Chapter 1: The Villain Organization in Magical Girl Comics

“Name.”

“Luo Shiyin.”

“Age.”

“Hmm… Let’s say I’m about twenty?”

“Gender.”

“Male!”

The black pen, which had been moving smoothly on the white paper, paused slightly.

A middle-aged man with a neat short haircut, wearing a formal suit, looked up and silently examined the little girl sitting across from him.

She was a girl with long black hair that gently swept past her waist, her bright purple eyes sparkling like stars in the sky.

Her slightly baby-faced expression was free of makeup, revealing her natural cuteness and obedience.

Her small legs swung lightly in the air, unable to reach the ground, adding a touch of playfulness to her appearance.

“Male!”

Feeling the skeptical gaze from the man, the girl, who was barely 1.4 meters tall, nodded vigorously.

Her expression was sincere and her tone earnest, like a young student explaining that they truly forgot their homework at home:

“Although my physical features are currently female, my soul is pure manly! If you’re willing to mark me as male, then you’ll be my lifelong good brother!”

“…Why are you here to apply for a job with us?”

After a long silence, the middle-aged man lowered his head and, after marking

“Female”

in the gender column, added a note in the remarks section—

“Confused understanding of their gender.”

Seeing that the persuasion failed, Luo Shiyin couldn’t help but twitch the corner of her mouth.

But considering her current situation, which was not much better than an orphan’s, she answered honestly:
 
“I saw your recruitment ad. It said that anyone with ideals, regardless of age or identity, could apply, so I came.”
 
“Hmm, then what is your ideal?”
 
“A life where I make so much money it looks like a string of numbers, where I can order takeout without worrying about the day of the week, and have so many girlfriends I can’t even count the decadent life?”
 
The pen paused again as the middle-aged man took a deep breath, trying to keep his tone calm.
 
“We’re talking about ideals, not dreams.”
 
“…Alright, I’ll be honest. Actually, right now I just want a stable job to solve the issues of food and accommodation. Until I can ensure a basic living, I don’t see the need for ideals.”
 
Staring at her with a numb and calm gaze, Luo Shiyin felt uncomfortable and, inexplicably, she ended up blurting out what was on her mind.
 
After she finished speaking, she realized, and a bit of embarrassment flashed in her eyes.

But to her surprise, the middle-aged man, who had been expressionless, didn’t get angry.

Instead, he slightly nodded and wrote

“Realist”

In the personality column:
 
“Alright, do you have any specific requirements for the job position and benefits? If not, I’ll arrange for you to start right away.”
 
“Huh? I passed?”
 
Upon hearing this, Luo Shiyin’s legs, which had been swinging lightly, stiffened, and her eyes widened in disbelief.
 
“Once you saw that recruitment ad and managed to find this place, your interview was already passed. This is just a routine inquiry.”
 
The middle-aged man’s tone remained numb:
 
“So, do you have any specific requirements for the job position and benefits? However, our company was just established a few days ago, so even if you have requests, they may not be met.”
 
“Hmm, you’re really honest…”
 
Luo Shiyin couldn’t help but twitch the corner of her mouth and gave a dry laugh.
 
The middle-aged man nodded noncommittally, stuffed the form into his desk drawer, and stood up from his chair:
 
“Let’s go. I’ll show you the work environment and introduce the job duties. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
 
“Uh, can I ask if this is a legitimate job? Or is it the type of job that once I’ve seen it, I can’t back out of?”
 
Looking at the middle-aged man’s face, which showed no sign of humor, Luo Shiyin couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong and tentatively asked.
 
In response, the middle-aged man simply let out a light laugh:
 
“High salary, low requirements, legality—these three things never coexist in a single job.”
 
“What about yours?”
 
“Our company is different. We don’t have any of those three attributes.”

Glancing at the black-haired, straight-loli still sitting in the chair, the middle-aged man wiped
the smile from his face and returned to his indifferent expression:
 
“So, how about it? If you want to back out now, it’s still not too late.”
 
“Hmm… forget it, I’ll just go along and see.”

To the middle-aged man’s surprise, Luo Shiyin hesitated for only two seconds before jumping out of the chair and walking beside him.
 
“Lead the way~”
 
“Hmm? You’re not reconsidering?”
 
“I don’t think someone who suddenly arrived in an unfamiliar city and turned into a little girl, with no identity, accommodation, or income, has the right to be picky about a job.”

Muttering to herself as she grumbled, Luo Shiyin peeked over at the door behind her, but all she saw was an ordinary hallway.
 
Silently tagging her as “Loli,” the middle-aged man put a question mark next to the

“20”

In the age column and started to lead the way:
 
“Ordinary people often only understand the surface of this world, but our work here provides support to the dark side that runs deeper.”
 
“Wait, can you translate that into Chinese for me?”
 
“You can think of it as us being the villain organization in magical girl comics.”
 
“What?”
 
Luo Shiyin stopped in her tracks, her face full of confusion.
 
The middle-aged man, with his expression still numb, repeated the statement in a calm tone, adding at the end:
 
“If you still don’t understand, I can give you a few magical girl-themed comics. You can read them overnight and you’ll understand.”
 
“No, wait, let me sort this out…”

Holding her forehead with her hand, Luo Shiyin’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.
 
“So, are magical girls really a thing?”
 
“I know it’s hard for you to believe, but don’t worry, after experiencing it a few times, you’ll get used to it.”
 
The middle-aged man said this as he flashed a strange smile again.
 
“As for more details, when you meet the president later, they will explain everything to you.”
 
“…ERE.”

Looking at the strange smile on his emotionless “work-drone” face, Luo Shiyin couldn’t help but shiver.
 
But with that distraction, the confusion she felt earlier started to dissipate, and she quickly accepted the concept of magical girls.
 
After all, just a few hours ago, she had been sitting in an air-conditioned room playing on her computer.

Then, after a strange, refreshing spasm, she suddenly found herself in the streets of this world, transformed into a little girl barely over 1.4 meters tall with long black hair.
 
Even though she was an experienced internet surfer, a well-read young person who could hop across sites with ease, Luo Shiyin still took a full five minutes to accept the fact that she had turned into a black-haired, straight-loli.
 
So now, the situation was just a shift from crossing into a parallel world to crossing into a magical world with cute girls.

There wasn’t much difference.
 
“The company currently has three departments: the Field Department responsible for liaising with the ordinary world, the Resources Department responsible for intelligence gathering and material management, and the R&D Department responsible for creating monsters and producing tools.”

Although surprised by her new colleague’s adaptability, the middle-aged man’s expression remained unchanged as he started the formal introduction:
 
“But as I mentioned, since the company was just established, there are only five people, including the boss. I’m the only one in the Field Department, and there are two in the Resources Department.”
 
“…What about the other person?”
 
Upon hearing the miserable statistics that couldn’t even pass the minimum approval for a high school club, Luo Shiyin’s eyelids twitched slightly.
 
The middle-aged man, walking in front of her, paused his steps.

He then tilted his head and, with a soul-dead stare, silently looked at the black-haired loli behind him.

Sensing the silence in the air, Luo Shiyin seemed to realize something, and her steps gradually slowed down until they stopped:
 
“That… could it be…?”
 
“Yes, just as you think.”
 
Not giving the black-haired loli any hope of a different answer, the middle-aged man spoke in the most indifferent tone, giving Luo Shiyin the answer she least wanted to hear:
 
“The fifth employee in the company right now… is you.”
 
“…Can I resign now?”
 
“Actually, five days ago, there was another colleague in the R&D department.”
 
It seemed like an attempt to retain her, but it also seemed like a simple explanation.

The middle-aged man spoke in a calm tone, like an old gentleman who had been navigating a certain pink app for ten years, without any fluctuation in his voice.
 
“What about now?”

 “Missing.”
 
“Goodbye!”
 
Upon hearing this absurd yet somehow logical answer, considering the state of the company, Luo Shiyin decisively turned around and started walking away—after all, even if she had to sell her skills on the street, it would be better than joining this organization!
 
Seeing the black-haired loli’s reaction, the middle-aged man didn’t try to stop her.

Instead, he took out a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, and put it in his mouth:
 
“Fifty thousand.”
 
Luo Shiyin’s firm steps slowed slightly, but her body still showed no intention of turning back.
 
This kind of offer, where an unusually high salary is promised, only to be later reduced by performance, attendance, and experience once the contract is signed—she had seen it many times before!

There was no way she would fall for it!
 
The middle-aged man, with his emotionless “work-drone” face, tilted his head slightly as if his dead fish eyes were shining strangely:

“Fifty thousand a month.”
 
“…”

A strange sound came from her throat, and Luo Shiyin’s steps completely stopped.

Her body shivered slightly as she fought an internal battle.

[Don’t, don’t fall for it! This is just the usual trick of offering a super high salary at first, then slowly whittling it down after the contract is signed, leaving you with just a few hundred bucks! I’ve seen this scam in my past life! Don’t fall for it!]

Watching the hesitation in the black-haired loli’s face, the middle-aged man casually took out a lighter from his pocket, slowly lit the cigarette, and spoke in a numb voice, as if he had just served a precious gem weighing 500 pounds:

“After deducting the six insurances and one housing fund, you’ll still get a guaranteed 50,000 per month, and bonuses are extra at the end of the year.”