Worst Word Choice File 002. [Viriditas → Citrinitas] "■■■ Chef" Yerisa (攻略 Complete)

"Hmm…?"

I blinked as I checked the codex. What was this now?

'Is something wrong with Lisa?'

Worried, I asked her, but Lisa just tilted her head.

"Who knows? My body's in perfect health. If anything, I feel even lighter than before."

"Really…?"

"But I have a guess. Maybe my core nature is changing?"

The original 'Carnival Chef' was a monster based on the horror of Neapolitan terror and human flesh. But Lisa hadn't used human flesh as an ingredient lately, so her identity as a horror tale must be shaking loose.

Shouldn't that make her weaker? So why had her management rank jumped from threat level 3 to threat level 4?

'She's probably evolving into a different kind of horror.'

It had happened exactly twice before. 'Watson' had absorbed 'The Twentieth Sea Turtle Soup' and 'Mary-san,' reborn as 'Your Very Own Watson.' Yeoul had started as 'Fox Possession' but absorbed a 'Mare' from the church's experiments, becoming the 'Fox That Devours Nightmares.' Later, she took in 'Erosion' too, turning into the 'Fox That Swallows Darkness.'

But those two got stronger by absorbing other horrors. Lisa hadn't swallowed any—yet she'd powered up on her own somehow.

'Must be another Cute Girl Mod effect.'

For example, Ari's entry looked like this.

Fully conquered entity, summon anytime, bound by naming, borrow power through bond. I'd experienced all four of those firsthand—but never the last one: drawing out the entity's potential.

Did that mean the Cute Girl Mod also had the power to make cute girls grow? Like raising characters in a cute girl gacha game?

"…This isn't some gacha game."

To reiterate: this was a monster horror game. Experiencing cute girl gacha elements in a horror game world made my head spin every time…

The Foundation was generally seen as a cut above the Special Task Force. It was just so much larger in scale. Transfers from Foundation to Task Force weren't common, but they did happen occasionally.

'More lenient about job changes than I thought.'

Miro was preparing her transfer. I'd figured procedures for a secretive organization would be a nightmare, but it was going surprisingly smoothly. Probably because turnover was high in this line of work.

People died getting caught in anomalies all the time, and plenty quit because the job was too grueling and opted for normal careers. To leave, though, you had to have your memories wiped clean.

By comparison, switching within the same industry had its perks.

"Does transferring mean no memory wipe?"

"It's more like sealing them. They make it so you can't recall internal secrets."

Ryu Harin said that as she grabbed two cups of instant coffee. In the break room. Miro was there with her.

No one at the Foundation knew Miro's true nature except Ryu Harin, so they naturally ended up together.

'…She looks like a totally normal human at a glance.'

Harin thought that while brewing coffee. Born suddenly from 'I Am a Murderer' and solidified by 'The Me in the Mirror.' That was Miro—but to Harin, she was just a 'senior colleague who'd always worked at the Foundation.'

It really drove home how terrifying anomalies were. You couldn't even notice if a ghost slipped in among you.

Still, Miro was undeniably a brand-new employee who'd never existed before. Which meant Harin had done some serious backroom scrambling.

For instance, there'd been no desk for "Miro" in the office. Obviously. Because Yang Miro hadn't existed originally.

So they'd had to set up an empty desk as hers. Making a blank PC look legit had been a pain. Especially since it'd all get formatted once Miro transferred anyway.

Harin had pulled all-nighters for days thanks to that, but no one had caught on to Miro's true identity.

"Memory sealing. Kinda funny, huh."

Miro chuckled without thinking, her pale eyes cloudy.

'The Me in the Mirror' was a horror that swapped places with whoever looked into a mirror. So Miro's memories were those of 'Yang Miro's corpse.' Memories that had never been hers to begin with.

And that corpse had been created by the 'I Am a Murderer' anomaly, so even those memories were fabricated by it.

Sealing or erasing something like that? Hilarious, Miro thought.

"When does the memory sealing happen?"

"Probably after we hear ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠back from the Task Force. You'll have to wait for now."

Mayuri would handle it somehow. She'd been appointed special advisor to the Task Force recently. With her writing the recommendation letter, it all hinged on Mayuri's negotiating skills.

As they talked, Miro remembered something.

"Oh, Mayuri… Calling her by name feels rude. What should I call her? Anyway, could you give me her number? I forgot to exchange contacts."

Miro pulled out her phone. She'd need to stay in touch with Mayuri a lot going forward.

And deep down, Miro thought of the people who knew her true nature—Mayuri, Lisa, Ryu Harin—as friends. Not that she particularly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wanted to get close or anything. To put down roots in human society, she needed friends.

'The Me in the Mirror' was unique in a way. It envied people outside the mirror, trapped them inside, and lived as a normal human ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ghost. Blending into human society and living ordinarily was its whole goal.

So she needed to get along mildly with those who knew her secret. Especially Mayuri, who held her lifeline. She had to stay on her good side in every way.

"Sure, here's her number."

"Thanks for all your help."

"No biggie. If your identity leaks, I'm the one in deepest shit. Gotta own it."

With that, Miro got Mayuri's number from Ryu Harin. She grabbed a coffee on her way out of the break room and headed back to the office.

Sitting at her desk, she fired off a message on her phone.

"Miro, chatting with your boyfriend?"

I was in a private chat with Mayuri when a voice startled me. Miro snapped her phone shut and looked up. A few coworkers had gathered at her desk.

"What's up?"

"You're leaving soon, right? Feels like we never got close as colleagues."

"Thought we'd grab drinks before you go. Boyfriend?"

"You were typing so intently."

"Not a boyfriend…."

How to dodge this? Calling her Mayuri felt rude. But she held Miro's lifeline—no way to piss her off. To keep living as a human, she'd have to obey whatever Mayuri said. Mayuri was the top dog positionally; she might even give orders. But she seemed sweet, so probably nothing too harsh. Still, Miro would live like Mayuri's slave. Maybe forever, till death.

"Not boyfriend, then who?"

"Ah, my owner… Oh crap."

The word slipped out before Miro could catch it. Worst word choice ever.

"What? Owner…? Miro, what do you mean?"

Words once spoken couldn't be unsaid.

A few days later, rumors spread through the Foundation: Sweet-looking Miro was a massive perv.

"Shoulda just said boyfriend."

Miro had an epiphany. To blend into human society, what did you need most? Vocabulary.

If Ari was a regular cat, Sua was a Ragdoll. The so-called "dog-cat," friendly with people, separation-anxious, cries if you don't hold it.

But weird…. Was 'Watson' always like this in the original game? This worldline's version felt extra yandere.

Probably from gobbling up 'Mary-san.' Don't pick up strays and eat 'em, kids.

Which was why, first thing upon waking, I saw Sua's face.

"Detective, you're up?"

The universe's cutest girl—and dakimakura—greeted me good morning.

Bed's been too hot lately. I fall asleep with one arm pinned by Sua, wake up the same way.

Her separation anxiety had improved ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a bit—no more barging into my bedroom much. But she treated my room like her bedroom.

"Sua, how long you gonna cling?"

"Forever."

"Forever's a problem…."

Dog-cat Sua. Sua the Ragdoll.

FYI, I like cats and dogs. Pet cats, call 'em cute. For Ragdolls, wanna hug 'em tight.

Human-sized is a bit much, though….

"Sua… Wanna take a case?"

"Case!"

Sua's eyes sparkled.

"Case! The detective's brilliant exploits! Yup, detective assistant Watson loves watching you shine."

"Yup, so let go…."

Dakimakura week. After negotiating with Sua, I finally broke free.

I immediately messaged the Task Force.