Chapter 14
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Let's Find Something Fun
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I'm rolling around on the bed.
Dasom is sitting blankly on the table beside me.
She changed a little after I gave her a 'name,' but real change doesn't happen overnight.
Dasom's transformation will take a very, very long time.
Watching it unfold will be fun in itself.
"I'm bored!"
But that didn't ease my boredom right now.
Because, yeah, I'm bored!
I can't call Yuna right now.
She's busy dealing with her little sister's issues.
I have enough conscience not to bother a good friend just because I'm bored.
Still, it's so boring.
I've already played with plenty of dolls, and eaten lots of cake and tea.
"Dasom, Dasom."
So I called out to Dasom.
She lifted her head, looked at me, and blinked.
Unfortunately, even with two mouths, Dasom can't speak properly.
"How did you end up getting caught?"
Dasom blinked at the question, then opened her mouth.
As I said before, she doesn't speak well.
But that's by human standards.
Dasom is an anomaly. Anomalies have their own ways of communicating.
Ways humans can't comprehend.
I hear it. I see it.
Images. Sounds. And I nodded soon after.
"You resisted and got dragged in by force, huh?"
Dasom nodded.
Not much of a story. Nothing special.
Not enough to chase away my boredom.
"Hmm."
Then, a fun idea popped into my head.
"How about I catch one myself sometime?"
Meeting the friends contained in the Foundation?
That sounds fun too, but not right now.
The really fun ones were all moved elsewhere shortly after I settled in here.
The truly fun part is that I don't know where they were taken.
I definitely attached shadows to them.
But the moment they passed a certain point, the shadows vanished without a trace.
Or rather, I stopped sensing them?
There must be some secret there.
I placed shadows around the area, but I have no plans to poke at it yet.
I'm the type who saves the strawberry on top of the cake for last.
Anyway.
If there are no fun friends around, maybe I should go find some?
"What do you think, Dasom?"
Dasom has a blank look on her face. That's her default expression, actually.
Hm. Silence means consent!
Good. It's decided.
"Let's see."
I wiggled my finger.
My vision sharpened and shifted. Then it locked onto one spot.
A computer screen.
One of the Foundation's contained anomalies.
A soul-sucking computer.
But it has no effect on me.
What's there isn't me—it's my shadow.
Shadows have no souls.
"Hm hm hmm."
I manipulated the computer with my eyes.
This computer is connected to a duplicate of the Foundation branch's intranet.
I set it up that way on purpose.
Otherwise, it would connect somewhere else.
Of course, this one isn't stupid either.
It would've lost interest in a data clump with no users.
So I rotate five people every hour to manage the duplicate intranet.
That doesn't mean five people die every hour, though.
As long as they're not looking directly at the original computer, it's just a bit of soul fatigue.
"Let's see."
Right now, it's just a convenient tool for browsing the intranet.
Honestly, I don't even need it.
I'm just using it because it seems more fun this way!
"Found it."
I soon accessed part of the Foundation's data.
On 'uncontained anomalies.'
Or more precisely, unconfirmed intel?
Stuff about discovered anomalies, detected anomalous phenomena, or strange happenings they've gotten wind of.
Every tiny clue about anomalies scraped together.
I filtered out the useless data.
I'm interested in ones where they've vaguely confirmed an anomaly's existence but haven't captured it yet.
I read through them all.
"Found it!"
I found something that looked really fun.
I checked the related info from my seat, then returned my vision to normal.
Then I said to Dasom,
"I'll be out for a bit!"
After saying that,
I flopped onto the bed.
Not really sleeping, of course.
Just focusing elsewhere.
It's not hard to move two bodies at once, but this time I need to concentrate.
Because it's going to be fun!
Soon, my consciousness shifted away.
Swooooosh—.
A shadow rises in the alley.
That shadow is me.
Which is the real body? The one in the Foundation? Or this one?
It doesn't matter.
I've fully digested shadows, so every shadow that belongs to me is me.
"Great!"
I left the alley right away and walked somewhere.
According to the data I accessed, the destination isn't far.
I exited the alley and walked along the main road. Soon, I spotted a park.
This is the place.
Or more like a waypoint?
The park is full of parents out for a stroll with their kids.
That's why 'it' approaches here.
"Hm hm hmm."
I hummed a tune as I looked around. Spotting a family, I approached and asked,
"Hello! Did you happen to get an invitation to Paradise Kids Cafe?"
"Huh? No?"
Miss.
"Hello! Did you happen to get an invitation to Paradise Kids Cafe?"
"Where's that?"
Miss.
"Hello! Did you happen to...?"
Miss.
Miss. Miss. Miss. Miss. Miss. Miss.
Another miss.
This is annoying. Should I just check everyone with shadows?
No.
The search is part of the fun—skipping it would ruin it.
So I gritted my teeth and kept asking around.
"Huh? I think I got something earlier."
And finally, a hit.
A woman with a little boy pulled something from her bag.
A colorful paper. An invitation to Paradise Kids Cafe.
"Could you give it to me? I really want to go!"
"Sure. Here."
The woman handed it over without a fuss.
I didn't even use any power.
She's a good person.
Time for a reward, then.
"Don't go through any alleys on your way home today. Your kid might get hurt."
I gave her a bit of advice.
Whether she listens is up to her.
I headed to a quiet spot before she could reply.
The invitation only works in places with few people.
Then I gripped it tight and walked slowly.
Suddenly,
a building appeared before me. A dazzling, beautiful one.
Paradise Kids Cafe.
"Wow!"
I couldn't help but gasp at the exterior—it was even better decorated than I expected.
These days, kids cafes are in fierce competition.
Some are modest like real cafes with play areas inside.
Others are massive, eye-popping complexes.
Regular kids cafes can't compete.
This place seems like the latter.
I went inside.
Welcome to Paradise Kids Cafe. A place filled with fantasy and dreams. Fun for kids and guardians alike. Enjoy yourselves!
A welcome announcement plays right away.
A kids cafe with announcements like this? How novel!
"Or did they change business types?"
Like how kids cafes differentiate amid cutthroat competition,
maybe this place was originally something else?
Just a guess, of course!
Anyway, the interior was just as impressive as the outside.
And the scale was beyond imagination.
Like they cut out an entire amusement park and plopped it inside.
I checked the map on one side and ran over to look.
"This'll be fun!"
Just seeing the facilities listed made me excited.
Regular kids cafes target young kids,
so they can feel childish or boring as you get older.
But this place overcomes that.
The ball pit is ocean-wide with rubber balls, the slide towers ten stories high!
One area lets you play with real guns instead of toy ones.
Another has hide-and-seek where you dodge butchers, and somewhere else a doll exhibit with living dolls!
This is a truly special kids cafe.
"Hello!"
While I was poring over the map, someone approached.
Turning, I saw a being in a dog costume.
"I'm the kids cafe guide! Having trouble picking a spot?"
"Yeah!"
"Want me to choose for you?"
The dog grins brightly.
A costume that can make expressions. So fun.
I smiled at the kind, friendly guide and said,
"I want to try everything!"
"What an adventurous kid! Alright! I'll guide you!"
The dog said in a cheery voice.
"Awesome!"
I grinned brightly too.
This place really seems fun.
I'll stay until closing!