Hearing the response from behind the door, Klein steadied himself, grasped the handle, and pushed open the rather heavy black wooden door.
The first thing he saw was a reception room facing the street. Two bay windows along one side admitted sunlight, which, together with the oil lamps on the walls, illuminated the sofas and coffee table used to receive visitors. Directly opposite the entrance stood a long, partially enclosed desk against the wall, with a young black-haired woman seated behind it.
Her face looked about twenty, but her figure was more that of a teenage girl. She wore a plain pale-yellow dress, and an open book lay before her. At that moment, she was looking at Klein with undisguised puzzlement.
"May I ask what you need?"
The black-haired girl took the initiative to ask. There was no pleasure at receiving a visitor in her tone; instead, she seemed to find it strange that anyone would come here.
I know this mercenary squad's sign is just a cover, but are you not even going to bother pretending...? Her unusual reaction only strengthened Klein's suspicions. Relaxing a little, he pointed back toward the sign outside the door and asked:
"Is this the Black Rose Financial Security Office? I'd like your help finding someone."
"Finding someone?" the girl repeated quietly. Her gaze lingered on Klein's face for a moment before she nodded hesitantly. "We can certainly do that, but the captain is handling something else right now. I'm afraid he won't be able to help you anytime soon. Could you come back another time, perhaps tomorrow?"
Busy dealing with Mr. Theodore? It looks like I'm not too late... Klein's heart tightened, but his expression changed only slightly, making him look just like an ordinary client anxious because an urgent matter could not