Answer.
"Answer."
(1)
Enter the beauty salon alone and resolve the anomaly.
📍 Condition: You must enter alone to attempt it.
🎁 Reward: Acquire a new base upon completion.
I stared at the sudden message for a moment, lost in thought. Anomaly manifestation. New base. A bunch of words swirling in my head, but I was thinking something completely different.
...So base effects can even detect anomalies.
I'd thought it was just stuff like Nao paying me tribute or Ari bringing back weird finds. Never imagined Lisa would discover an anomaly.
But the base effect was supposed to be "occasionally good things happen if you stay at the base," right? Was discovering an anomaly really a good thing...?
...Hard to swallow, but from a growth perspective, maybe it is.
I nodded absently. Through solving all these incidents so far, one conviction had formed. Dealing with anomalies brought more benefits overall than avoiding them, even if it was tougher.
File 013. [Harmless (Nigredo)] "Vampire" Nao
* This entity is fully conquered.
* You can summon this entity at any time.
* Naming it has bound it to you.
* Through your bond, you can borrow its power and draw out its potential.
§ Bond Effect: Your blood has become special from bonding with the 'Vampire.' Injecting your blood into the entity triggers recovery/enhancement/rampage effects, depending on the amount.
...Take the bond effect from Nao, which I'd recently acquired, for example. It was a bit unique. Previous ones had a once-per-day limit, but this had none.
Of course, it wasn't something I could spam. Lose too much blood and humans die.... Giving blood is inherently risky.
Anyway, the Cute Girl Mod was undeniably the launcher for bond effects, and more bonds meant I got stronger. In other words, encountering more anomalies and turning more monsters into cute girls benefited me.
...The setup was insane no matter how I sliced it. But I'd made good money resolving anomalies so far, gained fame too. And now a new base? Yeah, joining in had clear upsides.
The real issue? Dying inside one. And for some reason, I had to go in alone.
"High risk..."
At least if I could bring someone, it'd be better. Should I just ignore it? Report to the Foundation or Special Task Force to handle it? Or post on the deep web for a bounty?
Nah. Better go in.
I steeled myself. Outsourcing diminished a solver's rep. Plus, I needed to check it out myself. This anomaly came via "base effect," so it was a chance to understand them deeper—especially the solo entry condition.
You must enter alone to attempt it.
Was it ramping up difficulty on purpose? Maybe not. Could be a one-person ghost story anomaly—entering with others might even penalize.
Confirming that would let me use base effects properly later. Worst case, enter solo but summon if needed.
Though summoning drains mental strength.
If it's a mind-polluting monster, I might only summon one at most. Still, one was better than none. No backing down.
Anyway...
"Beauty salon, huh..."
A certain monster came to mind. If it was that one, staying sharp mentally would keep me safe.
"You sure you'll be okay going in alone?"
"I'd rather not, but I have to this time.... If anything happens, I'll call right away, so wait at the office."
I told the worried Lisa that and headed down the stairs. Texted Nao too—entering an anomaly soon, might need backup.
"...You don't have to go that far."
A bit burdensome, but more options weren't bad. Might summon Nao over Lisa anyway.
Hoo... I exhaled sharply in front of the salon.
"It's fine.... You can do this, Mayuri...."
Muttering that, I opened the door. Tension flooded me. Alert for instant bond activation, I stepped in.
And what I saw was—people in robes.
Mages, I thought instantly. Which made it eerie. In our advanced scientific era, dressed like that. Outfits perfect for wooden staffs. All wearing masks.
Eh...?
...Not monsters.
Totally not what I expected. They weren't the anomaly.
Confession Cult
A group of doomsday believers convinced the end is coming. Humanity has sinned deeply, dooming the world to apocalypse. They see anomalies and monsters as harbingers. To prepare, humanity must purge sins. Their methods? Sacrifice yourself before the end, or become a monster to survive it.
The cultists sat primly in chairs. A female one asked, "A civilian entered? Brother, was there a civilian in our secured spot?"
The male shook his head. "No. Must be another entrance."
"Troubling. Finish before Special Task Force or Foundation notices."
They chatted casually. Stuck at the door, I froze. Never expected a cult here.... Then the door slammed shut behind me.
"A customer?"
The monster appeared. Hair everywhere. Long enough to bury her face completely—no features visible. White work uniform, pallid lifeless skin. Like an Eastern ghost.... Scissors in hand. Obvious hairdresser.
"Th-this is... a beauty salon, right...?"
"Yes. Busy now, so wait there, please."
She left without turning. Good news: I knew this monster. Stay sane, survive. Bad news: The cult was already trapped before me.
"Seat next to me's empty. Sit instead of standing?"
The woman spoke kindly. ...No other empties. Rest filled with robed cultists. Gritting teeth, I sat cautiously beside her.
"Um, excuse me.... What is this place? And who are you all...?"
Playing dumb civilian. ...At 142cm, I looked like a cute girl. Without ID, middle-schooler at most. No Task Force/Foundation ties.
"Mom said get a trim.... What the heck is this..."
"Poor lamb.... But a good chance. Die here."
"Huh? What?!"
"Humanity's filthy with sin. Horrific end awaits. Better a gentle death beforehand."
She invited me to join. Cultists were all nuts...
"I-I don't get it.... You here for haircuts, right...?"
"Confession Cult's goal is fixed: Grant humanity peaceful deaths before the end.... For this noble cause, we never stop learning. Perfect timing—look."
She pointed. A cultist at a mirror. Monster behind him.
"Haircut?"
"Yes. ...Ah, oops."
He chuckled like a mistake. Then the monster... snipped his head off.
Scissors plunged into neck. Blades slicing skin. Snip-snip-snip—blood sprayed, soaking her uniform, mirror, floor, ceiling.
Eek! I clamped my mouth, swallowing a scream.
#Ambiguous Hairdresser
Management Rank: Massacre (Citrinitas) (Threat Level 4)
Affinity: Neutral
: The entity asks, "Haircut?" Answering "Yes" gets your head cut off literally. "No" traps you in the salon forever. Answer carefully.