"You say you want to join the Ability Bureau?"
Yan Xi sized up the young girl before her with a surprised gaze. She hadn't expected the other party to make such a request. However, she retracted her astonishment in an instant, adopting the serious aura of a Director as she asked solemnly:
"Could you tell me your reason?"
She couldn't let it slide with a vague answer this time. Joining the Ability Bureau was essentially equivalent to joining the official forces. Initially, the Ability Bureau required all Ability Users to join. But in the past, many people who awakened abilities believed they were children of destiny, thinking of carving out their own paths to kingship.
Thus, as time went on, the official attitude gradually softened significantly. To put it simply, it was "letting go of the urge to help everyone and respecting the fates of others." So now, the standards of the Ability Bureau have been raised quite a bit; it's no longer something one can join casually. Consequently, many wild Ability Users naturally appeared among the populace.
Mo Xin pursed her lips and deliberated for a moment. After glancing at Yunli out of the corner of her eye, she spoke with an extremely serious gaze.
"On one hand, it's the persistence of a hot-blooded beautiful girl. But just a few days ago, if it weren't for Yunli's company, I definitely wouldn't have survived. So now, I hope to seize the opportunity to become stronger, also to protect my family in times of crisis."
'To protect my sister and give her a big surprise!' Mo Xin added in her heart at the same time.
How could Yunli not see through her inner thoughts? She took a bite of her candied hawthorn with a speechless expression on her pretty face. However, Yunli still unconsciously slowed down her chewing, choosing to watch quietly from the sidelines to see if Mo Xin could pass.
On the other side, Yan Xi gently propped her face with both hands, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing her chin as she stared intently at Mo Xin. Listening to the inspirational speech of the hot-blooded beautiful girl, her expression was as calm as a deep well, making it difficult to fathom her true feelings.
This made Mo Xin very nervous, causing the room to fall into a momentary silence. Mo Xin maintained her previous expression, staring at Director Yan without blinking—like an employee during an interview, quietly waiting for the other party's review.
After a long while, a sincere smile appeared on Yan Xi's face.
"Congratulations on joining, Miss Mo Xin. If you are willing, from today on, you are a member of the Muyun City Ability Team."
With just the ability of Teleportation, Mo Xin already had the ticket to join the Ability Bureau. And just now, Yan Xi's Supernatural Ability 'True Words' had given her a satisfactory answer. This made Yan Xi truly begin to appreciate the young girl before her.
After hearing this, Mo Xin actually failed to react for a moment. After a brief daze, her expression shifted from blankness to joy.
"Hehe! Did you hear that, Yunli! I'm amazing, right!"
"Amazing your head! Let this girl down already!"
In her excitement, Mo Xin directly grabbed Yunli under her armpits and lifted her up with ease. This immediately caused Yunli to show shame and indignation, her cheeks flushed with two patches of crimson.
Yan Xi, who was silently watching the scene, calmly took a sip of tea. At the same time, she had a plan forming in her mind. But at this moment, Yunli suddenly asked:
"Eh? Wait a minute, what do you mean by directly joining the Ability Team?"
Mo Xin, who had been excited for a while, seemed to have discovered a blind spot upon hearing this, and her expression immediately froze.
"That's right! Shouldn't it be joining as a candidate, and then competing with many others for a spot? Or having multiple tests and starting the job after passing the inspection?"
Yan Xi: T_T
She cleared her throat twice and explained, "Firstly, although your ability information isn't complete, a Teleportation ability is a life-saving skill just by the sound of it. Don't worry, we will help you with a detailed test later. Secondly, and more importantly, our Ability Bureau is truly lacking talent like you right now."
By the end, even Yan Xi's gaze unconsciously drifted, feeling a bit embarrassed. But as a Director, she still possessed some professional resilience.
Yunli: (●—●)
Only now did Mo Xin find out that their Muyun City Ability Team, including her, currently only had 4 people—and one was even in the hospital. This caused the grand filter Mo Xin had for the high-and-mighty official supernatural organization to completely shatter.
"Wait, is our Ability Bureau that... short-staffed?"
Although Mo Xin's words were very tactful, Yan Xi still saw the meaning in her eyes: 'Is our Ability Bureau that weak?'
Yunli, on the other hand, bluntly complained, "No way? You, as the Director, aren't tricking Mo Xin into being your slave, are you? Or is your team name perhaps the Muyun Suicide Squad?"
Noticing Yunli's teasing gaze, Yan Xi suddenly felt a surge of nameless fire burning in her chest, her whole body fuming with irritation. If it weren't for the fact that she probably couldn't win, she would have long since stepped forward to bully her and spank that little loli's bottom.
'This little cherry mouth isn't as poisonous as Sparkle's, but can she stop being so honest!'
Thus, she could only grit her teeth with a fake smile and say, "There have indeed been dozens of Ability Users in Muyun City over the years, but the problem is that not every Ability User's power is suitable for combat. After all, my own 'True Words' is an example. Or for instance, if we recruit an Ability User who's a 'Massage Master,' it's useless to us."
Yunli (๑˙ー˙๑): That's indeed true then.
Mo Xin (｢･ω･)｢: So did I pull an SSR? I really am the female lead!
This explanation was indeed reasonable. Mo Xin also didn't plan to pursue it further. Yunli also waved her hand and said somewhat helplessly:
"Fine, since you've chosen to join, Mo Xin, I'll come help you train when I have time in the future."
Hearing this, Mo Xin's eyes immediately lit up as she stared at Yunli's cute little face. Feeling the other's blatant gaze, Yunli averted her eyes and quickly explained:
"Don't misunderstand. You are my only friend in this world after all. I don't want the next time I see you to be at some funeral banquet."
At Yunli's stiff explanation, Mo Xin could not help but laugh out loud. However, she wasn't satisfied with just that.
"Yunli, why don't you join with me?"
Yunli: ?!!
Good grief, why are you suddenly trying to drag me into this!
"No way, I don't want to be busy with this and that every day!" Yunli refused decisively.
However, Mo Xin smiled slightly and looked toward Director Yan, asking casually, "By the way, Director Yan, our Ability Bureau is an official organization after all. There should be a decent salary, right?"
Yunli: ⊙▽⊙
"Of course. Although the number of Ability Users is increasing daily, this is still a high-risk profession after all. The salary is quite generous."
How could Yan Xi not understand this girl's meaning? She and Mo Xin exchanged a glance, and a tacit understanding was reached between the two. So Yan Xi immediately struck while the iron was hot:
"Moreover, our Muyun City happens to be quite idle. We haven't had many missions in several months. Besides the regular clock-ins, you can basically do as you please."
Mo Xin also hugged Yunli's petite body tightly from behind. "Come on, Yunli, you have nothing to do usually anyway. Just do it to accompany your best friend."
After several failed attempts to struggle free, Yunli's heart also began to waver slightly. After all, these conditions did sound quite tempting. Ultimately, under Mo Xin's persistent pestering and Yan Xi's generous rewards and conditions, she reluctantly agreed to temporarily join the Muyun City Team.
Yunli (๑＞＜๑): 'Yay! I have money to buy skewers now!'
Mo Xin (ಡωಡ): 'Hehe, joining an official organization means I'll have a reason to ask for leave from school in the future. Now that I've dragged Yunli in too, even if my parents ask, I'll have a shield.'
Yan Xi ψ(｀∇´)ψ: 'Hahaha, I'm simply a genius! Not only did I pick up a genius Ability User for free, but I also managed to temporarily pull this big shot into the fold! As expected, besides that freak Sparkle, this old lady can handle anything with ease!'