DAY 16, 7:50 a.m.—ten minutes before work begins.
Supervisor's Office.
Angela pushed the door open and entered.
"Good morning, Supervisor."
Except for yesterday's B incident, her greetings were always punctual.
Not a second early. Not a second late.
"Ah, morning, Angela."
X greeted her with heavy dark circles under his eyes.
…
Hearing his tired voice, Angela walked up and studied his face.
Very quickly, she analyzed the problem.
"…You had insomnia. Correct?"
"Ah, not really."
X took a sip of coffee.
"I just woke up early and couldn't fall back asleep."
"Waking easily and failing to return to sleep is also a symptom of insomnia."
Angela narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Was it because of B?"
"No."
X shook his head.
He truly wasn't sleepless because of B.
But the real reason was too absurd for Angela.
Was he supposed to tell her he'd been overwhelmed by One Sin and Hundreds of Good Deeds?
She'd probably drag him straight to Training Team for mandatory psychological evaluation.
"…It's complicated," X said at last, choosing vagueness.
"It involves personal privacy."
"Oh?"
Angela withdrew her inquisitive gaze and returned to her poised stance behind the chair, hands folded—once again the cool, professional secretary.
But from that drawn-out little response, X could tell she'd misunderstood something.
And the angle of misunderstanding was… spectacular.
Sure enough, while X opened the control panel to allocate staff and E.G.O. equipment, Angela's voice drifted from behind him:
"Humans have three major needs: hunger, sleep, and… the desire to reproduce. I understand you, X."
"While this is not uncommon in a long-term sealed facility like ours, I must remind you of something."
"If you truly find it unbearable, please go to the company's recreational equipment room. There are specialized tools there designed to deal with such impulses."
"Do not satisfy biological urges by forming improper private relationships with our employees."
"Even if… they are willing."
"?"
X froze mid-operation.
He couldn't stop himself from turning to stare at Angela, who was blinking at him with innocent mischief.
She gave a small, sly smile.
"This is also for your own safety. After all, no one knows what you may encounter."
"…Do I look like someone whose head is full of filth?"
X had no strength left to even complain properly.
After that one rhetorical question, he stopped engaging her teasing and just muttered internally:
Fine. Believe whatever you want.
This kind of mutual misunderstanding and harmless joking… perhaps it really did mean they'd gotten closer than before.
And in moments like this, she felt more like a living "person," not a cold machine.
At least it dulled that lingering anxiety and dread in his chest.
Maybe… that was a good thing.
While X was still mentally grumbling, three Abnormality containment boxes slid into the center of the main screen.
Today's choices.
X focused, opened each box's information, and read:
[O-05-61]
Only those unafraid of death can truly live.
[F-01-02]
I am… coming… for you… You will… become… ash… like me…
[O-04-08]
The girl begged through tears: "Sir, please cut off my feet!"
After reading, X barely hesitated.
He chose the left box.
[O-05-61].
A clear hint like that significantly reduced the risk range.
—
Watching X work—composed, methodical—Angela's brows lifted slightly.
I know you're not that kind of person.
…But if I say it this way, you'll be more cautious toward anyone who might harbor improper thoughts about you.
That was her little strategy. It was going smoothly.
And yet, for some reason, an inexplicable unease clung to her.
It felt like something she'd guarded carefully—something she'd intended to savor at the most crucial moment—had already been stolen and tasted by some unknown intruder.
A mistake?
It had to be a mistake.
Angela searched through recent events in her mind.
Everything was proceeding in orderly fashion, as always.
Even the greatest instability—B—had been returned to the script's position.
Who, then, could still produce an unforeseen change?
-------
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