"Knock on the door? Guests? At this time?"
Shinji looked at Orange in confusion. No one would invite guests over when the house was not yet tidy.
"I don't have an appointment today. Could it be that your family sent someone to look for you?" Orange was also confused.
"How is that possible? It's not like I don't have a cell phone."
"That's right. Communication is convenient now. Who could it be?"
Not only Shinji, but everyone present was equipped with a mobile phone, a customized one that used satellite signals directly instead of ground base stations.
In any case, since it was a knock on the door, the person who came should not be hostile. When the second knock sounded, Orange opened the door.
Standing outside the door was a young man in plain clothes, about 20 years old, wearing a black sweetheart-neck sweater and dark grey trousers. Apart from the black-framed glasses on his nose, he had no other decorations. Compared with the young people who are increasingly chasing trends and pursuing individuality, he looked very ordinary.
Orange was sure that she didn't know this person, and asked Shinji with her eyes, who also said that he didn't know him.
Just as Orange opened her mouth to ask, the strange man spoke first.
"Excuse me, does Miss Aozaki Touko live here?"
The voice was very gentle, and although it didn't have any special qualities that would make people remember it immediately, it gave people a very comfortable feeling, like the sunshine on a spring afternoon.
"Looking for me?" Orange was slightly stunned and said subconsciously.
"Yes." The man smiled, with a smile full of joy from the bottom of his heart, "I saw your exhibit in the gallery, and I was very interested in that exhibit..."
"Did you come here just for that?" Orange crossed his arms, with a playful look in his eyes.
"Well, sort of."
The man nodded, and his frank attitude aroused Orange's interest.
"I don't know what attracted you to the exhibits, but you are the first person to come to see me directly because of the exhibits. Apart from acquaintances, the most common people here are couriers who come to deliver goods."
"Really..." The man bowed apologetically, "I'm sorry for visiting you without permission."
The man unconsciously shifted his gaze to the side, letting Orange know which piece of work he liked.
The workshop had just been cleaned and there was no time to move things in. Orange's luggage was piled in the corridor, the most eye-catching thing among them was a doll sitting on a chair.
The doll is shaped like a typical oriental girl, with hair that is neither long nor short, just enough to cover the ends of her hair. She has a small face and a delicate appearance that eliminates her gender. Her slim body, which has nothing to do with plumpness, makes it difficult to tell whether she is a boy or a girl.
"You came here because you saw that doll, right?"
"Yes, yes, sorry, that's what I was going to say." Orange's sharpness made the man a little overwhelmed.
"It's okay. I'm glad you like her. But...sometimes some people are too obsessed with dolls. It's fine if they are just obsessed with the shape, but some people are obsessed with what's inside the doll - the inside of the doll, which is empty and 'empty'."
Orange's tone changed from relaxed to serious. His eyes were not sharp, but they were intimidating in their own way.
"I don't think your eyes are just focused on the appearance of the doll. It is not a commendable thing to be attracted by something 'empty' at this age. It is definitely not a good thing for a child like you to get too close to that kind of thing. Please go back-"
"No, I..."
Orange closed the door without giving the man a chance to continue speaking.
"Wait a minute, Ms. Orange."
A hand reached the door frame in time to stop Orange's movements.
"Now that he's here, he should be allowed to finish his words. After all, he's the first guest to come to our house after we moved in. It's really unreasonable to just chase him away."
"You..." Orange stepped aside in distress. The only person who could make her show such an expression was Shinji.
"Please come in, sir. The place is not tidy yet and there is nothing to serve you. Sorry for the inconvenience." Shinji made a gesture of invitation to the man.
"I dare not, I dare not." The man said repeatedly and walked cautiously into the office that had not yet opened.
"Tell me, what exactly do you want to see Miss Orange about? Do you want to buy that doll?" Shinji asked. His inexplicably friendly attitude made Orange, Sakura, and Fujino, who were familiar with him, feel a little uncomfortable.
"No." The man shook his head.
"So you want to see if there are any other works that interest you?"
"No." The man still shook his head.
"So you want to—?"
I don't know if he was infected by this kindness, or if he caught the teasing hidden deep in his eyes. The man looked at the empty office, then grabbed his chest as if he had made up his mind, and said resolutely:
"Um, can I become an employee of this firm?"
"Huh?" Orange, who was leaning against the door, tilted his head and his glasses almost fell off.
Fujino and Sakura, who were watching quietly, also had strange expressions on their faces. If they remembered correctly, Orange should not have posted a job advertisement.
"Sorry, I didn't hear you clearly, can you say it again?" Shinji confirmed.
"I want to be an employee of this firm." The man bowed to Orange again. "I'm sorry to say this so suddenly. It's getting late, and I won't force you to give me a reply today. I will visit you another day. I hope you can consider it."
"I didn't expect you to do this. To be honest, I'm surprised. Do you want to be a salesperson, or do you want to learn how to make dolls? Or, since you are already here, you can become my disciple-"
Orange held down her glasses and raised the volume of a few words, staring at the man without blinking with her orange eyes that revealed a different aura.
This building, which was selected as the second workshop and office, has a powerful composite barrier laid outside. It not only has the concealment and repellent effects when Shinji first stepped into here, but also incorporates directional perception and a certain degree of mysterious suppression. This is the latest achievement developed by Orange through studying the original runes.
The man who can find and enter this office is unlikely to be an ordinary person. Orange has to use his magic eyes and the perception effect of the barrier to observe the man's true heart.
After looking for three seconds, Orange suddenly pushed up his glasses and the strange smell disappeared.
"—You don't think that, do you? Forget it, just pretend I didn't say anything."
"Oh, oh~" the man breathed a sigh of relief instinctively.
"In short! I should have rejected the applicant who came in illegally without an appointment. But I have some interest in you. Come back tomorrow and I will give you an interview opportunity."
"Okay!" The man immediately looked happy.
"Before that, tell me your name."
"Mikiya, Kurogiri Mikiya, please give me your guidance."
"It's you."
Shinji narrowed his eyes, a knowing smile curling up at the corner of his mouth.
Has it come to this point without me noticing