Debriefing and the Menhera Assistant's Tears
Hello Watson Special Response Team 4 Leader Kang Hyun-seok was listening to the report.
"So, the doppelganger was disguised as the Director's corpse."
"Yup, that's right!"
Her usual high-energy voice. It grated on him, but Kang Hyun-seok had no choice but to take it in. In this incident, most of the Special Task Force staff had been suspects, so Baesena had to take the lead.
Kang Hyun-seok reached for a cigarette but held back. This was indoors, after all.
"Bitter, isn't it."
He knew about Information Director Jeong Woo-gyeom too. The Special Task Force had quite a few employees who'd lost family. It left a bitter taste, but at the same time, Kang Hyun-seok felt a twinge of envy. At least he'd achieved his revenge.
He knew plenty of staff who'd vanished without even that small wish granted. With the urge to smoke building, Kang Hyun-seok kept reading the report.
Due to the containment breach accident, 24 entities attempted escape. Of those, 22 were successfully recontained. Of the remaining two, Watson had escaped outright, while the doppelganger's escape was ambiguous at best. It had disguised itself as Jeong Woo-gyeom's corpse, biding its time for another chance.
After escaping, Watson triggered an anomaly. And Mayuri, head of the Ririri Detective Agency, got caught up in it. Which led to her playing detective.
Mayuri...
She'd crossed paths with her during the One Person Factory Manager incident. It still left a bad taste for Kang Hyun-seok. He still suspected she was hiding something.
But Baesena had covered for her back then too. So they couldn't administer memory erasure, and now Mayuri had opened her agency and was thriving.
"It all fits together too neatly."
Was there some secret behind Mayuri's success? He'd muttered it to himself, and Baesena replied:
"If you saved people, that's what matters, right? Isn't it?"
"Tch."
Yeah, she'd said the same back then. Saving more lives was good enough. What did the truth matter? The Special Task Force eliminated monsters, not uncovered truths.
He had words for that, but since Mayuri had helped them, Kang Hyun-seok held his tongue for now.
Mayuri, with Watson's help, exposed the doppelganger's true nature. In the process, Watson absorbed 'Twentieth Sea Turtle Soup'. That entity had been officially handed over to the Ririri Detective Agency by the Woorim Group through proper channels—a Muksi Saengmyeongche.
Watson even absorbed 'Mary-san' too. The 'corrupted' Watson then erased the doppelganger. And finally, Mayuri erased Watson.
That's how the report read.
"Four Muksi Saengmyeongche erased in one day. Is that what you're trying to say, Baesena?"
"It's the truth—what can I do about it! You saw the doppelganger's corpse yourself, didn't you?"
Right, he'd confirmed the doppelganger's body personally. It was ruled non-functional as a Muksi Saengmyeongche. Still, fearing revival, they'd incinerated it thoroughly.
"And Watson? How did it vanish?"
"How should I know? It's the Ririri Agency's trade secret."
"Playing it like that, huh."
"You know it too, Hyun-seok. I'm just helping the Special Task Force—I'm not actually part of it? I've never been on the Task Force's side. Always on humanity's side!"
Baesena said it with a bright, innocent smile.
"So trust my judgment, Hyun-seok! This is definitely better for humanity, yup?"
"That's for humans to decide. Not a monster like you."
"Then I really can't tell you~. This breach was an inside job, right?"
"Baesena."
Kang Hyun-seok called her name. She kept smiling regardless.
"Doesn't seem like a cult spy. So a traitor, maybe? What do you think, Hyun-seok?"
"You suspecting me?"
"Of course I trust you! But 'what if,' you know? Even if you're not the traitor, someone you trust most could be. To protect our Task Force, it's good to have an ace up our sleeve no one knows about! Gotta fool your allies to fool the enemy, right?"
"What about the chance you're the traitor?"
"Me? Who's been with the Task Force for centuries? Hilarious joke! You really think that?"
"......"
Kang Hyun-seok shut his mouth. A monster like Baesena didn't have access to open the containment zone. If it really was an inside job, someone must have been 'possessed by a monster'.
And Baesena, already a monster, wasn't easily swayed by anomalies anymore.
To think the only one he could trust was this damn monster.
"Anyway, enough gloomy talk! Let's chat more about Yuri. How're we settling her reward?"
"...Gotta report to the Director first."
"Want me to come along?"
"No need."
Kang Hyun-seok sighed.
I'd sworn I wouldn't add any more cute girls. Felt like I'd sworn it every time, though.
Weird. They kept duplicating on me...
"Yup, detective agency arrived."
As we reached the Ririri Detective Agency, the cute girl beside me announced it.
I knew it was pointless, but I said it anyway. "It's not a detective agency, it's a solutions agency..."
"Detectives solve cases. So solutions agents are detectives. Therefore, detective agency, yup."
...I thought "solutions agent" covered way more ground than "detective," though.
"This was my first time solving a murder case, anyway. I usually handle Muksi Saengmyeongche."
"Yup, murders don't happen often. So detectives mostly do infidelity checks and stuff, yup."
Watson nodded. Totally immersed in her detective play, spouting dreamless nonsense...
With a sigh, I looked up at her. Girlified Watson had changed a lot from her monster days.
Still in detective getup: beret, coat draped like a cape over her shoulders. Her perky chest emphasized the green tie. Long flowing black hair, big eyes. She could pass for a college girl or high schooler—total cutie.
"Let's head inside first..."
No point standing around chatting, so I led the office staff in, Watson included.
"Detective! Detective!"
"What?"
"Give detective assistant Watson some work too, detective. Assistants labor at the detective agency, yup."
Her tone was soft, but she seemed weirdly excited. Must be thrilled to be at the office, deep in assistant mode. Voice was flat, but her expressions were surprisingly rich. Unlike Ari's perpetual pout.
But still.
"...Why're you assuming you'll work under me?"
"Detective assistant Watson has to work under the detective. That's what makes her an assistant, yup."
"That's not what I— No, where do I even start with this..."
My head was spinning. And I think I knew why.
Ari and Nao had girlified by accident. Taemi, Miyeong too. I'd actively punched Lisa and Yeoul with the cute girl mod. Matan came begging for it, but I'd suggested it first.
Watson's case? She was already a girl by the time I realized...
"You know about my power? The one that turns things into cute girls...?"
"I know about the detective's power that turns Muksi Saengmyeongche into humans through contact, yup."
"How do you even know that...? Only high-rank monsters pick up on it."
"Watson's the detective assistant. Assistants gotta know everything about their detective, yup."
What the hell was she on about? Guess her assistant power let her sniff out my Cute Girl Mod.
Which meant...
"You turned human on purpose? Why?!"
"Detective assistants gotta stay with their detective. So she becomes the detective's—that's how, yup."
"Hey... Ever thought about going independent?"
"You're abandoning detective assistant Watson...?"
Her eyes started welling up.
Eek!
"Don't abandon me, detective... Watson'll do anything... I'll obey every order, so don't abandon me, detective..."
"D-don't cry...! Wait, you're not the type! Why're you crying all of a sudden!?"
"Scared of being abandoned, detective... You can't abandon Watson... Watson can't live without you..."
She was legit trembling. I caught on quick.
...Right, she'd eaten 'Mary-san'.
And the Mary legend? About a doll thrown in the trash that comes back. Whether for revenge on being discarded or craving her owner's love again—who knows.
Anyway, Watson ate the Mary legend. So she gained not just 'Mary-san's powers, but her traits too.
In other words: a menhera detective assistant terrified of abandonment was born!
Another menhera...?
"Okay, fine, stop crying! I won't abandon you! Ugh..."
"Whoa... Sis is turning another one into a menhera... Do you like 'em menhera, sis?"
Nao chimed in. I wanted to just enjoy subculture stuff, Nao...
Anyway, I somehow calmed Watson down.
"You'll work hard, right...?"
"Yup, detective assistant Watson will work hard."
And... I decided to accept her.
No choice. Our best searcher was Sbas-chan, but Watson had eaten Sbas-chan and Mary.
She was damn good at her job, for sure...
Her pushiness was the issue—if I could control that, her search skills were insane. She'd more than fill the Twentieth Sea Turtle Soup gap.
So, no helping it—I had to keep her...
"But Watson, there's conditions if you wanna work here."
"Yup, detective assistant Watson obeys any order from the detective."
"That speech pattern."
"?"
"I told the Task Force we erased you and just brought you on as staff..."
Her speech was too unique. Task Force folks would clock instantly that Watson hadn't vanished but got girlified. She calls herself Watson, for starters. Looks Korean enough, but that outfit? Who wears that nowadays?
"First, a name. You're the assistant, so... Assistant... Jo Sua? How's Jo Sua?"
"Yup, detective. Detective assistant Watson obeys. From now on, detective assistant Watson's name is Jo Sua, yup."
She nodded like it was settled. Watson—no, Sua—nodded.
Then a loud ping from the whiteboard.
"How pathetic, Tae-man."
As I said it, the whiteboard lit up: 'Admin: This is all your fault!!!!!'