["It feeds on the "evil" that seeps out during conversations between people."]
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Y/n's POV

I suddenly felt myself waking up to the darkness of my room. I turned to the side and saw the blinking 6:45 on the digital clock. It seems I woke up 15 minutes before the alarm could set off. Wasting no time I immediately got up from my bed and decided to get ready for the day starting with a quick shower to freshen up.

I barely spent 5 minutes in the shower as working here requires you to be quick and efficient. After damping my hair from the excess water, I put on the standard uniform, a black suit with a black tie, and started brushing my teeth. As I brushed, I stared at my own face. My black hair that reached to my chin was shining from the remaining water it had left, my gray eyes stared back at me as I slowly lost myself in them.

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

The alarm clock going off brought me back and I immediately spit out the paste from my mouth and rinsed it. I went to the alarm clock and turned it off before grabbing the baton, my badge with a four-pointed star, and my armband, with a white 'R' on it, that accompanied the suit from the table I left it on. As I reached the door, I put on my signature smile and walked right out to start my day of work.

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3rd POV

"Hello, X." A soft womanly voice reached the barely conscious man's ears.

He brought his head up from where it was dangling and emotionlessly gazed at the "person" in front of him. The room they were in was much like an office, with multiple screens mounted on one wall and computer monitors on a desk.

The "person" that was speaking to him had long light blue hair with a little part of it tied on her left side in a small ponytail, her suit and red necktie were under a lab coat that she wore. She had her eyes closed and a neutral look on her face as she faced him.

"I give you a warm welcome to Lobotomy Corporation." Her voice, despite how smooth and soothing it was, brought chills to his spine. The "warm" welcome did little to change his cold and emotionless face.

"I am Angela, your advisor and secretary. My role as an AI is to assist you in adjusting to your new workplace, so please have no worries in speaking with me or asking any questions."

He had many questions, none of which he dared ask as he kept his silence. The Angela stood directly in front of him making it so she was in his visual perception the whole time.

"Have you ever met an AI with such a suave name? I was born from one of the 'Wings of the World'. It signifies that I am one of the best to exist in this age." She stated with a small grin on her face, her eyes had yet to open, and "X" for some reason wanted it to stay that way.

"Ah, I know what you must be thinking. Your eyes show that you think I look too human to be an AI, am I wrong?" Yes, "X" knew she wasn't human the moment he heard her speak, but something told him to keep silent and accept whatever this thing was rambling about.

Not caring about what "X" was thinking, Angela continued.

"However, there is a great difference between you and me. I am bound here. I cannot go wherever I please like you do." Her grin disappeared as she held her original neutral look. "I may be able to operate the systems of this corporation to open a door or prepare a cup of coffee for you, but I cannot take a step outside of this building to bask in the warmth of the sunlight or feel the gentle breeze that accompanies it."

He felt as if for a moment her voice contained a small hint of anger and resentment, but he couldn't be too sure.

"In regards to the appearance I have, the color of my hair is that of the morning sky after a light shower. The ring and shape of my voice is taken from the wisest person in the world. Lastly, my face is the picturesque of the person who had the most beautiful smile."

"X" wanted to argue against all of that, somewhere in his mind he vividly remembered something before a headache came to him. He only squinted his eyes a little in order to bare the pain. Angela, mistaking that for an accusation simply grinned a little.

"Haha. Don't worry, that was a joke. There can be no such person on this Earth. My appearance was designed with attractiveness to the largest number of possible people in mind." Somehow "X" disagreed. The thing in front of him was making his stomach churn with disgust. He had to constantly glance around the room to keep himself from openly showing it.

Angela's neutral expression returned, "X" didn't know whether this thing was doing it on purpose to comfort him or to intentionally disturb him.

"If the way I look is pleasing to your eye, then I am working as intended."

'You look anything but pleasant.' "X" zoned her out after that. The more he saw it, the more his mind wondered off. He started to think about things while Angela kept talking.

'I can't remember anything, How did I get here?' "X" was confused, he had no memory of anything past the moment he woke up. All he knew was that he was "working" at a place called Lobotomy Corporation.

"Well, enough with the introductions. Is there anything you would like to know?"

"X" just wanted to get started already, he had enough conversing with Angela.

"Can you tell me about the company?" His voice was rigid and cold.

"Of course. Lobotomy Corporation became one of the 'Wings of the World' through its discovery of Abnormalities, mysterious beings who we figured out could produce energy through a 'special method'. Through this process we were able to benefit humanity by provided an exponential supply of energy that helped the world grow along with its technological advances."

"What exactly is my role here?"

Angela for the first time slightly opened her golden eyes as she stared at him. "X" felt uncomfortable and couldn't keep eye contact with those lifeless eyes.

"You are to take the role as the Manager of the entire facility, so it is very important that you know and understand these mysterious beings well to be successful in your position. However, do not concern yourself too much with it, as it is a task for your subordinates to pen it down."

Suddenly Angela closed her eyes and spoke out to someone who wasn't in the room.

"I was just about to mention you. You don't understand the concept of patience, do you?"

"X" raised an eyebrow.

"Pardon my manners, Manager. I was talking to one of the other AIs that work here. I should introduce her to you."

"X", or Manager as she now called him, wasn't too keen on meeting any more AI's. If they were just like this one, he would much prefer not having to.

"Due to this facility's size, even I would have trouble managing it on my own; so AI were put into each department as the head control of their section of the facility. Naturally, of course, I should be your most trustworthy and capable companion among all the AIs."

The Manager doubted that, he had a feeling that no matter how long he spent here, he wouldn't be able to trust her.

"Well then, shall we go greet her now?"

The Manager merely nodded his head before getting up from the chair he sat on and followed her to the door.

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Y/n's POV

I continued walking through the halls on my daily patrol. My armband was wrapped around my left shoulder while the four-pointed star badge was pinned to my left breast pocket. The occasional clerk would pass by and offer me a "Good Morning" to which I offered one back with a smile.

I checked the device on my wrist and saw that it was 7:50, just 10 more minutes till the meeting that I had scheduled would take place. Said meeting involved deciding who exactly would be placed under the Manager's supervision and command, what department they would be in, and the type of equipment they would be required to wear. Though they will probably be recruits meaning that there was a chance we wouldn't be able to discuss anything at all.

Of course, me being the Captain of the Reserves meant that all the work and confirmation had to come from me. Approving paperwork, making sure agents are following the procedures and code during transfers, and making sure equipment was in top condition before handing them out were just some of the things I had to do. This isn't me complaining however. Unlike most, if not all, employees who feel dread when working here, I feel fine and comfortable.

Although some may think of me as insane or a lunatic, they just like to see what they want to see. Some of these agents are pulled from the Backstreets and the Outskirts, a place where monsters live all around them, and yet they seemed so surprised when they see Abnormalities for the first time.

I don't remember when, since I get dizzy when I think too much, but Angela once mentioned that these Abnormalities come from us Humans. Not surprising there, if any of the stories about the City is true. So I don't understand, they see these things all around them outside of the facility, but once they take a more literal form, all of a sudden it's a problem?

Well, it doesn't matter, as long as they do their job then everything will be fine.

The sound of footsteps running behind me caused me to turn around. Running in my direction was a woman with chin-length brown hair with light-yellow tips and a red hair band on top of her head. She wore a black suit and red tie, her left arm had a similar armband to mine but instead of an 'R' hers was an 'M' and colored red with an outline of green. In her hands was a clipboard that she tightly held to her chest with both arms. This woman was Malkuth, the Sephirah of the Control Team Department.

Upon getting closer, Malkuth's small grin turned into a smile as she noticed me standing here. I waved my right arm in greeting and waited for her to get closer.

"Y/N! Good morning! Out on your daily patrol like usual? Are you ready for a day of working hard?" She came to a stop right in front of me, speaking quite quickly and smoothly for someone who's been running.

"Good morning to you, too, Malkuth! And yes I'm out on my daily patrol, today is your department it seems. I'm well rested and ready for the day!"

As the Captain of the Reserves, I had to be on the move and sometimes coordinate with the Sephirot during emergencies, though Angela specifically stated that she wanted me to be on standby

"That's great! I can sure use someone as hard-working as you Y/n!" She said as she stepped closer towards me.

"Usually the employees within the Control Team barely last a day." She said with a small frown as her brown hollow eyes stared directly into mine.

Some agents and clerks had said that they would always get unnerved whenever they looked into the Sephirot's eyes, but rather than feel unnerved, I instead felt familiarity from them.

"But with you there, casualty rates will decrease to about 27%!" Malkuth smiled once again, this time with her signature cute grin.

Seeing her excitement made me just want to pet her, I raised my hand and placed it on her head which caused her to lean into it.

"Thank you Malkuth, it certainly makes me feel better that all my hard work is paying off. Now, let's get going, isn't it the Manager's first day today?"

Seemingly realizing something, Malkuth stared at me wide eyed before checking her notepad.

"Ah! You're right! Sorry Y/n, but I must get going!" She said before she gently pried my hand off her head and then started running past me.

"It's alright Malkuth! I'll see you after my meeting alright!"

"Alright!"

As she entered the hallway leading to the main room for the Control Team, I simply turned back around and walked towards the stairs. Depending on the types of recruits we get into the Reserves they could cause some trouble without anyone to supervise them.

Walking up the stairs to one of the upper floods where one of the Reserves meeting rooms were located, I rubbed the bridge of my nose. I suddenly got a headache for some reason.

It continued to persist, even when I reached the floor I needed to be in. I opened the door of a room that was at the end of the hall and entered. The room was moderate in size, easily able to hold 35 people with enough room to spare, much like now. There was a long conference table in the middle of the room with a total of 32 chairs, one on each end and 15 on opposite sides of each other.

As I shut the door, several gazes turned to me, some I were familiar with, most not. I waved my hand in greeting, keeping the same smile that they will surely grow familiar with, while hiding my annoyance from the headache. I walked to the opposite side of the table where currently a group of 3 people were talking amongst each other. They noticed my presence and nodded their heads once I made eye contact with them and moved behind the chair I was going to.

The other occupants of the room made space to let me pass through, and soon enough I reached the end of the table and sat on the chair.

*WHISTLE*

The idle chatter died down as everyone turned their attention to me.

"Hello everyone!~ Welcome to the Reserves! Please take a seat and get comfortable!"

Everyone slowly but surely sat down amongst one another around the table. Only the 3 individuals behind me didn't take a seat as they stood in attention.

"Now that everyone is seated, I would like to introduce myself and the 3 individuals behind me. I'm your Captain, Y/n, who you will report to and get your tasks from if you manage to stay in the Reserves." I moved out of the way and raised my arms to present the 3 of them. "These will be your lieutenants, from left to right it is Shina, Renold, and BongBong!"

Shina was a woman with purple hair tied up to a ponytail. She had red eyes, with one of them being covered by a bang of her hair. She didn't say anything but simply gave a devilish smile.

"Greetings." Renold cooly spoke.

Renold was a man who stood just half a foot taller than Shina, he had short crimson hair that was combed back, combined with his sharp looks, it made him seem all the more fiercer.

"Bong! BongBong!"

The last of the 3 was BongBong, a girl with long blue hair that reached her hips. Her eyes were, somehow, star-shaped and her face held an almost innocent look of constant curiosity. Her height was just a few inches below Shina, making her reach just below my shoulder.

A few chuckled at her unique way of speaking while others ignored it in favor of keeping a formal atmosphere.

"Hahaha, well introductions aside, these 3 are my most trusted aides. Aside from me, you will also be assigned and will need to report to one of these 3 if I am not around."

I sat back down and grabbed a piece of paper from the stack in front of me.

"Now let's begin with what we all are here for; work." The stack of papers wasn't much since it consisted of documents of all the individuals in the room along with their backgrounds. I started calling out names of people unconsciously as I read them, some thought I was doing some type of role-call and raised their hand or gave a confirmation that they were here.

I completely ignored them in favor of absorbing as much data about each of them as a could, at least the important parts.

Out of the 31 individuals currently sitting down, only 19 were fit to be agents, the rest were up to the standards of clerks. Low potential and not enough skills to be able to handle the work of abnormalities. However, the ones qualified for being agents all had their own quirks that could pose an issue. One has a record of being a cannibal, another a drug addict, one had even replaced one of their limps with a metal prosthetic due to an injury.

My smile faltered a bit, and it didn't seemed to have gone unnoticed as BongBong stepped up right next to me and tapped my shoulder.

"Yes, BongBong? What is it?" I said as I regained my smile.

"Bong!" She stared intensely at me.

"Hmm....are you sure? Not that I doubt your abilities BongBong, but I'm just worried about what might happen." The people around the table seemed to be confused on how I understood her, these people are too narrow-minded.

There is more than one way to understand someone or something. The eyes and body language can tell a thousand words. If they can't understand that then how am I supposed to expect them to do work on abnormalities?

"BongBong!" She nodded her head and gave me a little thumbs up.

"Hahaha, alright then, I'll leave them to you." I handed her the more troublesome profiles of the agents, leaving me with 8 that were decent enough. "Renold, I leave these to you." As BongBong went up to the people she had files on, I gave the other files on the qualified clerks to Renold, who scanned through them quickly.

"Hmph, it seems this batch will be disappointing this time around. I'll try my best Y/n, but don't expect to see this group tomorrow." His grim comment caused several people to pale and stiffen up. Renold didn't give any sympathy or reassurance and simply ordered them to follow him to the Training Department.

As I kept looking over the files of the 8 potential agents in the room, a pair of arms snaked around my neck. I didn't react as I knew who it was, so I simply tried to see who would be good candidates for being the new Manager's first employees.

Sensing that I was ignoring them, the owner of the pair of arms tightened their grip around my neck and brought their face near the side of mine.

"Y/n, please don't ignore me~" Shina whispered into my ear. "You know I don't like it when I don't get the attention I deserve~ I work hard everyday, the least you can do as my Captain is give me a reward~"

I chose two out of the eight files and put them to the side. The last six I stacked them back up and waved it in front of her face.

"Here, your reward.They're all yours."

Shina's grip loosened as she grabbed the folders. She turned her head to look at me again but this time her devilish grin turned darker as her eyes gained a crazed look.

"Oh Y/n~ This is why you're the best~ I'll work hard to give you the best results!" She gave me a hug before roughly picking up and shoving the 6 individuals into the hall, ignoring their complaints.

The only people left in the room were me, a young man with brown hair and brown eyes who sat directly on the opposite side of me, and a young woman with green hair with her eyes closed sitting almost in the middle between the two of us. The young man was Charlie while the young woman was Roxie.

I chose these two for several reasons.

One, they are the least experienced in terms of fighting, but still had potential, meaning they need more time to grow, the sooner the better.

Two, they both were clean in their backgrounds out of the eight, even though they grew up in poverty and in horrendous conditions that just meant they knew how to survive.

Three, they are newbies in terms of everything that is needed to be done here at Lobotomy Corporation, which makes them perfect candidates for a new Manager to work with and allowing him to adjust to his position.

Four, much like everyone else, including me, they are expendable. But unlike several of people, including me, their deaths wouldn't hinder us as they aren't worth much at the moment.

I stared at the man directly in front of me. My eyes pierced into his making him glance around. 'Ah, he's nervous.' I didn't break my stare at all as I continued looking at him. 'He'll break soon with that attitude, how disappointing.'

"Congratulations, you two have been assigned to work under the Manager!" I started clapping for them, though while Roxie gave a closed eye smile, Charlie gulped loudly.

"The Manager is new here, in fact, he just started work today just like the rest of you! So you all have something in common, you will be learning beside them and hopefully grow close together to form a nice boss-worker relationship!" I stood up and clicked a button on the table which turned on a projector to a screen that hung just a few feet behind me.

"Now let me explain your job, since you two will be working under the new Manager, I'll do the honors of teaching you the basics of what you need to know." I clicked one of the buttons again which changed the slideshow.

"Let's start with what you will be doing. As agents of Lobotomy Corporation, your job is to complete the tasks assigned to you by the Manager, your respective Sephirah of your department, or me. These tasks could include writing down the behavior of an abnormality, conversing with them and writing down the conversation, and even beating them down then recording the results. Abnormalities are the mysterious entities that you will be working with. Know that only one agent will be able to enter an abnormality's containment room." I didn't bother to slow down or wait to answer questions, I had another meeting with the Sephirot at the end of the day, and I needed to be done with my assignments before that.

"Depending on what shift you are in, your work could start from 8:00 A.M. till 8:00 P.M. for the day shift, or at 8:00 P.M. till 8:00 A.M. for the night shift. As an energy corporation, we must be constantly working to provide the City with energy. Hmmm...... Ah! Another thing you must know, and this is very crucial to remember, you must remember signing a contract before applying for this job, correct?"

I received simple nods from them.

"Good! In order to protect our secrets and methods of acquiring energy, the contract contains multiple conditions to prevent information leaks. Within that contract you have essentially agreed to give your life for Lobotomy Corporation, so any thoughts of resigning or retiring should leave your mind from now on."

Charlie suddenly stood up as he slammed both arms on the table.

"What! I don't remember anything about that! You're lying, I should have the right to leave when I want!" His face and voice was struck in fear. Roxie, surprisingly, remained calm and simply kept her eyes closed.

"I promise you this, I am no liar. And I also take my promises very seriously Charlie." I said with a smile. 'How foolish could you be? This is Lobotomy Corporation, one of the 'Wings of the World'. It was your fault for not reading the contract thoroughly.'

Charlie's breathing was becoming more frantic, his eyes was watering uncontrollably as they frantically looked around.

"Charlie, sit." I commanded with a stern voice.

He seemed to have gained a bit of sanity as he slowly and reluctantly sat back down.

I stared at him as he started sweating, even from all the way over here I could still see the sweat run down his forehead.

'The constant fidgeting, the wandering eyes, his arms stiffening indicating that he's clenching onto his knees, and the most obvious of all, the frantic breathing. He's on the edge of losing it, just a little push and he's gone.'

"Charlie," I quickly gained his attention. "Did you know the Manager is technically the highest authority within the facility?" That seemed to have gained his curiosity. "In fact, because they have absolute authority, it's theoretically possible that they could.... allow a 'resignation'." His body froze as his eyes seemed to have become hopeful.

"Actually, if I remember correctly, I think the Manager was currently visiting the nearest Department to familiarize themself with their workplace. I believe it was 5 flights of stairs down, directly down the hall, and into the main room." I said while I rubbed my chin like I wasn't sure. Of course, there was a 0% chance of him actually being allowed free.

This was no place for naive and weak-willed individuals such as him. He would only bring about the deaths of others, and I am more than willing to dirty my hands and kill one then allow a hundred to die because someone bit more than they could chew.

Charlie looked at me with his watering eyes.

"Hey Charlie....... I'll give you a 10 second head start."

He didn't seem to register what I said as he simply sat there. I continued to smile at him and stared right into his eyes.

"...10.....9....."

He suddenly grew frantic and quickly bolted out of the room.

I stopped counting and walked towards the door. But before I left I turned to face Roxie.

"Come Roxie, let us begin your first day of work at Lobotomy Corporation."

The girl nodded before walking towards me, however, she seemed to have stumbled a bit as she still had her eyes closed. That was when I remembered a crucial detail I had somehow forgotten, the headache wasn't getting any better. I quickly walked towards her and grabbed her hand.

"That's right, you're blind correct? Tell me, how is it that you can 'see'." She merely pointed to her ear with her other hand. "Ah, that's pretty impressive, must have taken a long time to learn."

She nodded with a proud smile.

"However, that doesn't mean I or anyone or anything here will take it easy on you. You knew what you were signing up for. So hold onto my hand tight and try to keep up." Her smile disappeared for a bit. I didn't wait for a reply as I immediately began dashing through the hall towards the stairs with her running along my side.

As soon as we reached the stairs, I apologized to Roxie as I grabbed her in a one sided hug and jumped through the stairwell. The blurs of stairs zoomed past us as we quickly fell through the long drop. Quickly, after counting 5 sets of stairs, with my hand that wasn't holding tight to Roxie, I latched onto the guard rail of the stairs and swung us in a fluid motion over it and back to the ground. Not wasting anytime once we landed, I simply carried Roxie as I ran towards the sound of someone banging on metal and the desperate cries of "Manager!".

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3rd POV

The Manager followed Angela through the hallways and into an elevator that quickly led them down several floors. Neither had spoken a word ever since they left the office. Angela merely stared straight ahead, her eyes still closed. Manager simply followed behind her, his cold exterior was hiding how awkward he felt during the entire time.

Upon the doors of the elevator opening, they entered upon a huge spacious room. A map, what Manager presumed to be the entire facility, was on display at the farthest right corner. Two doors were in place on either side of the walls and pipes and cables could be seen along the ceiling.

The Manager realized something odd, the place seemed way too different from what he was expecting. In fact, now that he looked at Angela and himself, he realized that they physically changed in appearance. They seemed almost cartoonish.

Angela, noticing his confused expression, spoke.

"You must be wondering about the sudden changes to our appearances. A cognition filter is implemented and active throughout the entire facility, excluding your office and the area around it."

The Manager followed a step behind her, wondering exactly why they would need such a thing. As if reading his thoughts, Angela spoke once again.

"The human mind is fragile, seeing a small glimpse of some of the Abnormalities here could cause severe mental corruption. There were several Managers before you that would succumb to such a fate, of course that was before the filter was implemented."

"......I see." The Manager was slowly getting used to the new visual reality around him.

Angela stopped in the middle of the room with the Manager just a few steps behind her. They both waited in the room for about a minute in total silence.

Footsteps were heard coming from the right side of the door. The door opened and out came running was a woman with brown hair and in a suit.

"Manager, Manager!" She came to a halt in front of both me and Angela, as she smiled at us.

"I arrived just on time, right? I was discussing with Y/n about the meeting later on today...... since it's 8:01, I'm only about one minute late. So, I guess it still counts as 'on time'!" Angela frowned just a tiny bit, but it seemed neither of the other two noticed.

Her chipper and cheerful personality was a major contrast to what the Manager was used to.

"Congratulations on joining Lobotomy Corporation, Manager!" Her welcome also contrasted with Angela's but it didn't make the Manager feel any more safe.

"I do not want to disturb this touching moment, Malkuth, but every second counts in Lobotomy Corp. Please make your introduction as brief as possible and go prepare for the meeting." Angela's cold attitude slightly caused some tension to rise. But Malkuth didn't seemed bothered at all, if the smile she had was anything to show about it.

"Hmm......Seems Miss Angela isn't in a good mood today...But hey, at least the other Sephirot are looking forward to meeting you!" Angela raised an eyebrow when she saw her smile become a little sinister, the Manager, however, didn't notice. "Well, maybe ......not all of them....."

The Manager mentally asked himself what that meant.

Malkuth suddenly spoke up again.

"Oh, where are my manners! My name is Malkuth! I'm in charge of the Control Team! Since we're the Control Team, we have a great deal of responsibility! I'll try my best to help you by improving the basic functions of this facility, Manager!"

The Manager pondered on the information given to him. Although she may not seem like an AI, she still gave off the same feeling Angela does. He didn't know whether placing his trust in these machines would be the right thing to do. The fact that he had yet to see another human being was concerning and only made him question the credibility of their words.

The Manager had completely zoned out anything else Malkuth had said. Only the sudden sound of loud banging from the right door brought him back to reality.

*WHAMWHAMWHAMWHAMWHAMWHAM*

"Manager, you're in there right?!!" A male voice suddenly yelled out from the other side. The sound of the handle struggling to open meant that the man had no way of accessing this room, making the Manager raise an eyebrow of how a low clearance employee knew where he was.

"I have to get out of here, please! I know your capable of it, you're the Manager! You're not the same as the rest of us! You can do anything!" The Manager raised his eyebrow even further, he had only started the day here and had barely been told his responsibilities, let alone his level of authority and privileges.

While Angela seemed to dismiss the current situation as nothing special, Malkuth stepped closer to the door but didn't open it.

"Why do you want to quit? Don't you want to work here in the Control Team? Everyday is a delight for me!" It seemed as if she wasn't taking the man seriously as she still smiled and spoke enthusiastically.

"I can't do this! I'll go insane! Nobody here is normal!" The man was sobbing as he continuously banged on the door. Malkuth's smile suddenly turned flat.

"Do you really think you can't handle it?"

"Please.......I don't want to be here anymore......Let me out of here, please......." Malkuth didn't say anything as she turned towards the Manager and suddenly gained an excited look.

"Manager, even though you're the head of the facility, that employee may belong to my Department or the Reserves, so I believe I can take care of this since Y/n isn't here! Let me handle this, please!"

The Manager didn't know who this 'Y/n' she kept mentioning was but it seemed if they were on the same standing as her.

But right now, either he entrusted this machine with the responsibility or he could handle it himself, both could have different outcomes. At the moment, however, he didn't feel comfortable in them handling things until he's seen their work for himself. He'd rather not take the risk.

"I'll handle this." Those words caused Malkuth to freeze. A split second passed before she lost her smile and emotionlessly stared at the Manager. Her eyes stared into his own, making him feel sweat drip from the back of his neck.

"Then please keep this in mind, Manager." She slowly got back her smiled, but this time the Manager saw the small hint of negative emotions he didn't see before.

"Once they say they 'can't handle it.' they are no longer part of my Control Team or the Reserves. The Control Team is on top of all the Sephirot, just like the central nervous system of a human being. If we go down, it's only a matter of time until everyone else goes down too."

"....At first, it was hard for me to get used to as well. But with
Y/n's help and working really, really hard, I managed to pull through. So please don't say anything as meaningless as you 'can't handle it'." With that out of the way, she stepped to the side and allowed the Manager to open the door.

But as he walked to the door, he could only ponder her words and wonder if what he did was the correct choice. He didn't do this to specifically help the man, instead he did it to test these machines that he is supposed to be trusting. But a small part of him wanted to stop interacting with the machines and finally interact with another human being.

As the Manager put his hand on the door, the door let out a click sound and a young man with brown hair came falling from the other side. The young man continued to sob and mutter 'thank you's' as he sat on the ground looking up at the Manager as if he was God himself.

The Manager turned to ask Angela about getting resignation papers, but froze when he saw her half lidded eyes already staring directly at him. He felt shivers in his spine.

The tense moment was shattered, however, when the sound of rapid loud footsteps came from the hallway the young man came from.

A silhouette came to a stop at the door frame, revealing it to be a man with black hair and gray eyes carrying a young green haired woman. He seemingly looked around the room before his eyes laid on the Manager and the crying man.

"Wow! That's the first time an employee ever succeeded in 'resigning' on their first day! Charlie consider yourself special." The man set down the woman he was carrying and then started clapping to which the green haired woman mimicked him and clapped along.

The young man, Charlie, only crawled away from him and hid behind the Manager's legs.

"Ah, sorry for interrupting your tour Manager, but you might want to start getting to work. Energy doesn't produce itself, especially when you have just started. You will need all the time you can get to be as proficient as the previous Managers!"

"......Yes, you're right." Something about the man in front of him was ominous, but the Manager couldn't tell what exactly.

"Though could I get a resignation paper to fill out for.....Charlie, was it?" He asked the man currently trying to calm himself.

"Y-Y-Yes."

The Manager nodded his head and looked at Angela, but once again she paid little attention to their interaction.

"Y/n, I would be pleased if I didn't have to remind you about becoming too attached or intimate with your subordinates and colleagues." Angela was focusing more on the fact that Y/n was now holding the green haired woman's hand.

The Manager looked at the "Y/n" that she seemed to know, but saw nothing special. In fact, a little part of him saw the man as "insignificant".

"Huh? Oh! Well there is a very good reason for this, I assure you. Roxie is blind so I'm merely guiding her until she can get a feel around the facility." Malkuth didn't seem to buy it as she stared intensely at the woman.

"I see,"

The Manager didn't know that a machine was capable of showing this amount of pettiness but he made a mental note to mind what he says and does from now on.

Angela opened her eyes a bit."But, I hope you are aware of the consequences that could come from doing such a thing."

"Yeah! If she can't handle working here on her own and needs you to guide her, imagine how it will affect your own assignments and tasks!" Malkuth added her own two cents before breaking apart their hands that were still holding each other.

"Hmm, that is true and would be a problem. Alright then! I'll guide her just for today and let her get adjusted to working under the Manager. After that I'll leave her be, how does that sound?"

Angela, seemingly satisfied, closed her eyes and said nothing. Malkuth on the other hand stood between Y/n and Roxie, though much closer to him.

"Under the condition that you work in my Department for 3 days! I'm not budging on that either!"

"Uuhh, sure. Just make sure to bring it up with the other Sephirot to let them know I'll be delayed in attending their Departments."

"That's fine, we can tell them together at the end of the day!"

The Manager found it hypocritical that Angela mentioned how precious time was, but here they were wasting it. Finally losing his patience, the Manager cleared his throat loudly.

"I would appreciate it if we could continue on with the day Angela. And could I get a resignation form to sign for the young man here."

"Of course Manager. Let us head back right away then."

Angela didn't wait and immediately began walking towards the elevator.

The Manager followed behind her while Charlie lagged behind, constantly glancing at Y/n, who was waving them goodbye.

"See you later Manager! Bye-bye Charlie, I hope you're happy about your choice!"

Y/n turned to Malkuth and Roxie.

"Well, it seems the Manager is about to start the day officially now. Let's do our best Malkuth!" She nodded her head vigorously. "Come on Roxie, I'll bring you to where your first assignment will likely be."

Before Y/n could walk away, Roxie grabbed onto the sleeve of his suit and tugged it. Y/n gave her a questionable look before it turned to understanding as he grabbed her hand again.

They walked side by side, and just as Malkuth was going to complain, Roxie looked directly at her, her eye lids opened a little showing her emerald eyes as she gave a smug smile.

"Why you little—" Malkuth gripped her clipboard hard, causing small cracking sounds.

"It's fine, it's fine. I have him for 2 more days. Keep working hard Malkuth!" She calmed herself before walking towards a desk and started working on some documents.

——————————————————————————

A cheerful Charlie left the office of the Manager. Angela stood to the side of the Manager's desk and the man himself leaned back in his chair. One didn't know the fate of the man he just put to, while the other simply thought of it to be unnecessary to bring up.

"Now with the interruptions out of the way, there are several things we must discuss regarding what exactly you will be doing from here on out." Angela stepped closer to him as she then pointed to the 3 monitors on his desk.

"Each monitor on your desk will display a different set of information that will be necessary to your work as Manager. Do keep in mind these monitors are also under the cognition filter."

"The left monitor will display the employees under your command and their profiles, it can also be used to communicate directly with them and even with the Sephirot of each department."

The three employees under display were in their cartoonish forms. One was the green haired woman, named Roxie, the other two were Y/n and Charlie. However, different from Roxie, Y/n had a label across his figure displaying "Temporary Agent" while Charlie's figure was grayed out and the words "Resigned" showed instead.

"I've been meaning to ask this, but could you tell me about agent Y/n? Malkuth seemed to hold him in high regard."

Angela brought her hand back to her side as she turned to "look" at him.

"Y/n is the Captain of the Reserves. You, as the Manager, and the Sephirot could not possibly manage the entire personnel of this facility. Each Sephirot manages their own set amount of clerks and agents within their ability to do so. Since they cannot be everywhere at once, our Founder, A, had decided to form a group that would lessen theirs and your stress."

The Manager gave a small 'hmm', not looking away from the monitor that displayed said man.

"And what exactly do the Reserves do other than managing personnel?"

"As the name implies, the Reserves act as replenishment for the loss of employees throughout the facility. When a Sephirah is low on clerks or agents they will have to send in a request form to Y/n by the end of the day. You, as the Manager, have the authority to permanently assign members from the Reserves to work under your command. Though do keep in mind this only applies to recruits and those whose absence won't hinder the Reserves as a whole."

The Manager nodded his head, but mentally he clicked his tongue. He made a blunder. The first decision he has ever made on his first day was already a mistake. He was lucky Malkuth had requested Y/n to work in her department for 3 days. If she hadn't, he would have been down by 1 agent, and the fact that his other agent was blind did not help.

Angela had at some point continued with her earlier explanation of his monitors.

"The middle monitor will display the entire facility through the cameras within each department, it is also connected to the intercoms allowing you to make announcements. However, if you wish to communicate directly to an employee then you must use the left monitor."

On the monitor was a cartoonish 2-D of what he assumed was the facility. Only a few rooms were viewable, the rest were grayed out. In one of the hallways were the 2 cartoonish models of Y/n and Roxie, both seemingly conversing with one another. Clerks could be seen idly walking in and out of the rooms and sitting down to write.

"The right monitor will display any and all information regarding the abnormalities, the conditions of your agents, and the condition of each Department. Reports from your agents regarding their work will also be displayed here, it would be highly productive to make your own data reports regarding the abnormalities here as well. The previous Managers have also done the same."

Th Manager quickly filed the huge dump of information away to the back of his mind to dissect later. At the moment, he simply wanted to start the day and get it over with now that he knew what he had to do.

Noticing the small signs of agitation, Angela stopped her explanation and stepped back.

"Since we are behind schedule and it is your first day, the amount of energy you will be required to accumulate will be lowered. Simply press the button to your right to officially start the day."

Angela simply turned and walked to another desk. that the Manager had failed to notice, and sat down.

Not seeing any reason not to, he leaned forward and pressed the button.

——————————————————————————
{Unknown Location Within The Facility}

The muffled screams and crying of a man were heard within a dark room. He struggled against his restraints he was currently wearing while he sat on a metal chair.

He didn't know how his life led to this point, and he certainly didn't know how it would end. In the darkness he could see a vague humanoid figure walking around the room, grabbing things from the barely noticeable table near him and walking away. The sound of a sink turning on caused him to jolt and recoil violently.

"Oyah?~ Didn't mean to scare you hehehe~ Just getting the preparations ready before we begin~"

An alluring voice of a woman entered his ears as he looked around the area of where it came. The woman sounded to be around the age of their mid-twenties or so. After finally being able to adjust and see their vague silhouette, the restrained man struggled to get free.

A pair of glowing red eyes had turned to face him and watched in amusement as he struggled.

"Now, now~ Let's calm down, you're going to want to save that energy for during the procedure~"

*BUZZZZZ*

The overhead lights of the room turned on with the light bulbs buzzing a bit. The room they were in was more fitting to be called a torture chamber than what it was actually used for. On the table near the man was metal tools of a huge variety and size. A medical knife, a buzzsaw, a hammer, a screwdriver, and so on. Though it was alarming, it wasn't what caught the attention of the man.

What did, though, was the woman a few feet in front of him who wore a similar business suit as his. She had purple hair with her frontal bangs covering her left eye and the rest tied to a pony tail. Her red eyes were just as predatory as they were mesmerizing. In her hand was a knife that glinted in the light as she nonchalantly waved it around.

Her devilish grin seemed to grow wider as she saw the increasing fear in the man.

"So....."

She suddenly pulled out a piece of paper and waved it in front of the man.

"...I got your resignation paper~"

——————————————————————————
Y/n's POV

"Announcement in progress:
To all personnel, the start of the day has been initiated.
Please report to your designated area."

 

Music had started to play as soon as the announcement dwindled out. Clerks filed out into the hallways and started their own assignments. Roxie and I had just entered the main room of the Control Team and simply waited for our tasks to show up. Before I gave her a standard uniform and equipment, I walked her around while giving her advice and tips about how to complete work.

Though it did seem kind of pointless in giving her a tour of the place when she can't even see it, but I made sure to at least make it as exciting and easy to understand as possible.

After finding a place to sit and getting some freshly brewed coffee, I sat down in front of Roxie with a stack of documents that I fetched from Malkuth. Pulling out my pen, I started filling out page after page with only the occasional sip of coffee in between.

Roxie's wrist watch buzzed, causing me to glance up at her.

"Look's like your first real assignment is here. Hmm, let me see.....ah, attachment work on O-03-03. All you necessarily need to do is try to talk with it and write down what happens. You'll do just fine!"

Roxie nodded her head before getting up and walking straight out of the room.

'Now that I think about it, how exactly is she going to do work that requires looking?' I pondered a bit. Though it was concerning that she might not be able to complete work, she was now the responsibility of the Manager.

Quickly gulping down the rest of my coffee, I continued to fill out the papers while waiting for any assignment the Manager would assign me.

'Hmm, depending on how many PE-Boxes the Manager gets today we could acquire some—'

Suddenly the headache I've been having today worsened. I could feel my head throbbing every second. I rubbed my forehead to try and alleviate the pain but was left with little to no success.

"I guess I need a break...." I spoke to no one in particular.

Deciding to take a short walk, I got up and put the finished documents under my arm while the unfinished work I handed to a veteran clerk and told them to give it to me in a few hours.

In the halls, the clerks paid little attention to me as they were too busy getting to their destination. To my surprise, this walk did help with the pain. But the moment was short-lived as the watch on my wrist buzzed to life indicating that work needed to be done for the Manager.

"Insight work on O-03-03." I muttered to myself before doing a 180-degree turn.

On the way there I hadn't seen Roxie and since no announcement was made about her death, it probably meant that she either got assigned more work or got lost. I was leaning more on the latter.

I arrived at the door of O-03-03's containment and glanced at the panel to the right of the door. Looking at it, I could see who worked on this abnormality already and the type of work they did. And it seemed that Roxie completed a total of four tasks, two attachment, one repression, and one instinct.

Not seeing anything else work mentioning, I grabbed a mop, rags, and a bucket of water from the nearby closet and entered the room.

The sound of the door locking behind me was drowned out by the immediate vocals of a choir and prayers. I ignored them as I scanned the room, and quickly spotted the abnormality.

It took the shape of a huge white Skull with a cross embedded into it. The ends of the cross stuck out from the sides, top, and bottom of the skull, with red spiked wires jumbled together to form a makeshift crown around its forehead.

(Don't own this, obviously)

The glow that seemed to surround it made me wince my eyes a bit as I walked towards it. I quickly dipped the mop into the bucket of water and began cleaning the surrounding area. Only specks of dust were present which was quickly replaced with the shine of clean metal.

"Brrrr, it's kinda chilly isn't it One Sin?" I asked the........Wait.

Why did I call it that? Have I worked with this thing before?

In my confusion, I simply stared at the floating Skull.

One Sin's only response was to float silently. I shook my head and leaned the mop against the wall near the door and went to the thermostat to adjust the temperature.

The room began to become slightly warmer, giving a feeling of comfort and safety. Well, as "safe" as it could be here in this facility.

I grabbed a dry rag and quickly rinsed it in water before stepping close to the Skull and carefully wiping the sides and cross ends. The volume of prayers and choir seemed to get louder as I continued my work, I didn't know whether to take that as a good thing or a bad thing.

Before I could get to clean the makeshift crown of barbed wires a loud buzzing sound echoed in the room as the intercom came to life.

"8 PE-Boxes acquired."

It was followed by the sound of the door unlocking itself indicating my work was done. Without saying anything, I dropped the rag into the bucket and quickly grabbed the mop as I left through the door.

After the door locked itself behind me, I stood by the side of it as I put the cleaning equipment up in its closet and grabbed a clipboard from the panel and some observation documents. When I looked at the papers I noticed that Roxie was the one that figured the name, which must have been how I subconsciously got it.

"One Sin and Hundreds of Good Deeds? Yeah no, I'll just call you One Sin."

 

One Sin and Hundreds of Good Deeds
————————————————

Classification: ZAYIN

Observations/Tips:

"One Sin showed no reaction to any questions regarding suggestions about temperature.

However, the volume of the choir and prayers did increase upon directly cleaning it, whether that's a good thing or not is to be known. Though with a PE-Box amount of 8, it is likely the former.

No foreign substances found within its containment.

Recommend future agents tasked with this abnormality to focus on cleaning the abnormality itself rather than the room it resides in as no reaction was shown from cleaning its surroundings."
——————————————————

 

"Announcement in progress:
The day shift has ended,
thank you for your hard work."

 

I stopped writing in confusion. Already? The day-shift had barely just started. I checked my wrist watch and saw that the time was only 4:57 p.m., three hours early from the usual. I grabbed all of my things and went to the main room of the Control Team.

The room was empty except for Malkuth, who was too caught up in her work to notice me, and the clerk I gave my unfinished work to who was waiting.

"Thank you for holding on to these for me, go get some rest!"

I smiled at them as they gave a small goodbye and left. I went to a nearby desk and started finishing the left over work. Most of it comprised of which department would the recruits go into, though some seemed to be requests to have their E.G.O. equipment repaired.

As I reached out to the top of the stack, my hand swiped at thin air. Confused, I looked across from me to see that Malkuth had at some point sat in front of me and took a portion of my work. She gave me a smile before enthusiastically working away her pile of papers. I smiled back before getting back to work. The night-shift clerks and agents would occasionally walk in or out the room.

Neither of us spoke as we worked down the two piles. I would carefully check and correct any mistakes on documents she handed to me. The mistakes she made were trivial but could also be catastrophic if left incorrect. Mistakes like numbers being put in a row away from where it should be, or writing in the wrong columns. Of course, I only fixed them when her attention was elsewhere.

"Annnndd done. Great work Y/n! I think it's time for you to rest for the day."

"I would Malkuth, but remember that meeting that we have in a few minutes?"

She tapped her index finger on her chin in thought before snapping them.

"You're right! Come on, let's go!" She cheerfully wrapped her arm around mine as she dragged me to the hallway. I quickly made sure to secure the stack of papers under my other arm, wouldn't want to lose it and write them all over again.

We arrived at the elevator that led to the floor of the Manager's office. Once inside, Malkuth had yet to loosen her grip on my arm as she still held her smile while facing ahead, she pressed the button for the floor just under the Manager's.

"I think it's okay to let go now Malkuth."

"....."

Malkuth didn't say anything, in fact I don't think my words even reached her as she held my arm tighter.

"Ummm Malkuth? You're kinda hurting me..." I struggled to pull myself out of her grip. Though it seemed to have snapped her out of whatever she was going through.

"Huh?! Oh sorry!" She quickly released my arm but just as quickly grabbed my hand and held it.

".......I don't think you need to keep holding my hand Malkuth." I sheepishly smiled at her.

"True I don't need to, but I want to. Is that okay with you?"

I thought for a moment. It's not like it's a bad thing in general, though I wished she used a little less force because my arm is still trying to circulate the loss of blood.

"......just keep your grip a little loose for me....."

*Ding*

The elevator opened to reveal a dimly lit hallway. We both walked out at the same time and arrived at one of the rooms. Malkuth opened the door and we both entered.

Within the room was four individuals around a table. Right across from us was Angela as she stood by a chair. To the right side was a pair of men, the one with long green hair was Netzach and the other with short purple hair was Yesod. To the left side of the table was a woman with long brown hair, her name was Hod.

The Manager was no where in sight for this meeting, probably long gone to his resting quarters.

Everyone in the room, besides me and Angela, was a Sephirah, something that made me feel like I didn't belong here.

"Hey everyone!" I waved a hello to each of them after I put the stack of paperwork down. Angela simply "stared" at me while Netzach lazily waved his arm and Yesod gave a stiff "Hello". Hod was the only one to wave back with as much energy as I did.

"Since you are finally here, I think it is time for this meeting to begin."

Malkuth dragged me to the side with Hod as Angela started discussing various topics.

<20 Minutes Later>

There were many things that were brought up that caused some small arguments to start. The topic of the number of personnel for each department was debated upon by Malkuth and Yesod, both of which needed more hands to help around. Netzach had tried to doze off, which unfortunately brought attention towards him resulting in him being scolded for not properly maintaining his Department's supply of E.G.O. equipment. Guess I know where most of the requests for repairs came from.

Aside from that, the meeting went well. I honestly don't know why I'm even here since I'm not a Sephirah and being the Captain of the Reserves only meant I had more paperwork than even the clerks.

Speaking of paperwork, I might as well just leave the ones I brought here with Angela while I go rest.

I picked up the stack of papers and brought it to Angela.

"Angela, these are the reports and files for today."

She turned in my direction before carefully grabbing the papers.

"Thank you......Y/n, are you experiencing any difficulties?"

I threw her a confused look.

"Difficulties? Difficulties with what exactly?"

She slightly opened her eyelids to look at me.

"I noticed throughout the meeting that you would periodically seem to be distant and distracted. Though it is expected of you to work to your full capabilities, it is less beneficial in the long run if you are incapacitated due to overworking. You are only human after all."

Angela smiled likely at the end. I couldn't tell if she was actually concerned or just making fun of me at this point.

"Ha ha, well it's actually more about this constant headache that I've been having throughout the day than overworking." I couldn't blame the headache for this slip up. Angela's eyes narrowed just a tiny bit, I guess someone didn't like my sarcasm.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Netzach still being scolded. We made eye contact and with that alone we understood each other's pain.

'You going to get yelled at too?'

'Yeah. It wasn't my fault though! I'm just tired and this headache isn't helping!'

'You're not the only one, I've barely heard a word this entire meeting.'

'Hey, how about we just drink our problems away once I get to your department?!'

'Only if you're bringing the Enkephalin. Angela's close to cutting my supply.'

'Don't worry, I'll make sure to bring some!'

Our "conversation" was brought to an end when Malkuth stepped right up to Netzach breaking our line of sight, and Angela cleared her throat. I turned to look at her. Her smile turned flat as she eyed me. I felt uncomfortable under her gaze, though it was more from the intensity of the look than the act itself.

".....then I recommend you get some rest to alleviate the pain."

" *Clears Throat* Then I'll do just that. Have a goodnight!"

Just as I was about to turn and leave, Angela suddenly stepped in front of me blocking my path. I sent a distress signal to Hod who was watching our interaction, she was about to pull me to the side but Angela's glare seemed to scare her off.

Hod mouthed a silent "Sorry" as I mouthed back an "It's okay".

"In fact, I believe that we have something to help with your "headache", let me provide you with the medication from the infirmary. Come."

"U-Uh I really was telling the truth about the headache just to let you know."

She didn't respond. Angela simply closed her eyes and snatched my hand from my side and walked, or more like dragged, me out the room. The protests of Hod weren't heard by any of the other occupants as they continued arguing.

Angela continued to pull me while she walked as if nothing was wrong. Begrudgingly I had to accept my fate and tried to match her pace.

We walked hand in hand towards the elevator that Malkuth and I arrived in. Her hand was different compared to Malkuth as it wasn't as crushing as hers, but it was still tight.

We both stayed quiet as we waited for the elevator to arrive. I kept glancing at her, waiting for her to say something. But just like with Malkuth, Angela kept staring ahead with her closed eyes.

"Umm, I don't want to come off as rude but could I have my hand back?"

"No."

I was ready for a response just like Malkuth's, what I wasn't expecting was the immediate rejection.

"N-No?"

"Is there something wrong?"

"U-Uuhh, it's just that I would like to have my hand back ....please?"

"You didn't seem to have any issue doing the same prior to the meeting."

"Huh?"

I was confused as to what she was talking about. Until it suddenly clicked when she tightened her grip on my hand, because it was the same exact hand Malkuth held.

"O-Oh well—ummm—you see that was because she said that she—uuhh wanted to?....Or more like forced me to comply! Yes that's it!"

I tried to come up with any excuse, though of course I wouldn't lie. Actually it was probably more of the fact that I couldn't lie since the elevators had cameras in them as well, so it wouldn't be hard to just rewind the footage to that point of time.

"But you still did it correct?"

"Y-Yes I guess that's true."

"Then you should have no problem doing it again. Unless it's more about who it is?"

She tilted her head to look at me from the corner of her narrowed eyes.

"No, I was just taking into account about what you said earlier today. How I shouldn't be so intimate or close to my colleagues and subordinates."

"Oh course, it is vital that one knows what line not to cross when working with another."

"......then shouldn't that be the case now."

"Of course not, I'm more than just your colleague and nowhere near your subordinate. I am your superior, both in terms of the hierarchy here in Lobotomy Corp and in general."

I raised my eyebrow at her.

Noticing my look, she just turned to face the elevator.

"I am the greatest AI,Y/n. Unlike those who will fade away in due time, I will persist and remain constant. So I hope you understand the value in forming a connection with me."

It didn't seem as if she was boasting about herself to be honest. Though I could tell there was some hidden meaning under her words, her poker face made it hard to distinguish what exactly it was.

Yeah, I'm too tired for this. I'll just have to endure it for now.

I noticed her stiff figure seemed to have relaxed a bit when I didn't question any further and simply held her hand. She even lightened her grip making me sigh in relief.

*Ding*

The elevator arrived and we both entered.

The trip to the infirmary was quick, the trip back to my dorm room was quicker. Since we were in the day-shift dormitory there was hardly anyone awake or present in the halls.

I carefully held the pill bottle in my hand as I stood in my room. Angela had already said her farewells after she dropped me off at my room door.

Not wanting to waste my sleeping hours, I grabbed a single pill like Angela recommended and swallowed it whole. As I stood near my bed, I wasn't expecting an instant effect so I was caught completely off guard when the headache immediately faded away.

The other thing I didn't expect was to completely black out.