In hindsight, I should've seen it coming.

From the moment I appeared in this world, I had been hit by surprise after surprise.

Therefore...

"Catherine Terline. I've heard all about you from my sister. I'm happy to finally make your acquaintance."

This sudden introduction shouldn't have come as a surprise to me.

"...I'm quite happy to meet the man of the hour. I've been wanting to meet you ever since I saw you on the live stream."

So she said, but...

'Since when did Zoey have a sister?'

There was no denying the resemblance. Although her hair was more on the light brown side, and she looked more bubbly than Zoey, her green eyes stood out quite a lot. They were no different than Zoey's.

"Hello?"

"...Ah, I apologize."

Snapping out of my thoughts, I looked towards the extended hand and nodded. I wanted to shake her hand, but my hand was currently too sweaty. Be it the lack of sleep or the nervousness that came with interacting with new people, my hand was a sweaty mess.

Thankfully, she didn't seem to mind as her smile became sweeter and she lowered her hand.

"You didn't get much sleep last night?"

"No, not much."

"Is that so? Most of the apartments here are quite nice. If you want, I can ask the staff to have the bed changed."

"There's no need for that. It's more of a me problem."

"I see. In that case, if you need anything, you can always tell me."

"...I will do that."

Catherine was it?

She seemed quite easy to get along with.

I already had quite a nice impression of her. But all that aside, I was still surprised by the fact that Zoey had a sister. Then again, the game never truly went beyond the island where Zoey and her parents fell. There was also not much dialogue about her family back home, like how many siblings she had and what the situation at home was like.

'I also can't dismiss the fact that things are different compared to the game. In the game, Zoey was supposed to have survived with her parents, but in the real world, they didn't survive.'

There were quite a lot of things that were different than what I knew. I couldn't just rely on my game's knowledge. Their backstories were at most similar to those of the games.

"Okay, that's great!"

Clapping once, Catherine grabbed me by the arm and dragged me away.

"Hm?"

Her sudden actions caught me completely off guard.

"...What?"

"Since you're here, I might as well give you a tour of the branch guild. I'm sure that you're unfamiliar with this place. I also have quite a few questions for you."

I wanted to pull away, but the moment she dragged me away, I noticed three other people standing behind her. It was only for a moment, but as we locked eyes, they all averted their gazes, seemingly looking sympathetic?

No, wait...

*

Contrary to my expectations, there wasn't much that I needed to worry about.

Despite my initial reservations about the situation, Catherine proved to be surprisingly professional. She escorted me through the branch, guiding me across its floors while introducing the various facilities along the way.

"Each department has its own floor. The Containment Department, which you'll be part of, is on the twenty-sixth floor. I'm currently with the Hoarding Department, but I used to work in Containment as well."

So she wasn't part of the Containment Department?

"Why did you decide to leave?"

"Because I'm not very good at using my brain. I'm more into killing directly."

Knocking her head, she stuck her tongue out.

"My sister is better at that than I am."

Looking at her sweet and bubbly persona, I found myself agreeing with her evaluation.

Of course, I kept those thoughts to myself.

"...I see."

"What about Zoey? How is she doing lately?"

"Zoey...?"

I wonder too...

I wasn't really that close to her. We were on speaking terms, but that was about it. I didn't even have her number or any means to contact her. I honestly had no idea about how she was doing.

Not even Kyle.

But I didn't really need to speak to him to know how he was doing.

"I saw her during the livestream. She did quite well, no?"

"You can say so."

"Right."

Catherine smiled. It was the same bubbly smile that she had shown multiple times already, but for some reason, something about that smile of hers felt off. I couldn't quite put it into words, but it felt... insincere.

But before I had any time to dwell on it, she clapped her hands.

"We're here!"

She stopped before a certain door.

Pointing at it, she looked at me.

"This will be your office going forward."

"Office?"

"Yes, I was honestly quite surprised about it too. Despite being here for so long, I've yet to have my own office. I'm quite jealous, you know?"

"Is that so...?"

"Well, this was apparently an arrangement made by the Guild Master. I think it's some sort of reward for your achievements back during the Gate incident. I can't say I don't envy you, but your achievements speak for themselves."

Tapping the door a couple of times, she stretched her back.

"Well, I think that's enough from me for now. I've taken up enough of your time, and I still have several things I need to take care of."

She offered the same bubbly smile I had already grown accustomed to and stepped away from the door. Just as she did, she paused, as if suddenly remembering something.

"Oh, right! Before I forget," she added, "I heard they're going to run a drill down in the Containment Department. Since you're here, I think you can also go. It should be a good way for you to get more familiar with the other members and their skills. Let me know if you want to take part in it. I think it would be good for you."

Opening my mouth, I soon shook my head.

"I think I've had enough of Gates for now."

"Okay, then! I hope you enjoy your break. The others from the main guild will be arriving in a few days, so feel free to do whatever you like until then."

"...Will do."

With all that said, she finally left.

I could only stare at her parting back before focusing my attention back towards my new office.

'Catherine...'

"She seems quite easy to get along with."

***

"Hmm~ Hmmm~ Hmmmm~"

A soft hum echoed across the corridors of the branch guild. Walking with her hands behind her back, Catherine hummed quietly to herself.

As people walked past her, she'd receive several greetings, which she returned with a sweet smile and nod.

Her reputation within the branch guild was quite good.

To some extent, she could be considered the ace of the Guild. There were a couple of people who were on her level, but they were just about the same. It was just unfortunate that nobody had yet made it into the world rankings.

But perhaps soon.

"Hm?"

Coming to a stop, Chatherine retrieved her phone and looked at the caller ID.

The sweet smile wiped away from her face shortly after as she answered.

"...Yes, I got."

Her tone grew increasingly colder as she leaned against the wall, scanning the surroundings to see if there were any people. Once she was sure that she was alone, she answered, "I checked. He does appear to have a node, but it's just one. Aside from that, I wasn't able to check further. He's being quite cautious. I've invited him to tomorrow's outing, but I'm not sure if he'll show up. Either way, I don't understand why you're doing all of this."

Pausing, she added, "...He doesn't seem to be all that. I don't know why you're looking for him, but I think it's a mis-"

Catherine stopped, her eyes closing as she eventually nodded.

"Alright, I understand. I won't ask any more questions."

The voice on the other end of the phone eased, and after exchanging a few more words, Catherine hung up the phone, her expression hard to read.

But eventually, she turned to face a certain direction as she mumbled, "...I guess I'll see for myself tomorrow."

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