The night wind was cool, carrying the damp scent unique to crushed grass.
It could only be said that after a fierce exchange of words and stubborn back-and-forth, X —now lying flat on the grass, eyes unfocused, clothes disheveled—had grown.
It happened.
It really, truly happened.
Staring blankly at the pitch-black night sky, X found what had just occurred so absurd that even now, he wasn't sure whether it had actually happened.
He… inside an Abnormality's world… had been reverse-forced by a skull—no—by a nun-type Abnormality?
"Heehee…"
A lazy, satisfied chuckle fell like a stone into still water, yanking X brutally out of the abyss of self-doubt.
One Sin and Hundreds of Good Deeds had already gotten off him and was calmly adjusting her immaculate black nun's habit, her posture elegant and composed.
As if what she had just experienced wasn't a passionate entanglement at all—but merely a refined prayer after a meal.
"Thank you for the meal, X ~"
She rested a hand on her abdomen, her expression still one of lingering satisfaction.
"I'm very full~"
As for whether that "full" referred to absorbing sin…
Or to some other, unspeakable aspect—
"..."
While One Sin and Hundreds of Good Deeds was still tidying her clothes, X seized the opportunity and fled her Abnormality world.
"Haah… what am I even doing…"
Leaning against the corridor wall of the Inner Lobotomy Corporation, X let out a despairing sigh.
Even though he had been pushed down, overwhelmed, and thoroughly taken apart—he still stubbornly believed that the root of all this chaos lay with himself.
How could a nun like One Sin and Hundreds of Good Deeds, who listened so gently to every confession, ever take such initiative?
She was clearly so kind.
So gentle.
It had to be that he had crossed some boundary.
At that moment, X recalled Fala's earlier warning.
—Abnormalities are, at their core, beasts composed of various desires. They can lose control at any time…
Yes. Desire.
Linking this thought with what Angela and the Manager's Manual had mentioned before, X finally had an epiphany.
One Sin and Hundreds of Good Deeds was an Abnormality. She, too, had desires—including that kind.
This only further confirmed his conclusion.
He hadn't maintained the proper boundaries.
But more than being pushed down, what X blamed himself for most was something else—
He hadn't resisted to the end.
At a certain moment, in the face of overwhelming force and will, he had given up resisting.
Not only did he fail to pull himself—and his "friend"—out of that chaotic, frenzied state…
He had followed instinct all the way to the end.
Though, speaking of which—
Fala, the woman who called herself the head of the Inner Lobotomy Corporation's Observation Department, had not appeared since their last parting.
And that "Observation Department" she mentioned… what exactly did it do?
—
After leaving One Sin and Hundreds of Good Deeds' Abnormality world, X did something he had never done before.
Despite still having ample time, he did not continue exploring. other parts of the Inner Lobotomy Corporation.
Instead, he simply sat on the sofa in the Control Department, waiting until he woke up.
"..."
Soon, X opened his eyes as he wished.
He tilted his head slightly, glancing at the clock on the bedside table.
4:04 a.m.
Earlier than any previous awakening.
But he felt no trace of sleepiness.
Even if he closed his eyes, that scene would replay itself in his mind—
And then he would feel even less able to sleep.
—
Click.
X pushed open the door to the Control Department.
To be honest, seeing the furnishings of the director's office made him feel momentarily dazed.
Because he suddenly realized—
He had spent far more time in the Inner Lobotomy Corporation's Control Department than in this real one.
Especially the Control Department head, Malkuth—he seemed to have last met her sometime last week.
Among the four departments currently open, X had spoken many times with Yesod from the Information Department, Netzach from the Security Department, and Hod from the Training Department.
Yet Malkuth—the very first department head he had met, and also the busiest and most exhausted—he had barely spent any time with her.
That felt… unfair.
"Oh, good morning, Manager."
Inside the office, Malkuth was writing furiously.
The energetic girl with short dark-blonde hair noticed X and quickly stopped, greeting him with a bright smile.
"What brings you here today? And so early?"
"There's still a long time before work officially starts, isn't there?"
"I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd come see you."
X leaned forward slightly, curious about her desk.
"What are you working on right now?"
"Oh, this?"
Malkuth held up a small memo pad.
Rather than feeling offended or embarrassed by X 's curiosity, she looked positively radiant with energy.
"I told you before, didn't I? I'm pretty careless—when I get busy, I forget things easily… so I have to write down my daily workflow and key points."
"That way I won't miss anything, and I won't get scolded by you or Angela."
"I don't think I've ever scolded you… I've always thought you were doing a great job…"
X chuckled awkwardly.
Then he brought up something else.
"By the way, Malku."
Most of the department heads' names were a bit of a mouthful, so X often used nicknames he'd come up with himself.
"That 'Dusk' ordeal you mentioned—when exactly is it supposed to appear?"
"I've basically been working overtime every day lately, often going well past Qliphoth Meltdown Level Ten…"
"But the highest ordeal that's shown up so far is still only Noon."
"Umm… that, I'm not really sure either."
Malkuth scratched her head, clearly embarrassed that she couldn't help her manager.
"You might need to ask the Disciplinary Department or the Research Department about the specific trigger conditions~"
"Disciplinary? Research?"
"Oh—sorry, Manager! I forgot those two departments haven't been unlocked yet!"
She smacked her forehead, then quickly switched to a lighter tone and smiled reassuringly.
"But you really don't need to be so anX ious. After all, the tasks I assigned you don't have a time limit, right?"
She picked up her pen again, clearly ready to resume her work.
"In Lobotomy Corporation, time reveals all mysteries. You just need to be patient."
"Is that so…?"
X repeated her words softly.
"…Be patient?"
Angela had said something similar.
So had Malkuth.
But ever since B disappeared, X had felt that his time wasn't nearly as abundant as his subordinates claimed.
And so he felt anX ious.
AnX ious from not knowing the truth.
AnX ious from a vague, formless unease—
As if, if he didn't deal with certain things in time, he would meet a truly horrifying end.
…Huh?
What kind of end was that again?
"Alright, Manager. I still suggest you go back and get some more sleep."
Malkuth sat back down, clearly signaling the end of the conversation.
"Even just two extra hours can greatly ease your anxiety."
"Alright… goodbye, Malku."
"Goodbye, Manager."
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