Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It’s supposed to be a normal office building. An ordinary workplace, where you clocked in for a paycheck, and got out. A place where nothing interesting happened.

The keywords there being ‘supposed to’.

Yet somehow, nobody had ever explained to them as to the fact that they all seemingly shared the facility with some kind of cryptid. How it was apparently ‘normal’ that none of them could ever recall the name of a specific man; and any attempt to speak it would always and invariably be interrupted by what they were now considering to be ‘acts of god’.

Thunder shouldn’t be audible on a bright, summer morning. Nor should the cars below suddenly triple in their decibel count for the convenient few seconds of a sentence. Everyone whom they ever asked about the matter would always shrug it off, too - saying that it wasn’t relevant, or that they urgently had somewhere else to be.

Seriously, how much more contrived could it be?

Writing it down didn’t work any better. Anyone who looked at it would only ever take a quick glance before glancing away, and any attempt to speak it would be met with the usual: oxymoronically convenient-yet-inconvenient obfuscations.

It wasn’t just his name, either. No, no, it would be too easy if it ended there.

His features and face were so unremarkable that everyone seemingly exhibited an uncanny ability to forget all about him the moment he left the room. The only agreed-upon consensus were the most basic traits - traits that were about equal to the usefulness of a national map in attempting to locate a specific house in a small city.

Seriously, was it genuinely so hard to describe that guy? Fairly tall; black hair, short and neatly-cut. Rounded glasses, pale complexion, coal eyes. Though those traits weren’t exactly uncommon, many of their own coworkers couldn’t even remember that much.

Now, it wasn’t that they had a quarrel with their cubicle-neighbor. The man hadn’t done anything to aggravate them.

In fact, he seemed friendly-enough, and also entirely oblivious to his own ability to short out the brains of everyone around him, and maybe reality too.

But things were getting out of hand, and it was endlessly infuriating - how they were seemingly the only person in the entire building who could perceive him as anything more than an element of the background.

And maybe, just maybe - it was lonely for him, too? Surely, it couldn’t be easy to hold a friendship with everyone forgetting your name constantly…

Either way, they had a mission, and it was to finally pull back the curtains and expose the fact that this particular office building was definitely occupied by an anomaly of some kind.

[1 Day Later]

The first solution one thinks of is usually the most straightforward one. It’s usually also reasonable. So, it’s the one that they decide to act on first: they’d stay for a few extra hours today under the pretense of doing some overtime, like a good office worker - and after everyone else was gone, they’d take the elevator up to the administrative floor, where they kept both digital and paper records of everyone’s files.

Surely, that’d be plenty. At the very least, it was bound to satisfy their own curiosity as to what in the world was with this one particular guy.

Tangible data couldn’t be affected so easily, could it? Let’s see you try and coincidence your way out of this one.

…Actually, best not to jinx it. Please work.

So they waited for the sun to set, the office clearing out quite quickly after the skies began to darken. During the day, they’d gotten ahead of the work that was due on the next deadline - not only would it give them the chance to enjoy the weekend stress-free, it was a convenient way to back up the notion that they’d just stayed for overtime.

Nobody had batted an eye at their excuse - so far so good. Once they were quite certain that there were no more prying eyes left behind, they quietly rose from their desk and slinked towards the secondary elevator; none of them really ever used it, because they supposed the higher-ups always needed to feel special somehow.

The ride up is short, uneventful . Just the way they’d prefer.

Being such an important room, the archival records weren’t terribly well-hidden - and they’d smuggled the key from the janitor’s closet earlier. After another cursory glance to ensure that nobody was present, they slinked into the dusty room, full of boxes, file cabinets, and a singular table hosting a small, outdated computer. Even the style of keyboard was antique, boxy and connected through a direct wire plug.

It doesn’t take long for them to begin navigating through the digital records once the monitor blinked to life after several minutes. Old technology really was so slow…

However, that was where the frustrations began. Without any knowledge of the name itself, they were stuck going through the files manually, through each employee’s individual record. Thankfully, it could at least be narrowed down to the department, or else they’d be stuck here all night, and likely be found unconscious at the desk the following morning.

“There you are. Now-”

Birthday… June 6th. Age… Blank? Hometown… Also blank… Wait. Huh?

Just as their gaze flitted over to the strangely-blurry text that read ‘Name’, they found their eyes stinging and watering - the words unintelligible through the bleariness.

“What- What the…” Great, now they were becoming victim to the ‘coincidences’ too, weren’t they? Just as they’d feared? After several minutes of rubbing their eyes intently to clear the haze, their dark bangs would land right atop both eyes, in a way they never did during the day.

There would be another set of profanities whispered beneath their breath as they swept their hair away - finally glancing back towards the screen, only to find that the electronic display had burned out, fizzled black, whereupon nothing remained visible. Sporadic jolts of color remained, glitching across the glass like static.

“Oh, hell…” Surely, this couldn’t be happening!

Yet, amidst the colorful, fraying neons, there was something that remained discernable: the letter ‘X’, in bright capitalized spelling, a spot of white amidst the painfully saturated hues.

Huh. Well, if that wasn’t odd. 

It wasn’t that they didn’t know who X was, or what that represented, but it was just that the idea of that particular hero having a connection to their coworker was, perhaps, too outlandish; so far-flung from the realm of possibility that it didn’t even make sense as an explanation for the man’s cryptid nature.

They weren’t crazy enough to delude themselves into thinking that they shared a workplace with the top-ranked hero.

Still, they weren’t about to give up after coming so far - but no matter how many times they reloaded the computer, the error remained frustratingly permanent. More than an hour must have passed, but they were eventually forced to concede, eventually turning to march out of the room-

Only to trip and fall over a misplaced box of papers, landing them in an unceremonious pile on the ground, a flurry of old files flying into the air with the impact.

Great. If there was a god, they were surely laughing now.

[3 Hours Ago]

They’re trying so hard, it almost seems like a shame to let their efforts go to waste.

It wasn’t that X wasn’t aware of this - the distinct ability of the new hire to seemingly neglect the intangible veil that kept him from being truly perceptible to the masses. They saw through it as if it were thin like gauze, instead of having the metaphorical wool pulled over their eyes. In fact, much like how his nature was impossible for them to ignore, it was impossible for him to not see the fact that they knew.

Did he find it irritating? Troublesome? Of course not; how could he?

He could already see how this would unfold into countless hours of amusement, a highlight in the bland workdays. It was indeed quite true that everyone else ignored their words and pleas, but he found it oh-so-amusing, how close they actually were to the reality of it.

And it would be such a shame for him to lose this source of entertainment; there was only so much boredom one could withstand at an office. Hence, after his watch rings to notify him that his shift had ended, he makes his way to the elevator in silence - and raises his free hand to the CCTV camera above his head.

The sound of a sharp snap resonated, and the camera lenses fizzled, alongside all the others. He’d just leave it that way for the night - they’d be back in working order by tomorrow morning, and nobody would perceive anything other than static.

It’d be harder to fire someone without tangible proof they’d done something they weren’t supposed to, after all.

Now that he was no longer visible to the cameras, he chuckled to himself as the elevator reached its destination, the doors opening to reveal the company lobby. On his way out the door, he hummed a merry tune - someone else had covered his overtime today; even if he didn’t care for their welfare, he at least owed them some kind of gratitude for the fact.

[6 Days Later]

…I could throw him a birthday party. That’s not an unusual thing for offices, right? Might raise a few eyebrows since he’s not exactly the most popular guy, but at the worst, it would only be awkward.

That was maybe the strangest thought they’d had all week, but given the fruitlessness of their previous endeavor - alongside the fact that it’d almost landed them in hot water - it was perhaps best to err on the side of caution when it came to doing anything. They’d been lucky that the security system had fritzed out last time, and it was a shave too close for anyone to be comfortable with.

They’d even gotten called up to management, whereupon the sinking pit in their stomach had gleefully morphed into the flittering ecstasy of schadenfreude as they watched several faces turn pink when they intended to cite the security feeds - only to find nothing at all.

Anyway - a birthday celebration would be quite innocuous; yet, they came to an unfortunate realization moments after.

His birthday is on the sixth of June… That’s the tournament date. It was the only thing I got when I accessed the company records. Of course, a lot of people have that birthday, but isn’t it just all-so-convenient for you?

“Why are you so frustrating..?” Once-tidy hair would be tousled and entangled between their fingers as they mused over the conundrum. They almost end up exhaling into their coffee out of a combination of habit and frustration.

Not only will nobody pay attention, we don’t even have work that day. The company’s obligated to let us have it off for free. And there’s no telling if I’ll even be here next year.

Maybe I can send him a peace offering, though. I’m not low enough to make things hard for him on a week where everyone’s celebrating. Especially when your birthday’s probably always been overshadowed by the biannual event. What did he say that he liked the other day? I think it was pastries from that particular bakery down the street…

And of course it’s always the one with the longest lines.

Later that month, a certain salaryman would find a small strawberry cake left at his table - neatly packaged in its cardboard carrier, without any indication as to who’d left it there. 

[2 Weeks Later]

Interesting.

Now this was unexpected. People never left things on his desk - even when they forgot it was occupied by someone. Nor did he expect it to be something that was obviously purchased with him in mind: A round shortcake layered with chantilly, strawberries, and slivered almonds. The colorful message on top was devoid of a name, but clearly read ‘Happy Birthday’.

It almost takes him by surprise; this delightful sort of astonishment isn’t something he experiences easily or often. Sure, he received gifts often as Hero X, but never as the office worker who could be mistaken for any other corporate slave.

But, the pleasantries all aside, there was only one real possibility as to who’d brought this for him. After all, they were the only one who could see him. Not that the mystery was the point, it was the consideration.

A thin smile tugs at the corner of his lips as he sets his book bag and laptop down. His watch already read 10:00, but he could spare a moment for this.

He picks up the cake, still in the original packaging, and stores it in the fridge for later - he’d enjoy it on his lunch break. While he wasn’t usually defensive of his personal stash of food, given that most of it consisted of easily-accessible sodas-

If anyone laid a hand on this, the break room might just have a new colorful painting on the walls.

[3 Days Later]

“You watched the tournament broadcast, right?”

“Who didn’t? Do you think we all live under a rock or something? Honestly, it was one of the best showings we’ve had in a long, long time.”

“So, like, the finale-”

It would seem as if the space around the coffee machine was ever-so-lively. This was to be expected, certainly - given that the 20th Hero Tournament had just occurred, and there wasn’t a soul who didn’t want to talk about the already-iconic duel between the reigning X and Queen - who had been forced to settle for second place in the rankings.

They didn’t really care as much. Of course, they watched the tournament like every other person in the city and on the planet, but all they could think about was the strange association between their workplace enigma and the top-ranked hero.

A connection that only they were seemingly privy to. It all came back to when they’d first attempted to search the man up in the company records - nearly being returned to the job hunt in the process, if not for the fact that they couldn’t bring up real proof of him being in the archival room - only to be interrupted by a software error, one that seemingly did display the truth…

The incandescent image of the letter X, blindingly white against a backdrop of flickering static, the only pinpoint in the unlit room, remained in their mind since that night.

Nope, no way. There’s… There’s definitely no connection between them. They felt ridiculous even thinking of the possibility. Why in the world would the #1 hero masquerade as a regular person working at this dead-end job?

After setting their mug below the spout of the coffee machine, they peered over towards the nearby station for additions - the sugar was all gone again, as it always seemed to be, but at least the creamer hadn’t been touched.

Whilst they waited, they resumed eavesdropping on the hottest subject of the week.

“X’s showdown with Queen in the final round went on for so long. I was actually wondering if they were going to end in a draw. But then you know- She got a hit in!”

“She got the hit but it didn’t count for much. Like, who cares about a scratch on the shoulder? That spear of hers is sharp, but it didn’t draw blood-”

“I mean, of course it didn’t! Aren’t you aware…”

They think back to the round in question. Indeed, Queen and X had engaged in quite the duel in the middle of the stadium to settle the rankings for the next two years. Before gravity had multiplied tenfold, nearly crushing the entire battlefield, he recalls how the gleaming spear had slashed through X’s white suit jacket, revealing the pale skin beneath-

-And yet, that was the only indication that Queen had landed a hit at all. They’d shared her confusion in that moment, total and utter bewilderment at the sight of a wound that spilled neither blood nor ichor.

The crowd had gone wild, a sentiment doubtlessly shared by the millions of eyes focused on that precise moment. Then it began, the uproarious chanting, the clamorous echoing of a phrase that must have been deafening to hear in person, accompanied by the rising of countless bodies and overflowing applause-

“All hail to the X, to the one who never bleeds!”

Admittedly, all the sympathy they’d felt in that moment had been for Queen, who was then forced to watch as her opponent sidestepped her following swing, and raised a slender hand to the sky. The sound of a deafening snap cracked through the air like thunder, forcing Queen to her knees in an instant; her summoned spears simultaneously metamorphosed into a falling cascade of white feathers.

Before the cameras, it was as if the sun itself had deigned to crown the reigning hero with its light - evidently, the moon was hardly enough, even though he’d made it appear breathtakingly close to the earth earlier that day.

What a spectacle that’d all been. After seeing that, they’d just sunk back into their seat in shock. But now that they thought about it-

A certain coworker of theirs did seem to get quite a few papercuts, but yet they’d never seen him wear any sort of bandage for it.

[1 Day Ago]

He took an extra day off after the tournament.

It was among the most typical of requests, and frankly, the idea of having to return to work immediately after all the excitement caused too much mental whiplash. Just as everyone else couldn’t focus on their work due to the inclination to gossip, he couldn’t focus because he’d just experienced the tournament itself.

Obviously, nobody notices his slightly-extended absence by the time he returns to the office. Even the one who can doesn’t comment on it.

Not much of his mental bandwidth is spared to thinking of the matches themselves - instead, his focus is dedicated to what comes after. Of course, there are also distractions: the buzzing at his fingertips, the sensation of a creeping itch just below the skin, and the faint pulse of heat crossing his wrist. There is no trust counter there, for he doesn’t need it in the slightest, but the committed force of belief, whetted through intention, was impossible to completely ignore.

After the tournament, there was always a fresh influx of trust flowing into the system or being redirected into a different hero, and much of that was always and invariably dedicated to the winner.

The fanfare would die down in a month or so. But until then, he’d merely know as the numbers ticked upwards, as the rumors circulated around the break room and broke up the muted pattering of keyboards and the scribbling of pens across the office.

When he finally tunes out the inelegant, murmuring orchestra that was the world, he thinks about something else - or rather, someone else - entirely. Maybe it was about time that he repaid them for the gift they’d left.

He merrily goes on his way after leaving it at the ever-tidy desk of their coworker, which was always easy to spot amidst the cluttered cubicles.

[5 Hours Later]

They’d spent approximately two minutes wondering who left it at their desk, and twenty more being bewildered, incredulous, and annoyed at the taste of the culprit.

Then they’d hid it to keep it away from prying eyes, and from both jealous and scornful gazes alike.

Now, the keychain hangs down from their finger, a glittering ornament strung on a silver chain, lifted up to the afternoon sun. A flat display of the letter ‘X’ had been hollowed out, serving as the framework for a colorful glass mosaic, a kaleidoscope of glittering neons inset into the empty space to create the look of a miniaturized suncatcher. Dangling from the same chain was a small golden coin, intricately etched with both of the Commission’s sigils.

Insofar as they recalled, this particular item was a limited-edition release that was raffled among the live attendees of the 20th Hero Tournament, and at least one brawl had broken out over it due to the number of official copies being set at 1000. The mundane variant was just plain metal, and lacked the coin attachment.

…This could probably cover rent for the month if they were to auction it to the right buyer, but that didn’t feel right. It was a gift, wasn’t it?

Bit of overkill, though, if you’re just repaying me for a cake. Even if I did have to stand in line for two hours.

Eventually, they find it in themselves to string the gaudy little thing on their bookbag, a splash of vibrant color against the dull fabric. It did look nice, however excessive it was.

And in a strange way, it almost felt as if a hint had been thrown in their direction, if not a direct confirmation - that the workplace enigma and Hero X were perhaps indeed one and the same.

[Two Hours Later]

He can’t help but chuckle a bit when he sees the keychain on his coworker’s bag as they left for the day. It was impossible to miss, with how it stood out against the stiff, utilitarian drabness of both their attire and the office itself.

It wasn’t like he was going to do much with his own merchandise to begin with; his favorite thing remained the sodas and the other drink-based products.

But it was nonetheless a pleasant surprise to see his gift in use instead of it being stashed away and forgotten in a drawer, or sold to the highest bidder. In a way, it was almost as if his ‘rival’ had thrown their hands up and signed a truce for the time being.

How amusing. What wasn’t amusing, however, was the pile of work that his supervisor needed done in the next twelve hours.

[1 Week Later]

The devil was and was in the details.

Spending their working hours halfheartedly helicoptering around one person in particular had made them pick up on things that everyone else got to conveniently ignore. How enviable such ignorance was - for now that they saw it, it was impossible to not notice just how unusual ‘X’ was.

For one, the photograph on their desk changed every single day. It wasn’t atypical for the sentimental sorts to switch out their memorabilia periodically, but every day was perhaps a bit much. But even that would be mild in comparison to what was really going on - the people portrayed also changed, and none of them looked even the slightest bit related.

When they first saw the photograph, it’d been with an older couple, their black strands clearly graying. Easily believable as his parents.

Last week, it’d been a pair of red-heads with long, luscious hair and sun-kissed skin. They couldn’t look more unrelated if they’d tried. Yesterday, the photo featured a blonde man and presumably his wife, along with their young daughter - again, there was no way on earth and in Trust that they were even distantly connected.

Today, it was… They didn’t even want to think about how two young men, one with ebony hair and the other with bright white locks - could even be conceivably connected to their irritatingly enigmatic coworker.

“Like I’m going to believe you really know that many people when this office can’t even remember your name…” They cursed beneath their breath, passing the damnable frame yet again on their way to the canteen. “At least decide on one story.”

“But how could I go with just one when there are so many interesting humans on this earth?”

They jolted, nearly dropping the half-full mug in their hand, whisking around wildly to see who’d spoken. The voice was unmistakably X’s - not their cryptid of an office-worker, no; the stunning icon portrayed on billboards and in the broadcast last week, the untouchable hero in white.

Glowing in plain view, outside the enormous windows of the office - was a hologram display featuring the hero toasting a certain soda. 

Both of their eyes swiftly came to rest accusingly on the ‘other X’, who hadn’t so much as glanced up from his laptop screen, for he was still diligently focused on filling out the expenses spreadsheet for the month. There was no indication he’d even opened his mouth, much less spoken at all.

“...I must be losing it.” They bemoaned quietly, continuing on their way whilst taking another sip from their coffee cup, wishing with every ounce of their being that it was bourbon instead.

Wait- Why did it burn in my throat just now? Coffee doesn’t do that!

[5 Minutes Later]

After a certain worker was clearly and certainly out of both eye and earshot, X leaned back in his chair and stretched - he’d been sitting that way for the last two hours, and his thoughts were now primarily preoccupied by the idea of lunch.

Shame that’s in another hour and a half.

Yet, he spared a moment to glance over his shoulder, towards a group of cubicles across the room.

“I’m flattered that you think of me so much.” He chuckled, glancing towards his own coffee cup, the sugary concoction having long-since been drained down to the dregs. 

[2 Hours Later]

How did this keep happening?!

It was genuinely beyond their comprehension, how nobody else could see it - the way that this man simply existed . The way he went unnoticed by anyone who tried to pry into his life and the details thereof, the way that unforeseen things just happened to those who tried.

Also the way that strange events just kept transpiring around them, almost as if they were being dared to go further. But that was just a side note. 

Yet, they themselves, alone, remained immune to what they were certain by now was some kind of karmic hazard.

And now they were suffering the consequences of flying too close to the metaphorical sun. Not a day went by where they weren’t the subject of the latest gossip, the rumors always relevant to how they’d tried and failed to expose their coworker for seemingly being nothing at all.

Those efforts were beginning to cost them several valuable hours of sleep each night, but they’d gone too far to give up now . Even as probability itself seemingly laughed in their face, this matter was now personal , and they certainly had enough spite and integrity to follow through on a promise.

With a heavy exhale, they trudged through the door to the break room. It had been opened before, so someone was here-

Oh, of course.

Speak of the devil, and so he appears.

The man in question - whose name was clearly X, no matter how many kinds of logic and common sense that defied - sat idly on one of the couches, one leg crossed over the other, a colorful can of soda in hand.

All throughout their endless and tireless attempts to expose that singular fact about them, the man hadn’t actually raised a single hand in protest, nor did he actively attempt to decry their efforts. Admittedly, that was quite strange; but in an infuriating way, it almost seemed to proclaim that he had nothing to hide, when he most certainly did.

Yet, they’d never spoken a word to each other about the matter. Now, it seemed slightly awkward to do so, with how much fuss in the workplace had been caused over it all…

They’d initially planned to leave him be, and just scurry off after getting their coffee, for which there was never any sugar, as per the usual-

Until the target of their research spoke to them, for what might possibly have been the first time.

“Hey. Tired of that gig yet?”

It results in several seconds of incredulous blinking. “Huh? No, of course not. Aren’t you aware of all the weird stuff that happens around you?”

“Perfectly.”

Oh, so the bastard really did know?

“So- So what’s up with it?! Doesn’t it mess with your life? How did you even land a job when people seemingly can’t even remember your name, just the fact that you’re around and you work here?!” Their words spilled out carelessly, almost like water gushing forth from a broken dam.

“It doesn’t cause any problems.”

Maybe not to you, but it’s the cause of all my headaches.

“You- Wait, so why can I tell what’s going on, and not anyone else?”

“I’m not sure, actually. But your attempts to find proof are quite amusing. It’s almost made me eager to be at work for the last two months.”

I’m going to expose that secret of yours even if I die trying.

“That’s what this is?! Everyone else thinks I’m crazy, and you’re just giggling along? No, seriously, what is it about you that’s causing this ridiculousness?”

“Take a look.”

X tossed back their now-empty can of soda, the aluminum container landing perfectly in the wastebasket several meters away. With their now empty-hand, they brought two fingers together - a sharp snap echoing through the room.

For an instant, reality seemingly discorporated - neon colors splashing across the walls, objects shattering into their component shapes. The sky outside turned from midday to a star-speckled night, a borealis of abstract geometries shimmering in the dark. Yet it all remained only for a fleeting second - everything was back to modern mundanity shortly afterwards, perfectly pristine and intact.

It was horribly disorienting, to say the least. Yet the cause of it all remained serene at the center of it all - and they saw him for what he truly was.

For the same, immeasurably brief moment, the man’s hair had not been dark, but the purest white. His ordinary suit bore the same hue, contrasted only by the presence of a crimson tie, pinned with a metallic, letter-shaped ornament. A smug smile had been paired with deviously dark eyes, hidden behind tinted, iridescently orange lenses.

And then the brief epiphany of reality had passed them both by, and all was ordinary once more.

Entirely unperturbed by the occasion, X stole a glance at the nearby clock, then rose from their seat - his break was almost over.

Yet only one thought coursed through the mind of the singular, hopeless witness to the event.

No way, right?

“Wait, so-!” They wouldn’t get to finish their statement, paralyzed by the revelation, and from the words that the enigma uttered as he passed them by on their way back to the desk; his tone ever-briefly accompanied with the widest of smirks before it faded back into idle nonchalance.

“No one will ever believe you.”  

Chapter Text

It had been about a month and a half after the 20th Hero Tournament. Throughout that time, they’d still failed to make any real headway on their ‘investigation’ - and frankly, they really didn’t have much spirit to continue after what had transpired in the break room.

“No one will ever believe you.”

Those words now echoed in their mind every time they tried to put their head down on a pillow; those exact syllables mocked them viciously whenever they dared to even walk by the same room. It was a reminder of their total and utter helplessness in the face of what might really have been the rumored power of absolute omnipotence.

At this point, if they’d kept going, it would be tantamount to picking a fight with a sadistically mischievous god - and they’d be nothing more than a particularly amusing insect being chased around with a stick.

They weren’t going to be that stupid.

With a deep, grateful sigh of relief, they watched as the minute hand struck twelve - 6 PM, it was time to get off work. It was one of those rare days where the sector hadn’t been saddled with overtime, and they made themselves scarce quite rapidly, half-jogging to the elevator before evacuating the building as if it were on fire.

It was Friday, so they would treat themselves to something more pleasant than the maddening antics of one particular coworker. They suspected that the reason ‘X’ wasn’t present today was due to having one of those scheduled broadcasts at 7.

[45 Minutes Later]

The once-plain brick wall of the cafe they passed by on the way to the commercial district was now decorated with a splash of vibrant graffiti depicting roaring, pink-purple flames.

He’s just messing with me at this point…

That particular thought distracted them to the point they didn't even notice that dinner had arrived - a still-steaming bowl of noodles, curiously devoid of broth. Instead, it was piled high with an assortment of finely-chopped toppings and drizzled with a fragrant red oil, of which the scent alone was enough to sting.

Even that doesn’t quite rouse them from their thoughts - despite the fact that it’d long-since become dinnertime, and that they hadn’t eaten anything for the entirety of the last seven hours.

Really, what were they supposed to do at this point? Contact the Commission with a lead? As far as they knew, not even the councilmen had figured out X’s identity. Surely, he’d crack under enough surveillance? But then there was the matter of convincing the Commission in the first place, as they probably wouldn’t be swayed by the testimony of one glitched civilian…

Of course, he could try and get the higher-ups to install cameras all over the office, but that idea was pointless. X didn’t show up on the feeds, and they’d probably have found him long-ago if something that dumb could work. Not to mention, if the rumors of X’s omnipotence were real, then…

Still, why was it that they alone sidestepped the strange barrier of perception that seemingly allowed X to avoid detection by the masses? Surely, it wasn’t-

“...Hello… Hello?! Earth to Ren-Ren?”

“Ah!” Only the call of a particular nickname stirred them from that strange bout of introspection. For the briefest moment, a flush of pink crossed their cheeks from the embarrassment of it - how long had they been zoning out on the barstool?

“Okay, good to see that you’re alive, and that you probably didn’t just get a stroke.” The bartender sighed, running a hand through fading blonde locks. “What’s up with you? I’ve been seeing you show up less and less often those last few weeks, and when you are here, you look like you’ve just gotten back from a war. Office life can’t be that bad, can it?”

There was a long, bated pause and an awkward shuffle - but it wouldn’t be words that broke the silence, merely the sound of disposable chopsticks being broken apart and the sound of the wood being whetted against itself.

It drew an exasperated sigh from the older man behind the counter, who busied themselves with shining a wine glass. “Oh, don’t be like that. I know you have a reputation as the antisocial one, but you know you can talk to me, right?”

After another moment of weighing his options - Lu Renjia offered a proper response. “It’s not that I don’t want to talk about it, Li. Rather, I’m more concerned about the fact that you’re not going to believe me.”

The poignant raising of an eyebrow accompanied the bartender’s answer. “You’ve been nothing but brutally honest all your life, and you don’t even need alcohol for it. What reason do I have to think that you’d lie?”

“...I think Hero X is at my workplace and amusing himself with my suffering.”

Silence, and then, uproarious laughter.

“Okay, if the emergency is that you’ve suddenly developed a sense of humor, then you really need to show it off more often! Best attempt at humor you’ve pulled off so far, by the way. Tell me now, what’s ailing you to the point that you’ve started telling jokes to cope?”

“I am telling you the truth.” The office worker stated flatly, and began the process of combining and mixing the toppings in his dinner, before dusting it with another dose of chili powder. “You know how nobody can find him outside of his broadcasts and occasional appearances? I think he’s disguising himself as a worker at my office, and for some reason, I’m the only one who can tell.”

Best not to mention how X had proved his identity right in front of them; he’d also been totally right about how nobody would ever believe them about it.

Li’s amusement morphed into something resembling true bewilderment, to the point where they had to set down the glassware they’d been previously polishing, lest they drop it on the floor. “Well, I could believe it if it was some small-time hero. That happens often enough. But Hero X ?”

“I know it sounds strange, but… Really, I’m serious. I tried to get into the company records to see this guy’s name, and everything shorted out. Nobody remembers his face or name, and if someone tries to say it, they’ll get interrupted.” It was truly difficult to describe how bizarre it was - it was really the sort of thing that needed to be witnessed to be believed.

“And you know how the tournament was a month ago? X doesn’t bleed, and neither does this coworker of mine.” They murmured, now distracted yet again. “Oh, and he left me this, just to taunt me.” With a fluid gesture, Lu Renjia hoisted up his book bag, revealing the sparkling keychain dangling off its edge, before letting it fall again to his side.

At this point, it was clear that Li was stuck between two options - either he believed the ridiculously outlandish story, or he called bullshit on the matter, despite the fact that it was being told by a humorless man who’d never once lied.

“...I don’t think I have to say that I’m having trouble taking this seriously.”

“I figured. Didn’t expect you to believe me.” The nonchalance with which Lu Renjia treated the dismissal probably didn’t help his case - but at this point, they really couldn’t give a damn. Or perhaps it was that they’d simply resigned themselves to their fate.

“Though, I have a suggestion,” Li spoke, and gestured at a distant, gloomy corner of the establishment. 

Now it was the salaryman’s turn to give the bartender a similarly raised eyebrow. “I’m listening.”

“No, no, hear me out on this one. The hero Enlightener comes here fairly often. The ‘Eye of Truth’, so he’s called. I’m fairly certain that he has an actual ability to gauge if someone is lying. So if you present your case to him, and he can tell that you’re not deceiving him… Maybe you could get him on the case. He’s got something of a fixation for unusual facts, which is why he loves eavesdropping at places like those.”

“Enlightener… I think I’ve heard of him. Rank 250, was it?” They pondered the idea, and Lu Renjia was forced to conclude that Li did have a good point.

“Something like that.”

They had to admit that the idea was an intriguing one.

If Enlightener does believe me, then… Hm. Would a real hero’s trust value be high enough to guard them from the strange effect? Obviously, we all have some degree of trust at the office, but it’s clearly not enough.

Li groaned as he watched whilst his regular lapsed into another bout of introspection. As far as he was concerned, this was probably being blown out of proportion, and the culprit likely wasn’t the true X - but he’d also never seen Lu Renjia so defeated over anything.

So, he’d do what he could - anyone with an unusual trust counter was living a hard-enough life as was.

“I’ll try to keep a lookout for Enlightener, and give you a call if he’s around, eh? Maybe I can even delay him with a free drink or two, long enough for you to get here from your office. I’m sure he’d be all over a scoop this interesting.”

Beyond the window splattered with raindrops, a neon billboard gleamed with the iconography of the top hero before fading into a different image.

[2 Days Later]

It was a rather quiet day at the office. For a moment, they’d wondered if X had finally gotten the hint or had found someone else to torment instead.

A pair of chopsticks bounced idly between their thumb and index finger as they sat in the canteen, occasionally peering over to their darkened phone screen - a habit they’d never had, until now.

They really couldn’t wait until Li messaged and let them know that Enlightener had finally turned up again.

Deep in their thoughts, they didn’t even notice someone sitting down before them, on account of the canteen being bustling and busy in the middle of the lunch hour. “You seem unusually happy, Renjia.”

Lu Renjia peered upwards to see Mei Chang, a young woman several years his junior, now unpacking her own lunchbox. For a while, they’d worked together on a particularly convoluted project; solely because their supervisors had unwisely aggravated one of the senior employees, causing the work to fall onto everyone below. An average occurrence, really.

“Ah… Do I?”

She seemed nonplussed at the reply, but masked a giggle. “Did the sleep medication finally start working? Because you passed out here last week, and judging by the way you keep mumbling things under your breath, one would think that this office job is a cover for an underground villain-investigation ring.”

“I’d hardly say it’s that stressful. I just…haven’t had much time to rest.” That much was true - the knowledge of X’s identity had kept them up at night ever since the man had casually confirmed all their suspicions. “What about you?”

“I’ve been doing better!” Mei Chang clapped once exuberantly before lowering her right hand, revealing the cyan-hued display on her wrist. “My trust value’s gone up. Still a long way off from a promotion, but you know how it is.”

“Is that so? Congratulations.” Lu Renjia commented in turn; the typical etiquette here would be to show one’s own counter in return, but it wasn’t as if they really could. Not without making it excessively awkward.

“Ah, right…I should have known better than to bring that up around you. Um, forgive me if this is insensitive, you don’t have to answer - but has it always been that way? Can it be fixed?”

Renjia did not respond immediately. Even now, it was a bit of a sordid subject, albeit one that really couldn’t be escaped. “It’s fine. I’ve been asked that in worse ways. But it has always been like this, and I don’t think there’s a fix. It does make things inconvenient even though I have no aspirations to be a hero, though.”

Like getting a job, for one. It really was quite stupid of them to have risked it almost three months ago over something that they should have ignored. If they had, then their sanity would probably still be intact.

“I see. Well…thank you for answering. Say, I have to ask - are you one of X’s believers?”

It almost prompted Lu Renjia to spit out the water they’d just taken a sip of - but instead, it merely led to a series of coughs before their voice stabilized.

“Huh?! What makes you think that?”

“I mean, you have quite a few merchandise that are limited edition, no? That tournament keychain’s impossible to get, even on the online market. You seem to know quite a bit about him, too. So, I thought…”

“No- No! It’s not like that, uh…” Now that they thought about it, though, X did leave them quite a few things intermittently. For one, the framed holographic card, after they had absentmindedly left a frosted cookie on the man’s desk, curiously wondering if he’d still trust food from them after pulling that stunt.

The answer was yes, and Lu Renjia supposed that the infallible hero didn’t have any need to fear poisoning.

“It’s just…um. Collecting it is kind of cool, I suppose?” Now that was a pathetic excuse.

“Oh… Okay.”

She definitely didn’t buy it.

[4 Days Later]

Their phone rings as they exit the office elevator and step out into the lobby. Without delay, they snatch the device out of their pocket and swipe right, raising it to their ear.

“Hey, Renjia. It’s Li. Hope work hasn’t been too rough, because Enlightener’s here today, so try to come over as soon as you can. He says he’s interested in this story, so I’ve put aside a table where you two can talk it out.”

“Is that so? I’ll be right over. See you in a bit.” It might have been considered rude to hang up so quickly, but Li had long-since grown used to that particular tic of theirs.

Good news for a change, something that was a massive relief. Yesterday, they’d endured a full two hours of wondering if their internet algorithm was broken somehow, or if X had somehow ensured that his own advertisements would play on every site they’d visited that day.

It almost puts a spring in their step before they’re rudely reminded by the sound of thunder that it would be raining quite hard tonight - and a dark umbrella fans open to shield them before they begin the trek towards the bus station. Walking for half an hour in this weather was likely to sour their mood to the point of yelling at the first person who greeted them, and they’d rather it not be to an actual hero.

[50 Minutes Later]

Enlightener sits before them now - dressed in a combination of traditional attire in black, and a strange green overcoat that reminded them of the rainiest days in autumn. His black hair hung loosely over both shoulders, framing thin and squarish features, squinted eyes gazing back behind thin-framed glasses. 

Frankly, it’s pretty much what Lu Renjia expected - they’d done some rudimentary research on the hero in the past few days. And if they had to admit anything, it was the that he was a fan of the concept: a hero dedicated to finding out the truth behind unusual happenings, like some kind of superpowered journalist.

“So you’re the one that Li was telling me about. You say there’s a hero messing with you at your workplace?” Enlightener began, both hands clasped around a porcelain teacup - no doubt for the sake of remaining stone-cold sober whilst they listened to what was certainly about to sound outlandish. “It’s a little out there, but I’ve heard worse. So go on.”

“...Yes. People can’t say his name without it being drowned out, can’t remember his features. I tried going into the company records before to figure out what it was, but I was stopped by just about every coincidence imaginable.” Admittedly, it wasn’t really a story they wanted to recount in detail. “At one point the systems even started breaking down.”

They bite their lip briefly before continuing. “He hasn’t displayed any animosity towards me for what I’m doing, but he definitely knows. Said that nobody would believe me.”

Enlightener placed one palm flat on the tabletop. By the time he withdrew his hand, a small machine had appeared where his hand once lay - a strange, lion-shaped construct holding a blank screen in its outstretched arms. From it, a thin blue strand trickled out, shimmering as it connected itself to Lu Renjia’s wrist, the thread harmlessly dissipating against their skin.

Moments later, the dark screen flashed to life, depicting a green circle.

“Hm. You’re not lying in the slightest. Interesting.” Enlightener’s free hand rested beneath his chin as he leaned back in the seat of the corner booth, one leg crossing over the other. “Heroes with memory or perception-altering powers aren’t unheard of. Why they’d work a normal day job or utilize them blatantly is a different question altogether, but let’s just assume you’re telling the truth regarding this.”

“...Thank you?” It really wasn’t clear as to whether Enlightener wanted them to continue, or if his words were merely commentary. “I mean, I don’t see what I’d get out of lying.”

“Excellent attitude!” It’s accompanied by a clap from the hero, as if he were applauding something substantial. “Also correct, by the way. I’ve got a hypothesis already. Say, how high is your Trust Value? It’s quite well-known that most abilities don’t work nearly as well against targets with an equal or greater value. Maybe that’s why you’re unaffected.” 

The assumption was as straightforward as it got - and admittedly, it made Lu Renjia feel somewhat insulted. That was the first conclusion anyone would have come to.

Hence, their rebuttal is swift and incisive. “I don’t have one; and I don’t mean a Trust Value of zero. I simply don’t have one at all. My counter is one of those that’s been categorized as ‘glitched’.”

They lift their right hand, the wrist exposed beneath the dim light of a yellowing bulb - and there is nothing. Instead of digital numbers in the brightest cyan, there is only a flicker of static, before even that dissipated entirely.

Maybe they should have also gotten out their camera, as the expression on Enlightener’s face would certainly have been worth something as a photograph to his fans.

“Glitched? I thought that was a myth…” Enlightener murmured as his gaze fell back towards the manifested polygraph, only to find that the icon of the circle remained both constant and luminous. “Hm. You know, there’s not a very good understanding of those with abnormal Trust Values. I still suspect it’s related, but we’ll leave that aside for now.”

It wasn’t as if Enlightener truly cared about that - he was here for the story of a seemingly-rogue hero, the how and the why behind Lu Renjia’s seemingly-unique perception of the trouble was simply extraneous.

“Tell me more.” The Hero said, taking a sip of his tea whilst motioning with one hand. “If you can just give me some more information on their abilities, I should be able to narrow down a list of potential culprits. I can take over from there, civilians shouldn’t have to get tied up in business like this.”

“Well…” It was at this point that Lu Renjia was faced with a troubling decision. Either they told the truth: that the perpetrator was X, of all people - or he lied, even if only by omission, and the polygraph would expose the fact they weren't telling the whole story. Both were incredibly ironic, and likely to get them branded as insane.

“He showed me his real identity. It’s Hero X.” They spoke the ridiculous statement with all the emotiveness of a marble statue - before immediately ducking beneath the table; a decision that would be vindicated shortly, as Enlightener predictably spat out the tea he’d just drank.

“Hero X?! Are you going to be serious with my time or-” Enlightener’s raised voice was enough to turn heads, before his expression morphed into a combination of horror, surprise, and awe at the notion that their polygraph still failed to show that Lu Renjia was lying. It couldn’t have been by omission, either, with how direct their statements had been. “No, that shouldn’t be possible. My abilities can’t force you to tell the truth, but it’s never failed in ensuring that someone says what is true…”

“I think it speaks for itself, then.” Lu Renjia’s response wasn’t smug, but remained a pointed declaration of fact. “Either I am telling the truth, or there is something else at play here.”

“...Even with a glitched counter, I can’t think of any reason my abilities wouldn’t affect you.” Enlightener grimaced, recollecting himself and pushing away the now-empty teacup. “That just leaves one option, then.”

For some reason, that statement brings more dread to the weary office worker than any sort of relief.

It would never be that easy - and their nonchalance was only because they’d long-since grown used to not being believed. They had the creeping suspicion that Enlightener was possibly considering ways to reject the inconvenient and seemingly-impossible conclusion.

“And that would be?”

Enlightener drew in a deep breath before opening his mouth again. “...You’re telling the truth, but you’re seeing things.”

Of course. At this point, Lu Renjia wasn’t sure who they ought to be apologizing to - Enlightener, Li, or themselves, for being so hung up on a subject they should have tried their best to forget instead.

Enlightener didn’t seem to pay much attention to their dejection, continuing with his current analysis. “Yes, it’s true that the polygraph is saying that you’re not lying… But it bases that off the fact that you genuinely believe you’re telling the truth. It can’t force people to give up information they don’t have. If I asked someone who was colorblind if they saw a green sign, and they said no because the sign is red to them - it would still deem them as being truthful.”

Nothing could have stopped the weary exhale Lu Renjia let out in that moment, “so you’re saying I’m hallucinating. Well, it’s not exactly a new thought to me, either, but-”

Their attempt to explain was cut off by Enlightener abruptly rising from his seat, placing a hand on Lu Renjia’s shoulder. “I mean this in the kindest way possible, but I know an excellent psychiatrist you should start seeing. Maybe there’s some sort of medicine they can prescribe for this issue. You can even tell them that I gave you the referral, and you’ll be at the front of the queue.”

“I- I don’t need to be medicated. This isn’t because I’m seeing things!” Even now, the polygraph still chirped vibrantly and displayed the green indicator of truth.

“And I really shouldn’t have to explain why I don’t think your story is at all believable.” It was now Enlightener’s turn to sigh, and the hero began eying the nearby door. “Interesting chat nonetheless, though. Here I thought I had a really interesting case, too…”

They could keep fighting on the issue, but Lu Renjia suspected that if they did, being thrown in a mental ward was more likely to happen than just being recommended to a psychiatrist. Though perhaps, they would take Enlightener up on his recommendation either way, just not for the reasons he suggested .

“...It’s fine.” They muttered, doing nothing to stop Enlightener from leaving - because they were doing the same to head home; drowning their sorrows was too expensive at a bar.

Tomorrow, they’d send a proper apology to Li for his troubles - especially as they’d ignored all the concerned questions that were directed at them that night.

[2 Days Later]

“You’ve not been doing well, have you?” X remarked idly as he passed the desk of his coworker, who was currently half-slumped in their chair whilst tapping along on their keyboard - it was admittedly impressive, how Lu Renjia could work so swiftly whilst completely deprived of focus.

“No.” They muttered duly, not even caring that they were currently being spoken to by the subject of their torment. Maybe they were hallucinating this, too. “What does it look like?”

“That you haven’t slept well for the last week, and not at all in the previous forty-eight hours.”

“And whose fault is that?”

It brings X pause for just a moment, the notion that he’d really caused the other some genuine discomfort - and a moment after, he deigned to quietly rest one hand on Lu Renjia’s shoulder. “You know, most people would have given up long before you did. But you kept going, and I think that’s quite impressive.

“Impressive enough to warrant belief, really.”

“...Huh?” The implication takes a moment to register, and only afterwards does the office worker raise his head, half-startled. Yet by the time they began to properly parse reality once more, X was already gone - and it left them wondering if Enlightener really did have a point about seeing a doctor for what might actually be a psychological anomaly.

Yet, there was one piece of tangible proof to the contrary, something that they only noticed many hours later: a blue number on their wrist.

A meager, singular digit; but for a moment, it made them feel as if they were truly looking at the world from above.

[???]

X stands alone on the roof of the Hero Tower, and he smiles. He’d been the recipient of an enormous sum of trust over the recent years, to the point that the digits now dangled from both wrists like ethereal ribbons, pale figments of light that seemingly fluttered with the breeze.

Though Trust Value could only be born from earnest and powerful ideations, even several digits’ worth of points weren’t particularly special to him now; all due to the massive amount he’d accumulated.

But he’d never given someone else a degree of Trust, and-

-It really was an interesting feeling.