The door, which I thought was firmly shut, opened. Slowly, as the door opened, a bent old man and a smiling man entered.
The old man yawned as if he had no care in the world, while the man who had entered ahead of him looked around the room with a smile.
Though the man was smiling, the smile felt dry and emotionless.
His hawk-like gaze, with eyes shaped like gulls’ wings, was cold as it scanned the surroundings.
Even while scanning, he didn’t forget to speak with a tone of regret.
“Looks like there’s really no one here, huh?”
“Hmm… I thought this wasn’t the type of person to just disappear, but you really can’t judge a person by their appearance.”
The man, who was making light conversation with the old man, noticed the tiny, faint footprints on the floor.
The small, round footprints looked as if they’d been left by a small animal. The old man, who might’ve had old eyes, didn’t notice them, but they were as clear as if viewed through a magnifying glass to the man.
‘…I’m not sure if they’ve left yet, but it’s certain they were here.’
Everything pointed to the temporary designation ‘Damn Mucus’ having been in the place.
The faint marks left in the lightly accumulated dust.
The strangely organized retort pouches and cup noodles on the floor.
The obviously unnatural mess of boxes.
…And lastly,
‘This smell…’
The smell of a product from Soylent Purple Co. could be detected.
Though faint, the old man seemed not to notice it, but the man was no stranger to such tasks and could pick out the subtle scent.
It seemed someone had been in the room moments before.
Though the scent alone wasn’t enough to determine if it was Damn Mucus or someone else, combining it with the other clues suggested it was likely Damn Mucus.
‘…Strange.’
That meant Damn Mucus must possess some intelligence.
Though there was also the possibility that, during fusion, it found its way here instinctively, considering this place as ‘home.’
‘Not my decision to make, though.’
Needless thoughts only increase workload and decrease your lifespan.
At least, that was the case where the man currently served.
Therefore, it was enough to know that Damn Mucus had a high possibility of being here.
Not to mention, with the old man being present, a more thorough search of the room wasn’t possible.
Especially places like the bathroom, the cabinets, and…
…the bed beneath which a dark shadow fell.
Thinking of Damn Mucus being under there made it seem perfectly positioned for an ambush should he peek.
“Hey, shouldn’t we leave soon? It’s not polite to stay too long in someone else’s empty room.”
“Ah, yes. Let’s go then.”
The man, after glancing at the dark space under the bed, moved his steps.
His report was simple.
There were signs that someone had stayed here.
Judging by the absence of human traces, it was believed that Damn Mucus had been in the victim’s house.
Although the main entity wasn’t found, it was judged that it might be hiding.
There were no additional opinions. Just a statement of facts. The man found this sufficient.
After hastily leaving the building, the man concealed himself and placed a call somewhere.
While the man provided a dry report,
a figure with a concealed face entered the building.
—
…Are they gone?
It was honestly a jittery situation for Jelly.
Even after thoroughly erasing the traces and hunkering down under the bed, the suspected visitor—a likely homeowner, an old man—and another person left quietly.
Perhaps I’m overreacting. There’s also the possibility that the company sent someone without my knowledge.
…Unlikely though, but upon thought, it seems it wouldn’t matter much anyway.
The fact that I can’t expose myself remains unchanged.
So, am I safe for the time being?
With a sigh of relief within me, I remembered an event from just before under the bed.
I had hastily swallowed the retort pouch since there was no time to dispose of it.
Though I didn’t want to ingest the uninviting smell, circumstances left me no choice.
Interestingly, despite the unpleasant smell, the taste wasn’t bad—it was just about edible.
Before my transformation, it would’ve been “Wow, this convenience and taste for this price?” Now… how should I put it… it tastes like something in-between.
Like eating cheap substitutes instead of real meat even though you’ve got actual meat.
It was a flavor I’d never tasted before. Though I guessed it was cooked meat, it was an entirely unfamiliar taste.
Had my taste changed since becoming a jelly?
But, the cup noodles and beer tasted just the same. Maybe after living off cheap fish in the sewers, I’ve developed a trauma for meat?
I don’t know.
Something…Something feels off, but I have no information to clearly solve this mystery.
Anyway.
I waited until the voices and footsteps faded before slowly crawling out from under the bed.
Squatting in front of the retort pouches stacked on the floor, I became more intrigued by the immediate mystery before me than abstract thoughts about the future. After all, this is who I always was.
…And this sense of attachment to emotions that signify my human continuity might be something I didn’t want to ignore…or perhaps I was just tipsy with the fact that I had outsmarted those chasing me.
I crouched, intently staring at the packaging of the retort pouch, trying to discern something I hadn’t noticed before.
However…
…I failed to notice the arrival of another visitor.
Huh?
Isn’t this strange? Since transforming, I’ve become quite sensitive to presence, so why didn’t I notice this time?
Click!
Startled by what sounded like a locking mechanism, I tried to move my slow body—but found myself unable.
It was as though I’d been boxed in, unable to move.
Indeed, checking my surroundings, I noticed I was inside some kind of rectangular object.
And above me, I saw the hand of someone who seemed to be holding the container.
Looking up a little further, I saw a person whose gender was unclear, chewing on what appeared to be a piece of bamboo, wearing sunglasses.
What’s going on? This person’s definitely not a ninja from another dimension…
But I didn’t have time to see more.
As a dark cloth surrounded my container with a rustling sound, movement set in, in sync with someone’s steady footsteps.
Only then did I realize that I was being moved, as if kidnapped.
What…?
Did I not deceive them properly?
Could they have come from somewhere else?
My mind churned with countless possibilities.
What’s going to happen to me now? Will I spend my life locked in a cage being experimented on? Should I claim that I am, in fact, originally human? Can I even communicate my situation? If I can, will they help me? Maybe they’ll turn me back? Someone! Help! There’s a person here!
Clunk!
The sound of a car door closing silenced the thoughts swirling in my head.
And in its place came deep sadness.
Stupidly overconfident in thinking I’d evaded pursuit, here I am now.
Since transforming into jelly, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced such emotional fluctuations.
Vroom.
The car starts.
I’ve really been kidnapped.
As my confusion took hold, a calmness akin to the silence I maintained even in front of crocodiles and armed men enveloped me.
A sigh escaped me, even though I lacked a heart to beat with worry, as a faint voice seemed to mumble nearby.
“Hey, it’s all good except… there’s always this unease…”
A voice of a man.
Tiredness filled his tone.
The muttering man began a phone conversation after a while.
“We managed to secure it for now, but is this really okay? If you insist, I’ll get rid of it, sure. But, you know, while a demotion might be the worst for you, Doctor, who knows what I might have to endure?”
My nonexistent heart thudded.
It was like hearing the reality of something I’d only imagined abstractly before.
“…No, if you’re right, then perhaps it’s fine. But… hmm? Um, alright, understood.”
The previously grumbling man suddenly grew serious after hearing something, then stopped talking.
Hoom…
The soft hum of the car’s movement filled the air, along with the ambient sounds of other vehicles outside.
The man said nothing more.
A suffocating silence enveloped us.
…How long would it last?
What made him fall silent? If I’m being abducted, shouldn’t I gather as much info as possible?
Where am I going now?
How much time passed?
The surrounding vehicle noises ceased.
It must mean our destination was near.
The jelly trembled.
—
