The Black-Haired Child
"Huh? Who are you?"
When I muttered the codename Founder, the girl who heard it turned around and stared straight up at me. Her eyes, black as pearls, fixed on mine, and I felt an inexplicable pull as I answered her question.
"Me? I'm... someone who works here—"
"Ah~ I see!"
"I haven't even finished—"
"Counselor. Right, I know. But that's strange. Did the last counselor die?"
A chill ran through me at the eerie remark coming from a child's mouth. I stood frozen for a moment.
"Ung-ssi, please greet her properly. This is Founder, the one in charge of cuteness at our museum."
"...Hello?"
"Yeah, hello. And hello to you too, you creepy clown girl!"
"Yes, hello."
She called the Field Team Leader a tomboy and the Management Team Leader a creepy clown. Yet both of them—usually quick to bicker—stood perfectly still without a word. Could she be... the President's daughter?
"Oh? Your hands are huge. Want to pat my head?"
She gazed at me intently, grabbed my hand without asking, and pressed it with her tiny fingers. For some reason she looked impressed, then ordered me to stroke her hair.
"What are you waiting for? Hurry up!"
That boldness, that hard-to-hate childishness... She had to be the President's daughter.
Swish... rustle... stroke...
"Mmmh~"
"..."
I had only come to the Field Team Leader's office to get approval for Harpy's outing, so how did I end up petting this black-haired Rapunzel's hair instead?
Stroke... pat... glide...
...It was incredibly soft. Not a single tangle, just impossibly smooth. The fact that it dragged along the floor made me wonder how anyone managed to wash and dry it.
"That's it, that's it... Mmm, ahh~"
Once I let my thoughts wander, the pleasant texture of her hair drew me in completely. Before I knew it, the girl had wrapped her arms around my waist and was leaning against me with a blissful expression.
I still felt dazed, but seeing how much she enjoyed it gave me a strange sense of satisfaction. Nero always loved it when I petted her too. Maybe I had some hidden talent with my hands?
"Ahee~"
"...?"
"E-ehem... That's enough. Hehe."
Shove!
"Urk...?"
The kid was stronger than she looked. If the Team Leader hadn't caught me, I would have fallen. I hadn't even been the one hugging her.
"Yeah, I like you! From now on... hmm, that's it. I'll call you Oppa. Got it, Oppa?"
"Oppa...?"
It sounded nice, but why did she tack "you" onto the end?
"Yeah! That tomboy and you made me feel good, so I'll let it slide. But if you break anything else, I'll snap your arms and legs the same way. Understand?"
"..."
"...."
Thud!
With those terrifying words still hanging in the air, the girl smiled brightly, then glided down the hallway without a sound. She casually lifted the thick, crumpled iron door from the floor as if it weighed nothing.
"Whoa...?"
She vanished around the corner, her long hair trailing behind her until it too disappeared. Only then did an awkward silence settle over us. The Field Team Leader spoke first.
"...Anyway, I still don't like it. If you want approval, go bow your head to that clown and ask her yourself. Then maybe I'll consider it."
She said "consider," not "approve." Still, the earlier heated atmosphere had cooled thanks to the sudden appearance of the girl. I didn't understand what had just happened, but at least things were calmer now.
"Ung-ssi, that was impressive. First Harpy, now this... Do you have something special about your hands?"
"Ahaha... By the way, Team Leader, that kid just now—"
"...!"
Smack!
"Mmph?"
A hand flew up and clamped over my mouth before I could finish asking who the cute little girl was. I remembered the Field Team Leader always wore white gloves, so this soft hand belonged to someone else. I shifted my eyes...
"...Management Team Leader?"
"Do you actually want to die?"
"Huh?"
Obviously, I didn't want to die without even going on a single date.
"Hey, Clown. You really didn't tell him anything, did you? Acting all protective while secretly waiting for him to drop dead somewhere?"
"That's not true. Founder only came up here because someone broke the door."
"..."
"More importantly, I'm impressed. So even the Field Team Leader didn't want to see a kind employee like Ung-ssi die in pain?"
I couldn't follow their conversation at all, but I clearly saw the Field Team Leader's face twist in displeasure. She wasn't embarrassed... probably.
"...That makes us even for earlier. Tch. Do whatever you want with the outing or whatever."
"Does that mean—?"
"Don't make me repeat myself. I'm going out for some air."
She reached for the panel as if to close the door, then clicked her tongue when she remembered she'd already destroyed it. After one last display of irritation, she grabbed what looked like motorcycle keys and walked past us toward the elevator.
Flutter...
The document that had fallen to the floor now bore the Field Team Leader's signature.
"Haha..."
I still didn't understand what had just happened, but I'd gotten every signature I needed. Now I could take Harpy on that exciting outing. The thought filled me with genuine joy, as if it were my own happiness.
"You nearly died three times today and you still look happy."
"Three times...? Wasn't it two?"
I wasn't thrilled about how numb I was becoming to these shocks, but the first time the Team Leader had saved me from the flying door. The second time, the ghostly girl had appeared like a mediator when the two leaders almost fought. So the third time was...?
"That long-haired little girl you just met."
"...Right. I was wondering about her."
The Team Leader seemed unsure how to explain. She paused to organize her thoughts, then finally spoke.
"There are certain entities in this world that even our facility can't contain."
"So...?"
"Most of them are either completely unbound by the concept of physical space or possess power far beyond anything we can handle."
...I was starting to feel uneasy. Would she stop if I said I didn't want to hear more?
"Why are you suddenly telling me this—"
"So instead of forcing containment, we make compromises. We offer nominal protection or form cooperative relationships, even if it puts us at a disadvantage."
I suddenly recalled the girl's pitch-black eyes. They weren't typical of East Asians—more like the mysterious visitor from the President's office.
"Among them, Founder has been quite friendly. She even helped construct this underground facility using her abilities. But she's not someone we can treat like an ordinary human."
"..."
"She's like a child who finds pure joy in stepping on bugs."
...So that's what she meant.
"Her twin is prickly, but at least she's more accustomed to human standards. Talking to her doesn't make me this tense."
I had suspected the deep containment levels held mythical or legendary beings, given entities like mermaids already existed. But to think I'd just patted one on the head and been called "Oppa"...
"She doesn't like being called 'kid' or 'brat.' If you say that to her face, she'll erase you. And if you touch her hair without permission, she'll erase your arms too."
"Erase...?"
"She usually stays on the seventh floor where the hot springs are, but she came up because some ill-tempered woman broke one of her scales."
Erase? Seventh floor? Hot springs seventy floors underground? And scales? None of it made sense, but the most shocking realization was that I had nearly died just moments ago from a single careless word.
"..."
The Team Leader's unusually serious tone sent a chill down my spine. Goosebumps rose on my arms.
"Ah... haha."
I didn't know whether to be grateful I was still alive or to resent the Team Leader for leaving me in such danger without any warning. My thoughts grew muddled, and an awkward laugh escaped me.
...What kind of place was this, really?