Ms. Jennifer speaks truths.

It was the same intuitive feeling I got when talking to the girls. Unwavering confidence that they meant exactly what they said. If Ms. Jennifer was lying, I’d be able to tell, too. Yet she was choosing to be honest, even believing I wouldn’t be able to read her mind.

There was a small problem with this, and Frey had warned me about it. I was starting to feel a light headache. After all, I had no mental connection to Ms. Jennifer. Frey was brute-forcing it using the energy we’d gathered over time. Withstanding the pain was my part to play here.

“Of course, I’d like to work with Mr. Allen, too,” I told her, smiling sheepishly. “There’s no way I can just ignore an offer like his. But… I just need to be sure of a few things, first.”

“Luke tells us everything,” Ms. Jennifer said. “You can ask me anything and I’ll answer as best I can. I’m just not the most versed in business, so I don’t think I’ll be able to give you detailed data on anything.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I wouldn’t want you to. I don’t mean to poke my nose too far into other people’s business. I do want to know, though…” Okay. Here goes. Time to ask my questions. “This might seem unrelated, but does Mr. Allen have any ties to a company called AniLove?”

Ms. Jennifer tilted her head. “Hm? I don’t think so. Hmm. No, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t. What is that?”

She was telling the truth. “Just a talent agency. If he doesn’t have anything to do with it, then that’s fine. Let’s leave it at that.”

Ms. Jennifer nodded. “What else do you want to know?”

“You’re clearly aware of all the… supernatural stuff around Mr. Allen and me. Does he really tell you everything?”

“Most of it, at least. Usually after he’s confirmed the facts. We’ve known each other for over 10 years. Actually, more like 15. He trusts us and we trust him.”

“Even though he’s possessed by a Spirit of Greed?”

Ms. Jennifer chuckled. “He was always greedy, even before that happened. But who says greed is bad? The bible? Should we chastise lust, too, then?” It wasn’t a jab at me. It was nothing more than a proclamation of her beliefs. “Pride, gluttony, sloth, envy, wrath, greed, lust… We are told those are sins that we must avoid, but they’re also something deeply tied to us as humans, are they not? Can anyone really ask us not to feel anger? To not wish we had things others do? To not enjoy eating good food? To not enjoy sex when most living things are hardwired to feel pleasure from the act? Personally, I believe these are things to be embraced while also fighting the urge to overindulge and hurt others in the process. Luke is unimaginably greedy, and yet his greed has helped countless people. His greed extends to the people around him. Just like he wants to live his best life, he wants the same for everyone else.”

“...” I swallowed. “I heard a story about Mr. Allen. They say he helped a worker whose grandmother had been scammed out of all her savings. Is that true?”

Ms. Jennifer smiled wryly. “I wonder which case you’re referring to.”

“Huh?”

“He’s done things like that many times before. Luke… He loathes scammers with a passion. He’s a businessman, and a shrewd one at that. But he keeps the scheming between equals, people in his same line of work. He hates people who take advantage of others. That’s because…” Ms. Jennifer sighed heavily. “Long ago, Luke started a tailoring business. Natalie, Cecilia and I were a part of it. Over time, the business grew. We hired more people, moved to a bigger office, took on more commissions… It was going well. Then Luke received an offer. To become a partner big clothing manufacturer. He didn’t know much about business at the time, so… He didn’t realize it was a scam. They… They took everything from us. Our office, our money… Luke couldn’t even pay the employees, and that very nearly broke him. I’d never seen him cry like that. It was true despair. He told us this later, but he said that was the day Danglars, the spirit, found him. Luke picked himself up and began to rebuild. He took advantage of whatever powers Danglars gave him. He borrowed money, bought stocks, messed with the market in ways I still don’t understand, then sold the stocks for huge profit. He paid what he owed, built new businesses, and now here he is. He still goes out of his way to take down scamming call-centers. It remains a sore spot for him.”

“...” Ms. Jennifer continued to tell the truth, and the more she said the sharper my headache grew. Well, at the very least, Ms. Jennifer fully believed what she was saying.

There was also something else I got from her. A faint feeling of sadness and impotence. It came from a memory, from the memory of seeing Mr. Allen’s despair.

“Ms. Jennifer… Is help with the elixir all Mr. Allen wants from me?” I asked her.

She chuckled softly. “I’m not totally sure. He wants that, very much so. But also… I don’t know. He seems to have taken a liking to you. He’s met a few others who have been possessed, but they were… hostile. The type to fully lose themselves in their power and desires. He’s an unnaturally good judge of character. I think he’s happy to have found someone like him, one who follows a similar philosophy to their powers. Indulge, enjoy, grow, but be mindful, respectful, generous. Luke is very picky with the personnel he hires and the people he partners with. If he didn’t think you were a worthy partner, then even if you had what he’s been looking for, he would have never approached you.”

Shit. My head felt like it was going to split open. The fact that we could read Ms. Jennifer’s mind and confirm that she was being honest with us almost made me think the mind reading was pointless, but no. Confirming it was every bit as valuable as seeing through lies.

I smiled, doing my best to ignore the pain. “Thank you, Ms. Jennifer. For meeting with me and being honest about everything.”

“Oh? How do you know I’m telling the truth?” she teased.

“A hunch,” I said coyly in return. It turned out that my own partner was a lot stronger than she gave herself credit for. “Um… Mr. Allen is here, isn’t he? I think I’m ready to talk to him now, if he’s not busy.”

Ms. Jennifer laughed. “Please, he’ll be giddy. Wait here, I’ll send him over to you.”

It had been long enough. One last talk with Mr. Allen, sending Frey a silent plea to keep up the mind reading, if possible. I’d push through the headache. I just wanted to get this over and done with. My choice was 95% made.

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