episode_0397

“……Thus, even during her time as an F-rank hunter, Galaxy-nim was never quite right in the head. A child who wanted to grow up like an adult kept doing things like stretching her own spine, so all I could do was scold her to stop.”

“My, my.”

Starlight Apartment, Unit 904.

Ban Ha-rin conversed with the anomaly claiming to be Galaxy’s mother.

Stories about Galaxy. Memories Ban Ha-rin recalled.

Though she had bluntly stated to the mother’s face that her child wasn’t right in the head, the other party seemed to agree, as she let it pass without comment.

Instead, her eyes, beautiful as the Milky Way, shone as she listened to Ban Ha-rin’s words.

As if mimicking someone engrossed in conversation,

the large chest of that thing, leaning forward, pressed against the living room table.

Tick. Tock.

Time had already reached 2 PM.

Ban Ha-rin carefully took a bite of the stir-fried vegetable rice that thing had brought.

She was hungry, and there was no meat in it.

Moreover, since it was identical to the lunch Galaxy had packed for her, Ban Ha-rin had no reason not to eat.

“Do other humans bother my baby?”

“……Not enough for you to come looking. I deal with those enchanted by Galaxy-nim’s looks, and the online cleanup is handled by ‘Mouse.’ Galaxy-nim likely just regrets that the number of customers visiting her café hasn’t increased much.”

Passing conversation.

The stir-fried vegetable rice on the plate disappeared at a rapid pace.

Clatter.

That thing, nodding at Ban Ha-rin’s words, placed a new plate of stir-fried rice on the table.

Moving the empty plate aside, Ban Ha-rin continued scooping with her spoon.

‘……More peaceful than expected. Is she really just here to listen?’

The anomaly who wanted to hear about Galaxy.

Truly, it did nothing else—no harm, no malice.

The shattered ‘clay dolls’ had vanished at some point, and no other anomalies approached.

Only warmth toward a daughter’s pet remained.

Like a mother hugging her freezing child tight,

in the midst of a snowy winter.

Inside the blood-scented ‘Unit 904’,

the ‘anomaly’ before her was simply warm.

“…….”

While eating, she thought.

As long as that thing didn’t leave the apartment, there’d be no immediate issues.

So all Ban Ha-rin could do was comply—list stories of Galaxy,

reassure her that Galaxy was doing well, that she should stay home until her return,

and soothe her through conversation.

“My baby is doing well… You’re a liar, aren’t you?”

“……?”

Then, that thing, who had been listening, muttered.

Clatter.

A plate of stir-fried rice was placed on the table.

The third serving.

Ban Ha-rin’s eyebrow twitched.

Expressionless, she fiddled with her spoon.

“Thank you, little one. For telling me about my child.”

“……It’s my pleasure.”

“Then, I must repay you. Humans are creatures who return favors.”

Soon, that thing, who had only listened, finally spoke.

Humans are creatures who return favors… Is that so?

Aren’t stories of animals repaying kindness more common?

What kind of existence is the ‘human’ that thing speaks of?

How peculiar.

“Kill the rabbit. That thing shouldn’t exist.”

And that thing’s following words

left Ban Ha-rin deep in thought.

……

The woman smiled.

Hugging her chest, larger than her head, she turned to gaze out the window.

A clear sky.

No stars yet in sight.

“……Kill the rabbit? What do you mean?”

“Rabbits reproduce too well. Left alone, their numbers spiral out of control.”

Rabbits with high fertility.

Some country once even went to war with rabbits, didn’t they?

“One life, one soul… Only one soul can blend into the Milky Way.”

“……”

“Those that multiply are not ‘fakes.’”

“…….”

“Thus, a wolf must bite the rabbit to death.”

Words impossible to grasp immediately.

But sensing something amiss, Ban Ha-rin wiped her face with a solemn expression.

The rabbit.

The girl who had stayed by Galaxy’s side longer than anyone.

The tale of the rabbit and the wolf.

Ban Ha-rin looked down at the stir-fried vegetable rice before her.

There was no meat in it.

“…….”

A time for much thought.

……

……

Clatter—

And quietly,

as Ban Ha-rin resumed eating,

that thing placed another heaping plate of stir-fried vegetable rice before her.

“……?”

The fourth serving.

What?

Why does it keep coming?

“You skipped lunch. You must be hungry—eat plenty.”

Why?

Why is it looking at me like some kind-hearted grandmother?

“…….”

Ban Ha-rin stared at the bottomless stir-fried rice.

Her spoon trembled.

The other was an anomaly. If she refused, saying she was full, would harm come?

Just in case, she used [Observation].

……Nothing appeared.

The world before her went dark.

“…….”

Ban Ha-rin took another bite.

It tasted fine.

……

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

……

Click-clack.

『Hungry? Wait a sec… What was your name agai— Huh? What? Where’d you go?』

Meanwhile, on the 9th-floor hallway of the apartment.

After Ban Ha-rin was dragged back to reality by that thing,

a pristine white ‘stuffed rabbit doll’ perked its ears, glancing around the empty hallway.

Ban Ha-rin, who had been right beside it moments ago, had vanished.

Had she escaped the ‘territory’ and returned to reality?

The ‘rabbit doll’ had been distracted by a baby pumpkin hornet peeking from the stairwell corner,

and in that brief moment, Ban Ha-rin had disappeared from behind it.

『Hm… Well! I’m sure she’ll handle it!』

No matter.

The ‘rabbit doll’ beamed and approached the baby pumpkin hornet.

Click-clack.

A round-cheeked baby, soft as mochi.

Was it one of Galaxy’s cherished anomalies?

The pumpkin hornet, lips pursed, stared up at the approaching ‘rabbit doll’.

Then, as if hungry, it wriggled its pressed lips.

Wearing Galaxy’s box tee like a dress,

its bangs covering both eyes—

a baby anomaly.

Should it play along until Galaxy returned?

『Heehee~ Want me to play with you~?』

Click-clack.

『What’s your name? Mochi?』

The ‘rabbit girl’ approached the anomaly.

……

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

5. I am slender and famished.

– Always hungry, so Her Highness provides me a home periodically.

– Because sweetness rots so quickly.

– Should you devour my home, I will sing from within your belly.

– Who am I?

X. XXX XX XXX X.

– Name is identity, after all.

– Call my name to silence the song.

– But do not mistake its utterance.

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

……

Ding—

The apartment elevator stopped at the 9th floor.

The doors slid open.

A pristine white stuffed rabbit doll hopped out.

『Phew… Ah! The baby that smells like unnie.』

The ‘rabbit doll’ cautiously scanned its surroundings—

then spotted the baby pumpkin hornet sitting in the hallway.

『Hi~. Whatcha doing here?』

Click-clack.

A quiet hallway.

In the middle of it, a lone baby.

Click. Click.

That thing wriggled its pursed lips and gazed up at the ‘rabbit doll.’

『Heehee… Ah! So that’s the cause?』

Perk! Perk!

The cheerful rabbit freely patted the baby’s head.

Then, after glancing around,

the ‘rabbit girl’ noticed ‘Unit 905’, coated in frost, and headed toward it.

The unit next to Galaxy’s ‘904’.

Its front door sealed shut under wintry ice.

Almost as if deliberately locked from inside—

an unfamiliar sight in this apartment.

『Unit 905’s in trouble huh. So the signal cut off… Can I fix it before unnie arrives?』

Click-clack.

The rabbit doll halted before the frozen door.

How long did it ponder?

Soon, it warned the approaching baby to stay back,

then slipped a hand into the pouch on its belly.

The ‘fly’ clinging to the rabbit’s waist watched with interest.

『Mm-hm~. This’ll work.』

From the pouch, it pulled dozens of photographs bound by rubber bands.

Humming, the ‘rabbit doll’ sifted through them.

Rustle. Rustle.

Photos of front doors.

Unit 101, 102, 103…

Unit 1004, 1005, 1006…

From the 1st to the 10th floor—

photos of every apartment door.

『Took these just in case. Thought they might help unnie.』

Click-clack.

『Every nook of this place… Parking, security, sorted by type so I can pull any photo anytime.』

The ‘fly’ stared at the rabbit doll.

An oddity indeed.

Perk!

Then, holding a photo of ‘Unit 905’s undamaged door’,

the rabbit stepped back, aligning the frozen ‘905’

perfectly with the image—

Snap—

Somewhere, a camera shutter clicked.

The rabbit girl lowered the ‘blank photo’.

Click. Click.

The baby tilted its head.

The ‘Unit 905’ that had been frozen moments ago

now stood restored, as though overwritten by the photo.

Clunk—

Then, ‘905’s door opened,

and a woman in a white doctor’s coat stepped out.

『……』

An anomaly reeking of hospital disinfectant.

That thing gazed down at the rabbit and pumpkin hornet.

『……Who are you?』

『My unnie’s little sister!』

Click-clack.

The stuffed rabbit flicked its ears.

The baby squirmed its pursed lips.

The ‘Blood-Drawing Doctor’ quietly smirked.

『…Thanks for the help?』

『And you are?』

『Mom?』

『Wow! Mother-in-law!』

Perhaps stirred by the sudden mother-in-law label,

the ‘doctor’ began probing the rabbit doll.

Prod. Prod…

Searching where human veins would be,

she pressed firmly, as if checking vitals.

『……Seems healthy?』

Nodding after pressing the rabbit’s carotid.

What. Terrifying.

Growl…

Just then, the baby on the rabbit’s belly trembled.

Its mouth, previously chewing something, now clamped shut—

its plump belly loudly growling.

Growl…

A concert of bugs.

Noise serving desire.

『……Hungry?』

No mother in this apartment would ignore a child’s growling stomach.

The ‘doctor’, inspecting the now frost-free ‘905’, looked down at the baby.

『Huh…』

Whose quiet gasp was that?

『Lunch… before you go?』

The rabbit saw it.

Grandmother’s eyes upon hearing her granddaughter’s hunger.

The lingering regret of failing to provide enough.

Bzzz…!

The baby hornet shuddered at an inexplicable dread.

The same sensation it felt from the ‘beast’ that invaded Galaxy’s home this morning.

The ‘fly’ tried to spin away toward the [Bug Princess]’s lair—

Squish.

The grinning ‘rabbit doll’ caught it.

『So… ‘Unit 905’ wasn’t the cause?』

Click. Click.

『Mother-in-law! We’re starving!』

『Come in?』

Thus,

the baby, seized by the eerily smiling rabbit,

was carried inside the open ‘905’ in its arms.

Thud.

The door closed.

A lunchtime of fullness.

……

……

……

At some point,

Galaxy noticed something odd.

The ‘mirror anomaly’ she’d switched places with was trapped in bathwater for 30 minutes by the [Bug Princess], who summoned mirror-Galaxy out.

At the Evergreen Emergency Center, the [Delusional Girl] questioned Galaxy, but the [Blood-Drawing Mother] answered in her stead.

Meanwhile, the [Beast] outright demolished the detention center.

At some point,

anomalies that once existed isolated by their own ‘rules’

began noticing—and interfering with—one another.

Like humans.

Like snowflakes piling softly,

like constellations forming in the night sky.

‘Starlight Apartment’ inched closer to ‘the apartment Galaxy envisioned’.

A warm, comfortable space.

“……?”

6 PM.

On her way home,

Galaxy frowned at the noticeably plumper baby in the 9th-floor hallway.

Click. Click.

The chubby-cheeked pumpkin hornet waddled urgently toward her and clung tightly.

A stride more desperate than usual.

Had the anomalies bothered it?

“‘Fly’? What’s up. This one’s turned into a piglet.”

Click-clack.

“Ate a lot for lunch? How much?”

The ‘fly’ burrowed into Galaxy’s box tee.

The baby vigorously kneaded her ample chest while suckling.

Dessert time, huh.

Seems it had a rough day.

Squish…

Galaxy sat in the hallway, stroking the baby’s round belly until it calmed.

Seriously, you moms.

Just how much did you feed it?

Creeeak—

Then, ‘Unit 904’s door opened.

……

……

BANG—!

A gunshot echoed through the dark hallway.