I barely managed to step aside before his hand came down.
BANG!
The desk split beneath the impact, sending pieces of wood across the classroom. I stepped back, but he caught my wrist before I could pull away and drove his knee into my stomach.
"Ukh...!"
The air left my lungs as he pushed me backwards. My shoulder struck another desk, overturning it, and I stumbled towards the door while trying to breathe.
"...That... was school property."
He looked at the broken furniture before returning his attention to me.
"Was it?"
"Yes, and I was... also in the middle of forgiving you."
I straightened as my nodes churned. A dark film moved along my hand, but when I swung towards him, he caught my forearm above it and twisted.
Pain shot through my elbow.
"You're slow."
His fist struck my face before I could respond. I staggered sideways, catching the doorframe while something warm ran down to my chin.
For a moment, I remained there with my head lowered.
'....Oouch...'
I moved my jaw carefully.
Nothing seemed broken, which was rather fortunate considering how little consideration he had shown for my face.
"Good... I can still talk."
That was important.
A few unpleasant thoughts crossed my mind, but I pushed them aside.
I heard a soft chuckle coming from before me. One that seemed to be mocking me.
"You develop one Gate and think you can threaten me?"
He approached without hurrying, his gaze briefly moving towards the corners of the room.
Even now, he was checking his surroundings. He looked rather alert.
I wiped my mouth.
"...You could've just... answered my questions. Look at how unpleasant you're making me."
"And you could have returned what you stole."
His attention lowered towards my hand when the dark film squirmed and elongated again. I could already tell that trying to hit him with it wouldn't accomplish much.
'Well, I do have that...'
Instead, I reached behind me and pulled the door open.
"Go!"
I pointed at the man as several figures appeared behind me. Each figure was familiar, with several dozen children, and even a copy of me.
Their heads turned together, pale faces lifting towards the light spilling through the doorway.
The one closest to me was exactly my own clone.
I caught its shoulder and pulled it forward, bringing the edge of my other hand against its throat.
"Come closer and I'll get rid of him first."
The man before me stopped.
His brow raised.
"This is where you were hiding them? No wonder I was having a hard time sensing them."
"...You're starting to regret your decision?"
From the start, the main reason he had come here was because of the copies. I was certain because I had purposely baited him by leaving one hidden outside of the Gate.
I didn't know why, but he was here to collect them.
By threatening to destroy one, I was certain he'd stop and peacefully negotiate with me.
His gaze settled on the copy before slowly returning to me.
His lips pulled into a smile.
"So I've got a copy of you as well?"
For several seconds, he remained where he was, the smile lingering on his face. Then his expression changed, and a small laugh escaped his mouth.
"That's really quite amusing. Is that what you were aiming for?"
"....."
"To threaten me with my own work?"
I watched his hands as he took another step.
"Did you not hear what I just—"
The copy caught my wrist, my eyes widening in surprise.
——!
Ah?
Its fingers tightened before I could get any word out, pulling the blade away from its throat.
Behind it, the others began entering the classroom.
I tried to pull free, but it twisted my arm and shoved me towards two of them. Their hands closed around my elbows before I could regain my balance.
"...?!."
"You really are new to this."
The man watched as they forced my arms behind my back while the remaining figures passed between us.
BANG!
My head smacked against the floor.
It... hurt.
"Did you think keeping them inside your Gate made them yours?"
Several of the copies moved their lips with him, although no sound came out.
One pulled my arm further behind my back.
...It really did hurt.
"Heartless bastard. Is this what you do to someone seeking peace?"
He didn't seem particularly interested in talking some sense with me.
The man stopped several steps away and nudged with his head.
"Get behind me."
The remaining copies obeyed, squeezing past him into the space between the desks. He watched their faces as they passed, occasionally turning one towards the light.
I struggled against the hands holding me.
He glanced up.
"For someone who has been giving quite a few headaches to them, you seem to be rather stupid. Should I say that the news is right about you? Overrated, right?"
"...That's harsh."
"Truthful."
Finally, the last copy, the one of me, moved behind the man. His gaze lingered on the copy, and he caught its chin, turning its head slightly to examine the mark I had left on its throat.
"...It's not that I absolutely needed to get them, but since you've caused quite a mess, I had no choice but to come back here to hide the sight of them."
His thumb brushed over the shallow cut.
"Still, it's good that you made me come here since I now have several new assets that I can use for my next upcoming project."
My arms were starting to go numb.
'Really, is this how he felt when I was talking a lot?'
Fuck me...
I made sure to note to myself not to talk so much.
I shifted my weight, trying to get into a more comfortable position.
Then, I suddenly smiled.
"...Oh, right."
He looked back at me, and my smile widened slightly.
"I almost forgot. I did do add some changes to the clones."
"What?"
The man's expression changed, but it was too late.
Puchi!
A black point emerged through the insides of my clone, shooting right for the man, impaling his shoulder directly as blood spurted in all directions and his body jerked.
The Voidwalker.
The man's free hand snapped upwards, trying to free himself from the sudden attack but they moved past the Voidewalker's arm as it twisted its arm deeper into the man's shoulder.
"Ukh...!"
His nodes stirred.
But a soft laugh escaped from above, momentarily rending his nodes null.
The Voidwalker's figure became clearer as its body fully emerged from the clone, and stood behind him, locking him in place as his eyes widened.
I stared at the scene from the floor.
"G-go."
The clones around it immediately moved towards the Voidwalker, but the blade was already pressed against its throat, forcing them all to stop as I pushed myself back to my feet, dusted off my hands, and rubbed my aching back.
"...That was really painful, you know?"
I stood up slowly and moved past the clones, not even paying attention to them before settling my gaze onto the man and staring at him right in the eye.
...I patted him on the cheek.
"You know, all of this could've been resolved peacefully if you hadn't moved first. All I wanted to know was what happened to Elon. That's not so hard, is it?"
This entire situation was a little obvious to me.
I mean, since he had made the clones, it was only natural that he could control them. All I had to do was plant the Voidwalker inside of one of them, and just waited for him to use them to threaten me.
"Come, let's have a nice talk."
I sat down on the ground and crossed my legs.
I wanted to have a nice chat with him when he suddenly laughed.
"Hahahaha."
"....."
His laugh echoed across the classroom.
For a moment, I let him laugh.
Then⎯
"Hahahahaha."
I started laughing with him.
"....."
That somehow stopped him, the smile wiping off his face.
"...You're a crazy bastard."
Those were the first words he said to me after he finally stopped laughing.
A little rude, considering which of us had started this.
"But... I suppose you have to be. That's the only way you survive this game."
Game?
He looked at me again, his eyes even more bloodshot than before. Whatever he saw in my expression brought a faint smile back to his face.
"Don't pretend you don't understand. I know you're aware of it too."
He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice as though we were sharing something rather amusing.
"This world is nothing more than one big game between us holders."
The smile left my face.
"Gates, anomalies... people spend their entire lives trying to survive the things we put into this world. They lose their homes, their families, everything, and they don't even know who to blame."
His gaze remained fixed on mine.
"But we do, don't we?"
I said nothing as his lips curled further upward.
"And the funniest part is that none of us even knows why. We know what happens to those people. We know who's responsible, and we still go ahead and do it again."
He let out another laugh, shaking his head.
"But it's fun, isn't it? What can I say? It's—"
Puchi!
Blood struck my face before his head hit the floor.
It bounced once and rolled towards me, stopping against my shoe with his mouth still open. I stared down at it while blood dripped from my chin.
I hadn't given the instruction.
Slowly, I lifted my head.
The Voidwalker stood where he'd been sitting. Behind it, other figures were emerging, their attention settling on what remained of him.
Mirelle, Mr. Jingles, the Conductor...
My gaze moved between them before returning to the head at my feet. I'd still been listening, still deciding what to ask next.
Apparently, they hadn't needed to hear any more.
"Ha."
The laugh slipped out as I raised a hand and wiped the blood from my face. It did little more than spread it across my cheek.
"...This is a rather interesting situation, isn't it?"
Couldn't really blame them.
After all, I'd react the same if I learned their suffering was nothing but the result of a game played by a bunch of people.
-x-X-x-
"Dear me, I knew this was going to happen eventually, but not this fast."
I stared at the decapitated head beneath me and sighed. At the same time, I turned my attention back towards the others.
"Well, it's not like I can blame you."
He was talking a lot of nonsense. I'd also cut them if I were in their place. Uh... Actually, I was, wasn't I?
But to be honest, I understood perfectly what he was trying to say.
'Gates and anomalies...'
They weren't random. Every single gate and anomaly had someone behind it, and all of this was nothing short of a big game between such 'players'. I felt shivers running down my body when I thought about it.
It brought up several questions inside of my mind.
But⎯
"Well, I would've been able to get such answers if you guys hadn't killed him. Really made things more difficult for me."
I knew that the stronger the anomalies became, the more autonomous they became. In the Voidwalker's case, it used to never really refuse my orders. Even if it complained, it still complied most of the time.
This was the first time it did something on its own.
"There's something here."
The Conductor's voice brought me out of my thoughts as I moved closer to the man's body and searched his pocket, taking out a small fragmented piece of metal.
"Oh, this..."
I stared at it for a good couple of seconds before putting it in my pocket.
'Another piece of the Lesser Key.'
I still didn't know how many of these existed, but I did know that they were quite valuable and something that a lot of the system holders were looking for.
'...I wonder how many I need to complete it.'
Scratching the back of my head, I looked around and shook my head.
"Whatever, let's clean this mess up and worry about it later. I'm feeling a little tired."
Bringing my hand to my lips, I yawned.
"...Tired, I am."
***
At the same time.
Secretary Kim lowered his phone as Section Chief Johansberg looked up from the report on his desk.
The Secretary could feel the tension within the room as he subconsciously softened his tone.
"Claude's condition has stabilised. The doctors say there's nothing preventing him from speaking now."
"But he still won't talk?"
"No. They tried asking him about what happened inside the Gate, but he turned towards the wall and refused to answer."
Johansberg looked back at the report. Kim waited while he read through the remaining lines, his attention lingering on the Section Chief's expression.
There wasn't much he could make out.
And that was the most troublesome thing. The less he saw, the more tense he felt.
Eventually, the Section Chief spoke.
"...And the others?"
"Nothing useful from them either."
The Section Chief placed the report down. For a moment, neither of them spoke, and Kim glanced at him warily before breaking the silence.
"What do you think...?"
"I'll have a talk with him myself."
Johansberg stood up and took his coat from the back of the chair.
"What? You're going to..."
"I've already sent him a message. It's time that the two of us talked."
"Ah, that's..."
"What?"
The Section Chief opened his lips, but eventually closed them as he shook his head.
"Nothing."
Kim stepped aside to let him pass, watching him leave without asking anything further.
The door closed behind him.
Kim remained where he was until his phone vibrated again. He checked the number on the screen, then glanced towards the door before walking out of the room and going to a more secluded space.
"...The situation is a little more unpredictable than expected."
He spoke quietly, making sure not to be heard.
His brow eventually furrowed.
"Yes, I'm aware. But Claude still won't talk, and the Section Chief is getting involved personally."
Kim paused, his fingers tightening around the phone.
"Seth seems to be more troublesome than expected."
He took a deep breath before saying,
"I'd like more assistance."
***
Well, I had been called in by the Section Chief.
That wasn't particularly unusual, but instead of telling me to report to the Guild, he had sent me the address of a restaurant. Looking at the entrance, I briefly wondered whether I should've asked who was paying before agreeing to come.
'...Surely he wouldn't invite me here and make me pay.'
That would be a terrible thing to do to an employee.
A very despicable thing.
A waiter greeted me at the entrance and, after hearing my name, led me towards a private room near the back. The fact that they didn't show much of a surprise upon hearing my name showed their professionalism. I nodded in satisfaction.
The Section Chief was already seated inside, his coat hanging over the chair beside him.
I entered with a smile.
"Section Chief."
"Sit."
"...."
I didn't sit.
To be honest, him telling me to sit made me not want to sit.
So...
I sat on the table.
"What are you doing?"
"Sitting."
"You..."
Eventually, he shook his head and let it go. This was a surprising development, and for the next few seconds, the room remained quiet as a pleasant smell came from the dishes already arranged on the table.
"...This is considerably better than your office."
I decided to make some small talk.
I was a changed man, but I was still an introvert at heart.
I hated the silence. Felt really awkward.
The Section Chief took a sip of the drink before him.
"I thought a change of setting would be appropriate."
"I agree. I've started feeling unwell whenever someone asks me to come to the Guild."
His hand paused beside his glass.
"Unwell?"
"Yes. Usually, it means someone has found something unpleasant for me to do."
Johansberg watched me for a moment before gesturing towards the food.
"Eat first."
Well, now I didn't want to.
I took a sip of the drink before me.
"....."
"Have a drink."
And so, I ate.
"...."
For a little while, he asked about my work and whether I had recovered from the incident. I answered between bites, finding myself considerably more willing to talk now that there was food involved.
He seemed to have noticed that as well.
"You seem to be in a good mood."
"I'm trying to change as a person."
"That's good."
"Yes. I've decided to be more reasonable."
"And how do you intend to manage that?"
"By having a proper conversation with people."
I swallowed before continuing.
"If that doesn't work, I'll have an improper one. What matters is that we resolve the issue before it affects my sleep."
His gaze lingered on me while I reached for another piece of meat.
He continued.
"You've attracted quite a bit of attention lately."
"I've noticed. It's rather inconvenient."
"Some of that attention isn't favourable."
I stopped chewing for a moment.
"Have they met me?"
"Some have."
"And they still dislike me?"
"....."
I shook my head before returning to my food.
"Then I've done what I could. There's no point in making myself miserable just because they have poor judgement."
Johansberg set his glass down.
"Those people could make things difficult for you."
My hand stopped above the plate. I looked at him, but his expression gave little away.
"...Is this why you invited me?"
"It's part of it."
I put my fork down and leaned back. The food was good, but I was beginning to understand why he hadn't asked me to come to his office.
"And the other part?"
"You've shown that you're capable. More capable than I initially believed."
"That sounds like something people say before giving me more work."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Not quite."
He leaned forward slightly, meeting my gaze.
"Join my side. I'll make sure to treat you well."
-x-X-x-
"Ha."
The sound escaped before I could stop it.
Johansberg watched me as I lowered my head, pressing a hand against the table. I tried to contain myself, but the longer I thought about his offer, the harder that became.
"Hahaha!"
My palm struck the table several times, making the plates rattle. It was considerably louder than I had intended, and by the time I raised my head again, the Section Chief's brows had drawn together.
I stopped smiling and reached for my glass.
"My apologies. My throat was itchy."
"....."
The drink helped a little. I swallowed, rubbed the front of my neck, and looked back at him.
"Anyways, what were you saying again?"
"I want you to⎯"
"Hahahahah!"
This time, I nearly spilled my drink. I put it down before smacking the table again, catching a plate with my other hand when it came dangerously close to the edge.
That would've been wasteful.
"Is this a joke to you?"
"Hm? What?"
I looked up. The Section Chief was no longer leaning towards me, his fingers resting against the stem of his glass.
I took another sip and rubbed my throat.
"My throat is itchy."
"You seem to find that very amusing."
"No, it's rather uncomfortable."
He stared at me for several seconds. I remained seated on the edge of the table, waiting patiently for him to continue.
It wasn't my fault that his offer kept arriving at inconvenient moments.
"...You're still pursuing VILE-1048."
My fingers stopped against the glass.
"Yes."
"Then you should understand the importance of having the right support. You cannot solve this alone. This isn't a case you can handle unless you have the full support of the Guild."
"I have a squad."
"That isn't nearly enough."
"...For me, they are."
Johansberg ignored the comment.
"You've already seen how difficult it is to investigate. There are limits to what you can accomplish on your own, and with the attention currently on you, every one of your failures will be noticed."
I looked down at the remaining food.
He wasn't wrong about the investigation. Nobody even knew what VILE-1048 looked like, and I still had very little to work with.
That didn't mean I liked where this conversation was going.
"Information, personnel, access," he continued. "These things become much easier to obtain when you have someone supporting you."
"...And I need to join your side for that?"
"I need to know that I can rely on you."
"You can. I arrive at work quite often."
"Seth."
"I'm here right now."
His expression hardened.
I picked up my glass again, although there was barely anything left inside.
Joining his side sounded troublesome. He would give me something, then ask for something else, and eventually I would have to start worrying about things I had been worrying about from the previous Guild Master.
One experience was enough.
I also already had enough problems at hand.
"I'm offering to look after you," he said.
I nodded in appreciation.
Now we were getting somewhere.
"That's very kind. You should do that."
"....."
"I would appreciate it."
"And in return?"
I looked around the table before pushing one of the dishes towards him.
"...Here, you can have the rest."
Ugh.
I groaned.
"I was saving it for last."
It was a sizable piece of braised beef that I saved for last.
The squishy, juicy piece of meat...
"Ugkh."
The Section Chief didn't look at the plate.
For a while, we remained like that. Then he pushed his chair back and stood, taking his coat from beside him.
"Looks like I've gotten your answer."
"Huh? What answer? What for?"
He put his coat on without responding.
I watched him straighten the collar before walking towards the door. He hadn't even finished his drink.
"...Section Chief?"
His hand reached for the handle.
"About the bill..."
Clank!
The door closed.
I remained sitting on the table for a moment before rubbing my throat again.
"...But it really was itchy."
Eventually, I climbed down and took one of the chairs. It was considerably more comfortable, although I would've preferred discovering that under better circumstances.
"If only he told me to stand."
*
By the time I returned to my office, the discomfort in my throat had disappeared.
Unfortunately, the Section Chief wasn't around to appreciate my recovery.
My phone vibrated as I placed it on the desk. I glanced at the screen, expecting something from him, but the message came from Silver Lantern instead.
They were thanking me for helping locate their missing member.
I read through it before sending a brief response, making sure to mention my squad. Joanna and the others had done the work.
They deserved all the credit.
'I should visit again.'
I was curious about his condition. I wanted to make sure VILE-1048 had nothing to do with it.
There were other reasons someone could end up unconscious.
Jumping to a conclusion because I was already looking for an anomaly would only make things more confusing.
Still, leaving it unchecked bothered me.
I opened Joanna's report again and looked through the information she had collected, then placed it somewhere I wouldn't immediately bury beneath other papers.
That could wait until I arranged another visit. There were still things I needed to deal with here.
Starting with my nodes.
I leaned back and tried circulating my energy. The response came slowly, moving unevenly before meeting the same resistance that had been troubling me for a while.
My fingers tightened against the armrest.
"...Still?"
I tried again, then stopped when the discomfort began spreading.
They weren't completely unresponsive, and I could summon the others without any issues, but they weren't working properly either. The discomfort was still clearly there, and that bothered me quite a bit.
Who was to say that I wouldn't face another similar condition to when I was in VILE - 303?
Opening the pill bottle, I took another tablet and swallowed it with some water.
"...Why am I even taking these?"
To avoid dying, probably.
They certainly weren't doing much for my thoughts. Just a moment ago, I had considered calling the Section Chief and asking whether he would like to join my side instead.
I would treat him well.
Provided he paid for dinner.
My head was filled with so much nonsense that I was struggling to tell what nonsense was good nonsense and what nonsense was bad nonsense.
Sigh.
I wistfully looked up.
"Maybe nonsense is the friends we made along the way..."
I put the phone farther away.
See?
Why did I even do that?
I needed my phone.
So, I brought it back to me.
In that moment, I managed to stop the voices that told me to throw it away.
'No, I need it.'
Thus, I suppressed my thoughts.
I was the suppressor of all intrusive thoughts.
"The Thoughtpressor."
I considered the name before nodding. It sounded like an important position, although I doubted anyone would pay me for it.
Putting the bottle away, I left for my game development office.
The door opened without any trouble, and I entered before sitting down and booting up the laptop. Once the screen lit up, I opened the Gate's interface and brought up the recording I wanted to check.
The man was still there.
"....."
His face remained turned towards the camera, his body in the same position as before.
I moved through the recording, checking different points before returning to the current feed.
Nothing appeared to have changed.
He didn't try to leave. He also didn't approach the camera or done anything that might help me understand him.
He was simply staring.
"...You're rather troublesome."
I leaned forward, then caught myself and settled back in the chair.
Moving closer to the screen wasn't the same as approaching him, but I didn't feel particularly comfortable doing either.
I had managed to trap him.
That didn't mean I understood what would happen if I stood in front of him again.
Could he get out? Could he use me to get out? For all I knew, getting too close might give him an opportunity to take over my body.
That would be inconvenient.
'Then again, wouldn't he have done it already?'
He'd had opportunities before.
Perhaps he couldn't. Perhaps there was something else he needed.
I stared at him for a while longer, my hand resting beside the laptop.
The fact that he hadn't done anything didn't make me feel safer. It just meant I had nothing to use when deciding whether approaching him was a terrible idea.
My cursor moved towards the option to enter the Gate.
Then stopped.
"...Not today."
I moved it away.
The man continued staring into the camera, looking exactly as he had before I opened the recording.
Eventually, I was the one who looked away.
"No, today."
Yes, today...
I was going to tame this new anomaly.
-x-X-x-
'Very troubling.'
I watched the man for a little longer, tapping a finger against the desk before stopping when I felt like I was going to lose the staring contest.
It didn't count if I looked away.
Probably.
'...Either way, I have a feeling that this will be a rather useful anomaly if I tame it.'
That was the part that kept me from leaving it alone. I still wasn't entirely sure what it could do, but being able to follow me around without attracting my attention was already quite impressive.
I tended to pay attention to things that might kill me.
Not always successfully, but I made an effort. Somehow it even managed to avoid the compass's detection and all of that.
This was no simple anomaly.
If I could use that ability to send it somewhere without anyone noticing, there were quite a few things that would become easier. Investigating VILE-1048, for example. There were places Joanna and the others couldn't simply walk into.
There were also places I would rather not walk into myself.
'The Section Chief's office...'
Hm.
Perhaps I should start with something more useful.
I brought my attention back to the screen and examined the anomaly's face. Before deciding what to do with it, I needed to know what I was dealing with.
Fortunately, I had a way to check.
'Right, I should analyse it.'
I only had four slots for it, but a copy of this anomaly was perfect for my proceeding Gate.
The teacher had noticed when I tried analyse it before. I remembered that quite clearly, along with what had happened to the cameras.
'But things are different now.'
The anomaly was trapped.
I didn't need to worry about it trying to reach me.
My hand rested beside the laptop for a moment before I activated the ability.
[Analysis initiated.]
Immediately, a familiar scene appeared before my eyes.
[—[11%]————————]
The anomaly remained still.
But just slightly, its head twitched.
It... felt it.
I waited, keeping the feed open while watching the progress from the corner of my eye. It was considerably easier to do this from an office than from inside a pod, although I would've preferred if it didn't keep staring at the camera feed.
It felt as though it was challenging me to a staring contest.
I knew that was nonsense, but... I just felt like it was.
"Ah, fuck."
I rubbed my forehead.
These voices...
Things should've gotten better after reaching the Fifth Order, but instead of progressing, I regressed.
'No, that's not quite right.'
In truth, I could control this more than in the past.
I let my intrusive thoughts win most of the time, but unlike before, when it truly mattered, I could still control myself.
Surely that could be considered as progress...
[———[37%]——————]
"Hm?"
The anomaly's hand moved.
I sat a little straighter as it slowly raised it towards the camera. It's fingers disappeared past the edge of the image displayed, and I pursed my lips together.
Somehow, I was expecting for the camera feed to cut off.
It didn't.
Instead, a faint scraping sound came from the speakers.
His fingernail moved against something beside the lens, dragging down before returning to the top.
I lowered the volume.
The scraping continued, quieter now, while its eyes remained fixed on the camera.
[——————[64%]———]
"What are you trying to do?"
Its finger stopped.
For a moment, neither of us moved. I couldn't tell whether it had heard me or whether the timing was a coincidence, and I wasn't particularly interested in checking.
I took my hand away from the volume control.
[————————[81%]—]
The anomaly leaned closer until I could no longer see the lower half of its face. The image darkened around its eyes, but they remained open as I waited for the last part of the bar to fill.
[—————————[100%]]
The notification came soon after.
[Analysis complete.]
I let out a breath and looked through the information that appeared.
[VILE - 2883]
[Rank: ]
[Detected abilities: 3]
"..."
I read the rank again before moving on to the first ability.
[Presence Erasure]
: Suppresses the user's presence, making it difficult for others to notice or maintain awareness of its existence.
'So that's how it did it.'
I thought back to the Malovia incident, and how it had tricked me. At the same time, I thought back to how I struggled to find it.
Glancing around the office, I returned my attention to the next entry.
[Body Swap]
: Allows the user to enter and temporarily take control of another body.
Maximum duration: Dependent on adaptation.
"....."
My hand stopped beside the keyboard.
Then I moved further away from the monitor, making sure to distance myself from the anomaly.
It probably didn't work like that, but there was no harm in being careful.
'So it really can do it.'
I had considered the possibility before, although seeing it written down made me even less eager to see the anomaly in person.
What really stumped me was the last part.
Dependent on adaptation?
What did that even mean?
It all clicked the moment I read the next part of its abilities.
[Adaptive Mimicry]
: Gradually replicates a target's appearance, voice, handwriting, and mannerisms through observation.Accuracy improves with continued exposure. Memories and abilities are not replicated.
I whistled softly, sucking in a breath of cold air.
"Well... That's a bit much."
My eyes returned to the anomaly.
For a while, I remained like that, looking between its face and the description.
Then something clicked inside of my mind.
'That's why.'
It had always bothered me. It's lack of actions against me during the Gate. I knew that it had entered the Gate, and I had been waiting for it to attack so I could take it down, but it never did. I had always wondered why, but this explained it.
'It... was studying me.'
Just as I had done now.
The way I spoke, the way I moved, and whatever expressions I made while dealing with the things around me. All the time I had spent wondering what it wanted, the anomaly had been getting exactly what it needed.
I looked up from the description.
The anomaly smiled at the camera, my heart skipping a beat for a moment.
"....."
My hand rose to cover my lips.
"Just like Zoey, I'm being flirted on again..."
I felt shivers running down my body. To be honest, I was a little flattered by Zoey's flirtations, but not this...
The anomaly continued smiling.
"Stop it."
I didn't appreciate it nearly as much this time.
Keeping my hand where it was, I looked through the description again.
'I guess the good thing is that it can't copy abilities and memories. Otherwise, it might really be a little bit too overpowered.'
That was good since copying my abilities would be quite troublesome.
Still, I would've preferred finding that out before providing the anomaly with so much material.
'How much did it manage to learn?'
I thought back to everything I had done inside the Gate, then decided that I would rather not think about it anymore.
The anomaly had seen enough.
That much was clear.
"Yeah, there's no way I'm leaving this alone."
The combination of abilities was too useful to leave alone, but I couldn't quite just go to where the anomaly was trapped and use [Containment Vessel] on it. That would put me in too much risk.
'Right, I also don't want it to take over my body.'
It analysed me enough.
Just how long would it be able to be me?
My nodes were already giving me enough trouble. I didn't want more trouble.
There were also things the analysis didn't explain. Did the anomaly need to touch me when using its ability? How close did it have to be? Could it enter anyone, or were there conditions?
The fact that it hadn't tried before didn't mean it wouldn't try now.
"...Let's not find out."
I would need to stop the anomaly from using those abilities before attempting to contain it. Otherwise, it really would be impossible.
'There's also the fact that my nodes aren't working properly.'
There was a real chance that [Containment Vessel] would fade, but I didn't have much of a choice in this regard. I couldn't keep the anomaly trapped for much longer.
There was a limit to how long I could keep things inside of a Gate before it faded.
Fortunately, I didn't have to do it alone.
There was someone who could give me the opening I needed.
I rested my hands on the desk.
"Come out, little one."
Nothing happened.
I waited a little longer before calling again.
"Mirelle."
The bottom of the screen darkened.
A small hand emerged beside the taskbar, its fingers curling around the lower edge of the display. Another followed, and I moved the monitor back towards me before it could tip forward.
"...Careful."
Her head slowly came through the screen, her hair falling over the keyboard as she pulled herself halfway out.
The man was still visible behind her.
Still smiling.
Mirelle, on the other hand, looked as though getting this far had been a terrible mistake.
She lowered her chin onto the keyboard and remained there until I leaned forward.
"I need your help with something."
Her eyes rose towards me.
For a moment, she simply stared. Then her lips trembled, and she lowered her head again.
"Kill me. Am I that useless to you?"
-x-X-x-
C778"...You're already dead."
Mirelle stared at me. Or at least, tried to, but I couldn't quite tell, as her dark hair covered most of her face.
I waited for her to say something, but she only lowered her face onto the keyboard again. A window opened on the monitor behind her, and I carefully lifted her chin before she could delete anything important.
Her chin moved right as I lifted it.
"So I'm... less important than the documents on your desktop?"
"....."
"End me."
I moved her hand away from the keys and pointed towards the anomaly on the screen.
"I need you to laugh at it."
Her eyes followed my finger. For a moment, she looked at the anomaly before turning back towards me with an expression that made me feel as though I had asked for something terrible.
"So that's why you called me? To use me?"
"....."
"Am I nothing to you but someone you discard after you're done with me?"
"No."
"So I am..."
I rubbed the side of my face.
This was going well. And I was supposed to be the one with the voices inside his head.
Her situation was even worse than mine.
"Just a little laugh. You don't have to enjoy it."
"Ah, so I have to suffer."
"...That's not what I said."
"Sigh."
She remained where she was for several more seconds before slowly pulling herself back through the screen. I watched her last remaining hair disappear into the screen, then appear in the monitor feed, displaying the anomaly room as her head popped out from the camera that was overlooking the room.
The anomaly took a step back.
Mirelle dragged herself into the room through the camera.
Then⎯
Thud.
Face first.
"....."
I turned on the microphone.
"Are you all right?"
⎯No.
At least she was responsive.
She eventually pushed herself upright, her hair still covering most of her face as she looked towards the anomaly.
The anomaly looked back towards Mirelle, showing no reaction to her sudden presence.
⎯He... he... he...
I waited for her to continue.
"Try harder."
⎯He...
Her shoulders lowered as she let out a sigh and started drawing circles with her finger.
⎯What is life?
'Fuck.'
I pressed a hand against my forehead. Her laughter could interrupt another anomaly's abilities, which was exactly what I needed before attempting [Containment Vessel].
Unfortunately, she seemed to find the entire arrangement rather upsetting.
"Mirelle. Just once, properly."
She looked towards the camera.
Then a soft giggle escaped her lips.
⎯Hehehe...
The anomaly's smile disappeared.
Its right shoulder jerked, and one of its hands rose towards its face. It pressed its palm over its mouth, rubbing down towards its chin before taking another step away from her.
I straightened.
'There.'
Mirelle giggled again.
This time, the anomaly's knees bent. It caught itself against the wall, its fingers scraping over the plaster as it lowered itself towards the floor.
⎯...That's enough.
My hand stopped beside the microphone.
"Eh?"
That... That wasn't me.
The voice came through the speakers, sounding exactly like me.
⎯You can come back now, little one.
Mirelle turned towards the camera.
Behind her, the anomaly's hand was still covering its mouth.
"Stay there."
I said into the microphone as her head turned back towards the anomaly, then towards me.
⎯But didn't you tell me to go back?
"I haven't told you to come back."
⎯...You just did.
"No, it did."
She looked at the anomaly again.
Then lowered her head.
⎯Even you don't want me.
"That's not⎯"
I stopped myself before the conversation could become any worse.
"Keep laughing. Ignore anything you hear, even if it sounds like me. I'll send you back myself when we're done."
There was a short silence before another miserable giggle came through the speakers.
⎯He... hehe.
The anomaly lowered its hand.
Its lips remained slightly parted as it looked into the camera, and I found myself staring at the anomaly for longer than I would've liked.
'It really sounded exactly like me.'
It wasn't the first time something like this had happened, but it still felt weird seeing it live.
Especially since it almost fooled Mirelle.
⎯Hehehe.
'Alright, it's time for me to move.'
I waited through several more giggles before opening the Gate's entrance and stepping through.
The laughter sounded different without the speakers.
I could hear each small pause between them, along with the faint scraping of the anomaly's fingers against the wall.
It was sitting beneath the camera.
Mirelle stood several steps away from it, her head lowered while she continued making an effort to laugh.
I appreciated it.
'Still, the fact that the anomaly hasn't attacked Mirelle or even tried to take over her body is a good thing.'
It meant that its abilities only worked on humans.
The anomaly looked towards me.
Its fingers stopped scraping.
For a moment, it remained completely still. Then its eyes lowered towards my hands before returning to my face.
I stopped near Mirelle.
"...Keep going."
"I'm trying."
"I know."
Her next giggle made the anomaly's shoulder jerk again.
I watched carefully this time.
It lowered its head, its right hand sliding off the wall and dropping beside its leg. Its other arm hung loosely across its lap.
It looked as though it could barely hold itself upright.
That intrigued me.
'Is Mirelle's ability somehow injuring it?'
Could it be that interrupting its ability was bad for it?
I took note of that observation.
Still, I remained where I was and watched another giggle pass.
The anomaly's head dipped. Yet again, it seemed to be suffering under the laugh. Then, during the pause that followed, its eyes lifted towards me without the rest of its face moving.
I took a step to the side.
Its eyes followed.
"...Hmm. You're thinking of ways to get to me, aren't you?"
The anomaly didn't respond.
Its lips moved slightly, though. I watched them open and close several times before realizing it was repeating what I had said.
At least, it tried, but no sound came out.
It continued for a little while after I stopped speaking.
'This is rather troublesome. I need to get close to use [Containment Vessel], but I don't really want to get closer.'
It couldn't know exactly what I was planning, but it certainly made me cautious. I started having second thoughts, but I was quick to make up my mind.
I needed to get stronger. There was no doubt about it in my mind.
My time was limited, and with the recent events at the school, I knew that I had to take even more risks in order to get better.
I turned to the side, facing the several anomalies that had suddenly appeared.
"If anything happens to me, make sure to use your abilities."
In particular, I was talking to the Conductor, who stood in the corner of the room with a thin smile on its face.
I waited.
"Hehe."
Another one of Mirelle's giggles passed before I started to move. I knew that in that moment, there was no way for its abilities to work.
This was my window.
"There we go."
I moved closer, stopping beyond its reach.
Its eyes still stared at me, but I could tell that it was trying to use its abilities. Mirelle's giggle was preventing it from doing so.
"Hehehe..."
Its hand suddenly moved as Mirelle's giggle continued.
In that moment, a part of me made me want to stop, but I didn't.
I could see that it was trying to trick me into wasting time. Mirelle's giggles didn't last forever. The short window that she took to take a breath was enough for it to act.
Of course, the moment Mirelle used her giggle again, I'd be free again.
In that sense, I wasn't too worried.
"....."
The anomaly slowly withdrew its hand.
There was no point pretending that I hadn't seen that.
"Impatient, aren't you?"
Its lips moved, my voice coming out of its lips.
I ignored its words and hastened my steps, my node churning as I readied myself for what was to come. Looking at the anomaly more closely, it seemed like it had even gotten the rhythm of my breaths exactly the same.
I swallowed.
Its throat moved as well.
Mirelle's giggle continued to echo in the air as I approached the anomaly, stopping right before it. I only looked into its eyes for the briefest of moments before finally reaching towards the anomaly.
I felt slightly nervous, but the thought disappeared rather quickly as my fingers touched its shoulder and I activated [Containment Vessel].
The response came immediately.
"⎯⎯!"
Pain travelled up my arm, sharp enough to make my elbow stiffen. I clenched my teeth and tried working my first node.
'...T-this is a bit more painful than I expected.'
I hadn't struggled this much in the past.
Still, clenching my teeth, I persisted as the pain continued to travel down my entire arm while I held onto the anomaly's shoulder as it continued to stare at me.
Calmly.
The more it looked at me with such calmness, the greater the unease that I felt.
But I tried to push the unease away.
I tried to focus everything on my first node, pulling the anomaly closer and closer towards me as I tried to integrate it into my mind.
But just as things were starting to stabilize⎯
"Huh?"
A notification flashed before my eyes.
[Containment failed.]
My node stopped working at once as my eyes widened slightly.
At the same time, I felt something press against my wrist as I tried to pull my hand away. Something cold closed around my wrist as the anomaly's lips pulled into a smile, and our eyes met.
"...Oh, shit."
-x-X-x-
"...Let go."
Please?
I tried pulling my hand away, but its fingers only tightened, pressing against the bones in my wrist. The pain from the failed containment had yet to fade, and this wasn't helping.
In fact, it hurt quite a bit.
Stop it.
"Mirelle."
"Hehehe..."
The anomaly didn't react despite Mirelle's laugh. Its grip remained exactly the same.
I looked down at my wrist.
'Oh, shit.'
It wasn't using an ability to hold me. Those were just its fingers, and unfortunately, I found myself unable to break free despite trying to pull away.
I had been rather occupied with everything it might do with the body swap that I hadn't given much thought to what it could do physically.
'Fuck, it's pretty strong.'
Thankfully, I wasn't completely helpless.
A thin veil of darkness stirred behind the anomaly as the Voidwalker emerged without a sound, its arm narrowing as it lifted it above the anomaly's shoulder.
But as if sensing the Voidwalker's presence, the anomaly suddenly pulled me closer.
"...!"
My balance gave out as I stumbled forward, my free hand catching its shoulder. At the same time, Mirelle stopped laughing as the anomaly brought its hand to my face.
My eyes widened at the sight, its fingers already reaching for my eyes when⎯
Ting!
A thin sound echoed across the room.
The hand stopped.
Its fingertips remained a short distance from my cheek, trembling slightly as the Conductor lowered his finger.
"Careful there."
I immediately pulled backwards and tried to free myself from the anomaly's grip.
But...
Even with the rest of its body still, the fingers around my wrist refused to open. I caught its thumb with my free hand and tried bending it away, but before I could loosen anything⎯
"Hehehe..."
Mirelle's laughter returned.
The anomaly's grip over my wrist tightened, the pain reaching me. I tried my best not to show much of a reaction, but I could feel the bones creaking under the force of its grip.
"Could you... like, let go a bit? It's starting to hurt."
It looked up.
Behind it, the Voidwalker moved once again.
I caught a glimpse of a dark blade forming before the anomaly suddenly twisted, dragging me across its body. My shoulder entered the path of the blade, which stopped close enough for me to feel something cold against my shirt.
"....."
The Voidwalker looked at me.
I looked back and drew a cold breath.
"...It's good that you've stopped⎯uekh!"
The anomaly pulled again, forcing my arm across my stomach as it pressed itself against my back. Its free hand slid beneath my jaw, grabbing from below, and ready to snap my neck at any given second.
'This is getting rather unpleasant.'
The Voidwalker moved to the side. The anomaly turned with it, keeping me between them while its thumb slowly pressed beneath my chin.
The Conductor's hand remained raised. Mirelle stood a few steps away, her shoulders shaking as another strained giggle escaped her lips, but it was of no use as the anomaly held me completely hostage.
Everyone was looking at me.
I understood how they felt. I was also wondering what they were supposed to do.
"Perhaps we can talk about this."
The fingers beneath my jaw tightened.
I could tell...
With one simple movement, it could end me.
"...Apparently not."
I tried shifting my arm again, but the pain spreading through my wrist made me stop. With its other hand against my face, I couldn't even turn my head properly.
At the same time, I could feel its gaze directed towards Mirelle.
It was waiting...
Waiting for her to pause before taking over.
Haha.
I wanted to laugh.
Really...
"He... hehe..."
Her laughter was becoming quieter and quieter by the second. I could see that she was trying her best to keep laughing, but she couldn't do so forever as I looked towards the others. Even they were a little stumped, considering that any action from them would lead to the anomaly killing me.
That...
'I'm a hostage.'
"That is I."
The anomaly's cheek brushed against the side of my head.
I tried working my first node again, but the moment I tried, I felt the anomaly press its hand deeper into my neck, forcing me to stop.
"...Stop it."
It even spoke. With my own voice.
Wonderful.
The Voidwalker tried moving once more, but I could feel the anomaly turning before it had even finished moving. The Voidwalker stopped immediately. There wasn't much room for me or anyone to do anything.
This anomaly...
It seemed to be prepared for everything.
Eventually, I shrugged.
It wasn't a particularly good shrug, considering the circumstances.
"...Well, this is rather bad."
"Hehe... he..."
Mirelle's voice grew more and more strained, tears forming at the sides of her face as she looked at me.
In the end, I just shook my head.
She stopped.
"...."
For a brief moment, the room went completely silent.
Then the hand against my face pressed closer.
And soon⎯
My entire body went cold, my mind losing connection to all my limbs.
"⎯!"
I felt my jaw move.
Not open, but move...
The sensation felt as though someone had reached beneath my skin and pulled my face slightly from beneath.
My feet were still touching the floor.
I could feel that.
But when I looked down, I saw my shoes from behind.
'...What?'
Another string sounded.
It seemed to come from somewhere outside the room, although I could still see the Conductor standing in front of me.
In front of which me?
I tried raising my free hand.
The hand I was looking at remained by my side. Something moved beside my face instead, and I felt fingers pressing against my cheek.
Except now, I could feel the cheek beneath those fingers too.
My stomach turned as the room moved again. For a moment, I was staring at the back of my own head, watching my body lean against me while my lips slowly opened.
I could still feel my wrist hurting.
Only now, I could also feel how tightly I was holding it.
'Stop.'
I tried releasing the grip.
Nothing happened.
My mouth moved somewhere in front of me.
"...Stop."
The voice sounded like mine, but I didn't mean to say it aloud. I was struggling to understand what was happening. It was as if I was continuously swapping between the two bodies, but also acting more like a spectator.
It felt... incredibly weird.
Something pressed against the inside of my forehead.
Then... came the absolute silence.
It was a silence that felt so weird that for a moment I stopped struggling.
Usually, I'd be assaulted by dozens of voices inside of my head, telling me what to do and what not to do. It was hard for me to tell which one I had to follow and which one I had to ignore, but at this very moment...
All the voices were gone.
All I heard was a strange silence.
One... that felt strangely comforting.
I tried closing my eyes, but the view of my own back remained. Instead, the room disappeared from the other side, leaving me looking through only one pair of eyes.
Something else was still trying to look through the pair I had closed.
My eyelids twitched.
Then opened.
"No."
I wasn't sure which mouth had said it.
The pressure continued moving further inside my head, and the voices returned.
Each seemed to be telling me to do something different, and for a moment, I felt my body trying to listen to all of them.
'Turn around.'
'Stay still.'
'Open your mouth.'
'Which one?'
The same words started coming through the mouth beside my ear, overlapping until I couldn't make out where one sentence ended and another began.
But then, the voices faded completely. My vision shifted as well.
I couldn't tell which was me.
Until⎯
Something stiffened behind me.
I felt its fingers before I could see them, each joint bending painfully as its grip over my jaw started to loosen. Its arm jerked away from my face, then reached towards it again, missing and catching its own cheek instead.
"N-no..."
My voice came out of its mouth.
Then another sound followed, several voices struggling through the same throat.
"N-no... No... no... NO... N-o."
Then⎯
"AAAAAAAAH⎯!"
The anomaly suddenly shrieked.
It was a heart-wrenching shriek. One that seemed to come directly from the soul as the anomaly started twisting against the wall, one shoulder rising while the other pulled backwards. Its hands clawed at its head, fingers digging into its hair as its mouth opened far wider than before.
The sensations started to return to me, alongside the voices.
That was reassuring in a way.
'...That was trippy.'
I remained where I was for several seconds, trying to breathe while the anomaly slowly stopped shaking. Its hands lowered, and its eyes moved across the room before finding me.
It immediately pressed itself further against the wall, its body trembling.
Almost as if... it was scared of me.
Ah?
"....."
I looked down at my wrist. Blue marks were starting to form where its fingers had been, and my hand wouldn't quite stop trembling.
Did it break?
When I looked back at the anomaly, the anomaly tried moving away.
There wasn't anywhere for it to go.
I rubbed the side of my head before understanding what was going on.
'Don't tell me it got scared after body-swapping with me and hearing all the voices in my head.'
I mean, anyone would go crazy over them.
Not me though.
"My head is a little fucked up, I know."
It stared at me.
This time, it didn't try repeating my words.
I approached carefully, keeping my attention on its hands. The Voidwalker moved beside it while the Conductor watched from the other side.
The anomaly looked between them before returning its attention to me, its back pressed against the wall as its hands tried to look for a way out.
"...Let's try this again."
I reached towards its shoulder.
It flinched, turning around in desperation as it tried to claw away from the room.
"There. There."
My first node activated as I used [Containment Vessel].
The pain returned, but the force pushing against me before was gone as I pressed my hand against the anomaly's head.
Then...
Its mouth opened, but nothing came out.
A moment later, my fingers closed around its head as a notification appeared before my eyes.
[Containment successful.]
[ Ranked Mimic]
-x-X-x-
"Haa..."
I sucked in a deep breath, keeping my hand where it was for several seconds before finally pulling it away. My first node still ached, and when I tried moving my fingers, the pain in my wrist made me stop.
"...That took quite a bit out of me."
The Mimic remained pressed against the wall. Its eyes followed my hand as I lowered it, its shoulders drawing closer together when I moved.
I looked at it for a moment before scratching the back of my head.
I almost felt a little sorry for it.
Almost.
'Isn't this great? Why are all the anomalies that I contain somehow weird...?'
The Voidwalker always wanted to fight me. Mirelle was in a state of constant depression. Mr. Jingles was also in a state of depression ever since Mirelle turned into an adult, and the Conductor was... well, the Conductor.
'I guess the mirror anomaly is the only normal one.'
That being said, I was a little bummed out about how things turned out.
'Really wanted to test my new node.'
I had been preparing to use it when the Mimic just gave up.
"Pathetic."
Flinch!
The anomaly flinched, hugging its shoulders together as it looked away from me.
"Alright, I'm not going to..."
Flinch! Flinch!
"....."
Whatever.
I looked down at my wrist again, and sighed.
It would've been nice if things had turned out this way a little earlier.
"...It hurts."
"So do I."
I turned towards Mirelle.
She was sitting on the floor with her head lowered, her hair spilling over her knees. One of her fingers moved against the floor as she slowly drew a circle.
"You did well."
"Did I?"
"Yes. You helped quite a bit."
She stopped drawing.
For a moment, I thought she was pleased. Then she slowly lifted her head.
"So I was useful."
"Very."
"...That's all I am."
"....."
I opened my mouth before closing it again. My head was already hurting, and it was starting to hurt more.
"You can go rest now."
"...Because you're done with me."
"Because you're tired."
"Tired of being used."
I rubbed the side of my face.
She seemed to have enough energy to keep doing this, at least.
"Would you rather stay?"
"And watch you play with your new friend?"
I looked towards the Mimic, which immediately tried pressing itself further against the wall.
Friend was a rather generous word.
"...You can rest here."
Mirelle lowered her head again. A quiet sigh escaped her mouth before she slowly disappeared, leaving me staring at the spot where she had been sitting.
I still wasn't sure which part of the conversation had upset her the most.
Probably all of it.
When I turned towards the Voidwalker, it was already fading. I raised my hand slightly, but the last of the darkness disappeared before I could say anything.
"Right. Thank you too."
Of the others, only the Conductor remained.
It stood a short distance away, its attention fixed on the Mimic. The thin smile on its face hadn't changed, which bothered me a little considering what had just happened.
"You look rather pleased."
"It was an interesting performance."
"I wasn't performing."
Its eyes shifted towards me.
"...I suggest you be more careful in the future. Things are starting to proceed in a way that even I can't predict. But I'm especially curious about the things that were said by that guy from before. If we are nothing but the result of this big game that is being played, who created me?"
My hand stopped against my wrist.
For a moment, neither of us spoke. I looked at the Conductor, waiting for it to say something else, but it only continued smiling.
"...Do you want to find out?"
"No."
A soft chuckle followed.
"Just food for thought. I don't really care. I feel more alive the way that I am."
"Ah?"
"It's fun."
Oh, alright...
Weirdo.
All of a sudden, the Conductor gestured towards the Mimic.
"This guy you just got... can make a good pianist for my concert."
"....."
I slowly turned to look at Mimic.
A certain image appeared in my mind. The Mimic sitting in front of a piano, looking exactly like me, while the Conductor stood behind it.
A shiver ran down my back.
'It would do that, wouldn't it?'
The Conductor chuckled again, and by the time I looked back, it was already disappearing.
I remained where I was for a while before returning my attention to the Mimic.
It was still watching me.
"...My condolences."
Flinch!
I felt a little more sorry for it now.
Not enough to take its place, but still.
***
By the time Zoey returned to the Guild, her shoulders were starting to ache.
The raid had gone well. They had finished without any serious injuries, and the team had followed her instructions without making any major mistakes.
Looking at them now, it was rather hard to tell.
One of the members lowered himself onto a bench near the entrance and remained there, his bag still hanging from his shoulder. Another stopped beside him, seemingly considering whether to do the same.
"Go rest."
Neither needed to be told twice.
Zoey watched them leave before looking at the schedule on her phone. Her lips pressed together as she checked the next assignment.
It hadn't changed.
'This is getting ridiculous.'
Her schedule was packed from top to bottom. There was not one single day or moment where they were free besides when they needed to sleep.
And even that was cut shorter than usual.
Furthermore, finishing a raid without anyone getting seriously injured didn't mean they could immediately start preparing for another. They were managing for now, but she could already see how tired everyone was becoming.
She wasn't doing much better herself.
Zoey put the phone away and continued down the corridor. She needed to speak to the Section Chief about the situation. At this rate, she wasn't certain she could keep members from dying or leaving.
"Yeah, this is stupid."
Zoey continued ahead, moving past the lobby before suddenly pausing at the sight of a familiar office space.
"....."
For a moment, she simply looked at the name beside it.
Then her lips pursed.
She hadn't been thinking about the school when she entered the building. Yet, standing in front of his office, she found herself recalling the moment the Gate had appeared.
The school disappearing.
The road and the buildings around it following.
She still remembered looking towards Kyle, waiting for him to explain what was happening.
And before that...
The money.
'...One million.'
Zoey's fingers tightened slightly around the strap of her bag.
She had tried not to think too deeply about it. There had been too much happening at the time, and after Seth returned, making sure he was all right had seemed considerably more important.
But the order of events still bothered her.
Right after sending her money to Kyle, the Gate had appeared, and Seth had eventually come out of it.
That...
"....."
Her eyes returned to the door.
It couldn't have been him.
Could it?
'No, that's absurd.'
She immediately shook her head. Sending someone money didn't explain how a Gate could suddenly appear around an entire district.
There were too many things she didn't understand to decide that the two were connected.
Still...
What if?
Zoey stood there for several more seconds before raising both hands and slapping her cheeks.
Slap!
The sound was louder than she had intended.
She glanced down the corridor. Thankfully, nobody seemed to have noticed.
"...Right. I said I wouldn't do this again."
She lowered her hands.
Seth had secrets. That much was obvious, and she doubted he would suddenly explain all of them just because she asked.
But that didn't mean she had to stand outside his office and make up the answers herself.
She had already caused enough trouble by doing that.
If something bothered her, she could speak to him. Whether he answered was another matter, but at least she wouldn't leave with a conclusion he hadn't even had the chance to respond to.
Zoey adjusted the bag on her shoulder and approached the door.
She wasn't going to demand that he explain everything about the school.
She could start by asking how he was doing.
That was a normal thing to ask.
Taking a small breath, she raised her hand and knocked.
To Tok⎯
-x-X-x-
"Come in."
I looked up as the door opened, finding Zoey standing outside with a bag hanging from her shoulder. Her gaze moved around the office before settling on me, then lowered towards the hand I was rubbing.
"...What happened?"
"Work-related stuff, you know? Had my hand held pretty tightly."
She looked at the marks around my wrist.
"Rather tightly, apparently... Did you get it checked?"
"Not yet. I've only just convinced it to let go."
Zoey stared at me for a moment before closing the door behind her.
She looked tired, and when she lowered her bag beside the chair, she rolled her shoulder before sitting down.
Looking at her and seeing how exhausted she looked, I couldn't help but ask, "Another raid?"
"Yes."
"How did it go?"
"We just finished."
"Oh, not bad. Seems like you were pretty successful with the raid."
I mean, she looked alright.
"Right, but I'm supposed to prepare for the next one already."
"...Oh."
I nodded sympathetically. Finishing work only to discover more work waiting was something I understood quite well.
Unfortunately, I wasn't particularly qualified to help. My own work had just tried to take over my body.
"How have you been?"
She suddenly asked.
I paused for a moment and raised my hand.
"...Besides the hand?"
"Yes, besides the hand. After everything at the school."
"I've been doing quite well."
Her eyes returned to my wrist.
"That happened somewhere else."
"Right..."
She shifted in her chair, looking towards the papers on my desk before asking whether I had been resting. I told her I had, although she didn't seem particularly convinced.
Eventually, we ran out of things to say.
Zoey looked at me, then towards the door, then back at me. I waited for her to explain why she had come, but she only adjusted the strap of the bag beside her.
Several seconds passed.
Then I understood.
"You're flirting with me, aren't you?"
"Huh?"
Her head turned so quickly that I almost worried about her neck.
"I see. That explains it."
"Explains what?"
"The questions. Whether I'm resting, how I'm feeling... You looked at my hand because you were jealous, weren't you?"
"No, that's.... I was just asking."
"Yes. A very common beginning."
I nodded to myself.
"According to some dating books I've been reading, it first starts with the initial interest. Then, well, the interest blooms with the girl denying it before they eventually admit it, and then they hold hands and have kids."
"What? What sort of... wait, why are you even reading dating books?"
"Reading what?"
"....."
She opened her mouth before closing it again. I leaned back, giving her some time to collect herself.
The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced.
She was flirting with me.
"I am not flirting with you."
Right, the denial part.
That's where she's at.
"Why would you think that? Do you know how many people want to date me?"
"No. How many?"
"That's not the point."
"You asked."
Zoey pressed her lips together.
I waited patiently.
"...A lot."
"And yet you're here."
"Because I wanted to talk to you!"
"I noticed. You've been making quite an effort."
She stared at me, her fingers tightening around the strap of her bag.
"Listen. If I were flirting with you, I wouldn't need to do all of this."
"Oh?"
"I'd just say it."
"Say what?"
"That I'm flirting with you. I'm-⎯"
She stopped.
I nodded slowly.
"...Thank you for telling me."
"That isn't what I meant!"
"You don't have to take it back. I won't tell anyone."
"Seth."
"Although a little more small talk would've been nice. This feels rather sudden."
Zoey lowered her head and pressed her fingers against her forehead. For a moment, she remained like that before looking up at me again.
"The more I look at you, the more I feel like you're turning into Team Leader Soran."
"Ah, another one that is in love with me."
"....."
I brushed my hair up.
"I am handsome."
She took a deep breath.
"The money."
"...Ah."
My smile faded a little.
This was considerably less pleasant than flirting.
"What about it?"
"The million I sent to Kyle."
"...Oh, so it wasn't all his money."
"No, I helped him, and I'm not here to ask for it back right now."
My shoulders relaxed.
"You should've started with that."
"That doesn't mean you can forget about it."
"Of course not."
I had an excellent memory when people reminded me.
Zoey watched me for another moment before her expression grew more serious. She let go of her bag, resting her hands in her lap.
"I don't need it immediately. That's not what's been bothering me."
I waited.
"Kyle asked for it while you were still inside the school. He seemed to know something, but there wasn't time to explain, so I sent it."
Her gaze settled on mine.
"Then the Gate appeared."
"....."
"I've been thinking about it. The timing, what Kyle said, and the fact that you eventually came out..."
She paused before shaking her head.
"I started wondering whether you had something to do with it."
I remained quiet.
Zoey looked down at her hands, rubbing her thumb against one of her knuckles.
"Then I started remembering the past and how I often misunderstood you and jumped to conclusions on my own..."
She let out a small breath.
"...And I realised I was doing the same thing all over again."
"So you came here."
"Yes."
That explained the rather awkward conversation.
Well, most of it.
"I know you have things you can't tell me," she continued. "I'm not asking you to explain all of them. I just want to know... if I'm imagining things. If I'm jumping to conclusions again. Did you...?"
Her eyes lifted towards me again.
"Have anything to do with the appearance of the Gate?"
"....."
I looked at her for a while.
I mean, it was bound to happen eventually. Zoey wasn't dumb. She was considerably smart, and she always did sniff out the truth behind certain incidents. I only barely managed to hide the truth by gaslighting her, but things continued to pile on, and I knew that Zoey wasn't dumb enough not to know something was happening with me.
I appreciated the fact that she came to me first.
Still...
'How much should I tell her?'
Even Kyle didn't properly understand everything. He knew enough to help when I needed him, but that didn't mean he understood what happened to the money or how I used it. He had a vague idea, but not a full idea.
Explaining that to Zoey would lead to other questions.
Questions I wasn't particularly ready to answer.
I lowered my hand onto the desk.
"The money helped."
Her fingers stopped moving.
"With the Gate?"
"Yes."
"So you were..."
"I was behind it appearing."
Zoey remained still, watching me carefully as I continued.
"I didn't create it. But I had a way to trigger it, and the money helped me do that."
"To get out?"
I nodded.
"I had my reasons for doing it that way. I can't explain everything, but without your help, things would've been considerably more difficult."
That was as much as I was willing to tell her.
For several seconds, she didn't respond. Her gaze moved towards my wrist again before returning to my face.
Then she slowly nodded.
"I see..."
"You're not going to ask anything else?"
"Would you answer?"
"Probably not."
"Then there's no point."
She leaned back slightly, her shoulders lowering.
"I just wanted to hear it from you."
I found myself nodding.
That was reasonable.
Surprisingly so. I had become rather accustomed to her just accusing me of things that I did. Felt like a breath of fresh air.
Zoey reached for her bag.
"I should go. I still need to speak to the Section Chief about our schedule."
"Good luck."
"Oh, but do you think he's in a good mood?"
"Him? I don't know. He's probably tired."
She looked at me.
I looked back.
Eventually, she sighed and stood up.
"Never mind. I'll find out."
She lifted the bag onto her shoulder and started moving towards the door.
"Oh, Zoey."
She glanced back.
"What?"
"Next time, you can just ask me to dinner."
Her shoe caught the leg of the chair.
She caught herself against the desk before turning towards me, her face contorted as she looked at me.
"You..."
I pursed my lips together and looked up.
"...To conquer a man, one must conquer its stoma⎯"
CLANK!
The door closed before I could finish my sentence.
"....."
Silence settled over the office.
I remained sitting for a while before reaching towards the drawer with my uninjured hand. Taking out the radio, I turned it on, and a quiet burst of static filled the room.
Krrr...
I adjusted the dial before placing it beside the laptop.
With Zoey gone, my thoughts returned to Silver Lantern.
Their member that Joanna and the others had found was still in a coma, and I still had yet to rule out the possibility of VILE - 1048's involvement. It felt like a bit of a stretch, but at the same time not.
"...I think I should go."
I picked up my phone and looked for their contact.
It was time to arrange another visit.