Chapter 26

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 26

Chapter Title: Paradise Aquarium Opens!

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Originally, happiness and joy multiply the more you share them.

Kiiiek—.

So without waiting for a reply, I shut the parlor door and opened it again right away.

And just like that, we had arrived in a strange new space.

"Ah..."

"Wow, that's amazing!"

That's right.

Not just me who opened the door—Seyeon and Yuna were right behind me too.

Seyeon spoke with her eyes sparkling.

"That Paradise invitation must be even stronger than our containment room!"

"...Yeah, looks like it."

Yuna chimed in from the side, her face pale.

I smiled at the two of them and said,

"I was thinking of going alone, but I figured you'd worry, so I brought you along! Good call, right?"

"Of course! It's way more fun sightseeing together anyway!"

"Exactly!"

Seyeon was so straightforward and clicked with me perfectly—it put my mind at ease.

And there was a reason I brought these two.

"Plus, if I'd just told you, I bet you'd have sent the expendables instead!"

"Even I think that's what we'd have done!"

"Mm."

Seyeon immediately agreed, and though Yuna didn't say it, she seemed to think the same.

Whatever happened to the expendables wasn't my concern anyway.

I just didn't want to dance to someone else's tune.

"Alright, let's go!"

Above all, I figured it'd be way more fun exploring with these two!

I grabbed their hands and pulled them forward.

As we walked ahead, an entrance soon came into view.

And right next to it hung a large frame.

"Visitor guidelines?"

Seyeon peered at it closely, her eyes lighting up with interest.

I stood beside her and checked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the text inside the frame.

Those were the rules.

I read through them and grabbed the door handle.

"Let's go in!"

"Wait, I didn't finish reading!"

"It's too long and boring!"

Just quietly enjoy the sights and leave—what's with all these rules anyway?

Probably no one reads this stuff carefully!

"We should read it though...!"

"Don't worry! I memorized it all!"

Yuna was stubbornly insisting for once, but luckily Seyeon shut it down cleanly.

"In that short time?"

"Hehe, this is nothing. Come on, let's go!"

Seyeon grabbed the handle on the opposite side from me and pushed it open smoothly.

The aquarium door swung wide, revealing the interior in full.

"Wow! It's so open!"

Seyeon marveled at the sight.

Sure enough, the ceiling was incredibly high, and massive tanks lined the path one after another.

"Whoa!"

Seeing it all got me excited too.

It had been ages since I'd been to an aquarium.

The last time was when I was little, holding my parents' hands.

It wasn't as huge or flashy as this place, but it was still a joyful memory.

Though I couldn't recall my parents' faces or expressions anymore.

"Sh-shouldn't we be quiet?"

"It's fine! Nothing in the rules about that."

"Ah..."

I listened to Yuna and Seyeon chatting as I approached the nearest tank.

"Look at this!"

The tank was filled with vibrant, colorful fish.

They sparkled in shifting hues under the light—truly beautiful.

"Wow... so pretty."

Even Yuna couldn't hold back her admiration.

But Seyeon was focused elsewhere.

"Wow, interesting right from the start. What kind of fish are these?"

"Just tropical fish, right?"

"Hm. I don't know every species, but I've never seen this one. And look at the eyes."

"The eyes are... Ah."

Yuna belatedly noticed something and backed away with a stiff face.

Whatever—everyone enjoys it their own way!

"Whoa! That one's bigger than a person."

"Wh-why is there a frog bigger than a person... No, why put a frog in a tank?"

"Look! A squid's eating a shark!"

There were so many fascinating things in the tanks.

It felt endless, no matter how much we looked.

"Man, the first floor is huge."

"Yeah. Feels like we've been walking over an hour, but isn't it seven floors total including underground?"

"Right. Or maybe the floors vary in size."

I was listening to them when a ticklish feeling made me glance sideways.

There stood a massive tank.

I stared blankly into the tank.

I felt the sadness in those eyes.

Poor thing.

How did it end up trapped here?

"Ah!"

But right then.

The group chatting as they walked pointed ahead, having spotted something.

"That's a staff member!"

A masked figure stood there.

Cute shark-head doll mask on the face, suit underneath.

Seyeon whispered to me.

"Is that... human?"

"Hm. Midway?"

"Midway?"

"Yeah. Too corrupted to be human, not anomalous enough otherwise."

"Oho. Paradise really is fascinating..."

I'd noticed it in our last chat too—Seyeon seemed quite interested in 'Paradise'.

"Should we try talking?"

Yuna stepped forward in the moment.

She'd looked fed up during our last tour, but now she seemed totally different.

Like a seasoned field agent.

She let her guard down around me, but Yuna was Field Response Team 3 Leader.

Meaning she had tons of experience in situations like this.

"I'll ask! Got some questions!"

But I stepped up again.

I had questions for the staff.

Yuna backed off with a nod once I took the lead.

I approached the staff member.

They greeted me brightly.

"Welcome, guest! Enjoying the aquarium?"

"Yeah! Got a question!"

"What is it?"

"Anything more fun? Like a dolphin show or seal show!"

Tank-gazing was fun, but shows were the highlight!

"Hm. Lately, there's talk that dolphin or seal shows are animal abuse."

"So none?"

"Haha! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Of course we have them! Paradise ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Aquarium offers shows with zero controversy like that!"

"Whoa, really?"

"Yes! Performers who signed voluntary contracts! Show's starting soon—shall I guide you?"

"Yeah!"

I nodded.

Suddenly, two more staff appeared from behind.

Squid and manta ray masks.

"This way."

"This way."

The staff guided us kindly to the show area.

Seyeon kept grinning; Yuna's face stayed rigid.

I felt bad—Yuna couldn't relax and enjoy it.

We were here to have fun!

"Right here!"

While I thought that, we arrived at a massive venue.

Seats filled rows, already packed with people.

Luckily, three front-row spots were open.

"Sit here."

"When does the show start?"

"As soon as you're seated!"

I plopped down quick. Yuna and Seyeon took the seats on either side.

-Alright! All guests are seated! Let's begin the show!

The show kicked off right as we sat.

A jellyfish-masked man stepped up with a mic to host.

-Today's guest was hard to bring! They were sleeping deep in the Mariana Trench!

He pointed behind him.

A gigantic pool lay there.

Big enough to fit a whole building inside.

-No long intro—let's start! Our guest must be hungry! Sit quietly and rejoice in unity with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠them! Merging with them is the greatest honor!

He finished and stepped aside fast.

Right after.

Kuboom!

Something shifted.

Slowly, something emerged from the water.

Seyeon muttered softly at the sight.

"The rules mentioned this show too."

"What?"

"Number 17: Once seated, never leave your seat. And 29: Shows are dangerous—never sit and watch."

"Aren't those contradictory?"

"Not at all! 17 says don't leave once seated, but doesn't say to sit."

"...So we shouldn't sit in the first place?"

"Haha, yeah... Why are you—"

"Don't. Look up. Ever. Don't make eye contact."

As they talked.

Finally, something burst from the deep pool.

It.

Was enormous. And clearly intelligent.

I smiled unwittingly at the sight.

"Haven't seen one like that in ages!"

"In ages?"

Yuna asked stiffly, head bowed low.

Cold sweat poured down her face nonstop.

"Yeah. From a very deep place."

Beings like that only appeared in the deepest parts of that world too.

They never crawled to the surface.

Splash—!

It extended tentacles, snatching audience members at random.

"Wooow!"

"Eek!"

People laughed and cheered even as they were dragged away.

But I was more disappointed.

"Hmm. Boring."

Only the guest was having fun this way.

Regular folks' minds would shatter anyway.

It did nothing for me.

"Alright! Then I'll make it more fun!"

So I decided to spice up the show.

I reached out a hand.

And eyed the distant staff.

They were clapping and laughing, enjoying it.

But they weren't fully immersed either!

I shot up from my seat.

All the waiting staff turned to me.

I grinned wide at them and beckoned.

"Huh?"

"What..."

Then they started marching over.

Not toward me—toward the massive thing in the pool.

Panicked voices rose from the out-of-control staff.

"S-security team!"

"Emergency situation. Emergency situation."

The tentacles wrapped around the approaching ones.

I laughed as they thrashed.

Now it was getting fun.