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"Knocking sound? A guest? At this time?" Shinji looked at Touko with confusion. It was unusual for someone to invite guests when the house wasn't fully organized yet.
"I didn't have any appointments today. Could it be your family sending someone to find you?" Touko was also puzzled.
"How is that possible? We have phones, you know."
"Yeah, communication is convenient now. So, who could it be?"
Not only Shinji, but everyone present had their phones, custom-made devices that used satellite signals instead of traditional cellular towers.
Regardless, since it was a knock on the door, the person should not have any hostile intentions. When the second round of knocking sounded, Touko opened the front door.
Standing outside was a young man dressed modestly, around 20 years old. He wore a black crew-neck sweater with a pair of dark gray trousers. Aside from the black-framed glasses on his nose, he had no other embellishments. Compared to the increasingly trendy and individualistic young people, he appeared quite ordinary.
Touko confirmed that she didn't know this person and glanced at Shinji for confirmation, but he also indicated that he didn't recognize him.
Just as Touko was about to ask who he was, the stranger spoke first.
"Excuse me, is Miss Touko Aozaki living here?"
His voice was gentle, lacking any particularly memorable traits, but it gave a very pleasant feeling, like the sunshine on a spring afternoon.
"Looking for me?" Touko blinked slightly, instinctively responding.
"Yes," the man smiled, genuine joy emanating from his expression. "I saw your artwork at the gallery and became very interested in one particular piece..."
"Just for that, you came all the way here?" Touko crossed her arms and looked at him with a playful glint in her eyes.
"Well, I suppose so," the man nodded, his candid attitude piquing Touko's interest.
"Although I don't know which aspect of the artwork attracted you, you're the first person to come directly to me because of it. Besides acquaintances, the only visitors we usually get here are delivery personnel."
"I see..." The man bowed apologetically. "I apologize for coming here without notice."
His gaze involuntarily shifted to the side, revealing to Touko which particular piece had caught his interest.
The workshop had just been cleaned, and the belongings were still piled up in the hallway. The most conspicuous item among them was a doll seated on a chair.
The doll portrayed a typical Eastern girl. Her hair was neither long nor short, just enough to cover the tips, and her petite face and delicate features blurred the boundaries of gender. Coupled with her slender and unassuming body, it was difficult to determine whether she was male or female.
"You came because you saw that doll, didn't you?"
"Yes, yes, I'm sorry, I was just about to say that," the man's slight disorientation revealed Touko's perceptiveness.
"It's alright. I'm glad you find her appealing. However... occasionally, some people become excessively fascinated with dolls. It's one thing if it's just the aesthetics, but some become captivated by what's inside—the emptiness within the doll."
Touko's tone shifted from casual to serious. Her gaze wasn't fierce, but it carried a certain intimidation.
"I don't believe your eyes are merely fixated on the doll's exterior. It's not praiseworthy for someone your age to be drawn to 'emptiness' like that. Getting too close to such things is surely not a good idea for someone like you. Please leave—"
"No, I..."
Touko didn't give the man a chance to continue speaking and was about to close the door.
"Wait a moment, Miss Touko." A hand promptly rested on the doorframe, halting Touko's action.
"If someone came all this way, we should at least let them finish speaking. After all, he was the first visitor after we moved in. It wouldn't be right to just dismiss him like that."
"You..." Touko moved aside in exasperation. The only person who could make her show such an expression was Shinji.
"Please come in, sir. We haven't finished organizing yet, and there's nothing to offer, so please forgive us for the inconvenience." Shinji gestured for the man to enter cautiously.
"No, no, not at all," the man said repeatedly, walking into the yet-unopened office with great care.
"So, what brings you here to see Miss Touko? Are you interested in purchasing that doll?" Shinji asked, his inexplicably amiable attitude contrasting with the sense of unease felt by Touko, Sakura, and Fujino, who were familiar with him.
"No," the man shook his head.
"Perhaps you'd like to see if there are any other artworks that capture your heart?"
"Neither," the man shook his head again.
"Then what is it that you—?"
Whether it was the influence of Shinji's affability or the glimpse of mischief hidden deep within his eyes, the man took a look at the empty office, then mustered his courage, clutching his chest resolutely, and said:
"Um, could I possibly become an employee of this office?"
"Huh?" Touko, leaning against the door, tilted her head, almost causing her glasses to slip off.
Fujino and Sakura, who had been silently observing, also wore peculiar expressions. If they remembered correctly, Touko hadn't posted any job advertisements.
"Sorry, I didn't hear clearly. Could you please repeat that?"
"I want to become an employee of this office," the man bowed to Touko once again. "I apologize for suddenly saying such a thing. It's getting late, and I don't expect you to give me an answer today. I will come back another day and hope you will consider it."
"I didn't expect you to pull this off. Honestly, I'm surprised. Do you want to be a salesperson or learn how to make dolls? Or perhaps, since you've already come here, you want to become my apprentice—"
Touko pressed her glasses and raised the volume of a few words, her orange eyes emitting a different aura as she stared unwaveringly at the man.
The building outside, chosen as the second workshop and office, was covered by a powerful bounded field. It not only had the concealment and repelling effects Shinnji experienced when he first entered but also incorporated directional perception and a certain level of suppression against the mystical. This was the latest result of Touko's study of the original runes.
It was unlikely that a man who could find and enter this office was an ordinary person. Touko intended to use her mystic eye and the perception effect of the barrier to observe the man's true intentions.
After observing for just three seconds, Touko suddenly pushed up her glasses, and the strange aura dissipated.
"—You wouldn't think that way, right? Forget it, pretend I didn't say anything."
"Oh, oh~" The man instinctively breathed a sigh of relief.
"Anyway! I should have rejected an applicant who illegally invaded without an appointment. However, I've become somewhat interested in you. Come back tomorrow, and I'll give you a chance for an interview."
"Great!" The man's face lit up.
"But before that, tell me your name."
"Mikiya, Mikiya Kokutou . Pleased to meet you."
"As I thought."
Shinji narrowed his eyes, a knowing smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Has it come to this without me realizing it? 'Kara no Kyoukai/The Garden of Sinners.'