"My name is X . Male. I am currently serving as the manager of one of the Wings of the World—L Corp, Lobotomy Corporation."
The pen tip scratched softly across the paper, leaving behind neat, clearly legible lines.
"I have to say, this place is quite extraordinary."
"Whether it's the employees working on the front lines at constant risk to their lives, my AI secretary Angela, or even the heads of each department—the beings known as the Sephirah…"
"There's something uniquely indescribable about them. A kind of… 'cuteness.' I really like the working atmosphere here… even though that atmosphere is always accompanied by a tension that's hard to ignore."
"Although Angela has reminded me more than once that, as the manager, I should maintain an appropriate distance from employees in order to preserve management efficiency and the necessary sense of authority—and to guard against the schemes of certain extreme individuals…"
"Still, I can't help but feel that if I, this 'superior' in name, am willing to share risks, shoulder pressure together with them, and occasionally show just a little bit of… well, human concern…"
"Then when they think of that, maybe they'll work a little harder? Feel a little more sense of belonging?"
Beside the paragraph, the pen lightly drew a small question mark—then quickly crossed out the entire section.
"Heh, just kidding… well, not entirely. The truth is, I simply want to care a bit more about them."
"After all, the pressure of working here is immense… Even a small amount of goodwill might keep some dangerous individuals from going astray, or become a faint guiding light for those who are more fragile."
"Heh… who doesn't like being cared about?"
"What are you doing right now?"
A familiar voice sounded from the doorway, calm and lightly inquisitive.
"Ah, good morning, Angela."
X stopped writing, casually closed his diary, and smiled toward her.
"There's still some time before work officially starts, so I thought I'd jot down a few things to pass the time."
"Come to think of it, I've been on the job for a while now. There have been plenty of interesting things—I really want to record them."
"If you have ample time, I would still prefer that you ensure adequate rest, rather than arriving at the office so early only to write in your diary."
Angela frowned slightly, her expression tinged with helplessness.
"Even sleeping ten more minutes would greatly benefit the energy and focus you'll need to maintain throughout the day."
"It's fine."
X appreciated Angela's concern, though on the surface he waved it off, looking unconcerned.
"If anything happens to my health, isn't there K Corp's healing serum?"
As he spoke, X casually glanced at his watch.
"Alright, enough chatting. It's time for work to begin."
After confirming the time, X reached out and pressed the button on the console that marked the official start of the workday.
Yet unlike usual, his gaze drifted ever so slightly, and his finger lingered on the button for a fraction of a second longer than normal.
The reason, of course, was the strange exchange that had occurred earlier that morning—just shortly before Angela arrived.
—
Fifteen minutes before Angela's arrival.
The office was silent, with only X present.
Suddenly, the manager-exclusive control console in front of him flickered without warning, accompanied by a faint electrical crackle.
Then, a green Lobotomy Corporation logo abruptly lit up—like an eye opening in the darkness.
Immediately after, beneath the logo, a line of small white text began to appear character by character, as though being typed in real time, carrying the tactile feel of a typewriter.
"…Hello?"
"Can you see this line of text? Is anyone there?"
The sudden development made X 's heart tighten, his body instantly entering a state of alert.
"Hello?"
He hesitated, then cautiously responded in a low voice—to the empty office, or rather, to the screen.
"May I ask who you are?"
Someone capable of bypassing Angela and directly accessing this core control system…
Could it be one of the mysterious board members Angela had previously mentioned—individuals whose positions far exceeded his own?
Who could it be?
That person known as "A," perhaps?
"You may call me B."
The text on the screen vanished, immediately replaced by new words.
"Just think of me as… someone familiar with this company."
"Hello, B."
"Please understand that it's inconvenient for me to reveal myself."
The text refreshed again, carrying an unusual air of mystery.
"This may be a bit abrupt… but I am about to reveal to you three secrets about this company that you do not know."
"But before that, let me ask you something."
"Do you truly believe you were hired by this company?"
?!
That question was like an invisible scalpel, precisely cutting through X 's psychological defenses.
The shell he had built from "fulfilling work" and "warm daily routines" shattered instantly, plunging him back into that original sense of dislocation and unease.
Almost on instinct, X began rapidly reviewing his performance over this period:
Strictly following the operation manuals;
Doing his utmost to maintain employee mental stability;
Steadily improving energy collection efficiency;
Even achieving a zero-casualty daily work record;
Maintaining extremely good relations with all the Sephirah…
He nervously inspected every detail, trying to find any mistake he might have made.
After running through everything, X truly couldn't find anything that warranted a mysterious "superior" personally seeking him out in this manner to "teach him a lesson."
So what did this mean?
Some kind of special test?
Had his performance been too outstanding, drawing the attention of upper management—this being a probe before further promotion?
Or was it that… his style of "human-centered management" had ultimately violated some taboo of the L Nest?
"Is it hard to answer? Then let me rephrase."
However, during the brief moment X was lost in thought, "B" on the other end of the screen clearly misunderstood his silence.
"Are you satisfied with your current job?"
"Satisfied."
X nodded.
"It's a bit tough, but it's fulfilling and enjoyable."
"…Is that so?"
The screen replied with only those two words, then fell silent.
The silence lasted over ten seconds, as though the other party were digesting X 's answer—or evaluating something.
Even through the cold screen and mere text, X could vaguely sense that beneath the silence lay a trace of… indescribable disappointment.
Or rather, a complex, uncertain emotion.
"Very well. I can't determine whether you're telling the truth."
After a while, the text slowly appeared again:
"You are the manager of Lobotomy Corporation, but to be honest—you know nothing about this company, do you?"
B's words struck straight at the core.
"Of course… that's not entirely your fault. With a manager's clearance, at most you can only know the outer shell of the company."
"That surface Lobotomy Corporation composed of employees, machines, Abnormalities, and the TT2 Protocol."
"You do not know that there is also another side—an 'inner' Lobotomy Corporation."
"..."
X opened his mouth, only to realize he didn't know how to respond.
Though he could perform his job flawlessly, B was right.
As soon as things touched anything deeper, he knew nothing at all about Lobotomy Corporation.
And what exactly was this so-called Inner Lobotomy Corporation?
"Relax . I'll explain as briefly as possible…"
This sentence clearly had more to follow—or rather, what should have come next was the revelation of crucial information.
But at that moment, the text on the screen abruptly stopped, as if forcibly cut off by some external power.
The final line appeared in haste:
"…Staying jacked into the network for too long is dangerous. See you."
—
Connection terminated.
Somewhere within the company, a woman with short silver hair—her face indistinct—cut off all communication signals and murmured to herself:
"This time… I'll definitely help you escape this prison…"
"I just don't know whether that guy Farad has everything ready on the 'inner' side yet…"