Fish Pond was far more bustling at night than during the day. It wasn't until eleven o'clock that Devin finally closed the glass door and hung up the "Closed" sign. Once the last customer had left, the day's business officially ended.

Outside, the alley remained noisy, the sounds of passersby continuing into the night. This place never slept.

"Sometimes, we do business late into the night, the kind that's only done after dark," Devin instructed while supervising Heath's cleanup of the bar. "But not tonight."

Heath's mind raced with possibilities. Late-night business? Could it be something illicit...

Having served a variety of patrons throughout the day, he gained a deeper understanding of Liuguang City, the Kabukicho District, and Shouei Street. His biggest takeaway was the prevailing sense of lawlessness.

He felt a pang of self-pity. How did he, a law-abiding citizen chatting with female clients and collecting tips, end up embroiled with the Yakuza?

But faced with Devin's menacing demeanor, Heath dared not inquire further about the Yakuza Gang, deciding to wait until Devin chose to share.

Otherwise, who knew if he might end up in a scenario where knowing too much meant having to be "taken care of"?

"After you finish with the bar, wash the dishes, then get some sleep. We open promptly at six in the morning."

Devin was changing out of his apron and chef's uniform back into his middle-aged man's tracksuit, instructing as he did so:

"I'll be at The Lustrous Club, so I won't be watching over you. But don't think I won't know if you slack off or misbehave. Just because there are no cameras here doesn't mean I won't find out."

Heath had noticed the lack of surveillance during the day. As Miss Sakai mentioned, places like Fish Pond wouldn't dare to install such devices, as it would discourage clientele.

Speaking of Miss Sakai, she still hadn't decided on which nose to get but was determined to make it her distinguishing feature.

"Watch yourself," Devin said before heading towards The Lustrous Club, laughter and music faintly carrying through the closed metal door.

Once the door shut, Heath was left alone in the izakaya. It was a perfect opportunity to slack, but considering the work that still needed to be done and the unpredictability of the situation...

Heath quickly cleaned a basin of dishes in the kitchen, then returned to the bar, poured himself some goji berry water, and settled down to catch his breath before taking a bath.

Earlier in the evening, Ayane had brought him a selection of clothes to change into, from jackets to underwear, each piece brand new and tastefully chosen.

Ayane had indeed been kind to him, yet as the saying goes, all gifts from fate come at a price...

Heath's thoughts and gaze wandered. The TV was off, the telephone silent, and the computer in the kitchen—an antique in his eyes which Devin had strictly forbidden him to touch—seemed an untouchable relic.

His eyes settled on the ballpoint pen used for accounting on the bar. The House-Tree-Person test.

"It's not too late, might as well do a House-Tree-Person test to get some clarity!"

Was his mind experiencing a fantastic adventure, or was he simply going mad? The test should shed some light on the truth.

Heath stood up, grabbed the pen, and tore a page from the server's notepad to use as drawing paper.

A house, a tree, a person.

Different shapes carried different meanings. The key to projective testing was not to overthink, but to let the subconscious take the reins.

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"Subconscious, it's your turn to shine."

Heath held the pen, took a few deep breaths to relax, and let his eyes roam aimlessly around the room. The red curtains, the myriad paintings on the walls featuring artistic text and religious symbols...

His attention drifted to the console in his mind, the progress bar now at 21% on Tier 2, the indigo level.

The page from "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" sat in the database, and the "Share" option still listed "Contact 1."

The izakaya grew quieter, the gentle scratching of the pen the only sound within, while the noises from the alley outside became more distinct.

The sizzling hum of faulty neon lights, the sway of noren and lanterns in the night wind, the rustling of a homeless man rummaging through trash and cursing at stray cats, and the mysterious rustlings from dark corners...

These sounds became the flickering lights, the disorderly shapes, lines, images, and texts of the sea of data.

And they turned into lightning within the brooding clouds, illuminating the entire City of Liuguang.

"My mood's not great; this House-Tree-Person result won't be very positive..."

Heath's conscious mind stirred, signaling the end of the test.

Pen set aside, he looked down at the paper sprawled across the bar.

His eyes bulged, and his trembling hand accidentally knocked over the thermos, soaking the paper with goji berry water, blurring the image and adding a hazy aura in the dim light.

On the small sheet, he had drawn a rickety, leaning house, and standing in front of a twisted, decrepit tree was a headless figure.

And atop the chimney of the house hung a head with indistinct features.

"This is..." Heath felt he could see his own horrified expression in the head's face.

Despite preparing for a poor mental state, he hadn't expected such a result...

Definite cognitive dissonance... dissociative disorder.

Creak.

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening echoed through the silence.

Heath jerked his head towards the noise, looking down the passageway, but there was no one there, the metal door and fire exit remained shut.

Had he heard wrong? He turned back, only to be struck dumb.

A figure was seated on the chair next to him, visible in the dim light. Young male, with an expression of shock—it was him, the likeness of his current body.

He looked at this figure as if staring into a mirror.

"You..." His lips moved, what in the world...

A hallucination? But in the puddle on the bar, the reflection included the figure, part of the hallucination too?

"You..." The figure mimicked his lips, the tone and movements nearly identical.

Heath suddenly stood up, backing away swiftly; the figure did the same, rising and retreating bizarrely.

Sweating profusely, he noticed the figure's facial bones and muscles twitching unnaturally, hinting at another visage, possibly female, vaguely familiar.

Yet looking closer, it was unmistakably his own likeness.

Was this a person or ghost, reality or illusion? The sub-personality!?

Heath didn't dare to act rashly, feeling that the other was studying him, imitating him, even the slightest twitch.

"What are you?" He tried to keep his blood pressure steady.

"What are you?" The figure echoed, just a beat slower than him.

Heath had backed up to the sofa, convinced this was a hallucination caused by the sub-personality...

She couldn't wait to be fed, emerging from the subconscious to cause trouble, learning him, devouring him.

Otherwise, this was a haunting—Fish Pond was haunted!

Caught between attacking the figure with the thermos and fleeing, Heath decisively chose the latter.

He dashed towards the exit, but remembering the severe consequences of leaving Fish Pond without permission, he veered towards the metal door leading to the passageway.

"Devin! Miss Ayane! Help!"

He pounded on the metal door, frantic, thud thud thud.

But on the other side, the music and dancing continued, seemingly oblivious to the commotion here.

Footsteps approached, and Heath watched in horror as the ghostly figure neared, screaming, "Don't come any closer..."

The figure halted, terror-stricken, hands flailing as if knocking on a door, "Don't come any closer..."

...

"Won't Sakai scare Heath silly, doing this?" Ayane Kumiko asked Devin, a note of concern in her voice.

The J-level program of the Actor profession system, "The Mask," allowed one to adopt another's appearance for a while by playing their part.

One effect was to confuse others, especially the person being imitated.

The current training aimed to increase Heath's tolerance for fear and the peculiar, to acclimate his nerves to such situations.

"He should count himself lucky it's just Sakai Three-Liner."

Devin watched with a detached gaze, "Just a shoddy, third-tier talent, a mid-level one-program transcendent who can't make a name for himself in either normal or transcendent society. He's only good for testing and training newbies, not for real challenges.

"I told you she wasn't up to it, and she's your proof of a misguided vision."

"She's really trying..." Ayane Kumiko sighed, "She's just a bit timid and insecure. I came from the same 'Dirt Dog' background, I understand, but if she overcomes this, I still believe she has great potential."

"If becoming a transcendent can't boost her confidence, what will? And effort is the most worthless trait in this world."

After expressing his disdain for Sakai Hanazu, Devin turned his critical eye to Heath:

"Look at that kid, he's on the verge of a breakdown. With no courage or resilience, how can he be a doll? How's he going to work with others, those real troublemakers who cause scenes? Won't they just play him to death?"

"Let's hope Heath can get through this training. He really is a good person."

"You keep spoiling him. I'm just waiting for the day you chop him up."

"He's not like Bat and others who need to atone with their lives. I believe he won't make the same mistake."