After coming out of an Abnormality's world, X did not immediately head for Little Bird's containment unit. Instead, he made his way to the Information Department's sub-lounge.
In the center of the room, a floating platform emitting a faint glow waited silently.
It looked like the entrance to a suspended elevator leading further downward.
This was a sudden idea he had today.
Lobotomy Corporation actually had nine departments. However, because he was required to open them gradually according to the rules set by Angela, the only ones he could currently command were the four upper departments: the Control Department, Information Department, Safety Department, and Training Department.
As for the remaining departments, he—despite being the manager—could not even see them.
And so X thought that perhaps, from the "Inner World" side, he might be able to get an early look at the other departments.
If he could use this method to glimpse part of the company's true structure, it might at least slightly improve his current situation of passively accepting everything that came his way.
"Are you thinking of going to the other departments, X ?"
In the completely empty sub-lounge, a woman's voice with a mechanical undertone suddenly rang out.
"Ah, Fara. Long time no see."
Hearing that familiar voice, even though he couldn't see where she was, X still habitually greeted the direction the sound came from.
"How did you know?"
"Because this is the only entrance from the upper departments to the middle departments."
Fara's voice continued calmly.
"May I ask your reason for doing this?"
"…Can I say that I actually came here to look for you?"
X said, half-joking and half-serious.
"Oh?"
A trace of amused teasing suddenly colored Fara's tone.
"So the manager who's always focused on Abnormalities does still care about that lonely department head employee forgotten in some corner?"
Hearing the strange emotion hidden in her words, X explained helplessly,
"No… I wanted to look for you too. But isn't it that I've never been able to find you?"
"I was just joking, X ."
That teasing tone vanished without a trace, replaced by her usual flat, emotionless voice.
"I'm very busy. There's a lot of work in the Observation Department, and it doesn't allow me to come see you often."
"As long as I know that you will come to 'this place,' I'm already very satisfied."
"That's all. Compared to running around downstairs so soon, I'd still advise you to first get a proper handle on the Abnormalities in the upper levels."
Click.
A crisp sound, like a camera shutter being pressed, suddenly echoed through the deathly quiet room.
"…You're still just as popular as ever."
After a while, Fara's voice sounded again, carrying a hint of loneliness and nostalgia.
"And just as a reminder—right now, you're still a bit too weak."
"Wait! Hold on! I still have something to ask you!"
X shouted urgently, afraid that she would disappear the moment she finished speaking.
"..."
After a brief silence, Fara's voice returned.
"…You may ask one question."
One question…?
Countless doubts tangled in X 's mind like a mess of threads, but reality didn't allow him to ask them all. Almost instinctively, he grabbed the thickest—and most painful—one.
"Who… exactly is B?"
Following the first and strongest thought in his mind, X asked.
"Her?"
Fara showed no surprise at all, answering in a matter-of-fact tone.
"She is an important friend of yours, and also a very good friend of mine. When you see her again, you'll naturally understand."
"Then how is she now…?"
"That's the second question, Manager."
There was a hint of reminder in Fara's tone, but she still answered.
"She's doing very well—living by your side in a way she's very happy to accept."
"Then where is she right now?"
X couldn't help but press on.
"..."
This time, there was no reply.
The communication seemed to be cleanly severed by an invisible pair of scissors.
——
This time, X didn't stop anywhere else. He went straight to the containment unit of Punishing Bird.
Taking a deep breath, he pulled open the heavy door and walked right in.
After so many days of sorting things out, he had basically grasped some of the "rules" of Abnormality worlds.
For example, when arriving in an Abnormality's world, that Abnormality would definitely be somewhere nearby.
So when the bizarre scenery before his eyes twisted and reassembled, finally coming into focus, X almost immediately began scanning his surroundings, looking for that small figure.
The dim forest was as quiet as ever. Enormous dead trees cast jagged shadows, and the air was filled with a cold scent of decaying soil mixed with withered leaves.
"Little Bird? Are you here?"
X 's voice was extremely gentle, but in this silence, even that volume sounded especially clear.
"Ah! Big brother!"
Almost the instant his words fell, a voice full of surprise and delight came from above.
X looked up to see Little Bird sitting on the familiar giant dead tree branch, happily waving her arms.
"Here! Over here!"
"Good evening, Little Bird."
X walked beneath the tree, a genuinely soft smile on his face.
As usual, he first raised his hand and affectionately patted the little one's head, then asked with a hint of anticipation,
"Did you feel your sister's presence more clearly today?"
He had expected Little Bird to show either anticipation or uncertainty like last time, but her reaction completely exceeded his expectations.
"Hm? There's no need to feel it anymore."
Little Bird tilted her small head, her bright eyes filled with innocent certainty.
She fluttered the tiny wings at her waist and lightly flew half a circle around the thick trunk, finally landing on the other side of the tree, standing firmly on a lower branch.
She stretched out her tiny finger, pointing at a certain spot, and said matter-of-factly,
"Big Sister Big Bird.. is already here."
"Here…?"
Circling around the massive tree, X followed the direction Little Bird was pointing.
Then he saw a third person—someone other than himself and Little Bird.
The bandage-made blindfold, the white wings tipped with red on either side of her head, the balance hanging at her neck, and that tall, slender figure…
It was almost exactly the same as the image he had seen during the day.
The only difference was this: on the screen, Judgement Bird was a cold, dangerous Abnormality that needed to be managed.
But the one before him now was a living being—sitting there in silence, carrying an aura of boundless loneliness and sorrow.
At the moment X laid eyes on Judgement Bird—
Despite having lost her eyes, the blindfolded woman still followed his gaze and turned her head toward X .
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