DAY 19 — Tool-Type Abnormality Containment Day.
Much like days that are multiples of five—when no new Abnormalities are introduced—this kind of day was a rare breather for the company.
There were no new unknowns, no need to explore with fear gnawing at the back of one's mind.
Especially since, so far, all the tool-type Abnormalities X had contained posed no particular danger.
All employees needed to do was follow the usual rhythm: work, rest, work, rest, suppression, work… repeat.
Yes—at least during working hours.
—
After the end-of-shift order was issued, Training Department.
Several employees wearing Training Department armbands were gathered together, their faces full of dissatisfaction as they complained.
"This event is complete bullshit. I was planning to spend extra time at the gym today, work on my abs…"
A Level 4 employee grabbed her hair in frustration.
"Why is our department the only one stuck with a plan that's completely meaningless?"
"This is exactly what they mean by 'the King of Hell is easy to deal with, but the little devils are unbearable,'"
a Level 3 employee agreed bitterly.
"The manager already let us off early… and Hod still insists on keeping us here just to satisfy her own little obsession."
"Huh? Early?" another Level 4 employee shot back.
"We worked almost two extra hours today!"
"Please. That just tells me you've never worked anywhere else."
The Level 3 employee snorted.
"We worked from eight in the morning to six in the evening—and that's with overtime."
"Go look at other companies. Clock in at seven-thirty, one hour for lunch, clock out at seven-thirty at night."
"Some idiot bosses even make you keep working remotely after you get home—call it 'flexible hours,' but really you're just a 24/7 on-call slave!"
"Now look at L Corp. Sure, the job's dangerous, and there's no lunch break—but this is the only Wing in the City whose main business is energy!"
"Let me spell it out: food and housing provided, barely any expenses, absurdly high pay, and after every two months of continuous work, you can apply for a long vacation!"
"That reminds me…"
Another Level 4 employee nodded dreamily.
"For my next long break, I'm definitely booking a W Corp travel package…"
"Hey! Aren't we drifting way off topic?! Weren't we talking about Hod?!"
The first Level 4 employee dragged the conversation back forcefully, then proposed what she thought was a brilliant idea.
"Why don't we file a complaint with the manager?"
"Our department's energy output has been the highest these past few days. We've got merit—our words will carry weight!"
"Oh? That's a great idea…"
"I heard Security Department did exactly that yesterday, and it worked really well!"
"They said Director Netzach didn't dare drink beer or abuse Enkephalin the entire day!"
"Damn—that is effective!"
"But are you sure this reason holds up…?"
The last remaining employee spoke hesitantly.
"Our department's energy numbers are high, sure… but the people working on Judgment Bird and Nothing There are elites from other departments…"
"We're mostly working with TETH- and HE-class Abnormalities…"
"Don't overthink it. Just answer me this—those WAW and ALEPH Abnormalities, are they housed in our department or not?"
"…Yeah."
"Then it's settled! Once this damn program ends, we go see the manager!"
"Agreed."
"Agreed!"
—
About an hour later, Training Department corridor.
"…"
X , having just finished handling some miscellaneous tasks, immediately noticed the group of employees clustered together when he arrived.
"Control Department said there were employees here refusing to leave," he said calmly.
"So I came to see what was going on."
His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear—gentle in a way that naturally put people at ease.
"Everyone, the facility shuts down in half an hour. Why are you all squatting here?"
"…"
The five employees exchanged looks, none of them speaking at first.
After all, admitting that they didn't know where to find their manager and had resorted to waiting like hunters by a tree stump would be… embarrassing.
"Good afternoon, Manager."
The Level 3 employee finally spoke up.
"I'm Lan from the Training Department. We do have something we'd like to discuss with you."
"Hello, Lan."
X nodded slightly.
"What seems to be the issue?"
"Well… could you maybe rein in our department's Sephirah a bit?"
Seeing how approachable X was, Lan dropped the pleasantries and went straight into complaint mode.
"She's completely wasting our time on things that only make her feel good!"
"Make her feel good…?"
"You know—the projects Director Hod keeps pushing!"
Another Level 4 employee chimed in heatedly.
"We don't need that kind of help at all! But she insists those programs are good for us!"
"…"
The situation X had been worried about had finally arrived.
The conflict between the Training Department staff and Hod had escalated to the point where he had to step in personally.
"Maybe that's not entirely fair…?"
X still tried to say a few good words for Hod, probing just how deep their dissatisfaction ran.
"Perhaps you're too close to the situation to notice."
"Hod is the director of the Training Department. She's fairly professional when it comes to psychological counseling."
"She might've noticed issues that even you yourselves haven't realized yet…"
"…"
In response to his words, every employee present silently pulled out a neatly folded report from their jacket pockets and handed them to X .
"Please take a look!"
One of the Level 4 employees said.
"These have official Training Department certification stamps. Our comprehensive evaluations are also logged in the database."
"If you're worried we faked the paper reports, you can check the original data yourself."
"With Angela around, tampering with the company database is basically impossible!"
"…"
X read through the psychological evaluation reports one by one, without speaking.
"See?! Our mental health is perfectly normal! We don't need pointless counseling!"
The first Level 4 employee pressed on.
"If that's not self-indulgence, then what is?"
"exactly!"
The last employee added miserably.
"If she keeps messing around like this, she's more likely to give us psychological problems!"
"…I see."
At this point, X had no real grounds left to refuse.
This wasn't a power struggle or workplace scheming—just employees voicing concerns about decisions whose benefits they couldn't see.
And if their mental states truly were stable…
Then Hod's programs really might be a bit… excessive.
"…Alright. I'll try talking to her."
X finally agreed.
When it came to conflicts between employees and department heads, he had always preferred mediation whenever possible.
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