"You recognized me?" I asked. It was our first meeting, and from what Rei Mei told me, she hadn't contacted her yet after I agreed to the rescue, which made it almost impossible for her to know my face.
Even if she did remember my young face, my transformation after getting the system was too big to even connect the dots.
But her next words just proved me wrong.
"Of course, I can recognize you. We're both grown up now, but I still remember those dark eyes of yours that seemed to devour everything," she giggled.
Her laughter resonated with the beat of my heart, and just hearing her melodic voice made me feel calmer and more at ease.
"You haven't opened your door yet?" she asked after seeing my confused look.
'That door again.' Until now, I still didn't have any clue how to open it. My best bet would be to reached level 20 and see if my systems does something special.
"Not yet" I answered bluntly. There was no need to lie, considering this door was common knowledge for them already. It seemed my mother was quite a loudmouth.
"Is your ability related to your voice?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me. I wondered if there was a connection between her power and the mesmerizing quality of her pitch.
"You can say that" she answered. "So, are you here to convince me about helping Alice?" she added.
"Well, you can say that too," I replied, casually settling into the empty chair in front of her.
She paused for a moment, her fingers lightly touching her lips before speaking.
"We're talking about Cerebrum. The Korean branch might not be a huge deal, but those other branches, like the one in Shanghai, are more of a headache. There's a reason why no one just goes all-in attacking them" she said, leaning back a bit.
"Oh, you're quite knowledgeable about these things," I added, appreciating the fact that I was finally talking to someone logical enough to understand the danger we were taking on. Unlike Rei Mei, who tended to be quite impulsive in such matters.
"I've been keeping tabs on them," she replied.
"Thank you for respecting my choice," she smiled at me, appreciating that I didn't plan to be overbearing or threaten her into submission.
Normally, I would do that, but she was just too beautiful for me to risk leaving a bad impression. Maybe in the future, when all my problems are solved, I could take her with me.
"No problem," I replied, turning away from her. There was no need to stay here any longer.
"Wait," she called out.
"What?"
"About Cerebrum. I might not be able to help you with fighting, but I have some information that you might want to see," she stood up and then handed me a USB device.
"What is this?"
"I was planning to use that thing as a bargaining chip. But I never expected that you would just let me go. Think of it like a thank-you gift," she replied, her face filled with relief.
"Thanks," I acknowledged.
"Good luck, I hope you succeed," she added.
"Of course, I will," I replied with a confident smile before turning away and exiting the room.
I disabled my previous command to the make-up artists, they entered the room and resumed their job.
As for me? Well, I decided to just go back home and rest. I know her voice was heavenly, but right now, resting would be more beneficial.
At the same time, I was curious about the USB, so I needed to check it out as soon as possible.
She called it a bargaining chip, so whatever's inside must be really important data. Right now, information was what I lacked the most. Kanon hadn't contacted me yet, so this USB device might contain some answers.
"Take me back home," I commanded my driver.