episode_0067

Consciousness rises to the surface like a bubble. At the same time, the surrounding scenery unfolds like a panorama.

But the place that came to my consciousness was neither the Northeast garrison nor the cradle. Suddenly, it is in the middle of a luxurious cafe.

I couldn’t move my body, as if I was tightly bound in chains. I could barely roll my eyes and look in all directions.

There are several soft sofas placed around the area. Dark, warm lighting illuminated each spot like a highlight. Old-fashioned classical music flows softly from the amplifier placed in the corner.

Suddenly, the year and date on the calendar in the corner caught my eye. X day, X month, 21XX.

It was exactly 3 years ago now.

I guess the place I am right now could be the center of a dream.

Why am I drifting in this distorted place of space and time?

Even though I groaned and thought about it, I couldn’t come up with a proper answer. I’m still chained and just wasting time.

-A rattle~

And after some time has passed, the sound of the door opening followed by the light ringing of the doorbell is suddenly heard.

Then, again and again, someone’s steps begin to approach this direction.

“Cha~Cha!”

With the sound of someone collapsing on the sofa, someone let out a cute sigh.

It was the voice of a woman who seemed quite young.

As she settled down, she suddenly saw something and screamed in surprise.

“What! I wasn’t first? When did you come?”

“… A week ago.”

Before I knew it, another woman had taken up the empty front seat.

It was a voice dripping with natural elegance.

She sits elegantly with her legs crossed and takes a sip of the liquid in the cup without making a sound.

“Ugh… That long? I must have been bored… ”

“Not really. I didn’t even notice how time passed as I was getting used to this body. Not bad… ”

The woman sitting in front raised her left arm, twisted it around, and made a strange comment.

“I am! I am? Isn’t it really cute? how is it? How about it?”

“Sure.”

“Tch. You are so insincere!”

The woman sitting next to me becomes indignant at the dull response.

Although I couldn’t see him, I naturally had an expression on his face that looked like he was puffing out his cheeks and was in a lot of pain.

“… ”

The woman in front didn’t bother to answer.

Time continues to pass.

A humming sound was heard from the seat next to me. Sometimes, I would pound on the table as if I was bored.

-A rattle~

“Uh! It’s already there. You arrived quickly?”

“Hello~”

-A rattle~

“What is it? Did you two come together?”

“Hehe, I met you on the way!”

-A rattle~

“Huh… late… I’m late… ”

-A rattle~

“Last place! We came in last place!”

“You were late~”

The sun and moon rise and set over and over again. Every day or two, the doorbell rings cheerfully and new voices are added, gradually filling the empty sofa.

From children to mature adults. Voices of many different ages can be heard noisily from all directions.

At first glance, six or seven is a small number of people. Also, the only voices heard are those of women.

“… Is this all there is to this group?”

After another long period of time, the first woman, who had remained silent, spoke again. A mature and elegant voice resonates among the calm music.

“I don’t think I can see some people. Where is Spica? What about Polaris?”

As if looking for someone, she looks around at the empty sofas around her. Then, I spend a particularly long time looking at the place where I am located.

“Spica says he doesn’t want to come. He said he would remain human. I’m going to live like an ordinary girl forever, so don’t look for me or call me.”

In response to her question, a woman with a lively voice shook her head lightly.

“They say I have to grant my wishes while I was alive or something… I said that and left. Anyway, this kid is a little weird. Is it because it resides in a corpse rather than life? ”

“Poor Spica. If that were the case, I wouldn’t be able to reject my will. What should I do later… ”

It was the voice of someone who seemed genuinely sorry.

“What if he reveals everything… ?”

“That’s it. You know you can’t do anything anyway even if you want to.”

The elegant voice calmed the worries of a timid person.

“It worked out better. It could be an unexpected variable. Anyway, the control lies with me, the alpha individual. Then what about Polaris?”

“Ugh… ”

In response to the elegant woman’s question, someone with a timid voice who had been silent the whole time in the corner raised his hand and began to stutter.

“When I was in Egg, I was close to Polaris… I think the egg may have broken… ”

“What? What do you mean!”

“Huh, huh… ”

“Ugh, if you shout like that, the kid won’t be able to speak. Now, take a deep breath and calm down… ”

“Hahu, hahu, hahu… ”

The timid woman finally opens her mouth again in response to the soothing voice.

“I could feel my vital signs the whole time I was asleep… A few years ago, the signal suddenly stopped… Then the only thing left is a broken egg… ”

“How on earth… ”

Someone muttered in a hollow voice.

“Shouldn’t you look for it now?”

“What’s the use? If the egg had cracked a few years ago, it would have died by the evening. I can’t adapt and wake up… ”

“What should I do… ? Polaris was the strongest star in this group… Without him… ”

“What does that mean? It doesn’t matter whether anyone is there or not. We just do what we have to do.”

The elegant voice of a woman cut off anyone’s worries.

“That’s it. Just talk about work. What is each one?”

“A member of the exploration unit under the ROK Army Wall Guard.”

“Night stage singer.”

“Eastern Circuit Healer.”

“Nun.”

“A low-level member of the Southern Army of the People’s Liberation Front.”

“I am a flower shop owner.”

“Puhup… Flower shop owner… ”

“Hey! Why are you laughing! What a great florist!”

“I… ”

It’s like a scene where you introduce yourself at school as a child. After all the introductions are over, the elegant woman at the beginning nods her head slightly as if she is satisfied.

“It’s not bad. We all inherited our memories, right? then… ”

“… Wait.”

“Why?”

A woman who introduced herself as a soldier from the security guard stopped her. Everyone sitting in the seats listens to her words in that serious tone.

“… Tsk.”

“Why? What is it?”

“The adversary… Still alive.”

At the woman’s words, the cordiality that had occurred up until now suddenly dissipated.

There was only cold silence all around.

-Crack…

The elegant woman occupying the head seat in the audience grinds her teeth furiously.

” That’s ridiculous… how… I saw that Sam was hit fatally by a direct hit… ?”

“Are you sure about that?”

“I’m sure. His name is on the active duty list in the military database.”

The military woman nodded and answered.

“Still, it seems certain that he suffered fatal injuries. It seems that the strength it used to have is no longer there. It’s not exact, but it’s certain that it’s less than half as weak as it was in its prime.”

“Still, I can’t feel at ease. Considering that he ruined the cause… I’ll definitely have to remove it. What is his current condition? Take a guess.”

“Mostly anger and hatred. There is also a hint of resignation and frustration. What lies at its foundation is regret and lamentation about the past. And regret.”

“If you just throw the bait lightly, they will bite right away.”

“I’ll be doing some behind-the-scenes work. If our adversary still holds a grudge against us, he will definitely come after us when he finds traces.”

It was the voice of a woman who earlier introduced herself as an eastern circuit healer.

“I will try to go beyond the barrier. Demon? Still, these guys seem to have higher particle sensitivity than monkeys. Maybe we can make them obey us like we treat demonic beasts.”

“I have to go down south again. If I do it well, I think I can use inferior grade scraps.”

“I’ll just do what I was doing. Surprisingly, the night stage seems to have a lot of contact with those in power. If I do well, I think I can dig deep into it.”

“… good. Then I must be prepared to face my adversary. I need to make a grave. You can’t make the same mistakes as your sisters.”

The woman at the head of the table, who had finally managed to control her emotions, nodded.

“Is it okay…? ? No matter how weak you become… ”

“Don’t worry.”

It was the confident voice of an elegant woman.

Damn it. A loud sound, as if a glass window was cracking, began to be heard from all directions. Soon, the illusion covering all directions disappears with a clanging sound.

No sound came from the amplifier, which was already rusty and worn out. The table in the center of the sofa is rotten and crumbling and looks as if it will fall over at any moment.

The sound of wind and waves rushes in without filtering through the holes on all sides. The walls decorated with antique paintings and warm-toned wallpaper disappeared without a trace.

I turned my gaze to the right. You can see the pure white sand beach and the waves breaking and creating foam. From a distance, you can see old buildings standing, with only their frames remaining, and look like they might collapse at any moment.

The direction in which the sea was visible was east, not west. This shows that this is the territory of an old civilization that has not yet been recovered.

I turned my gaze straight ahead again. With a whistling sound, the face of the elegant voice is instantly transformed into someone else’s.

I see a woman with clear blue eyes sitting there. However, contrary to that good impression, the only thing that filled her face now was a smile full of evil.

“He won’t be able to move. I can guarantee it.”

***

I felt the fresh wind tickling my ears. The feeling of something scratchy repeatedly licking my lips brings me back to reality.

Suddenly, I slightly open my eyes and see a small cream-colored and amber-colored creature eagerly sucking me with its tongue.

“Peanut… ah… ?”

-Why~

Peanut bit my lip lightly. That expression looks like he’s asking why he woke up now, or he looks just like he’s angry.

I looked around. In many ways, it looks like a hospital room somewhere.

I think I was dreaming something just now. All I remember is the face of a woman with an evil smile that did not match her good-natured appearance. Not even someone I know. Was this just a dream…

“… Ugh.”

As soon as my senses return, I begin to feel throbbing pain all over my body.

Maybe it’s because I just came back to my senses, but for some reason my memory is not complete. I struggled to find the cause of the pain.

-Why~

Peanut cried as if begging to be petted. I tried to raise my right hand for him, but for some reason it wouldn’t move at all.

I turned my head, feeling as if I had been crushed by something heavy. It was someone I had never imagined would be there.

“Kuu… Kuu… ”

Yeon Myeong-ha was taking a nap, leaning her upper body on my hospital bed. His face was full of haggardness that did not match his nobility. This is the face of someone who has not slept properly for several days.

I wondered if the sweet flower scent that filled the hospital room was somehow familiar, but it seemed to have always been the scent that came from her body.

Next to her, there is a canteen full of water and white towels that look like they have been used a few times.

For a moment, I felt my heart sink and checked to see if the mask was properly put on, but soon I felt the unique texture of it covering my face securely and I let out a sigh of relief.

My right hand still doesn’t move at all. It feels as if it is tightly bound inside.

And the moment I gave up and was about to raise my left hand to pet Peanut.

“… ?”

I instantly realized the reason for the natural touch that had been strangely felt earlier. I tilted my head.

In the part where it touches Yeon Myeong-ha… I don’t feel any discomfort at all.