Despite chasing after her and continuously pestering her about the joke, Joana's mouth remained sealed. She just wouldn't tell me where I went wrong with the joke.
"No, seriously. Can you at least tell me why I can't use it?"
It wasn't as though I was asking for much. Just a little bit of feedback so that I could improve later on.
"What can't you use?"
Before I knew it, we had already arrived at the van with the girls overhearing our conversation. Joana dismissed them with a wave of her hand.
"Nothing, don't worry about it. It's best if you don't hear it."
"Hmm. Now, I'm even more curious."
Mia peered out from the van's door as her eyes squinted.
"Come. Come. Tell me what you guys were talking about."
"Trust me. You wouldn't want to know."
I caught Joana's gaze as she looked at me from the corner of her eyes. I inwardly sighed and knocked on the door of the van. I wasn't going to give up like this.
"Sarah, let's go."
"Hmm? Where are you guys going?"
I extended my hand to help Sarah off as I answered Joana.
"Sarah has an audition."
"She does?"
The girls were taken aback by the sudden announcement, and I felt something warm touch my hand as Sarah helped herself down. Surprised by their reactions, I asked,
"You guys don't know?"
My gaze settled on Sarah who hopped down from the van.
"You didn't tell them?"
"...I forgot."
"You forgot?"
"Um."
How could you forget to mention something so important? I blinked before turning to the other girls. I was about to explain the situation when Mia rushed over.
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! If you were going to do something like this you should've told us beforehand! No! What to do! What to do! I'm suddenly so nervous!"
Mia's face scrunched up as if she had eaten a bitter pill.
"Manager!"
"What?"
"I think I'm going to faint from nervousness."
"...You're not even participating. What are you nervous about?"
"Uh? Who said I have to be the one participating to feel nervous?"
Mia looked at me as if I was stupid before grasping Sarah's hands. Looking down at Mia, Sarah tried to free her hands from her grasp.
"Let go."
"Aish! No, this won't do. I can't let you go now. I'm channeling all my luck into you."
"Let go. I don't need your luck."
"No!"
The two started tousling outside of the van as Mia continued to grasp Sarah's hands while repeating something about 'luck, girls by the piers, curse,' and so on.
"...We already established that it was Olivia's doing."
"I don't care! It's become a ritual as of now."
"No, let go."
"No!"
In the meantime, Joana walked to my side as her gaze settled on Sarah and Mia in the distance.
"Where exactly are the two of you going?"
I looked at her for a brief moment before answering,
"Windsol Enterprises. I found a project that I really wanted Sarah to participate in. I think she'll do good in it."
"An individual one?"
"Yeah. Sword users only as well."
"Ah. That makes sense."
Joana nodded in understanding.
"Are you trying to help her rebuild her reputation with it?"
"You can say that. At the same time, if she does end up doing well. It could prove to be a good boost for you guys as well."
"Mhm."
When I turned my head, I felt Joana's gaze on me. After a short and silent pause, she managed to ask through her hesitation,
"...and you think she will do well?"
"I wouldn't have brought up the project without confidence."
"Really?"
"Really."
With her gaze lingering over me for the briefest of moments, a smile finally surfaced on her face as she nodded.
"Looks like there's no need for us to be worried then. But I'm curious about something."
"What?"
"Her rank individual rank. Did she get assigned one?"
"Ah."
Right.
It was well known that Star Chasers were divided into five tiers.
Tier I, Tier II, Tier III, Tier IV, and Tier V.
There were further classifications within in order to quantify their strength more accurately, which used the color spectrum that was used to rank monsters.
Green, Blue, Orange, Red, and Black.
Dungeons were typically divided into individual and group dungeons. As implied by their names, individual dungeons only allowed a single person inside, while group dungeons allowed for more.
A Star Chaser's strength was typically categorized by the power of boss monsters their group, or individual could defeat.
Unlike group dungeons, monsters within individual dungeons were a lot weaker. In essence, an individual dungeon red-ranked boss monster was a lot weaker than a group dungeon red-ranked boss monster.
At the moment, Sarah was part of Blue Daisy which was now, after having defeated the mother of all spiders, qualified as a Tier 1 - Red Ranked Group.
The problem with this qualification was that it only applied to groups.
"Manager, do you have any idea what Sarah's strength is?"
"I... haven't got a clue."
To me, Sarah's strength was vague. It had only been a week since I started training with her so I wasn't sure. I estimated it to at the very least be in the Orange ranks, but I wasn't sure.
I was too busy helping her practice her foundations and mentality to assess her current strength properly. My best bet was Orange rank, but it could most certainly be more.
Still, if there was one thing I was sure of, it was that she was going to be fine.
"She shouldn't have trouble with this."
"I'm sure she won't.
Feeling something knock against my shoulder, I looked at Joana who smiled back at me.
"You did train her after all, right?"
I raised my brow.
"Hmm? How did you know?"
With an all-knowing look, Joana looked back at Sarah.
"Manager, for someone who seems extremely observant, there are times when you really do come off as clueless."
"...?"
What was she on about? Was there something that I missed?
"You know, manager. There are times when you make a really scary face. If not for the fact that I know you aren't doing this on purpose, I'd have already fled by now."
"...Thanks."
I inwardly clicked my tongue as Joana started giggling to herself.
"Hahaha."
"No, but seriously. How did you know I was training her?"
It wasn't as though I kept it a secret from the other girls, but I didn't reveal it to anyone. Did Sarah perhaps tell them? She didn't seem like the type of person who would share a lot about what she was doing.
"Actually, it's simple really."
Joana answered after finally calming down. With a pointed look, she glanced at Sarah and the other girls for a moment.
"You're meddlesome."
"Meddlesome...?"
What?
"Yeah. If there's anything going on with us, you'll jump right into our business."
"That's... part of my job."
"Never said it was a bad thing."
Joana shrugged.
"I'm just saying. All of us know you're like this which is why we can see that Sarah has changed."
"Ah."
"She used to be all gloomy before. Constantly apologizing over things that weren't even her fault. I tried my best to help her feel better, but I can only do so much. But... recently, she's changed."
"In what way?"
"She seems less worried about things. Her general vibe has changed."
"Her vibe?"
"Yeah... Her vibe."
"Oh."
I nodded despite not understanding what she was trying to say.
It was really hard to tell if there were any changes with Sarah. She always seemed expressionless with the occasional smiles here and there. She was hard to read, and so I struggled to understand where she was coming from.
With all said and done, Joana giggled once more before saying,
"Don't worry. You'll understand in due time when you get to know her better. I've been with her for three years. I can tell the little things."
"If you put it that way..."
"Manager, let's go."
Speak of the devil. Turning my head, Sarah stood a couple of meters away from me. She stood tall, her long black hair fluttering behind her as her visage attracted the attention of the nearby people who couldn't help but take second looks at her.
Ignoring the stares, Sarah's gaze altered between me and Joana before asking,
"What were you two talking about?"
With her usual mischievous look, Joana shrugged her shoulders.
"Hmm~ Who knows? Something. We did talk about you as well. I also told him a couple of secrets about you."
Uh? What secrets?
Sarah's eyes squinted before her gaze fell on me. It felt strangely intense. No... it was alarmingly intense.
"Manager?"
"Don't tell her~ Didn't you promise me to keep them a secret?"
"No, that's..."
I swallowed whatever I wanted to say as Sarah's gaze felt even more pressuring. Unsure of what to say, I turned my head away.
"...What did the farmer who lost his truck say?"
***
CEO Winsdol stood nervously behind the glass panels that displayed the large training areas beneath. He dabbed his forehead with his tissue, wiping away all the sweat that had accumulated.
"Why do you seem so nervous? We've already collected all the stars that we need. We're merely selecting a few others out of precaution."
Producer Maddison said, leisurely sitting on his seat while calmly observing the arena beneath.
The arena floors were covered with shifting panels that flickered with different lights. Surrounding the space was a large translucent blue dome, preventing the after-shocks of the attacks from the contestants within from reaching areas outside of the arena
"Why wouldn't you think I'd be nervous?"
CEO Winsdol grumbled, interlocking his hands behind his back.
"This is a project I've invested all of my... no, the company's money in. This is partly due to the fact that we're lacking sponsors to work with, and partly because of my incompetence."
"No..."
"There's no need to rebuke me. I know my limits."
CEO Windsol sighed as he looked down at the arena beneath.
"The last couple of projects have been major flops for us. To be honest, I'm hanging by a thread over here. The Board of Directors have already made their stance clear with me..."
"Those bastards. Isn't it because of them that our previous projects failed?"
"Isn't it always like that...?"
The CEO looked back with a smile.
"They fuck us over, and we take the blame for it. It's always been this way. I'm the CEO. I've built this company from the ground up, and yet... I barely have a say in my very own company."
The smile grew bitter as CEO Windsol lowered his head in what seemed to be resignation.
"Even now. They've done most of the selection of the candidates for this project. They only granted me two slots for selection... which is why I'm so nervous right now."
"You're worried that none of the selective members will be up to par, giving more leverage to the board, right?"
"...Yeah."
CEO Windsol snorted as he retorted,
"Those bastards. They'll take a mile when you give them an inch."
To Tok—!
Just then, someone knocked on the door and the two of them turned their heads.
"CEO? It's me. John. I have brought two guests in?"
"Guests?"
The CEO and Producer looked at each other. That was when the Producer smacked his fist in realization.
"Ah."
"Let them in."
The CEO also seemed to have realized as his expression stiffened and he massaged his forehead.
The moment his voice fell, the door opened, and two figures came in.
A man and a woman. Within the instant the two entered the office, the atmosphere changed as both the Producer and CEO couldn't take their eyes away from the woman.
"Hello, I'm Sarah from Blue Daisy."
"Liam Marken. Her manager."
The CEO snapped out of his reverie and hurriedly welcomed them with a smile.
"Hahahah, so you are the talent they've been speaking about?"
He took a moment to scrutinize Sarah meticulously, and when he caught a glimpse of her face as she raised her head, the CEO had to force a deep breath.
What kind of... Not even surgery could achieve such a look. He was confident he wasn't the only one feeling this way, as Producer Maddison reacted similarly.
Just her face alone was enough to make him want her into the project.
"Cough."
A cough interrupted their thoughts, and the CEO rubbed his chin to conceal his embarrassment. He swiftly composed himself, taking a deep breath.
"You're here for the tryouts, is that correct?"
"Yes."
"That's good. That's good. I'll have my assistant accompany you to the changing rooms. You can get ready. We will be starting the auditions in a bit."
"Thank you."
The two of them bowed before his assistant escorted them out of the office room. Glancing quickly at his assistant, Jason, the CEO noticed that he, too, was flustered by the girl's appearance, avoiding direct eye contact.
"Goosebumps."
The CEO muttered once the coast was finally clear and the door closed.
Beside him, Producer Maddison nodded in agreement.
"I know superhumans are meant to be more handsome and pretty than the rest of us, but... this? What in the world was that?"
As superhumans became stronger, they developed a physique more adept at wielding mana. Their height reached an optimal level, and their bodies became more sturdy.
Thus, high-level superhumans were predominantly attractive, a trait shared by nearly all Star Chasers with the exception of a few. Nevertheless, even among this group, Sarah stood out the most.
So much so that the CEO and Producer were both left flabbergasted by the sight.
"But even if her looks are good..."
"Yeah, if she doesn't have the skills to back it up. We don't need her."
Once the 'shock' of Sarah's looks started to fade, the two were able to become more level-headed.
Frowning and massaging his brows, the CEO added,
"No matter how good she looks, if she doesn't even last a round what's the point of taking her in?"
"Mhm... We can only hope that she's good then."
"I'm not so optimistic."
"Why's that?"
"Didn't you see her profile too?"
The CEO slid a paper.
"She's only been in action for three years with no prior training before that. Not so long ago she even made a big mistake that would've been quite costly had her guild not intervened... I won't lie and say I wasn't excited when she came in, but... We have to look at things based on what we see."
"So..."
The Producer hesitated before asking,
"What if... and I mean if... she does well? What will we do?"
"Why are you asking the obvious?"
The CEO smiled, leaning back against his chair.
"We'll take her."