Location: Shi Association - Southern Branch
??? ???
Thelma, dear. It’s all thanks to me that you could keep your position as head of the southern branch, so maybe you should return some of that favor, no?
??? ???
I know, that was the deal.
??? ???
What do you want this time?
??? ???
I want your crew to take care of the things on this list. I think I might be able to locate it soon enough.
??? ???
…These are all ridiculous requests.
??? ???
Well, though we have the right team for this…
??? ???
Let me guess, Section 2?
??? ???
See? I’m a very considerate person, Thelma.
??? ???
‘The Library’ is on the list as well, now appointed as an Urban Plague by the Hana Association…
??? ???
That’s the one I’m particularly interested in, actually.
Location: Inside the Library
Library Director Angela
Roland.
Servant Roland
Yeah? …Huh?!!
Library Director Angela
If your estimation is correct, we’ll have to thoroughly prepare ourselves for guests from major Syndicates and even Wings from now on, right?
Servant Roland
That was the third most surprising thing to happen to me here.
Library Director Angela
What nonsense are you going on about this time?
Servant Roland
You just called me “Roland”.
Library Director Angela
Because that’s your name.
Servant Roland
I mean, yeah, but… You’ve never referred to me with my name before.
Library Director Angela
My level of trust for you has increased, and I wanted to reinforce our amity, so I tried referring to you in relatively more intimate terms. Is there a problem?
Servant Roland
Come on~ That’s a boring answer.
Servant Roland
It’s been a long while since anyone called me by my name, still. The last time I heard that was from my family, I guess…
Library Director Angela
Didn’t you say that your grandma disappeared long ago?
Servant Roland
Oh, I had a wife, you see.
Library Director Angela
That’s intriguing.
Servant Roland
Hunh… You’re not intrigued by the fact that someone like me managed to get married, right? You’re intrigued by the whole concept of this inefficient practice among humans known as marriage, right?
Library Director Angela
Please tell me more about your marriage.
Servant Roland
…Just a heads up, it’s an overall banal story with some sad moments. Don’t think you’ll really like it.
Library Director Angela
I’m always open for new stories of others.
Servant Roland
Says the one who won’t even tell me the story of her own life.
Library Director Angela
I can’t bring myself to recount that story ever again. I’m simply too sick of it.
Library Director Angela
It’s a boring and trifling story that looped over and over for ten millennia.
Library Director Angela
Imagine reading the same book for one million years. You’ll surely grow to resent it.
Servant Roland
I’d have choked myself by the tie ‘round the fifth time I’d be forced to read a boring book…
Servant Roland
Well, anyway, I used to work my ass off. Had nothing better to do.
Servant Roland
I wasn’t a bad fit for Fixer work, coming from a rough background and all. As I kept working like a busy bee, I got a house in a decent spot, and met a so-called “soul mate”.
Servant Roland
She was such a tough woman… When I looked at her back, I felt the comfort of finding a place to belong to, something I couldn’t feel even when I bought my house.
Servant Roland
I made so many attempts to try and catch her attention.
Servant Roland
Oh, am I dragging on too long…?
Library Director Angela
It’s fine. Please continue.
Servant Roland
I did get a bunch of opportunities to see her, since we were in the same industry.
Servant Roland
My wife was a pretty highly graded Fixer, by the way. She was dependable for a reason.
Servant Roland
Anyway, countless ups and downs later, we tied the knot.
Servant Roland
I put it simply here, but the heartache I felt in those twists and turns was real, y’know?
Servant Roland
Both of us had piled up a hefty amount of money from working like dogs, so we decided to quit being Fixers for a while and spend a peaceful time together.
Servant Roland
This part is kinda corny, but “happy” is the only word to describe how I felt, really. I was alone my whole life, and finally had someone to rely on.
Servant Roland
All we had to worry about was what to have for lunch, where to take a stroll in the evening… what to name our child and stuff.
Servant Roland
Then one day, I got an urgent call from a friend asking me to do a request far away from home.
Servant Roland
You can probably guess where this is going by now.
Servant Roland
The job wasn’t a huge deal, and the pay was alright, so I decided to take it. The lady who lived with me said okay, too.
Servant Roland
I was dispatched to a district famous for pajeon, which was my wife’s favorite food. I could almost see her mouth water with the thought of eating it when she sent me off.
Servant Roland
To live up to my better half’s expectations, I purchased a stasis preservation box from U Corp. to present her with a warm pajeon that’s straight from the kitchen.
Servant Roland
But a huge incident occurred in my home district while I was away. The house collapsed… And my wife died along with our child she was still pregnant with.
Servant Roland
I cried for a long while, cursing this world and the City.
Servant Roland
I writhed and struggled trying to earn this happiness, so why does it have to slip out of my hands so easily…
Servant Roland
Alright, that’s the end of my story.
Servant Roland
This kinda stuff can happen to anyone in the City.
Servant Roland
It’s only a matter of endurance.
Library Director Angela
And you could endure that trial?
Servant Roland
I’m trying to settle it on my own terms.
Library Director Angela
What was the second most surprising thing for you, by the way?
Servant Roland
Hmm? Oh, that working here suits me better than I thought, I guess? I’m saving the biggest surprise for the last. It’s no fun to spoil everything at once, is it?
Library Director Angela
Fine, then. I’ll leave you with sorting the rest of the books.
