Off the Bus (before battle)
We were neither highfliers nor greedy vultures; we were merely children who loved technology.
Do you remember the day when we first felt that we were breathing?
Back then…
That breath alone would suffice.
Or perhaps…
It was the air that was exceptionally clear that day.
The view is obscured by smoke and dust.
Terrified screams, hopeless outcries, pained moans, and the sounds of hard objects breaking create a cacophony.
It is time… to turn the clock.
I can hear Yi Sang, the only conscious Sinner at the moment, muster up his remaining strength to speak.
The others are on the floor among dismembered corpses like powerless puppets.
Fatal injuries were left by an Abnormality.
Yet, we are in the middle of a Nest.
Weren't Abnormalities… supposed to be confined within Lobotomy Corp's branch facilities or dungeons?
Meanwhile, the Abnormality pierced Yi Sang's abdomen as I wondered.
I had no one else to share this question with.
Where are we going this time?
The Sinners seemed to grow quite accustomed to this work.
As if we were on a roadtrip, some were far less hesitant to ask about our next destination.
That's not quite the right question. This mission begins with a person, rather than a place.
A person, you say?
We happen to have a client.
You mean… We take requests from outside like we're a Fixer Office or something?
Oho, hath our carriage begun to be frequented by requests already? ¡Excelente! It may take little time at all to become a renowned Fixer!
Quiet. I'll be answering questions.
As you all know, the Golden Boughs are a relatively recent discovery.
Fortunately, J Corp. and D Corp. didn't have much interest when we visited their districts.
That is why those facilities were populated by no more than Backstreets miscreants or ragtag Syndicates.
However…There are Wings that have caught wind of their existence and value early, like K Corp, whose turf we're in right now.
Hmm? But I thought we'd already taken the Golden Bough here in K Corp's Nest?
I never said that there were any rules that say only one Bough may exist in a District.
The distribution of Lobotomy Corp's branch facilities is more complicated than you'd expect. They can be found everywhere… spread quite literally like tree branches.
Like how one was connected to our estate's basement…
There also haven't been any clear definitions about who owns the Boughs.
Which is why everyone's been playing by the primitive rule that "the first finders of a Bough are its keepers".
Well, that's how it usually goes with slumbering treasures~
In that case… Are you telling us that we've accepted the request to earn ownership of a Golden Bough?
To be exact, they made the offer first.
Since a Golden Bough is on the line, we have…
No choice… I get it now.
Thus… Haaa, I don't know how many times I have to remind you of this, but do not do anything to aggravate the client.
<By the way…>
Now then, keep your mouths shut until you're there. All as usual.
<……>
Dante seemed to have something to say.
<…Thank you, Faust.>
Ah, sorry about that, Dante. I do hope you understand that it's quite cumbersome to grow used to the concept that the ticking of a clock can be something to respond to.
<…So what are Golden Boughs used for, anyway?>
<When I think about it, all we were told was a vague order to collect them… And nothing about what the company plans to do with them.>
……
They're asking about the purpose of the Golden Boughs.
…Uh-huh.
I see you've finally begun to ruminate on subjects, Manager Dante. Here you are, growing curious about the company's plans.
Then I ought to aid your management as a guide by providing kind explanation.
The Golden Boughs…
They are branches, as their name suggests. That's what we call stems growing from the trunk of a tree. These ones happen to have a golden glow.
Ohoooo… Forsooth…
Don Quixote was the only one responding passionately to this information.
Thanks to this exchange, he painted me as an ignorant bloke who doesn't even know what a branch is.
Rodya shrugs at me as if to chaff me for expecting a real answer.
Verg, the road is blocked. Should I go around it?
……
It's blocked?
Strange that there's a blocked road. This is in the middle of K Corp's Nest, too; it's unlikely that there's a scene -
Before Ishmael could finish her sentence, a dull thud at the window interrupted her.
…Something just got flung at the bus and boinked off… That was a person, wasn't it?
A male individual who appears to be in his early 40s. There seems to be a serious injury in his occipital region. He had already died before the impact.
Yeah, sure doesn't seem like the average scuffle.
Pitstop. If it's a problem you can handle, come back after you're done.
…And what about if it isn't?
The clock'll have to spin until it's been dealt with.
<That's one elegant way to tell us to go die a thousand deaths…>
Hm, now then…
Off the bus.
……
What? Weren't you about to say the same thing anyway? Saved you the trouble~
I just can't wait, what adventures are in store for us this time?