LIGHTNOVELONLINE “No way, this doesn’t make sense.”
Feeling strange about an eerily pleasant voice, I sat back on the bed.
Of course it was confusing.
I wasn’t a user who had enjoyed the game Catharsis for 50,000 hours.
I was just a user who had only started about a month ago.
Even then, I had played while mostly focusing on the story and completely ignoring rankings.
But why on earth was I now in the role of Lindera?
I couldn’t understand it at all.
“I’m not the protagonist, nor an extra I’ve never seen before…”
Why was I an NPC of all things? Why did I have to be a woman? Why, of all characters, was I Lindera?
“I don’t have any special abilities either…”
In Catharsis, the characters, or rather the agents, were mostly not ordinary humans but somewhat special ones.
Well, they were game characters, so that was to be expected, but it wasn’t special in that sense—it was more fantasy-like.
They had superhuman strength or bodies that were not human but animal-like, or had weird abilities.
“If only I had an amazing power…! I wouldn’t be complaining like this!”
Yeah, if that were the case, at least I wouldn’t be this angry. At least.
“Sigh…”
I decided to sort out the situation properly.
My head was starting to hurt in many ways, but figuring out this messed-up situation was my priority.
I turned on the pad on the small dresser next to the bed.
Password.
For some reason… it unlocked incredibly easily.
It clearly wasn’t mine; it must have been Lindera’s pad, but for some reason, I was able to figure out the password.
“What the heck…”
I didn’t know what was going on, but I opened the memo app on the pad.
Since I didn’t have paper and a pen right away, it was my only choice.
“First… I’ve been reincarnated into a game called Catharsis. And not just any character, but a completely ordinary human character with no abilities.”
In a game full of characters with special abilities, I had somehow ended up as a plain secretary character with zero abilities.
Of course, I was quite pretty.
As beautiful as a character that could demand to be playable like the agent characters.
I was definitely prettier than 3-star or 4-star characters.
A blonde secretary character.
Of course, officially, I was called a vice-commander, not just a secretary.
If I were a guy… I would have been a character hard to resist.
Straightforward but certain.
“But why is that me…?”
Everything is great, but why did it have to be me?
For now… I decided to put a halt on my thoughts here.
I had already thought way too much…!
“Anyway… Lindera’s job is to assist the player.”
My role was basically to help formulate plans in battle or give hints, and honestly, that was about it.
There wasn’t much for a secretary character to do in-game apart from the story.
Other NPCs handled the shop, and they didn’t directly participate in battles.
“In the story… I arrange the player’s schedule, brew coffee, and provide companionship…”
While writing a list in the memo app, the content wasn’t that thick.
Just the usual tasks that a regular secretary would do.
Records, management, assistance.
Recording was about noting down the money spent by the player or their movements, and management was related to resource tracking.
Resources were depicted as a significant element in both the game and the story.
“Hold on…”
As Lindera’s duties came to mind, I immediately checked outside the window.
Although it wasn’t ordinary, at least I was on solid ground.
It wasn’t an extraordinarily flashy city, but there were no significant issues either.
“Whew…”
Fortunately, it wasn’t floating in the air.
The reason why I was worried was simple.
Because, you know… players often traveled to different zones using ships and stuff.
“Maybe the main story hasn’t really started yet…?”
The main story mostly unfolded in areas beyond Zone 07.
The player’s goal was to purify polluted areas, which is why they were referred to as the Purification Commander.
“At least… that’s a relief.”
Could it be because I became a secretary character or rather a vice-commander character? I truly felt relieved that the player hadn’t appeared yet.
After all, being a subordinate to someone I didn’t even know… it sounded awful, and if suddenly a weirdo showed up as the Purification Commander for Babil 07, I would definitely run away.
I wasn’t sure where I would go, but still.
As I killed time writing a rough memo, suddenly a message arrived.
*
“…”
I tied my hair to one side, changed into a suit, and was walking down the hallway.
I was feeling a bit shaky.
Suddenly being Lindera was unnervingly awkward, but the situation itself was making me nervous in various ways.
“How can it be on the same day…?”
The unexpected message was simple.
It stated that a new Purification Commander was arriving in Zone 07, where I was located.
More precisely, it was provisional, but it was a text from the boss telling me to come to assess the new commander.
“Ugh…”
Taking a deep breath, I tried to relax.
Though it didn’t completely work, it was better than doing it after opening the door.
“May I come in?”
My tone was slightly different from Lindera’s usual speech. After all, she always used the utmost honorifics.
However… I asked at the door in a lighter formal tone since it was my boss.
Then, a middle-aged woman’s voice called from beyond the door, inviting me in.
It was a somewhat tense moment, but I took my ID card and opened the door upon hearing that voice.
Oh, man, I was really nervous.
“Lindera, is that you?”
The sight beyond the door was a middle-aged woman sitting in an elegant chair.
She wore an expensive-looking suit, rocking sunglasses like a boss.
“It’s nice to see you after a long time.”
“You’re still as curt as ever.”
“Should I take that as a compliment?”
“Do as you please.”
Though I was very nervous, I tried my best to keep up the act as Lindera while continuing the conversation with my boss.
Honestly, I might not have looked that ordinary, but for now, I was just one of the employees.
The boss had slightly graying hair as she aged, but she looked younger than her age, making her seem quite impressive.
“You’ve probably already heard the details, and I just sent you the files. Please check them out.”
“Yes.”
Hearing that, I took a seat next to my boss.
It wasn’t common for the boss to personally attend a meeting to assess a secretary, but it had to be for Lindera since the boss operated Marduk.
After all… it was practically a PMC.
“The name is… *…”
“…?”
I couldn’t quite hear the name.
It sounded as if there was some static, and only the name was inaudible from my boss’s words.
Simultaneously, the name section in the document… was also invisible.
As if it were a secret.
Or as if there was no name at all.
“The age is 23, quite young compared to other commanders. He started at the bottom and is steadily climbing the ranks.”
“I see.”
It felt odd in a way that was hard to describe, but I responded anyway.
I couldn’t understand why the name was inaudible, but I had accepted that there were already too many unexplainable things.
“Although he’s not on the front lines, he has a good build. He would likely be about a head taller than you, Lindera.”
“Haha.”
“He also has broad shoulders, and his face… is quite handsome.”
I felt a bit uneasy.
I wasn’t particularly good at handling compliments, but the fact that the player was a guy seemed to make me feel even worse.
As my boss said, he was tall and well-built.
The appearance in the profile picture was honestly quite handsome.
A man with black hair and a stylish pompadour.
“Looks like you’re at the age where you could have a significant other…”
“Boss, this is a work matter.”
“Okay, okay. It’s been a while since we last met; can’t I joke around a bit?”
That response was natural for the boss, and it was a fitting reaction from me and also from Lindera.
After all, neither Lindera nor I had any thoughts about men.
Really, absolutely none.
“Anyway, the vice-commander read through things but do take the time to go through it properly. After all, the person you’ll assist is you.”
“Not just yet. They could fail the review…”
“Lindera, you know that this review isn’t a real one, don’t you?”
“…Yes.”
I knew that.
Anyone who had made it this far had virtually been appointed to the position of Purification Commander.
This review today was just… a surprise event.
Truly a surprise event; nothing particularly happened, and it wouldn’t greatly impact subsequent matters.
That made the boss seem more like a villain, though.
“Going through the files, it seems he’s not an issue at all. The feedback from employees he’s worked with is mostly positive; if there’s criticism, it’s only that he tends to work too much.”
“That’s true for you as well, so that’s not an issue.”
“……”
“So, why are there so many compliments about his looks in the evaluations?”
Good question.
“Boss, they say he’s on his way.”
“Lindera?”
“Yes.”
A voice came from the speaker inside the room, and I immediately prepared upon hearing my boss’s words.
What I had to prepare was simple.
I had to brew some coffee.
*
“Come in.”
A man’s voice was heard from outside the room.
He said something about his identity, but I couldn’t hear again, which soured my mood even more.
Nonetheless, at that man’s signal, my boss came in, and instead of sitting next to her, I stood waiting slightly behind her.
With the sound of click-clacking shoes, the man, who I had seen in the file, began to stroll into the room.
He was wearing a black shirt, and no other details besides that were visible.
As described, he had black hair styled with a pompadour and dark eyes.
I couldn’t know his exact nationality, but he certainly looked handsome.
Were players usually mixed-race?
I pondered but couldn’t answer myself.
In games, descriptions of players’ appearances were very scarce.
“So, you’re the rumored employee.”
The man didn’t sit immediately; he stood back a bit and saluted.
Satisfied with that salute, my boss waved her hand lightly to allow him to drop it.
“You’ve climbed quite a bit in just a year since starting at Babil 03.”
“Yes.”
“If you had failed… you would have faced a lot of backlash and probably had to change jobs, but your decision-making and abilities seem to have correlated nicely; well done.”
“Yes.”
“Undoubtedly… our vice-commander would be delighted with this talent.”
“I appreciate the feedback.”
My boss continued the conversation, and the man responded.
So far… he wore a pretty normal expression.
He didn’t look much different from Player characters reflected in the story.
“You understand the role of a Purification Commander, right?”
“Yes.”
“Answer.”
I held the pad with both hands, continuously watching and listening to their conversation.
It was a very strange situation, but since I was witnessing the story unfold right in front of me, it was somewhat enjoyable.
After all, I had nothing to do in this part as Lindera.
“To conduct purification operations utilizing agents and aerial warships to cleanse the contaminated areas due to critierium.”
“Go on.”
“Additionally, manage the assigned Babil while ensuring the stability of the agents and protecting and treating civilians.”