It's suppression.. EP. 26

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Whew, that was close.

I almost ended up with my meals being replaced entirely by tasteless rye bread.

"This is your meal." What? Give it back!

...

"Hmm..."

Sitting quietly in the containment cell, things I'd forgotten are starting to come back to me.

I got dragged in here without telling the bald-headed manager what I needed.

...Should I make a list, at least? The containment cell is completely empty, so I'll probably need a lot of things.

I got up from my spot and started walking around the containment cell in circles, indulging in happy thoughts.

"Hmm... First, it would be nice to have a small table to eat at, right?"

It was fine when I ate the spicy fire noodles last time, but eating on the floor is more uncomfortable than I thought.

"If I have a table, I'll need a chair too, hmm..."

Setting up a household from scratch is tough.

There are so many things I need.

"It's boring, so it'd be nice to have some entertainment. Is there a small game console or something?"

I'll have to ask the bald-headed manager later if they have any entertainment devices here.

"And... Oh! I need a bed, too."

I can't sleep on this hard stone floor.

"Also, it would be nice to have a closet."

Food, clothing, and shelter are the most important things for a person.

I need clothes other than the ones I'm wearing now.

This outfit is white, so it gets dirty easily.

- Beep.

While I was pondering, the containment cell door opened, and someone came in.

A man with blond hair and a calm demeanor. It's our Louis!

"Hello!"

Look, everyone! Our Louis overcame the cult and became such a fine adult!

Seeing Louis, I felt inexplicably proud and greeted him cheerfully.

"...What is all this?"

Louis looked around the containment cell with a puzzled expression.

...What? What's there to look at after ignoring my greeting...?

"Oh?"

At some point, the containment cell had a cozy-looking bed, a small closet, a table, and a chair.

They definitely weren't there a moment ago. Did Louis hear me from outside and prepare them?

Such a thoughtful guy. Pretending not to know while repaying me for saving his life.

"Did you prepare all this, Mr. Louis? Thank you!"

I smiled brightly, filled with gratitude.

"..."

But Louis's expression is unusual.

Ah, maybe he's embarrassed that his secret gift was discovered.

I wasn't perceptive enough. Sorry, Louis!

"...I'm sorry."

...But why is he apologizing?

What?

[...Commencing suppression work on Abnormality O-01-39.]

"Uh... Mr. Louis? Suppression work? What do you mean..."

"I'm really sorry. I didn't want to do this either."

Louis kept apologizing.

What's going on? Why is he acting like this? Even if he's embarrassed, apologizing like that makes him look uncool.

"Mr. Louis, what's wrong? Is it the cult again..."

"...Clifford restraint reinforcement."

"Wh-What... Ugh..."

...Suddenly, the burden on my body increases.

It feels like dozens of heavy sandbags are pressing down on me.

And gradually... the pressure and pain intensify.

"...Instinct suppression, attachment breakdown."

What is this, all of a sudden?

My head suddenly stings.

No... It's more like a... painful...

It hurts.

It hurts.

Why are you doing this to me all of a sudden?

I was so good to you.

...Ah.

It hurts so much.

They say when people are in extreme pain, they can't think about anything. Was that a lie?

My consciousness is heightened by the pain, and I can only feel the agony.

I want to pass out, but I can't. It hurts too much.

"Libido differentiation, singularity regression acceleration... Damn it."

Louis cursed under his breath, but I couldn't hear him.

It was too painful.

"Secondary suppression progress, desire elimination procedure... Ugh..."

It hurts, it really hurts. Stop this.

What did I do to deserve this?

WhatdidIdowrongIdidn'twanttobeanAbnormalityIjustwokeupandfoundmyselfinthisgamethatIdon'tknowmuchaboutcalledLobotomyCorporationwhatamIsupposedtodoIdidmybestIdidn'tharmtheemployeesandIthoughtalotabouthowtogetalongwiththemthisiswhatIgetinreturnLouisyoutooIevensavedyoufromcommittingsuicideandrepaymykindnesswithhostilitydoyouthinkthatmakesanysense?

...

Ah.

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"Yo, Team Leader Noah, long time no see."

A hearty voice echoed in an unknown hallway.

"Finn, it has been a while. Is this a full team leader assembly?"

The man named Finn held a massive golden gauntlet in one hand.

"Looks like it. This is quite unusual."

All the employees gathered here, including Noah, were of the "Team Leader" rank.

Elite employees, each possessing both ALEPH-grade weapons and armor.

"Noah, you seem to know why we're gathered here, don't you?"

Finn, with a candid impression matching his voice, patted Noah on the back and said.

"The effects of the suppression work on the new Abnormality, 'Little Girl,' are unknown, so they've called us all here."

"Ah, I heard about that on the way here. An ALEPH-grade Abnormality, right?"

"Has the Administrator finally gone off the deep end? Ordering suppression work on an Abnormality with only its name available for information retrieval? Are they insane?"

Joshua, an employee wielding a massive greatsword wrapped in bandages, expressed his discontent.

"Do you know that its escape caused all the other Abnormalities to run amok all day?"

"What, that was its doing?"

All eyes turned to Noah at the shocking revelation.

"But the main body was surprisingly weak. I was puzzled when I first heard it was ALEPH-grade."

"Ah, I heard about that. It didn't resist and was captured easily, right?"

"So the Administrator must have thought, 'Even if it escapes, we can subdue it immediately, so let's do the suppression work while we're at it.' Something like that."

- Crash.

No sooner had Noah finished speaking than the containment cell door shattered.

The "Team Leaders," being seasoned veterans, nodded to each other and readied their weapons.

But there was one problem: the sound came from a place it shouldn't have.

The source of the sound was not the containment cell of "Little Girl," but the one next to it.

...The containment cell door of "Nothing There" had shattered.

- Crash.
- Crash.
- Crash.
- Crash.
- Crash.
- Crash.

And from all the containment cells in the distance, ominous sounds began to emerge.

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