"Oh, I guess I don't feel any pain... Wait, Yesod, are you alright?!"
X unconsciously closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she realized she was pressing down on the Information Department Dean, making her into a cushion on the floor.
The look on her face was indescribable, but it was definitely scary...
X's eyes met Yesod's, her brown eyes meeting the golden ones. X was awkwardly uncomfortable, but it felt awkward to just look away…
After all, the Information Department Dean was under her, and she had pulled Yesod down with her.
In the end, she could only offer a smile, hoping to gloss over it.
"Manager, how long do you plan to stay on me?"
"Cough, cough! I'm getting up right now!"
Being reminded like this by Yesod, X also realized what was happening. She hurriedly used her hands and feet to get off of the Information Department Dean, with a very awkward and bizarre posture. Then, she hurriedly apologized.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I will compensate you. You're not hurt, are you?!"
Even though an AI probably wouldn't be injured from such a small collision, X still instinctively asked. "Compensation" or "reimbursement", she had become familiar with these things.
Yesod's expression was serious. After getting up, she first adjusted her collar and rearranged her clothes before speaking:
"Manager, do you like word chains? Word chains are one of the most popular recreational games here."
"Oh, oh, oh, why are you suddenly bringing this up? Uh, I feel it's over. The pressure here is so great, you know? You need to have some form of entertainment to relieve the pressure. But if I play this kind of game with Angela, there would be no end. It's like reciting pi."
"You know, Angela would definitely not lose playing this game. Uh, although she's never played with me…"
Although X didn't know why Yesod suddenly changed the subject, she still responded, not stupidly bringing up the awkward interlude.
Of course, the people involved didn't care, so let's quickly move on!
X was fidgety, because she felt guilty about the foolish mistake she had made. She let Yesod casually bring up other topics to cover it up. Of course, this was also because of Yesod's presence. She was the most strict of the Deans, and also the one you couldn't talk back to.
"..."
"Manager, that kind of game isn't fun to play. Angela wouldn't waste her time doing something so boring."
As expected, Yesod ended the topic almost as soon as she brought it up. X felt awkward, a bit out of her depth, but she still held onto her spirit, offering a smile.
"Come on, what does it matter. Even if Angela doesn't play with me, I can play with you! The other Deans can too! Right, Yesod?"
X clung to Yesod, feeling hot and uncomfortable. Yesod wanted to avoid her, but she let X stick to her, while the sweat on her forehead indicated that she was really not comfortable with close physical contact with people.
"Manager, I'm not going to play word chains with you. Go find someone else."
"But your expression tells me that you're thinking.... Okay, okay, don't make that scary expression, Yesod. It's just a joke. We've chatted enough. I need to go back, or Angela will be muttering again.
"Oh, it's still fun. Smile occasionally, Yesod. Always frowning isn't good for you."
X stretched her aching back. Looking down at the time, she felt like it was about time to go to work. She couldn't be late, or her AI Secretary would have to find another reason to punish her.
Like being packed up because her left foot stepped into the Manager's room first… In any case, stop it.
Just when X was about to leave, Yesod suddenly spoke. This time, she wasn't using the title Manager, but X's name.
"X, you know… Sometimes when I change clothes, I have an illusion…"
"Hmm?"
Because of the recent collision, the hair tie had loosened. X took off the crimson hair tie, twisted it a few times, and tied it up again.
She was a little puzzled about why Yesod had called her back, but Yesod just stared at X and continued.
"There is an illusion… I feel like my skin is full of decaying measles… Very scary…"
"Of course, when I open my eyes again, my body is as perfect as before… There are no signs of any skin disease on my skin… But what bothers me… Isn't the illusion itself, but the feeling."
Yesod crossed her arms tightly, covering herself. Just like usual, she wore extremely tight, high-collared clothes, and aside from her face, no other skin was exposed. She even wore black gloves.
"That feeling… I feel like that illusion is the real one, and I've been fooling myself, pretending that I have normal skin… And I've asked the other Deans, but it seems like I'm the only one who has experienced this feeling."
Yesod's face was very pale, like the kind of expression someone who gets carsick might have. X could also faintly sense something and anxiously looked at Yesod.
"Is it because I just hugged you, and made you feel uncomfortable, Yesod… I'm sorry, I didn't know you had a stress reaction. If you don't like it, just tell me, don't be uncomfortable with me, just endure it."
Although it was strange for an AI to hallucinate having a skin disease, Lobotomy Corp AI's were different from the ordinary AIs people understood. They were like lively humans, with distinct personalities, quirks, strengths and weaknesses.
The Deans, to a greater or lesser extent, all had certain deficiencies… X couldn't understand the purpose of this kind of incomplete existence, but she would try to understand them, to tolerate their shortcomings.
Oh, it was just the Manager's job.
If Yesod disliked physical contact, hugging and cuddling that made her uncomfortable, X would seriously keep her distance, as much as possible, and not touch her.
X bent down and apologized again. She had apologized so much today, she had caught up with the past few days combined.
But promptly admitting fault was a good strategy. Whether she had angered the AI Secretary, or upset the Deans, quickly apologizing would definitely smooth things over, and lead to a better outcome.
"….That's not what I meant. It's just a personal issue. Reason tells me that I shouldn't have skin disease. This body shouldn't have…"
Yesod shook her head, not acknowledging or rejecting X's apology.
"It will be 9 o'clock in 11 minutes, Manager. Do you want to delay the entire Corporation's time because you're late?"
She was probably upset… maybe?
X didn't know how she had offended the Information Department Dean, but it was almost work time, not the time to dwell on these things. It was probably simply because she had gotten too close… And Yesod didn't like people getting too close.
"I know, I know! I'm going to work now!"
Enjoying a wave of encouragement from the Information Department Dean, even though she still had a little time to spare, X hurried up and headed towards the Manager's room.
She hadn't gone out to a good location today. She was caught by Yesod just as she was about to leave, and Yesod was too strict and wouldn't play along with the Manager's shenanigans. X felt a little regretful… When would she be able to see Yesod smile?
Even though her nickname was 'Viper', the unapproachable Dean, she wasn't actually so bad…
X hoped that someday she could see Yesod smile, instead of always seeing her with a straight face, waiting in a corner by herself, not socializing with the employees or greeting the other Deans.
Make some more friends…? Oh, it's like Netzach said, the Corporation is not a place to make friends. But X felt that having someone who understood her, someone who could be called a "friend," would make it easier to stabilize her mental state and last longer.
Loneliness… Even real machines wouldn't necessarily be able to withstand boredom, let alone AIs with complex emotions similar to humans.
Like a gourd full of water, keeping her feelings hidden, suppressed… eventually, the pressure would be too great, wouldn't it?
If she could help Yesod and the other Deans build relationships, maybe that would be better…? X thought back to the first time they met, when Yesod said, "I like my nickname," then she felt like she couldn't do it.
Yesod was resisting interacting with others, not that the other Deans didn't want to have a relationship with her, or to build any relationships.
As expected, she would have to do it herself…?
Employees had psychological evaluations, but did Deans need psychological evaluations too…? Who would conduct psychological counseling for a bunch of AIs? Angela…?
"Angela, if the Corporation AI's are unable to function normally due to excessive mental pressure, will they be replaced?"
[Huh? You want to replace the Corporation's AI? I'm sorry, you don't have the authority to replace them.]
"No, I mean, what would you do if a Department Dean, like an employee, went crazy, Angela? Would you just replace the part, reassemble it at the factory and set up a new one?"
X asked very straightforwardly, her gaze fixed on the employees bustling around on the screen, and the Deans responsible for managing those employees. They were always busy, and seldom had a chance to rest.
[If the Deans malfunction, I will shut down their power supply. When they wake up again, they will start work normally. You don't need to worry about them affecting your work. They're just machines, and they should act like machines.]
The AI closed her eyes. Her tone was calm, as if she was describing something insignificant, but she immediately added:
[I am your best AI assistant, and also the one you can trust the most. You can always trust me.]
X had heard this statement many times. Her AI Secretary always liked to have it hanging on her lips. It seemed a bit self-absorbed.
"Then will they still remember me? If the program restarts, will they forget everything…"
X was a little worried that when she woke up, the Deans she had gotten to know over the past few days would all look at her like a stranger. That was a terrifying prospect.
The people she knew going away… Wasn't that scary?
[Of course not. The corresponding memories will be recorded during the restart. This won't cause them cognitive issues. They will still know you are their Manager, and they will know their mission… to obey orders and serve the Corporation.]
The AI Secretary patiently explained. But X was even more uneasy.
"Angela, if memories can be arbitrarily erased or added, what meaning do my actions have… Even if it's just fake memories, how can you tell? How can you prove that they're real? Or perhaps those memories are real?"
"It's like playing with toys arbitrarily…"
[Manager, you don't need to worry too much about them. They're just Corporation AIs. I will always be by your side.]
[Would you like a cup of coffee? I still have some cookies.]
The AI calmly spoke, then placed a cup of coffee with added milk in front of X, then brought a plate of cookies to her mouth, using snacks to stop her from speaking.
"Oh… alright."
X munched on the cookie, realizing she had asked too much. Although these things weren't important information, her AI Secretary was willing to tell her, but it probably affected her mood… There was no need to think too much about it.
On the one hand, she had to be a good Manager who cared about the Deans, cared about the employees. On the other hand, she also had to coldly treat them as tools… like they were generating energy, achieving goals, and acting as components. It was a bit embarrassing.
But work was always the first priority.
"[Regenerator Distinguisher Modification]… As expected, the Safety Department, more than emphasizing safety, is used for rescue."
X had signed the [Regenerator Distinguisher Modification] Protocol today. After signing this Protocol, the Corporation's Regenerators would be upgraded, adding a function to distinguish friend from foe.
Even if a dangerous individual invaded each Department, the Regenerator would still operate slowly, rather than shutting down directly like before.
In plain terms, it could finally distinguish between friendly units and enemy units, and would only treat the friendly units.
Previously, the entire lounge would be treated with gas. If it wasn't shut down, even the monsters would be treated together, so every time the lounge was invaded, it had to be shut down. But now, the problem is solved.
This was very useful. It was currently the highest priority Protocol. With the existence of [Test], the employee lounge would no longer be safe. X had to do everything she could to ensure the survival rate of the employees. [Regenerator Distinguisher Modification] was the best option.