When Sphère repaired the facility, Han Seori was the one who suddenly picked me up, as if announcing a successor.
However, truth be told, the one who enjoyed it the most might have been Kim Cheon-soo.
…After observing for a while, since he mostly took care of all the physical work, it was only natural, wasn’t it?
As proof of that, when he first moved in here (?), his eyes were dark from working, and he was crawling around like a zombie.
However.
Compared to that time, it seems like there’s more work for him to do now.
He appears to be in a very good mood, humming a tune while idling around in the control room.
For some reason, though it slightly bothered me, I decided to let it go this one time, considering all the hard work he’s done and the fact that he helped me when we entered the steel snake.
…Back then, I thought he was going to throw some kind of bomb at me, but it ended up helping, so…
I wasn’t really scared. Lasers were far scarier than any bomb.
Really.
…Anyway.
Sphère, who had been moving inside the steel snake, seemed to have no feelings towards it, for it mercilessly dismantled everything and used the parts to repair the facility.
Given that it rarely seemed to express much emotion in its words anyway, it wasn’t really surprising.
Still, it nagged at me a bit, so I placed my hand on its body and asked.
If it was really okay to break it all down like that.
To which its response was quite the spectacle.
“There is no reason. That thing is no different from what we are repairing here.”
This made the fact that it was from the Singularity shockingly clear.
If we compare it to a human, it’s like its building collapsing and using the materials to repair someone else’s house.
Yet, this being takes it as if it’s no big deal, giving off a very distinct feeling of being different from any human-like being.
While I had this strange feeling, the thing blinked its light.
I stared silently, wondering what it was doing, when suddenly…
There was a sound: “Clack, clack, clack.”
An avant-garde chair, somehow strangely artistic, sprouted right behind me.
It seemed as if it quickly assembled itself following Sphère’s will.
Does this mean that this facility is… now under its control?
“There’s no need to worry. I’ll make this place my new home.”
I felt disoriented and sat on the avant-garde chair.
The chair, which seemed to take my body size into account, was extremely low.
Truly, it lacked any hint of human warmth.
Was this really meant for sitting?
It felt more like… an art piece by a street artist or something.
To put it nicely, it feels like it has its own solid world, but…
It’s still somewhat unsettling to me.
In any case.
What’s important is the fact that this thing does more than just repair.
The deliberate way it informed me of this… was it a way of saying I should trust it?
Since it didn’t seem like the emotional type, it was probably just stating the facts.
…Or, perhaps I should just swallow it.
I looked at it for a while as I sat on the strange chair.
If I swallowed it, could I not recreate it like with the others, making a mechajelly or something similar?
Then… I would definitely be able to trust it.
The thing seems to be focusing back on facility recovery since I took my hand off it.
After much deliberation, I decided not to.
The facility isn’t fully restored yet, but if I were to swallow it now and it didn’t work as well as before…
Can I even create a mechanical jelly at all?
And if it just turned into a regular round jelly… that would be a catastrophe.
What I want is a Next-Gen Jung-sik MK-2, not just a regular one.
Also…
While my touch is required, the existence of something that understands my words without conditions feels quite special.
Even if it can’t be used as a terminal, just that alone makes me feel satisfied.
By the way…
There’s something I’ve been curious about, so I placed my hand on it.
And asked…
…Why exactly did it target me?
Though it might have been too blunt, I couldn’t help my curiosity.
But the thing’s response once again left me utterly baffled.
“I have no data remaining. It got corrupted during the reset.”
So… it’s my fault?
…Is it lying?
There’s no change in expression, no tone in its voice—it’s only a terribly barren voice.
This is why I dislike machines.
No heart. No heart.
As I was pondering on this, I felt a tapping on my foot, and when I looked down, I saw Daesik trying to climb onto the chair by nudging my leg.
…Why does he want to sit on this chair?
Do you like this avant-garde chair too?
Is this some kind of cultural aspect among beings from the Singularity?
Is it just strange to me because I used to be human?
If that’s the case, that’s pretty terrifying.
As I felt uneasy after letting Daesik onto the chair, Han Seori, who had been busy doing something, entered the control room.
She approached us, blinked her eyes, and pointed at the chair.
“Who… put this here exactly?”
At her question, Kim Cheon-soo, who had been dozing off, suddenly jolted up and screamed.
“What, what do you mean?”
He looked like a soldier caught napping in the situation room by the sergeant major, causing my jelly to bubble.
Flustered, Kim Cheon-soo came closer, narrowing his eyes and muttered.
“…What is this?”
“Well, how should I know? Wasn’t someone supposed to be in the control room, Kim Agent?”
“Oh, umm, I’m so sorry!!!”
When Han Seori called him “Chun-soo” earlier, Kim Cheon-soo turned pale and bowed his head as if ready to smash it on the floor.
To the point where even Han Seori felt awkward.
Sighing, she waved a hand and said,
“Well, it’s fine. Since the Singularity is repairing the facility… you must have been bored. But for now, I will make some work for you, Agent Kim… So feel free to rest.”
“Ha… ha…”
Kim Cheon-soo’s face turned ashen.
But he didn’t respond to her words and shuffled back to where I had sat earlier, even though he didn’t do anything.
As my mind wandered, thinking about Kim Cheon-soo looking like he’d been through hell despite doing nothing, Han Seori turned around as if nothing had happened and looked at me.
Her face, once filled with sighs, was now filled with excitement.
Carefully stepping closer and looking at the avant-garde chair, Han Seori asked me,
“Did you make this?”
Should I say I did?
…No, saying that I didn’t is probably better, considering her not-so-pleased expression.
I pointed to Sphère with my jelly.
To let her know that it was this thing’s creation.
It wasn’t technically wrong, so I don’t feel pricked or guilty.
“Hmm… really?”
Then Han Seori stroked her chin and started tapping on a panel, working on something.
“There’s a higher entity in the lab system.”
Though I’m not entirely sure what she means, by the tone, it seems she realized that Sphère was acting autonomously over the facility.
Typical of the Doctor.
She gets things done that I can’t… effortlessly.
While I flatter her in my thoughts, nervous, she just smirked, showing no visible reaction.
She looked somewhat amused, as if she found some ridiculousness in the situation.
After clearing the panel away, Han Seori poked Little, who was perched on Sphère, then turned to me and asked,
“Can I… place my hand on this?”
Sphère showed no reaction to her question.
I’m not sure if it was pretending not to understand or truly couldn’t.
I signaled via the jelly to Sphère and relayed Han Seori’s question.
“Ah, so you communicate this way?”
[So you’re asking this inferior creature to lay hands on me, correct?]
“Ah, it’s speaking somehow.”
As I stood there, it reminded me of a low-quality comedy.
I felt the burden of being the mediator.
After a brief deliberation, I nodded.
If Han Seori could communicate with Sphère this way… many things would be beneficial.
I could use Sphère more easily.
…And, can its crude language be corrected if I tweak it a bit with a tentacle?
After I nodded, something changed.
[S, manager?!]
“Oh, it’s fine, relax.”
For the first time, Sphère’s voice carried a hint of emotion, and Han Seori looked pleased, waving her fingers in the air.
When I signaled for it not to move, despite what sounded like avant-garde curses, it allowed Han Seori’s touch.
Or perhaps, it couldn’t.
Through this, I realized one thing.
It shows absolute obedience to me.
…Although there’s a slightly violent undertone.
Feeling odd knowing I conditioned it with tentacles to obey me this way…
Still, thinking that this is good enough, I watched as Han Seori placed her hand on Sphère.
Her hand slowly touched Sphère, and a sound like a shriek escaped from it.
As if hearing it, Han Seori squeezed her eyes, grimacing as if her ears hurt.
That she didn’t understand its language was clarified when we heard Kim Cheon-soo from afar, looking dejected.
“What is this noise?”
“…Nothing. It seems like only in 7496 – KR can we communicate by placing hands.”
Muttering this, Han Seori scribbled something in her notebook.
Clearing her disappointed pen with a sigh, Han Seori asked me,
“Can it move while repairing the facility?”
She seemed to have something in mind.
Maybe some kind of experiment?
Or maybe related to assigning work to Kim Cheon-soo?
Either way, I couldn’t stand it if she started doing what she always does.
Besides, it’s not really new since it’s something she always does.
Thinking about how this might be a ritual for new members, I nodded naturally.
Han Seori, however, instead of looking at Sphère…
For some reason, she started looking at me.
Suddenly my jelly felt cold.
