak, Jams noticed Deimos and snapping annoyed at his appearance he asked.
"Who is the pretty boy Oak? This is not a nursery "
"He is the head of the new virtual reality department"
"What? How come I haven't heard about this new department at all? "
"Why you should?"
"Why? I'm a fucking shareholder, I have 20%. You forgot it?"
"I am not forgetting it, as well as I am not forgetting that when we signed the distribution, you requested that no one intervene in matters of YOUR department and you will not interfere in matters related to the company"
"{Grrrr} Forget it, Selene! stop wasting time and sign, the project has been delayed for two weeks in what it took to recover from your fall "
"I will not do it. Director Oak, I came to request a transfer of apartments "
"Ha, did you forget your contract girl, when you entered my department, the specific contract that you could not change departments and if you did or resign you would have to pay fifty million credits in repairs"
"And that is why I am requesting the transfer, I remind you that I cannot move from the department only if there is an active project in which I am involved and you said so yourself, the project has not started and has been delayed for two weeks"
"YOU!"
"ENOUGH JAMS! Stop embarrassing yourself, Selene is an employee of DawnGrape who was assigned to your department, so if she wants it and her contract does not prevent it, she can transfer to another department if she wants and now we have a new one who needs staff "
"You! .... Very good Oak ... let it be as you wish for now ... and your child with the hair of an ashtray, try to do your job well, the industry is a very demanding place ..."
Saying that Jams left the office and returned to his apartment.
"...Thanks boss"
"There is no need to Selene, so which department do you want to transfer to, as I told Jams, the new virtual reality department needs help but it's your decision"
"Who will be the one to carry it?"
"That would be me, my name is Deimos"
Deimos said as he stretched out his hand to greet her
"Selene"
"Well Miss Selene, will you be joining my department then?"
"... First I need to know what will be the operations of the said department and who participates"
"It will be the production and distribution of virtual reality equipment together with the maintenance of the community for a massively multiplayer game that another of my teams has developed"
"Basically marketing and distribution, as well as customer service?"
"Something like that, we will also collect ideas and suggestions to send them to the development team, but the engine and the bases of the game are finished, it is only to adapt the mechanics based on the experiences of the players"
"Is it necessary? We cannot launch the game using some pre-established ones in the market, so it will be easier for players to adapt"
"Unfortunately we can't do that, unlike current devices and games where sensitivity is limited to just things like temperature, our gear offers total immersion."
"Mr. Deimos, please, I know the current market and that technology is unattainable for the next twenty or thirty years"
"Selene, Deimos tells the truth"
"What?"
"That is why we are forming this department"
"But then ... with that DawnGrape can rise as one of the largest video game companies in the entire federation"
"Then Miss Selene, you will join my team."
"...With a condition"
"... very well, you are not the first to ask for something like that, what would it be?"
"I need you to help me get my college roommates out of that bastard's department."
"?"
"Unlike me, they are interns in their department, I'm afraid that now that I'm gone that bastard will try something with them"
"And why don't they quit, didn't you say they were interns?"
"It is difficult, if they quit now, it will be more difficult for them to find work elsewhere and according to DawnGrape policies, we could not hire them for more than half a year at least, some of my friends' families depend only on them to survive the day to day"
"... Jams that bastard ..."
"Don't worry Miss Selene, just lead the way, Director Oak, am I allowed to hire employees at my discretion?"
"... Sure, that is, yes my friend, you have all the authority when it comes to your department."
Receiving a positive response Deimos along with Selene and Yin went to the Software Jams development department were as expected, they heard a commotion
"You useless, how can you ruin something so basic, you idiot {slap}, start cleaning and you seven, come to my office"
"Boss, we didn't do it"
"It's true boss, we are in charge of another module"
"Shut up, I have hundreds of other students and graduates wishing to be interns here, now if you want to keep your place, come to my office, hahaha"
"Hey old man"
"Who? What bastard dares to call me that, don't you want to continue working here? ... You? What are you doing here with that bitch? "
"Nothing especially old man, I just accompanied MY employee to collect her personal belongings before transferring to MY department"
"... bhaa, quick kid, before you stink my lab, I have more important things to do than babysit you."
"I also have another matter"
"Huh?"
"Miss Selene, who are they?"
"They seven"
"You, you, you, you, you, you, you and the guy over there, Dawngrape is pleased with your performance and we would like to offer you a full-time job in the new VR department with the ability to give you time to continue. with his studies and full salary "
{This ... who is he?}
{It's a joke?}
{Big sis Selene is with him, I doubt it's a joke}
{Another like old Jams, taking all the girls in the department ... and that lucky Dom}
{Although I doubt that with this, he will manage to graduate, after all, the brother of old Jams is the teacher of several subjects of the final courses, although he does not accept this screwed him up}
"Boy, they are mine! don't go too far! "
"Yours? They are interns, in the first place they are not even affiliated with the company, so which department hires them is not your concern "
"{Khuu} bastard ..."
"And what do you say, would they like to join DawnGrape under the virtual reality department?"
"... Big sis?"
"Okay, Director Oak said we would be fine in this department, plus the twins will come too"
Hearing the confirmation from Selene, the girls were happy and after nodding among themselves, they accepted
Seeing that the seven girls agreed to join, Selena sighed in relief and hugged them knowing that at least now they would be safe.
Meanwhile, Deimos walked next to the boy who was still sitting on the ground a little disoriented by the events and taking a handkerchief, Deimos took off his glasses and wiped his face because the slap had caused him to bleed a little from his nose.
"Well boy, they already made up their minds, what is your answer?"
"Ehh? me…"
{OMG, it's like volume 22}
{Don't be silly, it's more like volume 35, look at the blue-haired boy, he must be jealous but he doesn't show it… hah look, I told you, he's shaking with jealousy}
{Shut up you two}
"Huh, no thanks mister, I, I prefer ... girls"
"... Ignore what they say, I'm only offering you the job because of your skills, others may not know but the boss Oak and I noticed, in the last week you only managed to fix more errors than the entire department in the last month, isn't it? "
"How?..."
{What Dom did that? was it not you?}
{no, he actually left that job to Dom while he was dating Mari, Gil?}
{Neither, I did the same as you}
{So we all have our work to Dom at the same time?}
{Shit and apparently the boss of the boss knows it}
{Don't worry, old man Jams keeps saying that no one but him can decide what happens here, nothing may happen}
{You just see it, that pretty boy just snachet Jam girls}
"Although we cannot interfere with what happens directly here, the old man must send reports of who enters, leaves, and what each person does, it was simply a matter of comparing hours and assigned work to see that something was not right."
"Not that…"
"Besides, I can see that they don't appreciate your talent here, what do you say?"
"But my exam ... my title ... if I do this Professor Jems will never let me pass ..."
"Don't worry I understand you, with my help and that of Principal Oak, we should be able to let you take an exam and get your degree as soon as you pass it ... you can keep your promise to whoever you have made it"
"… I… I… Please help me! Get me out of here!"
Hearing Dom's voice about to break, Deimos handed him his glasses and handkerchief and got up, and began to walk out of the apartment.
"Very well, now get up, get out of here on your own two feet and follow me."
Watching Deimos's back get further and further away, Dom reacted and got up quickly, almost falling multiple times, and ran to catch up with Deimos who had already left the apartment.
Meanwhile, the rest of the people had been completely stunned given the scene of the novel that had just happened.
{Miss Selena, I think it's best to leave before they react}
It wasn't until Yin shook Selena a bit that she realized the situation and leading her seven roommates, they left the apartment following Yin, only to hear a scream behind them from the hallway.
"What the hell was that!?"
…
"... thank you, sir ..."
"Call me Deimos, or boss if you want, at the end of the day, you will work in my department, first go to the 18th floor, there should be a medicine cabinet after that come to the 22nd floor in Principal Oak's office, were the rest of employees will gather to do the paperwork "
"I understand, thanks boss"
"Go slow"
Seeing the boy run and somewhat more animated, Deimos smiled and after calling the elevator he could see the rest of the interns follow Yin very closely while they asked him questions.
"It seems that we are too many for the elevator, Yin goes up with them I will wait"
"Mr Deimos ..."
"The elevator has a maximum of eight"
"Fiuu I see a shame, then I'll wait next to-"
"Yin takes the girls to Director Oak, as one of the department vice leaders, it will be helpful if you help them get through the paperwork."
"But…"
Without letting Yin answer, Deimos threw him into the elevator and the girls quickly entered and as the elevator doors closed, Deimos could hear how the girls bombarded Yin with questions.
"You are evil…"
"He should be able to deal with it ... I think"
"... Thanks for your help"
"Don't worry, it was part of the deal."
"... if I may ask ... why did you involve Dom? I'm not saying it was wrong, but was it really necessary? "
"Maybe, maybe not, it's not like we knew him at all"
"Then why?"
"That boy was nothing more than a hollow shell at the time, a shell that is only kept afloat by a promise that he tells himself that he must keep"
"If it weren't for that, that boy would have given up long ago ..."
"How can it be possible? I have been working with Dom for more than six months and despite the fact that he suffered difficulties in the department, he has always kept a smile on his face while working with us "
"A smile you say ... that's a mask, one that you wear when you can no longer bear to face life, to others ... to yourself"
"That…"
"When you wear those masks, it is as if you are hanging from a cliff, at that point it only remains to let yourself fall and end the pain or continue clinging to a ledge resisting the winds"
"When you are clinging to that ledge, what you most want is someone to give you a hand, but also when you see that hand, you can do nothing but doubt"
"...Why do you say that?"
"You don't know if after helping you climb that cliff, that hand will let you go and let you continue or will drag you to a steeper cliff"
With the sound of the elevator going down, Deimos knew this conversation would soon end.
"You saw how that boy took my hand without hesitation, I want to help him stand up and continue to live with his own strength"
"... Why ... why do you try so hard to help a stranger?"
"Because when I lost my father and was forced to wear that same mask, all the hands that were extended to me were only to drag me to the depths of the cliff"
"... So how did you manage to climb the cliff?"
{Tin} With the sound of a bell, the elevator opened and Selena went up turning to look at Deimos waiting for an answer, but when she looked into his eyes she was petrified
"Simple, it was thanks to those same hands, they gave me a goal and therefore the strength to go up"
"..."
"They gave me the objective of cutting off the heads of the owners of those hands"
Without being able to breathe, Selena could only keep looking at Deimos's eyes that had begun to glow with a crimson hue, seeing that Deimos sighed and after pressing the button to the 22nd floor, he stepped down from the elevator.
"I'll walk a bit, tell the director to finish the paperwork for me ..."
After the elevator doors closed, the elevator music allowed Selena to wake up from the trance, and feeling a cold sweat on her back she tried to remember the conversation she had with Deimos before getting on the elevator without success, only remembering those crimson eyes.
"His eyes were not brown?"
...