Staring through the window, Zach felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him.
It had been a thousand years since he last saw the vast green fields filled with children running around. It almost resembled the field he used to play in, with one key difference—there were no boys, only girls.
Across from him sat a young woman with blonde hair and emerald-green eyes.
Averting his gaze from the window, Zach turned to face the young woman sitting across from him.
Holding a stack of papers, she said, "Let's get started. Your name is Anna Galior, right?"
Her British accent reminded Zach of TommyInnit from his younger days.
Seeing Zach nod, the woman took another stack of papers from her bag and handed them to the woman sitting across from her.
She had jet-black hair and bright blue eyes, just like the young lady.
This woman was Zach, who had assumed the false identity of Anna.
Facing the stack of papers, Zach felt his anxiety about paperwork surface but managed to suppress it.
Flipping through the pages, he saw numerous tasks that needed to be completed—not by him, but by the woman he was assigned to take care of.
As Zach flipped through the papers, the sound of a chair moving reached his ears.
Lifting his head, he saw a new woman joining the table.
"Hi, you must be Anna! It's so nice to meet you." She extended her hand for a handshake, which Zach returned respectfully.
After greeting him, she greeted the young woman across from him, calling her Elanor.
Watching them, Zach recalled a manhwa he had once read called What Does the Fox Say? —the two women reminded him of Sungji and Sumin.
After the initial introductions, they discussed Anna's job and role in upcoming events.
Throughout the conversation, Zach grew even more certain that the two women in front of him were more than just friends. While it wasn't unusual for women to love each other, it was entirely normal—Zach still found it strange. After all, he had lived in an era where men still existed. Watching them flirt so openly in a café felt surreal.
"Well, I think we managed to cover everything," Elanor said, standing up while holding hands with the young woman, Custodia, who also stood.
"Thank you very much. If you hadn't asked me all those questions, I might've humiliated myself at those events you mentioned," Zach said as he stood.
They bid each other farewell and went their separate ways.
***
"Hmm, is that so? Then we must be careful around her," a woman with flowing white hair said.
"I agree. If we reveal too much, our plans to defeat the Stravos family will be all for naught," replied a woman with sky-blue hair.
"Thank you for the information, Elanor. You are dismissed." They spoke in unison, ending the call.
Rising from her desk, Elanor strode toward the couch, where a woman with black hair was waiting.
"So, what did they say?" Custodia asked, tilting her head.
"They said we must be careful around her and ensure the young lady remains unaware of this—she's too young," Elanor replied, slumping onto the couch.
"You know, it's been quite a while since we last did this." Custodia climbed onto Elanor, who looked at her in surprise.
Seeing her like this, Elanor felt her heart thump louder than usual.
"Maybe," she murmured before kissing Custodia, the moment quickly deepening into passion.
***
After ensuring the two women were gone, Zach slipped into a dark alley behind an apartment.
He pulled out a glove inlaid with silver lines running from the fingers to the wrist.
As he put it on, the glove vibrated, prompting Zach to press his index finger.
"How was the interview?" A man in a dark suit appeared.
"Well, I wouldn't call it an interview—it felt more like a casual conversation between colleagues," Zach replied with a chuckle, recalling their exchange.
"Oh? You didn't accidentally let slip anything with a double meaning, did you?" the man questioned, a grin forming on his face.
"No, of course not. Why would you think that?"
"Well, maybe you got a little distracted. I mean, you were talking to two beautiful women."
The grin on his face widened.
"Oh, come on, Oliver. You know I wouldn't do something like that."
"Yeah, yeah," Oliver said, rolling his eyes.
"Anyways, why did you call me?" Oliver asked, his expression turning serious. During missions, you were not permitted to contact anyone from the Ola Corp except via messaging, unless there was an urgent matter to discuss. Even so, you only had one minute to speak before the connection was cut off.
"I think the two women I spoke with are highly capable people. And in this era, capable people don't go unnoticed by high-ranking families," he replied, matching Oliver's serious tone.
Oliver stroked his chin, pondering. Then, in a soft, low voice, almost a whisper, he said,
"Then you must stay vigilant around them. Pay close attention to how they speak. Choose your words carefully—but not too carefully, or you'll risk raising suspicion and making this mission even harder than it already is."
Zach nodded in agreement as the call ended. Even though the call was only one minute long, they were able to exchange a complete report in a few words.
He stepped out of the dark alley and seamlessly blended into the crowd.