We Don't Know Anything!
The day before the Association officer's visit.
Our guild's condition could only be described as total chaos.
"All right, everyone focus."
Jihyun stood in front of the whiteboard. Beneath last time's We do not address each other that way outside, a new set of rules had been added.
1. No Sword Form — No transforming, and do not even bring up the subject of swords.
2. No "Master" — Byeori is not to address Nayeon that way. No eye contact either. Act like complete strangers.
3. No Expert Commentary — Byeori is to pretend she knows absolutely nothing about gear, swords, or Gates.
Our guild whiteboard was accumulating weirder and weirder rules by the day.
"Any questions?"
"Me! When the investigator gets here, what snacks do we put out?"
"Unnie, is that really your question?"
"It matters! First impressions!"
"…Instant coffee and cookies will be fine. All right, mock Q&A starts now. I'll play the investigator. Unnie, you're up first."
Jihyun adjusted her glasses and dropped her voice into a lower register.
"Hello, I'm with the Association. Just here to confirm a few things regarding last week's A-7 inspection."
"Uh, we don't know anything!"
"……"
Jihyun and I smacked our foreheads at the exact same time.
"…Unnie. You do realize that was the single most suspicious answer on the planet, right?"
"W-was it? Then what am I supposed to say?"
"Just 'Yes, hello' is fine?!"
"Yes, hello! We don't know anything!"
"Don't combine them! Argh!"
Our future looked bleak…
Next was my turn.
"Byeori. Where were you that day?"
"I was assisting with equipment checks outside the control line, and from the afternoon onward I waited by the vehicle. I never entered the restricted zone."
"……"
"…What?"
"No, it's just—too perfect. You sound like you're reading a script. That makes it more suspicious."
What do you want from me?!
Sound suspicious and I get scolded. Sound perfect and I get doubted?
"Give about half of that answer. Okay?"
…Easy to say. Harder to do.
For the final risk check, Jihyun told Nayeon to call me over.
"Byeori~?"
"Yes, Master!"
"……"
A vein bulged on Jihyun's forehead.
"…Tomorrow, you two are strangers. Don't even make eye contact."
…I could accept that much.
But honestly, it felt a little unfair. Why was I getting lumped in with that woman as a problem child?!
The rehearsal dragged on for over an hour. Nayeon deployed "we don't know anything" three more times, and every single time a vein stood out on Jihyun's temple.
I watched the whole spectacle from the sofa, lost in my own thoughts.
…It was kind of funny, really.
I was the only one in this room who knew why that log anomaly had appeared. But as for the cause behind the cause—I had no idea.
I knew the cause, and I also knew that I didn't know the cause.
What a ridiculous position to be in. Hard to even explain.
Two o'clock that afternoon.
When the doorbell rang, the three of us were sitting side by side on the sofa in perfect posture.
Hands on knees. Eyes forward. Spines ramrod straight.
Anyone walking in would have thought we'd come for a job interview.
Having to sit this uncomfortably in our own guild hall…
Anyway, the door opened, and the person who walked in was—
"Ah, yes. I'm with the Association's Gate Observation Division. Just a few things to confirm…"
Younger than I'd expected.
Document bag, dark circles under her eyes… the kind of face that suggested her soul had half-checked out of the building.
"Please, have a seat… oh! Would you like some coffee?"
"Ah, that'd be great, thanks."
She was so easygoing it almost made our tension embarrassing.
I'd been picturing an interrogator. The kind from movies and dramas—some hard-faced type barking questions and slamming tables…!
But no. What she pulled out of her bag, piece by piece, wasn't handcuffs or a gun. Just a single checklist.
"This won't take long. Just procedural confirmation."
Nayeon brought over the instant coffee with both hands, tray and all.
…Did our guild even own a tray?
"Um, if you'd like more sugar…"
"Oh, I'm fine. This is perfect."
So she was the type who went overboard with hospitality when she got nervous.
The investigator took a sip of coffee and flipped neatly through her papers.
"You conducted the inspection according to the approved procedures, correct? I'll just cross-check against the copy of the checklist you submitted."
"Yes. We logged everything in order."
Jihyun handed over a file. The inspection checklist was packed as densely as a quote sheet.
"Oh… very thorough records. Not many subcontractors are like this."
"Heh. It's just the basics."
Jihyun's shoulders straightened, just a little. Another one who was weak to praise.
"All right, then—to the main point."
The investigator looked up from her papers.
"At approximately 15:17 on the work day, the observation readings spiked once. I'd like to confirm what work you were doing at that time."
Here it came.
I clenched my hands on my knees without thinking.
I knew that timestamp. That was exactly when I'd approached the control line.
Breathe…
Stay calm. Nobody knows. I'm the only one in the world who does.
"15:17? One moment."
Jihyun flipped through the checklist.
Flip. Flip.
"…Ah. Here it is. From 15:10 to 15:25, we suspended work and took a break. In the shade."
"Sorry? A break?"
"Yes, yes. It's written right here. '15:10 — Equipment Unit 3 inspection complete, break. 15:25 — Equipment Unit 4 relocation.'"
"So nobody touched any equipment during that window? No one at all?"
"Correct. My checklists are accurate."
Jihyun squared her shoulders again.
…It would've been better if she'd just said, "Oh, we accidentally bumped some equipment around then." That would've ended with a simple "Well, be more careful next time."
Of course, Jihyun didn't know anything, so of course she answered that way…
I could practically hear her honesty escalating the situation. The investigator scratched her chin with the tip of her pen, then tapped another item.
"During that break, did any of you notice anything? Vibrations, sounds, instrument anomalies—anything like that?"
"No. It was quiet."
"Same here. Nice weather, actually."
The two of them answered cleanly.
Because it was true. The only one who'd felt anything at that moment was—
"…Nnh."
I shook my head vigorously too.
"The little miss as well? All right, checking 'none.'"
For the first time, the investigator's expression turned faintly complicated.
"…Hmm. So it wasn't interference, then."
Her pen paused over the checklist.
"If you'd been handling equipment, I could close this as 'inspection interference'… but if you were on break, this is cause unknown."
Cause unknown…
I had plenty I could have said, but I just quietly stared down at my knees.
"Um, is that a problem?"
Nayeon asked carefully. Thanks to the rehearsal, her voice was surprisingly steady.
"No, it's not a problem on your end. You followed procedure, no regulatory violations."
The investigator jotted down a few more lines on the checklist.
"Ah, and this is a separate item… the little miss?"
Her gaze landed on me.
"Did you enter the restricted zone that day?"
"…No. I stayed outside the control line the whole time. Later I waited by the vehicle."
"Outside the control line, vehicle standby. Right, no regulatory issues there."
The investigator checked it off without much interest and moved on.
Fine. She'd moved on…
"……"
As she flipped to the next item, she glanced at me one more time.
Just a flick. Barely a second.
That look just now. It was the look of someone verifying something against the real thing…?
My back broke out in a cold sweat. I was patting my clenched thighs in little nervous taps when the investigator closed her documents as if nothing had happened.
"Confirmation complete. Conclusion is… no irregularities on the subcontractor side; the spike is cause unknown. An investigation team will enter next week, so I'll attach this as reference material for them."
"An investigation team… is going in there?"
The words left my mouth before anyone else's.
"Yes. Just a routine re-survey, basically. Anomalous readings in closed zones haven't been limited to this one lately. Mmm, the higher-ups are a bit on edge about it."
Not limited to this one?
That seemed like pretty important information to just toss out casually.
Apparently the investigator didn't think so. She packed her bag, stood up, and gave a little bow, thanking us for the coffee.
Then, at the door, she hesitated for a moment.
"…Oh, and this is off the record."
She glanced at me and lowered her voice.
"I browse Hunter Gallery, you know. The kid… she's already famous on there. Be careful with photos when you take her around. The gallery moves fast these days."
"……"
"Well, take care."
The door closed.
The three of us sat frozen for about three seconds before Jihyun was the first to clutch her head.
"Aaaagh! Even Association people know about our Byeori…!"
"Whoa! Association people use community boards too!"
"Is that what you're shocked about right now?! This is exactly why I told you to be careful… augh, seriously! Why are there so many gallery lurkers in this world?!"
…I was starting to feel weirdly guilty.
That evening.
On my sanctuary—the plush sofa.
"Hnn…"
Wrapped in a blanket, I turned over everything I'd heard today.
Cause unknown. Investigation team entering. Not limited to this location…
Nothing but unsettling scraps, all piled neatly together.
……
My hand drifted to my chest without thinking.
A thin white line. The mark left from when I'd broken.
"…What even is this."
From the Gate anomalies to this dull, throbbing sensation. Everything felt connected somehow… but even with my superior intellect, I couldn't quite pin down the link.
"Byeori, what are you doing? Come eat some tangerines!"
Nayeon called from the living room. Jihyun, still organizing the checklist file, already had a peeled tangerine segment in her mouth.
"…Coming."
I pushed off the blanket and stood—then one thought snagged in my mind.
The day the investigation team goes in.
What am I supposed to be doing? Just sit on this sofa peeling tangerines and wait?
…Or what, tag along?
Even being interested in the first place was weird. It was unsettling, sure, but that was all. I didn't even have proof it was connected to me, so why—
"Byeori! They're getting cold! Hurry up!"
"How do tangerines get cold."
"My heart, waiting for Byeori, is getting cold!"
…Ugh.
I'd leave the worrying to tomorrow's me. For today, the first order of business was demolishing some delicious tangerines.