At the American Branch

Fuck. If I'd known it was going to turn out like this, I should've just fingered Manager Kim Yul-ryeong's pussy and died happy.

It had been ages since I'd last had a shot with Manager Kim, and I'd let it slip through my fingers for nothing. If I'd known it was an anomaly, I wouldn't have hesitated for a second—I'd have just gone for it. The thought of that golden opportunity I'd wasted made my blood boil.

Shit. My memories are fading again.

I opened the gallery and wrote a post.

There was no time to leisurely check the gallery. I closed it without so much as glancing at the comments.

Fuck. I can't sleep. The second I let my guard down even once, the anomaly will force its way in.

I couldn't sleep. I couldn't lose focus for even a moment. The instant I slipped up, the anomaly would pry open my mind and crawl inside.

I feel like I'm going to lose it.

My consciousness was thinning. One wrong move and it would be gone.

Remember the purpose. Steady the heart.

My light. My faith. My salt. A person needed a reason to keep living—a dream, a family, a bond, a lover. But when your life was hanging by a thread like this, ordinary reasons weren't enough.

I want to eat Manager Kim's pussy.

That was it. Just like how meeting Eun-hwa in the platform ghost story had saved my life, I needed a new pussy I hadn't tasted ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠yet. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Sorry to In-seo, but if all of us were going to survive, adultery was a necessity.

I wonder if Manager Kim Yul-ryeong's panties are kawaii again?

I licked my lips. The General Manager's pussy was an intensely powerful motivator.

Does that mean I'll be breaking her hymen for a third time?

I'd broken it twice dealing with the mannequin anomaly. Counting this one, that made three.

"I'll do it."

I volunteered for Seraphina's surveillance detail and climbed into the transport vehicle. There was plenty I wanted to ask the Vampire Queen. Once aboard, I waited for the Manager to fall asleep.

She's an anomaly the Management Bureau already wrecked, so she's not that scary.

I looked down at the massive coffin. I'd been terrified at first, but not anymore. If anything, Seraphina's hatred just looked pathetic.

"O Vampire Queen. Might this humble servant request an audience?"

The Manager had dozed off. I tried talking to Seraphina.

What is it?

Asking politely had softened her tone.

"Lady Seraphina, have you by any chance felt as though your mind is being controlled?"

The regressions that happened through me were something even Seraphina never noticed—I'd already confirmed that in a previous loop. But an anomaly of her caliber might have at least sensed that her mind was being manipulated.

What do you mean by that?

The way she spoke said she knew nothing. That settled it. Among top-tier anomalies, the Vampire Queen was bottom-of-the-barrel trash. In game terms, she was about as strong as a low-rank mid-boss. You had to crush Seraphina underfoot just to even reach the real top-tier anomalies. Even without the Causality Regenerator, a washed-up Seraphina who'd already gotten wrecked by the Bureau was no match for me.

"Woof."

What are you doing?

"Woof. Wuh-wuh-wuh-woof. Woof!"

Are you mocking Us?

"Sex, sex! Sex! Vampire Queen cumdump!"

You've gone mad and want to die.

Clunk. Clunk.

The Vampire Queen couldn't contain her rage. The massive coffin rattled and shook with a violent clunking.

Oh. Holy shit.

Was the coffin about to break open? I curled in on myself and watched her carefully, ready to drop to the floor and beg for forgiveness if things went south.

Huff. Huff.

But Seraphina couldn't break through the thick coffin. She was left gasping for breath, exhausted.

"You really are a washed-up scrub who got wrecked by the Management Bureau."

I recovered my swagger and kept taunting her. This woman was no rival of mine—an anomaly who couldn't even escape the Bureau's mediocre grip.

There's no way she's the Vampire Queen.

I'd even considered the theory that the Vampire Queen had broken free and caused this whole mess. Looking at her now, I knew that was impossible.

Grit your teeth and run your mouth all you like. I will be free of this coffin soon enough.

Seraphina ground her fangs. She wasn't threatening in the slightest.

I feel like I'm going to lose my mind.

My memories were slipping away again. I was on the verge of blacking out. I bit down hard on my lip and fought with everything I had to keep them from vanishing.

I want to do it with Puppy again.

To resist the anomaly, I summoned images of Manager Kim Yul-ryeong, the front-desk noona, and Puppy. Pussies I'd already tasted once. With my mind about to shatter, those remembered pussies felt all the more precious.

"We've arrived. What's wrong with you?"

"I'm just exhausted."

I barely managed to answer the Manager. My consciousness was flickering in and out. I couldn't even tell if I was walking or breathing.

"Get some rest early today."

"Go on in."

I parted ways with the group and entered the room I'd been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠assigned. I didn't even wash up. Clutching my head, I fought the anomaly. The only thing I could do was picture the Manager's face.

"Sex, sex, sex!"

I was going to have sex with General Manager Kim Yul-ryeong! I was going to behold her kawaii panties once more!

"Come on then, you goddamn anomaly bastard—let's see who wins."

I became a beast and crawled across the floor of the lodging. In that moment, I was nothing more than a rabid dog.

"Haa. Haa. What—it's already morning?"

I'd lost myself crawling on the floor, and before I knew it the morning sun was up.

"I'm not tired at all."

My mind was shaking like it was about to collapse on the spot. My body was a different story. I felt as fresh as if I'd just woken from a deep sleep.

I finished showering and stepped outside.

"Morning, everyone. Sleep well?"

I made small talk with In-seo as we headed downstairs. We met Jack, got a briefing on the work, and started the job.

Come to think of it, I never posted to the gallery.

When posting to the gallery, the top priority was backing up my memory so it would survive even if I forgot everything.

If I tried to think through an explanation, I'd just get mind-controlled. My brain wasn't sharp enough to handle two things at once.

"We'll run a simple test. Can you read the thoughts of the anomaly beyond this room?"

"No. But I can read the thoughts of the anomaly behind me."

The same situation was repeating itself. I already knew what Eun-hwa was going to say.

"Yes—it says, He who touches me shall be invited into my space."

Once I was fully aware, every fact stood out in sharp relief. Aside from the minor drawback of feeling like I was about to lose my mind, my condition was better than it had ever been.

"We'll move to the next location."

In the previous loop, around this time, we'd headed to the break room. But right now my body was in peak condition. I felt no need to go there at all.

If I let the tension slip, I'm gone.

If anything, the break room was the one place I absolutely could not go. Loosen the reins even a little and—in a flash—I'd be gone.

Anomalies distort your sense of time.

I'd encountered every kind of anomaly there was. With ones that could hijack your mind already on the table, warping time perception fell well within the realm of possibility.

The problem is I don't know when or where I got hit by the anomaly.

I had no idea at what point the autosave had kicked in. What I did know for certain was that I'd come into contact with the anomaly at some point after boarding the plane.

The alarm went off around evening.

Going to the Mutter Museum was out of the question. We would dig in and hold the American Branch. If we holed up with the Management Bureau staff, our odds of resolving the anomaly would go up.

"Branch Director, the fatigue from the trip still hasn't worn off. This is a week-long assignment—wouldn't it be fine if we went tomorrow instead?"

"Th-that works."

I pushed back against the Manager head-on. The General Manager looked slightly flustered, as if she hadn't expected anyone to say they didn't want to go.

I'm sorry, Manager. I don't have a choice.

Feeling a twinge of guilt, I started making preparations.

One minute left.

I wrote the post to the gallery and loosened up my body. If my prediction was right, the entire eastern United States was about to be swallowed by the anomaly and collapse. The Management Bureau would be no exception.

Woooooooong. Wooooooooong. Woooooooong.

A low warning tone droned through the air. Already prepared, I shot to my feet. A broadcast urged everyone to evacuate into the bunker.

"Hurry—we need to take shelter."

In-seo grabbed my hand and pulled me along.

"I have ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠no idea what's going on all of a sudden."

"We need to move. We have to get to shelter before the nuke drops."

Eun-hwa and the Manager joined us one after another. As if possessed, everyone streamed toward the bunker.

"Everyone, please listen to me."

Management Bureau staff had gathered in front of the underground bunker. About ten people in total—I had no idea where the rest had gone. Everyone who was going to show up had shown up. I had to say it here and now.

"Everyone, calm down and listen to me! Doesn't that broadcast sound completely staged? Doesn't it feel exactly like an anomaly?"

I told the people gathered there the truth—that this was an anomaly. In the previous loop, Manager Kim Yul-ryeong had listened and followed my lead. Speaking to them should have been enough to break the mind control.

Huh?

But the staff's reaction was nothing like what I'd expected. Bodies locked rigid—these things were not human. Their joints bent at angles no human body could achieve.

Crack.

In-seo's head rotated a full one hundred and eighty degrees. Her hand clamped down hard on my arm.

"Hieeeeeek—!"

In-seo, the Manager, Eun-hwa—all of them had been taken by the anomaly from the very beginning.

When? Since when, damn it?

Had everyone already been compromised?

"Let go. Let go of me."

Tears streaming, I tried to run. Even with everything I had, I couldn't break free of In-seo's grip.

"Isss that so?"

"Howww did you know?"

"You don't knooow?"

Management Bureau staff approached with necks cracking and twisting. Their hands seized my limbs.

"Fuck, when did—"

They forced my limbs still and pried my eyes open.

"What are you trying to—"

They brought something over. The moment I saw it, a brilliant light flooded my vision.