I'm Not Leaving!
I'm not leaving, I said...! Just take good care of the library for me. Those were the last words from Grandmother, who saved my life and then vanished without a trace. In a way, you could say this mysterious library is her legacy.
A library filled with countless books—books that are just a little special. I loved this place, so I was managing it with all my heart.
"Nu~ nu~ nu~."
Swoosh. Swoosh. Humming a cheerful tune, I swept the shelves with a broom as tall as I was. In a library where not a speck of dust ever gathered, sweeping was just a routine.
You can't tell the time inside the library from the outside world. So if you nod off without realizing it or lose track of time buried in novel-writing or reading, days and nights start blending together. That's why I made sweeping my morning ritual—to give myself that sense of another day passed.
Of course, I could leave if I wanted...
What Grandmother entrusted to me—the one who saved my life—was just management, nothing that bound me directly to the library. So if I really wanted to, I could step out anytime.
Then why didn't I? ...Honestly, I just didn't want to.
More precisely, I'd rather spend any time I might use wandering outside reading one more book.
It had been months since I became the new librarian here, but new books kept appearing. The shelves in this mysterious library had a bizarre property: the moment you perceived them, they extended endlessly.
Hmm, how to explain it. Think of natural numbers. Say the shelves in my current view, left and right, are from -100 to 100. That'd make 200 shelves total. But apply this mystery, and shelves that didn't exist—like 1.1 and -1.1—suddenly appear as if they were always there.
Which meant there were books I hadn't read yet, and even ones at the far ends I hadn't even noticed. The weird part was, even if I hadn't noticed them, at the right moment, they'd pop into my head like memories. As if all the library's knowledge was already tucked away in my mind.
Anyway.
Last time, I barely reached the end with some self-hypnosis...
With essentially infinite shelves, every moment outside felt like a waste. And there was a practical reason too.
"No money means no room to rent..."
Unfortunately, librarian wasn't a paying gig. So my goal was to rent a place once my current novel started earning.
Flap! Flap flap!
"Huh? What's that noise? Why would I ever leave the library...?"
A nearby book protested fiercely, and suddenly others rolled over, having overheard me.
Rustle!! Flap flap!
"Nooo... I'm not leaving, I said...! Why are you all suddenly—!"
Fluuump!
"Argh, I said I'm not going...!"
And finally, the books' slight obsession with me. For all those reasons, I was stuck here in the library for now.
Of course, that didn't mean I wasn't curious about the outside world at all. That's why I saved that man last time, right?
Come to think of it, I wondered what he and those two were up to now.
"What? You can't cancel the team dissolution? What kind of bullshit is that...?"
Stunned, Section Chief Lee coughed belatedly at his own crude slip.
"No, what do you mean? Just cancel the personnel transfers for Clerk Seo Yun-ah and Agent Lee Kyung-seong."
Section Chief Lee eyed the stone-faced female staffer typing away at her laptop across from him. She was dispatched to investigate him after the "White Mother" incident reported his team dead.
"If it's a manpower shortage, you'd normally reinforce the existing team, right?"
"You're correct, Section Chief. Per standard Anomaly Management Bureau procedures, Field Response Division 3 Team's dissolution would be canceled, the transfers for Clerk Seo Yun-ah and Agent Lee Kyung-seong reversed, and replacements assigned for the deceased."
"So why is it impossible?"
Section Chief Lee had good reason to be frustrated. With nearly a decade on the job, he'd seen transfers and dissolutions before—including cases where presumed-dead teammates returned, canceling everything. Having lived it, he assumed this would play out the same. The bureau prioritized keeping well-synced teams together anyway.
Splitting up the three survivors from the White Mother and that unknown anomaly space? Not the bureau's style.
That's why he was venting in the empty Field Response Division 3 Team office.
The stern-faced staffer adjusted her glasses at his question.
"To be precise: canceling Field Response Division 3 Team's dissolution is possible."
"...Pardon?"
"Agent Lee Kyung-seong's transfer reversal is possible. Assigning additional personnel to 3 Team is possible."
"Then what the hell...?"
"One exception. Clerk Seo Yun-ah's transfer is currently impossible."
"...Seo Yun-ah?"
"Yes."
"Why...?"
"Headquarters-level decision."
"...!!"
Headquarters-level decision.
Section Chief Lee flinched. His team was "Field Response Division 3 Team," but fully: Anomaly Management Bureau Processing HQ Field Response Division 3 Team. Under the massive Processing HQ umbrella.
The bureau grouped into HQs, with divisions beneath. A "headquarters-level decision" meant the top dog of that HQ—like Processing HQ's Director.
"...The HQ Director intervened in Clerk Seo Yun-ah's transfer?"
"Correct."
"Why would the Director...?"
Section Chief Lee had crossed paths with the Processing HQ Director a couple times over the years. From looks, personality, records... not the type to meddle in a lowly clerk's transfer.
Rumors say the Director personally handpicks a special team... but even that's for standout talent, right?
Sadly, Seo Yun-ah wasn't that caliber in his eyes.
"Internally, 3 Team's dissolution is canceled. Agent Lee Kyung-seong's transfer is reversed with his consent. Reinforcements within a week."
That "3 Team" meant everyone but Seo Yun-ah.
"Sigh..."
Frustration gnawed at Section Chief Lee. As a superior, he felt guilty for failing to protect a rookie—and now a headquarters decision? Positively, it meant she caught the Director's eye. But...
"Then I'll be going."
"...Understood."
"For reference: it wasn't the Processing HQ Director."
"...Pardon?"
"Clerk Seo Yun-ah transferred to Anomaly Pioneering HQ Information Support Team 2."
Clack. Clack.
She left those words and exited the office. Alone now, Section Chief Lee sat dazed, rubbing his eyes.
"...Anomaly Pioneering HQ Director's decision...?"
It meant one thing: Seo Yun-ah would never return to Field Response Division 3 Team.
Because that Pioneering HQ Director's whims were infamous bureau-wide.
The Anomaly Management Bureau handled anomalies in countless ways. Processing HQ exemplified eliminating threats to humanity and the bureau.
But not all anomalies were hostile. Beneficial ones got cooperation or active use.
And for deeper exploitation—making anomalies even more useful to humanity and the bureau—there was Anomaly Pioneering HQ.
"Shinbi Library! Sounds promising. Bet it's full of creepy vibes."
A woman with gold bob hair and sunglasses stepped from the car, scanning around. Her suit under a stark white trench coat radiated authority.
"H-Huek..."
"Whoa, carsick? Wanna rest a bit?"
"Th-Thank you... Just a moment... Urp."
The black-haired woman clutching her communicator gripped a nearby trash can, immobile.
"Gotta tough this out for Pioneering HQ work."
"Heek... Heek..."
The gold-haired woman smiled, reading a sign.
[Goru Bookstore]
"Alright, Clerk Seo Yun-ah? Shall we find that anomaly space where you met your old team? Wonder if it'll help humanity!"
And so the two women began tracking the Shinbi Library.