The Tiny Moon Girl and a New Commission
I slipped under the blanket for five seconds? Or maybe ten? Could've even been twenty, but the exact time didn't matter. Suddenly, the percentage shot up like crazy, and a cute girl appeared before my eyes. A very tiny cute girl.
"What the heck is going on...?" I muttered.
There on the bed, where I'd casually tossed the ping-pong ball, was a girl no bigger than the ball itself. Tiny. Incredibly tiny. So much so that I first thought she was a doll. But peeking through her night-sky-black hair were eyes glaring right at me—they proved she was alive.
"Haa..."
A gloomy expression. She let out a sigh as she looked at my face.
......
............
And then... nothing. No words at all.
"Um, excuse me...?"
"What."
When I tried talking to her, she responded, at least. But it was like she'd given up on everything. She hugged her knees, only flicking her gaze my way.
"Uh, are you by any chance Moon's Fall...?"
"What else would I be."
"No, see, I definitely handed Moon's Fall over to the Foundation...? So why was it in my pocket, and why'd it suddenly turn into a cute girl...?"
"You owned me."
"Huh?"
"You owned me."
That's what she said. No...
"What does that even mean...?"
Let's say you're at a bakery buying bread. Customer A accidentally touches a loaf with their bare hand. Obviously, you can't sell bread that's been handled to someone else. So Customer A has to take responsibility, pay for it, and ownership transfers to them. Fair enough.
Now, what if Customer A took a bite out of it? No take-backs. The moment it's damaged, it loses its value as merchandise, so Customer A has no choice but to deal with it somehow.
"Is that the right way to understand it?"
"What a diligent interpretation."
Moon's Fall let out a voice like she found it ridiculous.
"Interpret it however you want. The point is, you tarnished my purity, and I lost my divine nature. Thanks to you turning me into this, you ended up owning me."
"Uh... um."
Honestly, I didn't understand a word of it. Just pure confusion. How does that even happen? Were you a god? And why do I keep ending up responsible for more and more stuff...?
Forcing a guess, maybe it's because Moon's Fall was a monster in the form of a ping-pong ball. Other monsters walk around on two legs, but this one existed as an object. So it probably had strong "item" properties. Then my Cute Girl Mod power eroded it, transferring ownership to me like some possessed trinket...
In short, I was like Jean Valjean who'd grabbed bread bare-handed at the bakery. Jean Valjean backwards is still Jean Valjean. Mayuri backwards is still the cutest girl in the universe.
"So... what am I supposed to do with you now?"
"Whatever you want."
"Huh...?"
"Bake me, boil me, do what you like. If you don't need me, toss me in the trash."
She said it like it was someone else's problem. As if her own treatment didn't matter at all. What an odd one... She really saw herself as an object. Like objects don't voice opinions to their owners, she stuck to a passive attitude.
Honestly, it was more troublesome this way... How was I supposed to handle her...?
'Returning her to the Foundation... probably not an option.'
"It was in my pocket somehow!" "It turned into a talking figurine!" Who'd believe that? And even if they did, it'd be a problem. I couldn't reveal the Cute Girl Mod's power, so handing her back was out.
Which meant... I had to keep her at home...?
"Ugh, my head's spinning..."
I sighed.
...At least food costs won't be bad. She's so small. That was my only consolation.
File 007.Death (Viriditas) "Moon's Fall" Taemi ( Complete)
• Additional measures implemented: Entity fullyed.
• Summon this entity anytime.
• Naming binds the entity to you.
• Borrow the entity's power through your bond; unlock its potential.
You can borrow Moon's Fall's power to secure a light source once per day.
"Ari, come under the blanket."
Ari happened to be doing nothing, so I called her in. Of course, Ari's always doing nothing—etc., etc.
Once we were both under the covers, I activated the bond effect.
Bond with Moon's Fall activated.
"Glow-in-the-dark ping-pong ball!"
A ping-pong ball floated up in my hand. It glowed, illuminating the darkness under the blanket. Ari stared blankly before reaching out toward it. Confirming she couldn't touch it, she turned to me.
"Hungry."
"Didn't you eat dinner earlier?"
"Want late-night snacks."
"...Order whatever you want delivery."
I handed her my phone, and Ari slipped out from under the blanket. Can't you play along a little even if it's boring? That's social skills, dude. My fault for expecting any from Ari.
I looked at the ball in my hand and dismissed it.
Hmm...
"...It's kinda meh."
No batteries needed, but once you turn it off, you can't turn it back on—like a flashlight with one use per charge. Meh.
And it wasn't just that. The bonus item this time, Ordinary Coin, was pretty meh too.
◈ Resurrects one vanished monster and stores it in your collection.
◈ Single-use; disappears after activation.
...Where's the "ordinary" in that? Do they even know what the word means?
The effect was insane, but it had zero practical use. Reviving a vanished monster for what? "Vanished" means it was hostile to me, right? Bringing it back would just mean dealing with another crisis.
Still, maybe I could stockpile it for later...?
Meh bonus item. Meh bond effect.
I sighed lightly and threw off the blanket. There, in the corner of the desk, was Taemi hugging her knees.
"......"
She just sat there quietly. Like a total figurine. Motionless in that spot.
Well-behaved. Too well-behaved, really... It gave me the vibe of looking at a hikikomori daughter holed up in the corner of the room...
I tried talking to her.
"Whatcha doing over there."
"......"
"Anything you wanna do? Or something you want...?"
"No."
"O-okay..."
So curt...
I feel it every time with these monsters, but their personalities are way too strong. Like, excessively so. Isn't this the age of diversity? Transcending gender, blood ties... all sorts of boundaries. But transcending species differences might be a stretch for humanity.
Yeah, how could I understand monsters? If she needs something, she'll say so.
"Alright, Taemi, speak up if there's anything unnecessary."
"Name."
"Huh?"
"You gonna keep calling me that?"
That's what Taemi asked. I'd named her Taemi after Artemis.
"It's easy to remember, so that's what I went with."
"...Haa, do whatever."
She sighed and clammed up again. Guess she didn't like the name. I know my naming sense sucks, but I can't exactly go to a naming service and say, "Name this monster that turned human, please."
If she doesn't like it, she can move out.
'...But can she even move out?'
Curled up, she's ping-pong-ball-sized. Standing on two legs, maybe 10cm tall. Kick her out, and she'd be perfect stray-cat bait.
Which means I can't kick her out, so someone has to keep her forever...? Ugh, not me.
Isekai escape is by intelligence. I'm going back to my original world. Mayuri wants to go home...
"Mayuri, phone."
As I thought that, not a stray cat but the house cat approached. Ari handed me the vibrating phone. I took it, but King God Delivery Boy stood by waiting. Guess the call interrupted her ordering food. She stared at my face expectantly—hurry up and order my delivery.
This after I fed and housed her.
I pinched Ari's cheek and answered.
"Hello?"
"Ah, you might not remember, but this is Park Jong-cheol, deputy at the Foundation. Calling about follow-up on that matter."
"Follow-up...?"
"The Moon's Fall you resolved before? It's vanished. Not sure why."
Deputy Park Jong-cheol said. Looks like the Foundation hadn't noticed I'd taken Moon's Fall. ...To be precise, she'd followed me. Probably used some power to slip into my pocket...
"We've wired the reward for your help. Check your account, and let me know if the amount's off."
"Oh, got it..."
"Also, for Ririri Detective Agency—any interest in another commission?"
"Huh?"
I blurted without thinking.
"Want to add one more. Related to a Muksi Saengmyeongche. You up for it?"
"O-of course! Leave it to our agency!"
I raised my voice without realizing. Oooh, economic activity! The kind an unemployed person can't do! It's coming. Mayuri's era is coming. Nah, it's always been my era. 'Cause I'm the cutest girl in the universe.
My body felt heavy. That unique post-sleep lethargy right after waking. Too lazy to get up, I rolled sideways, wondering if I'd just laze in bed more. But instead of the blanket's texture, my hand grasped empty air. That's when I realized I wasn't lying down—I was sitting.
Hmm...?
"...Where am I?"
I opened my eyes. A bathroom shrouded in darkness, no light seeping in. It felt like I was right in the middle of a ghost story.