My uneasy premonition was spot on.
Thinking about it, it was only natural.
After all, I was the only one who could communicate with the sphere in Han Seoriâs eyes, so in the end, to conduct experiments on the sphere, my cooperation was absolutely necessary.
Still, it wasnât an experiment where Han Seoriâs eyes rolled back, and she numbly cut off my arm, burned me, or shot something cold at me like before⦠so my jelly was comfortable.
Even now, she overlapped her hand on top of mine and placed it on the sphere⦠doing some kind of cute experiment.
I wonder if she thinks something will change by doing this.
â¦It just feels like sheâs trying everything that comes to mind.
âHmm~ Hello?â
Han Seori, who had overlapped her hand on top of mine and placed it on the sphere, muttered with an interested expression.
â¦as if saying, âtalk to me, please.â
My jelly wobbles at her behavior, which seems cute even when doing something a bit childish.
I think it suits her, maybe because sheâs pretty.
After watching Han Seori talk to the sphere in that state for a while, I felt a bit sorry for her.
As someone who could understand the sphereâs words⦠I knew that even if the sphere understood Han Seoriâs words, it would deliberately not react.
Would a being that openly calls others an âinferior speciesâ bother to respond?
â¦But I didnât want to tell Han Seori that fact.
Although I felt a bit sorry for her going through trial and error⦠I couldnât predict how Han Seori would react.
Well⦠considering what Iâve seen of her so far, thereâs a high possibility she wouldnât take it seriously.
But who knows.
Actually, I had never seen Han Seori deal with other anomalies.
Even when her focus was slightly off with me, she looked at me with eyes that seemed to cherish something precious.
She only showed an interested gaze towards the sphere⦠I didnât sense any particularly strong feelings.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
However, these days, a bitter expression flashes across her face from time to time⦠but I couldnât understand why.
So I hoped she wouldnât find out about that sphereâs radical ideology.
Anyway.
Iâm starting to wonder if I should keep calling it a sphere.
I thought it didnât really matter since I wouldnât have a reason to call its name, but doesnât calling it a sphere lack affection?
If it were just something that flew around at my command and spewed out shockwaves, then there would be no need.
But the sphere clearly possesses something like a sense of self, doesnât it?
The name Wilson suddenly popped into my mind, but since the voice I heard was female, I gave up on it.
Hmm.
It seems like a good name, though.
As I swallowed my jelly, feeling regretful.
Han Seori looked at me and spoke in a slightly cautious voice.
âUm, by any chance.â
Since this was the first time she seemed so careful, the jelly tensed up reflexively.
Eventually, the words that came out of her mouth⦠surprised me.
âWould it be possible to put my hand inside your body? Of course, you shouldnât melt it. So⦠like we did before.â
Does this person have no fear?
Come to think of it, unlike Kim Cheonsu, who ran away in shock, she lifted me up at our first encounter.
At the time, I was also dumbfounded so I didnât notice, butâ¦
Wasnât her action quite dangerous?
If I had been an ordinary anomaly instead of me⦠Han Seori might not be here right now.
Did she know I had no intention of melting her?
â¦I feel like she must have had some kind of certainty since sheâs very intelligent.
Maybe she saw something that an ordinary person like me couldnât understand.
And⦠she had previously pulled the dungeonâs core out of my body⦠so it might not be that strange.
When I convinced myself and nodded, Han Seori lightly laughed, thanked me, and applied more force to her overlapped hand.
Han Seoriâs hand, which had been resting on my surface, slowly began to sink like a person falling into a swamp.
Along with the *gurgling* sound, I felt the taste and sensation of her fingers being sucked in.
Soon, she completely put her hand inside me, wiggled her fingers, and spoke.
âI didnât know before⦠but this feels really strange.â
Actually, I was a bit worried since Han Seoriâs hand was bigger than mine.
I was concerned that it might not turn out the way she wanted.
But my body stretched to fit the size of Han Seoriâs hand.
As a result, Han Seoriâs hand looked like it was wearing a blue, transparent glove.
After wiggling her fingers for a while, Han Seori, as if determined to succeed this time, said to the sphere.
âAnswer me if you can hear me!â
Then the sphere, which had not reacted until now, muttered in a sighing voice.
...You really are an insatiable inferior species.
It seemed the sphere didnât understand what Han Seori was saying, but it felt exasperation⦠no, admiration for her will.
â¦Though nothing changed even so.
âI canât understand what itâs saying⦠I guess this doesnât work either.â
Although there were no immediate results, I thought Han Seori was amazing.
Didnât she persistently cling on and elicit some kind of reaction despite no response?
Was this level of tenacity and obsession what it took to become a doctor at such a young age?
As Han Seori muttered to herself, she finally gave up trying to communicate with the sphere, removed her hand buried in my jelly, and stood up.
Then, my body, which had been enveloping Han Seoriâs hand, rose with her.
I ended up dangling and sticking tightly to Han Seoriâs body.
In other words⦠it was like a flag attached to a pole called Han Seori.
Clinging tightly to the pole with no wind.
Seeing this, Han Seori giggled and said to me.
âYou can let go now. Heheâ¦.â
â¦She raised her body without a word, causing this to happen.
I felt like slightly biting Han Seoriâs hand and fell to the floor.
With a *splat* sound, the sphereâs voice was heard.
It seems this boring thing has finally ended.
Maybe because of the sphereâs words.
As if saying that was just a warm-up, Han Seori listed this and that, saying letâs try another experiment.
â¦Seriously.
Donât say that.
Han Seoriâs curiosity was⦠immense.
For the next few days, I spent my time repairing the facility and conducting experiments with Han Seori.
Seeing the facility, which had been full of holes, gradually returning to its original state somehow made the jelly feel better as well.
In reality, it was a situation youâd only see in an anime movie where the one who destroyed the facility fixes it.
As we entered the control room with the slimes and the sphere, I saw Kim Cheonsu dressed more formally than usual.
As I approached him with a *squish squish*, wondering if he was going out somewhere, Han Seoriâs voice was heard.
âSince the intranet is not connected, thereâs no choice. Have a safe trip.â
âHaha⦠It canât be helped. Iâll be back soon.â
Unlike Han Seori, who sighed, Kim Cheonsu seemed somewhat happy.
He seemed to be running an errand of some sort⦠but why does he look so pleased?
Does he have a fetish for being ordered around or running errands for someone?
Thatâs a bit odd.
Without knowing what I was thinking, Kim Cheonsu said he would return in the evening and left the control room.
Then Han Seori, who spotted me, approached.
She strode over, picked me up, and held me in one arm, grinning.
âItâs a good morning.â
â¦Her delighted voice was like someone greeting their little sister.
No, do people usually greet their little sister this affectionately?
Maybe because Iâve never had a sibling⦠it felt a bit awkward, but not unpleasant.
Perhaps what I had read on the internet before was wrong.
â¦But it felt a bit like being treated as a child.
However, feeling Han Seoriâs body temperature on my jelly⦠*ahem*, I thought it was advantageous to just stay still.
At that moment.
Han Seori suddenly looked down and laughed *hehe*, bending over.
When she straightened up, her other arm held a small doll. In other words, Daesik was there.
Was he jealous that I was being held?
I feel like heâs gotten more needy these days, and I donât think itâs just my imagination.
â¦I donât know.
You, slimes, are also independent, so⦠figure out how to live on your own.
In the meantime, Han Seori, who had sat in a chair with a satisfied face, looked at me and said.
âYouâve worked hard all this time. Letâs relax and rest for a while.â
It was a welcome thing to hear, but also terrible in a way.
When we first moved here, I was too busy cleaning and preparing things to think about it, butâ¦
There was⦠really nothing here that could be considered entertainment.
If we didnât conduct experiments, there was nothing suitable to pass the time.
â¦It was a bit boring to just rest and eat.
I wouldnât be bored if I were a being who didnât know entertainment. But as a former human, this boredom was too fatal for me.
The boredom I had forgotten due to the anxiety of not knowing when something might happen came rushing in.
Did she sense my feelings?
Han Seori muttered in a voice as if comforting a child.
âAre you bored because thereâs nothing to play with? I told Cheonsu to bring some toys and food when he returns this time, so youâll be able to play again soon.â
â¦No, when did I throw a tantrum about not having toys?
Why does she think that?
Iâd rather⦠ask her to connect a TV.
Sosik just sleeps on the sphere because thereâs no TV.
I tried hard to hold back the urge to scribble on paper with a pen.
No, I should write it down, shouldnât I?
This is a very important matter for me.
As I focused my vision on finding paper, I soon realized it was too late.
I should have done it before Kim Cheonsu left.
â¦If I scribble on paper with a pen now, Iâll look like a foolish child lying on the floor in front of a toy store.
Letâs hold on⦠just a bit.
But while spending time anticipating the snacks that Kim Cheonsu would bring⦠no, the things that could serve as a distraction.
Han Seori checked the time and muttered in an anxious voice.
ââ¦Why isnât he coming back?â
â¦I had a bad feeling about this.
Even if Iâm bored⦠please come back normally.
Thatâs my request. Please.