"Y-yes..." the young man murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Be more confident," I said, intentionally raising my volume just enough to make him flinch.
"Y-Yes!" he blurted out, then immediately looked shocked at his own outburst. Kai ruffled his feathers in approval.
I grinned. "Good. Now listen—everyone has their worth. Yours just happens to involve keeping this place from drowning in paperwork and turning my half-baked ideas into actual plans."
I extended my hand. "I'm your manager. You can call me Amaniel, or Aman for short. Let's have a good cooperation."
"I-I know..." He fidgeted with the edge of his sleeve. "Boss... told me about you..."
"Oh? She already introduced me to you, huh?" My eyebrow arched. "But I don't know anything about you, so..."
The young man hesitated, his gaze darting between my outstretched hand and Kai's expectant stare. After a tense moment, he reached out—his grip tentative at first, then firming slightly as he spoke.
"E...Emory.."
