A Strange Encounter in the Lab

The girl ran toward the starting point. I spent time playing games with Lamonax. His natural behavior, acting like we were just ordinary friends, was so absurd it almost made me laugh. I'd happily eat the snacks he bought me, but it was still a bit overwhelming.

"Are you coming back next time?"

"If you'll allow me."

I rustled the bag of snacks in my hand and avoided his gaze. Looking up at him, towering over me, I felt an inexplicable sense of intimidation.

"No."

"Then can we at least have lunch and dinner together?"

"I guess that much is fine."

Lamonax waved and walked away. Watching him disappear down the end of the hallway, I shut the door and climbed onto the bed.

I wasn't usually one to enjoy snacks, but these were surprisingly delicious. The crispy potato chips crunched in my mouth, spreading a salty flavor. I sat there blankly, munching on the chips while watching TV. The news was broadcasting the activities of a group protesting human experimentation on espers. I clicked my tongue as I watched them go around terrorizing perfectly fine research facilities.

I tossed the half-eaten bag of chips onto the table and lay down on the bed. The thought of brushing my teeth before sleeping crossed my mind, but this body would be gone in a week anyway. Burying my face in the fluffy pillow, I closed my eyes.

Waking up early in the morning, I checked the clock. It seemed habits didn't fade easily, even when your body changed. Having woken up much earlier than my shift started, I went into the bathroom and took a quick shower. Warm water cascaded down, pouring over my long hair. My white locks became thoroughly soaked. Having long hair was incredibly inconvenient.

I hastily applied shampoo and conditioner to wash my hair, then lathered up a soft sponge to wash my body. Scrubbing this unfamiliar body with such short arms made me feel like I was washing someone else. After rinsing off the suds, I wrapped myself in a large towel and stepped out. Water dripped heavily from my sodden hair onto the floor, but I didn't pay it any mind.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, I dried my hair with the towel. In my old body, a quick shake would have gotten rid of most of the moisture, but long hair just wouldn't dry quickly. I'm definitely going to need a hair dryer.

Getting up from the bed, I headed toward the dresser. Since basic daily necessities were provided, there had to be a hair dryer. Opening the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠drawer, my prediction proved correct. Tucked inside was a hair dryer that felt a bit too large for me—or rather, for this body—to use.

Moving awkwardly, I pulled out the hair dryer and plugged it in. Whoosh! Hot air blasted across my face. The unexpected intensity forced my eyes and mouth shut. Slowly turning my hand to redirect the airflow, my damp hair whipped in all directions, scattering water droplets. I hadn't even been holding it for very long, yet my wrist was already aching. My hands felt completely limp, so I gave up on drying my hair ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and tossed the dryer into a corner.

I put on my underwear and clothes, then threw a bluish lab coat over them. Not forgetting my employee ID card, I hung it around my neck and checked my reflection in the mirror. A tired-looking girl stared back at me. It had only been a day. There was no way I could be used to this appearance yet. Feeling awkward, the girl—me—used her fingers to pull up the corners of her mouth, forcing a smile. It looked better than expected. Was it because the canvas itself was pretty?

I thought that if the test subject had grown up in a normal household instead of this place, she would have made all kinds of expressions. But I shook my head to dispel the thought. Sympathy wasn't a very useful emotion. I raised my hands and shook my white hair out. The silky, fluttering sensation felt quite nice. Still, inconvenient was inconvenient. I wished I could just snip it all off with scissors, but the contract explicitly stated that I must not damage this body in any way, so I had to leave it as a lingering regret.

I picked up the lanyard for my employee ID card from a small box on the table. It was a decent length, so it seemed usable. Holding the strap in my mouth, I reached back with both hands to gather my hair. Securing the bunched hair with one hand, I took the strap from my mouth with the other and began tying it. Although a few stray strands stuck out here and there, I was quite pleased that the ticklish sensation on my cheeks was gone. Even when I shook my head, only the ponytail-like hair hanging behind me moved, making it much more comfortable. With that, I left the room.

I wasn't usually one to eat breakfast, but perhaps because my body had changed, I felt quite hungry. Leaving the dormitory hallway and turning the corner, I spotted a large convenience store. I figured it would be best to grab some bread or a triangular kimbap.

As I entered the convenience store, the employee on duty greeted me with a tired face. I gave a brief wave and looked around. Although I had worked here for a year, this was my first time visiting the convenience store inside the research facility. Compared to stores outside, the selection was slightly different, but it had everything one could need. Looking around, I began to debate: bread or kimbap? In the past, I would have bought both, but I knew my now-shrunken stomach wouldn't be able to handle both. Better to have leftovers than to run short. With that thought, I picked up a large, long mocha bread and cradled a small carton of milk in my arms. After paying, I left the convenience store, swinging the black plastic bag.

Even after all that, I still had time to spare. Since my usual commute from home to the lab was quite long, staying ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the dorms gave me a lot of free time. In that case, I figured I might as well borrow a book to read in the lab. The research center's employee welfare was top-notch. There was even an in-house library where you could borrow books using your employee ID, so it was hard to find a better place. Entering the library, I picked up a few short story collections that seemed good for passing the time. The books were surprisingly heavy. I made a mental note to bring a bag next time.

The library was deserted. Given the era, perhaps most people preferred e-books. It was a common occurrence when living in an age lacking analog sentimentality. The librarian was also dozing off. I walked up to him and set the books and my employee ID card down, which finally made him blink and look around.

"I'd like to check these out."

The librarian's eyes darted from me to the ID card. He picked up the card, stared at it intently, and then looked down at me again.

"Mr. Jeff?"

"Yes."

"Are you really Mr. Jeff?"

"Of course. Is there another Jeff around here?"

The librarian gave me a look of sheer fascination as he scanned the barcodes on the book covers. After a couple of beeps, the checkout was complete, and he handed the books and ID card back to me.

"What happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, how did you end up in a body like that?"

"Just... things happened."

Please don't ask any more. When I avoided his gaze like that, the librarian didn't press further. Instead, he simply offered me a piece of candy.

"Would you like a candy?"

Before I could even answer, my hand naturally reached out and took it. It was peanut-flavored...

"See you tomorrow," I said, bidding him farewell as I left the library.

A young girl in a blue lab coat, carrying books and a convenience store bag, must have been quite a sight. The eyes of the employees passing by in the hallway refused to leave me. On my way back to the test subject's room, I noticed that the lights in Dr. Hebrum's lab were on. It was shocking that the fat pig had come to work at such an early hour. Shouldn't he be snoring away at home right now? With that thought, I stepped into Dr. Hebrum's lab.

"Doctor?"

But the middle-aged fat pig I was looking for wasn't in the brightly lit lab. Instead, the person sitting in Dr. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Hebrum's chair was someone I had only seen a few times from afar. An elderly gentleman dressed in a sharp black suit.

"Hmm?"

He looked up from scanning Dr. Hebrum's documents, and our eyes met. My body froze. The sudden appearance of the Director of the research center was completely unexpected.

"You must be Jeff."

"Ye-yes...!"

I bit my tongue. A sharp pain shot through it, bringing a tear to my eye. He knew who I was. Perhaps this entire situation had been ordered by the Director himself. I hurriedly greeted him.

"Good morning, sir!"

The energetic shout came out sounding like a little girl's squeak. The Director chuckled softly and waved his hand.

"It's alright. No need to be so tense."

Cold sweat trickled down my back. It was only natural, considering I had just run into the highest authority in this facility. Behind his gentle, smiling face, I recalled the cold, hardened expression he wore when handing down severe punishments for any wrongdoing. I still couldn't forget it.

"Right. Jeff. Has there been any notable change?" the Director asked, waving the documents I had submitted. My head spun. I forced my stubborn mouth open and barely managed to answer.

"Nothing particularly different... She doesn't speak, after all."

"Anything else?"

"Her gaze, which used to always stare off into the distance, has started to focus on me, but..."

At my words, the Director nodded. Seeing how much interest he took in the test subject girl, her abilities must be extraordinary.

"Keep up the good work, then. Tell Dr. Hebrum I stopped by when he arrives."

"Yes, sir!"

The Director stood up and vanished. A rare teleporter. It was my first time seeing such an ability in person.

Even after the Director vanished, I couldn't move for quite a while. I was worried he might be hiding somewhere, watching me. Looking around warily, I approached Dr. Hebrum's desk to leave a note. Since it would be a long time before he came to work, leaving a note was the better option.

The blank space on the paper felt a bit empty. After sketching a pig wearing a white lab coat at the bottom, I slipped out of Dr. Hebrum's lab.