Maybe following a professional was the greatest way to deal with these things from the start.
Clear instructions, cool attitude, kind behaviors— the man I have followed made the Leaders from teams A and B seem like Hopeless simpletons.
He even managed to find another four people and get them out of the state of unconsciousness they were in…
A great figure, if I could describe it.
Hero's saying that he seemed strong was too obvious for me, even if I didn't really see him do anything besides being cool and handling the situation.
And I had no idea which institution he belongs to, but I could tell that it's better than our company by far more than a thousand times.
At least they treasure human lives.
"We will get out now, try to make sure that you do what I say without missing anything."
We were a little far away from the festival, standing in a nearby alley that the map showed. That man was standing there, blocking it as if he was trying to make sure that nothing would come and attack us, maybe.
"Everyone should get a blank paper. Just read it and you'll return."
Was it that simple?
I looked at the amount of papers on the small old table and confusion filled me.
We found this place only through the map, but finding it just like this seemed off. Or I no longer could trust those Vessels?
This may be a very big Vessel, but it may also be a low-class one. Like that old company… it was too simple from the start, but I've complicated it.
"Don't think and just return." I murmured to myself before taking a paper. It was the same as the one from before, with a yellow font and black background.
And what was written there this time made me feel the fear settle throughout my whole body.
[Do you want your system back?
What about looking into your hand to see?
Your mother's last words?
Do you want to know why you end up in these situations over and over again without warning?
Console advices and answering questions: street 1, 3rd alley, 030]
"...?"
How— no,no,no.
These weren't questions I've ever asked for their answers. Never.
What a bad temptation…
Even if someone really needs to know some answers, that doesn't mean that they want the answers or are desperate for it.
"Right, focus, focus."
When I looked at what was written in the paper in the hands of the man beside me, it was all about real estate and unbelievably great deals that nobody could reject.
He seemed too desperate for it as well. The look in his eyes was so dark that shivers ran into my whole body because of it.
So desperate?—
Did I look like this?
"Hey," I slapped the man's shoulder, taking him out of his thoughts and the urge to run into the festival again. "You know that everything written in yellow is a lie, don't you? They'll take your money and make you homeless."
You will even lose yourself forever or be eaten by some kind of anomaly.
"That's true." The man just shocked his head, his eyes returned normal. "they are all liars."
"Right." I stepped aside when I found him in a good shape again. "Let's get out of here."
The man who helped me from the beginning just watched what happened before helping the other three.
"Read the paper fully and wait three minutes, you'll be out by then. When you're out, there will be some people wearing like what I'm wearing… just do as they say."
So it was really a tempting Vessel… because even if someone got here somehow but at the last three minutes he was so desperate so he went to the address, then everything he did would turn to nothing.
Going through that torture would be in vain then.
"Anyway— read it."
After three minutes, as he said, I found myself outside, in some unfamiliar alley beside the main street.
Two men were already there, wearing something that felt like a police uniform but wasn't one, just like what that man was wearing.
"Five survivors. Two women and three men. No big injuries."
One recorded a report when the other was making sure that we were fine physically.
When he ended, he started to ask questions, one by one— and I was the last.
"What's your name, Sir?"
"Nathan Vale." I answered without even blinking, since giving them a made up name didn't seem like a good thing to do.
"Nathan Vale." The agent repeated, looking for something in his tablet. "Seems that you are here for not a very long time?"
"Yes, new job."
"Right… it is written here. 'Spring life' company."
Spring what, Sir?
Spring life? The company I worked for didn't have this name ever!
It was—
Wait,
What was the name?
Agh—
"Are you alright, sir?"
"Yes. Just a sudden headache."
"Fine. We won't take much of your time, please take that seat and just relax."
They are going to erase my memories— that's for sure, but how?
I didn't know until the other agent came and gave me a bright smile before putting his hand on my forehead.
I felt nothing,
Forgot nothing,
And just listen to him with mixed thoughts and feelings.
"You were walking through and an accident happened on the street so you got late. Nothing happened besides that."
He made me stand straight before walking with me to the main street, as he did to the rest. Then after a crack of his fingers he left.
What is supposed to be done? I had no idea.
The only idea was that I surely knew that that thing didn't work at all.
"Did he do it wrong or what?"
I was really thinking of that but in the end I let it slip.
There were so many things to think about. So many to the point that it makes listing them useless…
"But first—"
I have to ask about my company's name.
That was a big issue, because if they did some kind of mind tricks, then why did I question it in the first place?
And if there was a mind trick despite that… was it the reason that the memory thing didn't work just before?
"It is surely something that may lead me to a dead end, but—"
Working in some suspicious place without knowing anything would be my death if I didn't take things seriously.
But how?
"Wearing a suit even on your day off?"
"...?" I looked to my left to see the bright Alex just started to walk alongside me. "So what?"
"Such a boring person." He shrugged his shoulders then looked back, giving the street a thoughtful look. "Guess that it's the time of the year again."
"Time for what?"
"The festival."
"...?"
My expression surely stayed cool but within I was shouting and cursing.
Did the company know that I ended up in one? Or was he talking about a normal festival?
"The Festival Vessel." His answer shattered my spirits into pieces. "Those agents from the Disaster Management Authority are everywhere these days."
Disaster Management Authority?
Was this what that blue agent thought I belonged to?
"So what?"
"You seem unbothered." Alex gave me the brightest smile he could ever give anyone. And I just knew that he was about to say something I would hate.
And he did.
"Nathan Vale, do you want to know something?"
"No."
"I will tell you anyway." With a hand on my shoulders, as if I was his friend, he continued. "I've seen you there, walking with an agent from the rescue department."
"So what?"
"...?"
He looked at me in disbelief before laughing as a crazy being. Unable to believe that I treated his great compromising secret as nothing.
"Are you crazy? Don't you know that whatever your family was, nothing will save you from facing accountability and punishment if this was what you did?"
"Haha—" I didn't stop myself from laughing. "What a great thing to do… just go ahead, tell them"
"Agh, you laugh like a millionaire." Alex shook his hand off my shoulder, clearly irritated. "If you think that being the mysterious man will help you, then we will see. You've gotten away with all what you've done until now. But dealing with that institution? Ah, we may finally know who's behind your back if we bring that up."
The headache was finally getting me. And that was a really bad time for it…
"Hey."
I stopped, turned to him, then gave him a nice closed smile.
"What do you want?"
"What?"
"Why do you do this? It is not as if I took your victory or something… so why?" I took a step closer, making sure that I'm making my tune just as cold as it should be. "I really wanted to stay far away from all these things but if you want a fight, I'll fight. And believe me when I say that your dairy methods will never be as dairy as mine… Do you even know what Authority means?"
"Go and threaten someone else. Those empty words would never make me afraid of you."
He said that, but his eyes told me something that made me laugh again...Out of pure patheticness this time.
Maybe I was pathetic too, but he? He was way too far into it—
As if his ignorance about me was enough for him to put that kind of expression…
"Alex. Let's get a deal. You stay silent, and I do nothing."
"As if you can do anything if I say something."
"Hmm? You really underestimate me." We were about to enter the company's gate so I stopped and gave him another smile. "Just try and I'll drag you with me. It's more simple than you think."
I just walked away after that and left him to his thoughts. Somehow I knew that I had to think about what I should do if he really told the company, but I let it slip.
I didn't do anything wrong in the first place, so why the fear?