FPL’s new researcher, Kang Hana, was sitting by the window where a gentle breeze was blowing.
She wasn’t alone.
On the bed right next to her was a woman in a hospital gown with an IV drip attached to her arm.
Kang Hana had come for a hospital visit.
It was a great opportunity to slack off legally, using the excuse of interviewing a Gamma-class personnel involved in the experiment.
“Senior, are you feeling any better?”
Contrary to her impression of someone who might lack basic life skills, Kang Hana skillfully peeled an apple and handed it over.
Unfortunately, the person who was supposed to eat the apple declined, and it ended up on the table.
“Mm… I’m sleepy. Other than that, I’m fine.”
Her senior, lying on the hospital bed, answered.
Her dark circles had sunk so deep they nearly reached her chin, making Hana worry if she was actually a critical patient.
The scary part was that, even then, her eyes looked brighter compared to before.
Now, this senior was naturally addressing Kang Hana, a fresh-faced new researcher, with formal speech.
Hana felt a sharp sting in her chest.
“I was wrong for teasing you last time, Senior…! Please, at least in a place like this, just talk to me casually….”
“It’s only natural for Gamma-class personnel to use formal speech with Beta-class personnel. Let’s stick to the regulations.”
“Aaaargh….”
Kang Hana was on the verge of losing her mind.
It seemed her senior was still holding a grudge from last time, yet her expression was completely calm as if nothing had happened.
That was the most unsettling part.
Was this really the same person who had panicked and freaked out after making eye contact with IF-017?
IF-017 was just quiet and adorable.
Realizing that her senior wouldn’t engage in casual conversation, Hana quickly gave up and began conducting and recording the interview.
“Did you experience any threats from IF-017?”
“If you mean physical threats, then no. But from what I felt, I suspect there was a significant psychological threat.”
“Even though IF-017 had clear opportunities to attack, it didn’t show any aggression, correct?”
“If we’re talking about a normal predator, yes. But mysterious phenomena all have different attack conditions, so I can’t be sure whether IF-017 ever perceived it had an opportunity to attack.”
“So, IF-017 is the cutest and safest IF in the world, right?”
“That logic seems a bit strange….”
The questions felt off somehow.
“…Researcher, I remember that when conducting interviews with Gamma-class personnel, these aren’t the kinds of questions the supervising researcher is supposed to ask.”
As her senior gave her a suspicious look, Kang Hana clasped her hands together expectantly, her eyes sparkling.
“Senior. This adorable junior has one little favor to ask. Could you please speak positively about IF-017? Pretty please…?”
“I’m only answering truthfully… But why?”
“I was looking into getting permission to access IF-017’s containment chamber, but apparently, I need to prove IF-017 is harmless. Now, just like that! Since you’ve returned without any visible injuries, as long as we say there was no psychological harm either, it’s perfect…!”
“…Do you really have a reason to enter?”
Her senior’s gaze turned from suspicious to outright cold.
Unaware of the shift in atmosphere, Hana beamed brightly.
“Unlike other mysterious phenomena, IF-017 is absolutely lovable! Its cheeks look so soft and squishy. Senior, did you already know? If I had an adorable phenomenon like IF-017 under my charge, I’d go in there 365 times a year just to squish its cheeks! Not to mention, its tiny hands, its head—I want to pet it so bad… Oh! I heard you used to work in the field, but if you switched to a desk job midway, then maybe—”
Beep!
Her senior had already pressed the emergency call button.
“This researcher is exhibiting severe symptoms of cognitive contamination. Please come quickly.”
“…Huh?”
Moments later, security personnel stormed in and dragged Kang Hana away, where she underwent hours of cognitive contamination testing.
Apparently, everything she had said had been transmitted through the intercom.
“…Huh?”
It took Hana a full three hours to convince the security team that she was still sane.
A white ceiling, dazzling lights, and beyond them, a beautiful galaxy sparkling in the evening sky.
Maybe it was because she had kept her eyes closed for so long recently.
The surrounding noise seemed to be getting louder and clearer.
That couldn’t be right.
She had kept her eyes closed for days, not just one or two.
This wasn’t just her imagination—
The noise was actually growing louder.
It had at least doubled since she first heard it a few days ago, and it showed no sign of stopping.
Should she check what was happening? Where was the sound coming from?
She tilted her head and listened.
—Boom! Boom boom boom!
“… Drop the heart!”
“… Aaaaargh!…”
“… Fuck… This is insane.”
Hmm.
It was coming from below.
She couldn’t exactly twist her neck all the way around, so she would have to lift her entire body and turn 180 degrees to see.
She decided to give up. Might as well look up instead.
Ah, the night sky was pretty.
It was fine.
Even if she couldn’t see, she could still hear and feel.
—BOOM! BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
“… The barrier…”
“Sick of this… Now tear apart, inferior species…”
“… Please, I don’t want to die—”
The containment wall… has been breached…
—Boom! Crackle!
From the sounds of it, a human was getting beaten up by some creature with an unruly face.
Humans.
They weren’t acting the same as before.
In the past, whenever a fight broke out, they would rush over to me, begging for help.
Had they become more independent?
They were trying to resolve things on their own without holding out their hands to me.
I felt a little disappointed that they had stashed me away in a place like this, but at least they had the decency not to bother me.
For a moment, I had my doubts, but in the end, humans were still the diligent creatures I knew them to be.
I almost felt let down for no reason.
Well, I could always visit the lake later.
For now…
I just wanted to rest.
I didn’t feel like getting up.
It was uncomfortable, like trying to rest while hanging from a swaying tightrope, but I did my best to relax.
It was a pointless effort.
The calm within the storm shattered in an instant.
Now, I could hear human voices just beyond the wall—closer than before.
Tch.
“They said the reason it’s kept under containment isn’t because it’s dangerous, but just to keep it hidden. So why is the containment procedure the same as for everything else? … Ahem. This is Beta-class personnel, Kang Hana. Requesting permission to enter IF-017’s containment chamber.”
—Permission granted.
Beep.
The sound of the door opening was followed by heavy footsteps approaching.
Clatter, clatter. The sound of junk colliding suggested the person was carrying something in both hands.
“Hehehe… Finally…!”
A sinister voice. A suspiciously excited heartbeat.
I cracked one eye open to take a look.
Familiar—if only vaguely.
This was our third encounter now.
The person standing before me was the brown-haired woman I had only ever seen from behind the glass.
“Oh, you’re awake?”
I hadn’t observed her for long, but in that short time, she had already proven herself… eccentric.
Just a few days ago, she had told the black-haired woman to poke my cheek and run.
A very strange human.
And now she has come here in person…?
“Hello! I’m Kang Hana! This is the first time we’re seeing each other up close, huh?”
She spoke as if introducing herself, but I already knew her name.
I had just heard it through the wall.
As she cheerfully waved her hand at me, I stared at her with obvious displeasure.
But strangely, her heartbeat only quickened.
Was she actually enjoying being glared at?
I tried to search my human memories for an explanation, but as if this knowledge had not yet been “unlocked” for me, my recollection remained frustratingly hazy.
Ah, right. There had been similar types of people before.
The ones who would carve out their own kind’s hearts with obsidian knives and offer them up in devotion, laughing with reverence.
There had been so many of them back then that they practically outnumbered everyone else.
Their numbers had dwindled over time, but in my experience, no matter how much their kind decreased, there were always a few around.
Something about her felt a little different, but she was probably the same kind of human.
In that case, ignoring her was the best course of action.
If I just ignored her for a while, she’d grow old and die off soon enough.
That was the only solution I knew.
I closed my eyes again.
But you know…
At least those people had some sense of decorum.
“Wow. It’s actually soft… Even though you’re supposedly some ultra-ancient lifeform beyond comprehension, how is that possible?”
Did she seriously just grab my cheek and pull it because I refused to wake up?
What the hell was she doing?
They say when something truly unexpected happens, you don’t even know how to react.
That was exactly what I was experiencing.
If I stayed still, she’d just keep kneading my face, so I shook my head to get her off.
So much for resting.
I raised my head slightly and stared at her.
“Oh, did that bother you? Hehe, sorry.”
Kang Hana.
Yeah, I knew her name.
But more importantly…
That thing she was holding in front of me now—unlike before, my human memories recognized it immediately.
That was a cat toy, wasn’t it?
What was she trying to do?
“… Meow.”
I lazily waved a hand to swat it away.
Had I said something about wrongly doubting humans earlier?
No, no.
My suspicions were entirely justified.
“Oh my god, you reacted…! Honestly, I wasn’t sure, but IF-017 really is a cat—”
Go away…
“Gyaaah!”
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