Chapter 9: The History of the Play
"Little Ayou, do you want to remember your past?"
"Your voice is so beautiful. Are you an angel?"
"Ahaha… perhaps… Hahaha, do you want…"
"Then where is this? Am I… am I dead? Is this heaven? How did I die? What kind of work do you do?"
Suddenly, he woke up, opened his eyes, and saw that he was on the bed on his floor.
He recalled what just happened and scratched his head.
"So, what was that about?"
Ayou got out of bed and walked on the floor, but then he tripped over Roland, who was on the floor.
"Ah, what the hell?"
He reflexively reached toward the pedestal in the middle, but when his hand touched the book, he was sucked into it.
Roland took the book off his face.
"Awake? How do you feel?"
Roland stood up and looked at the bed.
"Hmm, where is he? Oh no, oh no, how did he just disappear? What am I supposed to do? Right, right, go find Angela, she must know."
Inside the book, Ayou arrived in a white space. There was nothing there, only Ayou and that book pedestal.
"Where have I been thrown this time?"
Suddenly, a rather old voice spoke up.
"History must not be forgotten."
"What the hell?"
Ayou felt the voice was somewhat familiar. He looked at the pedestal and then at the script in his hand. He opened the script and placed it on the pedestal. Once placed, the white space instantly shifted, and a scene began to appear.
"Prologue: Gathering"
//////////
Roland called for Angela.
"I think I tripped over him on the floor just now, and when I woke up, he was gone. Uh, so that's the situation."
Angela looked around.
"Don't worry, he will come out in a while."
"What do you mean? Shouldn't we look for him first? What does 'in a while' mean?"
"He is currently inside the book."
"Huh?"
Angela pointed at the book over there.
"So, he stood up, I tripped him, and then he got sucked into the book?"
"That's right."
"Whatever, it doesn't matter if I'm shocked again."
After a while, Ayou materialized in the air and emerged from the Book World.
"Ah, you're all here. Is something the matter?"
Angela looked at the unharmed Ayou and said.
"What did you see inside the book?"
"Hmm, I watched a fairy tale?"
After recounting the scene inside.
"O-05-33, Poor Playwright's Script…"
"Is this also an Abnormality?"
"Yes, and it is a product of the same origin as your E.G.O. During the Lobotomy Corporation era, it was extracted from you."
"Uh, it's a bit confusing. Let me sort this out. Does this count as an Abnormality suppression?"
"Not sure. There was no battle, and nothing changed. It seems it just let you watch a play. Entering the Book World was just an accident."
Ayou picked up his book.
"Isn't this an E.G.O? How did it lead to the Book World? This isn't an Abnormality book either, and it seems I can't get back in now."
"That Abnormality disappeared after being taken out of its containment unit in the past, and then everything reset. As for why you could enter the Book World through it, that remains to be considered."
"By the way, what is the use of this E.G.O of mine? The pen can be used for combat, but what is the book for?"
"Illumination."
"That's it?"
"Perhaps. Did you two sleep well? There is no such thing as fatigue in The Library."
"Although I don't feel fatigue, clearing one's mind is also a form of relaxation."
Angela's face darkened noticeably.
"Sigh, forget it. Go help Marcus suppress an Abnormality. Let him learn about it beforehand. I'm going to go read."
Angela teleported back to the lobby. Roland leaned close to Ayou.
"Ayou, do you have something, some secret I don't know about? Tell me, let me be shocked again."
"If I really knew, I wouldn't be shocked either. Besides, like I said, it's a secret, how could I tell you?"
"Ah, right, secrets. Does everyone have secrets?"
The two of them arrived at the History Floor, where Marcus was organizing books with Finn.
"Marcus, we're here!"
"Mr. Roland! Is something the matter?"
"Do you recognize this book?"
A charred book was handed over by Roland, with "Scorched Girl" written on it.
"Oh, Scorched Girl. I know her; she's an old friend from the past."
"A friend? Isn't this an Abnormality?"
"Just a figure of speech, don't worry about it."
Marcus looked at the book that was still sparking.
"So what are we going to do now?"
"Enter the Book World to suppress it. Abnormality suppression requires at most five people. This time, Roland and I are here to help you suppress it. Here are some pages salvaged from guests; why don't you find one?"
"I definitely want the strongest one."
"Brotherhood of Iron's. Here."
"Let—let's set off."
Roland equipped the pages, and at the same time, a projection of the Brotherhood of Iron appeared. They arrived in the Book World.
The night street was brightly lit.
At this time, Marcus began to explain, "This Scorched Girl is a little girl who has been scorched. As the name implies, she has been scorched."
Ayou pointed at the black thing in the corner in the distance.
"Is that it?"
"It should be."
They walked forward, and the little girl stood up and walked toward them, her body glowing with fire.
"Everyone, step back! Check if you have any marks on you. I almost forgot about that."
After they checked themselves.
"None here?"
The Scorched Girl stopped halfway. The fire on her body dimmed. A few pieces of scorched ash fell to the ground and turned into matches, four in total.
"So we just need to deal with these matches, right? One for each of us, with one left over."
They destroyed three matches.
But when it came to Ayou, he spaced out for a moment and failed to extinguish the match in time.
The flames on the Scorched Girl flared up again, becoming even brighter.
"Bang!!!"
The little girl exploded, and they were teleported out again.
"What the! The Little Match Girl who sells nukes."
Roland clutched his head.
"Ayou, what happened to you just now?"
"I think I remembered something from the past for a moment. Sorry, I spaced out."
"Director, why are you here?"
Roland noticed Angela playing with a book nearby.
"Oh, I was reading and heard an explosion, so I came to check. I knew you hadn't finished the suppression. Now it seems you just need to try again."
"Alright, let's try again."
"Okay, let's try again."
Marcus was preparing to take the others back into the Book World.
"Marcus."
"What is it?"
"You should know that Abnormalities are extracted from people. Sometimes you don't need to kill them, but sometimes you have to."
"What are you trying to say?"
"Nothing."
Angela teleported back to the lobby.
They went in again and successfully extinguished the four matches this time.
The fire on the Scorched Girl did not light up. Roland raised his sword and walked toward the Scorched Girl in the center.
"Just need to kill her, right?"
Just as he was about to strike, snow began to fall from the sky.
Finn looked at the snowflake in his hand.
"Is this snow?"
At this time, Marcus looked at the increasingly cold street and the snow in the sky.
"I understand. Mr. Roland, wait a moment."
Marcus picked up a match from the ground, conjured a sweater, draped it over the Scorched Girl, lit the match in his hand, and placed it in the little girl's arms.
"Hey, Marcus, stop! It's dangerous."
Marcus clearly had no intention of stopping.
"Although it might not be like this, perhaps you just want a little warmth. I may not be able to understand your pain, but I can still give you a warm embrace."
Marcus pulled the Scorched Girl into his arms. The flames on them became even more intense, but Marcus felt no burning sensation. Finally, in Marcus's arms, only ash remained.
Afterward, they were sent out of the Book World.
"It seems I guessed right."
"Phew, you scared me. Do you know? I thought we were going to get blown up again."
At this moment, Marcus seemed to remember something and stood there blankly.
"Hey, what's wrong? Did you remember something too?"
"Yes. Come to think of it, this is my third life."
"Third? Could it be that you just resurrected?"
"Strictly speaking, I have retained the memories accumulated from my previous two lives."
"What were those first two lives like?"
"The past me? A bit troubled. I've never thought about such a question before."
"Put the past aside for now."
"What do you think you are like now? He failed everyone's efforts, he is an irresponsible bastard, and because of his overestimation of himself, he ultimately committed an irreparable mistake."
"Wait, why is your face getting darker? Calm down first, breathe in slowly."
"Sss~"
"Breathe out."
"Huu~"
"Breathe in."
"Sss~"
"Breathe out."
"Haa~"
"Feeling better?"
"Yes, thank you, Mr. Roland. I know better than anyone that for things currently beyond my reach, getting angry won't help. So I must start with what I can do. Okay, I will work hard."
"As for the matter of my past self, let's leave it for later."
At this time, Ayou, who had been listening silently on the side, spoke up.
"At least I think you are quite capable. Look, didn't you just cleverly solve the problem inside the book?"
"Thank you, Mr. Ayou, but you didn't say that in the past."
"Ah, this, I, I, well…"
"Relax, relax, no need to be nervous. You have the right to criticize me too."
"Then what kind of person was the past me in your eyes? Don't think about yourselves, what about me?"
"Hmm, in the past, you were a very focused, serious, and righteous person."
"Is that so?"
"[Is this me?]"Chapter 10: Using a Viper's Poison to Poison the Viper's Viper.
Hook Office Plot.
"These Offices dare to hire even the lowest of thugs."
"After the Fixer market became saturated, the circle expanded, and now there are all sorts of riffraff."
After hearing this, Angela said to Roland:
"You also became a low-level Fixer like this because of various things that happened, right?"
"Come to think of it, yes. I had many great achievements in the past."
After thinking for a moment, Angela said:
"Let Marcus handle this reception. While you're at it, let them test the power of the Abnormality. Roland, go and notify him."
Roland then headed to the History Floor. Ayou and Angela were the only ones left on the scene.
Ayou spoke up to Angela:
"Director, what kind of person do you think I am?"
"Why are you asking this suddenly?"
"I just want to know what I am like in your eyes."
"A discarded person."
"I mean, what does my past look like in your eyes?"
Angela paused, stunned, trying to read something in his eyes, but found nothing.
"An excellent leader."
"Is that all?"
"Hmm, do you want to know?"
"Yes."
"I'm not telling you~~"
"..."
"Director, in my eyes, you seem a bit childish."
Ayou said with a speechless expression.
Angela went to the reception. After returning, the three of them watched Marcus conducting the reception on the field. Roland looked at Angela's hand, thought for a moment, and spoke:
"Director, what are you made of? You're so hard."
Angela shot him a glare, and Roland immediately slid to his knees, apologizing three times in a row:
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was wrong."
Roland thought to himself:
"As long as I apologize fast enough, I won't get hit."
After hearing this, Angela was visibly disappointed and hugged that little bear again.
Ayou felt he should say something about this situation, but he didn't know what to say. Just as he was about to speak:
"Ayou."
"Director, I'm here. What's wrong?"
"Didn't you want to know that answer? You can go ask them; he is about to wake up too."
"Alright."
Roland came over and chimed in, "I'll go too."
Angela waved her hand at Roland.
"Organize the books first, then go."
Meanwhile, on the stage, it was a 4v3.
It was still a bit strenuous. They couldn't win.
Everyone had more or less injuries on their bodies.
At this moment, a page appeared in front of Marcus.
Footsteps.
After seeing it, Marcus suddenly laughed.
"Release!!!"
The other three charged forward without a second thought. When they touched the tree, their bodies exploded.
The tree: "Holy crap, suicide bombers."
These four people self-destructed in unison. The stage ended, and the reception was a victory.
After leaving the stage, the Brotherhood of Iron grumbled:
"The feeling of dying repeatedly really isn't pleasant."
Marcus smiled and said to everyone:
"Relax, it's over."
Arbitrary.
On the Technology Floor.
Viper was on the windowsill, looking at the scenery below. Ayou walked into the Technology Floor.
Ayou greeted Viper.
"Hello."
After hearing the voice, Viper turned back to look. He looked at Ayou, his gaze traveling from top to bottom.
Feeling this strange gaze, Ayou said:
"Uh, is there a problem?"
After listening, he replied:
"No, it's very good."
"So... what was that just now?"
"A person's appearance can reflect their attitude toward life. Dignified, meticulous."
"Oh, thanks."
"I wasn't complimenting you."
Ayou felt a wave of awkwardness.
"Then what am I like in your eyes?"
Viper thought for a while after hearing this.
"The past you was crazy about something, but you were also a rational person. Now, well..."
"A slave? No, a lackey? That doesn't fit either. At most, you're just an ignorant wage slave."
At this moment, Ayou's toes were curling so hard he could build a house.
"Suppose you know that what you are doing goes against your original ideals, what would you do?"
"Huh? Let's wait and see, see which events are more reasonable and correct, right?"
"Alright, I understand. Do you have any other questions?"
"Two more. It seems Angela did something to wrong you in the past."
"Yes, so what? The past is set in stone and cannot be changed."
"Don't you blame her?"
"Not blaming her at all would be a lie, but blaming her won't accomplish anything."
"You're very open-minded."
"Actually, I do understand her a bit now."
"One more question, is Angela really a robot?"
"Haven't you seen it with your own eyes? Perhaps there are people who know better than I do."
"Oh, no, I, I mean, is Angela a bit emotional? Look, she has her own sorrows and preferences. She experiences joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, and she gets angry too. She gets sad when people badmouth her, but more often she just sulks. She just doesn't like to smile much. Can she really be called a robot when she's this emotional? To me, she seems more like an ignorant, innocent little girl."
Viper sighed after hearing this.
"Sigh, that's just how it is in The City regarding non-human sentient beings. If she weren't so emotional, she wouldn't have made that decision."
Roland also arrived at the Technology Floor, and seeing the neatly arranged books, he remarked:
"Looking at the neat arrangement of books here, this guy's OCD must be ridiculously scary."
Upon seeing the two people opposite him, Roland greeted them:
"Hey, hello, I'm Roland, currently working as Angela's assistant."
After hearing the voice, the two turned their heads in unison to look at Roland. After turning back, Roland felt a gaze wandering over him.
Roland thought to himself:
"I feel a chill. It's different from the feeling I get from Angela. Could it be my imagination?"
Viper walked straight up to Roland.
Seeing this, Roland became a bit nervous.
"This... what's wrong? Could it be that you're the type who resorts to violence when hearing nonsense?"
Then, Viper didn't do anything, but instead tied Roland's tie.
"Your tie was undone."
"Huh? Oh, thanks. So you're a gentle and kind guy."
"A person's behavior reflects their attitude toward doing things. Loose attitude, not taking things seriously. Lazy and negligent."
"Hey, do you have to insult someone the moment you meet?"
"I don't have any good feelings toward Angela's lackey."
"Huh? Lackey? Then what is he?"
Viper thought for a moment.
"Hmm... Angela's accessory."
Ayou, listening from the side:
"It's not like I said anything, yet I still got hit. What a sharp tongue!"
Roland grumbled after hearing this:
"We're both wage slaves, why are he and I so different?"
Upon hearing Roland's words, Viper said:
"At least he doesn't slide to his knees at light speed and beg for pity with his tail tucked like a dog."
Hearing this, Roland thought about his previous actions and grumbled:
"Damn it."
Then he awkwardly scratched his head.
"So what were you two talking about just now?"
"Talking about Angela."
Roland was shocked to hear this.
"Aren't you afraid she'll get angry?"
"We're not badmouthing her, what's there to be afraid of?"
Roland is truly a walking lightning rod for trouble.
"Actually, I see the shadow of my past in Angela. Don't look at how serious she is with people; she's actually very fragile inside."
Ayou chimed in:
"Sharp tongue, soft heart."
Roland added:
"Isn't that just a tsundere? So you were a tsundere in the past too, huh?"
"I don't know about being a tsundere, but my nickname is Viper, and if I act up, I'll poison you to death. So, the meeting is over. This is the Technology Floor. Why aren't you two working yet? Bring the books to me, you two."
Ayou said to Roland, "Let's go, lackey, time to work."
"Let's go, Angela's accessory, let's go together."
The two of them left while trading insults.
Viper muttered to himself:
"Her smile... it's been a long time."