Speaker
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Dialogue
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Location: K Corp. Laboratory Lobby
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Manager DANTE
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<I mean… I don’t mind, but you two can’t hear me anyway.>
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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I was too embarrassed to bring it up in front of the whole group, but actually, one of your… employees was an old friend of mine.
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Manager DANTE
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<Oh, who is it?>
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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And he wouldn’t give me a nod, either. Perhaps he was embarrassed like me. It was a struggle to hide how disheartened I was.
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Manager DANTE
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<Maybe you weren’t as close as you thought, then? …Wait, can you hear my voice?>
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Samjo
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Mr. Dongrang, this individual is unable to communicate normally.
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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That’s why I’m speaking, Mr. Samjo. It’s like I’m back to being a child, muttering my woes to a wind-up toy, don’t you think?
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…That all was a monologue?
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Manager DANTE
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<What are you two even doing?>
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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It was mostly because of him that I decided to send my request to you. I can trust a familiar person better than a stranger.
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Samjo
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See, this is why I can’t let my guard down for even a second. You’re too easily influenced by human attachment…
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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So, let me ask you a favor; use your tact and consideration to… pretend that you know nothing about the relationship between him and me, okay?
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Manager DANTE
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<You haven’t even told me who that friend is…>
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I could only let out a deep sigh and shake my head…
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The conversation that never got through ended as arbitrarily as it began.
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Manager DANTE
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<This isn’t asking a favor. You’re givine me a notice.>
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Location: K Corp. Laboratory Hallway
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Samjo
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We’re at the laboratory aisle. Ordinary visitors would not be permitted to go any further…
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Samjo
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But since you’ve been invited by Mr. Dongrang… I will show you to the interior.
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Sinner #11 SINCLAIR
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Wow… I hoped… I could work at a company as big as this.
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Sinner #9 RODION
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Then, maybe you could’ve applied to one~ Why didn’t you give it a shot?
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Sinner #8 ISHMAEL
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You’re joking, right, Rodion? Not everyone can join these companies. This kind of firm only accepts the very best of the elite.
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Sinner #8 ISHMAEL
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Like Faust or Yi Sang, for example…
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Ishmael’s remark gave me a good opportunity to bring up my earlier question.
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Manager DANTE
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<Yeah, why did you choose to join Limbus Company out of all the options you had? There must’ve been better places to shoot for.>
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Sinner #2 FAUST
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Because I am Faust.
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Manager DANTE
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<……>
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There was a certain energy in her confidently clarifying tone that discouraged me from asking another question.
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Manager DANTE
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<What about you, Yi Sang?>
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Sinner #1 YI SANG
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Let me take the trouble of asking in return. Manager, why did you join the company you work for?
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Manager DANTE
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<I mean, that’s because I had no other choice.>
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Sinner #1 YI SANG
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…That should sufficiently answer your question.
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Manager DANTE
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<……>
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It looks like Ishmael wasn’t exaggerating about the qualifications it takes to join this firm.
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Location: K Corp. Laboratory Room
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The laboratory was dominated by a stillness that could only be achieved with everyone in total focus.
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Sinner #9 RODION
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Dante, Dante, Dante, look, there… You see that? The fridge is full of snacks… We could take one… or ten, and they wouldn’t notice!
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And we would break that stillness with nonchalance.
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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Take as many as you’d like. Mr. Samjo, pack some snacks from the break room into small bundles to give them later.
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Samjo
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Understood.
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Sinner #9 RODION
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That’s awesome, Ishy, maybe we should quit our job and join up here?
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Sinner #8 ISHMAEL
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Everyone can hear you, Rodya…
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Sinner #2 FAUST
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Rodion, the work contract says…
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Sinner #9 RODION
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Joking, Faust. Joking. See?
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Manager DANTE
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<……>
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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Let’s move on to the request—
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K Corp. Laboratory
???
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You’re bringing outsiders into the building now… What are you, a field trip guide, Dongrang?
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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Ah. Pardon me for a moment. This is Shrenne. She’s the manager of the department next to mine and a colleague who joined the company at the same time as I did. Visiting me to hurl hurtful words takes up much of her daily routine.
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K Corp. Laboratory
Shrenne
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I figured someone’s got to point out the massive drain on our company's welfare budget that is your team.
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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Ah, if you’re wondering about how we spend our welfare budget… You’ll see when the Department of the Year trophy is awarded. Right, Samjo?
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Samjo
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It would take a full day to list the benefits the department chosen as the best receives.
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K Corp. Laboratory
Shrenne
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Eugh, you’re snobs, the both of you.
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Sinner #13 GREGOR
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Hm. Is that a rival? I do suppose excellence is followed by envy wherever it is.
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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Envy fuels advancement, as they say, so it’s only right for us to show a little generosity for those following behind. Should we give some of the pies we bought from that store to Shrenne’s department, Mr. Samjo?
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Samjo
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I was planning to do so. The pepper, chili, lettuce, and curry-flavored ones, specifically.
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Sinner #9 RODION
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Gasp… That… also sounds tasty?
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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Haha… Now then, let’s get back to the main topic.
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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I heard the rumors. They were about a newly formed company collecting organic objects called “Golden Boughs”.
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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And those Golden Boughs are found exclusively inside the closed-down branch facilities of Lobotomy Corp.
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Sinner #12 OUTIS
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How did you learn about the existence of Golden Boughs?
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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It was a recent discovery. We’d been using a Lobotomy Corp. branch near our research facility as a lab until a few months ago.
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Sinner #7 HEATHCLIFF
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You… set up a lab in that horrible place?
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Sinner #11 SINCLAIR
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But, I thought they were all buried underground…
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Sinner #13 GREGOR
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Well… I guess there were rare resources and documents they could use…
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Sinner #2 FAUST
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…Did the scope of your research include Abnormalities?
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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Why, certainly. No researcher could overlook such intriguing subjects.
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Sinner #7 HEATHCLIFF
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Researchers must be all soft in the head if that’s what they’re interested in…
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Sinner #7 HEATHCLIFF
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…Hold on.
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Sinner #7 HEATHCLIFF
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When you were mumbling rubbish and tossing a rock at one of them chickenheads, did you…
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Samjo
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Ahrmhrm…
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Sinner #2 FAUST
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I will say, Heathcliff’s unexpected fits of insight surprise me sometimes.
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Sinner #2 FAUST
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You led us into dealing with a Distortion in a “coincidental” encounter so that you could gather data for your research on Abnormalities.
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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Mr. Samjo here is no good at acting. I suppose it’s due to his upright way of life.
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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Please understand. We had no means to clearly distinguish a Distortion from an Abnormality.
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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A person distorts “when the mind crumbles to figurative pieces…” was it? That was a stellar figure of speech. Did you restore his crumbled mind back to health, then?
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Sinner #2 FAUST
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There is no way to piece together someone else’s broken mind.
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Sinner #2 FAUST
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We merely showed him the way. It was the choice of the restaurant owner whether to stay there or take that path.
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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Wow, you know so much. If I were just a bit younger, I’d have jumped and hopped trying to high-five you.
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Sinner #2 FAUST
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You’re always unwelcome to try.
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Samjo
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Mr. Dongrang, you’re becoming sidetracked again.
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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Ah, you’re right. Alright… Then, one day, while we happily indulged in research in that laboratory of the Lobotomy Corp. branch facility, armed terrorists attacked the place. It was all too sudden.
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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Have you ever seen a bomb set off before your eyes? It’s quite the spectacle. It all starts and ends in a split second. Just like the universe, isn’t it?
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Sinner #12 OUTIS
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Where are the terrorists now?
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Samjo
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The members have almost nothing in common, and their motive is unknown. They only showed up recently.
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Samjo
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In the end, the terrorist organization took over the laboratory Mr. Dongrang’s team had stayed in.
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Sinner #12 OUTIS
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Mm. That must be when the lab was moved.
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Sinner #1 YI SANG
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…How severe was the damage?
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Dongrang turned his gaze from Yi Sang to the sporadically unoccupied seats.
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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You see, those empty seats…
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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They’ll stay that way for a while. Their owners died—in that act of terror.
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Looking closely, I saw snacks and flowers placed on their cushions, probably as a way to mourn the dead.
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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Ah, this fellow we only managed to recover a finger from. We couldn’t find the right place to put it, so we’ve been keeping it in storage. It should be over at the display on the second floor.
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A solemn silence filled the office, but Dongrang continued, brushing the empty desk with his hand.
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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There is so much we had to leave behind.
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Sinner #13 GREGOR
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…Dongrang…
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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I especially miss the plaque modeled after the face of my character, that was a favorite souvenir of mine.
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Sinner #13 GREGOR
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I’ll be stumped, I can’t tell how much of what he says is a joke and how much of it is serious.
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Sinner #12 OUTIS
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What about that seat, then?
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Our attention was brought to a white desk that was completely empty.
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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Ah, that one is reserved.
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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We’re waiting for a new employee to take that seat.
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Sinner #8 ISHMAEL
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Oh… Is there an application guideline for the position, then? Where can I see it?
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Samjo
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Ahem.
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Ishmael’s bright-eyed inquisition was interrupted by Samjo’s displeased utterance.
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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Oh dear, our Mr. Samjo is feeling all uncomfortable now. Shall we actually get to the point then, Samjo?
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Samjo
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Let me be blunt; I suggest an accord that will benefit both parties.
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Samjo
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If you help us retake the laboratory, we’ll yield the ownership of the Golden Bough we found to you.
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Sinner #2 FAUST
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I have a question. Is this a fixed contract, or a post-fulfillment review contract? Will it be represented by delegate bodies or co-executive members?
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Samjo
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Allow me to answer that. This will be an immediate delegate-body-represented contract with no warranty liability. A contractual signing overseen by an observer from a Grade 1 Contract Office will take place following due process.
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Manager DANTE
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<A Contract Office…? I-I dunno what’s going on… Does it really have to be so complicated?>
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Sinner #8 ISHMAEL
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In J Corp’s District, we couldn’t get the Golden Bough right away despite winning because we didn’t have anyone overseeing the deal.
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Sinner #13 GREGOR
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Oh… That Ayuda from the Merry Archils? She started a fight even after Rodya won the game.
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Sinner #11 SINCLAIR
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It’s Aida from Los Mariachis…
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Sinner #8 ISHMAEL
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That’s right. Instead of playing the role of the observer, she left us with no choice but to take the Bough with force.
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Sinner #8 ISHMAEL
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Which is why it is safer to use the service of an Association or a Contract Office to stand as an observer or to notarize the contract even if it can be costly. That’s what Faust probably considered most carefully, I think.
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Ishmael explained like it was common knowledge. I guess it’s something well-known among City folks…
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Sinner #2 FAUST
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This contract certainly favors our side.
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Both
Faust & Samjo
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As long as the goal is achieved.
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…We watched with our mouths agape as the two declared the conclusion at once.
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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This is a secret, but, I frankly don’t get more than half of what Samjo says. I just nod like “Oh I see~” and move on.
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Sinner #13 GREGOR
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Isn’t that a coincidence? It’s the same for us, too.
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Sinner #8 ISHMAEL
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Aren’t you supposed to be the last person to be ignorant of your secretary’s words…?
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Sinner #6 HONG LU
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Aha, still, I guess making a contract with K Corp’s laboratory means we won’t be fighting against the Wing’s staff for a while.
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Sinner #6 HONG LU
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You know, those people who would keep healing their wounds.
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The team fell into a somber silence. All the memories related to them were filled with misery and suffering.
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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Ah, so you’ve seen K Corp’s regenerative technology already.
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Sinner #9 RODION
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Ugh, we’ve more than seen it!
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Sinner #13 GREGOR
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Had to deal with it over and over, I get sick of the thought…
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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Ah… Why don’t I show you around my lab instead, then? It’s not here, though… You’ll have to take the elevator once more.
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Samjo
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Geh? You would show them that much, Mr. Dongrang? That place is off-limits for unauthorized personnel…
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K Corp. Dept. of Food Resource Development
Dongrang
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Hah, you just made a really funny noise, Mr. Samjo. Well, it shouldn’t hurt. We’re hanging out a bit to celebrate the provisional contract being signed.
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I wasn’t sure if that was an appropriate way to celebrate things… but since no one on the team objected, I decided to follow him.
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