Han Seori entered with a strange expression and led me somewhere.
Since it was always the case, I followed her without question, though I did wonder about her odd face.
Previously, I was moved inside a glass container, but these days, I move by holding her hand.
Interestingly, when I was inside the glass container, there were often people who looked at me with uneasy eyes, but now that I walk holding her hand…
Passersby often pet me or give me snacks instead.
…Well, even when I was in the glass container, it wasn’t like I never got snacks, but it was somewhat more passive, I think?
As I melted a snack given by some unknown person in my mouth (if I can call it that) and felt a sense of irony…
A space different from usual greeted me.
I don’t know how to describe it, but it seemed like some kind of gymnasium.
Well, I can’t exactly say, but it felt like one.
I wonder what they’re making me do this time?
As Han Seori and I entered the place, an ordinary-seeming man… no, now I remember, he was called Kim Cheon-soo, right?
Kim Cheon-soo approached me holding a fairly large box.
Gently placing the box down, Kim Cheon-soo opened it as Han Seori nodded.
Given my bad memories associated with boxes, I flinched as it was opened, but Kim Cheon-soo chuckled and rummaged inside the box.
The guy is still grinning, clearly amused by my reaction.
Since I’m not human, my cheeks didn’t turn red nor did my face grow hot, but for some reason, the jelly near my face felt like it was bubbling.
…No, if you were locked in a box a few times, you’d react the same way.
This is what they mean by being startled by a pot lid after seeing a tiger, right?
Though I wanted to punch him a few times for fun, I restrained myself.
…Should I just hit him once?
While I was contemplating whether to properly educate the insolent fellow, he pulled something out of the box, approached me, put something on me, and spoke.
“Shouldn’t you eat this?”
The guy put some sort of bracelet on my jelly arm. As I gazed at it, upon turning my hand downward, the bracelet fell to the ground with a thud.
The man hurriedly picked it up while Han Seori asked curiously.
“Hmm? Did you put it on properly?”
“Ah… I guess it wasn’t suited for the arm.”
Scratching his head in response to her question, the man glanced over my body, finally fixing his gaze on my neck area.
Hmm… Does this guy have some… preference or something?
While I eyed him skeptically, he unexpectedly said something.
“Hmm, it might look weird, but how about putting it around the neck?”
“Hmm…”
Han Seori seemed to be pondering over the suggestion.
…Wait a moment.
You’re planning to put it around my neck?
What even is it?
I looked at the bracelet-like object in his hand with a sense of confusion.
It looked like something you’d put on an animal.
Ah, this isn’t right.
I sent an imploring look to Han Seori, but she lightly smiled, nodding at Kim Cheon-soo as if understanding something.
Didn’t she understand what I was trying to say?
The guy, encouraged by Han Seori’s nod, fiddled with the bracelet, stretching it a little longer before starting to put it around my neck.
It felt like something wasn’t quite right, so I subtly pushed his hand away, but…
“Ah, endure a little. It’s all for your own good.”
That line sounds like something characters might say in Isekai novels when they seal someone’s mana with a restraint bracelet.
I felt like I was the main character getting handed sweet potatoes to the readers.
Click.
I heard the sound, and something was fitted around my neck.
To be honest, it wasn’t uncomfortable. But it felt like something was sinking within me, as if I had become something less than human.
Ah… Yeah.
Let’s just call it a choker.
Though I wasn’t someone called “MH” or trendy, and I’ve never worn jewelry like that in my life, trying to think of it as a choker improved my mood somewhat.
Looking at myself in the mirror, I thought I might even look okay with it.
…Anyway.
Since they said not to melt it, I followed their instructions for now.
After some time had passed and the thing around my neck didn’t merge into my body, they looked satisfied and pulled out something else.
This time… it was a bag that felt a little crunchy.
The regular-looking guy handed me the bag with a somewhat delighted look.
How long had it been since I last wore a school bag?
Perhaps because of the ominous choker around my neck, the bag-wearing… well, this wasn’t exactly a school bag anyway… felt less objectionable.
If this was the goal they were aiming for, it was a commendable tactic.
Is this what negotiation techniques are?
After equipping the full set, they filled the bag with something heavy.
The tilting of my body was less concerning than the possibility of the jelly inside being disturbed, so Han Seori and the regular guy adjusted the weight inside, taking it out and putting it back to find the optimal balance.
After finding the optimal weight… what happened next?
…Well, there was another ordeal to find the right balance.
It kept sinking into the jelly as it moved.
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Days later.
Han Seori looked at the 7496 – KR Jelly Girl struggling with her own jelly inside the glass container.
Her struggles seemed to be due to the cramped space inside the glass container, and Han Seori didn’t seem too happy about it.
Though she wanted to bring the Jelly Girl without the container, like she did in the lab, a balding man strongly opposed it.
Not wanting to trouble him any further, given how busy he was, Han Seori had no choice but to carefully encase the Jelly Girl in the glass container.
Still…
Reflecting on where they were heading, she wondered if it was necessary.
‘This feels like unnecessary waste.’
What could she do?
Han Seori could only tolerate the increasingly balding grandeur of Yoo Gang-jik, who wanted to preserve what little hair he had left.
The problem was…
‘…I did suggest this.’
Would it be all right?
Han Seori sighed, worrying belatedly. Upon hearing this, the Jelly Girl tangled in her own jelly inside the glass container looked toward her.
As the Jelly Girl looked at her, Han Seori returned the gaze.
Her expression appeared somewhat indifferent, but since she clearly reacted to her sigh, …she must be concerned about me.
Does she know what she’s about to do?
Regretfully shaking her head, Han Seori thought to herself:
‘She’s…’
A singularity.
The incident they termed a “kidnapping” had been over for quite some time.
After delegating the other processes to the man with thinning hair, Han Seori had been conducting various tests to see what could be done with the small Jelly Girl.
What environments she could adapt to.
Whether she could wear equipment, and so on.
Most importantly, can she understand speech?
It would be hard to exchange detailed information, but she needs to understand simple goals to function correctly.
In this regard, the Jelly Girl proved extremely interesting.
Apparently, the effort of continually feeding her snacks during training paid off, as it seemed like she could follow various instructions well enough.
It felt strange treating the tiny girl like a puppy, but it was necessary.
She even found her wriggling around while trying to communicate something somewhat cute.
Looking back, when she asked me to find her a doll, it was already a sign of her capability to communicate.
‘Perhaps… Should I teach her to read?’
She seemed capable of it, but that was something to consider if they returned from the current task at hand.
The moment Han Seori started twisting her hair.
Ding ding ding!
Boom!
The distant sounds of gunfire and something exploding reached their ears.
It seemed they were almost at their destination.
As the vehicle carrying Han Seori and the Jelly Girl stopped—perhaps because the operation was nearing its end—the gunfire also ceased.
When she stepped out of the car with the supplies and the cart holding the glass container, a few people silently followed her.
Eventually, her eyes saw…
Monsters, riddled with bullets and now unrecognizable as piles of meat.
They resembled creatures out of some childhood anime.
Even though they had become shapeless lumps, I had this impression from the reviewed records.
Anyway.
As Han Seori approached, a man who seemed to be directing operations came up to her.
A slightly awkward exchange of greetings later, the two glanced over the Jelly Girl inside the glass container, gazing blankly outside.
The well-armed man frowned slightly as he spoke.
“…You’re really going to put this inside there?”
“Yes. It’s difficult to manage regularly anyway, and we might even find a way to close it.”
“Even though I’ve heard…”
The man sighed softly after looking at the wriggling girl but didn’t voice any further objections.
No matter how it looked, she was a singularity, and it was improper to judge her by human standards.
Han Seori, perhaps sensing the man’s thoughts, looked a little bitter.
“More importantly, do you think it’s possible?”
“Well, I don’t expect miracles right away. She seems to like moving around, so I thought I’d map out the interior.”
“I see. Anyway, we’ve managed to clear this batch for now, so you’ll be safe for a while.”
“Thank you.”
After the man returned to his post,
Han Seori took the Jelly Girl out of the glass container, equipped her neck with the device as done last time,
And had her wear a backpack filled with high-calorie food in case the mission took longer than expected.
The Jelly Girl, still gazing around blankly,
Had her head petted slightly by Han Seori, who was looking a little worried.
Whether she understood Han Seori’s concern or not,
The Jelly Girl was blankly looking at the monsters now reduced to lumps of meat.
Her idio-mold, in contrast to her, was actively—
Flickering.
