Lobotomy Corporation but with Simulation System?

Damn… Where am I?

X felt hot, but she couldn't see anything. It was as if there was no light… or perhaps, she couldn't see.

Maybe her eyes were covered. Or maybe, she didn't want to open her eyes.

X stood there dazed, in this unfamiliar place, wanting to quickly ask for directions, but she couldn't see, she couldn't see anything at all.

It seemed like there were people around, seemingly… calling out to someone, but not X. Everyone remembered their own names and wouldn't make a mistake. X knew the person calling out wasn't calling her.

The voices were indistinct, as if they had been specially processed, indistinguishable between male and female. The names being called, X couldn't hear clearly. She could only vaguely distinguish the pronunciation, confirming that the person wasn't calling her.

After a while, the person called out a few times and then stopped, falling silent.

X thought that the person who had been calling out had left, when she suddenly felt her hand being grasped. It was probably… that person.

That person held X's hand, palm against palm, fitting precisely into the gaps between each finger. They held tightly, as if firmly glued together with resin. No matter how X tried to pull her hand back, they wouldn't let go.

X felt that the person holding her hand had no calluses. It was a delicate and smooth hand… probably a woman's hand. X wasn't sure, but she vaguely felt that it was a beautiful woman.

X was being led forward. Or perhaps, being dragged forward.

X couldn't find her way. It was like a blind person who couldn't see the world. That person was acting as her walking stick, guiding her forward.

Even at such close range, X could only hear the person's voice vaguely. She didn't know what the name that person was calling was.

[█, why are you still here? It's your birthday today! What are you spacing out for? Everyone's waiting for you. Hurry up and cut the cake! Oh, right, right, don't forget to make a wish!]

X vaguely felt something on her head, very light, weightless. From the feel of it… it was probably a paper crown. Combined with the keyword "birthday," she thought it was probably a paper crown, because that's what people usually wore when celebrating birthdays.

Even though it was childish and meaningless. But wouldn't it disappoint the other person if you made a serious face during a happy occasion and said this was a waste of time?

X was willing to enjoy this happy atmosphere, but she couldn't see anything. Everything was black, a pitch-black color.

She couldn't see where the cake was, or the candlelight. She could only hear the voices, still indistinct and processed.

Based on the other person's words, X made a gesture of bowing her head to blow out the candles. Unsurprisingly, the other person responded with a typical complaint.

[█, you idiot, why did you blow out the candles directly? You haven't made a wish yet!]

[But of course, wishes should be made personally. █, you think so too, huh? Hmph, hmph, working with my cute junior is really great. I want the one with the cherry!]

X didn't know how to cut the cake. She couldn't see. X wanted to speak, to say something… but she found that she couldn't say anything at all. No matter what, she couldn't make a sound.

She remained silent, then heard the other person say some strange things, as if they were performing a solo act.

Then, she felt something being brought to her mouth… probably cake.

X opened her mouth, and the other person fed her the cake.

She chewed. It was a sweet taste. The crumbly cake and the butter combined perfectly. There were some mashed peach pieces inside.

It wasn't the overly sweet canned peaches, but fresh peaches, slightly soft and tart, the fruity sourness dissolving in the mouth, neutralizing the richness of the butter, while the sweetness of the butter balanced out the fresh peach's tartness.

It was delicious. X liked sweet things.

Just as X was about to eat a second piece, she felt someone licking her face. The person seemed to be wiping the butter from the corner of her mouth.

She vaguely heard someone shouting outside, but X didn't hear it clearly, and didn't care. She just wanted to eat another bite of cake.

So hungry… so hungry…

X felt her stomach rumbling, and even though she had eaten a piece of cake, it hadn't alleviated her hunger at all. She felt hungrier and hungrier.

Just as X was about to ask the person to feed her more cake, her vision suddenly brightened. She saw golden eyes staring at her. The AI Secretary's signature blue hair had fallen to her neck…

In other words, Angela was right next to her.

[Manager, are you feeling better?]

The AI placed a cool compress on X's forehead. The compress had been warmed and was now a warm compress.

X unconsciously tried to stand up, only to realize she was in water… hot water. No wonder she had felt so hot, scorching hot, in her dream, as if she were being boiled.

She had been lying in the bathtub, surrounded by warm water. The water temperature was just right, and her skin was only slightly flushed. There were no wrinkles. She had probably only been soaking for a short time, the AI was keeping an eye on the time.

She hadn't really been boiled unconscious…

After opening her eyes, X was still a little dazed. Her head was foggy, and she was still in a "huh?" state regarding her surroundings. After a few seconds, she realized she was in the bathroom, her bedroom bathroom, and her Secretary was right next to her.

[Dinner is ready. Do you want to eat now?]

Seeing X stand up from the bathtub, the AI took a towel and meticulously wiped the water droplets from her skin, carefully drying her.

Clean clothes were already prepared. In this state of haziness and drowsiness, X was carefully taken care of and dressed by her Secretary.

The pajamas were very comfortable and cute, with a strawberry soda pattern. Although it was very childish, it also showed a certain girlish heart… It highlighted the girlish heart of the person who chose this outfit.

X didn't choose these clothes. So this certainly wasn't X's girlish heart.

X's head was still foggy, she hadn't come to her senses… For example, why was her AI Secretary here? Why was she in the bathroom?

But it was probably because of the alcohol, or because she had been made drowsy by the hot water. In any case, it was affecting her judgment. She decided to postpone considering this.

She was hungry. That was a very straightforward and simple reason. The keyword was "dinner."

With dinner in front of her, X didn't want to pursue other matters. Filling her stomach was the most important thing.

Besides, if she got drunk and fell asleep, she would undoubtedly wake up with a lingering smell of alcohol. The AI Secretary helping her bathe was a show of concern… what was so strange about that?

Being drunk could also cause headaches, severely affecting the next day's work… Headaches would affect work efficiency. Mistakes would cause damage. Thinking about it another way, the AI Secretary was protecting the Corporation's achievements.

The more X thought about it, the more she felt she should praise her Secretary. She was truly loyal, devoted, and reliable.

It was true. Knowing that the Manager was hungry and hadn't eaten anything, she had already prepared dinner. How could there be a better Secretary!

She had thought she would be punished without dinner. Angela had actually prepared it. It was really touching.

X sat at the dinner table, enjoying the AI Secretary's thoughtful service, her mood very good.

After showering, she was clean. The smell of alcohol had mostly dissipated, and combined with the nap, she was feeling refreshed.

Although she was still a little hazy… she had completely become a person being cared for. She hadn't done anything herself. In other words, she had given up thinking and was letting the AI decide.

The AI was placing a napkin on her lap, probably worried that the greasy food would stain her clean clothes, or perhaps she was simply doing some essential work before a meal.

Like the waiters in the luxurious dining rooms often seen in TV shows and movies, or the butlers in private residences, the AI carefully carried a metal food cover, maintaining an air of mystery as she presented the food.

X was full of anticipation for dinner.

After placing it firmly on the dinner table, the AI's delicate, white hand gently lifted the metal lid.

Unfortunately, there were no glittering special effects. It wasn't a luminescent treatment. When something was treated to be luminescent, it usually involved adding some kind of fluorescent agent. It probably wasn't edible, only for show.

First, a small bowl of soup was presented. The soup was exquisitely presented, very beautiful, and impeccable except for its small size.

But this was reasonable. Exquisite food is always exquisite. This kind of exquisiteness was evident in every aspect, like a beautiful woman, everything about her was A-grade… Okay, but that example wasn't appropriate. After all, there was no need for everything to be A-grade.

X carefully examined the soup in front of her. When she realized that the soup was only about the size of her palm, her expression fell. She looked at the Secretary with a pathetic expression.

The Secretary closed her eyes, elegant and composed, unmoved.

This was about savoring fine food. This wasn't about eating huge quantities until you're full.

Besides, sometimes, a little hunger could arouse one's predatory instincts, like the hunting habits of large felines.

Felines become very lazy after eating their fill. They curl up into a ball, and their desire to attack greatly diminishes. They don't care what you do to them.

But when they're hungry, they're full of aggression. Their hunting instinct is very strong. They will actively hunt their prey, accurately and efficiently. Just tease them a little, and they'll fiercely bite you.

It was probably because the portion was so small. X's spoon was also very thin and shallow. She could only scoop up a little soup at a time.

But at least it was better than nothing. A little was better than none. She would savor it.

X carefully scooped up the soup with a spoon and sipped it. The soup was hot, but because the portion was so small, it quickly cooled down. It was warm.

It was delicious. The soup was slightly thick, with a fresh seafood aroma. Inside was a small piece of crustacean with a gelatinous texture, a turtle shell. The texture was wonderful.

It must be some kind of shellfish…

After a few sips of soup, the AI Secretary immediately presented the second course.

It was also exquisitely presented, its small size could only be described as "delicate and beautiful."

It was an oyster. It was a type of seafood with a relatively thick shell.

A fresh oyster. When the AI opened the shell, a thick layer of ice was placed on the dinner plate.

The oyster lay quietly there, its shell like a wall, without a single crack.

The AI put on white gloves and held a delicate napkin in her hand. She used the napkin to cushion the oyster, then used a small knife to find a crack in the shell and pry it open.

This didn't take long. The tightly sealed shell opened, revealing the milky oyster meat inside.

[Do you want seasoning, or do you want to savor its original flavor?]

X chose seasoning. To be honest, she couldn't stand the pure taste of seafood. It was too fishy.

Soy sauce, lemon juice, a little black pepper, and some fish sauce were mixed together and drizzled over the oyster. Then, holding the oyster shell slightly tilted, she gently sucked the fresh juice.

It was a little spicy, a slightly bitter and stimulating sensation, but it covered up the fishy smell of the oyster.

The next dish was sautéed vegetables: sautéed mushrooms and abalone. The mushrooms had been blanched. They were very clean, without the usual bitterness of mushrooms. They had a rich texture and a fresh, earthy aroma. The abalone was cut into bite-sized pieces, and sautéed with the mushrooms. The flavor was fresh and rich.

The only drawback was the small portion size. There was only a little bit. Even though the flavor was impeccable, it couldn't change the fact that she wasn't full.

The final dish was steamed sea cucumber eggs. Chopped scallions were sprinkled over the creamy eggs. Scooping a spoonful, besides the soft, creamy texture of the eggs, there was a slightly gelatinous sea cucumber. Besides delicious and smooth, there weren't many other words to describe it.

But X wasn't full…

Not full…

Yet her actions were useless, the AI simply closed her eyes and cleared the table, ignoring X's hungry gaze.

How full was she? Probably not even 50% full.

"Angela, I'm still hungry."

Sometimes, 50% full was worse than not eating at all. Because if you didn't eat, you could endure the hunger. But if you tasted something and couldn't satisfy your hunger, you would become unbearably hungry.

More craving… more desire…

X started rubbing against her Secretary, trying to use her usual trick to get more food.

It was possible to get more food at this time, but—

The AI Secretary said nothing, only placing her crimson necktie in front of X.

She understood. Just untie the tie, right?

"I won't."

But X immediately turned cold and ignored her Secretary.

That kind of █ rule was unacceptable. As Manager, she had to refuse the Secretary's █ rule.

The AI didn't get angry. This seemed to be expected. She had simply been joking.

[Manager, have sweet dreams, sleep well.]

She wiped the grease from X's lips with a napkin, and then left.

X felt a little suspicious, but couldn't articulate what was wrong.

The bed was soft, the blankets warm. X returned to the bedroom, lay down, and forgot everything, sleeping soundly.

Day 6, ended.