"Quiet late at night, the teacher's room, brightly lit all through the night~"
London, the Unified Bureau building swallowed by ash-black fog.
The corridors were a complete mess, corpses strewn across the floor like a Ghost Realm. The lights flickered, then went out. Yet in the deep, deathly darkness, singing rose.
"Whenever I quietly pass your window, the bright light shines upon my heart~"
Before a massive piece of wrecked equipment, an old man bent over repairs sang with great enthusiasm. His elegant tenor spread through the darkness, its lingering notes echoing.
Not far away, Ms. X treated the wound on her shoulder expressionlessly. "Russell, that's enough."
"A grateful heart, grateful to have you~"
"Shut up!"
Over the echoing noise, Ms. X raised her voice.
"Ah, teacher, I love you, because of you, my life has become so beautiful~"
Bang!
A bullet grazed past his forehead and embedded itself in the cabinet's tangled cables, scattering sparks. The equipment that had nearly been repaired was ruined once more.
"What's wrong?"
Russell turned back in surprise. "Why are you suddenly so angry?"
"Are you sick?"
Ms. X frowned. "Working overtime is disgusting enough already, Russell. Don't make me think the colleague working overtime with me has something wrong with his brain."
"Ah, well..."
Russell scratched his head, smearing a patch of grease through his white hair. It looked absurdly conspicuous. Yet his pleased smile was somehow unsettling. "I just suddenly felt a sense of accomplishment as a teacher."
"Give it a rest, Russell."
Ms. X gritted her teeth and pulled a sharp barb from her muscle. "One day, you'll single-handedly devalue the profession of teaching."
"You can't put it that way. My student is still on the battlefield."
Russell lowered his head and continued sorting through the tangled mess of cables and