After that day, Han Seori never asked me to do strange things again.
Her apology… It seemed like it came from the heart.
Still, maybe because my first impression of Han Seori was good, her slightly… psycho-like tendencies quickly faded from my memory.
Thinking about it, it felt similar to when she gnawed off my arm.
She had that look on her face like she couldn’t contain her curiosity.
…Though her expression was quite different from that time, it evoked a similar sentiment, I thought.
It seemed like her top priority was the experiment.
But it didn’t seem like that was always her top priority.
…Well, how could a person always act consistently?
Depending on the situation… it’s only natural for actions to change.
Anyway.
I didn’t want to dwell on it any further, so I buried it deep within me.
Meanwhile.
The sphere, which had been suspiciously quiet recently, approached me and emitted a voice without any discernible tone.
“Did that female specimen desire her own death?”
What is this guy saying all of a sudden?
Since I didn’t want those memories to resurface, I signaled to the sphere with my hand: no.
“I see. What a pity.”
…This is driving me crazy.
Maybe Han Seori is actually the playful one.
Sphere.
Even considering that this thing was originally human… its intentions still felt very impure.
Could it be trying to get me to think this way so that it can dispose of Han Seori?
Anyway, if Han Seori and Kim Cheon-soo could understand what we’re saying…
Whether they’re pretending not to understand or if they’ve recently gained the ability to understand…
…Since I don’t have the ability to dissect it and find out, it makes my tentacles itch.
So… let’s have a body-to-body chat like the first time we met.
They say that machines get fixed when you hit them, right?
What might happen if I dismantle it and stir it up?
If it breaks in the process, it’s not really my responsibility.
After all, it was Sphere that started with those cryptic remarks.
Anyway.
Even though I thought about giving it a name… no affection ever developed for it, so I just left it as is.
It never explicitly told me how it wanted to be called anyway.
It seemed like peaceful days were returning.
I was sitting in the control room when I suddenly heard a loud noise that made me shiver and tremble.
Daesik also got startled and fell over with a clatter. Jung-sik seemed excited by the noise and sprayed gelatin all around.
Among them, Sosik sprawled out on the sphere, only bobbing his head, which felt incredibly impressive.
“What is that sound?”
“Is something strange appearing again out of the blue…?”
Even Han Seori and Kim Cheon-soo were caught off guard by something they hadn’t anticipated, as their faces showed obvious signs of confusion.
As Han Seori was operating the panel, the floating sphere suddenly emitted light from its “eyes” and began projecting a large image in the air.
It seemed like some kind of beam projector, but since it wasn’t dependent on a wall or screen, it must have been some different kind of technology.
“Huh?”
“Wow… that was a shock.”
Kim Cheon-soo, thinking the sphere might be attacking, gripped the cooking utensil in his hands tightly with both hands.
Han Seori, standing beside him, looked interested, though any verbal comment might just hurt… well, the gelatin.
As the two focused their attention, the sphere spoke.
“An inferior species is approaching.”
Along with the sphere’s words, we focused on the screen to see a figure wandering through a vast, white snowfield.
“Hmm… what is it saying?”
“I don’t know either.”
…The two still seemed not to understand what the sphere was saying, but from the image on the screen, they appeared to understand the situation.
After looking at the screen, Han Seori frowned slightly and spoke softly.
“It’s a relief that this isn’t some sort of singularity…”
“Judging by the clothing, it doesn’t seem like it’s one of ours… Is it someone who’s just passing through?”
Han Seori shook her head while pressing her temples.
“This is not a place someone should wander into unintentionally…”
“…I see.”
The two seemed to share the same thought, as they slightly stiffened while staring at the screen.
If this wasn’t someone randomly wandering in and wasn’t from the world the two belong to…
Could it possibly be… those guys with the middle school syndrome-sounding names?
At the thought of Whale, my gelatin began to bubble uneasily.
As if sensing my emotions, Jung-sik slightly inflated his body and sprayed out gelatin roughly.
…Seeing that, I felt strangely more calm.
I pulled Jung-sik close with my tentacles and patted his body to soothe him.
Truthfully, I still don’t know exactly what those middle school syndrome folks did.
I just know somehow that it’s related to the events I’ve experienced.
However, seeing how tense the two are, my assumptions might not be wrong.
It might even be because of that group with middle school syndrome that the two ended up here in this strange place with me.
While we were staring at the screen in tension,
the figure, walking uncertainly,
…suddenly collapsed on the snowfield.
“Eh?”
“Eek?”
– Bubble bubble.
A slightly dumbfounded voice echoed through the control room.
The sound of my gelatin bubbling in confusion could also be heard.
The figure lying face-down in the snow stirred slightly, trying to get up before collapsing again, burying their face in the snow.
Unless this person is actually a fox in disguise hunting for prey…
…It seems like they might be in a serious predicament.
They’re extremely exhausted, judging by the twitching movements, but they proved their survival by the rising and falling of their body.
If we were to leave them like this…
…I’m sure they would definitely die.
As I glanced at Kim Cheon-soo and Han Seori, the two wore troubled expressions, deep in thought.
During that time, Kim Cheon-soo was the first to speak up.
“What should we do with that person? If we leave them like that…”
He left the sentence unfinished, but the conclusion was clear.
They will probably lose their life.
Han Seori, who seemed slightly anxious, quietly chewed on her thumb and didn’t say anything.
Comparing her thoughtful expression, Kim Cheon-soo seemed… as if he quickly made up his mind, somehow influenced subconsciously by my thoughts.
…Could my ability be subtly affecting his thoughts?
Thinking that, I started to feel that my ability might be quite dangerous.
Since all the thoughts in my head are merely things like “bring pudding” or “bring a sandwich,” I hadn’t taken it seriously.
…But since that “thought” I was almost given has resurfaced, a renewed sense of its danger has arisen.
In the meantime, Han Seori sighed softly and spoke quietly.
“Can you, Cheon-soo, go and guide them in the direction of people’s homes?”
“What if it’s not a situation where that’s possible?”
“Then we should have them find a cave or create some sort of hiding place… Bringing them here is…”
Han Seori mumbled faintly, looking around the control room, me, the sphere, and the gelatins, while Kim Cheon-soo nodded slightly in agreement.
“I see.”
“…Rescuing the person is the priority, so if there’s no other way, let us know. I’ll prepare accordingly.”
“That’s what I’ll do.”
With a determined reply, Kim Cheon-soo took the communication device from Han Seori and hurried out of the control room.
A strange atmosphere hung in the air inside the control room.
Han Seori softly sighed as she came closer, gathered me up, and gently patted me, whispering.
“…We might have to be apart for a while.”
She had an expression on her face that reflected profound regret, as if parting from me was painful.
Am I really that good…?
Come to think of it, that could be why she willingly came to this… secluded place for some reason, even though she seemed fine on the surface.
They do say that bad memories need to be replaced with good ones.
Looking at her now, the image of the Han Seori that calmly asked me to strangle her was gradually fading.
Meanwhile, the figure on the screen twitched and started to get up again.
“Are they heading back?”
However, Han Seori’s hope melted away like an ice cream in her hand.
Without turning around, the figure continued to walk deeper into the snowfield.
What kind of person would come to a place like this?
If they came here for tourism, there really isn’t much to see except the snow, right?
While I grumbled silently, Kim Cheon-soo, who had finished preparing, entered the control room.
He was fully geared up in warm clothing, carrying a familiar bag as he came in quietly.
“Then, I’ll head out right away.”
“…Thanks for the hard work. You’re the only one I can ask to do this.”
“Haha! You can count on me!”
Kim Cheon-soo said as he patted his chest with confidence. His muscular frame seemed strong and capable, but…
To me, it just evoked the thought:
Phew.
What a simple guy.
Maybe all the nutrients that should have gone to his brain went to his chest.
With a confident face, Kim Cheon-soo turned around.
As I watched him, Han Seori gently placed me down, went to him, and whispered something.
I thought she was wishing him luck, but upon hearing it, he looked slightly disappointed and nodded at me.
…What are they talking about secretly?
Is it some sort of victory chant?
Together with my curiosity,
Kim Cheon-soo left the control room, the facility, like a valiant general.
Will his return bring a triumphant report?
I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
