LIGHTNOVELONLINE Arthur, the senior researcher of the Abnormal Phenomena Research Department and Sofia’s successor, was currently deep in thought.
“….”
The source of his dilemma was, of course, his senior, Sophia Brown. While he was used to seeing her with her usual emotionless expression that made it hard to tell if she was blank or just stoic, today she looked even stranger.
Rather than merely vacant, she appeared almost as if her soul had left her body.
‘It’s probably because of the interview she had yesterday….’
Interviews.
A peaceful word, at least in the dictionary definition, suggesting a simple act of sharing information face-to-face. But here in the Abnormal Phenomena Research Department, the word carried a decidedly different connotation.
Logic and common sense had no footing, and it was commonplace to encounter phenomena that defied scientific explanation, ones that tossed the world’s physical laws out the window without a care. Talking face-to-face with such things in a mere human body was an unimaginably dangerous task.
There could be reports of researchers losing their lives to an anomalous entity that suddenly breached safety mechanisms during an interview. Or a researcher who completed the interview safely suddenly going insane or breaking containment protocols for an anomalous entity.
Given all that, it wasn’t at all surprising that Sophia might be half-checked out after just finishing an interview with a new anomalous entity that was all variables and no guarantees.
“Sophia-senpai.”
However, he couldn’t just leave his dazed senior like that indefinitely. He had heard countless stories in the past about researchers who ended up dead because they ignored their colleagues showing unusual behavior.
For his own safety, he needed to determine if she was simply dazed or if something worse had happened. More importantly, he had to snap her out of it for her own sake, especially since her office computer had been flashing with call alerts for a while now.
“…Sophia-senpai?”
But for some reason, even with someone calling her right next to her, Sophia showed no signs of responding.
A nagging anxiety crept into Arthur’s mind: had she truly been mentally contaminated by that anomalous entity? What if she suddenly stood up and started poking him with a pen with those unfocused eyes of hers?
Half hoping that wouldn’t happen, and half knowing he had to check on his long-time senior, he called her name out again, this time louder.
“Sophia-senpai!”
“Wh-what?! What’s going on?!”
She jolted as if she saw a ghost, responding to his call. Seeing her respond in her usual straightforward tone relieved Arthur, who let out a small sigh of relief.
“Why are you suddenly shouting? My ears aren’t broken.”
“Actually, they are. I’ve called you three times already, and you didn’t respond at all.”
“…Really? Don’t lie. It must be because of that joke I made yesterday. If you wanted to prank me, you should have waited at least a week.”
“Do I look like a senpai who pulls pranks like you? Then what were you doing all this time, zoning out like a statue?”
“Um, well…”
As he asked, Sophia stuttered and then fell silent. It seemed she was holding something back.
“What happened during that interview yesterday?”
His tone was pure concern. He knew what he was getting into by joining this line of work, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t afraid of death. The thought that his senior might be incapacitated because of some unexpected attack or horrific threat during the interview weighed heavily on his mind.
“Well, considering how peaceful the base was yesterday, it doesn’t seem like anything major happened, but you can never be too sure.”
Remembering that she had teased him yesterday, Arthur tried to shift the conversation away to hide his worry, but whether she noticed his attempt to redirect the topic or not, she remained silent.
“From the looks of it, it seems you didn’t experience anything good.”
With Sophia continuing to keep her lips sealed, Arthur assumed that her experiences had left a negative impression.
After all, plenty of situations that wouldn’t endanger her life could still lead to trauma. Like seeing a primary anomaly’s main body leaning up close with those gnashing teeth or facing phenomena that psychologically terrorized them.
“No, it wasn’t that bad at all. In fact, it was pretty okay.”
However, to his surprise, she voiced something completely opposite regarding her interview experience.
“Really? But then why do you look so serious?”
It was a valid question.
The fact that meeting an anomalous entity that could be perceived positively was rare aside, if she had just had a pleasant encounter, it would have been customary for her to stutter or hesitate when someone inquired about it.
There was no reason for her to keep such a stiff expression the entire time if it was a happy encounter.
Sophia covered her mouth with her hand.
It was a habitual gesture she often resorted to when thinking deeply about something. The corner of her mouth trembled subtly, and after a brief moment, she seemed to make a decision as she began mumbling in a voice barely audible.
“…cute.”
Finally, she spoke up, but unfortunately, the only thing Arthur could catch was part of the word.
Of course, this wasn’t because Arthur was ignoring her. If the blame had to be placed anywhere, it was on her for saying it in such a quiet voice. If someone mustered up the courage to say something, he wouldn’t scold them for speaking softly.
“Um… sorry, but I didn’t catch that. Could you repeat it?”
Arthur asked again, trying to make sure she didn’t feel pressured.
She seemed to acknowledge that her voice was too soft this time. She inhaled deeply, and this time she managed to relay her intended message clearly to Arthur.
“It was cute.”
What that meant for Arthur’s comprehension was another matter entirely.
“…?”
Arthur’s face began to twist in a strange direction.
While it was far from reality, it felt as though a multitude of question marks had appeared around his head.
“It was super cute!”
“No, that’s not what I meant by repeat it.”
Arthur waved his hands defensively.
The second time she said it was loud enough for him to hear clearly.
Of course, just because he heard it didn’t mean he understood it perfectly.
Even if he couldn’t make sense of it, it wasn’t something he wanted to hear twice.
“Oh my gosh, there was this brown-haired, tiny little girl who looked up at me, and she was so cute I couldn’t take my eyes off her!”
“Yeah, that’s cute. I got that much.”
“It wasn’t just cute! The way she communicated was by nodding or shaking her head! I thought I was looking at a living doll!”
“Okay, I get that’s enough. Can we stop here?”
“And when she left, she even waved her hand goodbye! Isn’t that totally asking for a pet on the head? If only there wasn’t that invisible barrier――”
“…Senpai, just checking to see, but you did get your mental contamination check on time, right?”
After her lengthy monologue that could be described as disturbing, Arthur asked her the burning question that had been nagging at him.
“What do you take me for? Just because I said I didn’t want to get checked doesn’t mean I can just skip it.”
“That’s true, but still…”
Some anomalies can inflict mental damage.
Some simply cause pain, some permanently handicap their victims, and others dangerously manipulate people to their will.
Usually, these types of anomalies disguise themselves to appear harmless, brainwashing researchers into acting normal until they strike at crucial moments, causing immense damage to the facility.
Arthur briefly wondered if the entity Sophia interviewed fell into that category, but as Sophia had just said, a mental contamination check conducted after encountering a new anomalous entity was non-negotiable.
If she tried to refuse it, protocol called for forcibly restraining her.
And because she seemed completely fine in front of him, that meant no abnormalities had shown up in her check—it was a sure sign that she hadn’t been contaminated.
Also, the fact she was articulating such bizarre… statements with a clear head was something he never wanted to face in his lifetime.
“Shouldn’t I be reporting this first?”
“…Excuse me? I just really love cute things, that’s all.”
“Let’s see whether the police will agree with you on that.”
“Arthur, just so you know, I’m totally normal. Liking cute things and being in love are different! A person who loves animals and someone who engages in bestiality are completely different kinds of people!”
“Senpai, everything is fine, but your word choice…”
“Alright, alright. Animal lovers and animal abusers are clearly different――”
“Forget it. Let’s just drop this.”
Arthur cut her off sharply.
Now that he knew she hadn’t suffered any ill effects from yesterday’s interview, it was clear there was no point in continuing what would inevitably lead to a worthless conversation.
He was also a little afraid of where this dialogue might lead next.
Somewhere in the corner of the Abnormal Phenomena Research Department, Arthur, having completely forgotten the important info he was supposed to convey to her, shook his head in dismay.
Meanwhile, Sophia, completely oblivious to her office computer’s alert blaring persistently in the background, was laughing at her junior’s reaction.
! Emergency Alert !
Issued by the Abnormal Phenomena Management Office
Emergency Alert across Base 17
Abnormal Phenomenon 871, “Swallowing Shadow,” has breached containment.
Due to the characteristics of this phenomenon, it is possible that most of the base’s alert systems have been destroyed.
Anyone receiving this message should quickly inform nearby personnel and evacuate to the nearest safe house.