1. The Door Opens Before Anyone Says "Come In"
The door knocked itself again.
Then, impatiently, opened anyway.
Ne Job screamed into his sleeves.
"I DIDN'T AUTHORIZE VISITORS."
A figure stepped inside.
No—
three figures, layered on top of each other like badly merged forms.
They wore uniforms that couldn't decide what era they belonged to: ancient sleeves, modern badges, future-proof seals that kept glitching.
Their faces blurred if you stared too long.
Yue stiffened.
"…Oh no."
Qi-Yun's eyes narrowed.
"…That's impossible."
The tallest figure bowed.
"Department of Unresolved Matters,"
"Temporary delegation,"
"Here to report to our Handler."
They all looked at Ne Job.
Ne Job slowly lowered his hands.
"…Me?"
All three nodded.
In unison.
"Yes."
Ne Job passed out.
Briefly.
2. Ne Job Wakes Up to a Promotion He Actively Did Not Want
He came to with Yue splashing water on his face.
"Wake up," she hissed.
"You can't faint in front of inter-departmental anomalies."
Ne Job groaned.
"I didn't faint. I strategically powered down."
The figures were still there.
Standing.
Waiting.
The middle one coughed politely and handed him a scroll.
It unrolled forever.
WELCOME, ACTING HANDLER
Department Status: Reactivated (Against Recommendation)
Staff Count: 0.5
Budget: Classified
Survival Rate: Not Recorded
Ne Job blinked.
"…Why is the staff count HALF."
The figure replied calmly:
"You."
Yue pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Of course."
3. Qi-Yun Explains Why This Department Was Buried
Qi-Yun stepped forward.
"This department was sealed before Heaven standardized outcomes," he said.
"It handled matters Oversight couldn't quantify."
Ne Job squinted.
"…Like?"
Qi-Yun gestured to the endless scroll.
"Unanswered prayers that changed history anyway."
"Gods who quit."
"Fates that refused to resolve."
"Mistakes that became traditions."
Ne Job felt the weight of it press on his lungs.
"So… the mess."
Qi-Yun nodded.
"The permanent one."
The tallest delegate added:
"We were shut down after the Thirty-Seventh Deferral Collapse."
Ne Job looked up.
"…That sounds bad."
Yue answered softly.
"It erased an entire afterlife waiting room."
Ne Job stared.
"…Oh."
4. The First Case Isn't a Case — It's a Visit
The printer on Ne Job's desk whirred violently.
A file printed itself in red.
CASE FILE 0004
Title: The First Visit
Status: Already Here
Ne Job swallowed.
"I don't like cases that arrive before I read them."
The lights flickered.
The air turned cold.
A presence stepped through the wall like it had forgotten doors were optional.
It looked human.
Almost.
A god's face—
but hollow, unfinished, like someone had stopped halfway through believing in themselves.
Qi-Yun stiffened.
"…You."
The figure smiled sadly.
"Hello, Auditor."
Yue whispered:
"That's a Missing One."
Ne Job's voice came out small.
"What do they want?"
The god looked directly at him.
"To be acknowledged."
5. The Missing God Explains (Badly)
"I was filed as 'temporarily inactive,'" the god said.
"So I waited."
Ne Job nodded slowly.
"…How long?"
"Three ages."
Ne Job inhaled sharply.
"I kept my domain running myself," the god continued.
"No prayers processed. No worship counted. I just… maintained."
Their smile cracked.
"Then mortals stopped remembering why the sun rises where it does."
Yue felt sick.
Qi-Yun closed his eyes.
"This should have been escalated."
"Yes," the god agreed gently.
"But it wasn't."
They turned back to Ne Job.
"So now I'm here."
The shadow at Ne Job's feet stirred.
6. Ne Job Makes His First Handler Decision (While Panicking)
Ne Job stared at the file.
Then at the god.
Then at Qi-Yun.
"…What happens if I reject this?"
Qi-Yun answered honestly.
"The god dissolves."
Ne Job's stomach dropped.
"And if I accept?"
Qi-Yun hesitated.
"You rewrite responsibility."
The god waited.
No threats.
No demands.
Just… tired hope.
Ne Job picked up the Undefined Ink Pen.
His hand shook.
"I don't know what I'm doing," he said.
The shadow whispered:
"NEITHER DID THEY."
Ne Job exhaled.
Then stamped the file.
CASE STATUS: ACCEPTED
The room shuddered.
7. Consequences Begin Immediately (As Always)
The god gasped.
Color rushed back into their form.
Light stabilized.
Somewhere far away, mortals looked up—
and remembered.
The printer screamed.
A new notice printed:
WARNING
Oversight Review Triggered
Reason: Unauthorized Restoration
Yue swore.
Qi-Yun smiled.
"Good."
Ne Job looked up in horror.
"GOOD?!"
Qi-Yun met his eyes.
"They're watching now."
The god bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Handler."
Then vanished—
properly this time.
8. The Department Lives (Unfortunately)
The three delegates saluted.
"First resolution logged."
"Department confirmed operational."
"Oversight hostility probability: High."
Ne Job slumped over his desk.
"I wanted a normal internship."
Yue patted his shoulder.
"You picked the wrong universe."
The shadow settled behind him.
Content.
The printer began warming up again.
Another file queued.
And another.
And another.
Ne Job stared at the growing stack.
"…How many unresolved matters are there?"
Qi-Yun answered quietly.
"All of them."
END OF CHAPTER 267