Suddenly emerging from the wild, Yang Ha-na proclaimed me as the new successor by sticking her hand into my armpit and lifting me high into the air. As my limp body swung helplessly, Yang Ha-na muttered with a worried expression.
“Lime, why do you look so weak? Are you hurt somewhere…?”
I feared that if I remained like this, she might mistake me for being ill and something unbearable could happen. I summoned strength into my feeble body and shook my head.
When she felt my Jelly firming up, she seemed to conclude it wasn’t anything serious and grinned broadly again.
“Guess you’re not feeling unwell then? That’s a relief. What were you doing?”
Even though she knew that without Electric Scent, there was no way she’d get an answer, Yang Ha-na kept laughing joyfully as she hugged me and continued talking incessantly.
Her endless chatter had become so familiar that it no longer irritated me or made me uncomfortable, but still—I knew for sure she wasn’t an ordinary person.
Now that I think about it, maybe her relentless persistence was what shaped Electric Scent the way she is.
Hey, could I be in danger too? At this rate, I could unknowingly regress into infancy under her influence.
Though Han Seori also does it, Yang Ha-na especially treated me like a young girl(?). Now just look:
Even though I’m not a child, the fact that she kept lifting me up made me feel strange. Though I wasn’t entirely uncomfortable, the thought crossed my mind whether this pleasure had been ingrained through conditioning.
Stop!
When I startled her by pressing her cheeks, she laughed even harder, stopping the high lifts and whispered while tightly hugging me.
“Hmm? What’s wrong all of a sudden? Something bothering you? Oh, by the way, Lime feels really soft.”
No, stop… stop pulling me like that! If this continues, I might really transform into Baby Jelly!
Still, I couldn’t just forcefully push her away. If I did it seriously, it wouldn’t result in a mere emotional hurt for Yang Ha-na—her bones would break and her body would be crushed.
…I’m the adult and the considerate one here, so I’ll endure it. Han Seori wouldn’t tell her not to hug either, since she also hugs me. Besides, it’s kind of funny to even think that I could regress to infancy because she hugs me.
If that really happens, then surely she isn’t human but a Singularity, right?
Anyway.
More importantly, Yang Ha-na was heading somewhere. This meant she didn’t come just to hug me. It was her responsibility to take care of me while Electric Scent was busy creating bodies.
Even though her role as “caretaker” was somewhat ambiguous…
So there I was, cradled in her arms, moving somewhere, but something felt off. While Yang Ha-na’s smiling was nothing new, a vague sense of foreboding persisted. I tried to figure out what could make her this happy, but no clear reason came to mind.
Eventually, we stopped at a door I’d never seen before and the foreboding doubled. Though I knew she wasn’t going to do anything awful to me, I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling. Could this be a sixth sense, commonly known as intuition?
As the panel reacted to Yang Ha-na’s ID and opened with a beep, inside…
“Ah, you’ve arrived.”
“Affirmative! Mission accomplished!”
…Han Seori was waiting. If it had ended there, it might have been fine—Han Seori might’ve just tried giving Yang Ha-na some errands to do. But behind her, there was a pile of cute, tiny infant-sized clothes.
Realizing the source of my unease, I wriggled in protest. Was she seriously planning to dress me in those?
I thought she’d given up, but this was just her way of putting me at ease. When had she made so many outfits?
Is Yang Ha-na not human but a factory? My shock subsided when I noticed the receipts on the adorable clothing. Looks like they were purchased outside, not made by her after all.
Before I could say anything, Han Seori gave a faint smile while I recoiled in my Jelly form and gestured towards me and Yang Ha-na.
“Lime, though we know you dislike wearing clothes… this time seems unavoidable.”
“Hmm… wouldn’t you look cute if you wore something? Why don’t you like it?”
That’s why, you guys! It’s so frustrating.
“Perhaps… I once asked when Electric Scent was around, but she refused to explain why you dislike clothing so much.”
“Maybe it’s because she’s used to being unclothed?”
“Hmm… that does seem likely.”
No, I’ve always been like this! Not wearing clothes is my default setting!
Though I wanted to argue, I felt a strange discomfort. Maybe it’s due to lingering human memories, but I felt like I’d become some sort of exhibitionist freak.
But still, I stood straight and confident. If I think that being unclothed isn’t embarrassing, then…
…Wait. Is this line of thinking dangerous? No, I’m not human anymore, so I don’t have to be bound by human customs, right…do I?
Lost in confusion, Han Seori placed a hand on my shoulder and began speaking.
She started explaining why I needed to wear clothes, but it wasn’t anything like needing to cover up or adhere to human customs…
“Lime, the time to debut has come.”
“Wow…!”
Huh?
What is she saying all of a sudden? I’m not an idol, so what kind of debut is she talking about? Though, I have noticed I look cute and pretty in the mirror…
What nonsense!
“In fact…”
Overwhelmed by her sudden announcement, I was about to panic when Han Seori, smiling oddly, finally provided a proper explanation.
It boiled down to revealing the existence of myself, a Singularity, and others like me to the world.
To be honest, I was shocked. Were the Foundation people not obsessed with secrecy?
Hmm… though I was curious about how people would react to such a major announcement on TV, this seemed… quite radical.
However, upon further reflection, it might not be bad.
Thinking about leaving all the worries to Han Seori and the Foundation… it wasn’t really a bad deal for me.
Wouldn’t revealing my existence mean I could roam freely outside? Would it mean… internet access? Perhaps even games?
Though nothing was decided yet, the mere fact that my existence would come to light set off all kinds of happiness circuits in my mind. They burned so intensely that they turned red-hot and almost melted.
“Hem, Lime, whatever you’re thinking about… to achieve it… we need you to wear clothes. It’s better to appear dressed rather than stark naked, right?”
“Yeah, yeah. People can be hostile to unfamiliar things, so it would be best if we make you look as human-like as possible!”
…I instinctively nodded in agreement with Han Seori, but Yang Ha-na’s comment gave me some cognitive dissonance. She could say something like that, huh?
Yang Ha-na feels a little unfamiliar today.
Anyway, I understood what the two of them were saying.
The gist is, I need to appear at an official event or press conference. So… dressing up seems appropriate. As Yang Ha-na mentioned, people tend to reject anything different from themselves.
…Although not necessarily true for all people.
Understanding everything, I nodded, and Han Seori and Yang Ha-na exchanged glances and chuckled in relief before starting to dress me in the clothes from the pile.
“Lime, soaking the clothes won’t do, will it? You can manage, right?”
“Doctor, how about this one?”
“Adorable! Alright, Lime, lift your arms! That’s right! Very smart! Now, your legs!”
“Kyaa! She’s too cute!”
“Uhehe, what about this one next?”
“It’s amazing!?”
…Are we sure you’re picking out my official attire, not indulging your own preferences? Their intent was very suspicious, but considering their effort and enthusiasm, I decided to let it go.
Still, even I had to draw the line at toddler-sized clothes. Seriously, how am I supposed to go outside wearing that? Are they insane?
Because of them, I ended up trying on numerous outfits. Excluding the overly childish ones, they were surprisingly decent. I was also amazed by the sheer variety of clothing.
Before transforming my body, I mostly cycled through a few pairs of jeans and tees, so this was all very new.
To be honest, it was a bit… fun. Witnessing how my impression and aura would change with each outfit was pretty enjoyable.
Maybe it was due to the lack of entertainment here—I found the experience rather engaging. If things go well this time, I might be able to partake in more enjoyable activities. Like acquiring things I’ve only complained about in my mind until now.
Considering the cost of all these events, this felt like a fitting reward.
A little.
I got excited.
It’s not because I’m wearing women’s clothing—I’m excited about revealing my existence.
Please don’t misunderstand.
