"My dear junior, you're aware of the Department of Policies' Execution Division, aren't you?"
"I am."
"Setting aside the external staff, the Execution Division is split into twelve separate teams, each with twelve members. And since you just passed your assessment, you're now an official member."
"Assessment?" Wayland scratched his head, completely bewildered. He hadn't even realized he was being tested.
"The assessment began the moment we three formed our search party and ended just now. Your performance was practically flawless. I'm quite satisfied, which means from here on out, you're my subordinate."
"Wait, what?" Wayland hadn't seen that coming.
"What? You're not interested?" Elena's expression took on a dangerous edge.
"No, no! I'm in! I'm absolutely in!"
'Why does that sound so wrong?'
Wayland cleared his throat. "So, now that I'm official... does that come with a pay raise?"
Elena crossed her arms over her chest and let out a scoff. "Have some ambition, will you? Can't you have a dream? Like, I don't know... maintaining world peace?"
"...No, thank you."
Looking at Elena, whose "chuunibyou" energy was currently reaching critical levels, Wayland half-expected her to reveal some kind of "Wicked Eye." He quickly changed the subject. "Which of the twelve teams are we?"
"The twelve teams are named after the twelve signs of the Babylonian Zodiac. We are the First House."
"..."
Wayland's mind was flooded with question marks.
'So, we're essentially the Twelve Gold Saints?'
"What's with that look on your face?"
"Nothing... so, are we Aries?"
"The constellations are just modern labels. We call ourselves the Meikyuu, and I am the Mistress of the First House--your Captain."
'Mistress of the First House? Could you be any more dramatic?'
Wayland resisted the urge to roll his eyes and let out a tired sigh. Dealing with Elena was an exhausting ordeal.
"Each team has twelve members, each with their own designation based on the Houses. Of course, you can just call me Captain. As for you, you're number twelve. Your code name is Genmi--The Mysterious."
"Genmi... that actually sounds okay." Wayland felt a sense of relief.
"Naturally, we just use or normal names when we're off-duty."
'So even YOU know those names aren't normal?'
Wayland's urge to retort was at an all-time high. He desperately tried to steer the conversation back to something practical. "Are there any other formalities to becoming an official member?"
"It's similar to the external staff process. Come on, follow me to the Department of Policies building. Each of the twelve teams has their own dedicated office."
Wayland followed Elena to the massive Department of Policies skyscraper. They took the elevator to the twelfth floor and entered an office marked with a plaque that read 'Meikyuu'.
The space was surprisingly spacious.
The layout was strikingly modern, with four personal desks clustered together and separated by mesh screens. There were even computers on each desk.
"That's a PowerBook G4. Apple. It's currently the most powerful thin-and-light widescreen notebook on the market."
Seeing Wayland staring at the computer, Elena offered a casual introduction. "The others shouldn't be back yet. You can meet them another day."
She walked to her own desk--the one tucked into the far-right corner--and pulled a white ID badge from her drawer. Using a fountain pen, she carefully inscribed Wayland's name on it.
Wayland caught the white-cased ID she tossed his way.
On the front was a distinctive mark: a pair of ram horns that seemed to glow with a faint blue light in the void.
"Congratulations," Elena said, her voice uncharacteristically soft. "You've officially become the first Frame-rank official member of the Department of Policies in over two thousand years."
"So... am I supposed to be proud of that?"
Wayland didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]