"Dean Malkuth, please dispatch employees to handle the anomaly in the corridor near the left armory. Those things are attacking the material Clerks."
X informed the Department Deans, specifying the location of the Ordeal's insect-like spawn. In such situations, timely notification by the Manager is crucial.
While the Ordeals appear to follow patterns and precursors to the Manager, they are sudden and unexpected for employees and Deans, who don't have access to the same level of data as the Manager.
They can't constantly monitor everything; by the time they notice something is wrong, casualties usually have already occurred.
As Manager, X must address potential hazards and resolve problems before casualties arise.
As Yesod said, the best scenario is to prevent problems before they occur, and X strives to approach the 'perfection' described by the Information Department Dean.
Because X prepared in advance, noticing the Qliphoth energy meltdown value approaching its limit, she notified the Deans to deploy employees. Therefore, when the [Ordeal] occurred, the Clerks quickly received assistance from skilled employees.
Casualties were relatively low. While there was still much blood and severed limbs in the corridor, the situation was far better than in previous days, which resembled a mechanical cleansing of clerks—
When the Ordeal ended, the floor was covered in a pool of blood, with various body parts scattered in the corridor, making cleanup extremely difficult.
X had considerable experience dealing with Ordeals and was becoming increasingly adept at it.
The [Amber Dawn — The Perfect Meal] anomaly was the most aggressive of the previous Dawns, particularly due to its swarming nature. Employing squads of employees was the safest approach.
These insects attacked in a leaping, predatory manner. Close-range weapons were cumbersome; long-range weapons like guns and crossbows were more effective.
Despite their aggression, it was still a TETH-level 'Dawn' Ordeal; suppression was completed quickly, followed by the cleanup of corpses by the Clerks.
Each completed [Ordeal] yielded a portion of energy, making the afternoon's energy collection much easier and faster, quickly reaching the Energy Quota.
The AI seemed to be timing her, precisely announcing the completion the moment X collected the final unit of energy—not a moment too soon, not a moment too late…
The distinct sound of Jenny's hard-soled shoes clicking on the floor sounded on schedule.
[Congratulations, Manager. You have completed today's Energy Quota. You must have worked hard to gather all this energy. Now you can rest.]
The AI clapped, seemingly delighted, celebrating X's success.
And as if to reward X for her hard work, the AI presented a glass of juice—likely specially prepared—
It was brightly colored and elaborately decorated with lemon slices, ice cubes, a small decorative paper tag, and a butterfly-shaped straw.
"Huh? What's this, Angela?"
X curiously examined the brightly colored drink. She suspected excessive coloring, but that was unlikely. The AI wouldn't use cheap ingredients. L Corporation had plenty of money and wouldn't resort to such a low-cost approach.
[A reward for you. A cocktail I personally made.]
The AI said calmly, the drink already near X's lips. Not drinking it would seem disrespectful; the arrow was on the string, and it had to be loosed.
Although this wasn't the reward X wanted, she dared not refuse the AI Secretary's gift.
Licking her lips, she cautiously tasted the brightly colored drink. Sweet and sour, with a rich fruity flavor, the alcohol wasn't strong—not harsh—likely softened by the other ingredients.
It was delicious…
After enjoying the sweetness, X bit the plastic straw and drank the cocktail in one gulp. Although it tasted like delicious sweet and sour juice, it was indeed alcohol, likely with a higher alcohol content than beer or champagne.
Cocktails typically use rum, gin, tequila, vodka, whiskey, brandy, etc., as the base liquor, then mixed with other liquors, juices, and various seasonings.
After the cocktail, X's face flushed, her head felt heavy and dizzy, and her vision blurred; even her Secretary seemed doubled.
"Why…is…everything…spinning?…Angela? Ugh—So sleepy, I want to sleep."
Her speech slurred, carrying a strong scent of alcohol. X seemed disoriented, precisely the result the AI Secretary desired.
[Manager, you have a meeting soon, but there's still some time. You can rest on my lap for a while.]
"Mm…Okay."
X nodded drowsily, her muddled mind unresponsive; she simply reacted unconsciously.
The AI lifted X from the chair, an easy task. Carrying a much taller woman was simple—as long as she didn't resist.
X didn't resist the AI Secretary's actions; she was used to physical closeness, and being drunk didn't bother her; she was rather passive and insensitive.
Although taking her to the bedroom might be better, the AI preferred another location.
The meeting was imminent; naturally, the meeting room was the choice. Except for the first day, she'd rarely been there… as few meetings were held in the Corporation.
Meetings were never unnecessary and always had a strong purpose.
Carrying the drowsy X to the meeting room, it was empty; this was normal, as the scheduled time hadn't yet arrived—
Even after announcing the end of work, the Deans and employees still had tasks to complete: writing reports, cleaning up corpses, returning equipment, maintaining EGO gear. They would be busy for a while, giving the AI Secretary ample time for its own purposes.
X fell asleep in the Secretary's arms, soundly asleep due to the alcohol.
The cocktail contained at least four types of liquor above 40%, and X had a very low alcohol tolerance. Drinking it all at once caused the alcohol to rush to her head, making her drowsy.
It should have been sipped slowly, not gulped down.
Curled up in the Secretary's arms like a cat, X, despite being much larger, nestled into the AI's embrace. The AI didn't mind, even allowing X to bury herself deeper.
This could lead to suffocation… respiratory distress…
In other words, she might not be able to breathe.
After a while, the unconscious X became uncomfortable, resulting in poor sleep quality and a series of nightmares.
"Cough, cough, Angela—I…I can't breathe."
The breathing difficulty roused X, making her want to escape the AI Secretary's ample curves.
[Manager, shouldn't you rest a little longer?]
"No, no, get me a glass of ice water, Angela. The meeting is soon; I can't sleep. The Deans seeing me like this wouldn't be good for my image…"
Although it felt warm and comforting, X shook her head and refused. She had to resist the AI's temptation. Other Deans seeing her like this would damage her image and might lead to severe criticism from Yesod.
Of course, that wasn't the main point. The main point was X's uneasy feeling; just thinking about it made her shiver involuntarily. If the Deans saw her nestled in Angela's arms, the consequences would be dire…
It could be attributed to female intuition, or perhaps the experience gleaned from numerous simulations. The Deans also possessed aggression, and at certain times, would become—extremely aggressive.
While the AI Secretary presented a danger, so did the Deans. X had carefully considered and chosen; perhaps they could balance and restrain each other, allowing her to escape.
Although Angela was the head AI of the Department Deans, her relationship with the other Deans wasn't good… Oh well.
X pondered, but her limited thinking prevented her from seeing further, stranger implications. She was slow to grasp certain things; like a selective filter, automatically blocking things out, even those right before her eyes.
For instance, the AI Secretary's hand was already on the buttons of her black uniform, and X remained oblivious.
Undressing had become commonplace; X wasn't surprised, merely finding it overly clingy and hot, offering a reluctant response.
Despite the reluctance, the AI wasn't immoderately greedy; it couldn't do everything it wanted, but it could at least reap some rewards…perhaps?
This was a significant improvement; at least X now responded during the undressing, better than her previous dazed and bewildered state. If she didn't regain consciousness until it was over, it would have been quite lackluster.
Blushing and feeling shy was a good start…
"Mmm—"
Each undressing session lasted a long time, because the AI didn't need to breathe, maximizing its possession of X, leaving no room for other thoughts.
Holding her, pressing its weight against hers, creating closer intimacy.
Perhaps the meeting room, a public place, gave the AI a greater sense of satisfaction and possession, bringing it pleasure.
Humans experience pleasure through the release of dopamine; how about AIs? It's a complex program, difficult to explain.
But it's clear that the AI experiences desires similar to humans… whether that's good or bad is debatable.
"That's enough, Angela."
X felt tired, her head muddled; the lack of oxygen, combined with the kisses, clouded her thinking; her brain was close to shutting down.
She felt hot, wanting to remove her jacket. Despite the air conditioning, she felt hot. The Corporation maintained consistently cool temperatures.
But if she was going to reap rewards, how could she settle for so little?
Even knowing the vending machine needed restocking to dispense drinks, the AI Secretary impatiently pressed buttons, attempting to force the machine to produce a strawberry soda.
It was a pointless act… utterly meaningless.
X could only endure, hoping the AI would soon lose interest. If she'd known the 'reward' was this, she never would have wanted it.
X had imagined Angela's promised reward—a lavish meal: juicy, succulent steaks, tender lamb shanks, steamed salt-crusted shrimp, etc. Instead…
She was pinned to a sofa, forced to endure undressing, and the vending machine shenanigans. It was like a terrifying beast, acting capriciously and unreasonably.
Unacceptable! Why would Angela consider this a reward? Who would want this? She didn't know where she learned this; it's so childish!
X silently grumbled. Due to the lingering alcohol, she didn't feel much conflict about the AI Secretary's actions; she was becoming accustomed to it.
Familiarity bred acceptance. The first time, she felt the Secretary was naive; the second time, it was acceptable… perhaps the Corporation's AIs had peculiar obsessions.
The Department Deans all had strange obsessions; if the Secretary was also strange, and all AIs were strange, then these strange obsessions weren't strange, but 'normal' behavior.
At least in private, X didn't mind Angela's behavior, but in front of others—it was embarrassing and uncomfortable.
As a Manager, X needed to maintain some dignity. Being 'bullied' like this by the Secretary—what would the Deans think?
Just as she thought that, the meeting room door suddenly opened.
"Manager, I'm fifteen minutes early…A! Ma-Manager, Angela! What are you doing?!"
The Control Department Dean arrived, diligent and hardworking, likely due to being late for the previous meeting.
She'd arrived early and witnessed the AI Secretary sitting on X's lap in a blatant manner.
Even pressing the button, the vending machine wouldn't dispense the strawberry soda. That's common sense…