Chapter 2: Administrators, Shelters, and ……

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“……Is it alright if I come in?”

The voice sounded very… quiet.

“Ah… please, come in.”

Who could it be… I’m a bit curious.

Everyone who’d spoken to me before had that official tone… but this voice seemed a little different.

The door slid open slowly, and a girl with shoulder-length black hair stepped inside.

She had clean, neat features, a somewhat slender frame, round-framed glasses, and a briefcase clutched in her arms.

“Hello… Liuli, I’ll be your primary administrator for the time being.”

“My name is Lin Zhiyi.”

The girl showed Liuli her work identification.

Lin Zhiyi, female, 19 years old, first-class researcher.

“From now on, if you have any needs or questions… as long as they’re within the permitted scope, you can bring them to me.”

“Um, ah… that… I have a question… what is Liuli…?”

“That’s not my name either…”

Liuli’s burger wasn’t finished yet, but it seemed impolite to eat while talking to a stranger, so she reluctantly set it aside for now.

“Liuli is the code name the organization gave you…”

“You’re still under observation for now, and until we determine the cause of the abnormal readings around you, this counts as a form of protection for you as well.”

“At the very least, your real name isn’t something I’m cleared to know either.”

“I see.”

This containment facility was pretty humane, actually.

Lin Zhiyi spoke in a slow, deliberate manner… more than deliberate, it felt a bit listless, like she had no energy behind her words.

She opened her briefcase and pulled out a ring-shaped device.

“Where would you like to wear it?”

“Wear… wear it?”

“This is a vital signs monitoring ring.”

“It has contraction and waterproof functions.”

“You’ll need to wear it 24/7 to continuously provide us with data.”

“Since its adjustable range is quite large, you can choose whichever position you prefer.”

“Hmm…”

Liuli glanced down at her ankles, clad in white stockings… wearing it there would look way too much like shackles, and it’d be inconvenient with socks anyway…

What about on her wrist?

If she put her hands on a table or slept, it might feel a bit awkward…

As for a place that was relatively unoccupied and where people normally wore things anyway… her neck… no way!

Wouldn’t that make her look like some kind of little pet?

“I’ll go with my wrist.”

Liuli extended her left hand.

“Alright… this might sting a little.”

“Bear with it.”

Lin Zhiyi leaned in, her eyes focused intently on the monitoring ring while her hands continuously adjusted something on it.

Watching the girl before her look so focused, and recalling that she was only three years older than herself… this sight reminded her of those top students from middle school.

Liuli’s grades were only average, not particularly good, so she’d always admired those academic overachievers—though of course, she never dared to bother them back then.

A faint scent of shampoo drifted from Lin Zhiyi’s hair.

It was fresh, and very light.

‘The smell is different from the shampoo I usually use… administrator… what exactly does that job entail?’

Liuli began to fantasize about what an administrator’s duties might be.

Would they hold a whip and make her run three thousand meters?

No, no… that’s a PE teacher.

Or would they stand beside her and force her to do a pile of test problems?

Wrong again, that’s a homeroom teacher.

Without realizing it, Liuli lifted her head and stared at the ceiling, her gaze clear yet hazy, until a sharp, piercing pain suddenly shot through her hand.

“Whoa!”

Liuli instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but Lin Zhiyi’s slender-looking hand held it firmly in place.

“Don’t move… otherwise you might get cut.”

“S-sorry…”

The ring locked automatically once it made contact with her skin.

“Try twisting your wrist a bit.”

“Any pain?”

“No… none… that’s amazing, it felt like I’d just been stabbed with a really deep needle a second ago…”

“If you know how to read the data on it, you can check it yourself.”

“It monitors some of your physical indicators—good enough for daily record-keeping.”

Liuli raised her hand high, holding it beneath the light.

Around her pale wrist was now a strange black-and-blue band made of an unusual material, and as she lifted her hand, a screen on it lit up.

“It’s just like a fitness tracker…”

“More precise than a fitness tracker.”

“Oh…”

Lin Zhiyi lowered her head, picked up a tablet, and began operating it, looking quite absorbed.

Though Liuli had many questions she wanted to ask, interrupting someone in that state of focus always felt like it would invite something terrible.

She felt a little nervous, pressing her hands together and fidgeting with her fingers in a rhythmic pattern.

‘Should I ask… or not…’

“Is there something on your mind?”

Lin Zhiyi looked up and asked.

“Ah… um… that… your work… is it alright?”

“Go ahead, it’s fine.”

Lin Zhiyi glanced down at Liuli, who was playing with her fingers, and after a moment’s thought, added, “If you’re worried about bothering me, don’t be.”

“Chatting won’t interfere with my work.”

“Besides, talking with you is part of the job anyway.”

‘Multitasking…? So this is the kind of academic prodigy who gets to work at a high-tech place like this at nineteen… amazing.’

“Um… what exactly does an administrator, or the containment work, involve?”

“This should be okay to ask… right…?”

“…In here, I mainly handle your meals and daily routine, monitor your vital signs, and run low-intensity tests on your abilities.”

“If your situation exceeds expectations, I’d also accompany you to a higher-level containment facility to continue working.”

“A higher-level…”

“This… Branch 37, due to structural reorganization, now only houses individuals with low anomaly readings and low danger levels, as well as providing protective observation for sapient individuals compatible with human society…”

“Dizzy… I don’t follow…”

“In short… your living conditions here will be a bit better.”

“And you’ll have more freedom.”

“Ohh… I see.”

“There are no experiments scheduled for today yet, so you can take some time to familiarize yourself with the environment.”

“If there’s anything you need, you can tell me all at once now.”

“Standard items will be prepared for you within an hour.”

“Then… I want a fully specced desktop computer!”

“Alright.”

“But it can only connect to the restricted local network.”

“A PS5, Switch 2…”

“Fine.”

“However, physical cartridges are required, and downloading games online requires a separate application.”

“Ugh… the internet is restricted, huh…”

If the internet was restricted, then a computer or whatever seemed kind of pointless…

Looked like only the Switch was usable, since the PS5 needed a network connection too.

“If it’s just downloading games, the segmented local network has a library of every game on the market.”

“No need to worry about that.”

“Then… what about listening to music?”

“Music also has its own designated network…”

“You don’t need to worry too much.”

“It’s only that you won’t be able to learn what’s happening outside.”

“We need to restrict any potential ability an individual might have to intrude on the internet.”

“Sounds troublesome and exhausting…”

‘The restrictions are bigger than I expected… Can’t go online to read gossip or news… Am I stuck with single-player games now…?’

Though being able to play single-player games was already pretty good.

Given how intense her usual class schedule was, Liuli was already lucky to have free time for music and gossip.

After all, her grades were mediocre.

Just finishing the mountain of homework took forever, let alone having the kind of free time those who could finish assignments in a flash enjoyed.

Besides… just about everything else required going outside.

She had a certain resistance to going out—or rather, straying too far from her own room.

Even though she had to commute to school early in the morning, she’d applied for day-student status instead of boarding.

“Um… can this room be arranged to look like my home?”

“Like, the flooring material and stuff… can those be changed?”

“Yes, I’ll inform the higher-ups.”

“It should be done within a few hours.”

“While the room is being set up, I can give you a tour of the areas you’re normally allowed to access.”

“Oh… okay, thank you.”

‘She’s really capable… I asked so many questions… to her, they were probably all simple ones… yet she responded with so much patience.’

Liuli felt a spark of admiration for this administrator who wasn’t much older than herself.

Lin Zhiyi typed rapidly on her tablet and sent the message off—apparently conveying all of Liuli’s requests clearly.

“Are you ready?”

“If so, I’ll take you out.”

“Oh… oh… yeah!”

“I’m ready.”

Lin Zhiyi packed her things back into her briefcase and pushed open the door of the containment unit.

“Let’s go.”

Leaving the containment unit, they returned to the wide, dreary corridor Liuli had seen before, covered with various signs.

Lin Zhiyi walked in front, Liuli followed behind, and the two pairs of shoes struck the floor of the empty hallway, producing a rhythmic “clack, clack, clack” sound.

“There aren’t many people around…”

“It’s working hours right now.”

“The rooms connected to this corridor are prepared for sapient individuals with anomalous fluctuations like yourself; normally, there’s no need for staff to work here.”

“Speaking of which… um…”

Liuli began deliberating on what to call Lin Zhiyi.

After all, based on what she’d said, they’d be dealing with each other for a long time to come, so she couldn’t afford to annoy her.

“Um… Sister Zhiyi… is it okay if I call you that?”

“Sure.”

“Call me whatever you like.”

Great… she probably… probably doesn’t mind, right?

After all, Lin Zhiyi’s demeanor was so stable it was almost unsettling.

It was hard to read any strong reaction from her.

“What exactly is a ‘sapient individual’ that you mentioned…?”

“An individual who, like a human, possesses intelligence, self-awareness, and the subjective initiative to think and put thoughts into action.”

“But I’m human… why do you use that term for me too?”

“The inspection report confirms that you are indeed human…”

“You probably haven’t realized just how terrifying anomalous individuals can be.”

“The reason anomalies are anomalies is that they exceed humanity’s everyday—even extreme—understanding of the world.”

“They can cause reality distortions of varying magnitudes.”

“For instance, no matter what, others can’t hurt you, and you even reflect some of the damage back.”

“Even an individual whose test results mark them as human… can still possess terrifying power.”

“The Containment Bureau once paid a grievous price for that lesson, so at best, the classification only allows us to designate you as a sapient individual suitable for contact with human society.”

“None of this is classified information, especially for someone already under observation like you.”

“So that’s how it is…”

Liuli still had many questions, but she decided to hold off for now.

She was afraid that asking too much might make Lin Zhiyi dislike her.

Soon, the two arrived at a crossroads.

The wall on the left corridor was painted orange, the one on the right green, and the one straight ahead a dull gray.

“Where would you like to go first?”

“Left leads to the living and activity zone, straight ahead is where you’ll undergo tests later, and right is the enclosed nature park.”

“Wow… let’s check out the living zone first!”

“Wait, you actually have a nature park here?”

“The mental health of containment facility staff is important too.”

“If they remain under constant high pressure, the facility’s operational efficiency would drop significantly.”

The two chatted as they headed toward the orange living zone.

Arriving at the living zone, there were vast stretches of signage… Dormitory Zone A-10, Dormitory Zone B-10, cafeteria, gym, KTV, movie theater, arcade!?

“This feels…”

“Hmm?”

“What is it?”

“It’s like… something I saw in a textbook before, those factories from the Silver Eagle Kingdom back in the old days.”

“Employees were completely sealed inside the factory, and the factory would hand out various vouchers to exchange for daily necessities.”

“Inside, there were schools, hospitals, police stations, and even entertainment facilities.”

“Structurally speaking… it is indeed quite similar.”

“I didn’t expect you to know about that.”

Lin Zhiyi turned her head toward Liuli, a hint of surprise showing on her face.

“Yeah… I’m pretty interested in history.”

“It feels like reading stories.”

The two walked until they reached the cafeteria…

It was nearly empty at this hour, with only a few scattered armed personnel who looked utterly exhausted, sitting around eating greasy, high-calorie food.

“It’s always good to have interests.”

“That’s rare for someone your age.”

“I guess… Sister Zhiyi is only three years older than me and already working in a place like this.”

“If it weren’t for that accident, I probably would never have had the chance to come somewhere like this.”

“Little Zhiyi~ Hey!”

A tall figure suddenly appeared, draping herself over Lin Zhiyi.

“…Lisa… you’re heavy.”

“Hey—that’s so mean!”

“Hm?”

The girl with long orange hair, wearing a research uniform, peered over Lin Zhiyi’s shoulder at Liuli and quickly caught sight of the monitoring ring on her wrist.

“So this is the management subject assigned to you?”

“She’s such an adorable girl!”

“Like a little white bird!”

“I’m so jealous!”

“Ah… um… th-that… h-hello.”

Seeing this scene, Liuli couldn’t help but clasp her hands together and fidget with her fingers…

This atmosphere… it felt really dangerous!