Chaos greeted me at the reception of the Guild.
It was filled with all sorts of people, but looking around, it seemed to be filled mainly with journalists.
’Again? Why are they here…?’
I was a little confused by the sight of them.
I had assumed that everything would return to normal after the press conference, but I had grossly underestimated the chaos that unfolded after the Section Chief’s words.
“Hello there!”
Suddenly, I was greeted by a reporter.
She had short black hair, pearly red lips, evidently from the lipstick she put on, and had a fairly decent face.
She brought her phone in my direction.
“Are you a part of the Guild? Any comments on the current situation? Do you know anyone in the Containment Department?”
“…Oh.”
I felt like shooting myself in the head.
To those who knew me, they knew that I hated people. However, if there was one thing that I hated even more, it was talking to strangers.
Reporters were included.
It… just made me feel like shit.
“Oh?”
“Yeah.. I work. I’m… the janitor.”
“….Huh?”
The woman blinked, and so did I.
Janitor?
Why did I even say that?
“Really? Are you really the janitor?”
The woman looked at me suspiciously, and I nodded.
“…I’m not lying.”
I took out a pair of keys and showed them to her.
“These are the keys to my office.”
My office had previously been a janitor room. It was the place where people placed all of their nonsense. The keys that I had still had the tag that said ’storage closet’.
“…Oh, that really does seem to be the case.”
The woman quickly lost interest from that point and turned around.
I was just about to prepare to slip away when she turned around and looked at me.
I froze.
What? Did she not believe my words? Don’t tell me…
“Here.”
The woman suddenly presented me with a small card.
“This is my card. If you do have anything interesting to share then you can call me”
Pushing the card onto me, she left right after that. I could only stand there numbly for a few seconds before looking at the card in my possession.
[Elizabeth Smith – Malovia Times]
[Junior Interviewer]
“….”
I could only stare at it at a complete loss before shaking my head and putting it away. I thought about tossing it, but then decided against it.
’There might be a time when this might come useful.’
And with that, I managed to force my way towards the elevators before finally reaching the Containment Department.
The place was doing a lot better than the reception.
But it was still a lot more chaotic than usual.
I looked around but couldn’t find any of the usual people that I knew.
’They’re probably doing some sort of mission.’
This wasn’t surprising. It had been a bit since we had returned from the previous mission. It was now time they all got back to work.
The same went for me as I went back to the office and dropped my stuff before coming out and going back to the elevators and going to the [-2] floor.
Ding!
As soon as the elevator doors slid open, I stepped into a long corridor that seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance. The walls were stark white, and a dull gray carpet muffled my footsteps. Lining both sides were identical white doors, perfectly spaced, each marked with a number centered neatly on its surface.
The entire hallway felt abandoned, the overhead fluorescent lights flickering faintly, casting soft, intermittent glows.
A strange stillness hung in the air. Glancing down at my phone, I began walking, my footsteps sinking lightly into the carpet.
The silence pressed in from all sides, wrapping around me like a shroud. An uneasy feeling crept over me as I finally stopped in front of a particular door.
’Room 507… It should be this one.’
Reaching out for the doorknob, I pulled the door open.
Clank—!
Whatever noise had lingered just moments before suddenly faded, and several pairs of eyes turned toward me. I met their gazes briefly, then let my eyes wander across the room.
’Another office?’
The place looked like a small office space with several cubicles scattered around. At the end of the room was a single desk with a metal plaque.
Looking at it, my face paused.
[Seth Thorne]
’…I guess that’s mine.’
I was a bit taken aback by the layout, but I didn’t show it as I finally paid attention to the others in the room.
I was already familiar with Joanna, Min, and Mia. They had been the ones I had been paying more attention to during the training session.
I was less familiar with the other three.
’Sarah, Niel, and Nora.’
I scanned the room, and paused my gaze on them.
Niel was on the shorter side, with square-framed glasses, light brown hair, and sharp blue eyes. It was hard to spot him at first since he was partially hidden behind the cubicle, but he was rather loud with his keyboard.
He seemed to be busy writing something.
I then shifted my attention to the other two. Nora was also on the shorter side, with unremarkable features and black hair tied into twin tails. The most unique feature about her was the freckles on her face.
Lastly… there was Sarah.
“…..”
Where was she?
I looked around the room.
However, regardless of how I looked, I couldn’t find her at all.
One, two, three, four, five…
There were only five people in the room.
’Hm? Am I missing something…? Where is—’
“Are you looking for Sarah?”
“….Yes.”
I looked at the one who had just spoken. With her long silver hair and decent features, I recognized her immediately.
’She should be Joanna.’
I felt a mix of feelings while looking at her. I had every profile. I was aware of the fact that she was the one with the most experience here.
Unlike me, she had spent about three years in another Guild.
In terms of experience, there was no one else in the room who had more than her.
If someone had to be the Squad Leader, then it had to be her. The fact that I had been selected instead was the most confusing thing about this entire situation.
Nonetheless, since the decision was made, nobody could really do anything about it.
’That is, unless I quit, or ask for a demotion, but I doubt they’ll give it to me…’
I could only secretly sigh while looking at Joanna.
She stared at me with her intense eyes.
And then—
“She’s not feeling well.”
“Hm? She isn’t? Does she have the flu? Or—”
“It’s nothing like that.”
Joanna waved her hand.
Nothing like that? Then…?
“I’m not sure, but it’s really weird…”
“In what way?”
“Hmm.”
Joanna paused before lowering her head.
“…She’s been a bit off ever since the training session. Right after playing the game.”
I paused.
Game?
Wait…
My heart skipped a beat.
Don’t tell me…
“…Ever since the training session, she’s just been feeling off. I tried asking her what was going on, but she just wouldn’t speak at all. It’s weird.”
“…..”
I stood in silence, starting to speak, but the words caught, and I closed my mouth again.
Shit.