For some reason, I felt a sense of solemnity and put the stainless steel bowl back on my head.
“There’s no need to put it back on…?”
Han Seori said this with a voice that carried a sense of puzzlement, but I just felt like doing it, so I simply nodded.
Then Han Seori blinked her eyes, let out a soft laugh, and casually let the matter go.
Thinking about using my ability with the stainless steel bowl on my head, I felt like some character from a movie.
Of course, I wasn’t bald; my hair was quite full.
Anyway.
With the preparations finished, I stood there confidently and gave a nod, and it seemed Kim Cheon-soo was also ready as he swallowed hard and nodded as well.
When Han Seori nodded too, the three nods were acknowledged, and she started manipulating the panel, beginning a small experiment.
Though all she did was get the recording ready, for some reason, it made Jelly feel anxious thinking about it being an experiment.
As the Sphere floated silently watching over everything,
Han Seori spoke while manipulating the panel:
“Starting the new ability test experiment for 7496 – KR, effective from the time shown on the screen.”
Upon hearing her voice, Jelly grew even more tense.
It wasn’t surprising given how, when she mentioned such things in the past, it had led to terrifying incidents like getting fried by fire or having an arm cut off. But then again, we had long since moved past those kinds of events, so that shouldn’t happen now.
Still, first impressions always matter, don’t they?
Initially, Han Seori had picked me up effortlessly and treated me without hesitation, making me feel familiar even when she cut my arm off.
Now, despite Kim Cheon-soo having become the head chef, he still felt like a regular man to me.
…In a way, the image of ‘experiment’ was already firmly engraved in my mind like this.
Since it wasn’t particularly important, I tightened the stainless steel bowl securely on my head and tensed my body.
Though due to the caramel-like sweetness near my head, I didn’t feel even a bit of tension.
Hmm.
Still tastes good.
While Han Seori was operating the panel, she tapped on the stainless steel bowl and called out.
“Are you ready? 749… oh, by the way, we were supposed to name you something, but I seem to have forgotten.”
“Well, you’re right. I too… was unsure what to call this thing inside the doll.”
Perhaps because this wasn’t a serious experiment, both of them seemed distracted by something else.
Anyway.
Were they considering a name for me?
Come to think of it, calling me 7496 – KR felt pretty bleak.
It was like a prisoner’s number to me, who still retained the feelings of a human.
…I can almost sense how those two view me.
Though, I wasn’t quite sure.
I hadn’t seen many other people working here, after all.
From what I’ve seen in various stories, they usually avoided forming close relationships with entities like Singularities.
Well, upon reflection, it was true that Han Seori seemed somewhat familiar at first, but initially, there did feel like a bit of distance in how she treated me.
Somewhere along the way, it felt like the tension dissolved like melting snow in the spring breeze, though I can’t pinpoint exactly when it happened.
Since I don’t possess any abilities like momentary memory like Jelly, it would be more peculiar if I had remembered all these details.
Should I take it as a positive sign?
Actually, it might not be too bad for me.
It was far better than being called by a bleak prisoner number, treated coldly, and subjected to harsh experiments.
But… the portrayals I’ve seen in those stories were somewhat troubling.
Often, researchers who grew close to such entities ended up with unfortunate endings, or were ‘disposed of’ by the so-called higher-ups.
If someone were to ask why I’m thinking about this now, I might simply respond that I’m too busy surviving to think of anything else.
In any case.
It’s alright, so they’re probably just fine with the current arrangement.
I don’t know.
“Let’s think about it later, since we are currently in the middle of an experiment.”
“…Let’s begin— Yes, understood.”
It seems they’re still aware that they are in the middle of an experiment.
Having clarified the situation, Han Seori turned to me and said,
“Let’s see… First, shall we have Cheon-soo hit my head?”
“…”
…Is that even normal?
Still, it wasn’t a difficult thought and it seemed entertaining, so as I looked at Kim Cheon-soo,
I got the idea that he should bang his own head.
Kim Cheon-soo scratched his head and muttered lowly,
“Hmm… this feels a bit strange…”
“How about it? Do you feel the urge to hit your head?”
“Not hitting, but… does it feel itchy, or something…?”
As he said that, he started vigorously scratching his own head.
I instinctively leaned back a bit, and Kim Cheon-soo suddenly shouted,
“Hey! I just took a shower, you know?! Who do you think makes the pudding you eat!?”
“Hmm, why are you getting mad? Is it connected to the sensation of itching?”
“N-no, I don’t think so.”
“Hmm. I see.”
Han Seori became serious and began operating the panel with a strict expression.
At this point, the previously blank screen began to fill with text at a rapid pace.
“It seems that 7496 – KR’s intent is not conveyed perfectly each time. Alternatively, there might be a possibility that actions harmful to oneself are moderated.”
…Wait, did you deduce that from telling him to hit his head?
At first, I thought Han Seori was just playing around with Kim Cheon-soo.
But as I watched her typing, it seemed that this wasn’t a joke; everything she said originated from deep consideration.
I realized that calling her ‘Doctor’ wasn’t for nothing. Watching Kim Cheon-soo somewhat embarrassed, I assumed he probably thought Han Seori was pulling a prank too.
After a while, Han Seori, it seemed, was trying to determine if I could potentially harm Kim Cheon-soo, so she instructed me to carry out a few more actions that wouldn’t cause significant damage even if they went wrong.
“Be sure to focus on the concept of ‘Kim Cheon-soo’ while thinking.”
That too must have some meaning behind it.
I didn’t like constantly recalling this guy, but…
Thinking it meaningful, I followed her instructions.
The tasks I had Kim Cheon-soo perform were as follows.
Biting his fingers.
Stamping the space between his fingers with a pen.
And so on.
Biting his fingers changed to an itchy sensation, just like hitting the head.
On the other hand, stamping the space between his fingers with a pen made him feel the urge to do it and subsequently acted upon it himself.
In the midst of these various experiments,
“Hmm… Then, this time, try to convey the thought that ‘Kim Cheon-soo’ should strangle me.”
“Excuse me!? Doctor, what’s the sudden meaning behind that!?”
“Because I’m curious if this works only when directed at oneself.”
“Even so, doesn’t that sound a bit improper?”
“It’s not only about that, so please calm down first. Besides, there’s no one else around.”
“Huh…”
Han Seori, having calmed Kim Cheon-soo who was raising his voice, leaned forward and looked directly at me.
…Strictly speaking, since my field of vision wasn’t technically based on a face, our eyes didn’t meet. Nevertheless, the sensation of her gaze reaching me was clear.
Han Seori slowly asked me,
“Can you try it once?”
Correction.
Given her young age, was this the reason she became a doctor?
Han Seori seemed to be rather extraordinary in her own way.
In her voice, there was something strange—a sense of peculiar trust.
Does she really believe I’ll go along with that?
Or does she have some other underlying confidence?
What will happen if she ends up having Kim Cheon-soo strangle her neck, leading to something unfortunate?
The horrifying imagery alone made me recall the taste of sewers rats soaked in ditch water for the first time in a while.
To avoid accidentally imagining Kim Cheon-soo strangling Han Seori,
I made the conscious effort to think about other things.
Among those thoughts, the Jellies that were close to me now took up the largest portion.
They were the ones I was currently closest to, and with whom I spent the most time, naturally.
And so, while Han Seori silently observed me, I shook my head covered with the stainless steel bowl from side to side.
As a result,
Han Seori smiled and removed the stainless bowl, gently patting my knowledge pouch and head.
“I’m sorry for asking you to do something strange. I just thought we should check it thoroughly.”
“…Hmm.”
What exactly did she want to check?
Even though I felt like I understood it, somehow the fact that I wasn’t human was vividly reminding me of something.
Despite adapting quickly after my transformation,
Today, I felt extraordinarily melancholic.
“Let’s end today’s experiment here. How about everyone gathers and watches some old movies? We’ve just set up a basic communication network which allows us to do so.”
Han Seori cheerfully joked around trying to lighten the mood.
My mood, however, didn’t improve much.
Kim Cheon-soo’s face suggested he understood something as well, but his expression was brimming with grumpiness.
…Why is that guy such a spoilsport?
And since I’m no longer just a ‘man,’ the exception applies to me.
Still, feeling that some ominous event could arise if I allowed my mind to dwell on this morose train of thought,
I silently re-applied the stainless steel bowl to my head as a small protest and carefully nodded.
Han Seori finally smiled faintly and stroked the stainless steel bowl on my head.
Still,
I dislike
Experiments.
