Chapter 18: Anomaly Catching Anomaly

Adaptation to Site 17 (8)

Not long before Subject 19 entered some door.

That is, not long after Sophia led her out of the isolation chamber by the hand.

"Hmm…"

Subject 19 kept fidgeting with the small device around her neck, as if something was bothering her.

"Is it very uncomfortable?"

Sophia asked Subject 19 with a worried voice.

The girl had been touching the device little by little since earlier, and anyone could see that she was feeling very uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry. Subject 19 has to wear that to go outside."

But it couldn't be helped.

Oliver Seonbae must have been in a good mood, because he allowed Sophia to take Subject 19 out to a limited area.

But taking an Anomalous Entity out of the isolation chamber could pose a serious threat.

Even if the entity had a low-risk rating, minimal measures were needed to prevent any potential threats.

The round, collar-like device around her neck didn't look ordinary.

It was a literal bomb collar that would destroy the vital points and blood vessels of the wearer in an emergency, leading to a swift death.

That was the 'minimal measure' currently imposed on Subject 19.

"I'll take it off when we go back to the room, so can you bear with it until then?"

-Nod nod-

"Hehe, thank you."

Sophia wasn't particularly worried.

Subject 19, whom she had been observing, wasn't violent enough to suddenly act out.

And the only way the girl expressed refusal was by shaking her head vigorously.

In the first place, the Anomaly Management Bureau aimed to manage isolated entities, not to eliminate them.

And because there were Anomalies where death or being attacked acted as a trigger,

Even after long periods of research, damaging an entity was not permitted without a special reason.

In reality, there was virtually no chance of the device suddenly exploding and causing something terrible to happen to Subject 19.

So Sophia simply stroked Subject 19's head once and then held out her hand to the girl.

'It is a little annoying, though.'

Subject 19 also stopped touching the device around her neck after hearing her words.

In fact, she hadn't originally intended to show any signs of discomfort.

But now that she actually had this collar-like thing around her neck,

She felt a greater sense of frustration and rejection than she had expected.

'But well, if it's a child safety necklace, I guess it can't be helped.'

However, Subject 19, mistaking the device around her neck for a child safety necklace, decided to endure the discomfort.

She thought that if it was for child safety, it made sense to attach it to a place that was difficult to remove, like the neck, rather than a place that could be easily removed, like the wrist or ankle.

She even thought she saw a tracking device attached to the necklace.

Rather than causing a fuss here, she thought it would be better to stay still so as not to interfere with the outing,

Subject 19 took Sophia's outstretched hand and began to look around the facility.

While walking around the facility with Sophia,

What caught Subject 19's eye the most wasn't the shape or structure of the facility,

But simply the sight of people walking around inside.

'…There are a lot of people.'

It was funny.

Because she knew very well that she didn't have any peculiar hobbies like observing humans.

She had only wanted to go outside the room for a short time to find out what kind of place this facility was and what exactly it did.

Nevertheless, what kept coming into her view was

The sight of people passing by and walking around inside the facility, nothing special.

'So, I really have come home…'

For some reason, her heart felt heavy.

She had lost even the place to return to, wandering aimlessly through dimensions,

She thought she had lost all nostalgia and memories of her hometown,

But just seeing the common sight of people walking around

Made her feel like she had been fully compensated for everything she had gone through.

With the realization that she had finally returned home, Subject 19 felt all sorts of complex emotions.

She somehow forced strength into her blurry eyes,

Lost in sentimentality, she was enjoying the ordinary scenery around her.

"―――――――――."

And, behind Subject 19 as she walked along the path,

She didn't realize that a large number of people had stopped and were looking at her.

"…Who is that child?"

"I don't know. The one next to her seems to be Sophia Seonbae."

"Sophia Seonbae, was she married?"

"I don't think so? I haven't heard her having a lover. But more than that, if you're so curious, why don't you ask her yourself?"

"Well, how should I put it, it doesn't feel like I can just talk to her…"

The people on the path she had passed began to whisper in voices that were barely audible.

It couldn't be helped, as Subject 19 had an appearance that drew attention in any direction.

Moreover, the child was holding the hand of a woman who was highly regarded for her appearance and work skills but was not easily approached due to her aloof atmosphere,

And she had a melancholy expression, as if she had stepped out of a painting.

Everyone was watching her, but no one dared to speak to her,

She somehow exuded an atmosphere that was difficult to approach.

Thus, with the attention of the people around her focused on her,

As Subject 19 was diligently walking around the area she was allowed to be in,

Someone's familiar voice began to be heard from across the hallway.

"Ah, Seonbae!"

When she turned her head in the direction of the voice, she could see a young man walking towards her at a fast pace.

It was Arthur, her junior.

"Oh, hello Arthur."

"No, not hello, didn't you see the call again?"

Sophia greeted him lightly with a happy expression, but Arthur looked dumbfounded at the sight.

Most researchers would react as soon as they received a call or notification, but his Seonbae never seemed to react immediately to calls.

And this time again, he had to go and find her himself because Sophia hadn't responded to the call immediately.

Considering that he was currently busy with his own work, it was truly generous of him not to get angry.

"The Bureau clearly――――"

However, as he was about to scold his Seonbae,

He saw the girl next to her and stopped speaking for a moment.

Because the girl standing next to Sophia, holding her hand,

Had an outstanding appearance that felt like something had hit him with a solid blunt object,

Giving his head a strong shock.

"…Who is she?"

"Ah, it's Subject 19. Come to think of it, Arthur, your access to related data would still be restricted."

'No way, that request actually went through?' Arthur thought to himself.

To him, Oliver Seonbae was not someone who would be lenient about such things.

Of course, like he thought, he actually was that kind of person.

Anyway, the Oliver Seonbae he knew was not someone who would grant such an absurd request as an Anomalous Entity's outing.

"I… see, I didn't hear the details about her appearance…"

But, despite that, Arthur couldn't bring himself to say anything about it and was just making formal remarks.

The reason was, as mentioned earlier, the moment he saw the girl next to her,

He couldn't take his eyes off her adorable appearance.

Of course, he had some idea of what Subject 19 looked like.

After all, no matter how much Sophia liked cute things, considering her actions that had started a few weeks ago,

Honestly, it was to the point where he wondered if she was possessed by something.

But, even so,

For even himself to be so mesmerized by her――

He felt that something was wrong.

Could it be a mental attack?

Even though Sophia had received a mental contamination test, she could have been attacked again afterward.

It had been a very long time since he had wanted to hug someone this much.

In a way, it could be a new type of mental contamination.

Arthur, his thoughts reaching that point, shook his head slightly as if to shake them off, and then, with his eyes closed, began to murmur information about himself into his heart.

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