Interview Part

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After watching the underworld fight and bidding farewell to William's mafia boss friend, William and Ars were starving. I mean, famished. Like, they hadn't eaten in days (which, realistically, it hadn't been that long, but their stomachs didn't care about the timeline).

"Man, I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse," Ars complained, dramatically clutching his stomach.

William glanced over, raising an eyebrow. "That's... graphic. We're getting Italian. No horses involved."

They stumbled into a nearby Italian restaurant. William, ever the connoisseur of fine dining, ordered a pizza, which Ars had never heard of. To be fair, in his past life, his idea of "fancy" food was sushi, and he only ate it once. The rest of the time? Ramen noodles. It was all about simplicity and instant gratification.

"Pizza? What's that?" Ars asked, staring at the menu as if it were a riddle he couldn't solve.

William looked at him like he'd just said something sacrilegious. "You don't know what pizza is? Oh, we're fixing this right now."

Soon, a steaming, cheesy pizza arrived at the table. Ars stared at it, wide-eyed. It looked like a giant, cheesy pancake. A very delicious, potentially life-changing pancake.

"Whoa," Ars mumbled, poking it cautiously with his fork. "This is... this is food? I thought it was a weapon. You could throw this thing at someone and knock them out cold."

William chuckled, taking a bite. "It's called pizza, man. Welcome to the club."

Ars took a tentative bite. Then another. And another.

It was like his taste buds were being awakened for the first time. Forget ramen. Forget sushi. This was next-level. He was suddenly rethinking all his past food choices. Who needed rice when you had pizza?

In between bites, Ars pulled out his phone and started sending memes to William. Because, of course, nothing says "I'm enjoying my meal" like sending memes while you eat.

Ars: "Me trying to understand pizza: Is this how the gods eat?!"

William: "Seriously, stop texting me while we're eating. You're gonna make me choke."

Ars: "Sorry, but pizza's like a religious experience. The author's probably writing this as we speak, trying to make me sound like a philosopher."

William sighed, trying to swallow a laugh. "You know, you really should stop talking about the author. It's... unsettling."

"Hey, don't blame me. The author's trolling me at this point. Who writes a story where the protagonist can't even handle a pizza without making it a philosophical debate?" Ars shot back.

William shook his head, still laughing. "We've got an interview to get to. Focus."

"Right, the real challenge," Ars said, leaning back in his chair dramatically. "The interview."

They walked into the interview room, where Ryan Goner, the interviewer, was waiting. He didn't look particularly friendly—more like someone who would ask questions that made you question your life choices.

"Gentlemen," Ryan began, fixing them with a piercing stare. "Let's get down to business. Why should I hire you two?"

William didn't miss a beat. "I'm a mafia boss, and I have experience handling... difficult situations."

Ryan blinked but didn't react. "Uh-huh. And you, Ars?"

Ars leaned forward, flashing a confident grin. "Well, I've got a degree in 'Being Awesome,' and my charisma's off the charts. I mean, look at me." He gestured to himself dramatically. "I'm basically the human equivalent of a 10-course meal."

Ryan looked at him, clearly unimpressed. "Is that so? Well, let's see how well you handle stress. Tell me, what do you think about the current economic state in Europe?"

"Europe?" Ars tilted his head. "That's a continent, right?"

Ryan's eyebrows shot up. "You don't know about Europe?"

"No, I do. I was just... testing you. I'm... well, it's complicated." Ars winked, clearly dodging the question. "Anyway, have you ever tried pizza? That's the real question."

William buried his face in his hands while Ryan just stared, clearly trying to figure out if Ars was messing with him. "I... think that's enough for now."

Ars and William got through the rest of the interview with a mix of awkward questions and forced smiles. But, somehow, they both passed. They had the right connections, the right answers (even if they were a little too creative at times), and the right amount of charm. Ars even managed to impress Ryan with some surprisingly deep answers—especially when it came to the topic of memes.

But just as they were about to leave, Ars spotted someone he never expected to see: Rukism Alivorg. The same guy he'd met a week ago in a library in Japan. Rukism had a look of pure dread on his face when he saw Ars.

"Oh, look," Ars said, grinning. "It's my old friend Rukism. The guy who totally didn't lose to me in a knowledge fight. Not at all."

Rukism froze, trying to pretend he didn't hear anything. He turned his head to the side like he was trying to avoid eye contact, but it was too late. Ars had already spotted him.

"Oh, you're pretending not to know me now?" Ars laughed. "Did I break your brain with my superior knowledge in physics? It's okay, we can talk it out."

Rukism's face turned bright red as he waved his hands. "I—I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, come on," Ars said, crossing his arms. "It was only last week. Don't tell me you've forgotten our epic battle over the laws of motion. You were so close to winning, too."

Rukism muttered something under his breath and tried to walk away, but Ars wasn't letting it go.

"Well, we'll settle this later. Physics is forever, my friend. Just like the memes I'm about to send you."

William laughed at the chaos, clearly enjoying the show. "You're impossible, Ars."

"Thank you. I know," Ars said, patting William on the back. "That's why I'm the star of this show. Someone's gotta keep things interesting."

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Next Chapter**17**

Will come tommorow