"I know all about Fire Moth!"
Carole suddenly chimed in. "I'm always seeing netizens venting about them on those secret confession pages or anonymous forums. Most people say they're heartless, totally unreasonable, and secretly pulling the strings behind some global conspiracy..."
Carole began ticking off the rumors she'd seen online on her fingers. As she went on, she suddenly realized the office had fallen deathly silent.
She stole a cautious glance at everyone, nodded quickly, and made an "OK" gesture before miming a zipper across her lips to signal she was officially shutting up.
Himeko realized she couldn't just stay a bystander anymore.
Though she was quite fond of the girl—feeling a certain kinship with Hua from the moment they met and even considering recruiting her into her own squad—she felt compelled to speak up.
"Fire Moth isn't the one doing the recruiting this time. I hope you won't let their reputation make you wary of joining Schicksal. It's a completely different organization."
Himeko didn't think it was her place to bad-mouth Fire Moth in front of others, so she offered this tactful defense to help Durandal save face.
Hua nodded in understanding before moving on. "My second question: if we join Schicksal, what happens to our education?"
"Representatives from the Sapphire City Education Bureau are right next door," Durandal replied. "The moment you give us the nod, you'll have your high school diplomas in hand."
The answer didn't surprise Hua. However, just as she was about to use that as a reason to decline, she noticed Durandal wasn't finished.
"That said, Schicksal won't actually expect you to abandon your studies. We provide supplemental academic courses within the organization. Once we've identified your specific talents, we'll recommend you for further studies at a university when the time is right."
"Also, if your parents have any concerns, we'll send personnel to explain everything to them. Believe me, joining Schicksal will never be something that clouds your future."
Durandal's follow-up effectively choked back the refusal Hua had been prepared to voice.
To be honest, Hua had a third question: what would happen if she refused to join?
But now, hearing Durandal's promises, she suddenly felt that saying no might actually be a massive loss.
For a moment, she was genuinely torn.
Beside her, Carole raised her hand as if she had something to say.
"Student Carole, if you have something on your mind, please, just speak up," Durandal said, making it clear she wasn't trying to silence her.
Once Carole was sure Durandal was being sincere, she spoke. "Um, can I make a quick call to my dad to talk it over? This is a huge deal, and I don't think I should decide something like this all on my own."
"Of course," Durandal nodded in agreement.
Carole's words acted as a wake-up call for Hua. She pulled out her own phone and looked at Durandal. "I need to make a call as well."
"By all means," Durandal said with a smile.
In truth, the fact that both girls wanted to consult their parents was a signal in itself—it meant they were leaning toward saying yes.
After all, if they wanted to refuse, they could have just done so then and there without involving their families. You only check in with home when you're planning to agree.
"Hey, Dad."
Carole got through to her father.
A very gentle male voice came from the other end. "Mm, Carole? Huh? Let me see... isn't it school hours right now? Don't tell me you got into trouble again and the teacher's making you call me to come down there? Hang on, I'm on my way—"
"Dad! Can't you think better of your daughter for once?"
Carole's face flushed slightly. She instinctively looked around, and seeing that the other three in the office weren't paying her any mind, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She quickly explained how Schicksal was recruiting at Sapphire City High School, emphasizing their partnership with Fire Moth and Durandal's plan for their current and future education.
It was clear that despite her flighty personality, Carole had a solid head on her shoulders; she had zeroed in on the most important points.
There was a long pause on the other end. Carole could faintly hear the sound of typing—her dad was clearly searching for info online.
Then, she heard him seemingly making another call to verify things.
In all likelihood, he was checking in with her mom. Carole pouted, a bit annoyed that he hadn't told her how to get a hold of her mom at a time like this.
About ten minutes later, her father finally got back to her.
"I looked up this Schicksal organization. Like Fire Moth, they're a legitimate group recognized by the UN. Their official website is less than two months old, so they're clearly a startup, and there isn't much about them online yet, but overall it seems fine."
"I checked with your mother, too. There's definitely been a massive troop mobilization in Sapphire City lately, though what your mom's unit is handling is a bit different from Schicksal. From her tone, it sounds like they're trustworthy enough."
"Anyway, since the organization is legit and it offers you a path forward, I'm okay with you joining. Let's be real—with your grades, graduating high school was going to be a struggle, let alone getting into college. You could say Schicksal is solving a major headache for me."
"Dad!"
Carole was practically fuming. What did he mean, 'graduating would be a struggle'? And that joining Schicksal was just 'finding a way out'?
Sure, she might have had a tiny bit of interest in escaping the boredom of high school, but her main goal was doing something big, like protecting Sapphire City, okay?
"Fine! Since you and Mom aren't against it, I'm joining. Bye!"
Without waiting for her father to say anything else that might annoy her to death, Carole decisively hung up.
--+--
"Hello, Father."
While Carole was on the phone, Hua had also dialed her father's number.
"Yes, Hua? It's during school hours, isn't it? Has something happened?"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.