Thus begins the emergency meeting, aka “Operation Rescue Zozo,” held in Miss Harris’s dorm room. Due to space limitations, there’s only ten people participating—pretty much all of them experts on love. Having worn a blush from the start of this whole commotion, Zozo has the haggard look of someone utterly spent in body and mind.
I’m quite out of place here; I’m no expert on love, but my senior colleagues told me to come watch, so I figured I’d stick around. Curious about Zozo as I am, I have to wonder whether there’s anything for me to learn by observing this meeting. Just kidding. I’m sure they have my relationship with him in mind. Why does that have to matter now, of all things?
“So why are you going to see some stranger for a marriage interview, again?”
“I just wanted to play along with my father for once and not think too much about it.”
For as much as the meeting’s about her, Zozo’s the least engaged person here. Watching ten people press her for answers like she’s being questioned by the authorities sure is something. It’s crazy how passionate they are about someone else’s love life.
“Your parents want you to marry, yes, but the most important thing for them is that you have a man of obvious quality in your life. I should know: I have a daughter of my own,” states one of the women.
“Exactly! Which is why you should just be more proactive with Alkes!” suggests another.
“How do you know about him, anyway?!” Zozo snaps back, getting beet red again.
“When did you fall in love with him?”
“A-Again, how do you...?”
“He’s quite a lot older than you, you know? You’re into old men?”
“Age doesn’t matter!”
“Was it his magical prowess that drew you to him? It sure feels like there’s nothing he can’t do.”
“He would be handsome even if he weren’t so good with magic!”
“Handsome now, is it? You’ve gotten honest, I see!”
Zozo’s senior colleagues bear down on her with smug looks on their faces. She blushes even more, likely regretting her slip of the tongue.
Considering how she was constantly by his side during our preliminary investigations, at the flower goddess’s festival, and when we fought demons, it would take someone with a really thick skull not to notice she likes him to some degree.
“Recently I’ve started to think Alkes might have a thing for the director, though,” utters Zozo.
Everyone freezes up at her words. Even Miss Harris, who was observing with a smile on her face, goes stiff, her smile still plastered on. Where did everyone’s talkativeness go all of a sudden?
“See?” adds Zozo as the mood in the room changes, looking downcast with her blush gone.
“I-It’s not like that! We just never thought of that, so we were surprised, that’s all,” says our coworker Cocone in panic, looking uneasy.
Alkes is into the director? I guess I see them together pretty often, but it didn’t look that way at all to me. I can’t help but feel it’s just Zozo getting the wrong idea. But I don’t get a say here, as the one with by far the least amount of life experience in this room.
“You’re the only one who thinks Alkes is into the director, Zozo,” says one of the women. “Don’t get so pessimistic just because you see them together too often.”
“Then why isn’t the director here?” asks Zozo.
Everyone freezes up again. The director was rather enthusiastic about joining the meeting, but got shot down by Miss Harris with a “you aren’t needed,” leaving her to stew in her office. I can see how she could have been part of this conversation, so the fact she wasn’t allowed in seems to indicate some bigger issue, now that I think about it.
Miss Harris presses her index finger between her eyebrows and grumbles, deep in thought.
“Those of us who haven’t been here long enough probably don’t know this, but the director has someone special to her...sort of like a boyfriend.”
“What?! Really?!”
What?! Really?! echoes inside my head in time with Zozo’s own reaction. I guess Miss Harris would probably know things like that: she started working here around the same time as Director Locktiss. “Sort of like a boyfriend,” huh... The knight commander? Or someone else?
“Are you talking about the knight commander?” asks Zozo, evidently still on the same wavelength as me.
Seeing her press Miss Harris for answers like that, she’s made a complete one-eighty. The moment the subject isn’t herself, her interest shoots up.
Oddly enough, no one else is very talkative. Miss Harris gazes outside the window.
“It’s not him, and Alkes knows who it is,” she begins. “He’s actually quite supportive. So rest assured, Alkes is not in love with the director. I guarantee it.”
I have to say though, it’s a complete surprise that the director had someone like that the whole time, especially since it’s not the knight commander. They’ve had this back-and-forth for a long time where he pokes fun at her, and she doesn’t seem to hate it despite saying otherwise.
“But don’t ask her about it.”
“Why not?” asks Zozo.
“She’ll really hate it, so don’t even think about it. If you do ask, expect to lose your job,” says Miss Harris, stressing the last part and shooting an intimidating glance at the whole room, not even skipping over me.
Okay, got it loud and clear. I definitely won’t ask.
Zozo makes the same oath.