It seemed like Black Cell had gotten itself sorted out a bit since the last meeting.
But this time, too, I was summoned to the Director's office without fail.
'So this is how my happy days come to an end.'
I sighed inwardly, and there was Secretary Min Chae-rin standing beside me.
She might know something about the Director's current state, so I decided to ask.
"She's just the same as ever."
"I suppose I can't call that good news. Well then, Secretary, it's back to working overtime again…."
"Lately, I think I finally understand why people call the office a second home."
Secretary Min Chae-rin faced reality head-on and suddenly looked utterly hollow.
One glance was enough to tell she hadn't been going home at all — she was clearly living out of the women's overnight room.
Anyway, at least the ice was broken now.
Chatting with Secretary Min Chae-rin, we arrived in front of the Director's office before long.
Knock knock knock!!
"Director Eileen, I've brought Maxwell."
"Come straight in."
Judging by the voice from inside, it was the Director in her usual state.
But I was certain Secretary Min Chae-rin would serve as my lie detector again this time.
I pulled the thread of tension taut once more and stepped inside.
Scanning the bleak Director's office, I spotted the Director.
Unlike before, when she'd been seated, she was standing — fully upright.
She was looking out through the window at the outside.
I was just beginning to wonder if she had something on her mind, when —
"Exactly when did you start researching the origin of superpowers?"
The Director threw the question without even looking my way.
Though right now she had her back turned.
Last time, the signal the secretary used to indicate truth had changed several times.
One wrong move and she might use some other method to determine truth from lies, so I chose my words carefully before speaking.
"It's been quite a while since I first noticed."
"Is that so? Hmm…."
The moment she heard my answer, the Director spun around and flashed me a smile.
"So back then you kept refusing and refusing — but the moment you heard about the experiments being conducted at Black Cell, you joined immediately. And the reason was precisely those experiments? And now I finally understand why you've been moving so unusually aggressively lately."
"You're welcome to think whatever you like."
Honestly, I have no idea what happened in the past.
But fortunately, the Director seemed to be piecing the situation together on her own.
Still, there was one thing she clearly wanted to confirm.
"Maxwell, what exactly is it you're after?"
The moment the question came, Secretary Min Chae-rin touched the frame of her glasses.
The signal kept changing, like military challenge-and-response codes.
But seeing her continue to touch her glasses unnaturally in this moment, that repeated gesture had to be the signal for truth.
Even though I had no choice but to speak only the truth right now, I opened my mouth without hesitation.
"I am simply envisioning a better future."
The future I envisioned and the future the Director envisioned were worlds apart.
But in the end, the Director received the signal from Secretary Min Chae-rin that it was the truth.
The ability to see through lies had, ironically, turned the boy who cried wolf into an honest one.
*********************
Whether my answer had satisfied her to some degree, the Director gave a nod.
She stopped pacing around the room.
She settled into her seat and continued speaking.
"You did something rather interesting this time, didn't you?"
"There are too many things I've been doing lately — if you put it that vaguely, I'm afraid I won't know what you mean."
"I'm talking about the paper."
The Director already knew the truth — that it was I who had discovered the Awakening Factor.
But I wasn't the co-first author. I was the third author.
"They say authors are listed in order of contribution, but do you have any idea how the academic world treats a third author?"
"I did help, but… it's the same position, isn't it."
"Oh? You know exactly what you're talking about."
Apparently curious, the Director asked me outright why I had any reason to hand the paper over to Dr. Cain.
"Maxwell, you already have the recognition of every researcher working in the underground research complex, and it would have been a golden opportunity to earn a great name for yourself — so why would you do something like that…."
"I simply thought that if I was going to do something, I should do it properly."
It was a slightly off-target answer.
But the Director caught the meaning and let out a quiet smirk.
"So the position within Black Cell mattered more to you than being the one to define how superpowers come into existence… is that how I should read it?"
"Fame beyond what's necessary is nothing but poison."
"The composure of a once-in-a-generation genius, I see. Though the Chief Researcher is quite greedy too. I never thought she'd just gobble it up like that."
"But you already knew she would become my shield."
"She could have become a great figure in history — a legendary scientist, no less — so what does it matter? Anyway, Maxwell, in your estimation, how long do you think it would take before a non-ability user could wield superpowers?"
Wait — the moment I heard that question, a flash cut through my mind.
'Don't tell me she dragged this out all this time just to ask me that?!'
The preamble had been so absurdly long I thought there was something more to it.
But seeing her ask it now as though it were nothing, I think I was right.
Thinking to myself that she really was meticulous about managing her image, I gave her a rough answer.
"For now, I'd expect making superpowers permanent would take a very long time."
"What? Then this research —"
"However."
Normally, you don't cut off a superior mid-sentence.
And when it's the highest-ranking superior of all, you absolutely do not.
But far from being offended by the interruption, the Director lost all control of her expression.
"An Ability Awakening Drug with a limited duration — I'd estimate it could be produced within three years at the most."
"Is that… is that right…? What about anything else?"
"An Amplifier that further strengthens existing abilities might also be produced as an additional outcome."
Was it really that wonderful to know she was almost at her true goal?
She propped her chin on her hand again, trying to hide her expression.
And unlike before, she was visibly agitated.
But this witch was the one who had turned a single subsidiary of Black Group into a major corporation.
In the end, she succeeded in suppressing her own desire.
The Director set down the butcher's knife in front of the goose that laid golden eggs.
And barely managed to continue speaking.
"…You've truly worked hard this time. It feels as though the progress of the age has been accelerated thanks to you, Maxwell."
"I'm truly glad I could be of help toward Black Cell's goals."
"No — if anything, I'm the more grateful one."
With that, the Director sent me out with a parting remark that she would be expecting great things in the future.
But just before I left, the Director gave me one piece of information.
"The head of Black Group has his eye on you, Maxwell."
"So he must have found it galling that I talked back to him to his face."
"That's not the kind of attention he's paying you."
The Director offered me advice not to lose my way when a crossroads came.
I finally escaped the Director's office, and the energy drained right out of me.
***************
The meeting with the Director was finally over.
It seemed the head of Black Group wanted to transfer me to the parent company.
But thinking over what the Director had said….
'Is the head trying to give me a choice?'
Either way, one of the head's subordinates would almost certainly approach me in short order.
In a sense, it meant I now had one more means of escaping Black Cell.
But that place was no less filthy.
It was the same as grabbing a ticket to hell just to get out of a den of monsters.
On top of that, all the power and relationships I'd built up until now would be thrown into disarray.
And by now, I couldn't simply abandon the children and leave.
Ping—!!!
"Maxweeell!"
"Victory, did you wait long?"
"No no!! Victory is fine!!"
If I left, the children who had already been hurt would be hurt all over again.
Of course, refusing the transfer would require more than a flimsy excuse — that much was obvious.
But that was just a matter of preparation.
For now, I welcomed Victory, who was so happy to see me, and spread out the bedding I'd brought from the overnight room.
But the moment I laid the bedding on the floor, Victory immediately voiced her objection.
"L-like last time, let's just sleep together in the bed!!"
"But won't it be uncomfortable? The bed is quite narrow."
"Victory is really, truly fine!!"
She said that if I wasn't going to be in the bed with her, she'd sleep on the floor too.
Seeing her dig her heels in like that — it was exactly the kind of stubbornness you'd expect from a child her age.
Anyway, I decided to go along with Victory and sleep in the bed together.
It was getting late, after all.
I lay down in the bed with Victory right away.
Unlike before, Victory's hands and feet were free.
Squeeze—!!
"Ehehe…. Maxweell."
Victory pressed herself completely against me and smiled the most blissful smile in the world.
But the bed was sized for Victory, so it was quite cramped for two, and we had to lie in rather uncomfortable positions — so I just let her use my arm as a pillow.
"Victory, how's this?"
"I-it's great!! It's really great!!"
Watching this girl be so genuinely happy over such a small gesture, I felt a quiet pang of bitterness.
'The other children are probably the same… I'll need to start thinking about what to give Liberty too.'
Thinking of the other children, I slowly patted Victory's back.
She looked like she was about to drift off to sleep, her face going soft and hazy.
I didn't know what the future would hold.
But I, too, was beginning to look forward to the day we'd all be living together.
***************
After sleeping in Victory's cell, the next day arrived.
It was almost time to go see Gloria, so I got up from the bed — and Victory stirred awake right along with me.
"Mmhh…. Ma, Maxweell…."
"Victory, you can sleep more. Stay lying down."
"Then… have a good trip…."
Fortunately, Victory didn't throw a fit asking me to stay longer.
Instead, I stayed by her side until she fell back asleep.
Then, timing it to Gloria's breakfast hour, I came back having washed up thoroughly.
Thinking that should be more than enough, I stepped inside — but….
For some reason, I was met with a Gloria who was in an extremely, extremely foul mood.
Could it be that Victory's scent hadn't washed off completely?
I was just about to check why she was in such a state, when —
"Yesterday… forget what happened yesterday."
"Ah…."
The Gloria who had been slightly more honest under the influence of the medication had made me give her a lap pillow.
And perhaps, from her perspective, that was a moment of profound embarrassment.
Gloria was throwing a fit in a way perfectly suited to her age.