Machines were cold, but humans had a body temperature. The greater the temperature difference, the faster the heat transfer. Pressing tightly against the skin… the heat was so intense, it was as if it could melt steel, turn it into churning molten iron.
It was too hot, wasn't it? Especially in a room without air conditioning. A warm embrace was so burning.
Holding on, not wanting to let go… if she occasionally saw that ray of light in the darkness, could she really bear to see the endless night again…?
She just wanted to hold onto her palm, one circle after another, leaving no gaps.
Holding on, not wanting that ray of sunshine to escape through her fingers.
If… If only it could stay like this forever…
"Uh, cough, cough… Angela, lighten up, I can't breathe."
X was almost suffocated. It might be because of the hug being too hot, or maybe it was because the AI Secretary's chest was actually a bit… well, anyway, X wanted to let go and run away quickly.
But she was being held by Angela.
[I'm sorry, Manager… Did I hurt you?]
Angela carefully blew on the spot where the white skin was slightly red from being held too tightly.
Humans were so fragile. Just a little bit of a quick embrace, and they would be suffocated by this kind of warmth.
It was just that she didn't want to let go… Why… Why couldn't she…
"It's nothing, it's nothing. It's just Angela… I feel a little too big. I'm actually having trouble breathing."
X shifted back a bit. This feeling wasn't bad. It was soft… This kind of curve was much better than her own. Her attractive femininity could be fully displayed under this kind of curve.
It had to be said, the AI designer at Lobotomy Corp had good taste. They knew what they were doing.
But that didn't change the fact that the designer was mixing in some kind of bootleg. Why would someone completely simulate reality when designing an AI, just for the sake of working and acting as the core of the Corporation? There was no need to do that.
It was too… too absurd! It needed to be criticized, severely criticized!
Who was Angela's designer?
X thought for a moment, remembering that it was one of Lobotomy Corp's founders, aka A, that mysterious boss… Sure enough, there wasn't a single normal person in Lobotomy Corp's upper management.
—No, what am I even thinking? Angela is just an AI.
X shook her head quickly, sweeping away the strange thought that had suddenly popped up.
Those were incorrect thoughts, irrational, prejudiced, wrong. She wanted to ruthlessly dismiss them. She couldn't waver.
Personal feelings should not influence work. Or perhaps… work was the most important thing. Other extraneous thoughts should be ignored.
She intended to downplay it, try not to see it, pretend it wasn't there. It didn't matter what the other party thought, regardless of the method, as long as she could achieve her goal. What did it matter if she sacrificed a bit?
"Angela, I'll be back before work officially starts. My performance today will be even better than usual."
"And… can you reward me with another bottle of champagne then?"
X boldly asked her AI Secretary, even though she didn't really have a passion for drinking. But she thought that this would increase the AI's sense of satisfaction, even if it wasn't necessary. Maybe it would make the AI happy.
Should she be called dull or sensitive? She always tried to avoid certain things, being sloppy…
But X always skipped the process and went straight for the result…
She felt that the AI Secretary was very stubborn about control and being needed. If she could make the AI Secretary feel like she was within her control, she would gain a certain level of freedom.
Even if she arbitrarily asked for something, the AI would nod and agree, satisfying her request.
Like now.
[Manager, if you can guarantee good performance, I will consider it.]
The AI agreed. Before, X hadn't dared to make demands of the AI, fearing that she would anger her Secretary. Now, it seemed like she was too worried… The AI didn't have such a narrow mind. As long as she didn't touch her trigger points, she was still very easy to talk to.
It was true that Angela cared about the Manager.
Of course, the prerequisite was that all the work was completed properly. If the Manager's work kept failing… punishment was highly likely.
As for whether she would be completely packed up or something else… X didn't think about it too much. It was difficult to guess the AI's mind. Women were always good at changing their minds.
It was too hard to understand. It was difficult for people to understand each other, and the AI's emotional complexity wasn't much different from humans.
It didn't matter if she didn't understand, she didn't need to know. She just needed to know the result. All she needed was the result.
Whatever method was useful, she would use it. As long as she achieved her goal, anything was good.
"Really? I knew you were the best, Angela!"
Hearing the answer she wanted, X immediately hugged the AI Secretary, kissed her cheek, and then ran out of the Manager's room without looking back.
The AI touched the spot where she had just been kissed, frowning.
Too perfunctory… She wasn't blind, but… What could she do…?
Even though she knew it was fake affection, even though she knew she couldn't help falling for it, like someone in the desert who was unbearably thirsty. Even if she knew that the bottle in her hand was carefully crafted poison, she wouldn't hesitate to drink it. She would do it willingly…
Even if it was just a fleeting bubble, just a fleeting glimpse…
The AI's face was expressionless as she stared at the figure in the hallway on the screen. The woman with the black ponytail, a short ponytail, swayed her high heels. She seemed to be lost in thought.
Her hair was loose, but she paused for a few seconds, then took out her spare hair tie, the red, fibrous band. She tied it up again, a blue ponytail… She always wore the same outfit, never changed.
The neat Secretary uniform, the same hairstyle… it was the kind of look that the other person expected, something that never changed.
Like a clumsy imitation of that mirror, she was shrouded in that person's shadow.
She couldn't satisfy that person, not at all.
...
X walked down the hallway, curiously looking around. It was very different from the usual quiet. Now, it was bustling, with groups of people rushing back and forth. Some of them had bread in their mouths, probably because they had overslept and were in a hurry.
There were employees pushing carts of supplies, employees sweeping the floor, and employees carrying stacks of documents. These were the logistics Clerks. Some of them were wearing dark blue vests, while others were different colors.
The Clerks of each Department would wear the corresponding Department color uniform, while the general, miscellaneous workers would wear black suits.
Before the official start of work in the morning, the employees were all in their places, busily preparing, like cogs in a machine, constantly moving.
No one paid any attention to X. Or perhaps they noticed her, but didn't care to think about who she was. There were so many people in the Corporation, the rate of employee turnover was probably even more frequent than changing clothes. New faces appeared all the time.
Even if they noticed a stranger, it wasn't strange.
On the other hand, there were no outsiders. This was Wings of the World… Everyone was proud to be a part of Wings of the World… A shed feather wouldn't attract any attention. Everyone was honored to be a feather in Wings of the World.
Even though X didn't have any sense of belonging to "Wings of the World," seeing the employees' hard work and the expanding scale, she couldn't help but feel a sense of "joy."
The Corporation was flourishing because of her. Her efforts were bearing fruit. Even though it was also the price the employees paid, the results they created… But the credit was given to the Manager, right?
It was also thanks to the Deans, and the employees who always obeyed orders.
The brown uniform was for the Control Department employees, the light brown uniform was for the Training Department employees… Ah, to be honest, X felt that these two colors weren't very easy to tell apart. The Safety Department and the Information Department were much easier to distinguish.
The Safety Department had green uniforms, and the Information Department had purple uniforms. You could tell them apart at a glance.
Unbeknownst to her, X had already arrived at the Information Department. X always felt that the Information Department had the strictest discipline, especially strict… The employees were definitely the kind who wouldn't smile easily…
Because their Dean was "Viper" Yesod.
But X realized she was too rigid in her impressions. It wasn't necessarily that a particular Dean would have a particular kind of employee. For example, with Hod Dean, her employees weren't gentle and docile, but instead, had become addicts because of Hod Dean's indulgence.
"The dominoes game started with me. Do whatever you want!"
It seemed that they had finished calling names, but work hadn't officially started yet. Some employees were relaxing in the room, playing games… And this was happening in Yesod's Department.
The two employees looked at each other when they saw a stranger walk in. You look at me, I look at you… as if asking each other, do you know her?
"Uh… I'm new— Um? What are you looking at?"
X was wondering how to make up a lie that sounded plausible, when she saw the two employees' faces change. They choked, as if they had gotten something stuck in their throat. It was like they were reminding her of something.
X subconsciously followed the employees' gaze and turned her head. She didn't see it before, but now she noticed that Yesod, the Information Department Dean, had arrived at some point, standing right next to her.
Wait, it's Yesod!
"That… uh, good morning, Yesod. The weather is pretty good today."
X awkwardly smiled, greeting the Information Department Dean, as if trying to use her smile to cover up her recent naive behavior.
"Manager, why are you here… And why are you wearing that?"
As soon as those words came out, the two employees immediately looked surprised. Yesod's brows furrowed fiercely, especially after X turned to face her. Her brow could have crushed a fly. She seemed very, very unhappy with X's outfit.
"What are you looking at? Is it a show? Get back to work! Now!"
The Information Department Dean scolded the employees who were preparing to watch the show.
"Yes, Dean! We're very sorry!"
They were immediately chased away. Only when the Information Department lounge was empty, with only the two of them left, did Yesod's expression ease a bit, and her tone was not as sharp as it was before.
"I'm sorry. It's not a good look for you to see me like this. Is there something you need, Manager? It's unusual for you to come here in person…"
Yesod was very formal, very serious. Her way of addressing her, even her speech patterns, had become honorifics. This sudden change in her respectful attitude made X feel uncomfortable. She felt an inexplicable sense of strangeness.
If she said that she was just full and wanted to stroll around, wouldn't that be too… She had to make up a reason that sounded more significant. At least something worthy of Yesod's serious expression.
"Nothing important, Yesod!
I just wanted to come see you, and also see these employees who are working so hard for the Corporation… Um, being only behind the screen, I can't really understand their struggles."
"I think if I could come here in person, I would understand the employees better… Know what they need, how to truly help them."
"I want to help them. Even though I can't make them leave the Corporation, they can only work here, but at least I hope they can enjoy better treatment, and won't regret choosing to join Lobotomy Corp."
"Every Wings has the power to change the world, but what has truly changed?"
"Wings will shed. Once the wings are broken, they can't protect the employees anymore. I hope they can learn a skill, find a way to make a living elsewhere, and survive well…"
"Yesod, what's wrong with you? Your complexion doesn't look good. Did I say something wrong… Cough, cough, those words really did sound a bit ominous. But I didn't mean anything bad about the Corporation. Don't be angry, don't be angry."
X paused mid-sentence, suddenly realizing that Yesod's expression was getting worse and worse. She quickly shut her mouth and stepped forward, intending to calm the Information Department Dean's emotions. But in the process, she accidentally stepped on a banana peel that some employee had carelessly thrown away after finishing their snack.
X lost her balance and stumbled. She instinctively grabbed onto something, pulling the Information Department Dean down with her, and they both fell to the ground.
"…"
Yesod was on the ground, and X was on top of her.