The sudden and unexpected sound caught everyone off guard.
Soon, all heads turned in a certain direction.
However, the mont their attention shifted toward the source, they all quickly looked away. With their heads lowered and hands covering their lips, they chose to remain silent, as if understanding that ’he’ was likely the one suffering most in that mont.
Even the Section Chief remained silent for a mont before speaking again.
"I understand he was quite close to many of us. He was talented and extrely kind, often helping everyone here. Whilst I still hold onto the hope that he’s still alive, the chances of such a case are... low."
Everyone listened in silence, mourning those who had fallen in the Congress, but not everyone was the sa. Standing at the back of the room, one person’s gaze lingered in a certain direction, her erald eyes narrowing slightly as she watched Seth.
His hand still covered his face, with Rowan patting his back, but...
’He laughed. He definitely laughed.’
She had been paying close attention to him.
In a way, her mind had only been filled with thoughts of him since her eting with Liora.
She was well aware of how often she found herself second-guessing Seth, but at that mont, as she stared at him and recalled the brief instant when he had laughed, Zoey’s hand clenched tightly.
’I’m not wrong... He definitely laughed. He definitely laughed.’
Her chest felt stuffier the more she thought about his smile.
Then, looking back at him, she found herself clenching the device that Liora had given to her not long ago.
’Disease. It has to be the disease.’
Zoey took a deep breath, trying her best to calm down.
’...It has to be.’
***
The eting carried on for several dozen more minutes.
Honestly, at one point, I wished it would end sooner. I started to really struggle with my laughter, finding the entire situation to be hilarious. Everyone was attending, mourning over soone who was still conscious and probably looking at the entire scene from within .
How was that not funny?
The struggle persisted until the Section Chief finally called it quits.
"Make sure you rember everything I’ve ntioned. You’ll receive more details on your phones soon. This will be very important for the future of the Guild, so handle it carefully."
With that, the Section Chief lowered his head and headed out, ruffling his hair as he went. Just before leaving, however, he paused and turned in my direction.
"Seth."
Hearing my na get called, I raised my head.
The Section Chief paused for a mont before nudging with his hand.
"Co. I need to talk with you about sothing."
"...Oh."
Looking around, I stood and followed after him. To be honest, I wasn’t all that surprised, more or less understanding why he had called as he led to a separate area, likely his office.
’Yeah, it definitely is his office.’
The place was just as ssy as his office in Malovia.
"Have a seat."
The Section Chief gestured to the chair opposite his desk as he sat down. I didn’t bother with formality and took a seat. anwhile, he reached into his drawer, pulled out a crystal bottle, and poured himself a drink.
He was just about to take a sip when he looked at .
"Want one...?"
"I’m good."
"You sure?"
"Yes, but if you want to drink, I can call Team Leader Soran. I’m su—"
"Did I do sothing wrong?"
Seeing the Section Chief visibly stiffen, I held back my smile while leaning back over the chair.
Silence swept over the room for a few seconds until the Section Chief spoke.
"How are you doing?"
"I’m... doing the best that I can."
I replied sincerely. This much was true.
"...I see."
Taking a sip, the Section Chief placed the cup back down onto the desk.
"The reason why I called you here is for two reasons."
He raised one of his fingers.
"One, to make sure you take this event seriously. If you perform well, you’ll have no trouble getting promoted to Team Leader. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you about the benefits that co with that position."
"No, I am aware."
"That’s good."
The Section Chief raised his second finger.
"Secondly, it’s regarding your gas."
"Oh?"
My ears perked up as I sat up straight. What about my gas?
"After a lot of trial and error, we’ve found them to be quite effective. This beca rather obvious with how your team perford during the Congress. There’s been quite a lot of demand for them, and so here."
The Section Chief suddenly slid a paper across the desk.
I casually glanced at it before reaching for it.
"This is...?"
"It’s an offer the Guild received from a platform called Dock. From what I know, you already post your gas there. In any case, they want exclusive rights to your gas, and from what I’ve heard, they’ve already started a promotion for your gas."
"Oh."
I fiddled with the paper in front of .
Giving it a quick skim, I could see that the offer presented to was quite good. There was even a formal apology regarding what had happened previously, with them planning on allowing the update to go through.
In fact, it was already through.
’That’s interesting, but predictable. With my fa increasing, it’s only natural they’d know about my gas. They should also be aware of how effective they are in helping so recruits deal with gates.’
Yeah, it makes sense.
But...
"I’ll pass."
I slid the paper back to the Section Chief.
"Huh? You’re passing?"
"I am."
"...Are you aware of just how much money they’re offering? Why are you...?"
"Just saving myself from any potential headaches."
I was done with Dock. They had already screwed over twice, and that was one ti more than I needed them to. Although they had the largest market share in the ga market, I didn’t care.
I no longer needed them as much as they needed .
"I’m planning on going with a different company or starting my own. And to be honest, I don’t think I’ll have to worry about money for the ti being."
Thinking about the nurous sponsorships and deals that were lined up for , I found myself laughing a little. Sure, the extra money was nice, but I had reached a point where I’d rather not earn money if it saved from getting headaches.
"Hmm, if that is your decision, then I won’t stop you."
The Section Chief appeared to be quite understanding. He rely took the paper back and put it away. He was most likely going to reject the offer for .
Taking another sip of his drink, he looked back at .
"In that case, the only thing you need to focus on is the upcoming recruit selection. You’ll mostly have freedom in how you handle it. Enough of that. I’ve said all that I need to say. Get so rest."
"I will."
Standing up, I turned and headed for the door.
But just as my hand reached for the knob, the Section Chief’s voice reached once more.
"Seth..."
I stopped and turned back.
"You’re alright, right?"
I tilted my head.
"I’m alright?"
"Mhm."
The Section Chief nodded.
"I’m not even asking about the situation with... ehm, Kyle. I’m just asking in general. What happened to you in the Congress wasn’t easy. I’m just asking to make sure, but are you... alright?"
I blinked.
After which, I smiled and opened the door.
"I’m feeling great."
Never felt better.
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