Kobeni Higashiyama was terrified of death, and even more terrified of corpses.
But dealing with the living was not much better.
At least the dead did not insult you or hit you.
And… the pay here was insanely high.
With a nervous heart, Kobeni gently knocked on the reception room door.
Knock, knock, knock.
"It's unlocked. Come in," Cael's voice came from inside.
Kobeni was basically a walking bad luck charm.
Within a hundred meters of her, people's luck tended to drop.
Cael had already noticed her arrival through the shift in his stats.
Creak.
The door opened slowly.
"C-Cael, h-hello…"
"It's Kobeni. Sit down." Cael glanced at her, a faint professional smile on his face.
"O-Okay…"
Kobeni lowered her head and sat across from him, her eyes darting around nervously.
Cael simply stared at her without saying anything.
Her body trembled slightly, and part of her resume was already damp with sweat.
…This is bad.
I need to say something.
He's not my coworker right now, he's the interviewer.
Kobeni took a deep breath, shut her eyes, and held out her resume with both hands.
"I saw the job listing for the Rest Pavilion online. I want to work here. Th-this is my resume. P-please take a look!"
Cael raised an eyebrow.
Just as he thought.
"Alright, let's see."
He flipped through it casually.
"Damn, Kobeni. You've worked a lot of jobs. It's only been a few years since high school, and you've already been through half the workforce."
Kobeni forced a bitter smile.
"I… I didn't want to. I just… needed money…"
Cael leaned back slightly, his tone calm.
"I'm looking for someone stable. Seeing this many job changes makes me a bit uneasy."
He tapped the resume lightly.
"You are not going to quit after a week, right?"
Kobeni froze.
So… that backfired.
She clenched her skirt tightly and answered honestly.
"A-As long as you don't fire me, and the salary is really that high… I will stay. I swear I will."
Cael smirked.
"Really?"
Kobeni's face flushed red.
"Really!"
Cael extended his pinky.
"Then let's make it official. Pinky promise. I'll believe you if we seal it."
"Eh?"
She blinked in confusion, but still reached out her hand.
Their fingers hooked together.
The moment their skin touched, something shifted.
Her bad luck vanished instantly.
Cael felt it clearly.
Interesting.
So her contracted devil's effect could be suppressed like this.
Weird. That kind of ability should come with a cost.
And yet she was walking around like this all the time.
…Yeah, something about her is off.
"Pinky swear, no backing out."
Cael gave her hand a small shake, then pressed their thumbs together.
"Done."
He let go and leaned forward with a grin.
"Alright. Kobeni works for me now."
He paused.
"…That sounded wrong."
He waved it off casually.
"You're officially hired at the Rest Pavilion. Congrats. Let's talk money."
Kobeni blinked rapidly.
"Eh? That's it?!"
That was way too fast.
Shouldn't there be more steps?
Cael rested his elbows on the table, fingers interlocked.
"So, how much do you want? I'll send you your first month in advance."
Kobeni swallowed hard.
The moment money came up, her exhaustion disappeared.
"Is… is it really 800,000 yen?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"Give me your phone. Open your account."
"O-Okay…"
She handed it over, still trying to process everything.
A second later, Cael gave it back.
"Check it. One million yen. The extra 200,000 is a signing bonus."
Kobeni stared at the screen.
Her eyes widened.
Her cheeks turned red.
Tears started forming before she could stop them.
It was real.
Actual money.
Money she could use.
"I… I…"
She could not even speak properly.
Cael watched her quietly, then continued.
"As for the job, Reze and I will train you over the next few days."
"There are empty rooms in the staff dorm. Pick one and stay there."
"Work hours are flexible. You will work around three or four days a week, depending on shifts. The rest of your time is yours."
"If you want to work more, go ahead. We get paid per job, so the more you do, the more you earn."
He tapped the table lightly.
"Your base salary is 800,000 yen. That stays the same for now."
"There are commissions on top of that."
"With how busy things are, even a beginner can make about 1.5 million yen a month."
"And if you get good, I will raise it."
Kobeni's mind went blank.
If not for the money already sitting in her account, she would have thought this was a scam.
A beginner making 1.5 million yen?
This was not a funeral home.
This was heaven.
"O-Okay… okay…"
There was a reason Cael set the salary that high.
First, Kobeni was someone he knew. Paying her more did not matter.
Second, she was basically his only real employee.
Makima had her own government role.
Reze and Asa were not employees.
Guang Xi and her group were temporary help, and he had no intention of paying them.
And more importantly…
Kobeni would never have chosen this job unless she was desperate.
The moment she asked, Cael had already decided to hire her.
It was easier to work with someone familiar than to train a stranger from scratch.
The only issue was her luck.
For Cael, it did not matter much.
Even at its worst, it was still usable.
But if it started affecting Reze or Asa…
That could become a problem.
If that happened, Kobeni would just have to keep her distance while working.
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