Deep within the Lobotomy Corporation branch, the manager's office. The moment Samjo saw something there, he frowned as if he'd run into trouble.
"Oh, dear... looks like this branch had a radio communication device after all."
The instant Samjo switched off the radio communication device, a vibration rang out like a ghost. It was coming from his phone.
"Yes, yes. I'll head back right away."
After giving a perfunctory reply to the voice of his superior over the phone, Samjo looked at us and said,
"It seems the research lab has been attacked again. They say the number of terrorists, and their force, have both increased since earlier."
"So that little disturbance was a decoy meant to pin us down here on purpose. Tch... if not for your collusion, this could have been prevented easily."
...Why are we being rated as such a high-grade combat force? Why would a Wing hand all its firepower over to an unknown group...
If it were K Corp, they could have deployed first-class guards and lower-rank workshop Fixers with far more strength than this... Something's off. There's definitely something here.
"It does feel a little unfamiliar... I think this is the first time I've come to a Lobotomy Corporation branch and not run into a single [Abnormality]."
"True. It's strange that the [Abnormality]s were all obediently turned back into eggs, too."
Then, after hearing Hong Lu's words, Heathcliff, who had grown suspicious, shot back with a sneer.
"So these Technology Liberation... whatever-the-hells can turn [Abnormality]s back into eggs without lifting a finger?"
"We'll have to see the specifics in person, but... if they possess technology capable of reverting [Abnormality]s into eggs, then it's certain they have technology beyond that as well."
"Hah, this feels like something we ought to be careful about, Dongrang... Faust doesn't throw around ominous remarks lightly."
"It'll work out somehow. We've got K Corp's finest researcher... and, beyond that, the two greatest geniuses in the City."
Dongrang, Faust, and Yi Sang, then. Strangely enough, those were the three people here whose combat power was scraping the bottom. Faust was a little better, at least.
...Not that I'm one to talk. Tch.
*
"Hey, Saramago. So which Wing are you really from, huh? At this point you can tell us!"
"Haa... huff... answering that while we're running at full speed is... rather out of nowhere..."
"So what? If it's not now, we probably won't get another chance to ask. So where is it? Don't dodge the question, answer me!"
"Once this mission is over... I'll tell you. Right now I'm too... whew..."
"Don't you dare make me repeat myself. I'm backing off for now because of Dante, but once we find that Golden Bough, just you wait. I'll pry it out of you by force if I have to!"
Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. I'd been dodging the question because I didn't want them to know for my own safety, but... well. If it's them, I suppose I can trust them enough. I'll tell them later.
Of course, forgetting would be fine too. It's not exactly something I'm eager to bring up.
After running all the way from the Lobotomy Corporation branch to the K Corp building, we finally reached the lobby of K Corp headquarters.
...The noncombatants had been carried by the Sinners with the most strength. Hong Lu, Rodion, Meursault—each of them had carried Dongrang, Dante, and Samjo, respectively.
Anyway, the moment we arrived in the lobby, we saw employees who had gone pale rushing toward Dongrang and Samjo.
"Dongrang-nim... wait just a moment...!"
"Haha, everyone's faces are all drained of color. Ah, excuse me for a moment."
Dongrang gave us a slight wink, then climbed down from Hong Lu's back and headed toward the employees. ...Were we supposed to wait here?
"This is a pretty urgent situation, so standing around like this feels awkward..."
"What's the problem? We're going to be suffering like crazy when the fighting starts anyway."
"....."
As we loitered in the lobby and let meaningless words drift by, Don Quixote trotted off somewhere.
"Oh-ho, what are these books lined up here? The illustrations sparkle so brightly!"
What Don Quixote picked up while humming was a picture book.
That book... I think I saw it when I visited K Corp's Nest back then too? So it must have been a famous one... The story was something like...
[In an age when everyone walked with their heads lowered, staring at the ground, there was one person who lived looking up at the sky.
The things that entered his eyes were the stars glittering above.
He gave names to the nameless stars no one had ever looked at, and made up stories for them as he pleased.
Stories are like an endless spool of thread; we weave and draw them in search of meaning within meaninglessness.
The happy stories and sad stories contained in the world always drifted through the night sky.
Then one day, his family came down with a terrible illness and stood on the brink of death. As always, he told the sky a story about that sorrow.
And then...
Then, a drop of water fell onto his head. When he looked up, the constellation was speaking to him.
"You who gave me a name and made a story for me. Through you, I was cast down to the earth and pushed along by time, and I was able to feel the world. Did you know that stars can originally grant wishes?
The tears I shed will wash away your pain."
And then it rained for a day and a half.
Everyone who was caught in that rain was healed as if nothing had ever been wrong.
His family, who had been suffering from illness, also regained their health.
Now he and his family, and the people of the City, are said to continue telling stories of happiness together every night while looking up at the sky.]
...Why do I remember all of it so clearly? My memory is annoyingly good in the worst possible way.
"So that's what that was. One of K Corp's unique customs was that on certain nights of the year, when it rained, people would go outside without umbrellas and let themselves get soaked..."
Ah... right, I'd heard something like that existed. I'd never actually seen it, though.
"...Don't tell me I'm the only one who knows this? You still haven't read the guidebook for travelers in K Corp's Nest and back alleys? None of you?"
"Ah, that... I used the last one to smash bugs, so... I need to get a new one... later..."
As Rodion kept talking, Ishmael's expression grew worse and worse. Hmm...
"Rodion, can you really joke around in a situation like this?!"
It probably wasn't a joke, but let's hold back. Still... I should probably calm her down somehow, so maybe I'll say something.
"I knew about that story. I'm not sure whether I mentioned that K Corp had come up before."
"...Then did you also read the guidebook for travelers in K Corp's Nest and back alleys?"
"I remember reading it once when I came here in the past. I only vaguely remember it now, so I didn't bother rereading it... If this was going to happen, I should've read it again."
"Phew... yeah, even having this much is better than nothing. You're not alone, Ishmael. Let's do better."
I can feel Rodion sending me a grateful look. Probably something like, "As expected, Saramago's the only one!" ...Though it does seem a little less than innocent.
"But this story... doesn't it seem to line up with the regeneration ampoules too? That rain washing everything clean and making people healthy again..."
"So... they made it by bottling up rain from the stars?"
"No, before that, wasn't it supposed to be something like nanorobots?"
At Sinclair's words, Gregor and Rodion chimed in. Hmm, who knows... There are rumors that it contains the story of K Corp's founder, but I don't know the details.
Perhaps their conversation had caught Dante's interest. Dante looked at Faust and asked a question.
""
"I am a researcher. That means I prefer judgments grounded in fact rather than metaphor. As for this... so-called domain of observing and interpreting star clouds, Yi Sang may know more about it than I do.
He is a researcher too, but he is different from me."
"....."
Just as Yi Sang quietly swallowed the silence, Dongrang returned.
"We should head up at once. The situation seems far more serious than I thought. It looks like they've breached not just the lab, but the experimental chamber as well."
"Hmm? But this place seems far too peaceful. There isn't even anyone fleeing!"
"It seems an evacuation order has been issued. However, as you all saw last time, since there was already an evacuation once before, I suppose they're worried it might interfere with the 70-hour workweek system."
"This is not easy... working in a place like this..."
...I've always thought, and said, that people from Wings are usually insane. No sane person could work 70 hours a week and come out normal. As for me... I'm not exactly any different. No, maybe worse.
"I don't understand. How could they possibly mount an attack? I didn't see any structure that would allow direct entry into the lab without being noticed by someone."
"We don't have time, so I'll explain while we go up."
Just before we set off, an unexpected person joined the conversation.
"Objection. Give me one reason why we should go up together."
It was Ryoshu. Come to think of it... right? There was no reason for us to go up.
"Hmm, the contractual obligation has been fulfilled."
As Meursault said, we had succeeded in retaking the lab in the Lobotomy Corporation branch, and in truth we were here more to receive the Golden Bough. In other words, we had no obligation to deal with whatever was up there.
"That's true, but even if we wanted to hand over the Golden Bough, it was snatched away right in front of us."
"Hmph... mo. bun. mal. do..."
"Wait, wait, Ryoshu, calm down. If you start slashing things here, it'll turn into a disaster."
"...I had no intention of doing so. Though I do want to."
She said something so terrifying with such calm composure...
"Is this... really okay? What does the contract say over there?"
"Hmm... well, I'm a bit weak when it comes to legal matters..."
...Look at this bastard dodging the question.
"Sam. Jo."
"Samjo-nim... they're telling you to answer..."
"Hm?"
When Samjo tilted his head as if he hadn't understood, Ryoshu's expression turned vicious.
"Sam. Jo...!"
"W-wait, Samjo-nim... he says he'll smash your head this time...!"
"Wrong. He said he'll smash your head right now."
In the end, when Ryoshu's hand went to her blade, Samjo shrieked in shock.
"E-emergency situation, emergency!!! Let's head up at once!"
" Let's hurry up and go first. Ryoshu..."
"I'll show you m. a. n. d. a. t. o. r. y. e. x. e. c. u. t. i. o. n."
After saying that and letting a trace of killing intent leak out, Ryoshu had Samjo hurriedly send us upward.
The compensation for additional work not specified in the contract can probably be handled by passing it through Faust. If K Corp has any sense, they'll value a little money over trust.
If they don't honor it, let's take Samjo home as a souvenir. He probably won't say much, will he?