Gotham Diamond District, Zeus Securities.
Death sat in the office chair. Remembering the question Lynn had just asked, the corners of her mouth twitched involuntarily.
After a moment of silence, she raised her clear black-and-white eyes and gazed at the man before her with watery tenderness.
"Asking an embodied entity representing the concept of death a question like that really is a little presumptuous."
Lynn raised an eyebrow, holding the pitch-black Pleasure Controller in his right hand, and replied noncommittally, "I told you just now that I wanted to ask a presumptuous question, and you said I could, Miss Death. I thought someone who governed the death of all things would be gentler and more generous. I never imagined..."
Death: "..."
Even after living for endless ages, Death had to admire the sheer thickness of this man's skin and the extent of his shamelessness.
The corners of Lynn's mouth rose into a grin, his eyes curving as he spoke like someone tempting a child. "Want to give it a try, Miss Death? If you really can feel pleasure, wouldn't that be something enjoyable?"
"No." Death shook her head.
She took a deep breath, shifted her slender waist, and sat upright. Her voice lost its earlier tenderness and languor.
"I didn't come to see you about this. As I said, this world will soon meet its ultimate death.
"And there is something extremely special about you. When this world is about to be erased, I hope you can help it and keep it from being forgotten."
With that, Death's figure gradually faded before Lynn could use the Pleasure Controller.
Time resumed its flow throughout the world. Horns blared outside the window, and the pedestrians below began walking away along the street.
By the window, tiny insects beat their wings and scattered