Chapter 8
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Stylish Tomato
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Just mentioning the Shadow World got quite the reaction out of Yuna.
Her expression screamed, "What kind of nonsense is that?"
But she couldn't say it outright, so she was forcing herself to hold it back.
Then, realizing she needed to get her face under control, she plastered on a smile and spoke up.
"Wh-what do you mean by wanting to sightsee the Shadow World?"
"You all call that place the Shadow World, right? I want to check it out."
Yuna's eyes twitched.
I could practically see her brain working overtime.
"So... you want to leave here and go check out the Shadow World?"
Oh boy.
Her answer drew a sigh out of me right away.
"Sigh."
So I just let it out. If I feel like sighing, I sigh.
I caught Yuna looking flustered again, but whatever.
These Foundation folks...
They seem even sloppier than I'd thought.
The initial inspection procedures. The containment protocols. Even this facility itself.
Could a group that's supposed to contain and manage Anomalies really be this lax?
Takes all the fun out of it.
Of course, I know that's not the end of it.
I know something's wrapped around this whole building.
That if things go south, they can just "delete" the entire area.
And if even that doesn't work, they can "seal" the whole neighborhood.
"Heh heh."
That's what makes it cute.
They're so reassured by all that.
I've been through way worse back in that world, countless times.
Not that I plan to tell them.
So I just steered us back to the original topic.
"Is that okay?"
"Uh, well."
I knew why they'd assigned Yuna as my personal handler.
Because I seemed friendly toward her.
I chatted with her easily, and it looked like we clicked.
I'd been ignoring everyone else—the other staff, the researchers—cleanly.
But this woman didn't seem trained for this sort of thing at all.
Wasn't she getting flustered with every word right now?
"Can I go out? Take a little walk?"
I leaned forward as I asked.
Her face fell even more.
But even then, she didn't jerk back in surprise or make a scared face.
Disappointing. I'd hoped for another bit of physical comedy.
Anyway.
Time to stop teasing.
I actually liked Yuna a fair bit. So I smiled and told her.
"Don't worry. No plans to go out."
"Oh... okay."
"Then hold off on the sightseeing. Bring a different cake instead."
"A different cake?"
"Yeah. Not strawberry."
The cakes here are delicious, but they're all so similar—starting to get a bit boring.
Not that I'll stop eating them.
"And a variety of black teas."
"Got it!"
Yuna nodded eagerly, like that was no problem at all.
She double- and triple-checked that I really had no intention of leaving before finally heading out.
Once Yuna was gone.
I lay back on the bed and slowly closed my eyes.
I'd already "read" all the info I needed.
How they came and went from that world—what methods, what schedule, what objectives.
Everything.
Now, if I felt like it, I could check the place out anytime.
Unfortunately, no interesting company right now.
Well, a little wait wouldn't hurt.
"......"
Thoughts ground to a halt. Silence settled in.
Then the ideas I'd shoved into the corner came bubbling up.
I'm no longer human.
I gave that up long ago.
I'm not sane.
I gave that up long ago too.
The moment I realized I'd ended up in a world that wasn't mine after all that hell, the last thread holding me together snapped.
"Heh heh......"
Forcing a laugh didn't change the emotions deep down.
The boiling rage. Despair. Sorrow. The urge to destroy everything—including myself.
If.
I hadn't seen the Bald Man's flashy antics in that alley, I might've given in to those feelings.
But things are different now.
"Hm hm hmm."
I surrendered to the emotions on the surface.
Just going with moment-to-moment pleasures.
Letting impulses take the wheel.
For now, that's enough.
It's what's keeping me going.
Someday, I might rise again and start walking.
Toward that homecoming with no set date.
Just not today.
For now, I've decided to enjoy everything while staying a little crazy.
A few days later.
One of my shadows finally pinged.
The one I'd planted outside.
Focusing my mind there brought an abandoned building into view.
A single door stood there.
"Whew, I'm nervous."
"Why bother tensing up? I told you, this area's safe."
"It's my first time here."
Two people approached the door.
I read their memories.
The Foundation's people were trained, making deep memories tricky to pull—but these guys were different.
Their names and thoughts were crystal clear.
"If you hadn't insisted on just gambling, we wouldn't be rushing like this."
The taller of the two, Jincheol, grumbled.
The tense-looking other guy, Seheon, let out a deep sigh.
"Fine, fine. My bad. Let's check our gear before going in."
"I'm good. You?"
"Me too. It's really there nearby, right?"
"Yeah. No need to tangle with any Anomalies."
They chatted for a while longer, then opened the door.
Beyond it lay the other world.
A barren wasteland.
Ruined buildings. An eerie vibe.
The two men stepped in without hiding their tension.
The place looked awfully familiar to me.
I'd wandered it until I was sick of it.
But they acted like they'd walked into a lion's den.
I watched them the whole time.
Picking weird mushrooms they thought would sell.
Shaking at the wind.
Checking a building, then rushing back through the door to this world.
"Whoa! We almost died!"
"Died? I told you it's safe!"
They babbled excitedly about surviving.
Did they know?
They'd nearly died three times.
Brain-eating larvae stalking them. Sewer rats waiting for an opening. Eerie hymns closing in.
Probably not.
They'd sensed me and backed off.
But instinct told me.
They wouldn't get that lucky next time.
I was done with them.
"Hm."
I pulled my gaze away.
Been watching for about an hour.
Saw everything worth seeing.
"Nothing special."
That world was exactly as I remembered.
Endlessly cruel to ordinary humans.
Which made me even more curious.
Who were the ones who'd survived dozens of trips there?
Did they have some special ability?
Would be nice if some really unique ones showed up.
One more thing I was hoping from those guys.
My shadow was still on them.
They'd have to meet someone to sell those weird mushrooms.
'Hopefully not the Foundation.'
I'm already watching them directly.
Wonder if anything fun's happening.
Maybe time to say hi to a new friend?
Right as I thought that.
Weeeeeeeng—.
An alarm blared from somewhere.
Not from my body—through one of my shadows.
I perked up and turned my focus there.
Underground Level 4. Underground Level 4 incident occurring. Containment measures activated for Underground Level 4.
I soon saw what was happening.
Drip, drip, drip, drip—.
Suddenly, blood started dripping from the hallway ceiling.
The area spread in seconds, soaking the entire fourth floor.
Containment had locked down Level 4 completely by then, but not everyone had made it out.
The procedures were too swift.
"Hah, hah."
"Hup."
People were hiding here and there.
They seemed to know what this phenomenon was.
I quickly scanned one guy's mind and pulled useful info.
This wasn't the main body.
Just a side effect of an Anomaly containment breach.
Or not quite a breach.
Level 4 existed solely to hold that one thing.
And everyone still inside was "feed."
It'd calm down once it was full.
Squelch, squelch—.
Soon, something crawled from one end of the hall.
It was... a Tomato.
A living Tomato.
"Ahaha!"
Even knowing from someone else's memory, I couldn't hold back the laugh at the sight.
A Tomato causing this grotesque phenomenon.
And not just any Tomato—a man-eating one!
Felt like hearing some lame pun.
Made me mad, like laughing at dad humor.
But separately, this thing was pretty dangerous.
Their documents said:
- Everything it touches turns into ■■■■■■ ■■, with no way to avoid it.
- Must offer 3 ■■ per month.
Very intriguing.
Wanted a closer look.
Thud.
I moved right there.
"Hi?"
The Tomato froze at my sudden appearance.
Does it understand speech?
"Got a question."
――――!!!
Guess not.
It screeched and ripped its mouth open without hesitation.
Hundreds of eyeballs and teeth crammed inside.
"Ew, gross."
Boom—!
I reflexively used force.
Like squashing a nasty bug.
"Oops."
The Tomato exploded.
But only for a moment.
The chunks wriggled and reformed into its original shape.
Only then could I laugh freely.
Still more fun to be had.
"Open your mouth again, and I'll pop you."
Of course, I didn't forget the warning.