As the second day of the exam came to the end, all of us seemed to be quite tired, as there were a lot of workout activities going on. Meanwhile, there were also a lot of accomplishments today, especially our time with for Jinhui, in which our efforts had helped her escaped from the gloomy past and become confident on herself.
After the exam, Jinlin invited us, including Jinhui and Okuri, for joining a dinner with her as well as some other staffs from the SAIR at the business restaurant in the main complex, as a appreciation for our helps. While Sukeo asked her whether it was appropriate for us to have dinner with the staff as a participant of the exam, Jinlin said it was not a problem, as the instructor staff were also very happy about our performance and heroism during the exam, and they would like to talk with us, especially with the SAIR Central, where we would enrolled in.
To make sure we present the best of ourselves, we chose the best clothes we brought to the camp- I decided to wear the indigo dress with a white top cover, which was what I planned to wear for my trip to Niangkee, while also bring my necklace; meanwhile, Tenka was wearing an red-orange long skirt with flowers it, and a pink blouse for the top; for Sukeo, he decided to wear a red flannel shirt and a pair of kaki pants; and for Jun, he was in a navy blue polo shirt with long grey pants.
While on the way, we met up with Okuri, who seemed to be wearing his school uniform, which was a white shirt with black pants, paired with with a blue coat.
"You guys seemed to put a lot of effort on dressing up," Okuri said, "it was almost like I walked into a fashion show instead of the SAIR exam place."
"Haha, thanks. That's just what I typically wear when I go shopping," Tenka said.
"Okuri, is that the clothes you're going to wear?" Jun asked.
"That's right. I'm very straightforward. It's not like I don't have more formal or more fashionable clothes, like some of those people assumed me as a rural guy. In fact, in our town, there is this tailor family that made suits and traditional clothes for the members of the parliament for generations. He also made full sets of suits and traditional costumes for our family, as our family knew this family for a long time. However, for me as a student, it's my honour to wear my school uniform, as it represented the school I'm in and even the place I'm from." What Okuri said seemed to make perfect sense, and seemed to have even stronger point than us. "Of course, I'm not saying you guys should wear school uniforms. I'm just saying there is always a reason behind personal choices, especially for fashion in general."
As we waited at the front door of our dormitory, we found out that it was Jinlin who picked us up. She was driving an Dazen(大成) Shelpron Business SUV, which was a typical vehicle used for the shuttles as well as some security missions for government agencies.
As we got on the car, Jinlin, who was in a white dress, immediately greeted us: "You guys all looked pretty fashionable tonight."
"Thanks Jinlin. We're just wearing what we think is appropriate to represent ourselves," I said.
"I see. But don't worry too much, as it's not a very formal occasion," Jinlin said while smiled.
"So Jinlin, do you own this car? " Sukeo asked. It was true, as Jinlin's SAIR Job ID was displayed at the front for the dashboard.
"Haha, I know it shouldn't take you too long to realize that. And yes, I'm a licensed driver for the SAIR."
"But did you say belonged to the research branch?" Sukeo asked.
"It's actually what some members of the research branch typically do," Jinlin said, "as you may have noticed when you applied for the SAIR intern, the description for the research branch was only members who didn't frequently engaged directly with combats and rescue missions. However, it is the same case for us as drivers, since we only transport agents to the location. By the way. all drivers in the SAIR are part time, even including those who're transporting supplies, who were from the 'civilian assistance' (平民輔助人員) contractors, as we said."
"'Civilian assistance' contractors?" I asked, as I haven't heard about this.
"Actually, they were the ones who joined the SAIR but later didn't want to pursue further for the career," Jinlin said, "you could also say they were contract workers for the agency, as they didn't have the access to the full information SAIR may present. Typically, the eligibilities were given to people who had participated in the SAIR Intern program, just like you guys, as if they want to engage in SAIR missions while having other responsibilities. Anyway, you will learn it during tomorrow's exam, which is mainly about this stuff."
After the brief chat, we arrived at the main complex again. While I asked where was Jinhui, Jinlin told me that she had already been with the other members of today's dinner. We went directly to a very low level of the complex, which was even lower than the dome room we were in during the previous exam.
"Here we are," as the door of the elevator slowly opened, we found ourselves in the place we would meet the others. The restaurant looked very different from the other parts of the complex. While the remainder of the complex were in a typical industrial and modern style, the restaurant looked like a place out of a historical movie - traditional oil paper doors, traditional wood and grass tiles, traditional lanterns and decors, and artifacts that seemed to be inherited from major clans of the nation - it had the perfect setting for a major historical event. Jinlin told us that upon entering the restaurant, we needed to take off our shoes as a way to protect the decor.
"This place is impressive!" Tenka gasped, as she was impressed by the setting, "I should wear my traditional Zakumiku (着面) costume." Even though there was a similar guest room in the former Peni clan residence in the old city of Bakju, it still gave some excitement for the upcoming event.
"I get what you meant," Jinlin said, "even though we usually just wear our working uniform to enter this place, as there isn't always time for us to change to Zakumiku."
We arrived at the front of a suite, where Jinlin told us Jinhui and the other guests had already arrived. As such, with Jinlin held the curtain, we entered the suite. The suite had the same style of decor as the restaurant, with grass sheets and pillows below each seat. Instead of using chairs for the seat, it followed the traditional way of sitting on the ground.
"Good evening, Instructor Huashin, Instructor Haseku, Instructor Anawa, and Chief Ninfo, I brought all the guests here," Jinlin greeted the four other guests.
"Good evening. Take a seat," it was the middle aged man who responded the first. He was wearing a blue shirt while wearing a pair of glasses.
"So shall we start the meeting?" Another man, who seemed to a bit younger with beards, asked. In response, everyone nodded and thus we started the dinner.
The first one who spoke was the woman from the left, who was wearing a golden Tenmin bandana on her hair: "Good evening, it's our pleasure to meet you, my fellow intern candidates, at this wonderful setting. I'm Kou Huashin (高 化星), ID BJ51-A4210, I'm an instructive agent from the Rescue and Combat Branch of SAIR Central Second Division who's responsible for training new agents during the intern program. Ever since the beginning of the SAIR Intern Program, we have seen people like you performed very well during the program and even in real missions and saving real people. Jinlin had told me about what happened, and I was happy that Jinhui was safe and even feel more confident than before. As such, I will express my gratitude to your efforts."
"Actually, me and Huashin had known each other for a few years. She was the supervisor of our group when I was in my SAIR entrance exam, and I had learned a lot about Chuubo from my conversations with her," Jinlin added.
"And I'm Kakimuri Anawa (開木 波能), ID BJ53-B1007, and I'm an instructive agent from the Research Branch who is also responsible for training SAIR interns," the blonde-short-haired woman on the center right, who was wearing a glasses, followed, "If you applied for the research branch, I will be the instructor. Don't worry too much about the ranks or something, as you can take me me like your classmates. By the way, just call me 'Awana' if you want." Comparing to Huashin, Anawa looked more energetic and somehow had the similar vibe like Tenka.
After Anawa finished, it was the man with beards continued: "I am Shianagi Haseku (溪明 夏世), ID BJ40-K1001. I'm the chief of the instructive staff of the SAIR Central Second Division. Congratulations for you making this far and getting closer to the end of the exam. Huashin and Anawa have been excellent instructive agents since their first day, and had contributed a lot to both the the task force team and the instructive team. I would say they were very experienced. Even though I may not present all the time during your intern, me and my agents will always ensure your safety and assist you during the field missions."
"I am Ku Ninfo (顧 仁福), I'm the first chief of the task force and the head of the SAIR Central Second Division. It's my pleasure to arrange a meeting with you. As you can see, we have a lot of young people in this room, and I'm a bit old here, so please bear with me for bringing up some old talks," at the end, it was zy a pi the middle aged man who finished the introduction. "This is my 3rd year being the head of the division, and I have seen a lot of young people worked hard for our agency and the security of the nation. The creation of the SAIR Internship program is still a major success, as it allowed people from different backgrounds come together to work and protect people from uncertainty and danger. Regardless who you were, as long as you obey our rules, all of you will be treated equally. As I was resting in my office in the building, when I heard about what you did to save the girl here, I was happy as there are people who would work to together to save others' life, even if that means losing the race. This is the spirit we are looking for for candidates for our internship program, as during the program, you will work along with real SAIR agents and even assist them if necessary. Of course, I was also impressed that you young people can still finish all these exams in a splendid manner even given these challenges. Indeed, there is still one day left for the entrance exam, and you will be examined based on the special skills you mentioned in your form. However, also as a member of the grading team, after our extensive check of your backgrounds, I would say this would not be a challenge for you, as we had already made a special grading decision that there will be at least a green armband for all of you, as long as you don't break the rules of the exam."
That was clearly a good news, as basically we had already passed our entrance exam.
"That's some great news, sir. We all want to say thank you for your decision," Sukeo immediately expressed our gratitude.
"No problem. Actually, shall we just talk about something more casual, since you're all exhausted from the exams in the day," Haseku suggested.
"That's indeed a great idea," Anawa followed while looking very excited, "If I remembered correctly, most of you are from Bakju, right?"
"Yes, except Okuri, he was from Laese," Jun replied.
"Actually, it's okay for you guys to speak with the Bakju accent or talk about things in Bakju, as I can completely understand what you're talking about," Okuri said.
"I see. Since we have the profiles on our side, we know who you are based on your profile, and I think maybe we can skip the basic introduction," Huashin suggested, "However, I still would like to learn a bit more about all of you. Of course, you don't want to talk about it in front of your group members, it's okay as you will can talk more about it tomorrow. Meanwhile, everything you said will be confidential, so feel free to say whatever you want."
We looked at each other and saw everyone seemed to be okay about talking about myself.
"It's okay for all of us actually," Tenka said, "since we all had already shared our secrets with each other, and as long as the topic was not too sensitive, it would be all right."
"I see, so we can start now," it was Huashin who started the conversation, "So we will start the girl on the left. Your name is Peni Tenka, right? May I ask about what do you usually do when you have free time outside school?" It was Tenka's turn.
"I usually do dancing when I have free time. I run a Videflax channel, and I will publish some videos about it. Not to say the channel was very popular, but there are people who watch it." Tenka said.
"Do you do it by yourself or in a group? Do you it with your classmate or do you have fans from your school?"
"Sometimes I dance with my friends, who I got to know them online, while I also got some fans from my school. I even taught some of my classmates about modern dancing and I planned to run a modern dance club in my school." It seemed to be Tenka was quite popular in her school, which was not surprising to me.
"That's very cool. When I was at school, I actually was interested in trendy things online. However, our school was quite strict, since you may have noticed from my bandanna, I'm from a religious school." Indeed, as I learned from
"Ah, I see. My school isn't very strict on these things, and I would say we're more on the free side, even than the other schools in Bakju. Actually, there are many clubs in our school, and it was quite easy to start a club, as the student council would provide basic assistances."
"Excuse me, Tenka. Which school are you from?" Sukeo seemed to be interested.
"Ah, I'm from Donzen High School (東誠高中). You know, the one on the other side of the city." It was a familiar name, as I heard the school was known for clubs and inclusive vibes. I remembered that once my upper year teammate was competing was a girl from the school, and she told me during the break that the team uniform was actually designed by another club in the school.
"I see. I indeed found your classmates were more creative and energetic than many schools in Bakju," Sukeo commented.
"Really? Thank you. People always say that," Tenka again showed her smile.
"So how about you, Sukeo-cho, or Yoiki Sukeo?" Sukeo was the next one.
"I usually do swimming as well as some other workouts. I'm also very interested in the finance related fields, which I think I would pursue further during my university."
"Do you usually swim in swimming pool, or you swim in rivers as well?"
"To be honest here, I never swam in river before. I tried it once and I found my eyes hurt when there is a droplet of water, even the pool water, got into my eyes. It was very strange, since I used to be in my school's swimming team. It indeed affects my swimming performance ever since that I had to withdraw from the team just recently." It indeed explained why Sukeo didn't do well in the swimming activity, even though he had the body shape of a swimmer.
"Actually Sukeo, I knew why your eyes are like this just recently," Anawa had an idea, "It was called the Akamari Shock. It could happen to a certain group of people, which their eyes' water resisting layer started to use up due to genetic related reasons, resulted in over-sensitive eyes. It is not a problem, as we have a machine in our facility that can treat this syndrome by applying a new layer that has the same composition as the original one to your eyes. By the way, after you join the intern, we will give you this treatment for free."
"I see. Thank you."
"Sukeo, I actually want to include another question. Since you said you're interested in finance, is that the reason you want to join the SAIR?" Huashin continued asking.
Sukeo paused for a bit, and replied: "Indeed, it is related to one of the reasons. From what I heard about the organization, SAIR established itself as the first line of defense against the supernatural events as well as complex criminal cases. Since analytical skill is my strength, I think by joining the SAIR, I could use my judgements and knowledge to save people, while also gaining new skill and assets during the work term." Sukeo's answer sounded very professional and straightforward.
"That makes sense. By the way, Sukeo, do you like detective related novels or comics? Because I'm pretty sure you would like one," Anawa asked.
"Well, yes, though I don't really know many of them. I only read novels, because I think comics or Woninsy were just a bit too distracting. For shows or animated shows, they are actually my favorite."
While Sukeo was talking, Anawa became more interested in learning more from him: "So what's your favorite one?"
"Mash or Smash (橫豎不來). In fact, that's the only one I'm more enthusiastic about the Woninsy than the actual novel, because- because the plot was very intense and the characters were very well developed." It seemed to be Sukeo was about to spill some beans as he continued talking.
"She's beautiful, isn't it?" Okuri was the one who continued.
"It's not what you think! I mean, the main character is beautiful- " Out of sudden, Sukeo seemed to break his character. His face turned a bit red, while he tightly held his glasses.
"That's okay, don't worry about. Actually, she's also my favorite character as well. Don't worry, we can continue now. So the next one would be Okuri, or Hitakani Okuri," Huashin continued the conversation, "So if I remembered correctly, you do archery when you have free time, right?"
"Indeed, 100% percent yes," Okuri looked just as confident as usual, "Not only that, I also do hiking, swimming, as well as some traditional martial arts."
"That's cool. May I ask what type of martial arts you are doing?" Haseku seemed very enthusiastic in hearing what Okuri was about to say. .
"I do Hakomi Jitsu (鹕術), the one that required slow movement and fast attack, though I didn't do very well and only learned basics." I was surprised that there were still people doing Hakomi Jitsu, as from what I heard, people no longer trained for this since the introduction of guns. However, I have heard that some elements of the Hakomi Jitsu were preserved for training professional archery athletes.
"That means you must have a strong endurance, if you have really learned it. We'll see that during tomorrow's exam. So do you do traditional archery, Southern archery, or modern archery?" Haseku sounded very knowledgeable about archery.
"I do all of them, actually, though the best one for me is actually modern archery." It was not surprising, as only modern archery was introduced to a national level.
"I see," Haseku seemed very satisfied with Okuri's answer, "Let's switch the topic. Do you usually hangout with your classmates or people outside of your school?"
"For me, I usually just hangout with people from my town and my village. Normally, I don't even visit the city center of Laese. However, I figured out that only Bakju had the SAIR division that I could join, so I applied to this division."
"So why did you decide to join the SAIR?" Anawa asked.
"I want to prove that even people from rural areas, regarding the background, could have the same performance as the people from the city in high skill positions like SAIR agents," Okuri brought up his voice while almost getting up from the ground, "There have always been people saying 'people in rural areas just couldn't do complex stuffs,' which I just found them during the exam. This is definitely not the truth, as just because we have different background doesn't mean there is always a limitation in knowledge."
"Okuri, you should bring your voice down a bit," Sukeo tried to remind him.
"It's okay. That's pretty much true actually," Huashin expressed her understanding of what Okuri said, "Actually, I was also grew up in the rural area in the northern part of Chuubo, and my family had very strict rules on interaction with outsiders, while also not very rich. People always say our family was a bit 'backward', as if we're living in the ancient time. However, from the SAIR perspective, anyone regardless their background are all welcome as long as they have the ability we're looking for. In this place, just be yourself and work with others will be your motto."
"Thank you, Instrctor Huashin!" Okuri expressed his gratitude by holding two hands together, which is the traditional way of expressing gratitudes.
"So maybe we can continue to the Peni siblings," Anawa suggested. It was finally our turn. "So Jun and Araka, we will ask both you at the same time, since you're siblings."
"Understandable," Jun replied.
"It was the same question Huashin asked before. What do you usually do when you have free time?"
"I like robots as well as some programming and mechanic related stuff. I learned them in my school's special courses as well as by myself," Jun said, "Meanwhile, I also like biking, as well as playing video games."
"It seemed to be you're pretty balanced on your hobbies," Anawa said, "So what type of robots and programming do you do?"
"I mostly make robots to compete with others. One of them was a rover-bot that could navigate around difficult terrains while finding the optimized path. Even though it was a small one, I was still very proud of it."
"That's indeed some interesting inventions," Huashin said, "Jun, may I ask why did you apply for my division instead of Anawa's, since the research branch is very good at those things."
"That's because I also developed some interest in weapons. Before I applied to the interns I had saw SAIR agents in action based on some videos, and I thought it would be handy to use my knowledge in mechanics and devices when handling these weapons. Besides, I think mastering on a weapon would be a major accomplishment for me."
"I see," Anawa seemed to be impressed by Jun's response, "So may I ask what type or genre of video game do you play, as you said you play video games very often?"
"Umm, I would like to play combat as well as logic related games."
"That is an interesting combination. What's your favorite video game?"
"It's a difficult choice actually- I mean, the one I found the most engaging is Lenxfost by Tabril, because there are not only realistic combat scenes, but also its creative weapon making system that allowed players freely combining components to make the perfect weapon."
"That was indeed one of the selling points of the game. I also like the game, but I don't do well on combat," Anawa said while smiling, "Araka, do you play video games as well?"
"Umm, actually yes," I said while containing my excitement.
"Actually, Araka was more combat leaning. Right, Araka?"
"Yes, I play more combat games, and some racing games as well." In fact, I was leaning more toward racing games, as I really like the feeling of driving in a fast speed.
"I see. Yeah, I think when you're in the SAIR intern, you will experience some first hand combat and battles, though our full time agents as well as the whole instructive team will always protect you in front of extreme dangers," Huashin said, "Meanwhile, it's important for you to follow protocols during the missions, as we want to minimize the casualties on civilians while meeting the objectives of the missions.l
"That's right. By the way, Araka, what you usually do other than gaming if you have free time?" Anawa asked.
"I always get some training on my body, since I'm also an athlete in my school. Other than running, I also go swimming and Habiroki," I said. Habiroki was a traditional sport that had its origin in the Peni clan. In fact, it was my mom who introduced me to the sport. Even though my skill in Habiroki was okay, there was still a gap between me and the professionals.
"Wait, you do Habiroki ?" Sukeo asked. He looked surprised.
"What is Habiroki? The name sounded familiar, but I haven't heard much about it," Tenka said, while looked a bit confused.
"It is a sport that the player will ride the horse while trying to hit the target along the way using a sword. The winners are the ones hit the most target," Huashin explained, "I played this when I was in high school."
"Does that mean Araka could actually ride a horse?" Okuri asked.
"Umm, somewhat yes. However, I could only ride them in a slower speed, and the horse is actually just a robot with skins outside."
"Ah, I remembered!" Tenka seemed to realize something. She turned her face toward me "Sara-cha, are you the dark blue haired girl who performed horse riding and slaying on the stage during the clan ceremony? That's why I saw you somewhere before." Ughh, that was some unexpected encounter, though there was no way I could recognize Tenka, as there were too many people during the ceremony.
"Yeah, that's actually me," I said.
"So you two must be from the Sakashi branch of the Peni family, right?" After a brief moment, Ninfo broke his silence and started talking: " I am happy that there are young people from the major families that would commit themselves to the nation."
"Wai- wait, you're actually from the Sakashi branch!?" On the other hand, Okuri was surprised by the information. His eyes and mouth opened , "There is no way that you are one!"
"What if she is?" Jun said, "Now come on, we're just the same. Araka and me are just students, and we always put ourselves really low profile. In case if you haven't figured out already, Araka always goes by the name Sara in the public, and she rarely use social media showing her real identity." Meanwhile, Anawa chuckled for a bit when she saw Okuri's reaction.
"Now I get it," Okuri finally calmed down for a bit, "To be honest, I was expecting you guys to be snobbish as hell, like the child of the family who owned a metal workshop factory in our town," Okuri brought up his anecdotes against "Everyday he asked his mom to take him to the school using the luxury car, wearing clothes with fancy designer brands, while always speaking with this weird Niangkee accent, which for anyone who has a bit brain could figure out there is no way he is from an elite family of that place; and the most strange thing is, he looked down us, as if he was raised in a prestigious family from Niangkee."
"Haha, I get it actually," Jinlin also joined the conversation after listening at what we said, "people from the south always assumed that speaking with a Nothern accent would make them sounded more classy, which for us was pretty much funny, as the southern provinces actually have a stronger economy than most of the northern ones in recent years. Of course, it's still partially our fault."
"But it's not that common for girls from rich families to participate in track and field sports, right? I would assume Araka would like stuffs, let's say, a bit more 'classy' than just running?" Okuri seemed to make some valid point, as it was quite common for athletes from lesser known schools to outperform the ones from the top schools like Vensan. Even from my school's team, many of my teammates were from average families.
"Umm, that's fair. I mean people would expect me to play stuffs like Kalmut (Polo), Tigrenkovik (Chess), or Kenyo (Music Rythme Game) all the time. Even though I have played them quite often, I still found that running was actually where my strength is at," I explained, "Even when I was in elementary school, people had said I had a pair of strong feet."
"I see. But still, I would say you're just like a grounded school girl who is easy to get along with, even with all of these background stuffs, which I actually like it," Okuri turned his head toward and said with his uniquely straightforward style.
"Ah, thank you." I said in return.
"Instructor, I was wondering about one thing. I'm not if it's appropriate to ask now," Sukeo asked.
"Sure, go ahead," Huashin signaled Sukeo to continue. "As long as it followed the guidelines, you can feel free to ask."
"Araka, how old are you now?"
"Sukeo, even as someone from rural area, isn't this a bit impolit- "Okuri tried to remind to Sukeo about the consequences of asking a girl about her age.
"I'm okay with it," I replied, "I'm 14, but I'm turning 15 this fall."
"If I remembered correctly, the minimal age to join the SAIR intern is like 16, right?" Sukeo turned his face toward the instructors and put his eyes on focus, "if that's the case, why would you let Araka in?"
"Wait, are you sure Araka is just 14!?" Okuri was confused again. "There is no way for a girl at this age to behave as mature as this!"
"That's right! Sara-cha also just looked and sounded like a second year high school girl, while her body shape was even more attractive than me," Tenka added.
"Well, I'm in the same school as Jun and Araka, so I knew that Araka haven't joined the high school yet," Sukeo tapped at his glasses and said. He looked very serious as if he was about to uncover some dark secret.
The whole room became silent out of sudden. From the looks of the instructors, it was not an easy question to handle.
"Ha ha," a laughter broke the silence. I traced the laughter and figured out it was from Haseku. "Sukeo-cho, your look is quite funny."
"Please, I just want to have clarification about this," Sukeo kept his serious tone, "I do not want to spoil tonight's dinner, but I would like to know if there was a special reason for Araka to join SAIR now instead of meeting the age threshold."
Haseku put his hands onto the table and started talking: "Actually, we just happened to know a bit more about Araka from one of our colleagues. First, we found that Araka had a strong sense of reflex, which was higher than many of our candidates we found before. You folks may already figured that out during the entrance exam. However, she also has a unique ability that couldn't be found among most people on this planet. Araka, you many not know much about it yourself."
"What is it, may I ask?" Haseku's words were also a bit confusing for me, as I had no idea about this "unique ability."
"Well, maybe we can talk about it during the dinner," Anawa suggested, "I can see everyone's starving now."
"Ahhhh, that's right— " Tenka replied while holding her belly. Compared to her normal energetic look, she now looked like a deflated balloon.
As such, Haseku signaled the waitress to brought the food in. The waitress was a very young woman who seemed to be not much older than me. From her dark blue hair and her blue eyes, I could tell she may also came from the Peni clan.
The food for tonight's dinner was very appetizing, as it offered the stuffed fish on rice drizzled with sweet and salty sauce, a bowl of tofu and crab cake soup, and several pickled vegetables as side dishes. While sitting on the other end of the table, I could see Tenka's eyes started sparkling again in front of the food.
"My dear guests, your meal is ready now. Please enjoy with the highest regard while make up for yourselves."
"Shall I start my-" Just as Tenka raised her chopsticks, Sukeo stopped her and
Just as we settled down, Sukeo seemed to notice something: "You honor, I have another question that I am not sure if it is good to ask."
"Go ahead," Huashin let Sukeo proceed."
"First, we're very grateful for your invitation. However, there was one thing I want to confirm. Since you invited us into this such upscale setting, would it be okay for us to e-"
"I totally get it," Huashin said, "Don't worry. Even though this place looks a bit exceptional, we will still eat the same food we serve at the main hall."
It was big surprise for me, as I was expecting they would serve some special high end cuisines here.
"But would it be- "
"Actually, did you guys found the food here was better than most places served?" Anawa asked us.
"Indeed. I mean the food here indeed tastes quite good, even if they're simple dishes, they're still much better than the ones my school serves" Tenka said just as she finished her first bite.
"That's the point. This was actually one of the strategies we used to give people motivation to follow the rules. To be specific, if people don't like the food here, they may not treat this place as their home or a workplace they would devote in; on the contrary, they would regret for their wrong behavior as they missed the food here. In fact, we had our contract with chefs from companies owned by the top clans to make the food here for today. Basically, you're eating the same business meal your parents eat during their workday. Plus, it is also our strategy to ensure the food safety, as we want to prevent targeted poisoning to anyone in this place," Huashin said. It seemed to be a smart strategy, as my mother also said that giving workers a good lunch break would actually make them more productive.
"Actually, here is another secret I want you to keep. In fact, the chefs in contract didn't know they are cooking for the SAIR, but a major clan known as "Teseku" that just doesn't exist," Anawa added. It was clear that "Teseku" was just a dummy version of SAIR's other name - Teseka.
"Basically, 'we treated you like a guest, and you should also behave like a guest'," Jun concluded.
"I have another question," while everyone else started eating, it was Sukeo who brought up another question. I was impressed that Sukeo wasn't hungry at all at this point.
"Hey, Haseku-so" even Huashin had lost her patience, "Me and Anawa are going to eat now. Could you handle this for me, since you just ate something minutes before?" Just as she finished, she took big scoops of the dishes and ate rapidly.
"Okay. So Sukeo, what's your question?"
"Are the servers here also SAIR agents?"
"Definitely," it seemed to be that Huashin regained some energy after taking these scoops, "It is always rotational, as if members don't have other mission to do, they would help us in the restaurant and the cafeteria. In fact, Jinlin is actually my favorite server for this place, as she is very beautiful, smart, and patient. That's why in the organization, we always call her 'Little Shimana' (Shimana-cha), as that's basically what Shimana, the local from Ninju as well as Kensan was known for."
"Thank you, Instructor Huashin. Since I always helped with my father's Hanyo business, I'm also quite used to serve guests."
"By the way, Jinlin, how's your father's Hanyo business? I would definitely visit there after this week's business."
"It is as busy as usual, especially during summer, as bathing in Hanyo could prevent heat stroke and also serve as something relaxing after a day's swimming in the sea," Jinlin replied while smiling.
"Ah, by the way, I think I have a question for Tenka."Anawa said, "What makes you want to join the SAIR? Like, even though the recruitment is a bit closed circle, I would say we only recruit people who already had some interest in SAIR or related subjects."
"Actually, my reason is quite simple - I was looking for a extra-curriculum opportunity that is related to first aid and care. Even though I have found several other ones, there was no one that actually caught my eye than SAIR, who one of my aunts worked for."
"She must be work for the SAIR South, as according for our profile," Haseku said.
"I think so, since she's from Niangchun. Anyway, if I remembered correctly, her job was also providing first aid service during disaster relives. Even though my parents didn't agree with me joining the SAIR at first, I still managed to persuade them, as I told them I could learn useful skills during my intern."
"I see. Well, in the SAIR, especially for interns like you, your safety is our priority and responsibility. Our professional agents will always make sure you will gain the necessary skills and knowledges while protecting you whenever it's necessary. If your parents had any concern later during the intern, they can reach the intern instructive team directly and talk with us about their concerns," Huashin said.
"Thank you," Tenka was very happy.
"So how about you, Araka and Jun?" Anawa asked us.
It was Jun who took the first turn: "Actually, both me and Araka had a dream of becoming someone that could save people using our skills and knowledge. As our family and clan had taught us, it was an honor for young people, especially people in our age, to explore the world while understanding the true meaning of justice and merits. From what we have heard, SAIR seemed to be the perfect opportunity for us to understand the virtue of the stability of our society, as it allowed us to work with people from different groups and backgrounds, while protecting those who deserve protections." While Jun was speaking, I could see the instructors nodded and expressed their agreement on their faces.
"I see. These are indeed the spirit we're looking for. Araka, do you agree with what Jun said?" Huashin asked.
"Hmm, actually, even though what my brother said was pretty much true, for me I didn't think that much when I decided to join the intern. In fact, my reason was pretty simple, and it may even sound a bit childish. May I talk about it?"
"Go ahead. Everyone's voice will be listened," Haseku suggested me to finish.
"Because - because I just want to save people from danger, like Ms. Possible!" I said.
"Ms. Possible? Do you mean that cartoon character?" Anawa asked.
"Ye-yes, that's indeed the character I was talking about," I said.
"So what aspect of her do you like the most?" Anawa seemed to be pretty interested in my answer.
"I mean, other than being a superhero who could always save people from danger, she was also very kind and energetic. It was not only her special ability, but also her optimistic and positive vibe that brought hopes to those who suffered."
"That's indeed some interesting motivation," Anawa said. "I think the 'positive vibe' you mentioned is more important, as for most of the time, it was always the sense of support that make people recover from what they faced or suffered."
"That's true. Actually, I think it's a good time to bring back to the question Sukeo asked before the dinner, as of what type of special ability we discovered from Araka," Haseku said, "Araka, this is something that you may not even know." Something that even I wasn't aware? What could it be? I thought.
While we were talking, the suite started moving and it seemed to be some machine was moving behind the scene. As the noise of the machine came to the end, nothing in the room was changed.
"Hey, What's going on? Are we teleporting to somewhere else?" Okuri asked while looking around to figure out what is going on.
"Don't worry. This is just a protocol. Basically, we applied a shield to the room that will temporarily made any electronic devices unusable," Huashin explained, "since the following topics would be a bit more confidential."
"Instructor, may I ask what is this special skill you mentioned?" I asked.
"This is something that is very abstract, and could only be tested during tomorrow's exam," Haseku said calmly. "It is something called Matake, which could only be found in one of three million people."
"What is Matake?" Tenka asked, "is it related to something ancient?"
"That's a very good guess, Tenka. Indeed, there had only been few records of people in the history who actually has this special ability, and we discovered that Araka may have been one of them," Haseku continued explained.
"Instructor Haseku, if I remembered correctly, is that an ability that allowed her to sense and communicate with supernatural beings? I only saw it in ancient records." Sukeo asked.
"That's right," Haseku nodded, "Matake is an ability that the person could use one's special senses to sense and giving signals to supernatural beings. From our research and based on our theories, this may related to the high concentration of highly active sensitive particles in the neurons."
"But would Jun also has the same ability?" Tenka asked.
"Not really. This is actually related to a special genetic pattern that is discovered among few families in the nation. The ability is passed down from the mother side, and if there are multiple children, only one of them would inherit the ability, and it's very likely to landed on a girl," Haseku said.
"But instructor, why did you let Araka join the SAIR now instead of let her in when she reaches 16 years old," Jun asked.
"Actually, I would say this is more about timing, as our recent research showed," Anawa changed to a more serious tone, "To summarize, without any proper training of how to use this ability, the Matake ability would saw its peak around 15 years old, and quickly faded away as the person reached 18 years old. It was basically the case of Araka's mother, whose ability was not discovered until a much later time. As such, we need to make sure Araka is capable to unleash her potential well before this window ended."
"I see, so basically we need to make Araka able to master her ability as soon as possible," Jun brought up a new point.
"But instructor, why doesn't this skills appear on my form, as the only special skill on my form was saying 'mobility'?" I asked.
"First, while this ability is very powerful, it could also be a good news for criminals if they were able to find someone with this ability before us. For example, in the past, we had seen people with this ability committing crimes by summoning demons and other supernatural beings, which would be a hard time even for organizations like the SAIR. Even among the current potential ability holders we found, you're in a very good shape and could easily master the ability. As such, we wanted to make sure you're in a low profile to prevent you being kidnapped by people with wrong intentions. The second one was that even though you're very likely to master the ability, we still need several tests on you to make the final conclusion. There are chances that you may have some difficulty in handling the ability during the learning process. These testing would be take place after you enrolled in the SAIR intern," Haseku explained.
"Which in a simpler word, Araka couldn't just rely on this ability to get into the SAIR intern," Sukeo concluded.
"That's right," Haseku nodded.
"Actually," After observing the conversation, Ninfo broke his silence and put his right hand up to signal Haseku to stop, "After hearing all of you had said, I found tonight's conversation to be engaging and knowledgeable. As such, we had made a decision - There will be no interview for you tomorrow.".
"Sorry sir. May I ask for more clarification?" Sukeo asked.
"It's literally the word I said. You can skip the interview tomorrow," Ninfo reiterated.
"But Sir, I think we haven't met with the interviewers yet," Jun was still not convinced.
"You have already been interviewed by the staff of the grading team in this place right here," Haseku said, "Huashin, Anawa and me are all examiners for tomorrow's exam, while Ninfo is the supervisor here."
"Really!?" Jun still looked surprised by the information.
"That's right! Actually, what you have done a while ago was basically the contents of what the interview would have been look like," Anawa said. It was also a surprise for me, as I was expecting there would be more interviews going on.
"So did we pass?" Tenka asked, "I mean, how did we do?"
"You're doing very good, actually," Huashin gave her recognition to our performance, "Since we have most of your profiles on our side, this interview was basically a protocol to make sure the participants meet our requirements other than the ones on paper, while also give you an opportunity to ask questions. From what I have heard, all of you seemed to have very interesting combinations of skill sets, and I think any of you could work with both the research branch and the rescue and combat branch. As such, I will acknowledge the SAIR about this and gave some adjustments on the intern program."
As such, even though the "interview" was over, our conversation still continued. It was a good opportunity for us to get to know our future instructors in the forehand while also talking about relaxing topics. However, there was still one thing that was hanging in my mind, as what was my special ability actually about, and how could I use it. It was strange as my mother had mentioned nothing about it. How did the SAIR learned about this if my mother hadn't talked to them directly, and was my mother also an ability holder as well?