Troubled Waters (before battle)
The days were as suffocating for them as it was for me.
Well, save for Outis, maybe...
You there! Connecting those parts will cause an issue with the intake fan!
What do we do, then? That's like three separate wires.
Amateurish. Allow me to demonstrate.
Hmph, this is nothing compared to what I had to do back in the day, when I worked with the engineering corps...
...Outis, who appeared to be rather knowledgeable in engineering, continued to support Molar Boatworks' bus modifications.
Miss Faust, do you by any chance possess any documentation of items that the Sinners may be partial to, or have preferences for in their personal information forms?
...We do not keep records of such details.
Yi Sang, as I have informed you repeatedly, it is the best policy as a Sinner to leave the decisions to the manager's...
Oiiyi~ There's nothing like booze and gettin' right sloshed to mend a broken friendship! What, maybe you could try my secret weapon?
No way... you mean the king trash crab brain wine that you've been talking about?
Ooh... color me interested, actually.
N-no... no, I don't think I will. I shall inquire them myself. Thank you still.
Mmm, doubt it'll work~
Yi Sang was trying to come up with various ways to bring Heathcliff and Ishmael's feud to a close.
SYNC.
No, SILO would be preferable here.
Tsk... hm?
Ah, yes... Perhaps doing so while they're still alive would be a way of pursuing a new direction in art in the vein of an avant-garde spirit.
My suggestion was not to inflict them further pain. Simply a more appropriate method of engaging in the culinary arts.
I'm sorry, but... when's dinner? You've been having this same conversation for the last 30 minutes...
Rain... I'm dyin' here... I can hear the trash crabs going at it in my belly...
Big Sis, please get a hold of yourself...!
It seemed that Ryōshū and Meursault were trying to come up with a way to make the trash crabs more palatable. Not that I had any taste buds or a mouth, but... it was starting to resemble actual food, at least in its presentation.
Kiddos! They're going that way!
A child -
Gwah!
- I am not! Now, Young Sinclair! ¡El golpe de gracia!
Gregor, I'll take its left leg!
Gotcha~ Hup!
Most other Sinners were busying themselves with hunting trash crabs and collecting scrap.
They say that practice makes perfect. And everyone was already performing rather well-coordinated attacks even without my input.
As for Heathcliff...
Woah, Gregor~! Are you showing off your rotisserie skills?
Insipid. Your flames lack flair.
W-wait! He's just cremating it!
It has been extracted. However, this can no longer serve its function as a proper source of nutrients.
G-give it hither! I have consumed naught but 3 legs so far!
...Ah!
Heathcliff!
......
<Heathcliff...?>
Ah, oi. That's, uh...
The guide and I had a chat. I'm... okay now.
Was it... really just a chat?
...Ugh.
J-Just drop it! I won't trouble you lot... no more. That's all.
So uh... spare me some nosh?
I don't know if Vergilius really had just a 'talk' with Heathcliff, but...
I'm glad that, unlike most other times, he was here to at least get Heathcliff to calm down.
But Ishmael...
...A moment, Dante?
Haah, well... As one-sided as this chat is going to be...
<…….>
As I'm sure you've already been told in brief...
I conducted a little meeting with the two "problem individuals".
You will see that the 'discipline' has proven effective with Heathcliff.
While Ishmael's case... hasn't quite been resolved.
Or to be more precise, there is no reason to resolve it.
<What are you talking about?>
You must be asking what I'm talking about.
I hope you aren't expecting me to kindly explain everything to you. You will realize it on your own soon enough.
After all, this... babysitting and fostering nonsense is not a part of my work, Manager Dante.
<I know you're putting in extra work... and I appreciate it.>
...I'd like it if I didn't have to intervene anymore.
You may consider the "talk" I voluntarily had with the two a small favor from me for your decent performance recently.
Now, I have remaining business with the Fixers of Molar Office.
...Like that, Ishmael was left alone, with little progress to speak of.
According to the people from the boatworks, she apparently snuck out alone late at night to make various preparations.
Even when I visited her, when I found her hanging about and called over to her...
……
She didn't respond to me at all.
She wasn't ignoring me. Rather... she seemed too deeply fixated on what she was doing.
What should I do about her? No, what was I supposed to do then?
While a clear answer still eluded me...
Mephistopheles' mise à mer was entering its final stages.