“Human Resources” Shouldn’t Be This Literal: A PMMM/ProjectMoon Quest

Chapter 147 - It's Time To Move On

Mami wasn't quite sure how she had ended up in her current situation. After arriving at the Library, she and the other girls had slowly dispersed from the atrium for one reason or another until only Mami was left. She felt awkward, sitting alone in her pajamas in the expensive-looking room.

The Library felt more like a classy hotel than its namesake, really. It was strange to think that the whole place technically belonged to someone Mami was related to. Angela might not have been very close to Mami and was hardly as affectionate as X was, but Mami knew her better than she had any of her other aunts or uncles. Her father had no siblings, and her mother hadn't been on speaking terms with the rest of her family. None of them had asked after her when her parents passed.

Mami shook her head and stood up. Now was clearly not the best time to be sitting alone with her thoughts. Kyoko, X, and Yuma were all in the upper floors, weren't they? Mami considered for a moment calling out to see if anyone was nearby, but the idea felt rather undignified. The Library was quiet, and breaking that silence felt wrong somehow. You were supposed to stay silent in libraries, after all.

Still in her sleepwear, Mami stood up and made her way to the stairway. It felt a little silly, but she hadn't had time to retrieve her change of clothes and remaining transformed only for the uniform would be a waste of magic. While Mami didn't need to worry quite as much about optimizing her magic usage now with the sudden surplus of Grief Seeds she had thanks to her family, it was still a good idea to remain conscientious.

Mami blinked, realizing she'd somehow come to a hallway at the end of the stairway. Not only was it a hallway that seemed to come out of nowhere, but looking back the stairs behind her trailer up despite the fact that she had been ascending the steps the entire time. As a veteran Magical Girl Mami was no stranger to nonsensical geometry, but here it felt different. Maybe it was just knowing that the Library was part of somebody she knew and enjoyed speaking with, but the shifting architecture felt less like a way to try and trip her up and more like guidance.

Decision made, Mami opened the door and stepped through only to almost immediately trip and barely catch herself. The room she had been directed to was a stark departure from the hallway before it. While the Library at least appeared to be made of some sort of wood, this room seemed to have been carved straight out of the inside of a tree! Branches, roots, and knots of wood were all visible throughout the room, anchoring the shelves of books and occasional desk or chair to the floor. Beyond that, the room appeared to be rather in a state of disarray. Books were piled seemingly at random in unsteady-looking stacks, some of which were already on the verge of tipping over.

Mami righted herself mid-fall just as the object beneath her feet began to move, revealing it to not be another misplaced stack of books but in fact an entire person. The man slowly drew himself from the floor, dusting off the dark green suit that marked him as one of the Patron Librarians and pulling his emerald hair back into a messy ponytail that hung down past his shoulders. As he rose to his feet, Mami noticed the smell of alcohol in the air.

"Agh, sorry about that." the man said, words slightly unsteady. "Didn't know there were gonna be guests over today. If I had, maybe I would've…"

The man stared down at himself with something between disappointment and disgust, and it was only the need to maintain proper manners that prevented Mami from rushing forward to give the man a hug. He really looked like he could use it.

Before Mami could think of what to say, the man gathered himself and spoke again. "Well, it is what it is. My name's Netzach, and I'm in charge of the Floor of Art here. Sorry about all the mess."

"Tomoe Mami. I am a Magical Girl and X's daughter. It's a pleasure to meet you." Mami returned the greeting, bowing to the man. He was one of X's coworkers, and for as little as she spoke of them it was always with glowing praise. The man in front of her seemed supremely tired and not quite what Mami had imagined, but she had apparently caught him at quite a bad time.

"Same here. I'd normally offer you a drink, but I'm pretty sure if I did that Manager would make my life hell for it. Or at least get Angela to do it." Netzach said, chuckling at his own joke before starting towards the nearest table. "Tea, maybe? Or coffee?"

"Tea would be fine. And I'm sure you don't have to worry about mom, she's not a vengeful sort of person." Mami answered. Netzach let out a bark of laughter before quickly composing himself.

"Sure, you can say that. He… er, she was always really results-oriented. Holding grudges isn't constructive, yeah, but you should've seen the look in her eye when one of the agents was in trouble." Netzach recalled as he reached for a nearby cabinet, sorting through several very expensive-looking bottles before finally finding a battered box sitting in the back.

"Let's see here…" After staring at the back of the box for a somewhat awkward length of time, Netzach placed it back in the cabinet and snapped his fingers. The sound echoed thunderously through the room, and with it two cups of steaming tea appeared on the table.

Mami blinked in confusion. "If you don't mind me asking, what was the point of the box?"

"Making things out of Light isn't easy. I was just checking to make sure I had the ingredients right." Netzach explained. Satisfied, Mami took her seat across from the Patron Librarian.

"So what brings you down here? It's really awkward to get surprise visitors so often." Netzach said after taking his own seat. He slouched in his chair, seeing to Mami like somebody ducking down to avoid being noticed.

"I was looking for my mom, but I appear to have gotten turned around in my way up." Mami explained. The tea was still just a bit too hot to drink, though that didn't appear to dissuade the Librarian.

"You're out of luck there." he replied. "If she were done with whatever she's doing, we'd all be called back by now. Angela made an announcement to the Librarians. Not sure why we're all being called up, though. None of us can actually do anything from here."

"I see." Mami adjusted her teacup. Still too hot to drink.

A lull settled over the conversation. It would be rude to just leave now. Mami supposed that the best thing to do was just wait here. At least until the tea had cooled.

"Hey," Netzach began, "wanna hear some fun stories about the Manager?" A casual enthusiasm entered the man's expression, and his posture straightened. Not to something healthy, but he at least looked more relaxed than morose now. A part of Mami refused immediately. X hadn't gone in to much detail about her past, and that was her choice. Besides, it was a little early to be prying into things like that, wasn't it? She didn't want to drive a wedge between her and the person who had offered her everything over something so little. But a more prominent, hopefully rational part of Mami's mind took the lead. X had always been open to questions if anyone asked, and it wasn't as though Mami had gone looking for things she was keeping secret. If one of her old friends thought it was okay, who was Mami to disagree?

Recognizing her curiosity, Netzach continued. "Believe it or not, but we used to be drinking buddies! Well, I did most of the drinking. The Manager was just there to make sure I was responsible and all that. You'd probably be better off asking your mom about that, though. I, uh, don't remember most of it as well as they probably do."

Netzach laughed, as did Mami. It was only polite, and she could easily picture her mother as a designated driver or similar role. Further, the idea of her ever getting drunk just seemed impossible. It didn't align with the image of the careful, immovable woman Mami knew.

"Let's see… there was the party after the first successful extraction of Twilight." Netzach recalled. "You already know how EGO works, right?" Mami nodded, and the Librarian of Art let out a heavy sigh. "Great. I'm gonna be honest, I was not looking forward to explaining that. Anyways, since picking that thing up was a big achievement and we did it without any casualties, I wanted to throw a little party. Give the employees some time to bask in their success, y'know?"

"That makes sense. It's important to celebrate your accomplishments." Mami agreed. Really, she almost didn't want to interrupt at all. Netzach had started leaning forward in his seat, his voice losing the hollow note that had marked his exhaustion as he spoke.

"Right, so we sent it through the Welfare Department, and to everyone's surprise Angela actually approved it. 'Course, since everyone had work the next day it had to be a subdued thing, but getting anything at all felt like a small miracle."

Netzach suddenly straightened, stifling a laugh before attempting and failing to compose himself. Mami felt herself leaning forward in her seat, eager to hear what had sparked enthusiasm in the melancholic man.

"The Manager still wanted to do a proper celebration, so she brought out some of the EGO gear we already had and cranked up the deterrence so people could wear 'em as regular costumes." Netzach said.

Mami frowned. "Isn't EGO gear supposed to be armor and weapons? I can't imagine that would make for a comfortable atmosphere." Then again, she could definitely imagine wearing her Magical Girl uniform to a party. She didn't own much in the way of formal clothes, and despite being used mainly for combat her outfit was exactly the sort of proper and elegant uniform she liked.

"I guess, but it didn't come up at the time. Besides, most agents got pretty attached to their EGO gear. I never used any myself, but I can see why people want that sort of power."

"I suppose I can understand that to a degree. There is an undeniable allure to finding powers beyond what one is capable of, though I feel it should generally be used more responsibly." Mami said. She knew a few Magical Girls who had Contracted just for the powers associated, not any of the other benefits Kyubey offered alongside them. From a certain point of view Sayaka could even be counted among them, though Miss Miki's aims had hardly been so selfish.

Maybe Mami would've been among them, if she had been given the same choice. Even knowing all that she did now, she did still want to be a Magical Girl. Fighting monsters and saving lives… it was the kind of thing every child wished for at least once.

"I, uh, think your tea's cooled off enough now." Netzach said, pulling Mami away from her thoughts. She let out a small "oh!" and put the cup to her lips. It was still a little hot, and perhaps not made perfectly, but not bad for somebody who had admitted to lacking experience. "Now where was I again..?"

"You were talking about wearing EGO gear for costumes."

"Yeah, that's right. Anyway, the Manager normally didn't do much as touch EGO gear, but they weren't any rules against it. So when we all stopped by for daily check-ins, the Manager was-" Netzach's ability to restrain his laughter finally failed him, and a sputtering giggle spilled from the man's mouth. "Well, he was wearing the gear from one of the Magical Girl Abnormalities. Didn't comment on it at all, didn't act the slightest bit different, but it was a real shock for all of us."

Mami's mind immediately jumped to picturing her mother in a Magical Girl uniform. It fit perfectly, of course. She had taken X as another Magical Girl when they first met, even. Mami couldn't understand exactly why the Librarian found it so funny. Maybe she was missing something? And furthermore…

"Did you say he? I feel like I've heard someone mention something about that…"

Netzach stared blankly at the veteran Magical Girl before shaking his head in refusal. "Nope. I'm way too sober to explain all that to one of the Manager's kids."

"Explain what?"

"Ask your mother. Or the Director. Just not me."

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It's not long before you find what you're looking for, nor is it particularly difficult. The empty sheets of pure white clouds gradually give way to roughly-hewn earth as you approach your destination. Eventually, the uneven ground rises up from the sea of clouds and up into a small cliff. There's no sense of grandiosity, staring at the small outcropping that rises to barely your height at its peak. The rock is weathered and worn down, shedding small bits of gravel in still air even now. A few tufts of grass have forced their way from the dirt near the base. It looks even plainer in contrast to the pristine landscape surrounding it, the shining clouds and marble-white bushes of thorns.

You smirk to yourself. How fitting, considering the contrast between the respective owners of said territories.

The Abnormality you seek sits unmoving at the cliff's peak. A plain cross shape made of thick iron bars, visibly worn and weathered by the ages. Considering how long it's actually been, it's endured rather well. Sitting at the cross' center, pierced horizontally and vertically by the iron bars, is a massive skull greater in length and width than you are tall. A crown of dry brown thorns has been woven around the top of its head, pulled tight enough to dig into the bone ever so slightly. Like the cross, the skull carries marks of age. Small scratches and scrapes, dents and divots your extensive medical knowledge identifies as wounds that must have been inflicted at a young age, when the bone was still soft.

A part of you wants to comb over these new details for as long as you can spare. To explore the new level of detail you have access to, that you could never have over your screens. You do have some time, and your kids could honestly use the rest before you drag them into a battlefield.

…but no, this isn't the time to be getting nostalgic. Not even with the first Abnormality you ever managed. As always, your work must come first.

You wonder if WhiteNight knows you're here. They might've been amicable to you, but the conflict between them and the Abnormality before you would almost certainly have carried over into a personal distaste. Not to mention how WhiteNight would take to somebody infringing on their perceived station.

At least Angela had the sense to keep the two in separate residences. The alternative probably would've been a constant war between the pair, and that would've been a problem on multiple levels.

Your approach ends with you standing a couple of meters away from One Sin and Hundreds of Good Deeds. The Abnormality remains motionless in response, though you feel as though it's appraising you with those empty eyes.

You slowly lower yourself to sitting position. Not kneeling, though. It'd feel strange, performing a supposed act of submission after all the effort you went through to present yourself as WhiteNight's equal.

Your thoughts drift back to the divine Abnormality's words. That they heard your prayers back in the Facility. If you had known back then, would it really have made any difference? You certainly couldn't have accepted any salvation that creature offered. Even if you had, all that would have resulted in was another reset to the scenario. In the end, you still had to follow through on your own. Any interference in the script would've prevented you from reaching the ideal conclusion.

But even if that conclusion was reached eventually, that doesn't erase the price it came with.

"Alright, let's get this over with. I've only got a couple minutes before I need to get back, and there's a lot to cover." you announce more to yourself than anyone else. Your sole companion in this place is silent. You suppose that's as good a cue as any to begin.

"Starting off, murder by negligence. One hundred eighty-seven thousand, six hundred and two counts. First, Alyssa Ritmore. Class I Agent of the Control Team. Eaten during the first Amber Dusk."

As you speak, you think you spot a glimmer of light somewhere in the depths of the Abnormality's eyes. That's one done, then.

You have a long ways to go.

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Sayaka's Parents…
[] Delay the rescue and search for them.
[] Proceed regardless and hope to find them along the way.

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Der Freischütz's Sapling - Observation Level 3/3
Porccubus' Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Schadenfreude's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
CENSORED's Sapling - Observation Level EXPUNGED/REDACTED

Sayaka chapter is still coming, but seeing as the next vote concerns her I decided to move it back a chapter to keep all Sayaka-related content centralized.