I stared at Maestro in stunned silence.
He was bouncing around as if he had found an oasis in the desert.
No, as if he had found a graphics card.
"Um?"
"Ah! Is it true that you command mindless anomalies!? What about the incident where you killed a Bureau elite? I also read a post saying you personally punished a troll!"
"Uh."
The moment I got a word in, Maestro came down from the stage and bombarded me with questions.
Most of them were asking whether the things I had supposedly done were true.
"There was even a rumor that you released energy bars to protect humans because you are, in fact, a sexual deviant..."
"What kind of rumor is that?"
While he went on spewing nothing but what he wanted to say—
"...Gasp!"
Maestro’s eyes lit up.
Then he suddenly bowed his head toward me.
"I-I am sorry! As if kidnapping you was not enough, I even bound you, Senior!"
Snap!
Maestro rose and snapped his fingers.
At that moment, the weight around my wrists vanished.
I got to my feet, rolling my arms as I spoke.
"You’re the newly born ghost story... Maestro, right?"
"Yes! That is correct!"
"Aren’t you curious about the claim that I made you? Wasn’t that what you wanted to know most?"
When I designed Maestro, I had imprinted the cause of his own existence into him as his highest-priority knowledge.
The reason was obvious.
It was information that could not be obtained.
I made him wander throughout the world in search of impossible knowledge.
Yet now, he was on the verge of finding that very impossible information.
Naturally, he should have been asking about it and obsessing over it.
Instead, he was asking whether I was his senior and whether my accomplishments were real.
It was a situation I could not understand as his designer.
Still, I had an idea what might be causing it.
[Ghost Story Trust Increase]
[Anomalies find your words trustworthy.]
Hmm, is this the problem after all?
It was one of the Status Window’s abilities.
This ability must have been at work.
I had expected it to be useful, but I had not realized it would be this useful.
"Haha, what an obvious question."
Point!
At that moment, Maestro pointed his baton toward me and spoke.
His movement was exceedingly humble and restrained.
"You are a senior with a Recognition of 999."
"Exactly."
"For someone of your stature, creating one or two ghost stories would be no trouble at all."
Hmm, so...
"You mean it would not be strange for a senior like me to have created you?"
"That is precisely what I mean."
"Hah..."
With a hollow laugh, I sat back down in my chair.
Maestro took the seat beside me and spoke.
"My Recognition is around 400. That is far above the average for a ghost story... but it is nothing compared to yours, Senior."
Click!
Every spotlight on the stage turned toward me.
As though emphasizing the protagonist standing upon the stage.
"I was simply more curious about your existence than my own, Senior."
"...I see."
Maestro beamed at me.
In truth, my questions had not all been answered.
Whether he was curious about me or not was beside the point.
I was more puzzled by how the ghost story I had created had become real.
Of course, even if I asked him that, he would not have an answer.
"Well then, I shall save my questions for later!"
"Huh?"
At that, Maestro rose from his seat and flew onto the stage.
He stopped at the center, the most visible spot, and raised his baton with perfectly straight posture.
"To our senior, the most honored guest in the world, I shall present a performance imbued with my life as an anomaly!"
"W-What?"
I could not listen to that.
Maestro’s music was a high-level mental attack.
Any human—and even most anomalies—would instantly go mad from hearing it.
And because it resonated through one’s bones rather than one’s eardrums, blocking one’s ears would not prevent it either.
"Though it may be lacking, please listen to it with kindness!"
Whoosh.
Maestro drew a flag-like shape through the air with the edge of his hand.
At this rate, the performance would begin at any moment.
There was only one way to stop his orchestra.
"Maestro."
"Yes?"
"I’m a little tired today. Could I hear it next time?"
"...Understood! It cannot be helped."
I simply had to ask politely.
**
"Well, I’ll be going now. Let’s have a meal together sometime."
"I look forward to it. Though I cannot eat, being an anomaly and all."
Maestro escorted his senior to the exit.
After watching him close the door and leave the concert hall—
Thud!
"Phew... That was truly nerve-racking."
Maestro collapsed right where he stood.
He wiped the cold sweat soaking his hair away with his wrist.
"As expected... standing before a Source-rank is no joke."
He tapped the air.
Ghost Story Minor Gallery.
He had opened a post he had seen there some time ago.
[Info]: About the First Ghost Story ★
Author: Archivera
I am going to be serious, because this is not something to joke about.
Who is the First Ghost Story?
They can be defined as the being who created this very gallery we use and gave anomalies their egos.
Until twenty years ago by Earth’s standards, every ghost story across all dimensions was a low-intelligence anomaly.
You know, those things that drool and charge at humans the moment they see one.
But the First Ghost Story gave us the ability to think.
In return, they were caught by the Bureau and perished gloriously.
Quite literally, they were our benefactor and savior.
It seems anomalies these days do not know much about them.
I hope reading this post makes you feel something, even if only a little.
[Total Comments - 99+]
YoungIsBest: But is the First Ghost Story called that
└YoungIsBest: because they were the first ghost story to be born?
└[Author]Archivera: That is part of it.
└[Author]Archivera: They were also the first ghost story to be killed by the Bureau.
└Hanger: Gasp.
└EightSpiderLegs: They were the first and only Source-rank to ever perish...
└CleanlinessKing: We should always remember them, yeah.
HeartHeart: I have come to pay my respects after a long time.
└HeartHeart: We remember the First One’s sacrifice...
└VaultKeeper: We remember.
└CommentWindow: We remember.
└AshesMimic: We remember.
...
The savior of anomalies.
An informational post about the First Ghost Story.
"One day, I will certainly perform for you."
Maestro moved the post aside.
Then, toward the entrance through which he had departed, he offered a respectful bow.
"Great and most exalted... creator of all ghost stories."
It was filled with gratitude toward his creator, the First Ghost Story.
**
[Info]: Huh? W-w-wait.
Author: CleanlinessKing
I heard Rookie is back?
????????
[Total Comments - 10]
EightSpiderLegs: ?? How do you know that??
└[Author]CleanlinessKing: Uh, it is kind of hard to explain.
└[Author]CleanlinessKing: Anyway, I got word that he is alive and well...
└EightSpiderLegs: Huh...
└EightSpiderLegs: Well, it is a relief if he is back...
ProtectJustice: But once again, Rookie’s influence is enormous.
└ProtectJustice: He was gone only briefly, but the gallery got completely devastated.
└Archivera: He is basically this gallery’s owner, lol.
└DontTurnAround: Should we take this chance to officially make him the gallery owner?
└ElectricalEngineeringNeeded: Oh?
**
"...So beyond here lies the Void."
"Yes. If we walk in there, we can enter it."
Kang Seoyun and Yoon Chaewon.
Wearing turquoise and red enhanced suits respectively, they stood before an alleyway.
It was the path leading to the Catastrophe-rank ghost story, Void.
"It took a long time because there was so much to prepare, but the day has finally come."
Tap, tap.
Yoon Chaewon touched the bag attached to her enhanced suit as she spoke.
"You mean the item-type ghost story?"
"That too, but... no, never mind."
"...?"
Kang Seoyun tilted her head at those words.
Then she quickly composed herself and glared into the alleyway.
"It might be presumptuous for a chief who was only just promoted... but you need to be careful in there, Branch Chief."
"My, why? We have enhanced suits."
"Because his attacks cannot be blocked by enhanced suits."
She still remembered.
That pillar which had flown at her before she had even had time to react.
The flesh and blood that had burst in every direction, and fragments of enhanced suits rolling along the ground.
...Kang Seoyun could not forget the expression of that anomaly, who had looked so utterly calm.
"He might be at that convenience store now, but if we run into him inside, we must never fight him."
"...Hmm."
As she shuddered while recalling that ghost story—
Yoon Chaewon gazed steadily into the alleyway.
"As expected of one of Rookie’s subordinate ghost stories. We must be careful not to offend him..."
"Pardon? What did you say?"
"No, no. I was just talking to myself."
Click.
Kang Seoyun checked the watch on her wrist.
Three minutes until entry time.
It was time to prepare to go in.
"Branch Chief. It is about time I asked you for that."
"Okay, lower your head toward me."
Kang Seoyun bowed her head toward her.
With her eyes closed, Yoon Chaewon gently ran a palm over Seoyun’s head.
Pop!
White rabbit ears sprang out from atop Kang Seoyun’s head.
"All done. This should have enhanced your physical abilities."
"I experienced it last time, but it is still amazing. Though it is a little embarrassing to look like this..."
"Hehe, you are just cute."
Once all their preparations were complete, Yoon Chaewon moved first.
"I will go in and assess the situation. According to the manual, you are meant to follow after three minutes, but..."
"I will go in right away. Going alone is more dangerous right now."
"Good. You are quick on the uptake."
Pat, pat.
Yoon Chaewon gently stroked Seoyun’s hair.
Then she spoke in a tender, gentle voice.
"This time, nobody will die. I promise you on my title as Branch Chief."
"...Yes. I will trust you."
With that brief encouragement, Yoon Chaewon backed into the ghost story.
After a moment’s hesitation, Kang Seoyun took one deep breath.
"This time, I will not let anyone die."
And she threw herself into the nightmare.
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