"Sigh... You must have met that night, right?"
Fujitani Nisuke, who was melancholically smoking, slowly turned his head, his tired eyes fixed on Alister.
As if looking at a fellow traveler who had touched upon a forbidden aspect of the world, sharing the same experience.
"Which night?" Alister had many eventful nights.
Fujitani Nisuke flicked his cigarette ash, then lit another one, taking two puffs before exhaling a plume of smoke.
"It's the night you got to know the blue-haired Archangel."
"What's wrong?" Alister rarely heard him speak in riddles. "Does Luorou have a problem?"
"It's not about her having a problem, but rather the thugs who approached her."
Fujitani Nisuke's expression was tired yet earnest, like a survivor from the abyss, as he unraveled Alister's doubts.
"If I'm not mistaken, that should have been when the Birth Game incident happened, causing time to stop worldwide, right?"
Even though time was frozen during the incident, its aftermath could still be discerned.
The emotional fluctuations of those thugs, Fujitani Nisuke was intimately familiar with them, and he was almost certain of the disruptive presence.
Alister wasn't dull either, naturally sensing the importance of the situation and confirming:
"I did participate in the Birth Game incident and encountered an entity called an Emotion Aggregator..."
"I thought so. Without players present, how could the Emotion Aggregator break the rules and pursue you?"
Fujitani Nisuke smiled in relief, then his expression grew heavier as he scrutinized Alister:
"Hey, Alister, it didn't set its sights on you, did it? Did you lose in the Game?"
"I won..." Alister concealed part of the truth. "With the rules limiting its attacks, it was slow, and I managed to hold out until the time ran out."
...Won?
Fujitani Nisuke seemed momentarily shocked, then regained his composure and inquired:
"What did it say?"
"...It said it wanted to shatter the Sequence Game."
Considering that even the Emotion Aggregator had to erase the game records, Alister didn't reveal information about the "Game Administrator."
In case some trigger word caused the Game Administrator to directly enter this timeline and eliminate him as a bug...
Alister didn't want to face such a development.
"If it can talk, then it's undoubtedly the one."
Fujitani Nisuke continued to puff on his cigarette. "Although I'm not sure why you encountered it, or perhaps it was its capricious experiment..."
"...If you encounter it in reality, be sure to let me know." he said with a tone of commission.
"It's probably the ultimate boss of the Sequence Game that needs to be eliminated?"
"You're halfway right." Fujitani Nisuke tossed an item over. "It's the final boss, but it can't be destroyed. It transcends the Sequence Game."
"Item: Strange Person's Black Feather"
"Rank: E"
"A black feather dropped by an evil strange person, its location can be tracked by players who unlock Justice Points."
"Maybe you can understand your mission now. Is it a requirement of your ability?"
Alister inquired curiously, "Like, justice demanding the eradication of evil..."
"You can interpret it that way."
Fujitani Nisuke extinguished his cigarette, throwing it into a nearby trash bin, and continued:
"There's also a personal reason. That thing has done many things that have earned the hatred of others, including me."
As if too much time had passed, Fujitani Nisuke wasn't emotionally stirred. He merely squinted slightly.
He raised his thumb, speaking with a traditional tone:
"Alister, as long as you work for me, rewards will be plentiful."
"Get lost."
"Don't make me beg!"
"Go ahead, beg."
"Henshin—"
Evil Annihilation made a grand entrance, the robust black-gold armor exuding martial qi, the long crimson scarf fluttering in the wind.
"Show me your power. Let's have a warrior's duel, a father-son match!"
Five minutes later.
"Game Over"
Fujitani Nisuke put down his phone in defeat, as usual.
Alister gained a new son.
"If I encounter it again, I'll contact you."
He turned to leave, waved his hand in farewell, leaving Fujitani Nisuke on the bench.
"Enjoy your team-building." Fujitani Nisuke bid goodbye in a formulaic manner. "If you have time, take a few photos and share them on your social media!"
Alister glanced sideways and admitted, "I usually don't post on social media."
"...Then just message me privately." Fujitani Nisuke seemed to be pondering about life.
"Truth be told, I know a stray rat in City A. It said it wants to see how the upper class lives."
"...I'll buy it some snacks when I'm over there."
"You're generous, boss!"
...
...
"Team-building time, the seaside district?"
The cool chat avatar showed Yumikou online, very concerned about Alister's work.
"Did Luorou tell you?"
"She posted it on her social media, and I saw it immediately (screenshot)."
"Do you want to join too?"
"Come back and keep me company during overtime (upset anime girl)."
"I'll bring you some snacks after the team-building is over." "Do you think I'm a kid? (the upset anime girl is really getting upset now)"
"I'll feed you when the time comes."
Upon reading this message, Yumikou suddenly paused, her cheeks slightly reddening, her fingers hanging in the air, unsure of how to reply.
"What fun thing do you have? Show it to me!"
In the luxurious and comfortable back seat of a customized car, Himizuki ended her business call, leaned over with her black-shirted figure, and peered at Qingxian curiously.
Instantly, Qingxian, like a child protecting her treasure, glanced at Himizuki, then exited the chat.
"Mind your own business with your group affairs." Qingxian reminded plainly, "It's impolite."
"Little Qingxian of mine..."
Before Himizuki could answer, Qingxian seized her cheek and said lightly:
"The first sword of enlightenment, cut off annoying best friends first."
Himizuki maintained her haughty demeanor, brushed away Qingxian's hand, and said nonchalantly:
"Relax, I'm not interested in your old lover, watch out for distinctions between immortals and mortals."
"If he can't achieve immortality, I'll accompany him to his grave."
"Is that so..."
The privately customized car smoothly traveled on the elevated bridge. The two stopped chatting abruptly.
Himizuki yawned like a noble lady, turned to the next page of "Ten Thousand Ways to Train a Dog," and rarely sought advice from someone:
"I'm quite interested in that E-ranked first 'Shadow.' Do you have any suggestions?"
"...What do you want to train him for?"
A tinge of sunset passed over the bridge, within the luxurious confines of the private car, Himizuki confided the events of that night