Train (7): Birth of the Cute Girl Train

A twisting sensation churned inside my body. Crunch, cruuunch, cruuuuuunch—everything was being reassembled anew.

"Kyaaah?! Wh-what's happening to me!?"

I screamed in a soprano pitch. Even my speech felt a bit different from my usual tone.

That's when I realized it. My body was changing. But that wasn't all. My mind was shifting too. Every part of what made me me was transforming.

Like the saying goes: a healthy body houses a healthy mind. A monster's flesh naturally harbors a monster's spirit. And human flesh, a human's.

"Aah! Aaaaaah!"

It's fading. My original self was slowly vanishing, giving way to the change. As an integral part of the train from the start, I had no choice but to transform along with it.

A new self was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠being born. And once it fully emerged, the current me would cease to exist.

Save me! I don't want to disappear! I don't want to die! Nooooo!

I wailed at the top of my lungs in a girl's voice, but no one answered. No matter how I struggled, the doll gripping me wouldn't let go. I wanted to escape this train, but I couldn't break free. I had no choice but to keep changing.

Eventually, the original me vanished without a trace.

I looked at the window. Reflected there was a human female attendant with perky dog ears.

"This is... me...?"

I blinked. It had felt so terrifying during the transformation. But now that it was over, it didn't seem so bad. Or maybe the original me was already gone. Even if she was, the current me wasn't the old "me" anyway.

Screeech—at that moment, the engine room door suddenly swung open.

"Director, sorry to interrupt, but we need to perform maintenance on the engine room. Please wait in the VIP room."

A cute girl entered. In technical terms, an inumimi cutie—dog-ear girl. But calling her "inumimi" sounds a bit too otaku, so let's go with dog-ear cutie.

I'd pretty much conquered the whole train, but... weren't there attendants like this...?

"VIP room?"

"Yes! We added it when we relaunched as the Cute Girl Train. This way, please."

Under the dog-ear attendant's guidance, I moved to the room right next to the engine room. It should have been Room 1, but instead, a massive party room appeared.

What the heck? As I stared in disbelief, I glanced back at the engine room I'd just left. The ceiling was collapsing.

-Boom!

The space itself was crumpling. The ceiling had slammed into the floor. Everything inside the engine room was being crushed between them.

Naturally, the brain in the tank got squished too.

Boom! Boom! Crash!

The brain in the tank was being thoroughly pulverized. The tank's glass shattered, grinding the brain to bits.

Screeech—the dog-ear attendant closed the engine room door.

"Sorry you had to see that unsightly mess. Please relax and make yourself comfortable."

Then, dog-ear attendants filed into the VIP room one by one, bringing food and wine. One poured wine into my empty glass. I was starting to doubt if this was even a train anymore.

I'd heard rich folks charter yachts for deck parties. Not that I'd ever experienced it, but wasn't this similar?

"What the heck just happened, unnie?"

"Beats me..."

I had no clue what was going on either. But one thing was clear—Ari was chowing down just fine.

The announcement blared. All previous train announcements had been in a male voice, but this one was a cute girl's.

Soon, the train came to a stop. The subtle rocking that had filled it faded away.

Did we really arrive at our office? For real?

"Director, we've reached the final stop. What would you like to do?"

The dog-ear attendant asked deferentially.

"I-I'd go back if I could..."

"Understood. This way."

The train door opened. Outdoor wind flowed in, brushing my cheek. An intense sense of openness. And a red carpet was laid out on the ground.

Dog-ear attendants lined up on either side of the carpet.

Eek...

"Thank you for riding with us! We await the day our Director graces us again!"

"Thank you for riding with us! We await the day our Director graces us again!"

"Thank you for riding with us! We await the day our Director graces us again!"

Every step I took, the attendants on both sides bowed at 90 degrees. Overwhelmed by the pressure, I pressed on until the end of the carpet, where a door stood.

As I reached for the handle, a dog-ear attendant rushed ahead. Before I could touch it, she opened the door.

Beyond it was a very familiar sight. The hallway of our office.

I stepped absentmindedly into the office corridor, and the attendant who'd opened the door bowed her head.

"Thank you for your hard work on the train journey, Director. Call on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠us anytime if you need anything."

With that, she politely closed the door.

I doubted this situation. Was this really our office? Like the time 'Assimilation' showed us illusions, was I hallucinating now?

This couldn't be reality.

I stared blankly at the door the dog-ear attendant had opened. A small plaque was attached: 'Train Station'.

Next to it was a 'Beauty Salon' plaque, and across was 'Containment Room'.

It was an illusion so eerily like our office. Convincing enough to mistake it for the real thing.

Without thinking, I opened the door with the 'Beauty Salon' plaque.

"Welcome, miss. Here for a haircut?"

"...Nah, just checking."

Miyeong greeted me as usual. Why? It had to be an illusion, yet she was exactly the same.

"Miyeong, mind if I say something weird? Am I dreaming or hallucinating? Is this real?"

"I think it's real. Mind if I say something weird too, miss?"

"?"

"Who fixes rotten sayings—a dentist?"

Now's not the time for puns. I closed the beauty salon door. Guess it really was reality.

We'd escaped the anomaly safely.

"We really escaped the anomaly, unnie? For real?"

"Yeah... I'm dazed too, but seems like we made it back alive."

Somehow, it didn't feel exciting. We'd cleared the anomaly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠just like that? Conversely, assuming this office was reality—could everything on the train have been a dream or hallucination?

Thinking that, I opened the door with the 'Train Station' plaque.

A dog-ear cute girl attendant was there.

"Hello, Director. To what do we owe the visit?"

"Oh, n-no... uh, carry on with your work."

Behind her, I glimpsed attendants maintaining the train. I quickly shut the door again.

Seems the Hell Train had relaunched as the Cute Girl Train. And I'd become its owner. As it transformed, the hellhound attendants turned ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠into dog-ear cute girl attendants.

Then what was that? How many cute girls had I just added...?

"Wh-what the hell have I done...?"

I trembled.

"Alright, everyone. Let's pray."

After roll call, the dog-ear train attendants began their morning assembly. Lined up in formation, they clasped their hands reverently and prayed.

"Our train, which traversed hell, has gained a new master, and we have been transformed. Whether the King of Hell who rules the underworld truly exists, or if a god governs heaven—it matters not to us. Director Mayuri, who brought us grace, is our one true god."

They intoned in unison.

To an ant, a massive elephant must seem like a god. The colossal power that reshaped the train—naturally, from the attendants' perspective, Mayuri was divine.

We who believed Mayuri a god might have had our minds altered too. But that hardly mattered.

Reaching a god is a true 'miracle.' For a god's words to seep in is a 'miracle.' The god had bestowed grace and miracles. The train and all aboard had received this 'miracle'—what greater blessing?

"Now, let's begin the day with prayers of gratitude."

Thus, the attendants offered their prayers.

This was two weeks before Mayuri walked in on the morning assembly and flew into a rage: "This looks like a cult! Stop it right now!!"