NOVEL NEXT It has already been several weeks since Base 17 was attacked by an hostile organization.
At that time, the base looked like a complete wreck, covered in debris and blood, a sight that could only be described as chaotic.
Currently, the damaged facilities were being restored, and those who were injured had finished their treatment and returned to work, so Base 17 was in the process of reclaiming its former self.
However, the atmosphere inside the base was anything but familiar.
In a span of just a few months, the personnel working at Base 17 had experienced three major incidents. Those who witnessed the sight of an immortal monster slaughtering their comrades were still unable to forget the horrific scene.
Each day, they lived with anxiety, fearing when a similar incident might occur again.
In truth, it was no exaggeration to say that the majority of the personnel at Base 17 were suffering from unease and restlessness.
“Hey, 19th! Long time no see!”
The only person here, aside from Researcher Sophia.
“Ugh.”
The little girl’s face was half-buried in Sophia’s chest. It was because she had hugged the girl too tightly.
Despite not looking particularly happy, the girl didn’t try to pull away from her embrace.
After this familiar greeting, Sophia started talking while holding the girl on her lap.
“Do you know how much I’ve missed you?”
“I don’t think this counts as a long time since we last met…”
“What do you mean? I can’t get my energy back if I don’t see 19th every day!”
The girl looked at Sophia with a slightly strange expression.
To be fair, it wasn’t entirely wrong from her perspective.
When Sophia was in charge of the girl, she really did visit her almost every day.
Sadly, the girl was no longer just a regular charge for one senior researcher, and now Sophia could only meet her once every few days.
Because of this, every time Sophia saw the girl, she ended up being overly affectionate compared to before.
Well, if we’re being ordinary about it, meeting once every few days is usually frequent enough in human relationships…
But still, that’s how she felt.
“Oh, right, I heard you decided to change the name for your title.”
“Huh? Ah… That’s right. It turns out it’s too common if we keep using it as is.”
“Yeah, 19th is such a stiff-sounding number. At least if it were a single-digit number…”
“Isn’t there really much difference? It’s just the same number anyway.”
“Well, to me, a smaller number feels more… squishy. You know what I mean?”
“….?”
“If you haven’t thought of anything yet, do you want to pick from some of the names I came up with? I have a few in mind.”
“Eh, no… I’m good. I’ll think about it myself.”
The girl immediately rejected Sophia’s offer to give her a name.
Of course, she thought it was impossible for anything normal to come from her mouth.
She had been giving it consistent thought for a while, but Sophia’s tastes often seemed to be slightly off.
Given what Sophia had given her in terms of dolls and such, it was undoubtedly true that the names would probably have a similar vibe.
Wouldn’t it be better to go by a serial number than to be called something like “Barbie or Korean cousin”?
“U-um…”
Just as the two were engrossed in their personal conversation, an unfamiliar voice suddenly caught their attention from behind.
The girl reflexively turned her head toward the source of the voice.
“Oh, hello…”
Standing there was a woman, looking unusually tense, holding a beautifully packaged box.
“Researcher Emma…? What’s going on all of a sudden?”
Seeing the woman, Sophia asked her curiously what she wanted.
Though both had worked together at Base 17 for a long time, they didn’t really have much interaction until now.
To be honest, they weren’t particularly close, so it was unclear why she suddenly called out.
“Ah, Sophia Researcher… um, I just wanted to thank that girl over there…”
In contrast to Sophia’s expectations, the woman wasn’t approaching with a request for herself.
With a timid voice, she introduced herself, her eyes darting nervously.
Eventually, she began speaking carefully to the girl sitting on Sophia’s lap.
“Me?”
“Y-yes, yes yes yes yes!”
The researcher, called Emma, answered, half twitching in surprise at the girl’s strangely inquisitive words.
Well, it made sense.
Although she looked like a simple little girl, the girl was one of the highest-level anomalies classified as dangerous.
Emma vividly remembered the sight of a similar anomaly brutally slaughtering personnel just a few weeks prior.
For someone with such a timid nature, facing off against a being that could easily take her life with no barriers in place was no light ordeal.
“Um, um, you might not remember, but the last time I almost died, you saved me, and I didn’t get to say thank you…”
The reason she sought out the girl was simple.
A few weeks ago, when living dolls flooded the base, she was one of those who witnessed the horrific events unfold.
Seeing people around her getting butchered in that surreal scene froze her entirely.
She couldn’t even think to escape from the approaching horrors emitting spine-chilling creaks and groans until—
She was saved dramatically by the girl who had just happened to pass by at death’s door.
“I don’t know if you’ll like this, but I wanted to give it to you as a token of my appreciation…”
Of course, Emma knew full well that the girl wasn’t a human but merely an anomaly.
However, much like how people cannot live on rational thoughts alone.
In a life-or-death situation where she barely survived, it was perfectly normal for her to be curious about her savior.
Having recently returned to work, she couldn’t help but come here to express her gratitude to the girl who had saved her.
“….”
“Is there something wrong…?!”
Emma began to stutter increasingly because the girl was just quietly staring at her without saying a word.
At this point, one would expect some sort of reaction, yet the girl simply continued to watch her silently, making Emma feel as if she was a prey being eyed by a predator.
She grew more anxious about whether she did something wrong, causing her to tremble more than before.
“…That.”
“Yes, yes?”
“That thing you’re holding, what is it?”
Fortunately for Emma, the girl’s voice didn’t seem to contain any displeasure toward her actions.
Eventually, it dawned on her that the girl’s gaze was focused not on her but on the object she held.
“Uh, it’s nothing really. Just a famous snack from Turkey…”
With a clunk, she set the item down on the table.
Even giving gifts to a being who wasn’t human was a puzzle in itself.
Most wouldn’t even have an idea of what to bring. However, she had learned from a report written by Sophia that the girl really loved snacks.
Thus, she brought something from a country known for it.
“Can I eat it?”
“Ah, yes… I was going to give that to you anyway.”
In terms of results, it was a tremendous success.
The girl may not have known it, but she had a significant obsession with snacks.
Having roamed dimensions for so long, she hadn’t encountered food that suited her taste for ages.
Among those, sweets were something that she hadn’t tasted for so long that she couldn’t even remember the taste anymore.
After returning to her hometown, she finally came across food again.
For her, sweet snacks were far too tempting to refuse.
Crunch!
The snack in the girl’s hand crunched as she took a bite.
Her small mouth moved diligently, chewing away.
While just a moment ago, she looked like a predator eyeing something dangerous,
now she was just a little girl who loved her snacks.
The faint light in her eyes showed delight as she enjoyed the treat.
Emma, having forgotten for a moment that this girl was an anomaly, merely stared at her in wonder.
“…?”
Suddenly, without even realizing it, she almost placed her hand atop the girl’s head.
Brought back to reality by the girl’s strange look, she stammered.
“Ah, ah?! No, that wasn’t…!”
In a flustered tone, she quickly withdrew her hand.
After all, it wasn’t polite to just put your hands on someone’s head, especially when that person could easily obliterate her for no reason!
However, Emma was fortunate because
the girl didn’t seem to show any signs of being unhappy with her actions.
As mentioned before, the girl hadn’t engaged in any genuine interactions for a long time, making her receptive to the simple affection shown by another.
Being prime-coursed by the sweets she had just tasted, the girl was also in a generous mood to allow someone who offered her treats to pet her head just once.
“It’s fine, you can touch it.”
“R-really?”
“Yeah. It’s not going to wear out or anything, so why not?”
After receiving the girl’s permission, Emma cautiously placed her hand on the girl’s head.
Her hand moved gently through the soft hair.
Once, this girl had seemed impossible to approach…
But now, seeing the girl munching on the snack while getting her head patted only made her look like a small child.
Gradually, the researchers in Base 17 also began to change their perception of the girl as interactions with her increased.
A short while later, she would soon find herself vehemently fleeing from the researchers of Base 17 holding snacks in her hands.
And that fate wasn’t far off at all!