Watcher
Watcher
Stories of my past life came to mind.
At night, in the void, a blue light floated. People called that a will-o'-the-wisp.
Large footprints were discovered in the snow piled around a house. People called that Bigfoot.
In the sky, there is an object that flies and looks artificial, yet doesn't seem to be made by humans. People called that a UFO.
Some things can be explained by science.
Some things developed into conspiracy theories.
Some things eventually received the answer that there was a high possibility they actually existed.
This other world is no different.
Occasionally, things that are hard to explain happen.
Things that are hard to explain away as just "It's a mutated monster!"
A statue in the Academy fountain that, at some point, began to shed red water from its eyes.
People who suddenly introduce their own age, gender, and race as something entirely different.
A pit of unknown depth. A tunnel that forms a perfect vertical line, far too precise to have been dug by a sandworm.
Many people made efforts to explain those things. Using scientific knowledge, or magic.
Saying a person did it, or a monster did it.
If you look through enough possibilities like that, you can manufacture a plausible reason.
But... those things are all difficult for ordinary people to understand, and the explanations are just too contrived.
So, there is nothing else to say.
Its true identity is an Anomaly.
It is something an Anomaly did.
"An Anomaly must have come and gone," people say.
And Jin was the type to believe that Anomalies actually existed. Even though there was no clear evidence.
Well, the fact that he came to another world, and the existence of magic and monsters, were all unbelievable things to him anyway.
Adding Anomalies to the mix... it certainly felt like it was pushing it.
Somehow, for a fantasy world, science was quite advanced and there were even proper cities; I should have considered that the world-building was unusual.
However... the fact that Anomalies existed in greater numbers than expected, and that there was a group of people trying to deal with them, was a surprising fact even to Jin.
And the fact that they were trying to recruit him was even more so.
...What the hell is this?
...
...
"Clara-ssi? Are you there?"
"...."
I knock on the door. Is this really her house?
It's my first time visiting in person.
"...Why are you here?"
I was right. She came out and opened the door with a heavily frowning face.
"O-Oh, it's been a while."
It really had been a long time.
She had been holed up inside her house ever since our last adventure.
"Are you feeling any better?"
"...Do I look okay?"
"Haha, no. You look like a total mess."
"Did you come here to pick a fight?"
Of course not. Jin just said exactly what he saw.
Her hair was disheveled and there were deep dark circles under her eyes.
It seems that the incident at the end had become quite a trauma for her.
"...Let me ask you one thing."
"What is it?"
"Are you okay?"
"Well... in my own way?"
"Even after experiencing something like that...?"
Clara looked at him with, how should I put it, eyes full of dejection.
I felt like I knew the source of that emotion.
She was comparing Jin to herself and putting herself down.
"...."
I recall the past for a moment.
That day, we entered a dungeon too. Just Clara and Jin, the two of us.
...There was a bright light, suddenly.
I had to close my eyes. When I opened them again, a completely unexpected space unfolded.
"What the fuck...."
"...."
It was a white space. An empty, White Hallway.
Filled with lockers, yet devoid of people.
"What kind of dungeon is this...!"
"Please calm down. We need to stay composed in situations like this."
Clara was about to fall into a panic. I barely managed to soothe her.
We moved forward. We went on and on.
There was no end.
I only realized it after leaving a mark on the floor with my sword.
It repeats. The space was repeating.
"No... this can't be...."
"...I'll try opening a locker once."
This one had nothing.
This one, as soon as I opened the door, had something that gave off a terrible stench. I closed it immediately.
And this one had a corpse.
Stained in red.
The condition was excessively good, so the mangled wounds and spilled organs were clearly visible.
"Uweek...."
"...."
Clara retched.
Jin silently continued to open lockers, even if he had to do it alone.
This one looked exactly like a child's locker.
There was nothing useful.
This one—
—Kyaaaak!
"...."
Something covered head to toe in what looked like black hair lunged as soon as the door opened.
I reacted immediately and slashed it. It was so tough that I had to pin it down with my foot and stab it with my blade several times.
"A-Are you okay...?"
"Yes. As you can see."
We have to keep searching. Something has to come out soon.
This one was packed full inside.
Something red... and wriggling.
It was like a wall of meat. It filled the locker completely without leaving a single gap.
"Hmm...."
And, in Jin's eyes, something shining was visible.
I lift my sword again. And I carve it out.
Red blood sprayed out, and—
—Jjaeng-geurang
Something fell to the floor.
It was a key.
I approached Clara and spoke.
"I found something like this."
"A-A key? Have you seen anything like a padlock?"
Well, not particularly. This place was just a repetition of the exact same lockers.
"We'll have to look for that now—"
—###!!
"Uh...?"
"?!"
...I heard a sound that shouldn't be heard.
A scream. Or a roar.
And a vibration. A vibration transmitted through my own feet.
As if drawn to it, my head turned.
A monster. No, there was a creature that couldn't be explained in such a way.
It was like a caterpillar with a human face and countless arms and legs.
The problem was that its size was quite large. Large enough to almost fill the hallway.
The bigger problem was that it was charging this way with the momentum to crush everything in its path.
"A-Ah...."
"Come here."
"...!"
I grabbed the hand of the trembling Clara and pulled her along.
I opened a locker. It was the empty locker I had remembered earlier.
"Y-You get in quickly too!"
"...."
"Hurry...!"
It won't work. This locker is only enough for one person.
If two people try to force themselves in, both will die.
"Jin!!"
The locker door closed. She was trapped in the darkness.
The sound of footsteps could be heard. It seemed like Jin was running away.
And, eventually...
—#####!!
An ear-splitting scream was heard, and the locker door could be felt vibrating with a Kung-kung.
"...!"
Clara couldn't even let out a single scream and held her breath.
Until the vibration and the screaming stopped. Fortunately, the locker protected her well.
However, it had only protected her.
'Jin....'
Clara felt like she wanted to burst into tears.
The noise subsided, and she came out.
The monster had vanished without a trace. But that wasn't what was important to her.
"...."
She saw red... marks. It felt like her vision was shaking violently.
It was in front of the locker. Some kind of red liquid soaked the floor viscously.
And, white fragments. And pieces of flesh, fragments of organs.
Not even a proper corpse was left behind.
"A-Ah...."
Clara collapsed. And she cried.
Out of guilt, and out of self-loathing.
...It goes without saying, but Jin didn't die then.
It was true that there was only one empty locker. At least as far as he knew.
What he did was simply pull the corpse out of the locker that contained one and hide there.
He still remembers Clara's expression when he came out of the locker and their eyes met.
Well, after that... a door had appeared. In the place where that Anomaly had run to.
Naturally, I opened it with the key and came out. And that leads to the present.
The reason the Watchers approached him, and the reason Clara was holed up at home, was because of that.
"After seeing something like that, it's only natural that you can't return to your daily life."
"I understand."
Perhaps, for her, the memory of that day remained as a trauma.
"That's why I came to find you."
"...?"
"What we saw that day was an Anomaly phenomenon."
I describe the situation to her sufficiently.
Also, about the person called a Watcher who came to find Jin.
"You want me... to go with you?"
"Yes. If you're okay with it."
"Why...? Why me?"
There were two main reasons.
"One is, I hoped that Clara-ssi would overcome the trauma of that day and return to your daily life."
"...And so you're going to make me face Anomalies directly?"
"That's right."
"Sigh...."
She let out a sigh, but although her expression looked dumbfounded, she didn't seem to be in a bad mood.
"What's the next reason?"
"Because you are a strong person."
"...Haaaaa."
And well... she agonized in silence for a long time.
"...I guess I can give it a try."
In the end, she accepted.
"I look forward to working with you. Partner."
"...I look forward to it too."
Looking back, I shouldn't have looked for her then.
I should have just told her to stay holed up at home.
So, what do you do once you become a Watcher?
In the end, it was Company work. We moved to the city.
At first, it was quite novel. Since it was a place hidden from people like a secret society, I felt needlessly excited.
But the work we did was still analyzing and responding to Anomalies, just like clearing dungeons.
The difference was that a bit of paperwork was added.
Still, facing Anomalies was quite a special experience.
Jin continued to go around with Clara, experiencing many things.
"Here it is. The <Haunted Typewriter>."
"This thing is really noisy...."
"What is it writing?"
"This is propaganda...."
"...Why?"
"I know, right. Was the ghost a politician?"
Recovering Anomalies.
—Kagagak!
"...Are you okay?"
"U-Uh-huh."
"It seems that attempting conversation isn't because it's friendly to humans, but rather a deception tactic. Please step back."
"Thank you...."
Neutralizing Anomalies.
"About this. Don't you think we could take just one?"
"Are you crazy?"
"There are so many. I don't think anyone would suspect if just one went missing. Besides, if we use this right, our combat power will skyrocket."
"...Shall we try it then?"
We even tried using Anomalies secretly.
We eventually got caught later, but perhaps because we saved many people with it, we only received disciplinary action and it wasn't confiscated.
...
...
And, we also had unforgettable experiences.
"...Do you have someone you like?"
"Not particularly...? I'm so busy with work that I don't have the luxury for that."
"Is that so? Then you don't have any intention of dating anyone?"
"I don't think I'd reject someone who approached me."
Is that so...? Then, you see.
"How would you feel... if I approached you...?"
It was the happiest thing I had experienced in this world.
I became lovers with Clara.
"H-Humph!"
"G-Good morning, Clara."
"...Eat this."
"Thank you."
She kept trying to treat me well.
"Jin...! Look over there! That whale is huge!"
"...."
"...Don't look at me, look over there!"
She had a pure side and a cute side at the same time.
"Get it together!"
"...!"
"Pick up your sword, now! Unless you want to die!"
And she also showed a reliable side.
Jin still had the memories of the time he spent with her vivid in his mind.
They were beautiful memories.
To the point where I wanted to go back right this instant.
...
...
And, I had one more unforgettable experience.
"Ji, Jin... are you, there...?"
The most terrible thing I had ever experienced in this other world.