Night, the Manager's Bedroom.
"…Hod's psychological issues seem to be getting more serious. That's not a good sign."
"A Wing of the World wouldn't allow someone with mental instability to hold a high-ranking position in a department like Training, where you have to interact with so many people."
"And Hod appears to be a hybrid—robot body with a human brain. That makes it even more unlikely."
"And it's not just Hod. According to observations from several elite employees, the heads of the four departments I've unlocked so far… all seem to have psychological problems to varying degrees."
"The more this goes on, the more curious I become about those things they told me before—about how much deeper meaning I still haven't understood…"
Ding-dong—
A communication request from Angela popped up in the lower-right corner of the projection screen, interrupting X 's typing.
"Hello?"
X accepted the request.
"Good evening, Angela. It's pretty late—what's going on?"
Humm—
Angela's upper body appeared in the center of the projection.
"I've already heard about what happened in the Training Department this afternoon."
The face that usually held a perfect, polite smile was now filled with unmistakable confusion.
"Your way of handling the situation was far too soft."
"Hod openly offended you like that, yet you were still unwilling to give her the punishment she deserved?"
"You should know—good people aren't meant to have guns pointed at them."
She paused, a sharp glint flashing through her pale golden eyes.
"I was actually hoping you'd take a firmer approach."
"After all, you are the manager."
"Because we're normal people, we understand that she has knots in her heart."
X smiled as he explained.
"And because of that, we should be more patient when dealing with her."
"There are some things you can't solve just by talking, Manager."
Angela frowned slightly.
"Appropriate violence can make your work far more efficient."
"That's absolutely true."
X snapped his fingers, smiling as he agreed.
"Appropriate violence can make things easier—like subduing rampaging employees who've gone insane, or executing criminals who are truly beyond saving…"
But what followed was a completely different stance.
"However, most people can still be saved, Angela."
"Cutting everything off with a single stroke is only a stopgap—it treats the symptoms, not the root."
"In this City, you never really know whether the smile on a newly hired employee's face is hiding a bomb underneath."
"Take Hod's case, for example. She ended up like this simply because there's a knot in her heart she can't untangle on her own."
"At her core, she's a very kind person. If we can help her resolve that knot, she'll be able to help far more people in her position."
As he spoke, X smiled even more brightly.
"So this isn't weakness—it's tolerance. Do you understand? Tolerance."
"It's like practicing medicine. Almost every doctor encounters patients who can't clearly explain their symptoms due to a lack of expertise. You have to be patient, guide them, and help them articulate what's really wrong…"
"Are these views of yours born from pity?"
Angela watched X closely, still seeming unable to fully grasp his perspective.
"Forgive my bluntness, X , but this is nothing more than arrogance—a sense of superiority that comes from being stronger than others, looking down on them from above."
"That isn't pity. Pity has a negative connotation."
X corrected her calmly.
"This should be called empathy."
"And I've never interacted with others from a position of superiority, Angela… If you put it that way, I'll honestly feel a little hurt."
"…"
This time, Angela fell silent for quite a while.
It was hard to tell whether she was considering his correction—or whether that last, lightly teasing remark had thrown her off balance.
"…You truly are a saint through and through."
That was all she said in the end.
"I wouldn't go that far."
X shook his head. The smile on his face softened, tinged with a hint of reflection.
"I'm just… an ordinary person who wants the people around him—the people he cares about—to live happy, fulfilling lives."
"…Then am I on your 'list of people you care about'?"
"Hm?"
X refocused on the projection in front of him, eyebrows lifting in surprise.
It was genuinely hard to believe… that Angela would say something like that.
"Of course~"
X laughed, a genuine smile breaking across his face.
"Did you forget what I told you on my very first day?"
"We're friends, Angela."
"Then… do you also want me to be happy?"
"Yes."
X nodded without hesitation.
"So… Angela, what do you want me to help you with?"
"Then I want you to stop wronging yourself by endlessly accommodating others."
Angela's expression remained calm as she spoke flatly.
"Because when you do that, it makes me unhappy."
"Caring about others is a good thing—but please don't forget to care about yourself as well."
"…"
X , who had been listening with expectation just moments ago, deflated like a punctured balloon.
His straight posture collapsed, his back sagging against the chair, as if he were about to slump completely.
Even his voice dropped unconsciously.
"How is that 'wronging myself to accommodate others'…? I don't even feel wronged…"
"You're already contradicting what you just said, Manager."
Angela smiled—there was a trace of helplessness in it, but also a light, playful warmth.
"Could you really bear to let your secretary—and friend—continue feeling unhappy because of you?"
"Ah—! I suddenly feel sleepy! Let's call it a night, Angela. Good night!"
X hurriedly ended the call.
Beep.
The connection cut off.
"Every time it gets to moments like this, there's always that uniquely machine-like, step-by-step logical pressure…"
Leaning back in his chair, X smacked his lips, wearing a look of deep regret.
"So is she pretending to be clueless… or did mentioning the manager trigger some kind of underlying core protocol in her AI?"
"Saying I only care about others…"
"But what you said yourself sounded like you wanted to be happy—yet wasn't that still for the sake of me, this 'other person'?"
"What a shame… what a shame."
"I almost thought you'd really changed, Angela…"
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