episode_0379

“Rat. I have a question.”

“Do you really have to ask now?”

A lunchtime in October.

The outskirts of the capital.

Just as someone’s booming surrender echoed from beyond the slightly ajar window of an office building,

Ban Harin, who had been scanning the surroundings from the rooftop, spoke to ‘Rat.’

Unlike usual, the two of them had their faces concealed behind pure white masks.

Though they were supposed to be on watch while Yang So-ah, the cotton-candy girl, handled the “cleanup” of Team 4 alone… Ban Harin couldn’t focus on the task, her gaze fixed only on the sky.

Perhaps because Eunha wasn’t here.

Eventually, ‘Rat,’ who had taken over the watch entirely, swallowed back her irritation.

“You’re really dumping work on someone who just came back from the dead?”

“Correct.”

“Do you want to be correct?”

“I’ve died and come back more times than you.”

‘Rat,’ who had been ambushed by Team 4 of the [Rare Hunter Protection-Elimination Division].

Ban Harin, who had saved Eunha and ‘Rat’ from the aberration in [Euncheon Park], only to have her [Reverse Cross Hairpin] confiscated for a period as payment.

Both had suffered enough at the hands of humans and aberrations alike.

Their faces, worn with exhaustion, hidden behind ‘pure white masks,’ stared at each other.

“……Haah. What did you want to ask?”

Finally letting out a sigh, ‘Rat’ took a step back and spoke.

Am I supposed to live out of spite?

I’ll tell Eunha about this later.

Rustle…

Ban Harin, who had carefully caressed the [Reverse Cross Hairpin] returned to her after some time, continued her questioning.

“Ultimately, what was the ‘Team Leader’ of Team 4’s skill? You took a direct hit, so you should know.”

The topic, as expected, revolved around Yang So-ah and the team they had just learned about.

‘Rat,’ lying sideways on the rooftop railing, lazily flicked her long tail.

“Kyarruruk~!”

A ‘transparent something’ darting around the rooftop chased the flicking tail, hopping about in excitement.

Turning her head at the strange noise, Ban Harin came into view, sitting on the dropped curved blade with her hips.

“What the…”

“It’s nothing.”

“You’re insane…”

“Just keep doing what you were doing.”

Was it just my imagination that Ban Harin’s looked tired since yesterday?

“Kyarruruk~!”

Ignoring the transparent something dangling from her long tail,

‘Rat’ swung her tail back and forth like a ride, continuing her train of thought.

The Team Leader of Team 4…

That bald guy who brought his underlings swarming in just to take down one person.

Throb…

Even the memory made her whole body ache.

‘Rat’ tenderly touched the area near her heart, shattered by a sharp spear, recalling the ambush.

“Hmm… Not exactly sure, but it seemed like a skill related to redirection.”

“Did you get suplexed or something?”

“That kind of redirection? Are you crazy?”

“It’s admirable how you stubbornly stick to your character even when pissed off.”

The pure white mask hiding her face felt wasted.

‘Rat,’ scowling, shook her head and checked the surroundings.

No suspicious movements.

The something clinging to her tail let out a kyarruruk laugh.

Click-clack.

Her tail felt oddly heavy. Turning her head,

she saw a cute little pumpkin bee clinging to the tip of her long tail, sucking on it with a jup-jup sound.

Something’s grown longer.

Is everyone bored because Eunha’s inside the mirror?

‘…I get the ‘transparent’ one, but what’s with the pumpkin bee?’

No idea.

The two somethings dangling from her tail were cute, so she let it slide.

Flick— flick—

Returning to the topic, ‘Rat’ recalled the day of the ambush.

The sight of weapons and ‘skills’ pouring from all directions, curving unnaturally to strike her.

Thud! Stab!

The sensation of blades embedding into her body along bizarre trajectories was chilling.

Of course, it wasn’t unconditional redirection—hitting the incoming objects with a weapon would cancel the effect, but…

“……Ah. Now that I think about it, there was something weird.”

“What was it?”

‘Rat,’ struck by a thought, glanced at Ban Harin.

The laughter of the [Transparent Baby] dangling from her tail, kyarruruk-ing,

and the sight of the ‘pumpkin bee’ chewing on over half of her long tail.

Is it hungry?

“Fly.”

Click…

Then, Ban Harin called the ‘pumpkin bee’s’ name.

The baby pumpkin bee spat out the tail it had been chewing on and scurried away, darting off the rooftop.

Click. Click.

‘Rat,’ watching the adorable little rump disappear, checked her tail.

Up to where the ‘pumpkin bee aberration’ had been chewing,

there were grotesque holes, like a fruit eaten by insects.

No pain, though.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

– We sing.

– With Room 1003, our mischievous princess.

– Our concert welcomes you!

5. I am slender and hungry.

– Always starving, our princess periodically provides me with a home.

– Because it’s sweet and rots quickly.

– If you eat my home, I will sing inside your stomach.

– Who am I?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

……No way.

If you don’t call its name in time, it’ll eat you?

“…….”

Nah, that can’t be…

‘Rat,’ brushing off the goosebumps on her arms, stepped closer to Ban Harin.

The constant interruptions by aberrations were stalling the conversation.

“Now that I think about it, there was something weird.”

“What was it?”

Repeating herself, ‘Rat’ looked down at the back of her hand.

Her body, healed without a single scar thanks to Eunha.

But ‘Rat’ remembered.

“…….”

That day, in the darkness, something flew and embedded itself in the back of her hand…

A tiny ‘syringe.’

“I got hit with something… and suddenly, time slowed down.”

“……?”

“My skill worked in reverse.”

A reversal of skill effects.

Was it the power of an artifact, or someone’s skill?

Sensing something off, ‘Rat’ immediately tried using [Speed Manipulation] in reverse, but in the slowed time, she nearly died.

To flying blades, bullets, acid…

Hearing the story, Ban Harin habitually adjusted her mask.

“……You, half-dead, took out half the attackers?”

“You think I’d just take the hits?”

“Haven’t I told you? Train more. Then you could’ve taken them all down.”

“Haven’t I told you? Are you me?”

Crackle.

Ignoring ‘Rat’s’ whining, Ban Harin turned her head.

Using her [Observation] skill,

her golden eyes sparked with a sharp glint.

Ban Harin, tilting her head oddly, secretly studied ‘Rat.’

No visible wounds.

“Well… You managed to survive and escape, at least.”

“…….”

“Don’t die carelessly.”

“……Yeah.”

‘Rat’ scratched the back of her head.

The two muttered awkwardly, putting some distance between them.

“…….”

Ban Harin stared at the back of ‘Rat’s’ hand.

…….

A skill that reverses things.

One possibility came to mind.

But that couldn’t be.

Ban Harin shook her head.

‘A reversal skill… We should probably look into it.’

The crazy rat, ending every sentence with nya, had stumbled upon something strange.

Who taught her such a weird speech habit…

“Kyarruruk~ What’s this?”

“Daddy’s working. I know you like me, but please play on your own for a bit.”

“…Aww.”

Ban Harin, sitting on the long curved blade.

The transparent laughter roaming the rooftop.

A world of aberrations with no human presence.

And so,

how long had she been watching the quiet Euncheon District with her [Observation] skill?

“…….”

Swish—

Noticing something, Ban Harin gestured to ‘Rat.’

‘Rat’ stood up, lightly shaking her arm—needles slid out from her sleeve into her grip.

“Found it. The game’s over.”

“Kyarruruk!”

The words marking the end of play.

The [Transparent Baby] laughed and vanished.

Whoosh—!

A cold breeze followed the transparent footsteps off the rooftop,

and the autumn wind blowing from afar returned Ban Harin and ‘Rat’ to reality.

“What the… Since when were you…!”

Back in reality, on the building’s rooftop,

stood five hunters with masked faces.

( — How many left? )

( —They said they’d send people from over there… Finish up quickly, and bring the ‘Rare Hunter’ over soon. We’re done with the Association. )

People sent by the ‘new headquarters director’ to Team 4’s leader.

They didn’t seem affiliated with the Association.

No matter.

Creeaak—

Ban Harin picked up the curved blade she’d been sitting on.

“The game’s over.”

Click!

Time to work.

…….

…….

“SUUUURRENDEEER!!!”

“…….”

“I’ll say it as many times as it takes! Surrender!”

“My ears hurt…”

Meanwhile, at that moment.

Inside a third-floor office.

Yang So-ah, who had locked the only door, scraped her round horns against the wall.

The coolness she hadn’t felt with the ‘metal horns’ embedded made her face relax drowsily.

“Yaaawn…”

Fluffy— fluffy—

Yang So-ah, scratching her horns contentedly.

Her pastel-pink hair bobbed cutely.

“Yaaawn… Yaa…”

The ticklish feeling was nice.

How good would it feel if Eunha scratched them for me?

Her cheeks flushed pink as she rubbed one horn against the office wall reeking of blood.

“…….”

‘Team Leader,’ tied to a chair, watched her with a face like he’d bitten into something rotten.

The office reeked of iron,

with two unconscious team members sprawled on the floor, their necks broken.

“……You’re insane.”

“Yaaawn… Wha…?”

“I’m the insane one. To treat talent like you so roughly.”

‘Team Leader,’ tightly bound in black threads, quickly backtracked.

His limbs were completely immobilized, only his fingers twitching slightly.

…….

His skill, [Single-Point Guidance], allowed him to redirect lightweight, ‘visible objects.’

With enough ‘mana,’ the number of objects didn’t matter.

Since he could even redirect others’ ‘skills,’ he became Team 4’s ‘leader’—and why he’d moved with his team to eliminate ‘Rat.’

‘But Yang So-ah… There’s no answer to her alone. No matter what I throw, her fluffy hair will block it.’

So he surrendered without hesitation.

Yang So-ah, shielding her entire body with pink hair, was his natural enemy.

Fluffy…

Perhaps thinking the same, Yang So-ah had only tied him up, unlike the others whose necks she’d snapped to ‘knock out.’

She must’ve assumed his [Single-Point Guidance] couldn’t harm her.

There were things she needed to hear, too.

So he surrendered.

To lull her into complacency.

“‘Team Leader’… Now, talk…”

“About what?”

“Grandma… Tell me…”

Groan…

‘Team Leader,’ bound head to toe, only his fingers twitching.

He answered Yang So-ah’s questions vaguely while secretly activating his skill.

With a slight finger movement, a ‘tiny syringe’ hidden under the desk slid out,

‘guided’ into his palm, where he quietly gripped it.

An item given by the ‘new headquarters director.’

If he could just inject Yang So-ah with this…

Even if the syringe was blocked by her fluffy hair, the ‘guided’ contents would spill out,

and the thin fibers couldn’t perfectly block the scattered liquid.

Then it’d be over.

Yang So-ah, like ‘Rat,’ would be tripped up by her own skill, leaving her vulnerable.

In fact, Yang So-ah would be easier than ‘Rat.’

No real combat experience, still clumsy dealing with people.

How dare you betray us? You’re done, Yang So-ah…!

Then, the moment Yang So-ah leaned in to hear about her grandmother,

‘Team Leader,’ gripping the syringe, grinned viciously and activated his skill—

Swish…

From within Yang So-ah’s hair,

something peeked out—and locked eyes with him.

“……?”

Yang So-ah’s hair.

Lush, pastel-pink hair cascading down to her thighs.

First, a hand emerged.

From behind Yang So-ah’s neck,

a bloodied woman’s fingers slipped out from the hair.

Branch-like, elongated fingers reminiscent of a ‘claw machine.’

Sluurp…

Then, gently grasping Yang So-ah’s hair,

parting it like a curtain—within the dark shadows,

a bloodstained face revealed itself.

『…….』

The ‘thing’ hiding in Yang So-ah’s hair.

A presence so eerie it made nonexistent hair stand on end.

Blink. Blink.

Bloodshot eyes stared at him.

“…….”

‘Team Leader,’ who had risen with a vicious grin,

sat back down quietly, returning the syringe with a smile.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

What the hell is that?

Cold sweat dripped in time with his pounding heart.

“……?”

“I-I’m stiff from being tied up. Haha.”

Better behave.

‘Team Leader,’ sitting politely, forced a friendly smile.

“Yang…?”

Yang So-ah was confused.

He’d suddenly grinned viciously, stood up, then sat back down, smiling again.

Was he always this weird?

She buried herself deeper into her hair, subtly putting distance between them.

“Right. About your grandmother… I remember now.”

“…….”

“When I was still a team member, Team 4 received a mission. To secure two ‘Rare Hunters.’”

A sight beyond comprehension calms the mind.

Because all emotions cower and hide deep within.

Half-resigned, ‘Team Leader’ began answering Yang So-ah’s questions,

while she, hedgehog-like, buried in her hair, listened intently without relaxing.

“……Two?”

“The grandmother who raised you. She was a ‘Rare Hunter.’”

“……!”

“I heard she was eliminated long ago… but the ‘handler’ helped her escape.”

“Eliminated…”

“If you’re thinking of finding the handler, don’t. It was a woman who came in with Go Yeong-in—after the truth came out, she froze to death in the Association’s basement.”

The grandmother who raised her.

News of family she’d never expected made Yang So-ah’s eyes widen.

( It’s okay to make mistakes. You’ll surely have many precious people and things you love. )

( Did you… do this, So-ah? It’s a skill. )

( A wonderful ability to protect people. )

You always smiled.

Like the sun brightening the future.

So, she’d thought her grandmother had lived without pain.

But no one lives without pain.

( A skill depends on how you use it. )

( You too, So-ah, try to use your skill for good. )

She needed to hear more.

If she hadn’t killed her grandmother, why did her grandmother have to die?

When had she caught the Association’s eye to become a ‘Rare Hunter’?

……Had her grandmother been discovered because of her?

The thought crossed her mind.

Crack…

Yang So-ah hugged the ‘mirror’ in her arms.

“……How…?”

“How what… Listen carefully, Yang So-ah. Where people live, filth accumulates. How much worse is the Association, where humans manage humans?”

“…….”

“So, even though we’re enemies now… spare me, and I’ll help you get revenge. I’m leaving the Association anyway.”

‘Team Leader,’ still talking despite the situation.

Yang So-ah hesitated.

Was everything he said true?

If only I had a skill to distinguish lies…

……Thud. Thud.

Then, as Yang So-ah pondered ‘Team Leader’s’ words,

from behind her, outside the firmly shut office door,

footsteps approached.

Thud. Thud.

A single set of footsteps.

Someone approaching the secret department’s office.

Fluffy…

Yang So-ah turned sideways, wary of the door.

‘Team Leader,’ tightly bound in threads,

pulled out the ‘syringe’ he’d hidden earlier, grinning viciously at the approaching presence.

( — How many left? )

( —They said they’d send people from over there… Finish up quickly, and bring the ‘Rare Hunter’ over soon. We’re done with the Association. )

The reinforcements the ‘headquarters director’ mentioned.

Finally here.

Thud. Thud.

The leisurely footsteps radiated confidence.

Seeing a chance, ‘Team Leader’ squirmed upright.

Thud… Clank—

The moment the ‘someone’ outside opened the door,

‘Team Leader’ lunged up, syringe in hand—

“Yang So-ah! You’re done for…!”

“Yang So-ah. We’re here.”

Thud.

‘Rat’ and Ban Harin stepped through the wide-open door.

Swish…

‘Team Leader,’ sitting primly back in his chair, returned the syringe and averted his gaze.

“What did you just say?”

“Nothing. Not a word.”

‘Rat,’ recognizing the bound ‘Team Leader,’ stomped toward him.

Ban Harin, silent, approached Yang So-ah.

Fluffy…

Yang So-ah looked up at Ban Harin standing before her.

Hug…

Then, the expressionless girl quietly spread her arms,

pulling Yang So-ah into an embrace, patting her fluffy head with a cold face.

“Yang… Yaaawn…”

“The perimeter’s clear. Any trouble?”

“Yaaawn…”

Yang So-ah, defenselessly held, let out a small whimper.

Is this really the fanatic who just broke two necks without hesitation?

Fluffy…

The person who’d helped her.

Yang So-ah melted into her arms without resistance.

Others were still hard, but Eunha’s acquaintances were okay.

“Hey. Haven’t we met before?”

“No. You must be mistaken.”

“That’s a lie.”

Ban Harin, stroking Yang So-ah’s cheeks and chest, turned to ‘Team Leader,’

her golden eyes sparking as they ‘observed’ his lies.

Two bodies with broken necks lay on the floor.

‘Rat,’ grinning, grabbed ‘Team Leader’s’ collar.

“Why just tie him up? Don’t you have things to ask this bastard too, Fluffy?”

“Yang.”

“Just beat the answers out of him, and have Ban Harin separate the lies. Team 4 can’t even do this much?”

“Wait. Let’s talk this out.”

As ‘Team Leader,’ still gripping his collar, mustered all his mana to activate his skill—

“SUUUURRENDEEER!!!”

“BAM-NYA!!”

CRASH!!

‘Rat’s’ powerful kick to his chest sent him crashing into the wall.

…….

…….

…….

“Yeees… This is Do Jong-ha Detective Agency.”

— Detective Do Jong-ha?

“Oh, Ban Harin? Is Eunha doing well? And it’s Do Jong-ha.”

Time passes.

An office in Euncheon District.

An afternoon where five orange cats roll around the floor.

— There’s a past I’d like you to look into.

“Past, you say?”

— ‘Rat’ messed up her strength control.

“I see?… How far back are we talking—”

The incident unfolds.

“……Did I hear wrong?”

— You heard right.

“No…! I can’t look that far back. I’d run out of ‘mana’ and die. And do you know how busy I am? The backlog of requests is…”

— Eunha. One-day rental.

“Where should I go?”

Do Jong-ha, with an extremely serious face, grabbed his detective hat and trench coat and left the agency.