Around the time Gloria had grown more adept at controlling her abilities in the special laboratory.
Certain individuals had been watching us from outside the lab.
It was nearly time to wrap up the experiment anyway, and if I wasn't careful, I might end up having to dispose of a body.
I stepped outside partly to give them a warning — and ran into a group that appeared to be mostly new recruits.
This was a place where dangerous test subjects came and went. One wrong move and you could end up dead.
So why on earth had these chicks wandered in here?
I was already sensing something off when a male researcher suddenly stepped forward from the group.
One look at him and it was obvious he had a mountain of grievances with the world. I could more or less predict what he was about to say, but I greeted him first.
"I'm Maxwell Gray. And you are?"
"Marlon Brown."
Physiognomy really is a science — the man dropped formalities with a complete stranger right off the bat.
Of course, this was all well within my expectations, so I asked what they were doing here.
"It looks like you're leading these new recruits, Marlon. What brings you all the way out here?"
"Obviously, we came to check on the test subjects — the future of our work."
So he'd come to see a high-risk test subject like Gloria?
The man seemed to have a death wish.
For now, the situation was simple: that group was Marlon's batch of juniors.
To put it plainly, the idiot had been put on a pedestal by his subordinates and was here as part of his scheme to build a faction.
'People are the same everywhere, I suppose.'
Even in a villainous organization, there were those who staked their lives on office politics.
In any case, I had long since earned the nickname "the walking corpse," which meant everyone treated me as if I didn't exist.
But I had not only survived far longer than expected — the miracle of becoming quite close with Gloria had actually come to pass.
So it seemed this researcher named Marlon had set his sights on me and come here to play politics.
As luck would have it, Marlon had a very convenient justification for attacking me.
"What is this, a daycare? And your research is moving far too slowly."
Just as predicted, I was dressed down in front of the new recruits.
This was the simplest form of office politics — tear someone else down to elevate yourself.
But Marlon apparently hadn't thought through how I might respond.
"You're absolutely right."
"Hm?"
"Just as you said, over the past six months, I've done next to nothing."
It wasn't as if this was my first time navigating workplace dynamics.
Dealing with someone like this is remarkably simple.
Like the old saying about not arguing with fools — you just agree a hundred times over, and that's the end of it.
And when you let it roll off you like that, the magic happens: the one who started the fight ends up looking like the petty one.
But perhaps because things weren't going according to his plan, Marlon overplayed his hand.
"Among the high-risk test subjects, Gloria is an exceptionally powerful psychic. For the advancement of the age, we need to push for more rigorous experimentation."
"Could you give me an example of what kind of experiments you have in mind?"
"Ha — is the genius of the century asking for someone else's help?"
"Researchers like yourself at Black Cell are all talented individuals. Your advice is naturally something I'd take to heart."
In the end, what followed was a verbal exchange that wasn't quite an argument.
Since I kept deflecting everything with a calm, measured tone, the atmosphere among the new recruits watching from behind gradually shifted.
Marlon, having failed to get anything out of it, eventually declared he'd conduct the experiments himself and stormed off.
Watching the idiot's back as he walked away, one thought came to mind.
'So this is how other people see me.'
I wondered whether that researcher named Marlon would survive in Black Cell.
My prediction: his name would be erased within a year.
In any case, the exchange with him had dragged on too long. I returned to the lab immediately and checked on Gloria.
She had the look of someone who'd just watched something tremendously entertaining.
'Did she watch our little spat through her ability?'
That meant she'd witnessed Marlon's ugly display in real time.
Just to be safe, I asked for her impressions.
"Gloria, what did you think of the walking corpse?"
"Utterly stupid."
It was an assessment I couldn't help but agree with.
***************
Perhaps because so many new recruits had come in at once, the atmosphere inside the organization was in considerable disarray.
It felt like a major incident was brewing, so I made sure to inform my junior, Amano, as well.
"Everyone does seem to be saying the mood is a little off."
"So word is already spreading… Amano, have you heard anything circulating among the new recruits?"
"Hmm… quite a lot, actually. For one, apparently a senior researcher named Marlon has been making all sorts of overtures to the Director."
So the walking corpse I'd met the other day had latched onto the Director.
Villain organization or not, I suddenly felt a deep pang of sympathy for the Director.
After that, I gathered various bits of information from Amano.
Since things could blow up later, I passed the news along to Gloria as well — but she was, as expected, utterly indifferent to anything happening outside.
Afterward, I found myself lamenting the situation in Liberty's cell.
"Haah… Liberty, wouldn't it be nice if everyone were more like you?"
"Heh heh heh heh… whimper?"
By now, even the playful scratching had decreased considerably.
We had grown quite close.
I was watching Liberty try to curl up and sleep on my lap, a wry smile on my face, when —
Creak…
A Lower-level Manager in a hazmat suit entered the cell for cleaning.
"Researcher Maxwell?! I'm so sorry to interrupt!"
"Don't mind me — please go ahead with the cleaning."
"Ah, understood!"
Liberty happened to be purring away on my lap at that moment.
For the Lower-level Manager, this was a golden opportunity to clean the cell in complete safety.
But the moment the manager drew close, Liberty snapped awake and immediately let out a low, rumbling growl in warning.
Hearing that sound, the Lower-level Manager hastily retreated to the opposite wall.
I stroked Liberty's head, and she settled down.
But she genuinely despised hazmat suits.
She kept a wary, guarded gaze fixed on the manager.
Fortunately, since I held onto Liberty the entire time, the cleaning concluded without incident.
I was thoroughly satisfied by how much fresher the air in the cell felt afterward — but Liberty, on the other hand, seemed displeased that her den had been cleaned, and kept whimpering.
In the end, to soothe her complaints, I stayed in the cell and kept petting her.
**************
Evening mealtime was drawing near.
To visit Gloria, I needed to wash up properly first, so I had to get moving.
Liberty was now visibly reluctant to see me leave her cell.
Was it the result of practically living in her cell, just as I had with Gloria?
She seemed to know I'd be back soon — she wagged her tail and saw me off.
I returned to my room and cleaned up.
Then I went to Gloria and submitted to her inspection. Fortunately, I passed on the first try this time.
But that small joy was short-lived.
Out of habit, I nearly reached out to pat Gloria on the head — the same way I did with Liberty.
It was a genuine relief that she wasn't paying attention to me at that moment, but I'd need to be more careful next time.
I reined in my wandering focus and brought over the meal tray.
In the past, a simple nutritional porridge had been all she received — but thanks to my request to the Director, Gloria now got proper meals.
Seeing the look of satisfaction on her face made it feel worthwhile, yet from the perspective of the one doing the feeding, it was deeply, deeply uncomfortable.
'This is what they mean by making trouble for yourself…'
Still, I was trying to think of it as an investment in the future, when —
BEEP BEEP BEEP!!
BEEP BEEP BEEP!!
An emergency alarm suddenly blared throughout the entire facility.
I'd had a bad feeling about things lately — had an incident finally broken out?
Gloria looked thoroughly displeased at having her mealtime interrupted.
I asked her permission first, then immediately called the control room to find out what was happening.
"So Researcher Marlon is dead, and a test subject has escaped."
[All staff have been evacuated. Maxwell, please remain somewhere safe until the situation is resolved.]
The walking corpse had become an actual corpse.
When I relayed this to Gloria, she let out a small, derisive snort — and her mood seemed to improve somewhat.
"That man certainly made an art of his exit."
"That he did."
Even so, Gloria remained completely indifferent to the news of the escaped test subject.
In truth, she was already capable of shattering all her restraints on her own — yet she showed no particular desire to leave this place.
I was genuinely curious as to why, but curiosity killed the cat for a reason.
In any case, I had just finished feeding her.
If I stayed any longer, I'd be on the receiving end of Gloria's silent pressure, so I rose to leave.
That was when I received a completely unexpected offer.
"Don't go out yet. You can stay here for a bit."
"Hm? Are you serious?"
Gloria said it with an indifferent expression — that I was welcome to stay until the situation was resolved.
I hadn't anticipated receiving such a gesture of goodwill, but —
BEEP BEEP BEEEEP!!
BEEP BEEP BEEEEP!!!
Suddenly, an alarm of a higher urgency than before blared throughout the entire facility.
What on earth was happening one thing after another?
What followed left me utterly stunned.
CLUNK!!!
The door to Gloria's cell swung open automatically.
It was likely the work of the test subject who had escaped this time — but for now, I offered my sincere thanks.
"I never imagined Gloria would be the one to save my life. I'm truly grateful."
"…Useful things should be kept alive."
Gloria despised inconvenience above all else.
She'd probably just helped because the thought of dealing with the fallout if I were gone was more annoying than helping.
****************
The fact that Gloria's cell — one of the most dangerous in the facility — had opened meant every other cell had opened as well.
But the collapse of Black Cell was a story for much later.
Which meant this current commotion would be suppressed.
And so, even as the frantic footsteps of test subjects echoed outside, I remained at ease in Gloria's company —
When something entirely unforeseen occurred.
I suddenly felt a gaze and turned to check the cell door — and found a pair of very familiar golden eyes staring back at me.
'Liberty?!'
Ah — how did I not think of this?!
While I was still reeling in shock, Liberty — muzzle removed and all — came charging toward me.
She wagged her tail furiously and threw herself at me in an embrace.
She immediately sank her teeth into my shoulder, which gave me a brief moment of alarm — but it appeared to be her version of a playful nip.
The problem, however, was that this was far from the end of it.
I felt an overwhelming gaze and slowly turned my head toward it.
What I found was Gloria, looking very, very displeased, her face twisted into a scowl as she stared at Liberty.
And then —
"That smell…"
"Yip?"
I had a feeling today was going to be a very long day.