My uneasy premonition had been right.
When I thought about it, it was only natural.
Since Han Seori could communicate with the Sphere only through me, my cooperation was absolutely necessary for any experiments involving the Sphere.
Still, since Seori wasn’t going to go all berserk, severing arms or grilling me with fire, or shooting some cold “thing” at me like she had before, Jelly seemed quite at ease.
Right then, she was overlapping her hand on top of mine, then placing it on the Sphere, conducting some kind of cute experiment.
Does she think something will change by doing this?
It does feel like she’s just trying everything that comes to mind.
“Hmm~ Hello?”
Han Seori, with her hand overlapped on mine and placed atop the Sphere, muttered with an intrigued expression.
“…We’re communicating.”
Jelly bubbled as if saying something similar.
Because she’s so pretty, even when she does something a little childish, it somehow suits her.
While watching Han Seori try to converse with the Sphere, I felt a slight pang of pity.
Since I can understand the Sphere’s words, I know that even if the Sphere understands Han Seori, it would likely not respond.
That guy who bluntly calls us “inferior beings” wouldn’t bother answering, would he?
But I didn’t want to tell Han Seori that fact.
It was a bit disheartening to see her going through trial and error, but I couldn’t predict how she might react if I informed her.
Based on what I’ve seen of her so far, she’d probably take it lightly, but…
You never know.
Actually, I’ve never seen how Han Seori interacts with other Singularities.
There have been times when her focus seems a little off with me, but she still gives me a look as if I’m something precious.
She regards the Sphere with interest but shows no ill will toward it.
Lately, though, I occasionally see a hint of a wistful expression on her face, though I don’t know why.
So I wished she hadn’t realized the Sphere’s radical ideas.
Anyway.
Above all, I’m starting to wonder if I should keep calling that guy “Sphere.”
I didn’t think it mattered much since I never have to call on him anyway, but calling him “Sphere” feels kind of soulless, doesn’t it?
If he were just some entity that followed my orders and shot off shockwaves, it wouldn’t matter. But the Sphere definitely has some semblance of self-awareness, right?
The name “Wilson” briefly crossed my mind, but I dismissed it since the voice that comes from the Sphere is female.
Hmm.
That would have been a pretty good name, though.
While regretfully tossing Jelly around, Han Seori looked at me and spoke hesitantly.
“Uh, maybe…”
I’ve never seen her act so cautious before, which made Jelly instinctively tense up.
The words that eventually came out of her mouth caught me off guard.
“Could I… put my hand into your body again without melting it? You know… like we did before.”
Is this woman fearless?
Thinking about it, unlike Kim Cheon-soo who would’ve panicked and run away, Seori had effortlessly picked me up the first time we met.
At the time, I was too bewildered to notice, but now I wonder if her actions weren’t a bit dangerous.
If it hadn’t been me but an ordinary Singularity, Han Seori might not even be here right now.
Did she know that I had no intention of melting her?
She’s an exceptionally intelligent person, so perhaps she had some form of certainty.
She probably saw something that someone like me couldn’t understand.
And… since she had previously extracted the Labyrinth’s core from within me, it wasn’t entirely unexpected.
After convincing myself, I nodded, and Han Seori smiled faintly, expressing her gratitude before applying more force to her hand.
Han Seori’s hand, which had been resting on my surface, gradually began sinking in as if trapped in a swamp.
A bubbling sound accompanied the sensation of her fingers pushing through.
Once she had completely submerged her hand into me, she wiggled her fingers and spoke.
“I didn’t realize this before… but this feels really strange.”
To be honest, I was a little worried because her hand was larger than mine.
I was concerned that it might not create the image she wanted.
But my body adjusted its size to fit Han Seori’s hand.
As a result, her hand looked like it was covered with a pale, transparent glove.
After fidgeting with her fingers for a while, Han Seori, determined this time, called out to the Sphere.
” Respond if you can hear me!”
The Sphere, which had been silent until now, let out a sigh-like murmur.
“…Really, you inferior beings never know when to stop.”
It didn’t seem to understand what Han Seori said, but it appeared to recognize her determination — not annoyance but admiration, maybe.
There was no real change, though.
“I can’t tell what it’s saying… does this also not work?”
While there were no immediate results, it was impressive to watch Han Seori persist so tenaciously, somehow coaxing a response.
Could it be that such persistence and obsession are what make her such a renowned doctor at such a young age?
Muttering those words, Han Seori finally seemed to give up trying to communicate with the Sphere and pulled her hand out of Jelly, standing up.
As she did, the part of me covering her hand rose with her, causing me to hang limply from her body like a flag on a column.
A flag that clung closely to the column since there was no wind to lift it.
Seeing this, Han Seori giggled before saying,
“You can let go now. Hehe…”
…She’s the one who stood up suddenly without saying anything.
Though I considered lightly nipping her hand in annoyance, I simply dropped to the floor instead.
A soft splashing sound accompanied the Sphere’s voice,
“Finally, this tiresome nonsense seems to be over.”
Did those words spark something in Han Seori?
Declaring that it was just a warm-up, she suggested trying out different experiments.
…Seriously.
Stop saying that.
Han Seori’s curiosity knows no bounds.
*
For several days, I alternated between helping repair the facility and conducting experiments with Han Seori.
As I watched the facility, which had been riddled with holes, gradually return to its original state, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction, even though it was accompanied by an odd tingling sensation from the Jelly.
In reality, it was a situation akin to an anime movie where the same person who breaks something is the one fixing it.
When the Jelly and I, along with the Sphere, walked into the control room, Kim Cheon-soo was seen wearing more formal attire than usual.
Seemingly preparing to go somewhere, we cautiously approached, and Han Seori’s voice was heard.
“Since we’re not connected to the Intranet, there was no other way. Please be careful.”
“Haha… there’s not much I can do about it. I’ll be back soon.”
Unlike the sighing Han Seori, Kim Cheon-soo seemed oddly cheerful.
It seemed like he was running some sort of errand, but why was he so happy about it?
Does he have some sort of fetish for being ordered around or doing errands?
It does seem like it.
Kim Cheon-soo, unaware of my inner musings, said he’d be back by evening and left the control room.
As soon as he was gone, Han Seori approached me.
With long strides, she picked me up, cradled me in one arm, and grinned.
“Good morning!”
…Her cheerful tone felt like she was greeting a younger sibling.
Do people normally greet their younger siblings so affectionately?
Maybe because I’ve never had any siblings, this felt a little awkward — but not entirely unpleasant.
Perhaps the internet posts I’ve seen about sibling relationships were inaccurate.
…But the way she was treating me like a child didn’t sit well with me.
Still, feeling her warmth through the Jelly made me realize it was better to just stay still.
Then,
Han Seori suddenly looked down and chuckled softly while bending over.
When she straightened up, there was a small doll in her other arm.
Daesik.
Had he been feeling left out because I had been held?
It seemed like he was acting more spoiled, though it wasn’t just my imagination.
…I give up.
You’re independent Jellies, figure it out yourselves.
In the meantime, Han Seori settled into a chair with a pleasant expression and said to me:
“You’ve worked hard. Let’s take it easy for a while.”
Although it was a welcome break, this statement also carried a somewhat unsettling implication.
When I first moved here, I was so busy tidying up and preparing that I didn’t think much about it, but…
There were no real forms of entertainment in this place.
Without experiments to occupy my time, I wasn’t sure how I would pass the hours.
…Just lazing around and eating was starting to feel a bit dull.
Ordinarily, if I weren’t an informed entity, it might not have bothered me, but because I’m of human origin, this boredom was becoming fatally unbearable.
The restless feelings I had suppressed due to constant anxiety in the past were now looming.
Did she sense my restlessness?
Han Seori gently cooed like she was soothing a child.
“Bored because there’s nothing to play with? I’ve asked Cheon-soo to bring back some toys and snacks this time, so you’ll have something to play with soon.”
…Did I ever ask for toys?
Why does she think that?
Rather, just connect me to a TV.
Without it, “Little” keeps sleeping atop the Sphere, and I’m craving to scribble with a pen on paper.
I tried curbing the urge to scribble frantically, thinking better of it.
Should I write it down?
This is quite important to me.
While focusing on finding paper, I suddenly realized it was too late.
I should’ve brought it up before Kim Cheon-soo left.
…If I start scribbling now, I’ll be like a child throwing a tantrum in front of a toy store.
I’ll just… endure.
Still, I waited with some anticipation for whatever Kim Cheon-soo might bring back for entertainment.
Or maybe for the food.
During this wait, Han Seori checked the time and began muttering anxiously.
“Why hasn’t he come back yet?”
…My premonition wasn’t good at all.
I’d rather be bored if it means he returns safely.
I’m asking nicely. Please.
—
