Achromatic Neuroticism [Global Examination]

Chapter 2: Lunch

922 peered down at the man in front of him.

Dark hair, beautiful golden eyes, paperwork in his hands, as the serious invigilator, who was shorter than him by half a head and looked like he was in his early twenties, peered up at him.

922 had to admit; he was already quite captivated by that cold, sharp gaze.

The guy in front of him regarded him with a stiff, emotionless expression, putting his paperwork down by what 922 presumed was his desk, and asking, "Are you 922? Boss said that you'd be here today..."

Immediately, 922's eyes lit up, "Ah, so you must be 154? Nice to meet you."

He stuck his hand out, and 154 eyed his hand for a split second, almost like he wasn't too sure how to react, before he similarly mirrored 922's movements and shook his hand.

His skin was so soft...

And 154's hands were so small compared to 922's.

But also... 154's hands were startlingly cold. Not as cold as a block of ice or something like that... but cold enough that 922 thought that 154 might be sick or something.

154 glanced up at him, before looking away, towards the stack of papers on the table, "Since you're here already, I'll just run you through the paperwork that you'll have to do."

922's eyes widened slightly.

Was this all the paperwork that 154 had to complete on a daily basis!? No wonder the poor guy was overworked...

154 continued, "It's a bit hectic for now, because everyone's codes were reshuffled..."

He started fiddling with the ring on his finger, a motion that 922 couldn't help but notice. It seemed to be a quirk shared by almost all the invigilators; using their sleeves or some form of accessory, such as a watch or a ring or a bracelet, to cover the small indicator light that was embedded into every single invigilator.

"- Anyways, once everything's settled down, the workload should die down soon enough." 154 finished, glancing up at 922 once again to make sure he was paying attention, before turning back to sort out his papers.

922 nodded in understanding.

154 started pulling out papers and passing them over to 922, gesturing towards various sections and paragraphs, "Just read through that, and sign this... and here as well..."

He flipped through several pages that had been stapled together, "And here as well..."

"Quick question..." 922 couldn't help but interrupt.

154 paused, blinking at him for a split second, before making a small noise, "Hmm?"

"If the System is literally overseeing everything... why do you have so much paperwork?"

"..." 154 averted his gaze, as if pondering over this question seriously. He frowned slightly, his golden eyes glinting, before replying, "It's just a formality, I guess. Supposedly, while the System controls everything, there are some processes and procedures that have to be approved by the Head Invigilators... that would be Boss. But Boss is not..."

154 looked like he was searching for a word, "-partial towards the System, for the lack of a better term. So those usually get relegated to me. But like I said earlier, the paperwork should die down soon enough. Things are just a little messy right now because everyone's codes has been shuffled. Some of the original invigilators do not really like Boss being in charge."

"Oh." 922 replied. His reply felt very... lame; 154 was professional, eloquent, and was able to explain the entire situation so clearly... meanwhile 922 has trouble just giving him a proper dignified response.