The One Who Made the Mistake

Some went to the café for a brief rest; others headed at once for the report area in the Bulletin Office to put together the day's work reports before going home. Vihal and Edwin made for the Bulletin Office.

It seemed certain now that a whole string of mistakes had been happening since morning, and even the superior angels who received the reports from the Cloud Painters were clearly busy with some confusion of their own.

The two found an empty place near the stairs that led from the Bulletin Office up into the Planning Division and began writing their reports there.

The Planning Division's rooms, much like the dining hall at lunchtime, seemed crowded with people coming and going, and even superior angels—called in, it seemed, though it was their day off.

"This may be the first time…"

"Hm? First time for what?"

"That I've ever seen one of the superior angels from the Planning Division…"

Vihal murmured it, recalling the beautiful superior angel who had gone into the room above not long ago, with straight hair the color of gold tending toward brown, tied in one knot behind.

"Ah. Unless something major happens, they keep pretty strictly to a day watch and a night watch over there. The one who came just now is normally on the night watch, and was supposed to be off today and tomorrow, but apparently things got too tangled and he got called in."

"…Does that mean today's uproar really was that serious…? Wait—Edwin… this is all about the Planning Division. How do you know so much about them?"

"When I became a Mid Angel, I ended up speaking with the superiors of all sorts of divisions.

One of the conditions for letting me stay where I am was that I'd help with odd jobs for the higher-ups too. They called me in during break times, and that's how I found out."

"I-I see…!"

Vihal had to revise his understanding. Edwin, in ways Vihal had never even known, had come to stand in a surprisingly important place.

"Anyway, today it was all support the Cloud Painters, support the Cloud Painters. I've been flying all over even through my breaks, so I'm worn out."

As the two were writing their papers and talking, voices—not quite a shouting match, but loud enough—sounded from the Planning Division room above the stairs.

"Whatever else happens, you are confined for the time being! At the very least, you will apologize to the Cloud Painters gathered in the Bulletin Office now!

After that, remain in your room until there is an official decision!"

The one who came out at those words was the angel who had thrown water on Vihal the other day.

"…I'm sorry…!"

With his head bowed, he came out holding a single sheet of paper in his hand.

The door slammed shut behind him, and he came down the stairs in slow, dragging steps.

"He is…"

Vihal murmured, and an angel working on his report nearby said,

"It seems almost all the mistakes since this morning came from the instruction sheets he wrote up.

Maybe this is punishment for splashing water on you the other day."

"No… surely not…"

The angel coming down the stairs shot Vihal a glance, then lowered his eyes again and passed by them with a face that looked acutely uncomfortable.

Just then, Vihal saw several Cloud Painters come up and deliberately shoulder into him.

"…!…"

The collision knocked the paper from the angel's hand and sent him reeling to the floor.

*How awful*—Vihal was about to go and offer him a hand up, when the sheet of paper fluttered down to the floor at Vihal's feet.

What he had glimpsed as it fell snagged at his mind. He picked it up and looked—and saw that it was the instruction sheet for that seventy-percent sky.

"This is…!"

Looking at it, Vihal understood—probably all at once—what had happened today.

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