Chapter 29
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Who Should I Choose?
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, . !
“Put those two away first! Now I can make an exit anywhere!”
“If it's okay with you, I'd like to look around a bit more!”
“……I'll go back with you too.”
“Great!”
It seemed like both of them still had a lot of regrets.
Who could blame them?
The show I put on was to my liking, and everything after that was decently fun for me, but they hadn't gotten to enjoy much at all.
“In that case, I'll set you two up in the VIP seats!”
“That's really not necessary……”
“Ta-da!”
Yuna tried to decline right away, but for the sake of my friends, I presented them with some especially flashy chairs.
Seyeon's chair was a bit less ornate than Yuna's. Since I'm way closer to Yuna!
“Sit tight!”
After seating the two of them.
I approached the device that controlled the aquarium.
The device was alive.
It gave off a similar vibe to 'that thing' I encountered in the Garden of Eden.
Meaning it wasn't naturally occurring.
“Fascinating.”
I can fiddle with anomalies too, but this felt different.
It didn't seem to be made purely through abilities.
“Hmm.”
If it were made solely from anomalies, I could grasp it right away, but this one incorporated some kind of technology.
Looks like I'd need more samples.
“Well, more will probably pop up later!”
Simple control was no problem anyway.
People don't know the full structure and principles of their phones when they use them, right?
Poke-.
I thrust my hand inside.
My body suddenly floated up with a whoosh-.
Soon, the entire layout of Joey Aquarium came into view at a glance.
“So that's how it works.”
I'd rummaged through a mermaid's head to figure out the structure, but seeing it firsthand was still better.
The aquarium's structure was incredibly complex.
Like threads tangled up in a total mess.
And the reason was clear right away.
It had started in a small section and expanded haphazardly over time.
Basically, unplanned development.
“Mm-hmm.”
Alright then.
First things first, tidy up the structure!
Streeeetch-.
I moved my hand this way and that.
The tangled spaces unraveled, merged, and gradually reshaped.
Easier said than done—it's incredibly tough in practice.
If you're not as smart as me, anyway!
“Perfect!”
The annoying parts were done.
Now all that was left was the fun of remodeling the interior.
Streeeetch!
“Heh heh heh!”
Quite some time later.
We stood at the entrance again.
Wearing a confident smile, I declared,
“Get ready to be amazed! It's completely different now!”
“I'm really looking forward to it! The rules look so neat and tidy now, though?”
“Yeah! Complicated rules are a pain!”
The entrance originally had dozens of rules posted, but now there were just four.
1. This aquarium does not guarantee visitor safety. If you do not wish to proceed, please exit immediately.
2. Eat other guests and you'll get in trouble!
3. One cake per person!
4. Have fun!
Perfect, even by my standards!
“Nice and clean—love it!”
Seyeon even gave a thumbs up.
With that, we opened the door and stepped inside.
“Whoa!”
Right at the entrance, a massive cylindrical tank came into view.
It was filled with countless creatures.
“Wow, this is so co…….”
“……Wh-what are they doing in there?”
“That tank's called the Cycle of Life!”
The creatures inside the giant cylindrical tank were chasing, devouring each other nonstop.
“If you're gonna eat, be prepared to get eaten too!”
Before, they'd just casually munched on bound visitors who came to play.
Now they had to fight for their meals.
Dozens of mermaids were currently being dragged off somewhere by massive tentacles.
“I'm sure they prefer it this way!”
“Y-you think so?”
“Yeah! Way more thrilling!”
There had to be some guests from the sea who craved fear and excitement.
They'd love the new setup.
“Now let's go watch the show!”
I led them next to where the show was underway.
It was already in full swing.
-And now! Dodge the mantis sharks and reach the goal!
Joey was emceeing.
In front of it stretched a huge swimming pool.
It was packed with adorably cute sharks, and the ones performing tricks were the surviving former staff!
Staff in animal costumes swam frantically toward the exit.
-■! ■■ ■■■ ■!
-That%#$ go@#@4 to #!
-!Perfect environment this way for the show!
The audience guests were clapping and enjoying the spectacle.
“More staff survived than I thought! They need jobs too, right?”
They probably felt more fulfilled participating in the show than just standing around.
I designed it drawing from their kids cafe experience—I'm pleased with how it turned out.
“Plus, I diversified the guest entry routes!”
The audience in the seats was incredibly varied.
Just watching them filled me with satisfaction.
“Cool, right?”
“Y-yeah! Super cool!”
“Amazing!”
Yuna and Seyeon seemed to like it too.
“Hehe, then let's hit the gift shop! I left the special exhibit as is since the previous theme was decent!”
“Yes! Let's go!”
Yuna seemed most eager for the souvenirs.
For her sake, I quickly led them straight to the gift shop.
Its location hadn't changed.
Right next to the exit.
“I specially stocked it full of cute stuff!”
The original merchandise was pretty lame by my standards.
Mermaid eyeballs, human flesh dolls—what's appealing about that?
I kept some in the back just in case, though.
“Cute plushies! And toys!”
But the main draw had to be the cute stuff!
All sorts of adorable plushies lined the shelves.
Especially the dual-tailed otter—my masterpiece.
“Whoa! How did you make something like this?”
“Trade secret!”
“I see! Got it! So, how much do we pay?”
“You two can pick anything you want for free!”
“Thank you!”
Seyeon dove into the shelves, eyes sparkling, the moment I said it.
Yuna, meanwhile, carefully browsed the items.
A little time passed.
“I'll take this one!”
“This for me.”
They each made their choices.
Yuna went for the cute otter plush.
Seyeon picked some of the stuff I'd shoved to the back because I didn't like it.
Tastes vary!
“I'll take this!”
And I picked one too.
A cute mermaid doll. 99% real mermaid content!
“Cute, right?”
“Huh? Uh, yeah, it has a very unique aesthetic.”
“I designed it myself!”
“Looking at it again, it really is cute!”
With that, our fun souvenir shopping wrapped up.
“Time to head back!”
Finally, it was time to go.
The aquarium's operations?
Joey would handle it fine.
If it gets too tough later, I can send Dail over!
Having finished our tour, we exited through the exit.
“Ah.”
“We're back.”
We were right back where we'd been when the door first opened.
Me, in the inner part of the reception room.
Yuna and Seyeon on the opposite side.
“Feels like I just snapped awake from a dream.”
That was exactly the sensation.
But before that, there was something to address first.
“There are tons of people waiting outside!”
“Huh? People?”
“Yeah! Open the door!”
At my words, Yuna puzzledly opened the door.
She soon spotted the fully armed personnel on standby and looked shocked.
“Return confirmed!”
“Please move as instructed!”
They shouted in tense voices.
From their perspective, the two who came looking for me had vanished suddenly—totally understandable.
I waved cheerfully with a smile.
“Come visit again!”
“Yes! It was so much fun, thanks to you!”
“Me too……”
They said their goodbyes and moved off with the others.
They were heading straight to isolation.
Probably at least a week before I see them again.
“Ugh, I'm beat!”
Nap time at last—I headed straight for bed.
“Dasom, I'm off to sleep!”
I greeted Dasom, who was sitting there blankly, then dove into bed.
I woke up late in the evening.
“Yawn!”
After a good stretch, I walked to the table and pressed the cake summon button.
Click!
Soon, delicious cake was delivered.
“You eat some too, Dasom!”
Nod.
I stuffed myself with cake alongside Dasom, then checked the time.
“Hmm.”
Normally I'd call Yuna to play by now, but she was still stuck in isolation.
And there wasn't much worth checking out with my other clones.
“Hmmmmm!”
So what to do?
After some pondering, a great idea hit me.
“I've been neglecting this place lately!”
I'd been going out a lot recently.
In other words, perfect timing to tour the Foundation!
Of course, sneaking around without getting caught. Can't leisurely sightsee if I'm obvious.
I chose a candidate in a very logical and rational way.
“Who should I pick? Professor Quick-Answer, tell me ding-dong-dang! Decided!”
The moment I settled on a possession target, I closed my eyes and leaned back in the chair.
“Success!”
When I opened my eyes again.
I had become Researcher Park.
The type who burns through disposables without a care and vents stress on subordinates when in a bad mood.
Perfect plaything in one word.
Conveniently, this body was in the break room, so I looked around for dessert.
And learned one fact.
The staff lounge had no cake.
“The worst……!”
This place was a black company……!