Within one of the offices of the A.E.G.I.S. building, several flowers had been placed upon a certain desk.
The small office unit was labelled "Response Unit F-5."
It was a rather cramped room, with barely enough space for the desks, chairs, and a few cabinets meant to store their documents.
The desks were arranged close together, leaving little room to move around without bumping into something.
Despite being an official office within A.E.G.I.S., it looked quite a lot like a small workspace hastily assigned to a newly formed team.
A knock came from the door, causing Marcus to snap out of his thoughts as he stared at the empty desk that Jonathan had once occupied.
The others had already left, and he was the only person left inside the office.
Getting up, he opened the door and found a casually dressed man standing outside.
The man held a bouquet of flowers in one hand, while a Response Unit identification card was attached to his clothing.
"Ah, good afternoon, Response Unit Leader Jay."
"Good afternoon, Marcus. Sorry for the delay. There was some work I had to finish regarding an ongoing investigation, and it took a little longer than expected."
"It’s alright. We’re all part of the same company, after all. We both know how busy things can get."
Jay gave a small nod before stepping inside. Looking around the cramped office, his gaze eventually settled upon the empty desk.
Without saying anything, he walked toward it and placed the flowers down.
"Condolences. May his soul rest in peace."
Marcus remained silent, only giving a small nod to acknowledge the conversation.
Within the rather empty office, neither of them spoke. Jay looked at the flowers before turning his attention back toward Marcus.
"First time losing a teammate, I’m guessing?"
"Yes. Our team is still relatively new, so... I suppose I haven’t gotten used to it yet."
Jay nodded, his expression growing a little more solemn.
"I don’t mean to sound cold or insensitive, Marcus, but you should understand that this won’t be the last time. As long as you continue working in this line of business, the people around you will eventually change. Some will leave because of their deaths, while others will simply become different people over time. And before you realize it, the team you once knew may no longer exist."
"I understand."
"No... I can assure you that you don’t."
Jay let out a rather reminiscing sigh.
"Because if you truly understood what I meant, then you’d be considering quitting right now. Go back to your normal life, Marcus. Find something peaceful to do, and live quietly. There is no need to keep throwing yourself into this kind of hell. Believe me, there are far better ways to spend your life than watching the people around you die."
Marcus shook his head.
"Sorry, but I cannot. We all have our reasons for being here. And... I don’t think I can simply abandon mine."
Jay glanced at Marcus in a rather complex way, before shaking his head with a faint, resigned smile.
"Well, I suppose I shouldn’t be trying to change your mind. Everyone has their own reasons, and I doubt mine would be enough to convince you otherwise."
He turned toward the door, raising a hand in farewell.
"I’ll see you next time, Marcus. Hopefully, you’ll still be alive and well when that happens."
"Same goes to you, Jay."
...
Staring at this rather depressing scene, I remained silent as I stayed in my doll form.
I was already quite familiar with this kind of situation, where Response Units lost their cherished or bonded teammates.
In fact, even among the higher-ranked Response Units, such incidents were far from uncommon.
And it was always nothing short of depressing.
Walking toward me, who had been left on one of the office desks, Marcus carefully picked me up before making his way toward the dormitory area.
Once he entered his assigned dormitory, he locked the door and placed me on the bed.
"The management team is going to send over the official approval papers... Apparently, they’re going to designate you as our permanent supernatural companion. But you already predicted that, didn’t you?"
Marcus asked. There was a certain politeness in his tone, but beneath it, I could also sense a trace of anger.
It seemed that he held some unexplainable resentment toward me, perhaps because I had indirectly caused Jonathan’s death by telling him his fortune...
But how was I supposed to be blamed for that?
I was no murderer... and I certainly had no reason to wish for Jonathan’s death.
In fact, I’d much rather have everyone alive and well than see something so morbid happen to anyone.
Of course, I also understood that Marcus’s anger was simply an irrational emotion he had nowhere else to direct.
So, I decided not to make things any worse by arguing with him.
[To some extent. I never claimed to be omniscient, you know?]
Hearing my response, Marcus’s brows furrowed. He seemed to be contemplating something before eventually speaking again.
"What exactly are you...? And what is it that you want from me... no, from my team?"
[I simply want to return to the place I belong. That’s all.]
Marcus rolled his eyes.
"Someone as powerful as you, capable of controlling that peculiar staircase and traversing all sorts of places through it... has somewhere they cannot return to?"
Marcus’s expression turned skeptical as he recalled the events that had transpired. After all, I had manipulated the [Neverending Staircase] to bring them all back home, and I had done so with an ease that was difficult to overlook.
[I’ve done nothing but assist you and your team through one predicament after another. And yet, you still find it difficult to place your trust in me? I must say, that’s rather discouraging.]
Hearing my complaint, Marcus could not help but become speechless for a few seconds before eventually thinking more carefully about his next words.
"...You’re right. I’m sorry. I suppose I’m still allowing my emotions to get the better of me. I shouldn’t have directed my frustration toward you, especially after everything you’ve done to help us. Thank you for your patience... and for not holding my attitude against me."
[Think nothing of it. We are companions now, after all. I see little value in allowing such trivial disagreements to hinder our cooperation.]
[By the way, may I inquire as to what prompted you to join A.E.G.I.S.?]
I was genuinely curious.
After all, Marcus wasn’t a character in [Arcana] that I was familiar with, yet he possessed a strange [Augury] or fate that had caught my attention.
Perhaps he was a background or extra character introduced in one of the later books?
But I was familiar with all the characters in [Arcana]... which made me rather doubtful.
Thus, I decided to ask, hoping to obtain an answer that might remind me of a character’s backstory.
"My reasons are rather personal. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t press me on the matter."
[I have already shared my reasons for being here, yet you’re still reluctant to tell me yours? Doesn’t that seem a little unfair?]
Hearing the pointed tone in my words, Marcus fell silent. He seemed to hesitate answering, his expression growing somewhat troubled before he finally relented.
"...There is a life I wish to have. That’s all I’m willing to say."
Quite a vague answer...
But I had a feeling that was all the conversation I was going to get out of this guy.
[Alright. I shall respect your privacy. To put your mind at ease, I only require one particular thing from A.E.G.I.S. Once I obtain it, I’ll be able to return to the place I belong.]
[Until then, I’ll do my utmost to assist you and Team F-5 in climbing through the ranks, while helping you obtain whatever it is you seek from the company. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement, is it not?]
Marcus seemed to relax a little as he listened to my explanation.
Although, he wasn’t quite convinced or relaxed around me just yet.
"Yes... you are right."
[Then, allow me to reiterate my previous statement. I look forward to a pleasant cooperation, Marcus.]
Marcus began arranging his bed, looking far too exhausted to even bother changing into his pajamas.
After placing me on top of the drawer, complete with a small pillow and blanket, he finally gave me his reply.
"Yes... I hope for a pleasant cooperation, Moon."