When “Meadow” Sara became a spy, it was because one thing simply led to another.
One day, a gunfight broke out at her family’s restaurant between the Military Intelligence Department and a Galgad spy. The Military Intelligence Department had done a sloppy job restraining the spy, who escaped from their hiding spot and fled to the restaurant that Sara’s parent’s ran, barricading themselves in and taking the customers hostage.
Sara was twelve, so fortunately she’d been at school at the time.
The first thing she saw of the incident was the aftermath, with the restaurant half-razed by explosives.
She’d always sort of assumed that she would inherit it someday, yet there it was, reduced to rubble. The government never told them what had really happened during the shootout, and the compensation it paid them was a paltry pittance. The locals loved the restaurant, but the village’s population was declining, and its earnings had started to slip even before the incident. The money to rebuild it simply wasn’t there.
Just like that, the family business was gone, and they had no way to support themselves.
Her parents would have no choice but to move the whole family to the city in search of work. Given the times they were in, though, there was no guarantee there would actually be jobs for them there. What’s more, they had a growing daughter to look after.
Every night, Sara watched in secret as her parents agonized over their bankbook.
“Damn, those bastards in Military Intelligence really shat the bed here. This is just embarrassing.”
It was at that time when a peculiar man arrived.
His swaying blond hair was parted down the middle, as was in vogue, and he had a boyishly friendly smile. He looked around the destroyed restaurant with an inquisitive sparkle in his eye.
“I’m sorry, can I help you? I’m afraid we’re closed…,” said Sara, who’d been sweeping up at the time.
“Don’t mind me, just looking around,” the man replied with a cordial laugh. Then he slowly looked Sara over from head to toe. There was something unsettling about his gaze, like he could see right through her.
“Wh-who are you?”
Sara tensed, and the man let out another laugh. “Hey, kid, did you know this restaurant has a guardian angel?”
“A what?”
“It’s true. You know how Military Intelligence was blasting this place full of bombs and bullets like a bunch of morons? Well, the person who ended up getting the drop on the dumbass spy barricading themselves in here—”
He paused for dramatic effect.
“—was actually a particularly valorous hawk.”
“Yeah, so I hear.”
Despite herself, Sara couldn’t help but chuckle.
She’d recently taken in a hawk she found by the side of the road that had been injured by some sort of wild animal. The hawk had taken a liking to her, and it could often be seen flying near the restaurant. Unbeknownst to Sara, that hawk had put on quite an impressive display.
“I heard the story when I was cleaning up the Military Intelligence Department’s mess, and I thought it was just great. If I found a hawk that brave, I’d offer him a spot on Inferno with the rest of—”
“This is the little guy you’re talking about, right?”
Sara whistled, and the hawk immediately came swooping down. After nimbly flying through one of the restaurant’s shattered windows, he alighted right next to Sara.
That kind of thing always came naturally to her.
The blond man’s eyes gleamed as he let out an impressed hum. “Damn, you’ve tamed him good. That must’ve taken some mad skills.”
“Oh, I don’t know about skills. I think he just likes me.”
“Well, ain’t that something.”
“It’s always been like this for me. Animals just have a way of helping me out.”
Hearing people compliment her pets always ended up loosening Sara’s tongue.
Once she was done telling him everything, the man smirked. “You might just be a diamond in the rough.”
“Huh?”
“Truth is, I’m a scout.”
“A scout?”
“That’s right. When I find talented personnel, I’ve got the right to give them referrals—to become spies.”
Sara blinked when the topic of spies came up.
The immediate image that sprang to mind was the demolished restaurant. The government had never properly explained what happened, but she knew that people were saying that spies had been involved. It all sounded rather violent.
The self-proclaimed scout went on. “If you’re hard up for cash…why not join an academy?”
Huh? she thought. At no point had she ever mentioned her family’s financial situation to him.
She stared at him in confusion, and he continued. “It’s not a bad deal. The government will take care of your living expenses, and if you want me to pay your parents a scouting fee, I can make that happen, too. I can just borrow some money from my boss.”
“N-no, wait, hold on! I could never—!”
“You could, though.”
Sara frantically tried to deny it, but the man was having none of that.
His voice rang firm with conviction.
“If there’s one thing I’m confident in, it’s my judgment. I’ve never lost a bet, and I’m not about to start now.”
There was an intensity about him that left zero room for debate.
As Sara found herself stunned into silence, the man went back to his friendly smile from before.
“Besides, what’s the harm in giving it a try? If it doesn’t work out, you can just put in your two or three years and quit.”
“Is it really all right to be so cavalier about it?”
“Just think of it as an all-expenses-paid trade school. They’ll teach you all sorts of handy skills there.”
“Oh, wow… Gosh…”
Sara found herself being swayed by the man’s targeted arguments.
If all she was doing was going to an academy, then she wouldn’t have to get involved with anything life-threatening. Plus, having her living expenses taken care of would stop her from being a burden on her parents. If the man paid them a scouting fee like he said he would, then it would make their lives easier, too. And the man himself would be getting what he wanted.
Things had been perfectly arranged for everyone to come out ahead.
It was all so convenient, she couldn’t bring herself to say no.
“If you do end up coming, I’ll pick out your code name myself.”
His voice rang with such confidence, she could feel her heart waver.
When “Meadow” Sara became a spy, it was because one thing simply led to another.
Or rather, to be more precise—it was because someone engineered things to lead to each other.