"Haha, Yesod, look at your face, it's so funny!"
X covered her mouth and laughed. It was like she had stolen honey from a bear, like a child whose prank had succeeded. There was no warmth in her laughter, it was just a playful kiss, a lighthearted joke between friends.
Compared to X's calm and natural reaction, Yesod's reaction seemed a bit overblown… How to put it, it was like a snake in the bushes that was startled, suddenly leaping to its feet, angrily glaring at the person who had disturbed it.
"Manager!!!"
Yesod's expression was extremely agitated, completely unlike her previous calm demeanor. It was unknown what she was "agitated" about.
X calmly accepted the Information Department Dean's glare. It was clear she had absorbed some of the Safety Department Dean's aura. It hadn't been in vain, all that time being mixed in. The skills she learn from Netzach were starting to take shape, unlike her first few days in office, when she was naive and constrained.
As long as she was thick-skinned, it was the other person who would be embarrassed, not her. Of course, this method only worked on the kind of Deans who followed the rules and were honest. The less serious Deans wouldn't fall for it. Instead, they would take advantage of the situation and disappear.
The "reward" mechanism… It still depended on the person. Maybe it was a "punishment."…
"Okay, don't look at me like that. I can kiss you back. That's fair, Yesod."
X said this, approaching the Information Department Dean, like an innocent lamb venturing into the mouth of a wolf, completely at the mercy of the other person.
If this were any other Dean with ulterior motives, they would probably have started to take advantage of the situation, pushing their luck, and using foul means to coerce and manipulate the Manager. But the one standing here was the Information Department Dean, Yesod.
"X, please show some respect! This is extremely inappropriate. How did you even become a Manager?"
The Information Department Dean furrowed her brow. The space between her brows could crush a fly. She resolutely and righteously rejected X's suggestion, and there was a hint of anger in her voice.
It could be that X's unchecked behavior had angered her. Or maybe she was angry because X had seriously violated the Manager's code of conduct. Perhaps… it could be… more reasons that were unspoken.
Like shame… Shame turning to anger…?
But Yesod's reaction was within X's expectations. The Information Department Dean was a stuck-up gourd, and without being bold and enthusiastic, it was very difficult to get close to her.
After resisting for so many days, X had learned a different method from Netzach. And her test subject was her AI Secretary.
X had tried it out, and this tactic worked very well. Even though it was low, it worked well! If the AI Secretary could fall for it, there was no reason why she couldn't deal with the Information Department Dean, who was a level lower than the AI Secretary.
They were both the same type of person, with a restrained system. Yesod's mind was much easier to guess than the Secretary, Angela. She was also much simpler… and easier to soften up.
So—
"Oh, I… I just want to make friends with Yesod. Netzach said that's how you make friends… Oh, oh, what kind of reward should I give you? I think you would like…"
Being yelled at like that by Yesod, X immediately put on a startled act, complaining.
And just like that, the mark on her collar was revealed. X was like a helpless victim, pretending to be innocent.
Although it was just a glimpse of her collar, the red mark on her collarbone was very clear to a Dean with keen eyes… It was unknown who had done this "good deed."
"…"
"That terrible Netzach… Manager, what did she say? Did you believe her? If it were like that, I need to question your qualities as a Manager. You don't have any self-control, any judgment?"
"Does it still hurt…? Although I don't want to comment on your personal life, Manager, it's not necessary to… build relationships, not with employees, and not with Deans. It's meaningless, and you shouldn't compromise yourself to please others."
"Manager, the Corporation's leader… She is responsible for her subordinates, but not in this way."
"Look at yourself now. Do you have any semblance of a Manager? You're so naive. Holding onto that ridiculous idea… The Corporation is not a place to make friends."
Even though Yesod said this, harshly picking on X's flaws, criticizing everything from her attire to her words…
The Information Department 'Viper' Yesod was applying ointment to the red mark on X's collarbone, the mark that had been bitten by "someone." She was carefully applying the milky white ointment with her fingers, the ice cold.
Yesod's movements were very gentle, and she applied it sincerely. Not a single bit of ointment had spilled out or stained the collar. After applying the ointment, Yesod carefully adjusted X's collar, smoothing out her clothes from top to bottom.
It was more like a well-meaning reminder from someone experienced, rather than criticism.
"Manager, considering your performance since taking office, I don't think you're that stupid. Don't let your subordinates use you, take advantage of your empathy or whatever. Sometimes, you should be a little colder."
"Many people say I'm too rational. They say I'm cold-blooded and calculating… They say I have no emotions. But so what? I consider it praise. I'm not pretending. You know."
Yesod was staring intently at X, her brown eyes meeting X's golden ones the whole time, never looking away.
"The people who designed this place must have been incredibly cruel, heartless… Sometimes, I wish I could become an AI without any emotions. When your emotions affect your judgment, you're bound to make big mistakes."
"Why would anyone want to put humans into a place this cruel? Do you know why, X…?"
Even though she was asking a question, Yesod didn't actually question it. She was simply calmly narrating. She probably wasn't expecting the woman in front of her to be able to answer.
"Because this is life, Yesod. Not everyone has the right to choose. Even if there weren't Lobotomy Corp, there would be another energy Corporation…"
"Actually, not only you, but I don't either. We're both forced to do this. Since we are both like this, then we should try to cherish the good things in front of us. A tightly drawn bowstring will break. Take a breath, Yesod."
"You're putting too much pressure on yourself."
With her index and middle finger, X pressed on her face, forcing a dramatic smile. She was trying to tease the proud, arrogant snake.
She always had a straight face. Wasn't she adorable? It was clear that she was adorable.
"…"
"This really isn't something you would say."
Yesod snorted, not amused by X's expression.
But X didn't mind. If she were easily amused, she wouldn't be Yesod. What X really cared about was Yesod's final words.
That tone… Why did it always feel like… she knew me?
X didn't feel like she knew the Information Department Dean well. In fact, she had only been in office for less than a week. The Deans were at most just acquaintances, she didn't know them well, let alone understand them.
But the feeling she got from the Dean… it was always as if the other person had already known her. It was like a bad reputation that had spread far and wide, carrying strong prejudice from a subjective impression.
X lowered her voice, like a mischievous black cat sneaking up to Yesod's ear, asking softly.
"Oh, what do you think I should say? Yesod.
Should I curse out the designers of Lobotomy Corp now? Gossip in here, and Angela will hear you. Angela is a loyal supporter of the designers. If she finds out, she'll punish me later."
"But if we want to curse, we can go to Netzach's office. That way, if we get caught, we can say that Netzach is leading a rebellion."
Half-joking, half-serious, but also half-truth. X was teasing.
It couldn't be denied. Even thinking about it now, the Safety Department Dean, Netzach, was really a "fierce person." Her Fortitude was admirable. She had cursed Angela behind her back more than once. X had seen it three or four times, and she hadn't been punished by Angela yet. She was doing just fine.
If X had been the one to curse, she would have been disciplined by the AI Secretary long ago.
For this alone, X could only praise Netzach. What was it called? This was called "courage." Not only was she imposing on X, but she was also imposing on Angela, no double standard, very fair.
It was just that she was a bit worried about whether the courageous Netzach would fall into the Enkephalin pool and not be able to climb out.
But Netzach's drug and alcohol addiction had eased somewhat. X felt like she had changed a lot in recent days. If Netzach could maintain this good state for a while longer, it would mean that the addiction treatment was working. It wouldn't be far from true repentance.
As for whether she was truly repentant, or whether it was a "reward"… X didn't really care. All she cared about was the result.
As long as Netzach could work well, it didn't matter if she actually cared about work or not.
But if all the Corporation AIs were like Yesod, exemplary employees, disciplined, working hard everywhere, X herself probably wouldn't be able to handle it. Considering one 'Viper' was enough to drain her energy, if there were snakes in the grass everywhere, X wouldn't be able to handle it.
It would be too rigid. It wouldn't be easy to chat about anything.
"Manager, jokes are over. Lunch break is ending in twenty-two minutes. You should go back to the Manager's room and prepare for the afternoon's work."
Yesod completely didn't seem to get X's humorous words. There was no sign of a smile on her face. Her expression was serious.
It was a little cold. After glancing at the time, Yesod spoke again, reminding X— it was time to get back to work.
"Okay, okay, but I really feel like you should consider my suggestion. After work, let's go to Netzach's office and hang out. We can all have a drink, a little get-together."
"You have to come! Oh, it's fine if you can't. I'll come find you after work, Yesod.
Hopefully, I won't delay your work."
X thought that if she was going to drag the Deans out for a party and drinks after work, she should also have some snacks. Even if she was the only one enjoying the snacks, it would be good. X was sure that she would be rewarded.
Champagne was perfect for a celebratory drink. She had accidentally forgotten Netzach last time. No matter what, she had to make it up to her this time.
But when it came to "making it up" to her, X had a feeling that Netzach's courage was too great. She would definitely push her…
Recently, Netzach had unhooked the buckle on her belt more and more often. X was willing to pay a little price, but it was limited to a small price.
X would find it hard to accept more intimate actions, but she couldn't go back on her word, she couldn't break her promise.
So, if she could pull the other Deans along to drink with them, and not create a private living space, then the safety factor would increase significantly.
With a lot of people, even if they were rowdy, they probably wouldn't do anything too outrageous… probably? Netzach was just getting a little closer to her, there was probably nothing to worry about.
"I'm back, Angela. I've been gone, I'm sorry for the trouble!"
Back in the Manager's room, X was annoying the Secretary, rubbing against her, like a stray cat that had played outside and was just perfunctorily showing a little affection to its owner, who had patiently waited at home for a long time.
But at least she was paying attention… she wasn't turning her head away or ignoring her.
X had listened to Hod a little bit last time. Even though the AI Secretary's danger level was very high, Angela probably just wanted attention.
Just paying attention to the Deans and ignoring the AI Secretary would only make the Secretary increasingly dissatisfied. It would eventually lead to an extreme situation.
She could rub, but she couldn't rub too much…
X didn't dare to rub Angela too much. She was afraid that if she rubbed too much, Angela would start to "punish" her. There were things that were okay to do, and things that weren't. At least X didn't want to be "punished" now.
But aside from these issues, the AI Secretary's service was actually very intimate. She was very gentle most of the time.
[Manager, close your eyes and rest. I will massage you to relax you.]
The pressure was just right, the location was just right. It felt very rhythmic. Even though it wasn't a massage machine, this technique was hard for anyone to resist.