Lobotomy Corporation but with Simulation System?

The champagne was meant to be shared with the other Deans, but because of a "minor accident," X no longer had the energy to manage the other Department Deans' moods. After the Information Department Dean left, X went to drink with the Safety Department Dean.

One cat had been coaxed, another needed to be coaxed. X had scolded Netzach a little to calm Yesod down. Now, Netzach was sulking. Her expression only improved after Yesod left.

Sticking out her tongue at someone— this behavior was childish, but it suited Netzach perfectly.

X wanted to cover her face and not look at Netzach. But she thought that even worse things would happen later. She would get used to it. Today, Yesod was unhappy. Tomorrow, it might be another Dean.

After sending away the angry Viper, X still had to deal with Netzach. She hadn't been able to mention Netzach's flaws in front of the other Deans. She had wanted to save face for Netzach, but now she could say it.

After confirming that Yesod wouldn't be back, X lightly tapped Netzach's head. The brittle seaweed-like emerald hair immediately stuck to X, like a barnacle clinging to a rock.

Netzach tried to nibble on X's lips. X held her back, preventing her from succeeding. Then, she rubbed against X's ear, as if she wanted X's approval.

Usually, X would give in after a little while. After all, X was easily swayed. But today—

"Do you know what you did wrong? If you don't wake up properly, there's no reward."

X said calmly, as if she were truly angry. Although she didn't stop Netzach from clinging to her, she didn't allow any further intimacy.

The kisses and contact over the past few days had failed to alleviate her desire. Now, she was only allowed to hug. How could Netzach accept that?

"You promised me, you're going to break your promise, X, you liar!"

Netzach used her usual trick. X usually cared about her reputation as Manager and kept her promises. But—

"That's a different matter. You get a reward for completing your work, but you should be punished for doing something wrong, Netzach."

X remained unmoved. Netzach's moral coercion had no effect on her.

Just calmly admitting her selfishness would render the moral coercion ineffective. To put it bluntly, this only worked on Hod and Yesod. Netzach herself wasn't a rule-follower, so what was she afraid of?

Most importantly, Netzach had added fuel to the fire today. It was originally a small matter. Because she had added fuel to the fire, the situation had escalated. Not giving her a good beating wasn't enough. She still wanted a reward?

To calm Yesod down, X felt she had said everything she could. She had both scolded and comforted her, barely managing to calm the temperamental Viper down. If this happened again, she would be exhausted.

She was soothing the Deans' moods. Who was soothing her, the Manager's, moods? Angela?

She would directly pack up, roll up her bedding, and leave.

X sighed. Expecting Netzach to apologize was impossible. She continued drinking and chatting.

"Do you want me to pour you some wine, Netzach?

This champagne is for you, but to be honest, your behavior has been very disappointing. You know Yesod's temperament. You still deliberately provoked her."

"Although it's hard to say whether she wanted to hit you or not, knowing the situation, you not only didn't stop her, you even pushed her toward an extreme…"

"Rather than punishing Yesod, I think you should be punished. Oh, let's punish you with three glasses, Netzach."

As X spoke, she tilted the champagne bottle. Normally, a punishment of drinking should involve stronger alcohol. But X wasn't really trying to punish Netzach. She just wanted to use a different method to soothe Netzach's emotions.

Could this be considered punishment? For an alcoholic, it was just a reward. Meat buns are irresistible. One in, one out.

Ice cubes were added to the tall glass. The clear champagne, slightly diluted by the ice, stopped bubbling. X handed it to Netzach, but Netzach just held the stem of the glass, not moving.

"Hm? Don't you like it? Didn't you want champagne last time? Or have you changed your mind and want beer now?"

This made X suspicious. There was no way Netzach wouldn't drink. If Netzach said that the sun rose in the west, X would believe her.

"Manager, the champagne doesn't seem to be fizzy."

Netzach said this, gesturing for X to taste it.

Was there something wrong with the champagne? Fake champagne? It was freshly opened…

X leaned closer suspiciously and took a sip. It seemed fine. She could still clearly feel the smooth bubbles and the rich aroma of the wine.

"Oh, there's nothing wrong, Netzach. Champagne is supposed to taste like this."

X had thought Netzach just wasn't used to the champagne, and was about to explain, when she noticed Netzach licking the glass after taking a sip, lapping up the liquid along the rim of the glass, sucking up the champagne drop by drop, like a hummingbird sipping nectar.

Her infatuated expression left X speechless—

Why did both of them like to drink what she had drunk? She had been worried that the Deans would find it unhygienic and had specifically changed glasses, carefully wiping them and refilling them.

Did the Corporation's AI have some kind of peculiar obsession…?

X felt slightly bothered, but quickly dismissed this insignificant matter.

X was very good at ignoring things that were out of sync, ignoring abnormalities. No matter what, the process and methods didn't matter. The result was what mattered. As long as it worked, it was good.

Since Netzach liked it, it was fine.

After understanding Netzach's intention, X would take a sip herself before pouring the wine. For some reason… X always had the strange feeling that she was acting like a bartender.

Bartenders in bars would prepare cocktails based on regular customers' preferences and needs. They would combine different types of alcohol, or add some fruit juices, carefully mixing them before preparing the drinks that customers would enjoy.

But… why was she the ingredient? Was Netzach using her as an appetizer…?

The more X thought about it, the stranger it became, but then she suppressed this bizarre thought and tried to convince herself.

After all, enjoying fine wine is meant to be done with a beautiful woman, isn't it?

After the three glasses of punishment, it was time for the main event.

Even though an unexpected situation had occurred, X hadn't forgotten that she had to check on Netzach's completed work. She seriously flipped through Netzach's organized documents and reports.

X mainly looked to see if Netzach had finished her work. If there were no major problems at first glance, she considered it done. The research and design were handled by Angela. Angela's approval was needed before they could be passed to X.

So, X didn't need to look at those things closely.

Netzach watched X flip through the documents, as nervously as a student being checked by a teacher. When she saw X nod and close the documents, she breathed a sigh of relief, as lucky as a student who had found out that they hadn't failed any courses in their final exam.

Normally, she wouldn't worry about X checking these things. X was easy to talk to, easy to fool. But today… she was angry, and she might just cause trouble.

The Safety Department Dean wouldn't suspect that the black-haired woman in front of her was actually very picky and harsh when she was serious. Her coldness and stubbornness were definitely above the Information Department Dean.

Yesod was just harsh with her words, but soft at heart. But the woman in front of her…

The black-haired woman wasn't really gentle… It was almost impossible for words like "cute," "gentle," and "caring" to appear in relation to this black-haired woman.

The Safety Department Dean was actually aware of this. But—

Why couldn't she indulge in a little beautiful fantasy, immerse herself in this illusory gentleness? If she could just get lost in this fake dream, it would be a good option.

Every day, she only saw despair. What was the point of survival…? Some people lived for themselves, and some people lived for others.

Some lived for others because of selfless dedication. They wanted to give everything to the world… bringing dazzling light to the world.

Some lived for others simply because they couldn't find a purpose in life. They were empty and insensitive. But the other person was too dazzling, so dazzling that they wanted to chase after them. So, they persevered just to see that person smile…

There was no sun that never set. But when the sun set, for those who lived for others, the world would collapse… a world of darkness, without the sun, what was the point of living?

Why couldn't they just close their eyes and die? Why drag on their lives? What was the point?

Life was meaningless. They just didn't want to live, hoping someone could give them relief.

Why couldn't even a little bit of relief be given? They struggled to breathe in this world, worse than a dog.

"Give me my reward, X. You promised me, you said you would compensate me."

"Huh?"

X had just closed the document folder and turned around when she encountered Netzach. Her face was close to X's, occupying X's entire field of vision. Her jade-green eyes shone, like the zombies in those third-rate B-movies, unconsciously muttering, persistently pursuing their prey. A blank gaze, yet revealing a longing for flesh.

If AIs had saliva, it would probably be dripping from Netzach's mouth.

But X was a principled person, an excellent Manager who upheld the rules.

"No, Netzach. You haven't apologized yet. Acknowledge your mistake! It's too late today. Remember to apologize to Yesod tomorrow. Yesod went out of her way to help you. Don't keep calling people 'Viper'."

X's memory was very good. Netzach still hadn't apologized. She had said that if Netzach didn't apologize, she wouldn't give her a reward.

There should be rewards and punishments. She couldn't spoil Netzach too much. If she didn't admit her mistakes, if she didn't show any remorse, she would develop the bad habit of thinking that she could get rewards without working hard.

If she indulged this kind of freeloading attitude within the Corporation, if she indulged this kind of laziness, if those who didn't work hard simply slacked off, and if the Corporation's achievements plummeted, then it would be her, the Manager's fault.

X wouldn't tolerate this. She had to take strong action, otherwise, she would be the one who got packed up.

But even upholding principles and upholding the rules meant that she only needed to admit her mistake, lower her head, and act submissive.

X wouldn't normally make things so difficult for the Deans. She was always very tolerant of the Department Deans. But today, Netzach was unusually defiant, like she was drunk on fake alcohol.

"This is clearly your fault! It's all your fault!"

Not only did she not apologize, but she also blamed X entirely.

"This is what you owe me!"

Like a large animal, she put her weight on X, pressing her down on the sofa.

Her legs were on X's waist, her weight on X's body. Looking down at X, she was clearly not breathing, but she was still breathing heavily, like an instinctive, familiar action of a living, flesh-and-blood creature.

"Okay, okay, it's my fault, it's my fault. Get off me, Netzach. If you feel wronged, tell me properly. I'm right here."

Although this wasn't the first time she had been overpowered, X still felt that none of the Corporation's Department Deans were truly capable of forming good attachments. They could simply have said something, why did they have to press down on her?

"Hm? Do you want your reward now?"

X misinterpreted Netzach's actions. She didn't realize that her understanding and communication content weren't on the same wavelength as the Dean's.

X was very slow in one respect. Her reaction speed was also extremely slow. It was even difficult for her to think from another perspective.

Perhaps she instinctively ignored it, perhaps she simply didn't want to face these things, choosing to avoid them… avoiding the easier choice. She was very good at this.