Morning came as Marcus carried me into the A.E.G.I.S. building where Team F-5’s office was located.
"Condolences, Marcus."
The security guard at the front entrance greeted him as he checked Marcus’ ID, along with the document identifying me as Team F-5’s supernatural companion.
"The identification card for your supernatural companion should arrive later today. Also, your request to have him remain collarless has been approved. I’ll bring the documents and his ID to your office once my shift is over."
"Thank you. I appreciate you taking care of that."
After passing through security, Marcus made his way toward the office. Upon entering, he was greeted by Elias and Clara, who were already inside.
However, there was a third person as well?
A woman?
Huh... she looks familiar...
Clara was sitting quietly in her chair, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. She didn’t appear to have much to say, while Elias stood nearby.
The unfamiliar woman turned around and gave a somewhat nervous bow. It was only then that I finally recognized her.
"Ah, good morning! I-I’m the new recruit for Team F-5! I hope we can get along well!"
It was Nica...
One of the main characters in [As Above, So Below].
Hold on, was she not supposed to be in King Zhang’s Response Unit team?
Ah, wait. Now that I recall, King Zhang’s Response Unit team wouldn’t be formed until at least two more weeks...
In the book [As Above, So Below], Nica was gravely injured when she escaped that convenience store Supernatural Space, thus she most likely had to recuperate first.
And just when she recovered, she would be placed in the newly formed Response Unit of King Zhang.
However, due to the fact that I had helped her escape with barely any injuries aside from small wounds and scrapes, she did not need that much time to recover.
And since there was an opening in this team after losing Jonathan, she was now assigned here...
Sigh. I can only hope things will become more hopeful... being around main characters is always troubling...
Looking at her ID, Marcus raised an eyebrow before speaking.
"Not even a day has passed since Jonathan’s death, and the company is already sending us a replacement? I know they’re not exactly known for their compassion, but this is rather heartless..."
"Marcus, don’t be rude."
Elias said, giving him a brief, disapproving look.
"She’s only here because she was assigned to our team. There’s no need to make her feel unwelcome."
Hearing this, Nica could not help but look embarrassed.
She seemed unsure of how to respond, but after a brief moment, she straightened herself and extended her hand toward Marcus.
"I-I understand how this must look... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take anyone’s place. I was simply assigned here, and I hope I can be of some help to the team."
Marcus paused for a moment before looking at her outstretched hand. His expression softened slightly as he accepted the handshake.
"Apologies for my words. You haven’t done anything wrong, Nica. Let’s work well together."
"Likewise, uhm... Senior Marcus."
"Just Marcus is fine. We don’t look like we have that much of an age gap, do we?"
The two shared pleasantries for awhile despite the initial tension.
After lightening the mood, Nica finally noticed the doll in Marcus’ hand.
"T-that’s...!"
It seemed she was rather familiar with the way I looked.
The moment her eyes landed on me, she could not help but react.
"Have you gone through the briefing?"
Marcus asked, noticing her reaction.
"This is our supernatural companion. Every response unit has one."
"If you’ve read the submitted reports, you’ll know that this doll has qualities similar to the entity called Moon, the one you encountered in that convenience store. The researchers believe it might be a miniature doll version of that entity, created by another entity."
He paused for a moment, making sure Nica was following.
"There are other entities like this, too. Take F-32, the [Painting of the Drowning Rose], for example. It’s based off of the entity known as [Drowning Rose]. They aren’t the same entity, but since the painting was based on an existing one, they possess certain similar qualities."
"So, don’t be too alarmed."
Marcus gave her a reassuring look.
"I... sorry!"
Nica hurriedly shook her head.
"And I’m not alarmed. I was just shocked that he looked so similar to that person... or, well, entity. I never got to thank them for saving me..."
She mumbled the last part, her gaze lingering on me with interest.
"Right! I’ll go through the documents now!"
As though she had suddenly remembered her responsibilities, Nica quickly made her way toward one of the empty office desks and began reading through the files.
Her initial nervousness seemed to fade as she immersed herself in the documents, replaced by a barely concealed excitement.
Well, that wasn’t all that surprising.
I knew her character revolved around being a knowledge-thirsty freak, after all...
The office gradually settled into a quieter atmosphere.
While Nica busied herself with the reports, Marcus turned his attention toward Clara, who had remained seated in her chair without saying much.
She seemed to have a lot on her mind.
Marcus considered offering her some words of comfort, but eventually let the thought go.
What could he possibly say that would ease her burden? He knew better than anyone that there wasn’t much solace he could offer...
Unlike him, Clara and Jonathan had shared a rather ambiguous relationship, after all.
Time passed as everyone went about their respective tasks. Nica continued reading, Clara remained quiet, and Marcus seemed to have fallen into his own thoughts.
A few hours later, Elias, who had previously gone upstairs after being called, finally returned.
The moment he entered the office, the quietness of the room disappeared as the team turned their attention toward him.
"An assignment has been given to us."
Elias announced. His expression remained composed, though there was a slight pause before he continued.
"It’s a rather difficult one, however. I’d prefer that we discuss it and reach a decision as a team."
Gathering closer, everyone listened as Elias laid out the details.
"Due to our previous performance in the Hotel Supernatural Space, management has given us the opportunity to join Response Unit D-3 in clearing and exploring a D-ranked supernatural space."
"That said, accepting the assignment is entirely our decision. If we succeed, our team will be promoted to E-rank. If we decline, there will be no penalty, but we’ll remain at our current rank and be assigned maintenance tasks instead."
Hearing this, the answer was already obvious.
Everyone, including Nica, wanted to accept.