[Some time ago]

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

The repetitive sound of the scanner rang in the ears of a man who continuously took one item after another from the conveyor belt.

Beep.

Beep.

"And your total is... 149 Sin and 36 Gree."

"Ah! Ah! Just a moment! I've been waiting for a chance to use all these. Let me see here..."

The woman standing before the man ruffled through her purse as the man bagged the items, a dull expression on his face.

The man was young - only in his twenties, yet the dark bags underneath his eyes would suggest that he had lived far longer.

"Here we are! This one, and this one... and I think this one too. Oh, and let me see... scissors scissors..."

The woman pulled out a number of crumpled coupons, piling them up before the man only to remove an entire newspaper from her bag - just as crumpled as the rest - along with a pair of scissors.

At which she began to cut the coupons in front of him.

With the twitch of his eye, the man could do nothing more than watch as the coupons piled up.

'That stack is more than what I'll get paid for this entire day...', he thought to himself.

"There you go! Please use all these on the purchase!"

The woman's hair bobbed up and down as she flashed the man a cheerful smile, however this smile was met with a dead grimace.

"Of course, ma'am. Let me sum these up for you.", the man said in an expressionless manner.

Taking one after another and straightening them out, the man held in a sigh as he typed in the numbers one after another.

How many minutes did he spend inputting those coupons?

'At this rate these coupons will really be worth as much time as I'm going to spend inputting them.', the man thought as he rejected the urge to roll his eyes.

After inputting 25 coupons into the system, the man wondered to himself why he was allowed to apply so many promotions on the same purchase.

'Ah... but if I wasn't allowed to do that then would she come back 25 different times? That would be even worse... I wonder if someone has dealt with that situation before?'

With the press of a button, the total on the screen changed.

"And your total now comes to... 141 Sin and 54 Gree."

All that for a mere 10 Sin - not even.

‘Still more than I make in a day though.’

The man felt his eye twitch as he gazed upon the new price, however the woman didn't miss a beat.

"Oh, wonderful! I knew it was worth it to stock up all those coupons! Now let's see... I've been saving this for a while now, so I might as well put it to use as well!"

At that moment, the man widened his eyes as he watched the woman, who continued to fumble inside the oversized purse.

Just what would she pull out now?

This thought was soon answered however - in the worst way possible.

Clang!

A jar filled with coins was placed on the counter, at which the man felt his spirit exit his body.

'Ah... you've got to be kidding me.'

The woman smiled brightly as she laid the weapon of mass destruction before the man, as if mocking him - however the man knew one thing for certain.

She was not mocking him - or at least not intentionally.

"Will you be paying this all using these?", the man asked as he gazed over to the clock, only to realize that his shift was far from over.

"Well... so long as there is enough here. Yes.", the woman responded.

"I see."

At that moment, a part of this man died.

However to say that a part of him died would not exactly be accurate.

For on the inside... perhaps he was already dead in the first place.

"Then... I suppose I'll begin counting."

Unscrewing the lid, the man stopped himself from laughing at his own misery.

After all, this woman was not trying to do any harm.

It wasn't like she purposely came into this store just to irritate him.

Such a thing would be ridiculous.

'Ten... eleven... twelve...'

"Ah... I noticed... you're not wearing your nametag. Is there a reason for that?"

The woman leaned on her elbow as she gazed upon the man with interest, to which his hand gripped the pile of coins in frustration.

'Twenty six? Was it twenty six? I think it was twenty six. No... I don't care. We're going to go with twenty six. If we're short a few Gree it won't matter... well... it will... but I don't care. I'll give that up if I have to... but I'm not going to start ov-'

"Hey, are you ignoring me? Am I annoying you?"

"Percy."

The man spoke this word as he continued his counting, not bothering to look up at the orange haired woman.

"My name is Percy.", he repeated.

"Oh... I'm Amelia. You know, I was thinking about working here. What do you think? I don't really like my current job, and I think it would be a bit of a change of pace to work in a store like this. Just cashing people out all day... Do you think you could get me in?"

'Fifty seven... fifty eight...'

"You really space out a lot."

With this statement, the man stopped his hand.

Looking up to the woman who seemed intent on keeping his attention on her, he thinned his darkened eyes as he spoke with annoyance clear in his tone.

"Eh? Ah... I was focusing on counting. You know. These Gree that you've given me. I've gotta count more than 14,000 of them before you can get out of here."

"And what if I didn't want to get out of here?"

Drawing her finger up and down the counter, the woman seemed to glance up to the man with a mysterious look, however this was completely ignored.

"I don't know why you would want to be here in the first place... but I'll give you some advice."

Continuing to count the coins, the pace of the man hastened as he dumped them out, separating them into groups of 10 quickly and efficiently.

"Stop shopping here."

"Now, now, now, now, now.... how utterly RUDE of you, Percy.... that... is NOT how you should treat a VALUED CUSTOMER."

At that moment, a chill came down the spine of the man.

Speechless, he could not even turn around to view the one who spoke, out of terror for meeting his gaze.

He felt a hand placed on his shoulder, and he witnessed the gaze of the woman which fell upon the newly introduced man.

"Please forgive my INCOMPETENT employee here. He's surely a bit tired, yes? Why don't you go home to get some rest? If you need to rest, then such a thing cannot be helped, and I am quite understanding in such a matter. I will take over the counting myself if such a thing is too... taxing."

"N- not at all, Sir. I... I will continue-"

"That will not do. Not at all. No, no, no... of course, I cannot have employees insisting on working to the point where their quality of work decreases. I insist, Percy. Please. If you need some time off, take as much as you need. I'll even give you... paid time off."

"I was just a bit confused for a moment, really. I'll continue-"

"Is that so?"

The man slid his arm off the shoulder of Percy, slithering away as quickly as he had appeared.

"Then I suppose you know better than I do... your limitations, that is. Please make sure to take care of yourself."

"Of course. Thank you for your concern."

Continuing to count the coins, Percy stopped his hands from trembling as he forced them to continue moving, not wasting a single moment.

"AH.... but if my ears did hear correctly... you wish to inquire about employment with our company?"

"Yes! That is right! I... have a referral."

"Oh... a referral. I see, I see. Excellent. Well then... Percy, continue counting this good woman's coins if you will. I wish to speak to her in the back room for just a moment. You do have time, do you not? For an interview?"

"Of course!"

With this cheerful answer, the woman walked off alongside the man, who was dressed from head to toe in professional attire.

Even the hat atop his bald head was charming, and the cane which he leaned on added to his gentlemanly appearance.

"How wonderful. We are always searching for fresh minds. Come with me then. It will only be a few minutes."

"Of course."

As the two left, the man known as Percy was left to run the counter.

Nobody else was in line, as it was already quite late at night - and soon enough the store would be closing.

Yes, the store would be closing.

And then the real work would begin.

For this was the end of his dayshift... and the start of the night shift.

'He caught another one.'

Grabbing a handful of coins, the man slammed them on the counter, furiously counting them with all his might.

'And now another one is ensnared... in this trap of his.'

Minutes passed.

An hour passed.

Multiple hours passed.

'14,153... 14,154.'

At some point, the man had finished counting.

Looking at the clock, the man realized that soon enough his shift here in the store would end.

And then his shift in the warehouse would begin.

'Sleep... I should get some sleep... but... ah...'

As the man found himself about to doze off, he was awakened by the tap on his shoulder.

"EH?"

Looking around frantically, the man realized that he had almost committed a grave sin - sleeping on the job.

However he was met with the cheerful smile of the orange haired woman.

"Heya. Take a look!"

The man groggily gazed up and down the woman, eventually taking notice of one thing in particular.

Right now she was wearing a nametag.

Amelia.

Turning around as she waved for the man to follow him, the man looked around before realizing that the time had come.

"The boss said to bring you to the back. It looks like we're going to be working together."

"Is that so?"

Gripping his arm, the man bitterly smiled as he gazed away, unable to meet the eyes of the woman.

However as she spoke, he found himself unable to resist glaring into them.

"Ah, your name is Percy, right?"

"Hm? Ah... yeah. That's right."

And as the man glared into those eyes, he realized something.

The cheerful smile which she had displayed was nothing more than that.

A smile which had been plastered upon her face like an ornament.

"Percy... ah... don't tell me... were you named after that Emperor? Percius V? From those myths?"

"Not the fifth."

Walking side by side now, the two proceeded through the store after packing up their belongings, heading quickly to the back.

"Hm? Not the fifth? He's the one who was very popular, right? After his tyrannical father's death he took up arms against the monsters and his men fought valiantly against them... or so they say. After being defeated on the battlefield, he gave his life to save his men, and the Indeterminant took over the nation in his place, vowing on his name to avenge him... is that not the story that you were told?"

"I'm named after Percius the fourth."

With a bitter smile, the man slid his hand into his pocket, pulling out his nametag.

Clipping it onto his shirt, he let out a sigh as the two pressed forward.

"The one who went down as a tyrant... a warmonger who sent his soldiers to fight on their own... and who was slain in an attempt to flee battle by traveling to the Ruthobold Kingdom during a time of crisis - only to encounter the false hero who had gone mad."

Wearing the pin with pride, the woman looked at the man, her smile decreasing as it became an expression filled with pain.

"I see."

Letting out a sigh as well, the woman closed her eyes as she spoke.

"You know though... it was just a rumor... but I heard that he was actually a good leader. That he cared for his people more than anything, and was doing everything he could as an Emperor before he was unexpectedly assassinated."

"A good leader?"

Waving his hand as if to shake off the sentiment, Percy chuckled lightly.

"It's just a story. A legend. He never actually existed. What do you mean he was actually a good leader?"

"Oh... you didn't know? All myths are just the realities of another dimension. Or at least... that was what my mother told me."

"Your mother sounds like she’s nuts. Just like you."

"Haha... I suppose so. So?"

The woman stepped in front of the man, stopping him in his path right before they came across the entrance to the warehouse.

"Why are you working in this place?"

"Probably the same reason as you.", the man responded. "I once had a dream... and because of that dream, I ended up in this place."

"I see."

Turning around, the woman opened the doors, heading in before the man.

Quickly following her, the man grimaced as she stepped forward with such haste - perhaps unaware of the situation beyond those doors.

"Dreaming certainly comes with a high price... doesn't it? Perhaps life would be so much cheaper... if we were to stop dreaming all together."

----

On entering the warehouse, spread out before the two was a conveyor belt.

On this conveyor belt, people were lined up at each station, each performing a repetitive task.

On the belt were piles of white powder.

The first line of people worked quickly as they separated the powder into smaller piles, measuring them out with precision and speed.

Following this, a group of people were gathered down the line, each of them bagging up the piles before placing them back on the belt.

And finally, there were a group of people at the end, packaging entire boxes of the substance.

"A drug factory... eh?"

Amelia looked around, seemingly not surprised in the least at the facility.

The people who worked had eyes reddened with veins, madness clear in their expressions as they worked so quickly that their minds could not keep up with their hands.

Bags were clear underneath their eyes, suggesting that sleep was a foreign concept to these people.

However this was not all.

Standing behind these people were numerous men whose bodies were enormous, standing there menacingly as they merely watched the work be done.

Percy stopped himself, still unable to become accustomed to the sight.

Yet as he did so, he felt it.

The hand behind his back.

"Now now, you two. This is no time to be dawdling. After all... you have quotas to fulfill."

Those horrid arms and that cheerful yet disturbing voice echoed once more in the ears of Percy, reminding him - and this newcomer - of the harsh reality he was in.

"Ten thousand by the end of the night. Your shift will end once you've done that much. And if by chance you are unable to fulfill that by the time the dayshift begins... then I suppose I will have to bring you to my office for an... evaluation."

With a little push forward, the two were sent off.

"Ah, but I am no demonic tyrant. Do try and have fun while you work. Only ensure that such fun... does not interfere with your production. Ah... and one more thing."

With a smile, the man's tone lowered as he spoke, emphasizing the importance of his words.

"Do make sure that you don't lose your place."

----

"Did you know what you were getting into?"

Standing next to Amelia as they scooped up the powder into bags, zipping them closed and placing them back on the belt, Percy decided to risk making some small talk.

Why did he do such a thing?

Perhaps it was because if he did not then this truly would have been unbearable.

Repetition makes a man go insane.

Therefore, while vigorously attempting to ensure that his hands didn't stop moving, the man spoke at the risk of reducing his own production in exchange for retaining his sanity.

"It wasn't exactly a matter of knowing or not knowing. I had no choice... or rather, I had a choice between something which I knew was bad and something which I had no idea about. Therefore here I am."

With this response, the two glanced back to see the men behind them, arms crossed as they watched with vigilance.

"Making a run for it wouldn't work. Trying to fight wouldn't work. And going to the law... certainly won't work. Heh... maybe we deserve this. After all... the fact that we're here means we're people who couldn't have relied on the law in the first place."

While his hands did not stop, the man paused for a moment in thought as he looked to the woman beside him.

"Why are you here anyways? Where did you work before?"

“It was… a hotel.”

“A hotel? How could you come here after working at a hotel? You’re going to regret that. This job is far worse than any hotel could possibly-”

"That's enough talking. Keep working unless you'd like to be taken to the boss early."

With these words, one of the men behind them bore his malice towards the two, who straightened up immediately.

'I suppose that's right... this place... is not one which is so free.'

Continuing to work in silence, the man was left to wonder this.

Bag after bag, Percy continued to work.

'Seventy six... seventy seven... seventy eight...'

He couldn't forget.

He couldn't lose his spot.

'Seventy nine... eighty...'

For losing his spot would mean losing everything.

All the work he had done would be reduced... back to zero.

'Shit... shit... shit...'

His eyes reddening, the man felt his mind slowly becoming hazy.

Perhaps some of the dust had gotten into the air, or perhaps the endless counting was getting to him.

His peripheral vision seemed to blank out, and he could focus only on the task before him.

How many hours passed?

If he could afford the mental capacity to count the seconds, then perhaps he would have known.

Yet he could not afford such a luxury.

'I was careless... I thought for a minute that working with this one would make things a little more interesting... but I forgot the goal here. I need to get this done... 5437... 5438... 5439...'

"Hey... are you alright?"

With a quivering tone, the orange haired girl spoke to Percy, who glared up while continuing to move his trembling hands.

"Eh!? Alright!? 5439! 5440! Haha! I'm perfectly fine. 5441. 5442. What about you? 5443. Aren't you supposed to be working? 5444. Are you properly counting? 5445."

"I... I am counting... but... why are you-"

"5446 5447 5448 5449 5450 5451 5452 5453 5454.... hahaha.... hahaha... 5455 5456..."

His hands hastened.

The words he spoke became quicker and all the more deranged, and the others around him stopped in their tracks, glancing over to the man with hatred.

"HEY!!! Shut the hell up!!! I'm going to lose count if you don't-"

"5457! 5458! 5459!!!!"

"Percy... what's wrong?"

"5460!!!!"

At that instant, the other four people who were working stopped their work.

Each of them surrounded the man, who continued to count out loud, shouting out the number as he spoke.

"Will you be quiet already?"

"Hey... what are you all doing?", Amelia questioned, however this question was answered immediately.

Whack!

With a fist aimed for the head of the man known as Percy.

The man fell to the ground, laughing all the while as he descended into his own madness, and at this the men around him began to kick him.

"One! Two! Three! Four! Five! Six! Seven!"

Yet even as he was kicked, he counted these as well.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!!!"

"AGH!!!"

"SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!!!"

Each of the men around him started to furiously scream, their kicks becoming all the more rapid and violent as they stomped the man.

"Ugh! Ngh! Rgh!"

Beaten over and over till he was bruised and bleeding, barely even able to utter any noises, the men finally stopped their assault.

The men walked off, leaving Percy on the ground - at which Amelia could do nothing more than drop her jaw at the brutal scene.

The man twitched, slowly standing up once more as he returned to his spot, demoralized and broken in mind and body.

"Why... would you all do such a thing?", Amelia whispered to the men who were returning to their positions, continuing their work all the while.

Silence filled the room, as if they were purposely ignoring the woman, yet Percy stood up and continued his own work as well.

'Just what... is this place?', the woman wondered. 'Did I make... the wrong decision?'

Nodding her head, she denied it.

'2931... 2932...'

And then she too resumed her counting.

'Could this place possibly be worse... than that place?'

'2933...2934...'

However at that moment, one man spoke up.

The one who had taken the lead, the first to tell Percy to be quiet.

"Why did we do such a thing to him? He was asking for it."

With a bitter tone, the man's hands paused for a moment as he spoke, so as to not lose his place by focusing on two tasks at one time.

"After all... if you shout out all those numbers like that... then you're going to make us all lose our places."

----