Dignity and boundaries are necessities for wage workers, like air and water.
If they lose these, wage workers will slowly turn into dehydrated sponges.
The gaps in their perception of their own positions, which were once blocked by dignity and boundaries, will gradually open.
Then, their self-awareness, personal dignity, and ability to think on the job will all leak out through those holes, drop by drop, until they become creatures without dignity or boundaries, who will do anything to earn a salary or reward.
In short, corporate slaves.
A corporate slave’s work efficiency might be high or low, but they will never feel a shred of identity or sense of mission toward their boss or position.
Only pure desires for wages, slacking off, and rest remain.
Hua Ye didn’t want the person who showed that smile to those children to turn into what she had become.
At the very least, not because of her.
If she were to resign in the future and hand over power to the Advisor, she hoped the person sitting in her position would be someone who loved the children and was willing to take on the adult’s duty of protection and mission for their sake.
’—This is the future I can see. If I don’t want to end up in a long, painful power struggle with the Advisor under the President’s control, ultimately ruining the peaceful, stable second-rate life I seek…’
Slap slap slap!
She slapped her face hard, forcibly pulling her thoughts back to reality.
’What am I thinking? It’s only my first day as the Defense Office Director, and I’m already thinking about quitting. Is this the consequence of my past life’s overly strong corporate slave mentality? Not even begun working, and I’m already planning how to rest…’
Her sparkling golden halo trembled faintly, as if ambiguous.
Sensei didn’t miss the detail, but he didn’t ask.
He simply watched silently as Hua Ye slapped her own face with a slightly irritated expression.
’Why am I thinking so much? It’s not like I’m handing over a dying wish. Why talk about mission and responsibility? Didn’t I already see those children as child soldiers because of my own stereotypes? They seem to be able to take care of themselves. Stop worrying like a nagging old man…’
She took a deep breath, then looked at the Sensei in front of her, who had rejected her proposal.
His face still wore an expression of calm indifference, as though even without protection, he was determined to fulfill his duty.
’Both of us were astonished when we saw the white tablet placed on the table in the basement by the President, called the “Shittim Chest.” Both of us found it hard to believe when we read the President’s note and learned that it was just a small tool that could be charged, activated three times a day to generate a special energy barrier that could block bullets and such… But why can this guy accept it so complacently?’
’Something that can only be activated three times a day, and even needs to be taken out and manually activated, is at best a special kind of bulletproof vest. No, it’s worse than some bulletproof vests that can protect the body at all times…’
Hua Ye accidentally murmured her inner thoughts aloud.
“Honestly, I don’t know why you’re so overconfident.”
’As if you absolutely believe those children with guns will never shoot at you… How naive…’
Sensei pretended not to hear.
He just stood there, maintaining that respectful posture that made Hua Ye uncomfortable—
Like he was reporting.
’We’re at the same level, or only slightly lower, so why be so humble?’
As a former corporate slave and current Defense Office Director, Hua Ye understood better than any student in this city what wage workers needed—
A little respect and trust from their boss, along with appropriate tasks and rewards.
Simple, but not easy to achieve.
She casually pointed to a rolling armchair in the corner of the office and gestured for Sensei to move it over and sit in front of her desk to talk slowly.
After he sat down, Hua Ye began speaking in as steady and normal a tone as possible.
“Advisor, report to me on your recent communication results and future plans.”
Sensei quietly glanced at Hua Ye’s still-slightly-trembling halo, then nodded and replied in a steady, calm voice.
“Alright, Hua Ye.”
“Kivotos Federal Student Council Defense Office…”
…
Kivotos Federal Student Council Defense Office—the place where she would work from now on.
Although she had expected it before, the room’s general sloppiness from the Director down to the children, and the Director’s lone, absurd authority, still startled her.
“The Defense Office… Sensei, what do you want to ask? What exactly do we do?”
The child who claimed to be one of Director Hua Ye’s direct subordinates, responsible for writing financial reports and the like, pretended to be nonchalant while sneaking glances at his head.
Of course, there was no halo like theirs there.
This reaction wasn’t surprising.
Previously, when he had talked with the Helmet Gang girls, convincing them not to do things they didn’t like, they had also threatened him with this.
They said that if he kept nagging, they would crush his wrist with their bare hands or shoot him.
Those children knew how terrifying the protection of a halo was—
Not only did it give them far greater resistance to damage than outsiders, but it also granted them superhuman endurance, stamina, and strength.
So in this child’s eyes, someone without a halo joining the Defense Office, which was almost always associated with riots, gunfights, and suppression, was probably a very strange and unwise move.
I took out the “Shittim Chest” from my chest.
The President had prepared it for me upon my request before I started the job—
A white tablet with the Federal Student Council emblem on the back.
I roughly explained to the child that using this tablet left by the President, I could temporarily gain some defensive capabilities.
As soon as she heard it was something left by the President, the child’s expression lit up with sudden understanding.
Then she grinned, reached out her hand as if to encourage me by patting my shoulder, but realized she couldn’t reach, so she switched to patting my waist.
Then she cheerfully said,
“Then can I call you Advisor?”
I endured the pain in my waist, smiled, and nodded.
’…Next time, I’d better wear a bulletproof vest or something. These kids really have a lot of strength. If this keeps happening—wanting to pat my shoulder but only reaching my waist and patting it hard—I might end up hospitalized with a herniated disc in a few days.’
’Or next time, before they pat me, I could tell them to go easy, or just bend down so they can pat my shoulder.’
Her eyes lit up, and she showed her teeth in a silly smile.
With a naive, earnest expression and tone, she began explaining the Defense Office’s duties.
“Well, Advisor sir, let me explain! The Defense Office’s duties… mainly are daily patrols in the D.U. District, monthly school inspections, quarterly security assessments, and annual document sorting.”
“Among these, daily patrols are mostly handled by our subordinate department—the ‘Valkyrie Police Department.’ We’re mainly responsible for dispatching, coordinating, and reviewing the reports from the ‘Valkyrie Police Department.’”
“Security assessments and document sorting… hmm… they haven’t come up yet. Those two things are a bit complicated. When the time comes, Advisor will participate and understand how they work!”
“So the most important duty of the Defense Office is the monthly ‘school inspection’—visiting each school to check the exercise of their autonomy, making sure they aren’t violating any Federal Student Council rules.”
I kept my eyes on her, listening attentively to her explanation.
Then I raised a question of my own.
“What happens if a school violates the rules?”
She paused for a moment, then casually continued.
“If there is a violation, we warn them, report to the Student Council and the Director. The President and Director will communicate with the school, and everything will be resolved!”
’Just that simple? Are conflicts between schools and the Federation resolved by the Federal Student Council President and Director Hua Ye? What about the other Student Council executives? For example, Yangui Bumeng, whom the President introduced to me before I started—I recall she’s the Mediation Office Director, specifically handling mediation between schools and between Directors. And Qishen Lin, as the Chief Administrative Officer, her duties should cover this area…’
When the child heard this question, she looked puzzled at first, then nodded with sudden realization.
She glanced at my head, a visible marker of my outsider status, and explained.
“The other Student Council executives have their own things to do. Although Yangui-senpai is a Director, she just became one not long ago. It’s normal that she isn’t as experienced as Director Buzhihuo Huaye. As for the President, Yangui-san respects her. And as for Lin-senpai… well, her personality is a bit too soft. Not suitable, not suitable… So it’s fine. Everyone admires the President, which is why they joined the Federal Student Council through the academy elections.”
’The entire city’s administration is supported by individual ability and charisma… Kivotos is truly amazing… Is the President’s superhuman talent reflected in these areas?…’
“So, Advisor, what are your plans?”
I had wanted to think more deeply and set short-term goals and a final objective for my arrival here, but the girl in front of me, shaking her arm vigorously, was impossible to ignore.
Bearing the child’s unconscious strength, I winced, thinking ’I’ll probably have bruises on my arm.’
But it was fine—
She was just trying to get my attention, not because she was afraid of me.
I forced a smile and gently tugged at the hem of her clothes to signal I was still listening.
“As for me, I plan to start with school inspections… Only by understanding the specific situation in Kivotos can I make decisions more suitable for the students.”
The girl nodded in agreement.
After that, we chatted a bit about herself.
I quickly learned a lot about her:
Her name was “ ”, she was from Valkyrie Academy, directly selected by Director Hua Ye from the police station.
She was responsible for writing and organizing most documents.
Her favorite food was raisin cake, her favorite thing was leisurely drinking coffee and working with everyone in the Defense Office, and her least favorite thing was Director Hua Ye’s occasional late-night overtime sessions.
Currently, she was saving up to buy a high-end coffee machine for the Defense Office…
’Wait, what was her name? “ ”? Why can’t I remember it?’
Not only that, but I also couldn’t make out the shape of her halo.
I could only vaguely sense its existence, barely making out an outline—
An orange-yellow outer ring and a complex but simple caduceus symbol inside.
Then… it seemed… I couldn’t see clearly?
’…I don’t know why, but it must be the halo’s effect? Is it because I can’t see her halo clearly that I can’t remember her name? Or is it because I can’t remember her name that I can’t see her halo clearly? After all, this is the biggest difference between these children and me. Halos are truly amazing. But what about the previous children?’
’…Recalling the other children I’ve met, I realized with chagrin that I hadn’t remembered the names or halo shapes of those Helmet Gang girls I had talked to, or the police officer children I had spoken with. Was it because I was too focused on their situations and the state of Kivotos at the time?’
’What a failure. How can I call myself a proper teacher if I don’t even know the students’ names… Next time, I should try harder to understand the children’s names and halos…’
Bringing my mind back to the present, I looked at the cheerful, delighted child in front of me.
I really didn’t know what I had done to please her—
I had just chatted with her about her life and hobbies and offered a few suggestions based on my past experiences in the outside world.
’Isn’t this child too careless?’
Watching the girl inexplicably start pestering me for my Momotalk account, I helplessly repeated my principle—
Focus on work during work hours.
But she stubbornly insisted on getting my Momotalk account.
In the end, I gave in.
’At least I registered an account on the train beforehand, as the induction reminder told me to.’
’Sigh… Am I too lenient with children? Well, it’s just a social media account. It shouldn’t be a big deal, right?’
The conversation eventually ended.
The girl waved happily, mouthing silently,
“Goodbye, Sensei! Remember—I’m from Valkyrie Academy…”
Ersi Hemo.
That name suddenly became audible.
Her halo suddenly became clear—
Triple golden rings nested layer by layer around a central upright caduceus symbol.
’—Is it because I established a connection with her that I can see her halo and hear her name clearly?’
I didn’t dwell on it.
I just smiled and waved goodbye to the child—because it’s rude to think when you’re parting with someone.
So until I walked into the room and began reporting to Director Hua Ye, who had suddenly insisted I call her “Hua Ye,” I hadn’t thought about it—
Until I noticed the clearly defined, trembling halo of Hua Ye-san.
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