Han Seori sighed deeply.
Although the decision had been postponed, it was because the discussed topic didn’t sit well with her.
The term “Jelly Girl,” which brought to mind the bleak name “Jelly That Melts Anything It Touches,” had surfaced.
Moments earlier, she had talked about this very subject, making the situation somewhat inevitable.
Yet Han Seori sighed repeatedly as she took a few steps forward, likely for some other reason.
Sitting down at her desk in her personal space, she found her gaze resting on a candy rolling aimlessly atop her desk, her expression turning wistful.
It wasn’t that there was some other reason but as Han Seori recalled the “experiment” mentioned earlier, she closed her eyes, reflecting on it once more.
It had all started from curiosity.
Watching the Jelly Girl dissolve various things as if “consuming” them, her size never seemed to increase.
But there had been instances where her size fluctuated, making it seem a little strange. If she was absorbing something, shouldn’t there be some sort of feedback?
…While it might not be reasonable to expect common sense from something like the Singularity, it was nonetheless an intriguing aspect.
Exactly why Han Seori had brought in the Jelly That Melts Anything It Touches was still uncertain, but she was one of those who sought to explore the Singularity.
It didn’t seem like something she could easily overlook.
That small doubt had led her to start measuring body weight.
At first, Han Seori had personally conducted some measurements after feeding the Jelly Girl certain substances, but after attempting several times, she couldn’t sense an increase in weight.
Of course, given that this experiment was steeped in personal biases, Han Seori smiled contentedly and moved on to the next phase.
Next, she brought in a weighing scale capable of measuring fairly heavy weights, its precision making it perfectly suited for the experiment.
Carrying the scale, Han Seori hoisted the Jelly Girl, who gave her a perplexed tilt of the head, and placed her on it.
“…No rejection reaction to the scale?”
Having wondered if the Jelly Girl might object to having her weight measured given her humanlike form, no such reaction occurred.
Han Seori inwardly wondered if perhaps there was still some human consciousness within the Jelly Girl.
Yet her thoughts swayed more toward the idea that the Jelly Girl was merely maintaining a human-friendly appearance.
The scales had already tipped too far one way to easily revert.
If it were really true that the “Han Hosu” consciousness was within that girl…
…Well, how could a perfectly normal young man end up behaving like this, in the form of a girl?
It just didn’t seem plausible.
Reviewing the dossier, Han Seori thought the person in question didn’t have such inclinations.
Of course, he might have had a secret hobby… but still, it seemed off. Even if someone had uncovered a hidden aspect of their nature in a crisis, did that nature have to manifest as something as small as a little girl?
…Anyway.
Right now, the important thing was the weight.
Thus, Han Seori raised the Jelly Girl once again…
…And placed her on a large scale.
However…
The needle flickered slightly at the initial impact when the Jelly Girl was placed on it but, for some reason, refused to move any further.
“Huh?”
Han Seori stared blankly at the unmoving needle.
“Zero?”
Could this actually be happening?
She blinked repeatedly at the stationary needle for quite a while.
Then, disbelieving the result, she lifted the Jelly Girl again by the armpits.
A soft, squishy sensation returned along with a sense of weight.
Not heavy, but not overly light either. Oddly perfect.
“…So, the Singularity really is a Singularity after all, huh?”
In light of this unexpected peculiar trait, Han Seori pondered for a moment before heading outside the isolation chamber, making her way to the location where other already “safe” Singularities were stored.
“There’s bound to be one in our branch.”
Upon arriving at the storage room and reviewing the list, she quickly located her target and filled out the withdrawal form.
“Confirmed.”
“Thank you for your work.”
After submitting the form and securing the Singularity, Han Seori returned to the Jelly Girl, “Jelly That Melts Anything It Touches,” and placed a weighing scale in front of her.
The Jelly Girl blinked, seemingly a bit startled.
“Hmm… She’s never seen a scale before?”
Another small weight was added to Han Seori’s internal scales, tipping even further with each confirmation of bias.
Perhaps this was what she wanted all along.
Han Seori once again hoisted the Jelly Girl, placing her onto the scale.
Though it looked like an ordinary weighing scale, it was, in fact, a Singularity.
Named “The Dieter’s Sorrow,” this Singularity would move the needle regardless of the subject’s current state.
Because of its relatively harmless nature, it was often employed in unusual situations.
Like now.
As the Jelly Girl was positioned on the scale, its cute little needle began to move gently.
The Jelly Girl looked at the moving needle with a hint of fascination, her expression vacant.
Seeing this, Han Seori felt a strange sense of satisfaction, even appearing a little excited.
“Alright…!”
Excited, Han Seori handed over a nut to the Jelly Girl, and the scale’s needle moved accordingly.
Moments later, after seemingly swallowing the nut instinctively, its needle indicated a corresponding weight increase as the nut melted inside her.
Han Seori couldn’t help but marvel.
It seemed some force beyond human comprehension was at work.
Had she been satisfied with this discovery, she might not have found herself sighing deeply so often.
But lost in enthusiasm, she began testing by inserting various things into the Jelly Girl’s body, carefully measuring the changes in weight.
Until a thought suddenly crossed her mind…
Could she decrease the weight too?
This random thought tilted her mental scales even further…
“Haa.”
She had crossed the line.
Though the data collected was useful, recalling the somewhat flustered expression on the Jelly Girl’s face left Han Seori trembling.
“…If there were such a thing as ‘affinity’, it would have dropped a lot.”
Still, this was merely her personal feeling.
As a researcher in this facility, this was undeniably an intriguing development.
A potential store of mass or energy beyond human cognition could allow for survival in extreme conditions, given proper energy supply.
Had her internal scales leaned toward the concept of a human consciousness within the Jelly Girl, she might not have entertained such thoughts.
But her scales were already skewed.
“The Jelly That Melts Anything It Touches” was a Singularity, after all.
And those people who couldn’t fully grasp its manual were real, living humans.
Even though she’d been advised to hold off a bit more, her mood couldn’t be described as anything other than abysmal.
Running her fingers through her hair in frustration, Han Seori rose and paced toward the isolation chamber where the Jelly Girl was kept.
Unable to muster the courage to enter, Han Seori released a light sigh, manipulating the control panel instead.
As she could observe the inside from the outside, she wanted at least to catch a glimpse of the Jelly Girl’s face.
Through the viewport, Han Seori saw the Jelly Girl lying limply among toys, exuding a palpable sense of despondency.
Even with toys tailored to her form, seeing her dejected expression made Han Seori feel a mix of cuteness and melancholy.
Judging by her state, it seemed prudent to suspend further experimentation for now.
The only movements inside were from the gloopy, oozing secretions expelled by the Jelly Girl, now aimlessly inching toward and attempting to consume a seated doll.
The Jelly Girl lazily halted the ooze’s advance on the doll.
“…There’s still a possibility.”
Maybe time would solve this riddle.
Han Seori mumbled to herself, adjusting the panel and closing the screen.
Subsequently standing before a vending machine with only one button, she pressed it without inserting any coins.
Clunk.
Wordlessly, she picked up the dispensed can.
The can was devoid of any discernible printing.
Unhesitatingly, Han Seori popped the top and drank it down entirely at her standing position before tossing the now-empty can back into the slot.
Clunk.
Hearing the sound of something falling somewhere, she shuffled back to her personal quarters, her face slightly flushed.
…Exactly what does she think I am?
Randomly slicing off my arm like that… It seemed like some kind of research, which was confusing, so I decided to let it slide.
Anyway, the cuts would heal quickly since I’ve consumed so many things I didn’t like.
But the issue is…
I looked at the various toys scattered around me.
Each appeared to be the sort of toy little girls, especially young ones, would play with.
…Why are these even here?
Is she suggesting I should play with them?
It’s ridiculous. As I lay sprawled on the floor, the ooze responsible for cleaning up junk started to move toward the doll.
I panicked and stopped it.
Am I supposed to eat people now? What’s she thinking?
You’re really no help at all.
After muttering under my breath for some time, I worried that without my noticing, the ooze might actually consume the doll, so I approached it.
Positioning myself as if ready to eat, threatening it with the gesture.
It was also a warning: if it tried anything else, I’d push it back inside my body again.
…I felt a bit embarrassed, unable to speak, so I had to resort to body language.
The ooze seemed to understand, moving only quietly as before, no longer trying to eat the toys.
Well, at least it understands.
Reassured by these bubbly exhalations, I looked at the toys again, particularly the dolls.
Then I thought:
It wouldn’t be nice to ignore the toys she brought for me.
Friendly actions were preferable to hostile ones.
So, I picked up the doll the ooze had tried to eat.
…From now on, your name is Alice.
We should spend some time together.
It’s definitely not because I’m bored.
