Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Toon is Sad (2)
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* * *
When he spotted the floral pattern on the slime’s body, Sernal flinched for a moment.
The word “overtime” faintly echoed in his ears.
‘No way. That couldn’t be.’
Anyone, not just him, could report a slime for violating shape maintenance laws—even ordinary citizens.
He’d told the police he’d helped resolve the incident, so maybe it had ended without much fuss.
‘…Doesn’t seem like retaliation.’
Sernal stared at the slime.
It had taken the form of a little child, different from the sticky texture it had before covering itself in a shape.
It felt more like pudding now—springy and soft.
It had eyes, nose, and mouth on its face, but it somehow resembled an emoticon more than a human expression.
“Even if you’re upset, there’s nothing I can do. I was just following regulations as a civil servant.”
“Nooo. I didn’t get in much troubleee. So I’m not maaad.”
The slime smiled.
It was like looking at the ‘^—^’ emoticon.
“Then why were you waiting here?”
“Couldn’t see your naaame.”
The slime turned its gaze to the ID badge hanging around Sernal’s neck.
As its eyes moved, Sernal felt a chill crawl up his neck.
“Aaannyeong.”
The slime really just checked the name and then dashed down the hallway.
Chub-chub.
A squelching sound came with each footstep.
‘…What the hell?’
Sernal felt strangely unsettled.
—It happens sometimes, Sernal. When you’re out on the field, you bump into people, and then complaints get filed, or even threats. If it happens to you, tell me.
As he took a step forward, he suddenly recalled something Edinal had said.
‘…Nah. No way.’
What kind of threat is this?
Sernal walked down the hallway listlessly.
‘Wish I could install a warp right in front of my house and get home in three seconds.’
Sernal sniffed and shoved his hands into his coat pockets.
* * *
Trilliriri. Trill-trill.
Startled by the phone ringtone echoing from the edge of his consciousness, Sernal’s eyes snapped open.
Still half-asleep, he stared blankly ahead.
His dead character was visible on the TV screen that hadn’t been turned off.
‘…Damn it.’
He couldn’t remember how far he’d gotten, and seeing himself curled up on the sofa was pathetic.
‘Why’d I even start gaming like an idiot? Should’ve just gone to bed properly.’
At the familiar angle and sight, Sernal started to chuckle, then snapped back to attention at the bell sound in his ear.
Team leader.
He glanced up from his phone screen.
5:58 a.m. Two minutes before his alarm.
With his eyes still closed, Sernal set down the game controller still clutched in his hand and moved only his mouth.
“Hello?”
[Sorry, Sernal. Did I wake you?]
Edinal’s apology sent shivers down Sernal’s spine.
“…Who is this?”
[What’s wrong, Sernal? Still sleepy?]
“Uh… Is this that voice phishing I’ve heard about?”
[Because I apologized earlier?]
“Yeah.”
Sernal answered quickly, then let out a laugh.
“…Ha.”
The laughter cut off abruptly, and he let out a long sigh.
“Guess I have to go to work today too. Already. I just closed my eyes. I just breathed. Why work again?”
[Sernal.]
“Yeah?”
[Calm down and listen.]
“I’m listening.”
[It’s Wednesday today.]
“…Damn it.”
Sernal buried his face in his hands in agony and kicked his legs.
Kekeke.
Edinal’s laughter came through the phone.
Sernal took a deep breath, cracked one eye open, and spoke in a still-sleepy voice.
“…So? What’s the reason for calling before the little hand hits six? Can I stab you with this?”
[You can decide after hearing it?]
“Fine.”
[A complaint came in about you. I’m calling ahead so you don’t freak out if you find something on your desk when you get in this morning.]
“…That lizardman did it?”
Sernal was exasperated.
After all that yelling about filing a complaint.
‘No, wait. He couldn’t right now… He’s under investigation; he can’t even go out.’
Sernal scratched his neck absentmindedly.
[No. That lizardman you subdued.]
“Yeah.”
[Guess the way you used magic scared someone? A passerby saw it, got freaked out, reported it to the police, and filed a complaint too.]
“……I held back from hitting him harder and went easy, okay? How’d they know it was me?”
[Hair color? You’re the only one with such flashy color, right?]
“Oh. Yeah, my hair’s kinda unique. But there’s no evidence…”
[I tweaked it a bit?]
“Well, yeah. I set it up perfectly for easy cleanup.”
Sernal smirked and slowly sat up.
[And this is the real one.]
Sernal finally turned off the blaring alarm and yawned deeply.
[You let Toon stay in our office, right?]
Sernal, wiping tears from his eyes, blinked slowly.
“…Who’s Toon?”
[I wouldn’t know.]
“Me neither?”
[What do you mean you don’t know? They mentioned your name.]
“No matter how I think, none of my friends are named Toon.”
[…Uh, slime species? Try to remember.]
“Slime?”
Sernal opened his half-closed eyes.
“…Slime?”
His voice grew louder as he repeated it.
The slime from yesterday in the little kid form popped into his mind, and he shot up from his seat.
* * *
“…Aaannyeong.”
Hearing the drowsy voice, Sernal rubbed his face with his hand.
It was that slime from yesterday.
The one he’d spotted while catching the lizardman, the one who learned his name.
What did it do to deserve tea? And with Edinal, no less.
“You’re here, Sernal?”
Edinal waved. That slacker coming in earlier than usual? It was unsettling.
“What’s going on?”
Sernal already felt drained for the day, but he asked the slime named Toon first.
“Waaaited.”
Toon beamed, and Sernal wanted to step back.
“For me?”
“Yeees.”
“Why?”
“Got a requeest. Lost my hooome. Helpee. Wanna find my hooome.”
“What can I do? We don’t find homes here. If you lost your home, go to the police station and say, ‘I’m lost, I lost my home.’”
Edinal spoke slowly and calmly, at a child’s eye level.
“I’m not looost. Really lost my hooome. Found this place tooo?”
“Then you should definitely go to the police station. This is the complaints department. We don’t find lost homes.”
Since it insisted it wasn’t lost, Sernal’s tone grew a bit stiff.
At the same time, he recalled Toon clinging to the hospital wall yesterday. Probably got kicked out.
“Nooo. But police won’t helpp.”
Toon looked ready to burst into tears, so Edinal soothed it.
“Don’t cry. Have some snacks here.”
Edinal fed Toon a snack, but it chewed glumly, still looking downcast.
Edinal glanced up at Sernal.
Sernal, you’re too harsh. At least hear them out.
The look in his eyes was blatant.
“Team leader. Why are you looking at me like I’m the bad guy? Does it make sense to come here asking to find a home? If you want a home, go to a real estate agent first, not here.”
Sernal snorted.
“I got no mooney. They chased me awaaay.”
Toon wobbled, looking like it might revert to its original form any second.
“How do you get a home without money?”
The nonsense made Sernal crave hot coffee.
Normally, the perfect morning start was a mix coffee or whatever before work, staring out the window and sighing.
“The hospital wall was my hooome. Got chased oooout.”
Sernal put his hand to his forehead and squeezed hard at Toon’s words.
It sounded just like it was blaming him.
“I just wanna staaay. Sun rises pretty, lotsa people bustling, and at night it’s quiiiiet. I like thaaat.”
Toon’s eyes widened, filled with longing.
Sernal clenched his fist, recalling slime species traits.
‣Likes staying in one place. Usually no home, exists on streets or wherever.
In the end, that’s what Toon meant.
You took my home, so take responsibility.
‘Should I have ignored it?’
Regret hit Sernal late.
But even if he could go back, he wouldn’t ignore it. He had no intention of slacking off, whatever it was.
“Staying anywhere without permission is illegal, hospital or not. Streets or wherever. So stop the whining. This is a workplace, not a daycare.”
“…Sooorry.”
Toon wobbled its body.
“Thought you could find iiiit.”
Toon sniffled, dissolved its shape, and poured onto the floor like liquid.
“Don’t dissolve your shape.”
At Sernal’s firm words, Toon reformed into the child and toddled out.
“…That kinda hurts my heart.”
Edinal glanced at Sernal.
“Is this what the complaints department does?”
“Personal stuff’s off-limits. If it involved other heteromorphs, maybe. That’s why it hurts more.”
“…Ha.”
Sernal sighed deeply, then chased after Toon.
“Toon.”
“Yeah?”
Toon turned its head.
“The community center has more than just complaints on this floor. Go up to the second floor; you can get job help and temporary housing.”
“But my real home’s heeere.”
“Huh?”
“…Aaannyeong.”
Toon slumped and shuffled away. Chub-chub sounds followed.
* * *
Ding-dong.
Number 12.
The display changed. Sernal’s eyes were blank.
‘…It’s bothering me too much.’
Toon’s retreating figure kept sticking in his mind. Why?
Maybe because it looked like a kid.
“…Um?”
Someone hesitated in front of Sernal, and Terisha, sitting to his right, flew over.
Terisha, small enough to reach his wrist, shook her four blue wings on her back, scattering sparkling dust.
She landed lightly on Sernal’s desk.
Her half-up golden blonde hair swayed.
“Sernal?”
Terisha’s large green eyes met his, and he startled belatedly.
“…Yes?”
Terisha pointed behind Sernal. He pulled his chair back slightly, out of magic range.
Terisha followed, hovering.
“Focus. You’re on duty. Zoning out during work is dangerous. You know what we do, right?”
Terisha scolded him calmly.
“Sorry.”
“Not just me—you should apologize to this person too.”
Sernal looked at the Medusa holding ticket number 12.
‣Strong protective instincts.
Another trait floated up atop the known Medusa ones.
The Medusa crumpled the ticket while fidgeting with her fingers, wearing glasses.
‣Severe shyness.
Of course, not all Medusas were like that, but most, so probably noted in files.
Glancing at her hair, it hadn’t turned to snakes yet. Not angry.
Anyway, zoning out on duty was his fault.
“If you’re having a hard time, I can take them.”
Terisha looked at him with concern.
“I just finished mine. I can do it.”
Ilang pulled her chair back and said to Sernal.
“No, thanks.”
Sernal shook his head. Why offer help when everyone’s swamped?
“Maybe it’s from yesterday’s… incident. That why you’re tired?”
She’d seen Sernal clash with some lizardman on her way to a scene.
How could she just pass by?
She’d used her spirit arts to help Sernal, though minimally—maybe she should’ve put in more effort.
“Oh. I read the report. Must be tough after something like that yesterday.”
Terisha looked at him with pity too, making Sernal feel odd.
‘…Wait, what’s with these reactions? Yesterday I said it was the easiest thing ever?’
Did they trick him?
Sernal eyed the medicine packet on his desk, gripped his chair arm hard, suppressing the urge to storm to Edinal’s office.
Ilang glanced at Sernal, pulled her chair forward, grabbed a fatigue recovery potion from her desk, then pushed back again.
“Here, have this. Wipes fatigue right away.”
Sernal took the potion, bewildered, and gave Ilang a subtle look.
‘She’s… not usually this nice.’
Sernal caught his breath, returned to his seat, stood, and bowed to the Medusa.
“Sorry for making you wait.”
“No, no. Actually, I was worried seeing you spaced out for a while.”
She shook her head.
Sernal didn’t even find it weird that a stranger Medusa was concerned, plastering on a capitalist smile as he asked.
“What brings you here?”