Admi?nistrator - 5

Angela gazed intently at the manager before her. He was taking longer than usual to select a new abnormality.

 

 

 

Choosing one abnormality from the three extracted by the Extraction Team seemed like a simple task. However, since the manager had to control all of them, and the lives of the employees hung precariously on their choice, selecting just one was an incredibly difficult decision.

 

 

 

"Again, I have to choose based solely on my own judgment?"

 

"Yes, Manager. As your secretary, I merely perform my duties. I don't think I can offer advice in such matters."

 

"...Right."

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a lie. Angela always lied to the manager. After all, she had seen thousands of these abnormalities. Now, she could identify them simply by looking at their identification codes and brief descriptions. Yet, she never offered any input on the manager's choices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That was Angela's role. To merely observe. A role that was both tedious and tiresome, yet one she couldn't abandon.

 

 

 

 

"Since this is Welfare Team's first abnormality... I hope it's a decent one."

 

 

 

 

 

 

The manager agonized over the screen. This time, Angela also looked at the screen he was viewing.

 

 

 

The first one was...

 

 

 

[ The girl pleaded through tears, "Mister, please... cut off my feet..." ]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Identification Code O-04-08, commonly known as Red Shoes... An abnormality that any manager who has progressed this far should be able to handle without issue. As long as they don't make any 'major mistakes'.

 

 

 

She shifted her gaze to the next abnormality.

 

 

 

[ Even if this becomes a curse upon me, I will love even that curse as a blessing. ]

 

 

Identification Code O-04-66, commonly known as The Little Prince... An abnormality with rather troublesome management procedures, but if the manager is willing to make some sacrifices to learn them, it might not be a bad choice. Its E.G.O.'s performance is quite good too...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lastly, there was...

 

 

 

"...?"

 

 

 

[ Yup! You've been waiting a long time, right? Now it's my turn to shine! ☆ ]

 

 

 

Identification Code O-01-25...? An abnormality Angela, who had seen countless Abnormalities, did not know... An abnormality she couldn't identify from the code and description. It was impossible for her not to know an abnormality. The Abnormalities extracted at headquarters were almost always limited.

 

 

 

Yes, Angela was momentarily startled by this unexpected variable, opening and closing her eyes in surprise. It was a truly intriguing variable for Angela.

 

 

 

An abnormality she had never heard of? That was inconceivable...

 

 

 

"...Come to think of it, this is what they call a variable, isn't it?"

 

 

 

"What are you talking about all of a sudden?... Angela?"

 

 

 

"It's nothing, Manager."

 

 

 

Concealing a slight smile... she casually glossed over her words, careful not to reveal her curiosity to the manager.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The manager chose abnormality O-01-25. The simple reason was that its description seemed more normal than the others. After all that agonizing, that was his decision. The manager experienced a brief moment of enlightenment, but what could he do?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seeing his choice, Angela smiled faintly and spoke.

 

 

 

 

 

"Let's begin management again today. Including the new abnormality joining us."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just as Angela said, the manager had to begin management, whether he liked it or not.

 

 

 

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"This one's... alright?"

 

 

 

 

The manager, monitoring the CCTV for management, muttered to himself. Having seen numerous grotesque and repulsive abnormalities, he had been worried about the newly arrived one. However, judging by its appearance alone, he felt his choice was justified.

 

 

 

 

The fact that the first employee panicked and immediately left the containment room was surprising for the manager, but... he hadn't expected much from that particular clerk, so he quickly calmed down. The only downside was that the employee fled without doing any proper work, resulting in a poor work result...

 

 

 

That thought was fleeting. When the Gemini employee finished Insight work and he saw the amount of energy produced, he was startled. As the employee reported and sent the mirror the abnormality requested, seeing its delighted and curious expression as it looked into the mirror, he found it rather cute.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did I... make a good choice?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It didn't take long for the manager to regret that choice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"There's no information... at all?"

 

 

 

"Yes, it's exactly as I said. Even after searching all the other branches' data, there's absolutely no information on this abnormality."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not only was there no information...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who would have anticipated that the abnormality, which had been excitedly looking at the mirror like a child, would suddenly punch the door? The manager's jaw dropped as he watched the door fly open from the force of the punch, which belied the abnormality's appearance with its immense strength.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clerk S continued to work diligently today. Of course, no matter how hard he worked, he couldn't overcome the gap between clerks and managers. He could have considered it unfair, but S, who had lived in the back alleys, was simply grateful to be able to work a normal job. Although many of his acquaintances had died...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Regardless of that inevitable fact, on a brighter note, the Welfare Team he was assigned to for the first time today was a remarkably good place. The unique mystical atmosphere of the Welfare Team, the kind senior colleagues... everything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Until a peculiar... manager? appeared before his eyes.

 

 

 

"Wow-oh... This is the Welfare Team, right-!"

 

 

 

The woman before his eyes was wearing a bread bag over her head. The usual S would have ignored her and moved on, but the clothes she was wearing were a white dress... Yes, it wasn't something a clerk would wear. And the ornate ring on her head... Perhaps she was a manager. Managers wearing E.G.O.s all had unique appearances.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, Clerk S remembered what a senior clerk had told him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

'Hey, junior... I'm only telling you this,'

 

'What is it?'

 

'There's a rumor that if we get on the good side of a manager, we can get promoted to manager too.'

 

'...Has that been proven?'

 

'Yeah. My senior... became a manager that way.'

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the Command Team, he felt the managers drawing a line, so he never tried it. But this was the Welfare Team, and he had heard that the manager was also a new recruit. That meant... there was an opportunity, right?

 

 

 

Clerk S had not yet met the Welfare Team's manager. (The Welfare Team had just opened today, so there was a lot of work to be done.) He had previously dismissed it as nonsense, but suddenly remembering what a past senior (though it had only been a few days ago) had told him, he unexpectedly spoke first.

 

 

 

"Are you the manager assigned to the Welfare Team?"

 

 

 

"-...?"

 

 

 

The woman before S seemed surprised when he spoke to her. She hesitated for a moment before continuing.

 

 

 

"...Oh! That's right! I'm the newly assigned manager, Mi... no, Faust."

 

 

 

As he had expected, she was a manager. (She wasn't)