Girl in the Box: Please tell me why I was reincarnated as a mimic monster!

The form-filling process is quite lengthy, and I can't just do things haphazardly, so I'm just sitting here waiting. If this continues, I might become a figurehead, which isn't good. I need to step up my game, Li!

"Let me see..." Li carefully counted the number of forms, "Eighteen people..."

It's only natural to think about it. Some people might have second thoughts after learning about it, and quitting halfway through won't have any negative consequences.

Oh well, let them regret it later.

“Let me make this clear first,” Li said calmly, putting down the form. “We only accept one application. If you give up here, we will keep a record of it, and we will not hire that person again without a special reason.”

It's not that I'm trying to exaggerate the importance of this job, but I feel that such a plan wouldn't need indecisive people. Their goal is to move forward, by any means necessary, to make this world at least, no, surpass the level of Earth.

Instead of hesitating about this kind of thing, it's more practical to give it a try and do it first, rather than just talking about it... Suddenly I feel like I don't have the right to criticize others, after all, the recipe has been delayed for so long and there's still no progress.

I really hope there are culinary talents here...

"Well then, please prepare yourselves." Li conjured an hourglass out of thin air and turned it upside down. "I'll give you time until the sand at the top of the hourglass runs out. Think about how you're going to tell me what makes you special."

The form only collected some personal information and did not ask them to write down anything special about themselves, because some special qualities cannot be described in a few words. Rather than writing them down, speaking about them or actually doing them is more convincing.

Meanwhile, Li distributed the forms to Seria and Xia Ling.

“Since there are eighteen people, we can simply assign them.” Li instructed, “Seria, you and Wu Ke will be in charge of these six people. Get to know them, and you know what kind of people we need. You can also make your own decisions. Xia Ling, I’ll leave these six people to you and the Black Knight.”

"Okay, please leave it to me." "Um... I'll give it a try."

On one hand, Xia Ling was full of energy; as expected, she was invincible when it came to work. On the other hand, Seria seemed somewhat insecure, her usual imposing manner nowhere to be seen. And…

"Um? Li? Have you forgotten about me?"

"Big sister," Fino popped her head out from the side, pointing at herself to remind Ri that she was also there. This gesture was so cute that it was impossible to ignore. She would definitely teach the Demon King a lesson when they met later. Fino wasn't as scary as he made her out to be.

“Sister, come with me,” Riri had originally planned to take care of Finoir herself, “we’ll take care of the last six people together.”

Originally, considering that Finoer wasn't good at dealing with humans, they planned to exclude her from the interview team. However, it seems there are no problems now, and she's even enthusiastic without any negative impact. Just to be on the safe side, Rin felt it was better to keep an eye on her, so the two of them naturally became a pair.

"The six people whose names are called, come with me for a moment." After assigning tasks, Li began their interviews. "Heimt, Miuya, Ali, Baba, Xihongshi... What are these names? (whispering). Sister, let's go over there."

They led six of them to a corner of the meeting room, and some onlookers followed, but this didn't cause any problems. This was exactly what they wanted; if the results were good, these people would be the best advertisement for the Akihabara neighborhood committee. After confirming that all six interviewees had arrived, Ritsu began to check on them one by one, then asked Finoer to hold the forms for him, and randomly picked one out.

"Is Muya here?" Li glanced at the interviewee.

"I...I...I...I'm here."

"Oh, it's you. Time is short, so please begin here."

The one who stepped forward was one of the three adventurers from before, probably a key figure, but that's not important. What's important is what makes him special.

“Wait, wait, wait, I came here with those girls over there,” Miao Ya said. “I want to have the interview with them.”

“…I really can’t do anything with you…” Li gave a wry smile. “Seria, could you give me those girls? They seem to have come together.”

"Ah, um, no problem."

Seria immediately took out the forms for the three girls and returned them to them, asking them to come over here.

The three girls handed the watch to Li with blank expressions. Li quickly glanced at it and then got back to the main topic.

"Yes, the three of you are Alice, Sina, and Balrog, right?" Li looked up. "You four came together, right? So, can you tell me what's special about you?"

"..."

The three girls all looked at Miuya simultaneously, their eyes unusually sharp. Ah... they could pretty much guess what was going on.

"Tell me how to solve this?" Alice asked, arms crossed, staring at Miuya.

"You were the one who made the suggestion, weren't you?" Sina said coldly.

"Shouldn't you be responsible for this?" Baroque questioned.

Wow... This feels like a chaotic scene! One boy and three girls, I'm a little curious, is there really such a team setup? How will it develop in the future? There are light novel protagonists without the hero buff, right...? Ahem, sorry, I digress.

"Ugh, I know, I know! Can you please stop looking at me like that?!" Miu Ya said in despair. "It all started because of me, so let me end it."

...Could this person be suffering from chuunibyou (middle school syndrome)?

Miao Ya kept his eyes tightly closed, as if he was gathering his emotions. For some reason, everyone was drawn into that atmosphere by him. No one spoke, they just stared at him silently as he uttered those words.

"We're really nothing special! Sorry to bother you!"

Then, Miu Ya openly revealed something incredible.

"...Are you here to cause me trouble?"

Li helplessly pressed his temples.

Although I expected such a person to appear, I didn't expect them to be so funny.

Chapter 38 Ingredient Discovery!

It's really surprising to see someone like this on the first day. This person is clearly here to cause trouble.

"Tsk..." Li blatantly revealed his annoyance.

“Uh… um…?” Miuya waved her hand. “Can we go back now? We don’t seem to have anything special written on it.”

“Haa… never mind,” Ri calmed herself down. “Since we’re here, let’s get things done. First, tell me what your mindset was when you came here, and also tell me why you came here in the first place.”

“Uh…we don’t want to apply anymore,” Alice complained. “Why won’t you let us leave?”

“Judging whether you are special or not is another matter,” Li said seriously. “I don’t know you yet. Let’s talk first, shall we? Maybe you don’t even know what’s special about you. Besides, we might be looking for other people like you.”

This was one of her trump cards, not something she came up with on the spur of the moment. If it were this duchy, it might not be possible to achieve it. But if it were Li, she was certain she could make it happen. With these thoughts in mind, Li took out the announcement that had been kept in another space.

"Akihabara Police Department?"

Everyone stared in surprise at the newly brought-out poster.

“Yes, it’s the guard team.” Li handed the notice to them. “At first, I thought it would be better not to show it, but now that I’ve looked at the situation, you guys are adventurers, right? Since even adventurers are here, I think it might be possible, so I’m showing it now.”

"Serving as a member of the Akihabara Guard?" Miu read the announcement aloud. "Daily duties include patrolling the Akihabara district, resolving disputes and difficulties among Akihabara residents, handling various emergencies, and maintaining order in the Akihabara district? In return, the Akihabara Residents' Committee will provide related equipment and other assistance!? Accommodation and three meals a day?! Ten gold coins per month!? My goodness..."

"No... um, I mean?" Alice stared at the notice in disbelief. "You're not kidding us, are you?"

“How could that be?” Li smiled wryly. “You all know the situation in Akihabara, it’s very chaotic, right? So I want to organize a guard team to improve the security here. Of course, we have to show our sincerity for such a difficult task. Therefore, the payment here will be based on your working hours, but the premise is that you work for more than ten days.”

Akihabara is undoubtedly a problem area, and a particularly bad one at that, where all sorts of things are always happening, just like when I first arrived. However, the residents of Akihabara seem to have gotten used to it all, completely unfazed and even wanting to join in the chaos. How can these people be so carefree?

"How about it? Want to give it a try?" Li asked tentatively.

"Please give us a little time to think about this... Everyone, come here for a moment."

Alice called the other members to discuss it together. They temporarily moved to another corner; it was a difficult decision, so they decided to give them more time to discuss it. Rie put down the forms she was holding, and Finoer readily handed her a new one, acting somewhat like a secretary. Rie nodded her thanks.

"So... wait, that fast..." Li looked at the form in her hand in surprise, "Is Mr. Xihong here?"

"!!!I am here!"

Approaching at the sound was a dark-skinned, gaunt man; you could even see his bones beneath his skin. He was practically skin and bones! Was this man really alright?! And speaking of which, his hair looked like a giant rotten tomato had been smashed on his head! And why was there a tuft of green hair in his hairline?! It looked so real!

Of course, I would never voice these inner complaints; it would be too impolite to say them out loud.

“Um…” Li asked with some concern, “You’re Mr. Xihong, right? You don’t look too well…”

"Hey! Anyone who's been through this would feel the same way!" Xihong said with a self-deprecating laugh.

"Ah, then I won't ask about that." Li changed the subject. "Can you tell me what's special about you?"

"Hey, me?" Xihongshi waved his hand and laughed loudly, "No, it's not me, it's not me, I'm not me."

"..." Li estimated that his expression had already blatantly revealed his murderous intent.

"Hey, Miss Ambassador, please let me finish," Xihong quickly tried to salvage the situation. "I don't have anything special on me, but what I'm carrying is very special!"

“…? What is that?” Li’s interest returned a little.

"Hehehe, it's fruit, fruit that my family grows ourselves."

Xi Hong smiled and took a dark, unappetizing fruit from his bag. It looked really awful, like... Ugh, so disgusting, I shouldn't imagine it anymore. Even so, Ke Li couldn't help but think in that strange direction. That disgusting thing lingered in her mind, but at that moment, Xi Hong took the fruit back.

"Heh, I knew you pampered people all looked down on my family's fruit." Xi Hongshi said coldly, "Almost everyone I've met has that same expression. You seem so gentle and friendly, so you're one of those people too."

"Eh?"

Li subconsciously touched her face, revealing that expression? Did she subconsciously reveal that expression just now? Judging from Uncle Xihong's reaction, it must have been a very hurtful expression.

“I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant.” Li apologized frankly. “Uncle, I’m so sorry I hurt you just now. Could you please let me take a look at this fruit?”

"...Since you've said so," the uncle snorted coldly, casually tossing the fruit over to Li.

Li carefully caught the fruit, examined it in her hand, and, recalling the man's name, thought it was a possibility. Although the appearance wasn't quite right, perhaps…

Li took a deep breath, overcame her mental barrier, and then bit into the strange, dark-colored fruit. She tried to dispel the bad thoughts in her mind and began to chew the part of the fruit that was already in her mouth.

A sweet and sour taste, a crisp texture...

This is……

Isn't this just a tomato?!

Chapter 39 The End

Judging from the texture and taste, this fruit is undoubtedly a tomato! I've tried to find many ingredients similar to those on Earth in this world, but I never expected to find tomatoes here. Although the appearance is not ideal, it is definitely a tomato.

Glancing inside the fruit, she noticed the flesh was a translucent green, completely unlike any tomato on Earth. It was truly amazing, and she couldn't help but admit her negligence. If she had missed this because of her earlier actions, she would have truly regretted it.

"Reason? What's this?" Fino asked. "You look so surprised, what's wrong?"

"I don't know how to explain it to you well." Li handed her the fruit. "Try it yourself, maybe you'll understand better."

"Really? Is this food too?"

Finoel, like a child brimming with curiosity, took the fruit without any hesitation and bit into it. Was she really so naive? After taking a bite, Finoel showed a very surprised expression, then took another bite incredulously, savoring it carefully.

“…This is delicious…” Fino looked at the fruit in surprise. “I’ve never eaten anything like this before.”

"Hehe, now you know how delicious the fruit I grow is." It felt like Xihong's nose had been stretched out.

"...Well..." Li thought for a moment, "Well, Uncle Xihong, you yourself aren't anything special, right? But this fruit is very special. Can we talk about it in detail sometime later? I'm very interested in the fruit you grow. Please, please join Akihabara. Also, how many of these fruits do you have now? I'd like to buy as many as possible, is that possible?"

"Hehehe, even the ambassador understands the allure of this fruit now," Xihongshi said with a laugh. "Go ahead and buy it; I'll sell it to you cheap! My house is overflowing with these fruits anyway!"

"...Piled up?" Li tilted his head.

"Yeah, that's right, it's piled up everywhere, there's nowhere to even step." Xi Hong laughed heartily, clearly pleased. "Because it just won't rot, it's been piling up. Coming to Akihabara was definitely the right choice."

"……No way?"

Li had initially been skeptical, but now that skepticism had turned into certainty; the "piled up" was exactly what it sounded like. Because these fruits simply wouldn't rot, Xihongshi probably felt it would be a waste to throw them away, so he just kept accumulating them. It seemed he couldn't sell them no matter what, so they just kept piling up. It's truly amazing how persistent he was in growing these fruits; he worked so hard.

"Well, would you please have a seat over there while we finish dealing with things here?"

"Yes, oh, Ambassador, I have a few more here, so I'll give them to you. Don't be shy, hahaha."

"Ah, um, don't do that... okay, thank you."

Xihong's enthusiasm forced Li to accept the remaining bag of fruit, and then he watched the Xihong uncle walk to the side to sit and wait. To be honest, Li was very troubled by his actions. It would be troublesome if some strange rumors spread.

"Well then... let's continue."

The interviews dragged on until the afternoon, and the final result was disappointing. Of the eighteen participants, only five met the requirements, and of those five, three didn't want to join the Akihabara Residents' Committee. So, the first day of interviews ended under these circumstances, which was very unfortunate. After almost everyone had gone home, the group huddled together in the meeting room, feeling troubled.

"Ugh, this is giving me a headache." Li felt a headache coming on. "I should have known better than to tell you about the guards."

After the intelligence about the guard team was leaked, those who were originally going to join the neighborhood committee wanted to serve in the guard team. Most of them thought the work of the neighborhood committee was too troublesome, so they wanted to do something simple and easy.

If this trend continues, it will just become a simple recruitment of guards, and there won't be any special talents coming over!

The security detail should be part of the neighborhood committee, but now it seems that the neighborhood committee is being made to look like an appendage of the security detail. Rin's goal is not to get Akihabara back on track. It is precisely because it is different that it is Akihabara.

In this situation, Li only accepted those few adventurers as members of the guard team, but more details would have to be discussed later.

As a result, there were no achievements today.

"This is terrible..." Li said anxiously, "If things go according to the script, this place will become a place that nobody cares about..."

"Not a single person you'd like to meet?" Finoer placed the form on the table. "That's a real shame. Come back tomorrow."

"Sister... the situation is very... how should I put it..." Li expressed her concerns, "If things continue at this pace, our neighborhood committee may remain mediocre. Akihabara is still a rather sensitive topic for outsiders, and there will be some resistance. In addition, with the information from the people we returned today, I can almost see the ending."

First, Akihabara's actions this time are not attractive to outsiders, and people looking for work might not necessarily go to Akihabara. In addition, it is currently a time of war, and everyone is concerned about their own affairs; no one will care about what Akihabara is trying to do.

Now, a group of people have arrived, but they've all been turned away by Ritsu. Who knows what they'll say when they get back? Rumors are powerful, and given Akihabara's public image, this whole thing will probably die down quickly and be forgotten.

"It's better not to rush," Xia Ling suggested. "If they're unwilling to come, how about... we go look for them ourselves? What do you think?"

“…That’s true.” Li nodded. “Um, Uncle Xihong? Sorry to keep you waiting.”

"Oh, it's alright, it's alright." Xihongshi immediately stood up. "Your Excellency is my savior! If waiting this long can let more people know about my fruit, it's worth waiting another month!"