First, a Name

I was stuck.

"Don't you two have somewhere else to be?"

The Administrator's office—my office, I supposed. And these two showed no intention of leaving it.

"I cannot leave. I must protect the Administrator at all times!"

"The tower isn't even running right now. Does it really matter?"

She's not wrong.

A guy's supposed to get ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠some personal maintenance time, isn't he? And that one who'd sworn to protect me—she hadn't done a damn thing when I got attacked earlier.

"Sierra, you don't have a room or anything?"

"There is none."

"Rhea?"

"I'd be alone in there. I don't like it."

You've been living just fine on your own this whole time.

Rhea sat in my office with effortless grace, sipping black tea. And every time I looked at her, there was one thing I couldn't stop noticing.

Was that the kind of affection I thought it was? We'd only met a few hours ago. Was this even allowed?

"Hey, Rhea."

"Yes? What is it?"

"Do you like me?"

Her elegant expression froze for a beat.

"Excuse me...?"

"Wow. So you're the type who just says that to a woman?"

Sierra. Shut up.

Rhea rose from her seat and walked toward me, unhurried.

"I hate Administrators."

Yeah, that tracks. I was imagining things, then.

"Which is why... it doesn't make any sense that I'm the only one who doesn't know your name, does it?"

Fair point, but are you standing a little close? A girl as pretty as you getting up in my face like that—my heart's going to skip, you know.

"Lee Rowon. Just talk to me normally."

"Lee Rowon... that's a lovely name."

I don't particularly like my own name. I was named to live a life that lived up to it—to be a blessing, or whatever. Shame the world never got the memo.

Anyway. There was a more important problem to deal with first.

"Rhea. You know the other bosses?"

Her brow furrowed. Just a fraction.

"Why would you go looking for those idiots?"

Why? Because—

"We need to find them if this tower's going to run again."

Rhea took my shoulder and smiled, sweet as poison.

"You don't need to concern yourself with those savages. I can kill them all myself."

Kill them? So you're the culprit. You're the one who wrecked this tower.

"Just asking, but—how many people have you killed since ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they started coming into this tower?"

"Pfft. What a strange question. You don't count how many bugs you've squashed, do you?"

"This place didn't go to hell because of you, did it?"

Rhea tilted her head.

"They die because they're weak. Is that a problem?"

"It's a huge fucking problem."

A tower only draws crowds if people can actually climb it. She'd been blocking every ascent, so the climbers stopped coming, and the whole place fell apart.

"Do you get some kind of reward for killing them?"

"It feels refreshing. I did just squash some filthy bugs, after all."

"Well, my mood's about to hit the floor."

There's not even a bonus in it for her. Why go to the trouble? She could just let them through. She's pretty enough that she'd make a perfect mascot, too.

"Haa... anyway. Don't go killing people on a whim from now on."

"If that would make the Administrator happy, then of course."

She sure talks pretty. Shame her actions don't match.

One thing was becoming clear. From the outside, a tower was just a place where monsters spawned and you climbed by killing them. But after coming in here, I'd realized something else.

This was just another workplace.

"So you don't know where the rest of the bosses are, then?"

"I do."

"Hah. Then what am I supposed to—"

Wait. Did she just say she knows? Have I gotten too used to Sierra's 'there is none' and 'I do not know'?

I looked past Rhea to Sierra. The pretty girl standing silently at my side, still locked in the same rigid posture.

"Sierra."

"Yes. Please go ahead."

"Do you know where the bosses are?"

"Their whereabouts are unknown. I do not know!"

I looked back at Rhea.

"You know where the bosses are?"

"I told you. I know."

Isn't she supposed to be the secretary? Is that one the boss?

Wait. Did I just have a deranged thought?

"Could we put Sierra in as the tenth-floor boss?"

She might be a total lightweight, but at least I can actually talk to her.

"That is not permitted."

"Why not?"

"I have a role of my own. And if I die, I die."

Right, right. You're the secretary. Got it.

"Come to think of it—what happens to the other bosses if they die?"

I looked at Rhea.

"Who knows. I've never died."

"They can likely resurrect even if they die. Though it would consume resources, of course."

So bosses and monsters can come back. Sierra can't.

"Alright, Rhea. Where are all the bosses?"

"We can't go right now."

"Why not?"

"The floors are sealed."

Right. Only three floors are open.

"Then let's start with the ones that are open. The fifth floor is yours. What else?"

"The third floor and the seventeenth floor."

Why is the seventeenth floor of all places the one that's open?

"We'll start with the third."

I needed the first ten floors fully repaired before I could even think about reopening the tower.

"I'll show you the way. The first through fifth floors are under my care."

"That so? Then why are only the third and fifth open?"

A dull impact cracked through the air.

"Because we're short on mana, of course?"

She just hit me, didn't she. She was trying to kill me, wasn't she.

And so the three of us headed for the third floor.

The door creaked open. The atmosphere wasn't much different from the fifth floor.

"Lady Rheeeeaaa~~~."

Huh?

Who was calling Rhea in a voice that sunny?

Something bat-shaped came fluttering down from the ceiling. And the bat was talking.

"Lady Rheeeeaaa. Why have you been such a stranger latelyyy? I missed you soooo much."

"You know this bat?"

"Hey, you little shiiit! How dare you talk to Lady Rhea like thattt?!"

The bat lunged at me.

Oh, come on. Why does everyone in this place start by hitting me?

"Calm yourself, Bibi."

"But stiiill, Lady Rhea. That insolent little—talking to you like—"

"This is the new Administrator."

A soft poof, and the bat became a person.

A completely naked person.

"Didn't you say we should kill every Administratorrr?"

"Not this one. He doesn't die."

"Don't have a private conversation in front of me. Who even are you?"

The woman called Bibi stuck out her chest, thumb raised in a proud little pose. Still naked.

"Ahem. This one is Bibi, familiar to Lady Rhea, if you pleeease. Show some respect alreadyyy!"

I turned my head. Could you put some clothes on?

"Bibi. Clothes first, please. This is hardly a sight for the Administrator."

"L-Lady Rhea... are you saying the Administrator matters more than meee?"

"I said no such thing. Now put some clothes on."

"Huuuungh."

I had no idea how she did it, but a sheet of black cloth wrapped itself around her. Then she glued herself to Rhea's side like a burr and proceeded to glare at me without blinking.

"Ahem. Anyway—I'm Lee Rowon. I've been assigned as this tower's new Administrator."

"I don't even caaare? This place doesn't need an Administrator, so get ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ouuut!"

I'd love to. I want to quit. I've been here five minutes and I've already met nothing but psychopaths.

Something was off about Rhea's face, though.

"Uh... Rhea? You okay? You don't look great."

"To me."

"Huh?"

"Why didn't you tell me your name first?"

"That's..."

Is she already going senile? Who the hell introduces themselves with a 'hehe, I'm the new Administrator assigned here' to someone who tried to kill them on sight?

"You tried to kill me the second you saw me."

"Is that the only thing you can say when you look at me? Haah... I'm getting tired of the same repertoire."

"That's all you did, so yeah."

"I shall now brief you on the third floor. This is a vampire-type boss floor. At present, Lady Rhea's familiar Bibi serves as the mid-boss."

I'll give her this: when it comes to reading reports, she's ChatGPT-tier.

"The structure is such that clearing Bibi here opens the fourth floor. Bat-type monsters are the primary inhabitants."

I took a look around the third floor.

Same causes as the fifth floor. Looked easy enough to fix.

"Sierra. Let's go. Same as last time—we'll wrap this up quick."

"Heh. Of course. The Administrator is as capable as ever."

Sierra and I were going to have to work together anyway. Better to hype each other up than tear each other down. We were going to get this tower running again. No matter what.

"Ahaha. We can do this~. Let's go get the third floor back online!"

"Understood!"

Leaving Rhea and Bibi behind, we made straight for the third floor's Magic Supply Device.

"Okay. Better than last time, at least."

I struck a pose that I hoped looked at least a little cool. It was a skill, after all. Might as well have some flair.

"Precision Inspection."

Huh?

"Sierra... our Mana Stones..."

"There are none."

Now what.

I couldn't keep borrowing from Rhea every time.

"Is there a way to get Mana Stones?"

"There is. You may receive them at the Management Bureau."

"The Management Bureau? We can go there?"

"The Administrator is required to attend regular meetings, but visits related to supply procurement may be made at any time."

"Why are you only telling me this now?"

"Because you did not ask."

She really is a unique piece of work.

"So how do we get there?"

Sierra promptly drafted a report and held it out for me to see.

"Complete this and send it. They will summon you."

"Then write it up, please. Quickly."

"In that case, I shall accompany you."

"Yeah, yeah. I need a guide anyway."

The instant Sierra tore the report, the world around us began to turn blue.

"Uh. What's happening?"

"We are transferring. To the Management Bureau."

It was instant teleportation this whole time~?

Light flashed across my vision.

"Why is he taking so long?"

"He didn't look like he'd be any good at his job anywayyy."

"He's more capable than you'd think. He even fixed my garden. And..."

He did say he'd protect me. Only me.

"And? Lady Rhea, your face is all flushed. Are you sickkk?"

If she could just get that secretary out of the way, she could be the one standing beside him. She'd tried to kill that secretary when she first arrived, too. A shame she hadn't finished the job.

"I'll go take a look. Bibi, you stay here."

"I have to stay here agaaain?"

"Hehe. I'll bring him right back."

For the first time since coming to the tower, she found herself looking forward to seeing someone. Until now, people had only ever come looking for her—and killing them had been the end of it.

Then, midway there, the two presences on the third floor vanished completely.

"Huh...?"

They were abandoning her again?

There was nothing in front of the Magic Supply Device. Not even a trace that anyone had tried to repair it.

"...Haha."

A laugh rang out before the third floor's mana installation.

"Ahahahahaha."