As the employee finished, the massive skull hovering before him erupted into an intensely brilliant white light.
X had seen this before: when a confessed "sin" was accepted, the containment unit reacted like this. Usually it meant One Sin was satisfied.
But light this bright—X had never seen, not even as Manager.
When the radiance faded, X found himself sitting cross-legged with the white-haired nun in the corner of the unit.
They watched together: the employee, and the skull shining like a holy verdict.
"This child…" One Sin clasped her cross, head lowered.
"He confessed to me."
"He confessed… the confession of a terrible sin he once committed."
"If he suffers for it, if he is willing to lay that evil bare before me… then I grant him mercy and compassion."
Her voice was soft and hollow at the same time—tired in a way that was difficult to name.
"If he regrets it… then I let him forget these painful memories."
"Only those who can deceive themselves with ease can live a 'happy' life."
"I have a vague feeling… that I've done something like this before. Given someone false hope."
"But I don't think that's… right."
She turned slightly, her gaze settling on X. The earlier pity in her eyes was replaced by searching expectation.
"So—if you were the one to preside over this confession… what would you do?"
X looked at the employee—now empty-eyed, years of memory erased.
"Bullying that leads to someone's death is an extremely serious crime," he said evenly.
"You can argue he didn't intend to kill. You can argue he wasn't the main culprit."
"But the one who doesn't oppose it—who permits it to exist—is still a participant."
'Ignorance' doesn't absolve him.
"You think years of guilt were punishment enough, and that letting him escape by forgetting is… useful. Yes. For him, it works."
"But I remember a line from the work logs about you—"
"Enduring suffering is only the beginning of atonement."
"When he confessed, he instinctively beautified his own actions. He pushed responsibility onto 'accident' and 'others.' That isn't true confession."
"So he still needs to face consequences born of his mistakes."
"Not simply forget."
"As for what I would do…"
X's voice turned hard.
"I would make him remember it—forever."
"Until, from the deepest part of his heart, he truly repents."
"Until he honestly admits everything he did wrong, and is willing to bear every outcome."
One Sin fell silent for a long time, tasting each word, searching every implication.
X waited without moving.
At last, the white-haired nun smiled.
A small, dawning smile—understanding, and something like release—spread across her face like sunrise.
"To give a lost soul the false comfort called 'hope,' letting them briefly flee pain and guilt…"
"…may in truth be to strip them—quietly—of the courage to face reality, to shoulder the past, and to keep living with strength drawn from it."
She nodded slightly, as if confirming the conclusion she'd just assembled.
"That is what you mean. Yes?"
As she spoke, soft white light gathered again in her hands—flowing, shaping, becoming a crown of thorns much like the one she wore.
But this one was different.
The thorns were not as sharp. It felt less like punishment, more like symbol—like a pledge.
"Death is painful," she said gently, "but the suffering required to continue living… is not necessarily lighter than death."
"Thank you, X."
She raised her arms and placed the thorned crown upon X's head.
"If you are willing… even ordinary conversation is enough…"
Her smile stayed warm.
"This place will always welcome you."
X looked at her—at that sincere, gentle expression—and listened to the voice that seemed to rinse grime from the soul.
He found himself thinking:
Maybe the Abnormalities weren't as terrifying as the manual insisted.
At least, this "old bone" was every bit as lovable as the department heads and employees under him.
"…It's my honor, Goodness."
A faint smile touched X's lips.
X surfaced from deep sleep and sat up, feeling a clarity and lightness he hadn't known in days.
He ran fingers through his hair and touched warm scalp—no thorny texture, no crown.
"Hm? It's gone?"
He patted his head again.
"That crown… should count as an E.G.O accessory, right?"
"Even if I can't touch it now—if it didn't come back with me into reality…"
"I can still feel it. My mental state is better—far better."
The exhaustion and fog bred by long-term stress and exposure to anomalies had thinned dramatically.
In its place: clean thought, quick focus, a rare ease.
"So my guess was right," X murmured. "On the 'inner' side… I can receive gifts like employees do. Accessories. Maybe even use them to strengthen my stats."
Then the excitement cooled, and his brows drew together as B's earlier words resurfaced.
Something told him the "Inner Lobotomy Corporation" wasn't as simple as what he'd seen.
-------
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