Noa Watanabe, Haruto Fujimoto, or Kasumi Himura. The Composer weighed each of the options, but how could he decide so quickly? He didn't understand their worlds, and he had to make sure his next Conductor wouldn't be a repeat of Megumi Kitaniji.

"So which one are you thinking?" Eri asked, curious. Not sure how to answer her, Joshua paused. "Please tell me not Haruto."

"Your cold shoulder'll make him cry," Joshua joked.

"Well, what do you think of each of them?"

The Composer considered a moment before answering, "It's certainly tough. On one hand, Noa and Haruto are much more experienced, both with this sort of job and as Reapers. Noa in particular is fun and understanding for having so many issues. She'd fit the role rather nicely." He propped his hand on his chin, considering further. "Then Kasumi has a lot of heart. She seems very loyal, but they all do... at least, on the outside. I also understand her a bit, though that may or may not be a good thing. As for Haruto, well..." Joshua flashed the human a smirk. "He'd be a good line of defense against a certain frequent visitor."

Eri scratched her cheek, a nervous smile on her face. "Well, to me, Noa seems hard to read, while the other two let their feelings out. They're kinda honest, especially Kasumi."

"You didn't find Noa's responses earnest?"

"I'm not sure..." Eri frowned, thinking. After a moment, she perked up and suggested, "How 'bout one more test?"

Joshua's purple gaze eased over to her. "Hm?"

"Peek in on them now."

Of course—now, they weren't under any pretenses for the Composer or the interviewer. Now, he could glimpse into their worlds. A sly smirk formed on his face, and he replied, "Well well. Not a bad idea. I'll do just that." He then leaned back and concentrated his eyes outside of the Dead God's Pad.

He found them standing by the river, with Haruto sitting on the bridge as the other two stood. All three of them found ways to entertain themselves while waiting, with the older two playing on their phones while the youngest daydreamed.

"There's no way either of you are beating me," Noa bragged to the other two as she flipped her phone shut. "I might as well has been made for this job."

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch," Haruto warned, grinning. "I think me and that interviewer had something special going on there."

"Speaking of, there was something up with that. I mean, she was such an obvious newbie, so why was she doing the interviews?"

"I have a few theories, really, though the only one I'll say is benefits."

Noa frowned, putting a hand to her chin. "Well, she was dressed kinda scantly..."

Kasumi leaned back against the wall with her hands crossed over her chest. "You two are both looking at this wrong." Both looked at her, and she continued, "She seemed like a high class Reaper to me."

"...Eh?"

"Maybe she's part of a system too high up for us to know about," the teen said. "How else would they decide these things if the Composer can't talk to us?"

"Hold up. I've been here three years, and I've never heard of anything like that," the male protested. "It's just Officers, then Conductor, then Composer."

Kasumi narrowed her eyes, capturing him in her icy stare. "Can't really say that anymore. Besides, we only know what we're told. There could be a lot more to the system than we realize."

Noa placed her hands on her hips and glared at the other female Reaper. "Do you know something we don't? Is that how you got an interview so young?"

"Last I checked, you're both still my seniors. You know far more than I do," Kasumi rebutted. "But it makes sense, doesn't it? She could even be part of something special we don't know about, like secret ops."

Noa's expression changed to one that threatened to laugh at the idea. "You're kidding, right? Did we meet the same girl?"

"Beautiful, pink hair, too much skin, cool hat."

"Then you saw how bad of an actress she was," the elder woman attempted.

"What I saw was her trying to be casual and catch us off guard. And receiving messages—probably from her special ops buddies."

"Err... You're kinda insane, you know," Haruto tittered.

That didn't dissuade the girl, though. "Just saying. I wouldn't be surprised if she goes undercover in the RG at some point. Perhaps that's why she's so concerned with secrets. And since we don't really know what's going on with her, we should be careful and not address her unwantedly."

The two elder Reapers just stared, and an amused smirk met Joshua's lips as he watched. This certainly was quite the show.

"Wouldn't want to ruin her cover and get our fellow Reaper erased," Kasumi finished.

"She's not an undercover agent."

To Noa's declaration, the younger asked, "Really? What proof do you have to counter what I've said thus far?"

"W-well..."

Kasumi pulled a notepad out of her bag along with a pen, deciding it time to ignore then. "Now then, I have a new story idea."

Joshua returned his vision to normal, deciding he'd seen enough. He opened his eyes, only to find Eri curiously leaning over him.

"Josh?" she asked, confused.

The Composer's grin turned playful, and he told her, "You're certainly a hot topic of discussion."

"E-eh?"

"I'm afraid you're painfully transparent, dear," he joked. "They can't stop talking about you. Though, this is true of most places and people you meet."

Eri bit her lip, sitting back on the couch normally—for once. "Do they know too much?"

"Oh no. In fact, Kasumi's playing you off like some super secret agent high up in the organization."

Eri scratched her cheek, using a smile in an attempt to mask her apprehension. "Huh?"

"It was funny," Joshua said, enjoying the human's confused reactions. "Even though she's relatively new, she's as quick as a whip." With a crafty look, he added, "Noa seemed more interested in unraveling you, and Haruto seems more interested in your benefits."

Again, the girl's expression changed. This time, it shifted first to a deeper, albeit hidden worry, her smile even going so far as to falter for a brief moment in the face of her digust.

"Well," the Composer said as he sat back, having had enough fun for now, "as you can see, even in the face of an obvious fact, Kasumi covered for you."

Eri's expression eased, and she asked, "Then have you decided?"

"I suppose I have. Now... How to break the news."

Three notifications dinged at once, echoing through the dark sewers. The three Reapers who waited for this very news each pulled out a phone, eager to check—and hopeful they'd be the one chosen.

"Well, this is it," Noa announced before anyone could pull up the message. "I'll be sure to recommend you two as Officers... if you're good."

"Don't jump ahead of yourself," Haruto warned. "You didn't see how well my interview went."

Meanwhile, Kasumi stared at it, and the other two followed suit. "Oh," she commented as she read the choice—and the subsequent instructions for the chosen Conductor to report back alone.

"W-what? But—"

The teen then bowed to her two elders. "Good luck with your careers." After that, she headed back inside.

As Kasumi entered the Dead God's Pad, she found all the lights now out, though the fish still swam around under her, wide awake. Not a soul dwelled there now—not even that RG girl who'd conducted the interview. She saw no signs of the Composer, either, but only silence.

Right before her eyes, a door suddenly appeared in the middle of the room. Though surprised, Kasumi soon understood and opened it up to find another long hallway—though this one had graffiti decorating it the whole way down. She walked along, taking in each and every picture with a wide-eyed curiosity, until she reached a final door at the end. She eased it open to enter a room she'd only heard about before: the Room of Reckoning.

The room held a natural darkness to it, painted in mostly greys and blacks. A snake winded down the middle pillar, leading down to a throne softly lit by the one who sat atop it. There, she saw a man composed of white wisps watching her with what could only be called a "bored" expression on his face.

Kasumi stopped before the man and bowed before saying, "Thank you for choosing me."

The Composer hummed, curling his fingers through his wavy hair as he considered. "I suppose I should welcome you. It's not often guests grace my presence. Of course, you aren't just any guest, are you?"

Straightening, the Reaper answered, "No. I look forward to working wi..." She caught herself. "I mean, for you from now on."

"And I expect you to work hard. Preferably harder than my last Conductor." His eyes didn't leave her as he spoke, sizing her up. "A talented individual, really. Pity he had to turn on me."

Kasumi took that. She knew of the previous Conductor, but she had no idea what exactly led to his demise. "I'll work hard. I won't follow in his mistakes," she replied.

"That's a rather bold statement."

"The Conductor is the Composer's voice," the girl said, "and the Composer's main contact. Besides, betrayal is never the right way to handle something. I don't know what happened, but it was his mistake."

A smirk met the Composer's face. "You're pretty bright for such a young Reaper. Surprisingly quick-witted, too. I like that."

"T...thank you," Kasumi managed, playing with her coat as she fought to hold a professional appearance.

"We'll see if you can live up to those words. My trust isn't an easy thing to earn." He then held out his hand, and a Noise symbol blinked into existence in front of it. "Step forward," he instructed, and the Reaper did so. "Do you swear upon your soul to serve me from here on after?" the Composer asked, and the symbol in front of him grew brighter and brighter. "To be my confidant in times of need and a leader to those beneath you who may need to rely on you? If so, state your devotion."

"I swear," Kasumi said, "I'll do all those things and whatever else you may ask."

"Then I, as Composer, hereby grant you the might and authority that comes with the title 'Conductor.'" Finally, the symbol reached its peak—a full powerful Noise. "You are Harrier no more. Now, embrace your new power—Procyon Cantus." His fingers straightened out, thrusting the symbol forward and straight into Kasumi. She took in a deep breath as it entered, bathing her in a strange, yet strong light. Eventually, it settled down, but the young Reaper felt more aware than ever before. Even the Composer's form seemed to ease and become easier to see.

Lowering his arm, the Composer let out a sigh. "Well, now that that's out of the way, why don't we level with one another? That seems like a good idea!" Though he now stood, he lost every ounce of imposing air he'd carried before. Kasumi could only make a questioning noise as she watched him. "You know. Level? It's when you hit up the same wavelength as someone else. Not to be confused with stages you play in video games. Hee hee."

Again, she could only stare, and he basked in every bit of her awe. "What's wrong? You seem surprised." He rubbed his chin. "Oh, I know. You must feel insignificant gazing upon such a surreal being. How rude of me." He then began walking towards her. However, with each step, the white wisps faded, and his whole body lowered. He stopped right in front of her, now appearing as a normal fifteen-year-old boy. "How's this? Is this more comfortable for you?" he asked with a smirk on his face. "Nod once for yes and twice for oh yes."

Kasumi blinked and pointed. "You were the illegal Player in the last set of Games."

"My name's Yoshiya. Yoshiya Kiryu." With a chuckle, he sipped his hands into his pockets. "Everyone calls me 'Joshua,' though. I suppose you can call me Joshua, too."

"Joshua," the Conductor repeated, committing it to memory.

"That's right. And you're Kasumi. It's a pleasure to meet you. Be good to me now, okay?"

"M-mm," Kasumi replied, still stiff.

"Josh-u-a!" a voice yelled, and the girl from the RG rose up from behind his throne with a dazed gleam in her eyes. She walked over to the boy, leaning up to him with a sinister smile. "Did you really put me to sleep right before things got good?"

"Naturally," Joshua replied with a shrug. "You weren't part of the scene. I couldn't very well have you crashing in, especially since you wouldn't have been able to see me anyway. You would've been so horribly confused." His hands lowered as an idea came to him. "Though then again, that would've been funny."

"I'm totally going to get you back for this, you know," the girl told him, her grin shifting to one more friendly and playful.

"And you can totally try."

Kasumi watched the two, surprised. Though really, she was far more interested in this human girl—both in her looks and how she was so close to the Composer. "Um," she tried to interject, which grabbed the other girl's attention.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" the human said, her hands covering her mouth in surprise. "I'm Eri—Eri Yumi. I'm a friend of Josh's, and I come to hang out with him a lot, so I'll probably see you around." She grabbed the Composer's shoulders, leaning up against his back as she continued, "I'm trying to get him out to see the world more—you can help with that now!"

"I would advise against it," Joshua combatted. "I'd hate to have to punish you so soon for betraying me."

Kasumi stiffened, and Eri gave the Composer a playful whack on the arm. "Josh, don't be so mean to her. You'll scar the poor girl."

"Aww, but what's the fun of having a new Conductor if I can't even break them in? It's like an official initiation!"

Kasumi didn't know what to make of these two, but watching them bicker, she couldn't help but let out a small laugh, which drew both of their gazes over. Despite their differences, they seemed so close—and she could now be part of that world, too. She'd thought working for the Composer would be nothing but business, but standing here now with them, it seemed more like a group of friends. She found herself relaxing more and more as she joined in on their conversation, though she was quite happy just listening to the two of them.

"What I do is now your business," Joshua told Kasumi at one point. "No one can know who I am or endanger the humans I tend to find myself around. You'll have to keep up if you don't want things to get nasty around here."

Kasumi took his words to heart. After all, one thing was certain for all of them:

This was the beginning of a bright new era.

Author's Note: That's it for this one, so hope you enjoyed it! The next story in this little arc will likely be called One Hop From Shopping, and trust me, if you like Josh, you'll want to read that one. I'll do a few other stories before I get to that one, so just stay tuned!