Surviving the Amazons #1
Beep, beep-beep-beep.
Before heading out, I gave the front door's smart lock one last check to make sure it was working. Clunk. Once locked from the inside, it wouldn't open for anyone without my special passcode. The facilities team's Daedalus Manager had made it specially for me, and he swore it was virtually impossible to crack.
It was my reward for helping him finish Celestial ver.2.
"Perfect."
Thinking back on my dealings with Daedalus Manager still gave me chills down my spine, but this lock? It was right up my alley.
Lately, uninvited guests had been barging into my place left and right, making it hard to even get a wink of sleep. With this setup, even those mighty, terrifying executives couldn't just waltz in anymore. No wonder my mood was through the roof. Finally, I had my own true personal space.
"Whoa, Manager Jo! Thanks to you, I saw something amazing last night! To think I'd witness stars and the moon shining like that again in the Soul Society—truly moving!"
When I got to the office, Hector Manager was already there, the first to arrive as usual, sweeping the floor. He greeted me with eyes still sparkling with emotion, trembling faintly.
"What did I do? It was all Daedalus Manager."
"But you gave him the big assist! A painting, of all things. Who would've guessed it was by RUS, Daedalus Manager's son? Didn't know you had an eye for art, too."
"Just got lucky."
Or unlucky, depending on how you look at it.
Hector Manager added, "At this rate, your promotion to deputy manager's right around the corner. With solid backing from the 'Married Women's Alumni' and the 'Nymph Alumni,' it'll happen any day now!"
Hector Manager! Why'd you have to say the one thing I didn't want to hear?
Deputy manager was right below manager. And above manager? Executives only.
If I didn't do something drastic, I'd get swept up in the current and end up an executive before I knew it.
I was racking my brain over it when Alecto arrived, her face stormy.
"What a hellish—!"
Thud. She slammed her bag onto her desk with uncharacteristic irritation. Her mood was so foul, even Hector Manager was treading carefully.
"Manager Jo, better lay low today. Haven't seen Alecto that pissed in ages."
Mere mortal employees could only tremble before an executive's wrath. Cross them, and who knew what hell you'd catch.
But I was different.
"Alecto, what's wrong?"
"Huh?"
She scowled at me, one eyebrow arched. Sometimes when you're pissed, an innocent chat from the side just makes it worse. That's exactly how Alecto looked.
Might've just tanked my score with her.
Heh heh heh. Perfect plan!
I clenched my fist in quiet victory when Alecto shuddered, shoulders shaking, and let out a deep sigh.
"Jo, your damn perceptiveness is part of the problem. Checked this morning—your deputy manager promotion from last night? It's been shot down."
Chills ran down my spine.
She'd tried pushing it through without even consulting me. And now it was rejected? Thank the gods.
Why? I was over the moon, like rain in a drought. Had to know the details.
"Zagreus. That bastard opposed your promotion. Said Celestial ver.2's success was all Daedalus and the facilities team's doing."
What? Prince Zagreus?
So there was one person in the Soul Society speaking sense.
"He's targeting you. Targeting our night faction!"
Alecto was genuinely furious.
Then creak—the office door opened, and Melinoë entered.
Alecto flapped her wings at the sight. "Melinoë, couldn't you have said something when Zagreus opposed Manager Jo's promotion? Sure, he's not directly under you, but still!"
Melinoë narrowed her slender eyes and crossed her arms.
"The headquarters' deputy promotions were always controlled willy-nilly by the 'Ladies' Associations.' But Manager Jo from Audit Team 1 shone, leading to their disbandment and a return to normalcy."
"Exactly! So they should recognize his merits and approve the promotion!"
"Deputy manager is a heavy responsibility—acting head in a manager's absence. It demands strict evaluation. Thus, we're introducing a new system."
"Huh? New system? You're not saying we're doing 'deputy promotion exams' like the subsidiaries, are you? You know the damage if headquarters managers clash."
"Not exams. Our company faces unprecedented crisis from the rebels' agitation and reckless Business Renewal. What we need is talent."
"So promote capable Manager Jo to deputy—"
"Talent that can handle any crisis."
Alecto fell silent at Melinoë's words, then huffed.
"I see."
What? What did she see?
Executive talk flew way over my mortal head; hard to keep up. This was one of those times.
Pop. Melinoë glared at me.
"Manager Jo, don't get cocky. Whether you're deputy material will be decided soon enough!"
With that, she swept out.
The once-silent staff finally breathed.
"Whew, the Ghost Goddess in the flesh. Terrifying."
"Manager Jo didn't flinch surrounded by execs like that."
"If a guy like him can't make deputy, who can?"
Alecto poked my side. "Felt like old times, her bickering with Zagreus. Manager Jo, what happened with her? Why's she so prickly?"
Oh, plenty had happened. Too much, really.
# # #
Finishing backlog meant late night. But gazing at the starry sky? Romantic enough to melt away the fatigue.
Home at last. Melinoë waited at the door.
"Jo, why'd you lock it? I can't even phase through."
Even she, who could ghost through anything, couldn't beat Daedalus's custom locks and security.
Jackpot!
I glanced at her face, recalling her earlier visit to Audit.
"Melinoë, are you mad at me?"
"Jo, how could I be angry at my most devoted follower? Even if you made a beautiful, perfect goddess wait here for an hour. I'm not angry at all."
I checked her fingers. No twitching. Peeked at her feet—no fidgeting.
She's not mad at all.
Then what was that earlier? As I puzzled, she explained.
"But at work, I'll have to be extra strict with you. Our contract relationship must stay secret per my promise to Father."
"Gasp!"
My heart skipped. "Contract relationship" triggered PTSD flashbacks.
It wasn't a dream.
"Jo, at the office, we're just exec and peon. But your admiration for me is so obvious, I'm scared it'll tip others off. That's why I was harsh."
My first girlfriend being a goddess? Too surreal; her words barely registered.
Even if it's platonic—no touching.
What even was a girlfriend? A romance with no contact?
"I brought food. No time to cook."
Sharing dinner with my lover after work. Memo #12 fulfilled.
No! If I start thinking this hell's livable, I'm done for!
Not even top heroes escaped the underworld. To leave, I had to go all out.
"Sorry, but I'm good on dinner. Work overload's got me beat. Melinoë, mind heading back tonight?"
Polite refusal. Ignoring my guilty poke, I checked her face.
She was waving at thin air.
"What're you doing?"
"Air head-pat."
"...Air head-pat?"
"We can't even touch fingertips. Father could be watching with his invisible helmet anytime. Can't risk it."
"Right. Vigilance is key."
She kept "air head-patting" as she spoke. "Jo, I know you've tackled tough tasks for me, building up fatigue. So, for the upcoming deputy promotion, I'll slip you a little tip."
"No can do, Melinoë. I want to earn deputy on my own! Even if it means my exec ambitions fizzle forever!"
"I get you want my approval, Jo. But honestly, even with my help, this won't be easy. Know about the Welfare Department?"
Welfare handled employee perks, events, benefits. Overseen by Hypnos, god of sleep, right?
"Jo, thanks to the new inter-department talent exchange policy, you'll be heading to Welfare. To give deputy candidates broad experience—Zagreus's idea."
Temporary transfer to Welfare? Totally unrelated to my major or role.
"Unfamiliar turf. Mistakes pile up in such a different environment; you might hit your limit."
"Music to my ears!"
They say there's always a way out. Temporary to Welfare for promotion? Opportunity knocks!
Melinoë narrowed her eyes at my cheer, displeased.
"...Jo, even if it's a contract romance, don't forget you have a lover—me."
Sudden? I wanted to ask what she meant, but she vanished.
# # #
Hypnos, Welfare Department's overseer, sat alone in the empty office, reviewing the personnel file for Manager Jo—his temporary new team member starting tomorrow.
He tensed.
Zagreus sending Manager Jo to Welfare? Thought we'd finally got a star talent, and he's already sabotaging him?
Welfare Department. Even a capable guy like Manager Jo—no, especially a 'capable single male'—would face hell there.
It was called single men's purgatory.
The reason? A staggering 97:3 female-to-male ratio.
The most overwhelming female-dominated department in Soul Society HQ.
Hypnos recalled the fates of past single male employees and offered a silent prayer for Manager Jo.