episode_0008

I was dozing off in my room when I suddenly heard a voice and woke up with a start.

Although he wasn’t hurt because he was stuffed inside a soft teddy bear, he was quite surprised.

“Jeff?”

Jeff. Jeff.

Yeah, that’s my name.

But, doesn’t that unfamiliar voice sound too friendly?

I felt like I needed to distance myself a little, but I got up from my seat without showing it.

A tall woman.

Her long, shiny pink hair is shining.

Amy.

“Huh?”

I don’t know how lucky I am that they mistake me for a test subject.

The terrorist groups that were on the news were ruthless guys who were vicious and cruel, and had those kinds of adjectives attached to them all the time.

If they found out I was a low-level employee, I would definitely be torn to pieces and killed.

“It’s dinner time.”

Amy said that and held out her hand to me.

I look up at her hand blankly.

If anyone had seen the rays bursting out from her fingertips, it would have been difficult to grasp her hand.

I just couldn’t bring myself to hold his hand.

A feeling of emptiness and chilliness spreads across the tip of my arm.

It’s because the warm feeling has disappeared.

As I looked around to find Shine, I saw that she was already outside the door, looking at me.

“Dinner?”

Come to think of it, I was hungry.

I stood up from my seat, watching Amy’s expression.

I weaved my way through the fluffy teddy bears and passed her cautiously.

Amy’s outstretched hand falls in vain.

Her expression becomes subtle.

At the same time, I was scared.

I wonder if I offended her.

I didn’t want to melt like a glass wall.

As I was fidgeting with my fingertips, debating whether or not to reach out to her, Shine came up to me and grabbed my hand.

I looked surprised.

I’ve been working there for over a year now, but I’ve never had anything as action-packed as today.

“You seem to be on good terms.”

Amy’s smiling words left me with a complicated expression.

Do you look like you’re on good terms?

It might seem that way to her.

I felt a little reluctant.

The unwavering eyes were focused solely on me.

She and I, whose ambiguous relationship continued, are not that close.

Amy started leading us towards the restaurant.

The wide, open hallway was neat.

It wasn’t as good as the research lab I worked at, but it seemed like they put a lot of thought into the building.

After passing through the hallway, we arrived at the end and entered a large restaurant.

As soon as I open the door and step inside, a delicious smell wafts out.

The little boat cries out for food.

I swallow the saliva gathering at the corner of my mouth and look around.

The appearance of an ordinary restaurant, not much different from when I was at the research institute.

It was questionable how a secretive terrorist group could own such a huge building.

It was clear that all the police officers in our country were tax thieves.

My eyes moved without rest.

To get out of here, I needed to have a clear understanding of the structure of the building.

“What are you going to eat?”

“Donkas.”

I nodded at the words that came out naturally.

Once you fill your stomach, you’ll be able to escape.

“And you?”

Amy asked Shine.

But, Shine didn’t answer.

He just held my hand tightly and looked at me.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t heard your name. What’s your name?”

Amy bent down and met Shine’s gaze.

But Shine’s gaze was not directed at Amy.

“Shine.”

Shine’s voice, which flowed out as if it was indifferent, sounded like my own.

“Shine?”

Amy looks at me, knowing what I said.

It’s not me.

It wasn’t the words that came out of my mouth, it was Shine who said the name herself.

It’s quite surprising.

Didn’t she hate revealing her name?

Until now, no one in the lab knew exactly what her name was.

“Okay, Shine. Tell me what you want to eat. I have everything except what’s missing.”

The restaurant’s menu had a considerable number of dishes written on it.

The chef’s skills seemed excellent.

“Same thing.”

Amy, who had been looking at me, turns her gaze away.

Even though the same voice came out as mine, my mouth didn’t open.

She smiles at Shine and answers.

“You finally told me.”

It’s quite difficult to talk to someone all day long who doesn’t respond.

Since I had some understanding of Amy’s feelings, I could understand her feelings to some extent.

Amy guided us to a large table and had Shine and me sit on chairs.

I didn’t have time to be surprised when he suddenly lifted me up and sat me down on a chair.

As I was just looking up at her with a bewildered expression, she smiled and patted my head.

It felt strange.

As I was stroking the hair that her hand had touched, Shine grabbed my hand.

There is a look of dissatisfaction in his eyes.

“Why?”

Shine didn’t answer.

He just held my hand tightly so I couldn’t move.

A moment later, Amy came back carrying two large plates.

The pork cutlet set on top naturally makes my mouth water.

I wiped away the saliva that was starting to flow from the corner of my mouth and picked up my fork and knife.

A solid weight is felt at your fingertips.

The cool sensation of the tip of the sword brings back forgotten sensations.

Die, Donkatsu.

The feeling of the tip of the sword brushing past makes the batter split.

The hot, delicious flesh tempts me.

Crunch, crunch – Donkasu’s large body is cut apart by my sharp swordsmanship.

“Ahahahaha!”

A sudden burst of laughter.

It was such a high-pitched sound that I couldn’t help but be surprised.

He lifts his head from his concentration on the tonkatsu and looks at Amy.

She was laughing with tears in her eyes.

I don’t understand English.

“Ah. Sorry, you’re too cute.”

You think it’s cute?

who?

I looked back at Shine at her words.

Shine looks at the tonkatsu with a fork and knife in both hands.

It’s quite cute.

But if you ask me if it’s enough to make me burst out laughing, I’ll shake my head.

Amy is a very strange person.

Of course, there’s no way a terrorist could be a normal person.

I stick out my fork and scoop out some pork cutlet flesh.

Dip the crispy batter in sauce and fill your mouth with it.

The taste of sweet sauce following the richness and juicy meat wrapping around the tongue.

A smile that comes naturally.

it’s good.

It was a very satisfying meal.

It seems like the same goes for Shine, she rarely seems to be in a good mood.

There was no change in facial expression.

I just naturally got to know her feelings.

What could be the reason? Maybe it was because I had the same body as her.

After everyone finished eating, Amy naturally ended up cleaning up the plate.

I was left speechless by the comfort of having everything taken care of just by sitting there.

I’m starting to feel stupid and foolish.

If I don’t get caught, I guess I won’t have to leave here.

As if that thought were meaningless, news began to flow from the large television hanging in the restaurant.

A scene from the research lab where I worked flashes before my eyes.

The accident scene seen behind it, black smoke rising and the injured groaning.

A male researcher is seen lying on the floor, bleeding from his head.

I don’t know his name, but he is someone I often see coming and going.

A cold sweat runs down my back.

No one in the restaurant seemed particularly interested in the news.

The news scene changes.

The image of these people moving freely in the darkness while wearing white masks and suits is revealed.

That alone didn’t tell us who they were, but it did reveal images of the terrorists that had never been captured before.

The news screen changes once again.

Shine’s face comes to mind as she talks about finding a missing person who disappeared from the lab.

A photo taken while standing with a blank expression.

The photos that were released afterwards also showed Shine.

Among them, there was one photo that was quite incongruous.

Shine is seen walking down the hallway of the lab, dragging her slippers and holding a lollipop in her mouth.

No, it’s not Shine.

That’s me.

It looks like it was taken while walking around the staff quarters.

“Was it a terrible place?”

Amy sighed and patted Shine on the head.

As she spoke, looking at the news screen, she seemed to think that some terrible experiment had been performed on me and Shine.

Amy’s hand placed on her head was the very embodiment of fear.

I nodded vigorously, feeling the cold sweat running down my back.

“Yes… !”

Before I left this place, I felt like I had to act as a girl who had been a test subject for various experiments.

“Don’t worry. I will never send you back there.”

I slowly avoided Amy’s touch as she spoke in a kind voice as if making a promise.

Because it was difficult to keep my head under her hands for a long time.

It takes a lot of mental strength.

I want to go home and rest.

The biggest problem, though, was my body.

There’s been a major terrorist attack at the lab, and I’m not sure if my body will be okay.

As I think about it, I start to feel impatient.

It was the body of a low-level employee. Even though I had a personal relationship with Dr. Hebrum, I had no idea how long they would keep my body.

After finishing our meal, Shine and I received a bag full of drinks and snacks from Amy.

A solid weight is felt at your fingertips.

It was a huge envelope that I could barely move unless I held it in my arms with both hands full.

“Sorry! Something urgent came up, so I think I should go first. I’ll come by tomorrow morning, so go back to your room and rest.”

Amy says that and disappears.

I walked carefully into the room, rustling the bag of cookies in my arms.

Shine just followed me without saying anything.

Even while acting as a girl, my eyes moved without rest.

We need to understand the structure of the building.

After returning to the room I was first guided to, I threw the luggage I was holding in my arms into the middle of the room.

Snack bags and drink cans scattered rustling about, rolling in all directions.

“Sigh… .”

It’s quite difficult.

The little girl’s body was weak.

I was stroking my trembling arms, then I picked up the can of cola that was rolling on the floor and sat down on a nearby teddy bear.

The belly of the large teddy bear is soft and fluffy.

I pop the can lid off with my fingertips.

Cheek-!

A strong, sweet cola smell rises along with the cool sound.

The tongue inside the mouth dances.

I couldn’t resist the craving for sweet food.