The morning after Revy's return to Rhodes Island, he reported to the Human Resources Office, per Kal'tsit's arrangements.
As he gently pushed open the door, he noticed that someone was already there, quietly working at one of the desks.
It was a petite Caprinae girl, around sixteen or seventeen years old, with chestnut-brown hair and rare pink eyes. Her soft, puffy dress was partially covered by a loose white cardigan, making her look like an ordinary (and rather adorable) high school student.
The only odd thing was the respirator strapped around her neck—equipment typically used in high-dust environments. On a fragile-looking girl like her, it seemed strangely out of place.
The girl was so focused on her work that she didn't even notice the door opening. Revy didn't want to disturb her, so he silently circled around and took his own seat.
A thick stack of personnel files awaited him.
(Kal'tsit really doesn't hold back…)
Revy gave a wry smile and picked up the first folder. He'd handled HR work before, but this workload was clearly "curated" by a certain Feline woman.
The two worked in silence—one unaware of the other's presence, and the other focused solely on the task at hand.
"Mmm—!"
Time passed. The girl let out a gentle sigh and stretched, making a soft, sleepy sound.
Then her eyes drifted across the office—
And she suddenly noticed the man sitting quietly at the other desk.
(Eek?! Since when—)
Startled, she let out a tiny yelp, hurriedly clapping her hands over her mouth. But the sound had already echoed through the room.
Revy finally looked up from his files and gave the flustered girl a calm smile.
"Sorry about that—I saw you were busy and didn't want to disturb you."
He stood and extended a hand, hoping to come across as friendly.
For a moment, the girl simply stared at him in confusion. Then, seeing his outstretched hand, she blinked in realization and quickly shook it.
"M-my codename is Eyjafjalla. Before I joined Rhodes Island, I was researching volcano geology…"
"Because of my Oripathy, my hearing's not too good, so… I might need you to speak up a little. I'm sorry…"
Her voice was light and delicate, much like her fragile appearance—like a breeze could knock her over. She was both endearing and sympathetic.
And Revy instantly understood why her reaction had been so slow.
"Got it—how about this volume? Can you hear me clearly now?"
He doubled his usual volume, and Eyjafjalla nodded, signaling that it was perfect.
"I'm Regulus Harvey—codename Edge. You can call me Revy.""I'll be helping out here in the HR office for now, so I guess we're coworkers. Looking forward to working with you~"
Coworkers?
The thought of someone to share her workload clearly made Eyjafjalla happy.
But…
(Why does that name sound so familiar…?)
"Revy… Revy… Regulus Harvey… Regulus…"
Suddenly, her voice jumped to nearly double volume again.
"EHHHH?!"
Her startled cry snapped Revy's attention back to her.
"Something wrong?"
"R-Regulus… Mr. Regulus—were you once a Catastrophe Messenger?!"
"Sure was. Did that for four years before coming here."
(It's him… it's really him! The real Regulus Harvey! I can't believe I'm actually meeting him!!)
Eyjafjalla was screaming on the inside, but on the outside, she was completely speechless, her face turning bright red.
"Uh… are you okay?"
Revy leaned closer, dropping his files to check on her.
"Your face is all red—are you feeling sick?"
"N-no no! Mr. Revy—I mean, Revy-senpai—I mean… aah!"
She frantically waved her hands, trying to signal that she was fine—but in her panic, she bit her tongue.
"Mmph…!"
She let out a muffled grunt. Her floppy sheep ears drooped with embarrassment.
"Whoa, whoa—it's okay! Slow down, take your time."
Revy tried to reassure her, smiling gently. He wasn't annoyed at all—in fact, he thought she was kind of adorable.
"I-I'm so sorry! I was so rude—I should have realized it was you! I-I'm Eyjafjalla! I didn't know—"
"Hold on, pause—time-out!"
Though her flustered, stammering voice was incredibly cute, Revy was honestly more worried she'd hurt herself again.
"Look, Eyjafjalla, I already know your name.""And while I guess I am technically more senior… there's no need to call me 'senpai.'"
"But—but that's not right! You're an expert in Catastrophe research! Protocol says I have to address you respectfully!"
Surprisingly, she said that without stammering.
"Okay, okay. Calm down, Eyjafjalla—I get it.""Call me whatever you like."
Finally reassured, Eyjafjalla let out a long breath of relief.
She even felt a little… lucky.
(I got to meet my idol… and now I'm working with him… Rhodes Island really was the right choice.)