The Secretary led the way, the Manager followed. The subordinate led the way, opening the doors. The superior waited patiently…
They walked through a long, dark, and dimly lit hallway. It was just from one enclosed room to another. But unlike the Manager's room, which was completely enclosed by metal walls and dimly lit, this room had a slightly warmer atmosphere.
The room was decorated in a comfortable, relaxing pale yellow. It looked like a lounge, but it was empty, only Manager X and Secretary Angela.
Tap tap tap— tap tap. Soon after entering the room, they heard hurried footsteps… someone was coming.
Quickly, the door was opened, and a brown-haired girl with short hair entered. She wore a regular black suit with the initial "M" on her sleeve. She held a notebook under her arm.
Manager X and Angela waited for a minute in the room.
"Whew, Manager, Manager!"
Seeming hurried and anxious, the girl's voice was a little breathless. When she noticed that Manager X and Angela were looking at her, she quickly explained.
"I… I think I made it on time? Ah… sorry, I'm a minute late!"
"It's alright. I just arrived myself. I'm the new Manager, X."
Manager X wasn't bothered at all. Being a minute late wasn't a big deal. Besides, who would make things difficult for a cute girl?
"Whew, that's good. I hope I'm not too late. Manager, welcome to Lobotomy Corp!"
The brown-haired girl with short bangs smiled at Manager X. She was as cute as a chestnut, or perhaps as sweet as honey.
But… even if the Manager wasn't bothered, it didn't mean the Manager's Secretary wouldn't be.
[Alright, I don't want to interrupt your touching first meeting. But every minute is a valuable resource for the Corporation. Malkuth, please be punctual next time.]
[Please introduce yourself briefly, then prepare for the meeting.]
Angela reminded the girl named Malkuth. This seemed to be another Corporation AI, but their relationship seemed… strained?
X hesitated, then silently watched Angela reprimand the Dean. She was an outsider. She didn't understand the Corporation's internal situation, nor was she familiar with the Corporation or its AIs.
"Um… Angela seems to be in a bad mood today. It's alright, Manager. There are other AIs here. The other Department Managers are also looking forward to meeting you. Probably…"
Malkuth, the Dean, sighed, offered an apologetic smile to Manager X, then began to introduce herself.
"I'm the Dean in charge of the Control Team. You can call me Malkuth!
As you can see, I have a heavy responsibility. Haha. In short, I will do my best to help you improve our Department's overall performance!"
"You must be very nervous, right? It's okay, everyone needs time to adapt to a new job. So don't worry, I'll help you! You know, I used to be an employee too. Um… you know."
"Like, buttoning my shirt incorrectly… or mistaking salt for sugar at lunch, ruining a whole meal… But that was a long time ago. I'm very capable now!"
As she spoke, Malkuth, the Control Department Dean, wrote something in her notebook. She was seriously writing. She seemed to have forgotten Angela's previous instructions. She was giving a too casual introduction.
[Malkuth, you've said too much. You can talk privately later.]
Angela frowned, seemingly impatient.
"Okay… sorry. Since it's your first day, I'll assign you simpler tasks, help you adapt to the environment, and let's work together, and do our best!"
Malkuth, the Control Department Dean, quickly ended her introduction. No matter what, she had left a good impression on Manager X, much better than that Secretary… a hundred times better.
"Please take care of me, Miss Malkuth."
X said this, secretly hoping that this cute Dean could be her Secretary instead of the AI wearing the Secretary uniform who acted like a central air conditioner.
Harsh, domineering, difficult to get along with, and unpredictable.
X used her peripheral vision to glance at the AI who called herself her Secretary. The blue-haired AI was still closing her eyes, frowning, as if she had been dumbfounded by this scene.
Just as X was looking for a topic to make small talk and ease the tension, a sudden, rapid knocking came from the door.
"…? I'll open the door."
X opened the door. A person who looked like an employee stood there.
"I can't take it anymore!! You… you're the new Manager?!"
"I really don't want to stay in this terrible place. Please, let me go! I know you have the authority to fire me! Please help me!"
The employee clutched his head in pain. The moment he saw Manager X, his bloodshot eyes were about to cry. He knelt down and banged his head against the cold floor.
"This…"
X was at a loss. This seemed like an emergency. Manager X unconsciously looked at the other two people in the room, Secretary Angela and Control Department Dean Malkuth.
Perhaps understanding Manager X's intention, Malkuth, the Dean, approached. The employee clinging to Manager X at the doorway seemed to belong to the Control Department.
"Hm? Why do you want to leave? Don't you like working in the Control Department? I really enjoy my work."
Malkuth questioned the employee. Compared to X's flustered state, she seemed much calmer.
"I really, really can't take it anymore! This terrible place is driving me crazy! Nothing is normal!"
The employee screamed wildly, his mental state extremely poor. He was beyond the brink of madness. Manager X was his only hope.
Resignation… escaping this place was his only hope…
"Malkuth, he's… try to calm him down."
Manager X wanted to speak, but she didn't have a chance because Malkuth's smile disappeared. She spoke first, addressing the employee:
"But I think you can handle this job."
X sensed a hint of pity in Malkuth's voice. She had a bad feeling, but the employee didn't realize anything. He continued complaining.
"I… I can't! I don't want to die!!!"
A frantic scream. Those desperate words pierced Manager X's ears.
—Let him resign—
His pitiful state made X sympathize with him. But X also understood what resignation meant. No one could leave the Corporation, including the Manager.
Even resignation… didn't mean escaping the Corporation.
"I'm so sorry, Manager, for making you hear this. This employee is under my charge, so please let me handle this?"
Malkuth said this with a smile. But this innocent smile had a different taste, combined with the employee's desperate eyes, his head hitting the floor… it was a little terrifying.
—Leave it to Malkuth?
—Not leave it to her?
[The simulation has started—]
[Day 1—Employee Handling]
[At the Manager's welcome meeting, an employee suddenly burst in, begging you to approve his resignation.]
[Dean Malkuth asked you to hand over the authority to deal with the employee to her. You agreed. The employee was taken away. Everything was fine, except for the screams coming from the hallway.]
[You didn't know what would happen to the employee. You didn't dare to think about it. But you seemed to have some kind of psychological problem. You didn't dare to ask many questions, afraid of displeasing Angela and the Deans.]
[Your mental state was very poor. You continued working in this state. You weren't paying much attention, but fortunately, the first day's work was simple. You barely completed today's quota. After completing the quota, you left work.]
[After work, you waited in your room. You were anxious because of some psychological issues. In your fear, you smashed the mirror and cut your throat with the shards of glass.]
[You committed suicide…]
[Achievement Unlocked—This time it was him, next time it will be who?]
[Friendly Reminder: Remember your identity and position. The Corporation has different positions.]
[Please choose your reward for this outcome:
1. Fortitude (+1)
2. Prudence (+1)
3. Temperance (+1)
4. Justice (+1)]
This simulation was different from the previous two. There were rewards to choose from.
X fell silent. Although she didn't know why it had turned out this way, it was probably a good thing, and she had to make a choice. The rewards were strange, but based on their literal meanings, they seemed feasible.
Manager X chose [Fortitude] from the four options. Based on the literal meaning, Fortitude would increase her Fortitude, right? She was probably too timid or too humble. Her status, position, and attitude didn't match.
Because of the previous simulations, where defying the AI had led to bad outcomes, X had become a little timid, afraid… But it seemed that being too submissive also led to bad outcomes, to her own collapse.
She couldn't be complacent, nor could she be timid… She had to find a balance.
Should she act… like a Manager? X wondered.
After choosing the reward, X didn't feel any real change. What really helped were the scenarios and the friendly reminders, which pointed out the key issues.
—Doing the Manager's job—
—She was the Manager—
"I'll handle this employee, Malkuth."
"Angela, give me the gun on the table."
Manager X stared at the employee kneeling on the floor, begging her. Her eyes were icy… the shiny metal floor reflected Manager X's golden eyes and her cold expression.
It was the kind of expression you would have when looking at a corpse… No, it was exactly the expression you would have when looking at a corpse.
Bang—
The trigger was pulled. The bullet pierced the employee's head. Crimson blood instantly stained the floor. The body fell into a pool of blood. Because of the close proximity, some of the blood spattered onto X's face.
"Well, Manager."
Malkuth was slightly surprised.
She wasn't surprised that the employee had died. She was surprised that the seemingly soft-hearted Manager had chosen to handle the employee herself. She had been prepared to do it instead, thinking that X wouldn't be able to do it.
"Sorry, I just remembered. This employee still has some value… And the floor is dirty…"
As X spoke, she wiped the blood from her face. The employee's warm blood was still on her face. Her fingertips still felt the warmth.
[Well done, Manager. Although it was a bit wasteful, your mood seems much better. At least, the employee served a purpose.]
The Secretary, who had been watching, clapped. Then, approaching Manager X, she whispered in her ear.
[Don't worry about the employee staining the floor. The mess will be cleaned up.]
A pure white handkerchief wiped the blood from X's face. It was incredibly clean and precise. Even the blood on X's fingers was wiped away.
After doing this, Angela looked up and scolded the Control Department Dean.
[Alright, Malkuth, the play's over. Go back to your Department. Manage your neglected employees. Don't let them embarrass themselves in front of the Manager. I don't want to see this happen again.]
The Control Department Dean, Malkuth, was driven out by the blue-haired Secretary, passing by the corpse in the doorway. The employee's blood was still warm… Neither Angela nor Malkuth glanced at the employee.
From the moment he said, "I want to resign," the employee's fate was sealed. Didn't he know what resignation meant?
The only difference was how to handle the situation, how to maximize the value of an employee who wanted to resign. Simply shooting him was wasteful.
But this wasn't something to celebrate. X wasn't pleased by the employee's death, as her Secretary had said.
"Angela, the employee's death didn't make me happy. I didn't want to do this… I just wanted to free him. As Manager, all I could do was approve his resignation, give him release."
X stared at the corpse lying in a pool of blood in the doorway. She felt a pang of emotion, but she was the Manager. Her compassion had its limits. At least, she had shot him herself. That was better than the simulated scenario where he had been dragged away…
At least, his body was intact.