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You take a look at the buildings around you. Each one is a partition, and their external facades are far bigger than their internal storage spaces. Squid vaguely explained that the insides of most buildings won't be loaded. Instead, the Network equivalent of the entire district is only responsible for the flow of data. Once you're inside, you'll be passing through this exact layout, but it'll be a ghost town.
Right before your eyes, a billboard goes black. Groans spread across the crowd, and massive swathes of people glance up at the malfunction. Bots swarm the screen in moments, attempting to repair it.
<span class="mu-s">"It's broken."</span>
"From the way they're reacting, they've been getting used to it. Not getting any happier, though."
You continue moving across the streets, scanning their layout using an .app. Some of the buildings are shorter or taller than the 3D projections you've found online.
<span class="mu-s">"This doesn't look right."</span>
"Remember what Doc said? They grow and shrink depending on how well their workers are performing."
<span class="mu-s">"So if they do a terrible job, the building can just disappear?"</span>
"Probably not. It's just to encourage competition or something. None of these jobs are really needed anyway, they wouldn't kick people out of them."
<span class="mu-s">"I STILL haven't seen-"</span>
As if to grant his wish, a lady with a pencil skirt and clipboard steps in front of you.
"Hi!" She chirps.
"... Hi."
<span class="mu-s">"Who's this?!"</span> Phascomon whispers in your ear. You feel your Digivice hum slightly as he gets excited.
"Saw you running into a spot of trouble. But don't pay those number-crunchers any mind—you look like a sharp one! How would you like to-"
"No thanks."
You start to walk off, but your partner clicks his tongue in disappointment. You sigh deeply and dig your heels into the ground, then turn back to face the recruiter. He won't understand what's going on here if you avoid every person like you usually do.
"Fine. What do you do?"
Her face lights back up, and she begins pulling out projection screens from her digital clipboard. You take a good look at her. She's dressed in formal attire, but it looks a lot easier to move around in than the stifling suits. She has a bob cut with two large puffs on the top, and thin eyes.
"I'm Nemu! We're looking for sprightly, self-driven employees with an eye for details. Here-"
She pulls up a sample of her job on the largest screen. You glance at your Digivice and see Phascomon's face pressed against the screen. He's watching through your goggles as usual.
