Chapter 3: Summer

Thunk!

In an instant, a hand stretched out to grab the dark pistol lying beside the bed, while the long tail of a snake snatched the combat knife.

In a flash, the body leaped up like a spring, assuming a combat stance.

The trajectory of the muzzle, perfectly aligned with where the glaring eyes stared, swept around the room.

There was nothing.

Relaxing the furrowed expression, the muzzle lowered.

“Sigh….”

A slight dizziness came belatedly.

It seemed it would take quite some time to be able to sleep deeply again, just like before.

The scenery outside the window was visible beyond the bars. It seemed the sun had risen quite some time ago. Time was already converging towards noon.

“….”

Tick-tock.

The pistol frame and tactical knife returned to their original positions. But come to think of it, why were the pistol and tactical knife there? Didn’t I put them away yesterday?

Anyway, rather than blaming yesterday for no reason, it was more appropriate to deal with what had already happened. After removing the magazine and extracting the last round from the chamber in the armory, I opened the zipper of the carrier slightly and squeezed them in.

Perhaps because of the fire extinguisher, there was a slightly less hollow feeling than when I put the machine gun and designated marksman rifle in the carrier.

When was the last time I wore the holster and slept? Recalling the hazy memory, I stepped out of the room.

Enjoying the warm air filling the living room, I pressed the button on the refrigerator’s auxiliary door.

The coolness seeped out.

I took out a bottle of water and poured cold water into a glass, then gulped it down.

After wrapping the bottle with its tail, I put it back into the fridge compartment and closed it, then naturally headed to the bathroom.

A woman’s reflection appeared beyond the mirror.

Because I hadn’t paid much attention to grooming, my black hair was at a decent length. It felt like it had received only minimal care.

The bangs were of a length that didn’t poke the eyes, and the sides were just balanced out.

The back hair cascaded down to the waist.

Between them, pointed ears protruded, and sharp fangs peeked out beyond thin lips.

The fair skin was quite tanned, perhaps due to summer.

A woman reminiscent of a snake was staring at me from beyond the mirror.

“…What should I call this?”

Should I be surprised by the fact that this is me, or should I be surprised by how easily I’m accepting the fact that I’ve become like this?

Nothing felt quite real.

It’s said that without a significant shock, one cannot change drastically in life, but conversely, such a shock could completely transform a person.

…What have I become over these four years?

As I undressed and let the hot water pour over me, I mulled over numerous thoughts.

There were a few things that needed to be done, but hiding the gun I brought was the most urgent. Since I already knew the location, it had to be taken care of today.

There were some other tasks as well, but let’s think about them gradually.

───Swish, swish.

I wiped off the water from my body and hair with a towel, then dried my hair with a hairdryer. Now, the big worry was what to wear.

I had to go out today, but I couldn’t wander around in military attire. Except for a few, most of the clothes inside the house were light dresses or such.

This is driving me crazy.

Finally, after a struggle of searching through the entire house, I found a pair of ordinary jeans and a moderately thick T-shirt. The pants seemed to have been reformed to avoid the tail from getting tangled.

“…Then this clothing must have been made for me.”

Once again, curiosity began to creep up slowly. Who exactly brought this clothing, why, and when?

But sadly, I had no way of knowing.

It was frustrating.

As I put on the new clothes, I felt strangely. Was this the right way to wear them? Roughly feeling so, somewhere in the mirror, a woman resembling a snake was giving me a curious glance.

…Frankly speaking, that wasn’t the only problem.

In fact, in a way, it was closer to deliberately focusing on trivial matters to avoid facing a bigger issue.

Anyway, going out with this body wasn’t much of a problem.

After coming back, spending three days holed up at home, according to my internet browsing under the guise of data collection, it seemed there were others like me in this world.

But whenever I raised questions about why that was the case, my thought process would hit a dead end. It was ultimately an issue without an answer.

If they were going to send me back home anyway, they should do it properly. What kind of lightning bolt was this?

As I opened the door, two neatly packed travel suitcases greeted me confidently.

Rather than that, it would be better to go on a trip in this situation. The thought of escape bubbled up like foam, but unfortunately, what was inside… were guns and ammunition.

It was specifically the luggage packed yesterday, items from the past that would no longer be needed starting today.

It might not seem like some kind of illicit trade, but both taking these items with me and being caught by law enforcement would lead to a disaster.

I didn’t want such a disaster… In any case, if that were to happen, my reality adaptation would meet its end with a dismal conclusion, like the end of an episode.

That couldn’t happen.

The entrance wasn’t narrow, but because the suitcases were inherently large, it was a bit difficult to bring them both out at once.

Holding one in each hand, I easily solved the problem by using my tail to open the door handle.

Click!

“…The weather is disgustingly nice.”

As I came out with the two suitcases, the sunlight was literally piercing through the sky. It was blindingly bright.

Looking down a bit, I could see the street. Of course, perhaps because of the weather, there were hardly any people walking outside. There were a few in the shops across the street, though.

Paradoxically, now might be a good time to avoid others’ eyes.

As I took a deep breath, the warm air rushed into my lungs.

Today’s humidity was 100%, and the outside temperature was 35 degrees Celsius. It was a heatwave. While everyone else would be holed up inside, turning on their air conditioners and lazing around, I actually liked it.

Being able to enjoy the humid summer might just be a privilege of reptiles.

Thinking that, I dragged the suitcases down the hallway.

[Distance to destination: 5.75km]
[Estimated time to arrival: 42 minutes 23 seconds]

Roughly 6km.

However, if we were to express it in a straight line, that was about the distance, but considering that it involved traversing through the famously complex Seoul city center, I couldn’t trust that estimate of travel time.

I even considered walking, but carrying a suitcase instead of a backpack made it seem like a better idea not to.

Moreover, factoring in the numerous crosswalks along the way, the noisy traffic, and the stale air… Well, what can I say? What should I do? Maybe taking a taxi would be better.

But then again, I don’t have the money.

“…I’m screwed.”

Reluctantly, I decided to take the subway.

In the old days, people used to jokingly call BMWs “bus, metro, walk,” but for those of us who don’t drive, there’s… really no better alternative.

The subway didn’t take long once I started walking. The destination I needed to reach was a bit far from the nearest station, but what could I do? That’s what subways are for, shuttling between major hubs.

I descended the stairs with my suitcase in tow.

It was quite cool inside. Perhaps it’s obvious, but compared to the open air above ground, the relatively enclosed space of the subway retains the cool air when you turn on the air conditioning.

Feeling refreshed compared to the warmth outside, I swiped my card at the gate and checked which direction I needed to go. Unfortunately, it seemed the next train would be a bit late.

There were about 7 minutes left.

As I sat nearby, trying to catch my breath, I caught a whiff of something delicious.

[Subway Toast]

“…Oh.”

Those two words, and the rich aroma of butter wafting from beneath the sign.

Unable to resist that irresistible combination of flavors, I found myself drawn to the spot.

“Hello.”

“Welcome… Oh my, we have an interesting guest here. What can I get you?”

“Um….”

Numerous types of toast listed above.

Without much hesitation, I spoke to the warm and welcoming lady preparing the food.

“A ham toast….”

“A ham toast? Oh, that’s delicious, dear. Just one?”

“Please give me five.”

“…Oh my, slow down. Alright, dear. I’ll make them for you right away.”

Well.

Why.

Does my appetite have to be this big?