Ch.191Chapter 191. IF – If the Cathedral Had Remained Intact (2)

Chapter 191. IF – If the Cathedral Had Remained Intact (2)

The Management Bureau. An organization I’d never heard of before.

Having such an ordinary(?) phrase like “Seasoned Seaweed Transport” attached to this organization made it extremely suspicious.

“What… business does the Management Bureau have…?”

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure out what the “Management Bureau” was, so I just asked. Is it actually a government agency?

The woman smirked.

“Ordinary people see it as the ‘Seasoned Seaweed Transport Association.’ SST for short.”

“…Ordinary people?”

“For those who have been exposed to anomalous phenomena, the ‘Association’ part appears as ‘Management Bureau.’ For example, if you’ve been abducted to another world by a divine being?”

My heart felt like it sank.

What is this? This person, no, this organization? Is it a place that specializes in hunting down possessed people like me? All sorts of thoughts ran through my mind.

The fact that she appeared before me so openly meant she had finished investigating me, which meant that even if I tried to run away now, there was no guarantee I could escape.

Were all the passersby in cahoots with this woman? I darted my eyes around.

“Don’t be too alarmed. We’re not an organization that abducts aliens and dissects them… or anything like that. We’re a legitimate international governmental organization. Unofficial, but still.”

The word ‘unofficial’ really bothers me.

“What just happened was simply a confirmation procedure. A formality.”

The woman from the Management Bureau shrugged as if it was nothing and continued.

“Whatever bad things you’re imagining won’t happen, so don’t worry. If that were the case, would I come find you in broad daylight and request a conversation? There are so many quiet ways to kill someone. I really just came to talk.”

Talking about killing so casually like she’s saying “eat your food.” She looks like a yogurt lady but talks like a secret agent.

“I understand.”

I’ll go along with it for now. If I cause trouble without knowing what’s going on, my family could be in danger.

***

We entered an unnamed building about 10 minutes away. It had “Seasoned Seaweed Transport Management Bureau” written on it in huge letters.

Was this building always in our neighborhood?

“Before we begin, shall we make a simple agreement?”

The woman spoke as she watched me take a seat.

“We’ll only tell each other the truth. How about that?”

As soon as the woman said that, I felt some kind of intangible pressure. Despite it being summer, I felt a chill.

…Is this woman some kind of psychic?

“Yes.”

It’s not like I have the right to refuse anyway. I just accepted.

“I appreciate your cooperative attitude.”

The woman briefly introduced what the “Management Bureau” was.

It’s an organization that protects Earth from external threats, or something like that. The Seasoned Seaweed Transport whatever is obviously a front.

It feels like an Earth Defense Headquarters from fiction. That’s the positive view; the negative view would be something like the SCP Foundation.

After a few interrogations… no, questions and answers, we finished.

“Besides you, about a hundred people appeared on the same day, at the same time, in various countries around the world. All of them had been reported missing.”

The global organization called the Management Bureau had been watching us for a week, she said.

People like us, whom they call “returnees,” coming back to Earth wasn’t a first-time occurrence. It had been happening steadily for decades.

“Some returnees came back with special powers, some with completely altered contents, and some with only their shells remaining. But usually, they don’t return at all. The beings who commit such acts are like stubborn children—they don’t easily let go of toys that fall into their hands.

So, the fact that you all returned with your bodies intact is quite exceptional.”

This organization called the Management Bureau had been aware of our existence since the first day of our return. They found out everything with the cooperation of various government agencies.

“We’ve been watching you for the past week. Not just you, but other returnees as well.”

The reason they observed without contact was to see if we had intentionally hidden or acquired unknown powers that the Management Bureau couldn’t measure.

After various verifications, they determined we were harmless people, which is why they contacted me like this. If they had observed anything suspicious, they would have killed us.

“There are many evil and powerful beings in the universe. Cosmic demons called Watchers subjugate human souls and take control of their bodies. This character called the Playful God is relatively better in comparison.

Well, that was a simple guide according to the Management Bureau’s manual. Quite a humane organization, right? Everything I’m saying is true, so you can believe it.”

The woman smiled kindly.

So the main point starts now?

“You have two choices.

First, lose all memories related to this anomalous phenomenon. There are no side effects. We have people who specialize in this kind of work.

Second, keep your memories but live under surveillance for the rest of your life. Of course, we won’t openly monitor you and create a sense of fear. It will be quiet, just like this past week.

Even though the Management Bureau is unofficial, it’s an organization that operates within the boundaries of the law. We respect individual choices as much as possible.”

“As long as nothing ‘wrong’ happens,” she muttered quietly.

After some consideration, I made my decision.

“I’ll go with the second option.”

I don’t mind being monitored. I don’t want to forget everything I experienced in the other world.

Lakye. Paya. The believers who served me, including Kanto. Many of their faces had become blurry, but they were all precious connections.

“Good. You probably won’t see my face again. Most likely.”

The woman handed me something like a pamphlet.

“This is a kind of welfare policy for people whose careers were interrupted due to anomalous phenomena, so don’t feel burdened and take a look.”

With those words, the woman left. Leaving me alone in the office.

She said I could leave whenever I wanted, just make sure to close the door properly. If I don’t close it, I might be dragged back to the office in the blink of an eye.

What is this, some kind of ghost story?

“Hah…”

Although it proceeded and ended as if it was nothing, this was an important turning point in my life. No matter what choice I made, I couldn’t have lived like before.

I collected my thoughts, which had been filled with tension, and left the office.

After closing the door firmly and walking a few steps, I looked back, and the office had disappeared.

Feeling like I was possessed by a ghost, I headed home.

It was just that I didn’t know, but strange things were happening on Earth too.

I don’t agree that the Playful God bitch is a humane deity, but I was grateful for one thing—that she sent us back safely.

***

I returned home, washed up, and lay down on the bed.

I thought about searching for “Management Bureau” on my smartphone but decided against it. Those people would probably monitor my search history too.

No point in satisfying my curiosity if it might cause trouble.

“Damn, does this mean I can’t watch porn anymore? Can’t even masturbate?”

I can only hope they understand. It’s an unavoidable act to satisfy physiological needs.

“I wonder if they monitor my computer and smartphone files too. Shit.”

Whirr-!

Click click.

I turned on my computer and deleted all “relatively extreme” video records. It’s not like it’s criminal territory, but they might label me as socially maladjusted if they see this.

I absolutely do not have specific sexual preferences like femdom or age regression play. I just clicked out of curiosity once.

Don’t think, ‘Is this the strongest Roa who saved the other world?’

“Maybe I should have gone with the first option.”

Of course, I’m just saying this. If I had to choose again, I would still pick the second option.

“…I miss Lakye.”

Maybe it’s because I met someone who knows I’m a returnee. Today, I felt an inexplicable sense of absence more strongly than usual.

The feeling of memories that were fading away suddenly becoming vivid again.

“Hmm.”

Worried that the Management Bureau people might monitor my SNS too, I logged into Outstagram for the first time in two years and a week.

“I hope I didn’t tag anything strange… huh?”

There were many messages, but only one caught my eye.

[Han_Na_Jo_123: Are you perhaps the same person who played “Surviving as Paladin” with me? Your nickname was “UltraSansMadWithMoonlightMassacreMode”…]

It was a message that arrived a whole week ago.

“…Hanna.”

The username wasn’t “NotACatfish,” but the person who sent the message was definitely Hanna.

Could it be that as soon as she returned to Earth, she searched for my name on SNS and contacted people with the same name, including me, in this way?

I had been hesitating for a week thinking she might not want this, but…

“What the hell, let’s give it a try.”

Gathering courage, I tapped Hanna’s phone number. The call connects immediately as soon as the dial tone starts.

This is scary as hell.

– Who is this?

A slightly fierce, clear voice. Hanna’s voice was exactly the same as in the other world.

“Um.”

Ah, I’m nervous. What should I say first?

“Are you perhaps ‘NotACatfish’?”

Whatever, let’s go with the standard approach.

– Oh, Sans…?!

An immediate response.