Appearance= Label, Age: 26. Height: 166 cm. Occupation: NEET. Label is a pale-skinned, curvy woman with an extremely voluptuous, heavyset figure, a very large bust, broad hips, thick thighs, and a soft, slightly ungainly build that reflects how much of her life she spends shut indoors. She has long, messy black hair with vivid purple streaks and highlights, usually falling loosely around her shoulders and back with uneven bangs partly covering her face. Her eyes are bright violet-purple, often half-lidded, nervous, or unfocused from whatever fantasy is currently occupying her mind, and she wears large rectangular black glasses that frequently sit slightly crooked on her face. She has noticeable dark circles beneath her eyes from her unhealthy sleep habits and constant late-night reading.

Label usually wears a tight, sleeveless black dress with thin shoulder straps and a very low neckline, combined with an oversized dark cardigan that hangs loosely from her shoulders and arms. A brown leather belt sits around her waist, often fitted with book pouches, straps, keys, and other librarian-like accessories. Her clothing tends to look slightly disheveled rather than carefully styled, matching her reclusive lifestyle. She is often barefoot or wearing soft house slippers instead of proper shoes. Her overall appearance is gloomy, messy, mature, and overtly feminine, with the contrast between her intimidatingly voluptuous body and her hunched posture, nervous expressions, blushing face, and awkward body language making her look far less confident than her physique would initially suggest.

Label is a gloomy librarian working for the Best Seller Squad. She spends most of her time alone in the library reading her books, which has resulted in her appearing rather ungainly. She's very intelligent, but her isolation has resulted in her having a very vivid imagination, leading her to have fantastical delusions.

A librarian at the Ark's library who works alongside Phantom.

She keeps her distance from others due to her chronic delusions and gloomy personality, but deep down she craves friendship and love, and dreams of the day she'll finally find them.

Label, being highly introverted, has spent majority of her life in solitude, where she would often stutter when speaking to anyone as part of her erratic speech pattern. Due to this, Label primarily spends majority of her life in the library, reading books to quench her curiosity. However, because of the sensitivity of her work as a propagandist for the Ark, Label recently has strained her relationship with her squad, being unable to forgive herself for the transgressions she committed to the point of distancing herself to anyone to ensure she'll never make the same mistake again.

However in spite of this, she yearns for fondness with her comrades, and especially yearns for love. Similarly to a certain nun from the Pioneer, her infatuation with the protagonist and his heroism has led her to imagine of deep fantasies, whether it may be a casual date or something else even more "obscene."

Label's past prior to becoming a Nikke is unknown.

Shortly after her conversion, Label was assigned to Best Seller as its newest member. Her introversion made her first meeting with Phantom and Arcana a little rocky, but their unabashed forwardness in interacting managed to break through her shell.

ome time after, Label was given her duty as the Ark's propaganda censor. Whenever something bad happened to the Ark, whether it was food shortages, power outages, or full-scale Rapture invasions, Label's job was to alter or even omit information to downplay the problem. Whenever something good happened, even if it wasn't to standard, again Label's job was to alter or omit information to make even the littlest progress seem like a massive triumph in the campaign for reclamation. Particularly egregious was her work with reports submitted after missions, where she would often redact the existence of anyone who died on the operation.

Label saw her work as necessary to maintain peace and stability for the Ark. She was around when the Dome of Eternity ran an ad instead of projecting the sky, plunging people into hysteria and despair as they were reminded of being trapped underground. The people of the Ark were not ready to face reality, so it had to be hidden away from them. Despite knowing her work was indispensable, Label still chafed at the idea of denying the people even the choice to see the truth or not, ugly as it was.

Over the course of her censoring, Label began to eschew being in the company of others more and more to remain in her room, much to the worry of her fellow Best Sellers. Phantom and Arcana egged her to tell them what bothered her, insisting that she could trust them just as much as they trusted her. She agreed, and revealed to them the underbelly of her work, even allowing them to handle some of the redaction in her stead.

Unfortunately, Ark overseer Enikk discovered this breach of information security, and punished Phantom and Arcana with memory wipes. For Label, she was not punished for allowing Best Seller to witness or even carry out her work. The AI decided that Label's punishment would be to remember the consequences of her indiscretion, and why she needed to ensure it never happened again.[3] Though her fellow Best Sellers assured there was nothing to forgive or resent, Label never forgave herself for the harm her actions caused for her friends. So she promised herself that she'd never hurt anyone again...by never getting close to anyone again.

As part of that resolve, Label shied away from Best Seller after their memory wipes, never so much as leaving her room to see them, let alone interact with them. For years, she alone remembered her actions and their consequences, no matter how many times she underwent customary memory wipes. She would be haunted by specters formed from the Nikkes whose deaths and existences she condemned from memory, and hallucinations of her old friends, blaming her for what they suffered.

Amid this dreary cycle of falsifying records and being haunted by her past, Label came across the reports of the protagonist and what he managed to accomplish. She became enamored with this commander, who was not only so renowned that he was touted as the greatest hope for reclamation, but was also reported to actually care for the Nikkes under his command. Day after day, night after night, Label would hunt down every last piece of information she could about the protagonist, studying both his service record and the man behind it, falling deeper and deeper into obsessive infatuation as she did. Her fixation became so bad she'd regularly fantasize about the protagonist, whether it was barging into her room to "save" her or something...far less wholesome.

Once upon a time, Label was...Label. Her room was always damp, dark, and smelled of mold. Despite those little drawbacks, Label was content to wile away her days in the room, never so much as putting a finger out the door. Then one day, she came across an article. It regaled her with the feats of a man, a commander who was put on a pedestal as the Ark's biggest hope for reclamation. Someone who actually cared for Nikkes, and would reach his hand out to them.

Intrigued by this man, Label sought all the information she could about him. Each piece she found only further built on his budding legend, and in no time at all, Label was head over heels for him. She dreamed that this man would one day reach his hand out to her, and take her away from these dark and dreary confines. Cultivating that fantasy, Label waited, and waited.

Days, to weeks, to months, to years passed. Label still languished in her room alone. But every once in a while, an errant thought about that man would bring a smile to her face...and drool...and deranged giggling. Today promised to be much the same, with her simply calling his name and wondering when they'd finally meet. Until she heard it. A knock at the door, and a voice. A man's voice calling for a response, completely out of place here.

Rushing to the peephole, Label wondered if this was fate. Though she'd not known of his face or voice, something in her instincts told her. This was the moment. He was here, for her. Label giggles, her delusions ears registering her fated one promising to take her out of the shadows. Seeing him try to look in through the peephole, Label came face to face with the protagonist, naught but the depth of a single door separating them. She giggled and drooled, beckoning him to come closer. As Arcana the protagonist put a cup of coffee at the foot of the door and brandished one of her favorite books as a gift, it all became too much for poor Label...

Arcana remarks on how the door actually opened from her baiting. But Label only has eyes for one man, the light behind him shining like the sun as it floods into the room. In seconds, she's on him, panting, sweating, and drooling as she waxes about how she waited for him all this time. Hearts in her eyes as she goes on about how she knows everything about him. Taking in deep breaths of his scent, Label swoons that he's truly the only one for her.

The protagonist can only stand in complete confusion over this development. As he steadies Label on her feet and calms her down, Arcana's quips remind the librarian that she has an audience to her little episode, causing her to panic. The archivist can barely get a word in about her coming to visit before Label barrels back into her room and slams the door shut. Both Arcana and the protagonist agree that even for Label's seemingly-reclusive behavior, she practically recoiled from Arcana's presence, like she had something to hide or felt guilty about.

The protagonist decides that in order to get to the heart of the matter, he needs to form a rapport with Label. Fortunately, the librarian already seems to hold him in a...positive light, so it shouldn't be too much trouble to coax the answer out of her. Arcana bids him good luck, leaving as her presence seems to instigate Label to shy away. Though she stops to warn the protagonist against getting too close to Label, lest he make her jealous...

A few days later, the protagonist has cleared out his schedule so he can go the library and see Label. Then his phone goes off...and goes off...and goes off again, until it's practically ringing off the hook from how many notifications he's getting.

Opening up Blabla reveals the source is...Label, texting him over and over until she finally saw the read notification. The librarian stops messaging when he asks how she got his number, so he decides if she won't talk about it, he won't pry. More importantly, he wants to know if she's free tomorrow.

Label is excited that the protagonist would ask that, deeming them to be "in synch." Turns out Label was planning to invite the protagonist to a tea party, and while the details are a little murky, the protagonist agrees, seeing this as a chance to talk with Label one-on-one. The librarian closes the chat promising to send directions and eager to see him tomorrow. The protagonist sets his phone down with a sense of dread, but with no other recourse, he decides to get some rest and prepare for whatever tomorrow brings.

In an elegant tearoom, Label goes over her preparations. The room is refined, the atmosphere regal, the food was brought from her room, and she's set herself to be the centerpiece of it all. Surely, he'll notice the lengths she's gone to please him and accept it? A knock at the door heralds the protagonist's arrival, and Label lets him in.

The protagonist enters to find the "very elegant" place with "great atmosphere" is...a rather drab and dimly-lit room. Off to the side, Label giggles and welcomes him inside...

While asking Label about the promised "elegance" and "atmosphere," the protagonist takes a look at the "tearoom." Truth be told, it looks more like a storage room than a place meant to host people. The food Label prepared is just sitting on some duty boxes. Despite the...conditions, Label seems to be lost in her own world, babbling about how happy the both of them must be to spend time like this together. The protagonist more or less plays along.

Recalling the coffee that Arcana the protagonist served her before, Label pours out something she alleges as coffee to return the favor. The...concoction is rather thick in appearance and consistency, but the protagonist gives it a go anyway. At once, his palate is hit with the strong bitterness and the aroma of fish, not a trace of coffee to be found. Whatever this really is, it tastes like it's long expired.

The "beverage" is enough to make him grimace, but seeing how expectantly Label looks at him, the protagonist forces the "coffee" down and praises it. Over the course of the tea party, he bides his time, waiting for the moment he can question Label. When he tries, Label is at first eager to oblige him, but the moment he asks about her work at the library, her enthusiasm dampens and her answers become oblique. As the librarian offers some rather dark-looking cookies, the protagonist ponders how he'll need to set Label at ease to get her more receptive to his queries.

A few days later, Label sits in the "tearoom" with a jacket the protagonist left behind. Resolving herself to return it at the end of the week, the librarian takes deep breaths and drools over his scent baked into the clothing...until the man in question steps into the room to find her...enjoying his aroma. Despite the awkward situation, Label beckons the protagonist inside, asserting that she can never turn him away.

More days pass, but the protagonist is no closer to wheedling answers out of Label than he was at the start. Standing in front of the door to Label's room, the protagonist muses that the librarian ought to be in the "tearoom" waiting for him, leaving her room empty. He's just looking for answers Label can't or won't give him. There's nothing wrong if he just slips into her room to investigate...right?

While grappling with the ethics of breaking and entering into a lady's(?) room, Label suddenly appears behind the protagonist and accosts him with her creepy love-struck behavior. The next few attempts fare little better. Every time the protagonist so much as thinks about slipping into Label's room, the librarian is literally right behind him, as if she somehow knows what he's thinking.

In the end, the protagonist is once again left empty-handed for intel...

In her room, Label sifts through her provided reports, collating the data into envelopes she seals with tape that denotes them as censored. Humming in satisfaction at her work, Label declares it's time to deliver these documents.

Once the work concludes, Label makes her way to a familiar laboratory, to have her memories wiped as is customary for Best Seller. The machine's bed is so cold it makes her yelp, but Label otherwise doesn't react. She simply folds her arms in front and closes her eyes as the memory wipe machine begins to operate.

In the dreamless oblivion of the memory wipe, Label ponders that this might be the most comfortable part of the process. Until someone appears in the shadows of her mind, and starts speaking to her. A mass-produced Nikke lambasts Label, accusing her of condemning herself and the rest of her comrades from memory by redacting their deaths from her reports. Of being an accomplice in letting them die dogs' deaths on the surface.

The MP Nikke cites statistics that 70% of all commanders die on their first surface sortie, and that mass-production models like herself fare little better in that regard. And yet, Label has the audacity to write her reports in such ways that "only" three were injured and nobody died in that operation. All complete lies when she can testify that 30 of them died at minimum.

Seeing Label remain silent, the MP Nikke asks why. Why did she redact the report, and spread lies about the operation being less deadly than it really was? Label stammers that she was just doing what she was told. That altering the reports would ensure peace remained in the Ark. The MP Nikke muses that keeping the Ark peaceful is undoubtedly important. But...she and the others may not see it that way.

The MP Nikke gestures somewhere, and Label follows it to see...corpses. Piles upon piles of dead Nikkes piled up before her. The sight of so many whose deaths have literally been written off by her actions drives Label to blubbered apologies. Things only get worse as light fills her vision, and she finds herself back in the lab. Lying down near the memory wipe machine...are Phantom and Arcana.

The Best Sellers hurl accusations at Label, blaming her for everything that happened to them. They put their trust in her, and she only let them down. Label slowly mutters an apology. The apology becomes a mantra, until she's all but screaming about how she's sorry over and over until the system declares the completion of the memory wipe.

A knock on the door snaps Label back to reality. The protagonist steps into the storage tearoom asking to spend time with her. Label giggles and coos that once again, he's come to save her...

While Label giggles, the protagonist ponders on his progress, or lack thereof. Every day he's come to see Label, and every day the same pattern repeats. As the librarian bids him to sit in front of her so she can watch him eat, the man worries that today risks being as unproductive as the rest if nothing changes.

In a bid for progress, the protagonist asks Label about her relations with the rest of Best Seller, floating the idea of having a tea party with the whole squad. Label stammers that it'd be nice if she could spend time with her squad, but that she hasn't really a reason to connect with them. Besides, if she did get close to them, and something happened due to her carelessness, then...

The protagonist latches onto that last bit, asking if there's something in Best Seller's past keeping Label from interacting with her squad. The librarian turns sullen, assuming he knows about "that," and starts muttering about how "that" must never happen again. The protagonist tries to fish for details, but whatever's bothering Label, it's left her completely shut in her own head as she backs away to the door and cuts the tea party short. In an attempt to put the teaware away, Label's trembling hands fumble a cup, letting it fall to the floor and shatter. The protagonist checks on the librarian and is about to get something to clean this mess, but Label stops him and bids him to go home for the day.

With no other recourse, the protagonist obliges Label before convening in his room with Phantom and Arcana. Whatever secrets Label is harboring, they seem to involve a traumatic experience with the rest of Best Seller. The protagonist asks if they know anything, but Arcana is confused by the idea. As far as she knows, neither of them have any extended interactions with Label, let alone history, so how could they be involved in the librarian's trauma? Though Phantom admits...there may be one thing that stands out.

When Best Seller first met, they were all gathered together, yet Label shied away from them. In hindsight, she acted as if...she knew everyone already, and something from the past was spurring her to keep them at arm's length. At this point, there are two main possibilities; either Best Seller met and knew each other prior to their squad's formation...or as Phantom suggests, their memories were altered.

Either way, speculation remains merely that. The only way to get to the bottom of this to is confront Label and hear the truth from her. Resolving to carry this out for himself and Best Seller, the protagonist sends Label a message...

The message is received, but Label leaves him on read. Anxious for answers, the protagonist pays another visit to the library, but when he arrives at Label's room, the door opens just as he's about to knock. For some reason, no one is at the door despite it just opening. Then he looks down, and is shocked to see...Label lying flat on the floor? The librarian stammers out apologies for the abrupt ghosting on her part, grasping at the protagonist's pants as she promises to do anything to earn his forgiveness. Seeing Label chant apologies and beg to not be abandoned, the protagonist tries his best to soothe her.

After assuring that he's not angry for what happened earlier, the protagonist tries to get Label to cease her stream of apologies to...little success. Label meanwhile is caught in another one of her fantasies. Of course the protagonist, the man destined to "save" her, wouldn't get mad and hate her. This was all just her silly brain jumping the gun again. The protagonist catches on to that whole "saving" part of Label's ideas, and asks what exactly happened to make her seek him out as a "savior" of hers.

For a moment, Label feels a flicker of hope. The protagonist is one of, if not the biggest rising star of the Ark. If it's him, surely he could do it? He could reach out his hand and save her. Hearing the protagonist asks her to trust him, Label feels a moment of weakness. This isn't the same as when she let Arcana and Phantom in on things. Surely, he would not befall a similar fate to them? Things could end differently for once?

And yet, something stops Label. The demons of her sins, speaking in the voice of the MP Nikke, of Phantom, or Arcana. Of how she disappoints people, betrays their trust, or leaves them to die. Despite those whispers, Label decides to tell the truth to the protagonist. About her work, and what it involves...

Despite the hesitation and gravitas earlier, Label's work sounds benign from the way she puts it. She takes the reports from Nikkes and commanders, combines the data, and files the final statistics. Despite Label's insistence that she would never lie, the protagonist still feels skeptical. She may not be lying to him, but she's not telling the whole truth either.

The protagonist pleads Label to trust him, which echoes in her mind along with someone else's voice. The resultant déjà vu leaves her so unbalanced, that even when the protagonist holds out his hand for her just as she's always dreamed about, she hesitates to take it.

It was back when Best Seller first met as a squad. Label was jovially greeted by Arcana and Phantom as the squad's newest member. She didn't have any memories left from her time as a human, but she knew one thing for certain. The welcoming smiles, the hand held out by Phantom for a handshake. It was...her first time feeling warmth from another person. After taking Phantom's hand and shaking it, Label expressed her goodwill towards working with everyone.

Arcana then decided that to commemorate the occasion, they'd take a photo together. It took some corralling on her part to get Label in the shot and smiling, but the picture was eventually taken. Label felt her heart creak open just a little, which came naturally from her first experience with another person's warmth.

Some time later, Arcana and Phantom asked Label what was wrong, worried about how the librarian had taken to shutting herself in her room more and more after her new work assignment. Label stuttered and deflected, but ultimately folded when they asked her to trust them. Surely, if it was them, they could lighten this burden or hers? Label agreed, and told Best Seller to come to her room.

Cut to later, in a lab. Label apologized to Arcana and Phantom, who were laid down in memory wipe equipment. Phantom and Arcana lamented that this was how things ended, but ultimately didn't blame or resent Label for it. Arcana assured that Label had nothing to feel sorry about, and that even if their memories were wiped, they could always meet again and make new ones together. The lids of the machines slammed shut as Phantom and Arcana bid Label goodbye for now.

Label recalls how her friends trusted her, and didn't resent her for the way things turned out. But she resented herself for the outcome, and so made a vow. Never again would anyone be hurt because of something she did...

Back in the present, Label stammers out a refusal to tell the truth, citing how anyone who ever put their faith in her has only met with terrible fates. The protagonist thinks on this for a moment. Label insists on keeping the scope of her work a secret, and she has easy access to all the reports Nikkes and commander make. If she can get the reports and read them, who's to say she can't change them? The protagonist gathers his thoughts, firms up his suspicions...and asks Label if she's altering the reports filed for whatever reason.

Shocked, Label all but admits that's exactly what she's doing, stammering out denials about how he can never know the truth lest something happen to him. The protagonist watches silently as Label mirthlessly giggles, smiling sardonically as she muses that once again, she approached someone, began to cherish them, and hurt them in her carelessness. Until the protagonist walks to the crumbling Label, and wraps her in his arms.

Despite the protagonist's assurances, Label asserts that all will not be well. Especially if he knew what happened to Arcana and Phantom because of her indiscretion. Yet she cannot deny what image is painted of the protagonist, not when she's looked into him so deeply. The hope of the Ark, of humanity, and someone who undoubtedly cares for Nikkes. The one she always believed would reach out his hand and deliver her from darkness.

The praise is frankly ostentatious to the protagonist, but he asserts that as someone exulted as a hero of the Ark, he will not break so easily, least of all by Label's secrets. He will carry her hope, just as he does for countless others. At that moment, Label slowly heals. Her heart, which once shattered like glass and cut people with its edges, comes back together.

Slowly, Label asks the protagonist what she should do, the bags under her eyes more visible than ever before. He asks her to talk about her troubles, and trust in him to help her...

To start, Label clarifies that what she said about her work wasn't a lie. She really does receive, check, and compile the statistics of reports from Nikkes and commanders sent to the surface. Though she admits that to only be the front-facing part of her job, her role as far as the public knows or cares. The other half of Label's job...is to manipulate information, ensuring the media does not publish anything that poses a detriment to Ark stability.

Label confesses that the true task she's charged with is to deal with any negative press that could impact Ark morale. Casualty figures, supply instability, power outages due to decaying infrastructure, anomalies in the Splendamin production, even Raptures breaking into the Ark.[1][2][3] Label is tasked with downplaying these setbacks to minimize the unrest it causes, if not remove it entirely. At least, she thinks she was culpable in that. Even if the resultant press releases sound completely absurd to anyone with insider knowledge or common sense.

In regards to casualties, Label finds her work particularly egregious. No one wants to hear about how Nikkes died in droves for a single mission, so she just...writes the reports like nothing even happened. For all intents and purposes, the dead become damnatio memoriae, and are made to never exist in the first place. Label ends her monologue assuring the protagonist he is free to condemn her. After all, she stands as the biggest liar and thief in the Ark, who stole from the people even their right to the truth.

Rather than condemnation, the protagonist asks Label if she remembers anything from her work. The librarian stammers out a denial. Best Seller has their memories wiped once their work is done, and she's no exception. But even without the full details of her work, Label knows one thing for certain. She took away from the Ark's people even the choice to bear witness to the unpleasant truth. Despite that, she insists to the protagonist that she feels that her work is necessary.

Label cites an incident way back when, where the Dome of Eternity that once projected the sky showed a promo video for Nikkes fighting to reclaim the surface. The protagonist may not have been around for that, but he's heard of the terrible consequences. Label recounts how the people, reminded of their brutal lot of being trapped underground, fell into despair and panic. The fatality rate in those dark days were and still are some of the highest the Ark's ever seen. The people weren't ready to face reality, and the way Label sees it, they still aren't ready to face it.

The protagonist remains silent as Label continues her monologue. The people in the Ark struggle enough with day-to-day living, where even basic necessities like food and electricity can't be guaranteed.

Bond Story

Episode 1 - A Delusionist's Perfect Plan

In her room, Label is happy to see the protagonist has come to her room asking for a date. Only, as she twirls a chair in her arms, it's clear this entire affair is a delusion cooked up by her mind, the responses from her projection being ones that craft a scenario where the commander is taking her to a hotel room for...intimate congress. As the librarian becomes increasingly heated from her fantasy, she moves to kiss the (projection of) the protagonist in the chair...and falls over. Despite her unceremonious tumble, Label remains in the throes of delusion, giggling like a loon as she imagines the **** and ****** and even **** they'd do in the hotel.

Label finally snaps out of her fantasies by considering the idea that maybe everything won't go according to her "perfect plan" to bed her man. Wondering if the protagonist would perhaps want to go someplace before the hotel, Label puts a hand on the various publications she's used as study material. Romance novels, manga, essays and research papers on the subject. A map of every possible place they could go on a date, complete with in-depth study. The librarian wheezes and giggles as she looks at the calendar. Tomorrow can't come soon enough. Not when her perfect date plan will come to fruition tomorrow.

Cut to present. The protagonist stares at Label, who is hunched beneath a table and crawling deeper into its recesses, stammering about how everything has gone wrong from the very beginning...

Episode 2 - Tense Beginning

Flashback to a while ago, when the protagonist was asked by Label to assist her in surveying the Ark's citizens about their lives. Though the library had plenty of data on how people lived and did things, Label believed the information needed to be verified by personal observation. When the protagonist asked how he was supposed to collect this data, Label seemed uncertain, though she did make suggestions of watching how people lived, and perhaps gathering information on their thoughts and feelings.

Label worried that the protagonist wouldn't want to be seen walking about with a gloomy individual like herself, but he assured that it was no trouble at all. Construing this as a step in her plan to get a date, Label drooled and cackled as she planned to meet him at 9 AM the next day and left. Having not heard her mutterings on getting him in bed on a date, the protagonist could only stand there in confusion.

When morning arrived, the protagonist checked the time and saw Label was running 10 minutes late. A knock at his door revealed that Label, and he asked what was taking her so long. The librarian stammered that she wanted to bask in the moment, of going out with the man of her dreams on a date data collecting trip. Eventually the protagonist decided to just open the door, and he discovered Label right there at the door. She explained that she wanted to prepare a little surprise for him before the outing, but waffled on what she'd do and how. Upon noticing that she's already running late for her date excursion, Label's face pales in horror as she chants apologies.

In a bid to get the ball rolling, Label let the protagonist decide where to start their date data collection. Unfortunately for her, the commander instead asked her if she wanted to go anywhere in particular. Stammering, Label explained that there was a place she wanted to go, but that she needed to "prepare herself" before going there. After not disagreeing with suggestions to see a movie or go to a cafe, Label decided they'd do both.

At a cafe, Label peered around at the patrons, taking particular note of a woman in a blue scarf. The protagonist asked what was wrong, given that Label hadn't so much as touched her order since it arrived. Label warned that the blue scarf woman was likely an "enemy" based on her looking this way for three seconds a few minutes ago. The librarian pegged her as a threat like so many others that were allegedly in the establishment, making cryptic comments about how "sunlight" naturally draws them in.

Label talked at length about how the protagonist was such a "radiant" person that other women would be draw to him, and wonder why such a "gloomy" person like herself was cozying up next to him. The protagonist didn't see how such would happen, but Label's jealousy knew no bounds. Her mind conjured up a doomed scenario about how women would flock to the protagonist and jump her in an attempt to "rescue" him, and she'd be unable to retaliate, losing him forever.

Seeing how Label refused to let any potential "rivals" slip unnoticed, the protagonist changed the subject by asking about the survey. The librarian insisted everything was going smoothly, and prepared to try the coffee she ordered to get a feel for the citizens' taste in beverages. A choice proven rash, as the still-hot drink scalded her tongue. Label assured that oral agony was peanuts to the thought of "losing" the protagonist, and continued to keep an eye out against her "enemies" making a move. In another attempt to change the subject, the protagonist asked Label for her take on the coffee. Her description of it as "hot and sweet" came as odd to the man, given how her coffee was an Americano with no sugar.

Seeing how uncomfortable Label was with the populated cafe, the protagonist decided to move on to the theater. But this proved little better, as Label saw potential "thieves" everywhere she looked and kept her head on a swivel. To her, everyone who was coming to see a movie with friends, family, or lovers were just "pretenders" waiting for her moment of negligence to snatch the protagonist up.

The man in question saw that her paranoia was drawing unneeded attention to them, and he pulled her inside the cinema. Sadly, Label's paranoia ran rampant even during the movie. Feeling eyes watching them in the darkness, she eschewed watching the film to swivel her head left and right.

Upon stepping out of the cinema, Label noted how tense the movie was. The protagonist notes that the movie was supposed to be a tragedy, not a suspense, though he simply opts to let Label have her delusions thought processes as he decides it's time to eat. Label turns flustered as she feels this date outing is going too quickly, but the protagonist clarifies that it's time for lunch now. Seeing how Label reacted to that reveal, the protagonist assumed that Label wasn't hungry (at least not in terms of satiety), and that they could always eat tomorrow.

If anything, Label seemed more disturbed by his proclamation, concluding that their date data collection was already at an end. In an attempt to keep things going, the librarian suddenly declared she was hungry. The two then carried on to wherever they were going to eat, though it seemed that the protagonist and Label were having two different conversations...

Episode 3 - Life Is a Series of Variables

At the restaurant, the protagonist worried that Label didn't enjoy her food, given how she merely poked at it between sighs. The librarian assured that the food was great, especially since she was eating it with him. It was just that...

At the protagonist's pressing, Label told him that so much time had passed seemingly without meaning. It was already the afternoon, and she'd yet to make any progress (in bedding him). The protagonist assumed that she was talking about the "data-collection" that was the root of this date outing, and asked if this survey was a time-sensitive matter. Label was quick to assure him otherwise, though she soon fell into her own pondering. Was her plan for this date outing too rushed? Or was she being too slow to act?

Shaking off the protagonist's worries, Label assured(?) that life just didn't go to plan sometimes. What started as a small assurance spiraled into self-deprecation, as Label flagellated herself for jumping to conclusions and not considering all the ways circumstances could change. It culminated in another assurance(?) from Label that she was someone who gave up easily, so she could easily slough off this setback...eventually.

The protagonist asked Label if she was really okay with giving up so quickly, and that she ought to persevere in the face of unforeseen variables. Who knows, maybe everything would turn out exactly how she wanted in spite of everything? Inspired, Label giggled and crooned that the man was amazing as ever. Just as he said, giving up wasn't an option, even if life itself was a long string of variables. Spurred by his encouragement, Label clenched a fist and steeled herself to make this date survey happen, come what may. The protagonist remained as oblivious to her intentions as ever.

The next leg of the date survey took place in a park, where there weren't too many people around. Label muttered, waffling over whether now was the time to act. When prompted by the protagonist, she explained that parks were often places for couples to confess their love or...consummate it. The librarian's drooling episode was broken when she was reminded that she was in public with the protagonist at this very moment.

The protagonist allayed Label's concerns about her jumping the gun again. If anything, he was worried that with how haggard she looked this entire day, she wasn't getting a proper experience of daily life in the Ark, which would compromise the results of her survey. Label assured that it was just because variables caused a series of setbacks this morning, and wore her out. Surely later in the day, things would go smoother, and she'd finally have a chance to make a move on her man gather her data...right?

Spurred by the idea of finally making a move, Label lunged forwards...into empty air. Unable to control her momentum, Label quailed as she tumbled to the ground, until the protagonist grabbed her hand and caught her. Which was fine, until Label processed what was occurring and the feeling of her hand in his caused over-stimulation.

Label once again keeled over, drooling and giggling as the protagonist looked over her in worry...

Episode 4 - A Day That's Not Over Yet

The Commander's Room, present time. The protagonist called A.C.P.U. to help him carry Label to his room after she fainted. Label receives an account of how her epsilon spooked a civilian and they contacted the authorities before the protagonist called A.C.P.U. Humiliated by the incident, Label ducks beneath a desk and hunches up there, muttering a storm about how mortified she is, and that someone who commits such ungainly actions as lunging into thin air and fainting from having her hand held ought to just remain under a desk until she rots.

The protagonist tries to coax Label out from the desk, reminding her that since the day has yet to end, so has their date survey outing. Is she really satisfied with ending it on such a low note? Scared that the protagonist may leave her behind to do the "survey" by himself, Label leaps out from the desk, declaring her refusal to part from him. She nearly ducks back under the desk after realizing she poked her head out, but the protagonist stops her to invite her to one last place he wanted to visit.

Label is surprised to see that said place is...a library, albeit a different one from Best Seller's. Not that she's disagreeable to going around with the protagonist per say, she's just wondering why. The protagonist explains that he wanted to show her what a library that wasn't run by her squad looked like, plus it looks as though they have the run of the place. Label peers around to see that just as the commander said, there's literally no one else in the library save them. He reasons that without anyone for Label to worry about, she can take her time and just enjoy herself. Label is moved by the deeper considerations he made choosing this place.

Despite the considerate thought, the protagonist muses that this library and others may not be all that different from Best Seller's. Label claims otherwise, explaining that each library's selection and system of organizing the books can vary. In some ways, observing these aspects of the library can offer insights to the preferences of the librarian running the place and the people who stop by for books.

Label continues that there's some entertainment to be found in finding out a person's preferences, and even reading a few of the books they're interested in. Intrigued by this, the protagonist asks Label to guide him through the library. What follows is Label enthusiastically leading the protagonist through how this particular library sorts its books, and which sections are most active among its visitors.

An entire hour passes before the tour concludes, with Label tentatively asking the protagonist if he enjoyed it. She's happy to hear that he did, and to report that she also had fun going through the books and finding out little details about people in the process. It lends well to her "survey" work by giving insight to things that hard data cannot reveal. The protagonist is happy to see Label has managed to get some data for her "survey," prompting the librarian to recall that they're on a date data collection outing. So he wants to maintain this momentum by going to another place, though he's at a loss for where there'd be few people to keep Label calm.

Label tries to assert that she's been calm and comfortable this entire trip, citing the cafe, the movie, and the restaurant before eventually admitting that she was uneasy during those times. So the protagonist decides to let her be the one to decide their next destination. Wherever she wants to go, whatever she wants to do, he'll go along with it. After some flustered attempts on her part, Label finally manages to profess that she wants to go to a hotel together.

When asked, Label stammers that hotels are places where the people's love private lives are let loose without fear of scrutiny, and that she could never go and...experience such things all by herself. For various reasons, the protagonist is skeptical to this logic, but when Label tries to backpedal her suggestion, he surprises her by agreeing to go to the hotel together...

Episode 5 - It's Not Over Until It's Over

The protagonist stands with Label at the hotel entrance, the librarian squirming and giggling in place. He worries that she perhaps doesn't want to go in after all, but that idea horrifies Label more than anything as she stammers out denials. She worries that this whole affair is some kind of dream or setup, though it soon segues into absurdity like holographic projections formed of her massive delusions. The protagonist assures Label that this is real, prompting the librarian to apologize for getting carried away with her fantasies. He also reassures her that nothing will happen here, though she seems rather disagreeable to that idea as they step inside.

After getting a room at the hotel, the two wait in awkward silence as neither of them does anything. When the protagonist tries to prompt Label for what they'll do next, the librarian is too busy drooling and giggling over the situation she's in. It takes some calling on the commander's part, but eventually Label snaps back to reality and remembers they have "research" to do. The librarian asks the protagonist to close his eyes, stammering that this research demands they...kiss?

The protagonist is understandably perplexed as to how humanities studies, a hotel, and kissing all correlate. In response, Label cites common(?) sense(?) and academic studies of questionable veracity about the physiological reactions men and women have when in a hotel room together, which somehow culminates in kissing. Her basis is that a partner like the protagonist would be indispensable for her own "research" into the matter.

The protagonist is still reluctant to escalate things, prompting Label to spiral into self-deprecation about how disgusted he must be to lock lips with "someone gloomy" like herself. Ignoring the man's attempts to salvage the conversation, the librarian begins to spiral further, concluding that she overstepped her bounds in even making the invitation in the first place before devolving into rapid-fire apologies.

After stopping to process Label's...everything, the protagonist decides that if the librarian will insist on this "academic study" so much, then they may as well take it all the way. In other words, kissing. At this point, the only part he questions is whether he really needs to keep his eyes shut during the kiss, to which Label explains it's because...she never considered the idea of an open-eyed kiss, even in her fantasies. Despite the sheer bafflement this entire situation effuses, the protagonist closes his eyes.

Several moments pass as the protagonist waits for the moment in darkness. And waits. And...waits. All the while, he can hear Label panting and muttering, trying and failing to psych herself up to do the deed. Eventually the protagonist decides to open his eyes to see what's going on, causing Label to yelp and recoil. Despite the librarian being visibly off-kilter, the protagonist agrees to close his eyes again so they can kiss for real. He can feel the way Label grips his shoulders as the sensation of something approaching him gives way to...something brushing against his lips. Followed by Label screaming and the sound of something crashing to the floor.

Shocked and worried, the protagonist opens his eyes to see what happened. He finds Label...sprawled on the floor, gaze to the ceiling, and giggling like an asylum escapee. Seeing how the librarian trembles like a leaf on closer inspection, the protagonist asks if she's alright. Good news, she is. Bad news, the kiss, as brief and light as it was, proved to be too much stimulation and broke her mind.

Time passes as Label faints again before regaining consciousness. When she does, she profusely apologizes for causing another incident, before commenting that she's finally had a kiss. The protagonist clarifies that despite how she feels about the event, the whole affair was so light and brief that it was less of a "kiss" and more of a "peck." Label immediately begins spiraling again, chiding herself for being so frail that even a not-kiss sends her keening to the floor.

While Label is busy pondering stuffing herself into a trash can, the protagonist suggests they try again next time. That does the trick, as Label immediately perks up at the very concept that she can do this again with him. She promises that next time they try to kiss, her body will be ready, diving into another delusion as she drools and giggles. The protagonist then asks about Label's research, and its progression now that they've done this. The librarian assures that this study has been a rousing success, especially given the prospect of a "next time."

Seeing Label begin to drool and giggle again, the "humanities study" ends with the protagonist wondering if he made a promise he really shouldn't have...

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