Hoshizora Aiko steps out of the subway, an overnight bag under her arm. It is her first time in Shikatsu. She looks at the nearby bus stop nervously.

[i]Don't you dare.[/i]

Hoshizora Aiko decides to walk. Buses are dangerous things.

She walks twenty-eight blocks to Uchima, then one more after that. She unzips a pocket of her overnight bag. After some rustling around, she retrieves a small newspaper clipping, stored in a sandwich bag.

[indent][indent][b]LIVE-IN ASSISTANT[/b][/indent][/indent]
[indent][indent]Sasori and Co. Investigations is looking for a general assitant to act as a secretary and live-in maid. Experience not needed, but must be a good note-taker and possess ILR 1 proficiency in Meiji period Japanese dialects. 80,000 yen/month plus room and operating expenses. Call +81 52 261 2287.[/indent][/indent]

Hoshizora Aiko peers in through the glass-paneled door. She presses the buzzer sheepishly, half-hoping that the agency has forgotten her interview appointment. As she waits for someone to answer, Aiko examines the layout of the room through smeared, filthy glass. Files and photos and scraps of paper litter the desk and the floor. A huge, barely-functional coffee machine dominates the corner table- it must be at least twenty years old. Older than Aiko, at least. There's a small stairwell leading to the upper and lower floors that looks like it hasn't been vaccumed since the building was constructed. Unidenifiable dark stains litter the walls and floors, and the trashcan in the corner is overflowing with styrofoam cups and empty plastic trays.

Hoshizora Aiko is starting to understand why this detective needs a maid. She hopes there isn't a uniform. Still, she can't argue with a free room, especially under her current circumstances.

[@Crimmy]