LIGHTNOVELONLINE The biting cold of November fiercely penetrates the collar.
As the cold weather causes leaves to fall chaotically and people wrap themselves tightly in thick clothes, the streets are filled with scattered leaves that create an elegant atmosphere, as if a golden carpet is laid out.
Despite the biting cold wind, the city, shining with colorful lights, is still brimming with vitality.
Couples hand in hand strolling down the streets, families out for a day trip, street musicians busking with crowds gathered around them—each person bustling with their own purpose brings life to the streets.
Yet, amidst this lively atmosphere, there were inevitably those with uneasy expressions.
“…”
In a corner alley, slightly away from the street, there stood a girl with a very awkward expression.
She was standing in a pose that seemed out of place, her reflection visible under the soft lighting, displaying a delicate dress adorned with ribbons and a pink outer garment.
Though undeniably fitting for her age, the girl herself was quite embarrassed by her appearance and was trying to take the outfit off.
“Um… Sophia, can I take this off now?”
“Is it because it doesn’t fit?”
“Well, that’s not it. It’s just… It doesn’t really suit me…”
The girl instinctively crossed her legs, feeling an odd emptiness below her waist.
Well, it was understandable.
The girl, who unintentionally acquired a different gender than her past life, had chosen to ignore her gender rather than embrace it. As a result, she had never experienced relationships between the sexes, nor had she ever worn anything like skirts or dresses.
Now that she was wearing feminine clothing for the first time, all she felt was strangeness and awkwardness.
“There’s no way! You couldn’t look more perfect! Anyone would think so, not just me.”
However, despite those words, Sophia was praising the girl’s attire. Objectively speaking, the girl had a look that would appeal positively to most people, but unfortunately, aside from the tattered rags she originally wore and the basic clothing provided at the base, she had never worn any other garments.
Sophia thought it a waste and wanted to properly dress the girl this time around, though it goes without saying that her desires were also intertwined.
“Hmmm, how about trying this on? It’s hanging over there, and it seems like it’d fit you perfectly.”
“…Didn’t you just repeat that a few times already?”
“But there are so many outfits that would really suit you! Oh, this one looks good too!”
Sophia pulled out yet another outfit from the nearby hangers. The garment indeed reflected her feminine taste, causing the girl to direct her gaze at the multitude of clothes in Sophia’s hands and unintentionally let out a shallow sigh.
“Ah, if you’re having trouble putting it on, I can—”
“D-don’t come in! I can change by myself.”
Whoosh, the girl quickly snatched the garment from Sophia’s hands. After entering the changing room, the sound of hurriedly closing the curtain echoed.
Inside the narrow changing room, the girl only faced her own reflection, still awkwardly dressed.
“…”
The girl unfolded the outfit in her hands. The light, flowing fabric fluttered.
Feeling strangely alien to the clothing, she momentarily let her arms drop down.
“Ha… how did it come to this…”
In order to recall why she found herself in this situation, she began rummaging through her memories of the events that had transpired not long ago.
Days earlier, I had casually asked Oliver about going out.
“Going out?”
Upon hearing my question, Oliver’s eyes widened in surprise. The last time I had inquired about going out, he had no reaction at all. But for some reason, he seemed tense this time about me going outside.
“I don’t mind… but is it because of the incident last time?”
“Incident? What do you mean?”
“You know, the thing you could have brought back from the facility’s underground…”
“No, this time I just really want to go out.”
“Is that so? That’s a relief.”
With a phew, a small sigh escaped his lips. Well, I quite understood the reason.
It was probably because I had brought Revi here. For some unknown reason, the stories I heard implied that she appeared as something incredibly frightening to others.
I’m not a shaman or anything, so I wouldn’t truly know the reason behind it. But at least I wasn’t so dim-witted that I couldn’t pick up on the fact that he didn’t particularly like the idea of having a ghost as a lodger.
“Would you like to go somewhere in particular?”
“Hmm. If possible, I’d like to go to a place with a lot of people.”
“A place with a lot of people… Are you talking about somewhere like the downtown area?”
“Why? Is that a no-go?”
“No, it’s not impossible. I just want you to know that as I mentioned before, there could be some restrictions.”
Of course, when he asked me where I wanted to go, I meant a place closer to the city center. After returning to my hometown, it felt too wasteful to be stuck inside one building.
Besides, the last time I went out, it wasn’t really a day out—it was just to bring Revi back.
“It might sound unpleasant, but you have the power to turn the city into chaos in an instant. Moreover, the higher-ups here are extremely wary of that type of being walking outside.”
However, according to Oliver’s words, it seemed there were a few difficult issues regarding that.
Well, I didn’t entirely blame them.
I identify as human, but that’s just my opinion.
To others, I likely appeared as a monster or something resembling one.
Saying I wanted to go to the city was no different from a monster in some monster movie declaring it wanted to visit downtown.
“I personally trust you, but most of them likely don’t. They might send the HQ’s operational team to ‘deal’ with you just because you’ve been allowed out. Therefore, I’ll need to impose some restrictions to at least convince them.”
In short, if I wanted to be sent to a place where people gather, some sort of safety measure had to be in place.
Probably like tying a bomb collar or something.
But thankfully, I was feeling quite generous at the moment.
In the past, I might have been quite upset, but after weeks of living, I found a level of tranquility that allowed me to accept a bit of nonsense.
“Do I have to be loaded with a bunch of restraints like last time?”
“No, it’s not necessary. That wouldn’t be portable in the first place.”
“Then, perhaps have people stick around to keep an eye on me?”
“I won’t say that won’t happen, but at least it won’t be noticeable.”
Oddly enough, despite his previous explanation, it seemed like the restrictions he was suggesting were minimal or almost non-existent.
“Then what gives? You said there had to be understandable restrictions.”
I felt something strange about his statement and asked for a clearer explanation, but he suddenly turned the question back on me.
“…By the way, do you still remember the 321st entity of abnormal phenomena?”
“Three hundred twenty… what?”
“Those mannequins that filled the base before.”
“Oh, I remember that…”
A nasty creaking sound echoes in my mind, remembering those unsettling dolls.
I had fled at the first sign that I wouldn’t be able to take them down.
Anyway, beings with regeneration or immortality always seemed to be acting bothersomely.
But now, why were we bringing them up?
“According to the report documenting the aftermath of how you neutralized the 321st anomaly, it states you exhibited aggression towards the agents. And afterward, it notes that a researcher stopped you.”
Ah— I remembered that too.
Though, I may have been overly sensitive due to the confused feelings of encountering odd entities in my beloved hometown.
But honestly, wasn’t it the initial attacker’s fault for shooting first?
If they started firing at others, shooting back in self-defense was completely justified.
…Well, I didn’t actually intend to kill anyone. Still.
“Looking back, it was simply a rash action on the agents’ part, but it seems the upper management’s interpretation is a bit different.”
“How so?”
“They appear to think you’ve formed an attachment to someone. Otherwise, they wouldn’t believe that a being like you would act like that.”
Oliver tapped the desk with his finger, looking as if he was hesitating over something.
So, what does what he’s saying now have to do with the restrictions he asked me about earlier?
Honestly, the higher-ups who only read the report and made judgments were rather amusing.
Anyway, it’s not like I’ve built a close relationship with anyone.
Even if I did develop an attachment to someone, that would be—
…Wait a second.
“And they think the researcher who stopped you back then can control you. So, if you were to go outside…”
Suddenly, a thought strikes me like a bolt of lightning.
In that fleeting moment,
Before I could even utter anything, Oliver had finished his sentence.
“… they mean that you have to take Researcher Sophia with you.”
What came from his mouth mirrored exactly what had just crossed my mind.
“…”
For a moment, silence lingered.
Tick-tock, echoed in the quiet room, filling it with tension.
During that silence, I quietly stared straight ahead.
Eventually, accepting his words, I cautiously began to ask about the possibilities of negotiation, still with a hint of reluctance.
“Couldn’t you just tie me up in restraints instead?”
“Sorry, but that won’t work.”
…
Going out, should I skip it?