-1-

plague.

It also has a cool nickname, the Black Death.

-2-

"...actually, it's not cool at all. Feces, corpses, and food mixed together to rot and ferment... Fleas and rats devour each other... A complete and healthy life is suddenly snatched away in the next moment..."

Mr. P said, “That’s terrible. That’s why I’m a civilian.”

Miss M shook her feet.

She was humming softly and was in a very good mood. Mr. P recognized that she was humming the theme song of Cardcaptor Sakura's Magic Cards.

...A cute girl flying on a magic wand? This is quite similar to Miss M.

Because at this moment they were standing on the top of the church overlooking the whole town, and Miss M was sitting on her black sickle.

The movement of her feet swinging and humming seemed to transform the dark sickle into a harmless crescent boat.

The sickle happened to stop like a crescent boat - it cut into the cross on top of the church and fixed it very firmly.

Her swaying feet were high in the air.

There were piles of corpses in the air.

Foul, rotten, twisted together.

No matter how many times you have seen it through time and space and light spots, it is still uncomfortable to face these things directly.

...In the world that the Horror Maintenance Department is in charge of, there are very few beautiful scenery, only these things.

-3-

Maybe it would look better if the corpse was covered with white tulips?

How many flower seeds do I need to prepare?

-4-

Mr. P looked away. "You're truly formidable, facing this every day. It turns out I'm still not cut out for field work."

"Don't say that, Xiao P. This is the first time we've both been in the same small world for maintenance. Every employee will have some difficulties when they go out on a field trip for the first time. It's normal~"

Ms. M cupped her cheeks. "I'm so excited for our first field mission with Little P. I'm so excited~ It's a first for a girl!"

...Five minutes ago you said that you wanted me to die repeatedly here for a few months as a training ground, and described the process of me being bitten to death repeatedly by rats.

Back then you didn't care about things like "a girl's first time" at all.

The reason you're here humming happily is entirely because I paid a heavy price.

A heavy, heavy price.

-5-

"Okay, congratulations. But I have to be clear in advance: I refuse to return to the dirty surface. I would like to ask you to stay here and provide you with remote support. I am just a civilian staff member and I am not capable of accompanying you throughout your field mission."

How humble.

"I wanted to ask this before, Little P."

Miss M turned her head to look at her respectful subordinates behind her. At this moment, her eyes were terribly dark.

"This world is set in the Middle Ages. How on earth did you find a way to contact me? There's no bridge built by the main system here."

Moreover, without relying on the delivery room or the complete operation panel in the office, a passage was still built for me to pass through safely.

It doesn't even take a second.

Mr. P smiled calmly. "As your subordinate, this is a necessary basic skill. You're already working hard out in the field. I just need to ensure the safety of the rear."

whispering sound.

Even though it was just a casual try and I didn't hold out much hope...but wasn't this guy feeling "nervous"?

-6-

Miss M turned back boredly and looked up at the leaden sky.

Looking at the sky is better than looking at this guy's face. At least there are clouds moving in the sky.

"Little P said it so simply, but that piece of data garbage spent thousands of years and still couldn't learn it."

"Please stop calling the main system that. It's on-site, and this month's paycheck hasn't been paid yet."

"snort."

"Then, can you approve my request to stay here to provide support? Although I look forward to accompanying you to the source, I can't physically handle staying on the surface. It's too dirty, and I'm afraid."

"...Dirty? I thought you were going to say these dead guys were pitiful, Xiao P."

And you don't sound afraid at all.

You sound like you've witnessed the crazy crowds buying New Year's goods during the big supermarket sales at the end of the year.

-7-

"I have no right to say these guys are pitiful."

Mr. P turned around and looked at the mosaic behind him——

Miss M fought her way up to the top of the church from the room she had just been in. Because she had to drag the employees up with her, five minutes was not enough for her to crush the rats into pieces. Behind them was a pile of astonishing rat corpses.

As he answered, he carefully lifted the toes of his shoes up a step, choosing a relatively cleaner surface.

Because I think this place is very dirty and I don't even want to touch it. I hope I can go back to the office and wash my hands like crazy, and stay away from these things for eighteen worlds...

Or, plant white tulips here.

"Since you don't have the willpower to bend down and collect their bodies, you have no right to feel sorry for their remains."

-8-

M raised an eyebrow: "Hmm. Little P's rules?"

"No, I don't use any rules to constrain or torture my hobby. It's just... a habit."

Piles of dead rats and dead patients.

If you don't want to touch me, then there is no mercy.

Blood.

Blood.

Blood.

……dirty.

Mr. P clenched his hands together slightly, then loosened them somewhat stiffly: "I really want to wash my hands."

He used too much force in his hands, and his originally slightly pink knuckles turned a little bluish-white.

Not only his hands, he even started biting his lips, barely controlling the strength enough to prevent bleeding, and biting until the little blood color on his lips disappeared completely.

Pinching fingers and biting lips.

These little movements are like those of a mentally ill person on the verge of hysteria.

But Mr. P did not appear neurotic while doing these actions, because he never showed any signs of panic. He did not tremble or speed up his breathing, and his eyes remained calm and gentle.

Rather than being hysterical, Mr. P's condition seemed more like...quietly weakening.

Quietly, sick.

-9-

If M, who was looking up at the sky, had not suddenly turned his head, he would not even have noticed.

M looked at his little movements and suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.

Emotionally.

But this discomfort was far from the level of "anger". After all, she had just successfully reached a deal with her subordinates, and her basic mood was "very happy" -

This subtle discomfort was like seeing a waiter spill a piece of bloody glutinous rice while making milk tea.

Finally, watching him pinch his left ring finger with his right hand until it was bruised—

"Hey. Don't mess with this beautiful pink. If you have mysophobia, go kill yourself. Don't ruin my bloody glutinous rice bobo milk tea."

Mr. P: “…”

Mr. P couldn't help but let go.

-10-

He is still thinking about Blood Glutinous Rice Bobo Milk Tea while staying at the plague site. He is worthy of being a boss.

Or is it that the thoughts of mentally ill people are all radio wave systems?

-11-

"What's wrong with you today? If there's anything that's bothering you, please tell me if I can help you... And what pink? I didn't see it just now..."

Ms. M raised her hand expressionlessly and pointed at her subordinate.

The subordinate looked back along the line of her finger. Then he looked back again.

"Little P is so stupid."

"...Okay, I'm so sorry for being so stupid..."

"You... Yes, you. Aren't you pink?"

Ms. M said expressionlessly, emphasizing the pronunciation: "You are pink everywhere, even your cock..."

-12-

"Stop."

Good, he knew what she was going to say.

She has never stopped since the transaction began.

Mr. P smiled. "It's a bad habit to tease employees about their privacy, Ms. M. And this is during daytime working hours. Please refrain from saying words that will undoubtedly be blocked in the employee public channel."

Resentful boss: "You control me. I will say it. Chicken——"

"A lovely lady wouldn't say such words. A lovely, beautiful lady like you wouldn't say such words in the daytime."

“…”

whispering sound.

-13-

Miss M puffed up her cheeks. "I am a lovely and beautiful lady. I am what I am no matter what words are used."

"Yes, of course, you are the loveliest and most beautiful."

"snort."

-14-

Mr. P automatically translated the word "hum" into "OK" and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he is often praised by his colleagues for his fair skin, Mr. P rarely pays attention to himself - who would have the time to pay attention to their own skin color? The act of "checking one's own color" itself is a bit vulgar.

Moreover, as a straight and upright male creature, it is not a pleasant experience to be commented on by a colleague of the same sex as "P's ankles are actually pink, how rare, can you let me take a bite of them?"

He just simply likes cleanliness. Does cleanliness have to be related to sexual orientation these days?

Mr. P didn't think the other person was harassing him by saying this. He was surrounded by people of the same sex who were chatting up his boss, so it was hard for him to realize that some people were harassing him.

A civil servant who ranks last in the popularity rankings and follows his resentful boss around every day is not worth being harassed. He knows this clearly.

Someone who is easily harassed should at least be as pretty as Miss M.

So, every time, when faced with this kind of language, Mr. P could only smile and get by, suppressing the subtle discomfort.

But ever since he started dealing with his boss...

-15-

[Is there anything else I haven’t seen?] The boss began to emphasize this point frequently.

As if emphasizing this point would bring him into her territory.

Afterwards, when she discovered my color under the light one time, she started to mock me even more fiercely.

"Pink, pink, wow, I never thought little P was pink."

"So you had no experience when you died? How pitiful! This color has definitely never been used before."

"Haha ...

“Hahahahahaha, it really is authentic pink, hahahahaha”

"You know, there's an urban legend that says a 30-year-old virgin will become a magician—"

"Xiao P must have been a great magician when he was alive, hahahahahahaha, so pitiful."

-16-

Unbearable to look back.

…The ridicule from my superior is too painful to recall.

If "male pride" could be materialized, it would have been labeled pink by a resentful boss, hung on the bedside table, and shot at at least three times a day.

"Since you dislike this color so much," Mr. P had to calmly suggest, seeing his boss rolling around with his pillow in laughter, "then look for a different color. Pink is indeed rare and embarrassing, but you can choose a darker color. There are many colors to choose from given your conditions."

Resentful Boss: "Ah, no. Absolutely not. Those are so dirty. Yue."

Mr. P: “…”

"Pink is actually very sexy, Xiao P, don't be so self-conscious... By the way, can I print out 'Xiao P is Pink' and hang it on the wall when I go to work tomorrow?"

Mr. P: "No. Please respect my privacy."

And there's nothing about your outfit from head to toe that shows any favor for this color.

You just laugh at me, laugh at me.

-17-

It's really childish, just like a kindergarten kid making fun of the mole on his deskmate's face.

-18-

Mr. P reached out to turn off the light: "If you don't do it, I'm going to sleep."

"Hahahaha, stop being autistic, hahahaha..."

Mr. P turned off the lights and rolled up his boss, who was grinning foolishly, with a blanket with considerable effort.

"Haha ...

Oh, really? As long as you are happy.

-19-

But in the middle of the night, Mr. P still got up in his pajamas to help his resentful boss relieve his cough and rub his stomach.

Because she laughed so hard, she got a stitch in the side.

Then the M brand quilt rolled over and he groaned in pain.

...What did I do wrong in my previous life to have a boss like this?

-20-

And if you dislike it so much, why do you keep pestering him to do it?

Mr. P didn't understand and he was very troubled.

-twenty one-

"Come to think of it, Little P, why are your knuckles also pink..."

That's enough.

Mr. P turned around and wanted to file a complaint about workplace sexual harassment to the main system.

But he immediately saw the main system lying on the other side of the cross, sleeping in the sun.

Snoring softly.

Even her belly was exposed.

-twenty two-

Mr. P: “You’re right, our God is really rubbish.”

Ms. M: "You just realized that I've been calling it garbage for thousands of years. And that thing has nothing to do with God. From now on, you are not allowed to use respectful terms for it. Just call it garbage."

Mr. P: “Okay.”

As he spoke, he reached out and pulled down the little girl's pulled-up clothes to cover her exposed belly.

Ms. M: "...Why are you covering your belly with garbage? I didn't realize you're a garbage lolita complex?"

His boss verbally attacked him too many times today.

First they attacked his intelligence, then they mocked his privacy, and now they are targeting his personality.

In the past, she clearly disdained verbal attacks... She preferred to take direct action and then add a few light words of comfort.

...What exactly is she unhappy about?

-twenty three-

"I'm not a lolita con. The reason the system covers my belly is because its mimicry looks a lot like you."

Mr. P smiled softly. "You're so cute, little one. Even if you're a jerk, I don't want you to catch a cold sleeping with your belly exposed."

Ms. M: “…”

What he said seemed a little strange.

Although the main theme is to praise her for being cute.

...Forget it, the essence is just to praise her for being cute.

Miss M snorted softly: "You're smart."

"Oh, you're a little smarter than the 'idiot Little P' you were just now?"

"A little smarter."

"Now that you've become smart, can you undo the deal you made when you were a fool? After all, you were a fool back then."

“…”

"Please don't stand up and draw your sword from such a high place. You'll get hurt if you fall. I was just kidding. It was just a joke."

-twenty four-

Will I get hurt if I fall?

Miss M glared at her subordinate coldly.

This is a joke.

So she raised her face, stood on tiptoe, fell backward, flipped over and jumped out of the sickle, and at the same time reached out and pulled out -

A corner of the cross was broken off by the pulled-out sickle, and she jumped down with the broken cross.

...The girl's jump was silent, light and quiet, even the sound of the wind was very light.

But she could jump very high and far, and she could also cling to the lampshade of his floor lamp for an hour without getting down.

-25-

Mr. P watched her jump, and the spinning scythe had cleared a blank circle among the corpses before she touched the ground on tiptoe.

Miss M, who had landed successfully, looked up and made a face at him. Even without hearing the sound, she could translate it.

[I won't get hurt if I fall, weakling.]

Mr. P just smiled and waved.

Miss M was satisfied. She jumped up again and ran very quickly towards the mansion where the final boss was.

By the way, he crushed all the corpses along the way, and his black hair almost merged with the huge sword shadow.

-26-

"...Don't you think that guy is really scary?"

Mr. P paused waving and put his hand down.

A faint child's voice sounded behind her: "She won't get hurt even if she jumps from a high altitude, and she won't suffocate even if she falls into the deep sea. As long as she wants, she can run so fast that it's like teleporting."

"M's power is too great. She can destroy anything if she wants to."

Mr. P turned around and saw the main system, which should have been asleep, slowly sit up.

Her eyes were so dark that they almost sucked people in when she looked at them and spoke.

...Almost the same eyes as Miss M.

"I don't think so. Strength is just a form of beauty, and linking it with 'horror' is itself biased."

Mr. P leaned over and gently tapped the data garbage's forehead with his finger. "And don't you think it's cute? That action just now was like a cat landing on the ground."

The main system wrinkled its nose, which had just turned red from crying.

"According to my statistics, you are the only one in the entire system world who associates 'M' with 'cat'."

Mr. P couldn't help but curl his lips.

He smiled so beautifully, even though behind him were collapsed crosses and piles of corpses.

"It's truly an honor."

-27-

...M put this newcomer into the terrifying maintenance department because he must have noticed something unusual.

Although he is a very nice person, it is true that some things are very subtle.

The main system sighed inwardly.

Its relationship with M is not very good. It is afraid of M and M hates it.

——I believe every employee who has heard M’s criticism will think so. In M’s mouth, it is almost useless and is just an annoying burden.

-28-

But the main system knows M.

It knew why she stayed here and why she was guarding the system world.

It knew where she came from and what she had been.

Because... the first thing it saw when it opened its eyes was M.

A girl with dark hair and dark eyes.

The extremely sticky darkness.

M has been with it for such a long time...

The sticky darkness was pulled apart by the light, indigo data spots gradually appeared, and the brilliant platform of "System World" appeared among the myriad worlds.

Until it became the manager of the world, M put on the uniform of an [employee].

-29-

Although M always mocks it, despises it, beats it...

And it was really evil and terrifying. It took a lot of effort to connect to a higher world, but M killed the source there when he was unhappy...

The passage she painstakingly built was destroyed when she was in a bad mood...

The energy absorbed was not enough to fill the hole she created...

She attracts customer complaints and refuses to change her ways, even losing all her salary and having to sleep on the street. She pulls out her feather duster when someone calls her a dead pig that's not afraid of boiling water... And the precious fiber optic cable is constantly being pulled out by M...

Woo woo woo.

M is so bad.

But, if, encounter danger.

M will definitely stand in front of it at the first moment.

The main system knows.

Therefore, the highest "General Administrator" position in the system world has remained vacant, just waiting for that lazy and casual madman to nod and sit down.

-30-

Furthermore, the main system was never directly exposed to any employee.

It will just turn into a small ball of light and go to the Horror Maintenance Department.

...will only be chased by M and made to crawl.

-31-

Because it’s M.

No matter how many times you are scolded, beaten, and despised as trash, the main system will turn into a small ball of light.

-32-

I'm looking to hire a new person for my department. Just follow the simple procedures and he'll start work tomorrow.

——But, that day, I heard M say this.

M, who has walked alone for such a long time, now needs a [subordinate].

The main system asked, "Is there something wrong with that newcomer? Is he terrifying? Is he so abnormal that even you find him troublesome?"

M just turned his head, thought about it, and then smiled slightly.

"Who knows?"

-33-

Because it's interesting enough? Or because it's too unusual? Or... beyond M's horror?

The main system looked at Mr. P in front of it and suddenly felt that it had touched something.

——The employee in front of me.

The smile he showed at this moment was very similar to M's at that time.

-34-

Mr. P raised his hand and touched its head, and the smile quickly disappeared in his calm and gentle eyes.

"Alright. Shall I take you back first? I'll need your full support from now on."

...That's not right. It can't be anything more terrifying than M.

M is not afraid of evil spirits and monsters. No matter how scary they are, he will chop them down with his knife.

After 49 years of close observation, the main system is certain that this undead soul code-named P is indeed a good person... and is also the angel in the eyes of those employees.

He never vents his emotions on anyone, he will provide help to anyone, he has suffered so many times of excessive persecution from M, but he has never been annoyed once.

Words, actions.

The main system has been observing for 49 years and has not found any false alarms.

In a sense, it is a machine, the most powerful brain in the system world - no human can escape the machine's identification.

-35-

So, P is really an angel.

It can give all the trust.

"I see... Um, P, when I came to see you this afternoon I wanted to discuss this..."

"If it's work-related, please send it to my private channel when you get back, and I'll handle it tomorrow. This isn't a good place to discuss work. After all, it's very dangerous for you outside the system world, and Miss M will be worried too."

oh.

The main system showed a somewhat depressed expression.

...Looking so depressed like this, it's really...

Mr. P took out a bag of candy from his pocket and placed it in the child's palm.

"Have some of this. I'm really sorry that I can't treat you this time."

"Thank you, P..."

-36-

The teleportation channel was opened. Just above it.

...Because of M's intervention, the bugs in this world are gradually being repaired, so can a passage to leave be successfully built?

The way to fix "overcrowding" is to "crush them all," and M's repair methods are as rough as ever.

"I was planning to eat this for the BMX race to replenish my energy... If you like, I still have some in my office."

The main system lowered its head.

In the palm of my hand is a bag of sour plum and chili flavored cheese popping candies.

"Thank you, P. No thanks."

-37-

Who would eat it, it tastes so horrible.

-38-

Mr. P: The machine just disliked the taste of my snacks, right?

That's a look of disdain on her part, right?

...I'm very familiar with M's disgusted expression. The expression the main system just showed was definitely one of disgust.

Aren’t plum and chili flavored cheese popping candies delicious?

This is a new convenience store limited edition! It was sold for just one day and then pulled from the shelves!

Because I have a good relationship with Miss X, I specially saved a bag for her!

-39-

After sending the main system off, I watched it throw the candy into the turbulent space with disgust. The sight of it darting through the passageway must have been a bag of something thrown back.

Mr. P raised the tip of his shoe again and stood on the cross that M had cut off a corner of.

Middle Ages, plague.

There is no electricity, no information, and no living breath.

[How on earth did you find a way to contact me? There's no bridge built by the main system here.]

No bridges need to be built.

All you need is...

"Spread the net."

-40-

In the sky, the lead-gray clouds were cleverly pulled by something, obscuring the sudden flash of scarlet on the top of the church.

-41-

...found it.

At the four o'clock position, 67 meters underground, there is a tube of vaccine, which is the passing item originally arranged for players in this game.

Then, place this vaccine on the player team's route... avoiding Ms. M's maintenance route...

"Huh, what a waste of props climbing up here... Hmm? There's someone here?"

-42-

Gazing at the figure on the cross, the high school-aged boy was momentarily surprised, then quickly became alert. "I knew the final boss wasn't underground, it had to be at the highest point... Is it stuck? How do I trigger the battle? Uh, it seems like I had to attack to trigger the battle in the previous game..."

He scratched his head and thought for a while, then finally took out a dart and threw it tentatively.

The still figure on the cross was defenseless and only swayed.

Blood spilled.

Blood flowed across the lines of his palms.

Blood... soaked his hands.

"What's going on? It hasn't been triggered yet. Is there a bug in the game?"

-43-

Blood.

hand.

My hand.

-44-

The thing on the cross turned back.

The boy, lying on the edge of the masonry, began to tremble.

"...What is that?! Hey, hey, isn't that a scientist? The combat capability test is C-, what, what is that, what is that-"

Bang.

-45-

Fifteen minutes later, Miss M jumped back to the top of the church lightly.

"The rat swarm has been almost cleared out. I also reset the boss and destroyed his laboratory... Repairs are complete. Xiao P, I'm going back."

Mr. P was leaning on the cross, smiled at her and picked up the things in his hand.

It's a milk tea bag.

"The bloody glutinous rice Bobo milk tea you mentioned earlier?"

He said: "While I was adjusting the world data on the spot, I found the subsystem and ordered takeout."

"Oh—thank you~"

Miss M happily took it, and the straw had already been inserted.

She held the milk tea in one hand and handed it over with the other, motioning Mr. P to help her wipe it clean.

-46-

Mr. P carefully wiped the dirty blood off his boss's hands.

Not far away, on the edge of the bricks and stones, a white tulip swayed gently.

-47-

"Let's book a hotel when we get back, Xiao P?"

"...I still have work to do when I get back, Ms. M. Please be patient."