Chapter 25: 25. Transformation

A little—no, honestly, a lot shocking, but.

Now that we’d found them, there was no reason to keep hanging around the pool.

I led them to the pillar that went back up.

"There. Just grab this pillar and climb up."

"Tha—no. Thank you..."

MadamRabbit—Yoon Chaewon, apparently—offered a polite greeting and climbed upward.

"..."

"Aren’t you going up?"

"...Yes. I should."

When I signaled to Kang Seoyun, the agent I’d met before, she shot me a sharp glare and grabbed the pillar.

She was clearly wary of me.

She must have remembered what happened last time.

Understandable. She watched a person turn into dalgona candy right in front of her.

I followed them back up from the pool, thinking it over.

I could understand Seoyun’s reaction, too.

The anomaly that had killed her colleague in an instant was right in front of her?

And it was even kindly showing her the way out?

It was impressive that she hadn’t cut off my head first and asked what the hell I was up to later.

Click.

"Hup. As expected, there’s no place like home compared to that pool."

I stepped off the pillar and onto the floor of the Backrooms.

The instant I drew a breath, I felt the cleanliness and freshness of the air.

It could not even be compared to the damp, stale air down there. Of course not.

「Y o u’ r e b a c k ?」

"Yeah, I’m back."

"...?!"

Click.

Just as I took off my helmet and answered the Backrooms’ greeting, Yoon Chaewon approached me with a stunned look on her face.

"...Does this ghost story actually communicate?"

"More or less, yes."

「L o w e r y o u r e y e s」

"Hey."

The Backrooms was getting more and more foul-mouthed.

Was it browsing some online community or something? It was a location-type entity, so it could not exactly go out anywhere.

"What’d I tell you? I told you I saw writing on that door."

Then Kang Seoyun stepped forward, rolling her arms in circles.

"You were right, Chief Seoyun. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you."

"I wonder if you really just didn’t believe me."

Seoyun put particular emphasis on the word “just.”

Swish, swish.

Her irritated gaze flicked back and forth between Chaewon and me.

Why was she acting like that when they were on the same side?

Well, it made sense for her to be like that toward me, since she thought I was an anomaly.

"A humanoid anomaly—no. The Untouchable."

"...Are you talking about me?"

"That’s right. It’s the codename the Bureau assigned after observing your traits."

Kang Seoyun explained my codename in a serious tone.

The Untouchable, what?

Why would they give me such a cringeworthy name?

Then again, even the name Bureau sounds old-fashioned.

「T h e n a m e s u c k s」

While the Backrooms and I marveled at their naming sense, Kang Seoyun lowered her head toward me in a formal bow.

"Anyway, thank you for saving us. Even if you’re an anomaly, I should offer my thanks."

"Yes. Be grateful at all times."

"..."

What was with that look?

It was only natural for armed robbers to apologize to the homeowner.

As I continued my silent standoff with Kang Seoyun’s red eyes—

"W-well, setting that aside! Could you perhaps tell us the way out...?"

Yoon Chaewon hurriedly stepped between Seoyun and me.

Right. I should tell them quickly and get them out of here.

We were both equally uncomfortable around each other.

"Go out through that door in front of you. And don’t ever come back."

「D o n’ t c o m e b a c k」

"O-of course. I’ll keep that in mind."

Yoon Chaewon repeatedly bowed her head, then shoved Seoyun along by the back toward the door I had indicated.

This should be enough for now.

I would have to ask about the gallery matter through private chat later.

"Man, I’m tired. My legs hurt like crazy after all that walking."

「S l e e p b e f o r e y o u g o」

"Yeah, I guess I should."

Flop!

Planning to browse the gallery, I lay down on the floor.

"...!! Rookie...!!!"

Beyond the screen of my phone, I saw Yoon Chaewon mouthing something, but I did not pay much attention to it.

If she had something to say, she could ask me on the gallery.

[Third Exploration Report: Void]

Exploration Supervisor: Seoul Special City Branch Chief Yoon Chaewon

Reporter: Chief Kang Seoyun

Overview:

Third exploration and attempted subjugation of the Catastrophe-rank ghost story Void.

Objective:

Subjugation of Void and acquisition of information regarding The Untouchable.

Result:

Mission failure.

Confirmed that Void possesses a sense of self.

Confirmed that The Untouchable is not a subordinate ghost story of Void, but that Void is a subordinate ghost story of The Untouchable.

Additional Notes and Irregularities:

During the operation, abnormal, anomaly-friendly behavior was observed from Seoul Special City Branch Chief Yoon Chaewon.

A detailed explanation should be obtained from reporter Kang Seoyun.

Requesting an interrogation of Seoul Special City Branch Chief Yoon Chaewon.

Requesting an elevation of the danger rating.

The Untouchable: Nightmare-rank → Source-rank or above.

Requesting a change to The Untouchable’s codename.

-Seoul Special City Branch Chief Yoon Chaewon-

**

...This won’t do.

One who had no body, yet could move.

One who had no brain, yet could think.

The location-type ghost story, the Backrooms.

Though she had no eyes, she watched the man lying within herself.

"Pfft, this thread is pretty fun."

「W h a t i s i t ?」

"It’s asking who would win if a Tyranno anomaly fought a Spino anomaly."

The man chuckled as he stared at his phone.

He wore a shabby white T-shirt and shorts, but thanks to his handsome face, even that felt like a touch of humanity.

The Backrooms stared at him in a daze.

"Come to think of it, it’s actually a pretty close fight. Who do you think would win?"

...

"Backrooms?"

「Y- y e a h」

Only when the man tapped the floor did the Backrooms come back to her senses.

She was always like this whenever she was with him.

She would lose herself watching his beauty, only waking up when he called her name.

It’s partly because he’s handsome... but I feel like there’s another reason.

She did not know what that “other reason” was.

Whether it was simply because she had fallen in love, or because of some unique trait the man possessed.

No matter what anyone said, he was Source-rank.

He was a ghost story with a notoriety rating of 999.

Grrrrumble.

"Hmm, I’m getting hungry. I’ll head outside for a bit."

...!!

At that moment, the man got up from where he was sitting.

Even the strongest anomaly had to take meals seriously.

Just before he could head toward the exit—

Thud!

"Urgh! Wh-what was that?"

The Backrooms hastily created an energy bar and threw it at him.

「E a t t h a t !!」

"Uh... I’ve been eating these for a week, though."

「N o」

"Hmm."

The man, who had been hit on the head with the energy bar, had been about to refuse.

But seeing the desperation in the Backrooms’ writing, he could not bring himself to say that he was leaving.

"Fine. I’ll eat it for another day or so."

「G o o d」

"What kind of man acts all whiny like that?"

Crunch!

The man sat back down on the floor and tore into the energy bar.

She had suddenly been mistaken for a man, but that did not matter.

She had stopped him from leaving and made him stay here longer.

He hasn’t been visiting much lately. He’s always running around outside.

That was the Backrooms’ greatest concern.

Lately, the man had been going here and there, leaving him with less time to spend with her.

It was not that she could not understand.

She had heard that the man was bound by a contract called a part-time job.

He said he works all night and comes back in the morning, right?

A cruel contract that sacrificed half of his day.

He had surely been tricked with, “This isn’t what the contract said!”

Like some man being worked to the bone all day by an unfair contract.

He must be suffering something unjust as well.

Either way, this won’t do. I need some way to protect this person.

The man chewed his energy bar with a displeased expression.

What could she do to keep him by her side—

And to protect him from the world?

Ding!

Huh? I got a private message?

【Admin】: Hey, mod.

└【Admin】: Got a minute?

She would find the answer before long.

ㅇㅇ(599.5): What is it, tall guy?

└ㅇㅇ(599.5): I’m busy looking at my landlord right now, you know?

└【Admin】: We haven’t talked in ages and you’re already being prickly.

└【Admin】: Though, thinking about that face, I guess it makes sense.

Swish.

The Backrooms briefly turned her attention toward the man.

...As expected. He had a face that even the Admin would understand.

【Admin】: Anyway, that rabbit lady came by your place, right?

└ㅇㅇ(599.5): Yeah.

└ㅇㅇ(599.5): She got too cocky, so I threw her into the entrance to the deeper levels and pulled her back out.

└ㅇㅇ(599.5): But why are you asking?

└【Admin】: There’s a reason.

Hmph. If it isn’t about my landlord, I’m not interes—

【Admin】: It’s nothing else, but...

└【Admin】: Don’t you need a humanoid body?

└ㅇㅇ(599.1): ?

**

The day after I drove MadamRabbit and Kang Seoyun out.

Just after I finished my part-time job and returned to the Backrooms.

I could not contain my shock.

"..."

"H-hi...?"

Her hair and eyes were the exact same color as the wallpaper behind her.

As if representing that endlessly sprawling space, two overwhelming presences seemed ready to tear through her ocher rags.

Rubbing my eyes did no good.

"My pet Backrooms turned into a woman..."

"I was alwaze a girl tho...?"

The Backrooms.

In English, Backroom.

She had become a person.

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