Chapter 93: Preparation of Work

Monday, immediately following the weekend.

It was 9:00 AM. Yang Mo had already left for school, leaving Gan Ling alone at home. When a knock sounded at the door, she knew the delivery from the Support Association had arrived.

She pushed open the door, set the box on the table, and used an Iron Thorn to easily slice it open. Gan Ling peeled through layers of packaging to reveal two small cards. They were her identification card and a bank card. For her age on the ID, they had tentatively filled in the same age as Yang Mo. She examined the cards several times to ensure the information was accurate before reporting the arrival to the Support Association.

Ever since their initial meeting, the Support Association seemed to have handed over all matters related to Gan Ling to Lin Qingwen. Lin Qingwen—also known as Ms. Lin—was the Visiting Specialist who had participated in that meeting. At this very moment, she was messaging Gan Ling on the Exchange Board. In Gan Ling’s mind, the Support Association had always seemed stiff and rigid, but Ms. Lin’s personal account was quite lively. Her profile picture was a tabby cat looking into the camera, and her ID was simply “Lin.” Gan Ling’s ID was “Yinhua,” a name she had chosen to mimic the alias style of a Magical Girl. That way, even if someone saw the ID on the Exchange Board, they would surely assume she was just a new Magical Girl.

While she was fiddling with her phone and watching television, a new message popped up on the Exchange Board.

Lin: “I heard you have a desire to work. Have you considered what kind of job you want to do?”

Feeling a hint of surprise, Gan Ling began tapping away at the screen with both hands.

Yinhua: “Why are you asking?”

Lin: “The Support Association will assist you as much as possible.”

Yinhua: “Do you help other Magical Girls like this too?”

Lin: “Since we are providing you with an ‘official status,’ we obviously won’t just hand you a Household Registration and leave you to your own devices.”

Yinhua: “So this is basically after-sales service?”

Lin: “You could look at it that way. In any case, tell me when you think of what you want to do.”

Yinhua: “I understand.”

After sending that message, Gan Ling momentarily pulled her attention away from the screen to think about what kind of work she was capable of doing. Almost the instant she began to think, she realized a very serious problem.

‘With my height and appearance… I look like a child laborer no matter how you slice it! No legitimate business would be willing to hire me!’

Even putting that aside, based on the age from her previous life and her current age on her identification card, she would likely be considered a child laborer anyway. Gan Ling had not expected to hit such an insurmountable hurdle on the very first step of her job hunt. Holding the back of her head, she slumped powerlessly onto the sofa.

Memories of her past played in her mind like a revolving lantern. When the memories reached a certain fragment, inspiration suddenly struck. ‘…Right! There’s still that trick!’

Gan Ling sat up abruptly and used her phone to inform Ms. Lin of her idea. The account with the ID “Lin” quickly replied that they could give it a try. Not long after, she was directly notified of the specific time for this “test.” Gan Ling couldn’t help but marvel at the efficiency of the Support Association; they had managed to get everything settled according to her instructions so quickly.

That afternoon, Gan Ling and Ms. Lin appeared together in the office of a cleaning company. They stood on the outside of a desk, while a somewhat thin, middle-aged man sat on the inside. Gan Ling knew from Ms. Lin’s prior introduction that this man was the General Manager of the cleaning company, commonly known as “Old Xu.”

Although he was a normal person, Gan Ling did not activate her Disguise Magic. She maintained her physical characteristics as a Doll, but her demeanor and speech were that of a capable professional.

After the pleasantries ended, Ms. Lin gestured toward Gan Ling with an open palm, introducing her to Old Xu. “As we discussed, this is the New Type Housekeeping Robot we’ve been developing in secret. She just needs a final field test now, so we hope you can take her in to work here temporarily.” Before her voice even faded, Gan Ling blinked her eyes twice with a robotic *flick-flick* to prove she was a machine.

Unfortunately, Old Xu still looked troubled by the two people before him. The General Manager’s voice lacked any real authority; by comparison, Ms. Lin’s steady tone made her seem more like his superior. She said to Old Xu, “If there are any problems, please feel free to speak. I will tell you the truth as long as it isn’t classified information.”

“Alright…” He scratched at his thinning hair, finally voicing his concerns. “Actually, I don’t doubt its working ability, since you’re the one vouching for it. But… is this really for ‘housekeeping’? Don’t blame an old man for being suspicious, but that department of yours… you didn’t stuff some strange functions inside its body, did you? Like, using those eyes to fire lasers or something?”

As he spoke, he pointed toward Gan Ling’s eyes. Gan Ling suddenly felt a pang of worry. ‘Did I overact?’

Fortunately, Ms. Lin replied nonchalantly, “Of course not. Please rest assured; since we say it is for housekeeping, it won’t have any other purpose.”

Old Xu sighed, seemingly accepting the explanation. Ms. Lin continued the briefing. “It’s simple. Just call her ‘Gan Ling’ to give her instructions. She has a program that will automatically determine exactly what needs to be done.”

Old Xu asked, “What about precautions?”

“Please pay her the same wages as other employees. However, she alone can do the work of several people, so you certainly won’t lose out. Also… while she is working, you must make sure that no one else is present at the scene. This applies to both employees and clients.”

Upon hearing Ms. Lin’s final requirement, his expression instantly soured. “Why such a strange requirement? Ms. Lin, you weren’t lying to me just now, were you?”

“How could I lie to you? This is only to reduce interference factors. She performs better when no one is around, that’s all.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Fine, whatever you say…” Old Xu sighed again and turned his chair away from them. “I’ll let her try it out tomorrow.”

“We appreciate your kindness,” Ms. Lin said, concluding the conversation with a compliment.

However, hearing it only made Old Xu look more exhausted. His face grew even tighter, and the wrinkles deepened as if he had aged from middle age into old age in a single moment.

After that, Gan Ling and Ms. Lin left the cleaning company, leaving his thin silhouette behind. Ms. Lin didn’t say a word during the process, and under the weight of this silent pressure, Gan Ling felt as though she understood Old Xu’s earlier unease.

‘What kind of organization is the Support Association…?’

This faction, which was designated as the “Government” side in the setting, seemed to be even more powerful than she had imagined.

***