NOVEL WEB Chapter 23
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“Hm…”
FPL 017-1 Branch Facility researcher Emily Harper stood with her arms crossed, staring intently at the documents in front of her with a serious expression.
The writer of those documents was clearly a clumsy-looking brown-haired woman.
“Why, why are you looking at me like that…? Could it possibly be too bad…?”
Midway through her work, feeling Emily’s intense gaze, Kan Hana uncharacteristically fidgeted.
This prompted Emily to raise her voice and charge forward.
“Why am I doing this? How could you not know? Of course!”
“Ugh?!”
In an instant as the distance closed rapidly, Kan Hana braced herself in confusion.
Suddenly—
Emily lunged forward, pulling Kan Hana into a tight embrace.
“Oof.”
Kan Hana landed on the floor with a thud, sitting down hard.
“I’m doing this because I love it…! Our Hana!!”
Emily grinned brightly, rubbing her face against Kan Hana’s while expressing how proud she was.
Meanwhile, Kan Hana was utterly overwhelmed by the sudden proximity.
“Eeek, please don’t do this…!”
Kan Hana had no idea what to do with herself.
Just days ago during their first meeting, Emily seemed so cold and distant. What wind had changed for her to act this way?
While hugging IF-017 always brought warmth from deep within, making her feel almost unbearably hot, this hug felt completely different despite being from the same person.
Even though only the subject had changed, Kan Hana was unsure where to place her hands.
Unperturbed, Emily continued showering Kan Hana with compliments.
“How did you manage this? This isn’t something a new researcher should be capable of. You’re barely twenty, right? Your first impression made you seem like a bumbling idiot, but now I see—you’re a genuine genius. Completely like Giselle Guaya.”
Though there were some strange remarks mixed in, the flow of praise came naturally.
It wasn’t surprising that Emily had stopped using honorifics after only a few initial days.
Kan Hana’s face turned bright red like a tomato.
“So, I’ve never heard such words before…! In fact, since coming here, I’ve been called useless every single day, hearing all the insults one could imagine…”
“What? With someone overflowing with talent like you? Even Giselle is going overboard. Though, it’s rumored that if Giselle had been your professor from the start, things would have ended badly due to her notorious reputation.”
Emily’s face showed nothing but genuine surprise when asking if Giselle had really said those things.
Kan Hana, utterly confused about the situation, didn’t understand why she was being treated so kindly.
As Kan Hana hesitated, Emily picked up one of the documents written by her and began reading aloud.
“Look at this. Already several pages in, everything is flawless. Recently, since the 017-1 units’ conditions have been abnormal, they’ll likely have nothing to do upon return, so I was told to stay at Research Lab 4 and help with your work… I thought I’d just be tidying up after a newbie, but this? There’s literally nothing I can improve!”
At these words of admiration, Kan Hana also picked up one of the documents she had written a few hours earlier and read it.
Indeed, it was impeccable, almost indistinguishable from something written by a senior researcher.
Which only deepened Kan Hana’s confusion.
For the past six months, despite receiving scolding from her seniors and endless pondering, she had never come up with anything like this!
“Hana, stop using formalities and let’s go together to the 017-1 branch facility. Don’t you want to earn ten times more than here, with frequent outings? Though the work may be tough, someone of your caliber will surely keep up. I wouldn’t suggest this lightly; lately, there’s been something suspicious about Research Lab 4…”
Emily leaned in closely to make the offer.
Startled by the even closer proximity, Kan Hana quickly decided on her answer.
“Ah, I’ve been having some heart issues lately, so traveling far might be difficult for me…”
A polite refusal, though Kan Hana hadn’t intended it that way.
She genuinely experienced occasional chest discomfort, especially when moving around the base, which had worsened recently. Lately, she practically lived behind the glass wall of the IF-017 quarantine room.
“Ah, I see… Giselle complains about headaches daily, so maybe it’s because you’re her junior. You two are alike. Haven’t you been overworking yourself? Go rest quickly. I’ll finish the rest.”
“Ah, I’ll finish what I’ve started and then leave. Thank you. I’ll rest over there.”
When Emily looked at where Kan Hana pointed, she sighed.
There was a makeshift bed indicated by Kan Hana’s finger.
“You’re really something else. Didn’t you sleep there last night? Your back must hurt…”
“I find it comfortable here.”
It was true. Kan Hana felt dizzy spells vanish and warmth envelop her whenever she lay on that bed.
Time passed unnoticed.
Kan Hana stretched after finishing nearly all her documents, leaving only half a page remaining.
She marveled anew.
Not long ago, she would have fallen asleep after typing for merely half an hour.
Lately, however, she could work from morning till night without feeling overly tired.
“Now that I think about it, it seems I used to be like this even longer ago…”
When did things change?
Kan Hana reflected briefly on her past.
She had been top of her class in elementary school, number one regionally in middle school, and ranked nationally in high school…
Until the day her parents passed away, and she met ■■■… joined FPL…
…■■■?
“What was it? Definitely something small… cute. Hmm, not IF-017… not IF-017… oh, no, I’ve messed up.”
Kan Hana slapped her forehead.
Mentioning IF-017 caused the tangled image in her mind to suddenly fade into white.
Like a college entrance exam forbidden song disrupting studying.
Or an alarm clock erasing dreams instantly.
“…Yeah. IF-017 is the cutest, and the cutest thing is IF-017. If I can’t remember, it probably doesn’t matter, right? Hehe…”
Once again, the familiar warmth filled her heart.
Kan Hana happily finished typing the last paragraph, printed out the document, and headed towards the makeshift bed.
Shortly after, someone entered with a blanket and gently covered the soundly sleeping Kan Hana.
“This kid sometimes acts clueless like when we first met, but when working, she concentrates better than me.”
Before leaving, Emily sipped the yuzu tea Kan Hana had prepared and began tidying up.
She noticed a sheet of paper lying alone on the desk.
Unlike the others, it hadn’t been organized, indicating it was likely the final document Kan Hana had been working on.
“Hmm.”
Deciding to tidy it up herself, Emily noticed something odd.
“This basic calculation is wrong, and this word has a spelling error. Was it a typo?”
Given Kan Hana’s recent performance, Emily dismissed it as insignificant and corrected the errors on the last page with a red pen.
“We’ve tried everything starting with L and R, but none of it worked, right? Ah, Mr. Luge. Is your name ‘Luge’ for sure?”
Nod.
That was the third nod confirming the name.
Though slightly irritated, Emily decided not to comment.
“Yes, hello. Beta Rank personnel Elena Miller reporting. I’ve heard you reside in Sector C-14 of FPL Research Lab 4. Do you know of a child named Luge… No, I see. Understood. Yes.”
From the voice occasionally heard speaking into the black box, it seemed other humans were involved.
Humans indeed have complex hierarchical cultures, understandable given memories of their own human past.
However…
That aside, it was exhausting. She might collapse soon.
Whatever Tonton-i was doing, she wanted it done so she could lie down.
Tonton-i snake, tell me an interesting story.
‘Unknown. Luge. Story. Exists?’
Huh?
Oh dear, look at this one.
Calling an ancestor by name!
Whether or not she truly was his ancestor was questionable, but nonetheless, it shouldn’t be done. She sent a mental message explaining this.
Then, an audacious reply returned.
‘Name. Confirmation. Therefore. Use. No problem.’
Roughly, it meant there was no issue using names learned.
But why was this creature so confident?
Earlier, it seemed scared of humans, and currently, there was even a cleaner present.
Why are you suddenly so full of confidence? She asked.
‘Luge. Gift. Warm. Powerful. Pearl. Incredible! Best! Amazing!’
Understood immediately. The creature trusted the gift of the thousand pearls she had given and acted boldly based on that trust.
True, with that, there was no reason to fear humans.
Yet…
Why don’t you fear me?
With that question, she placed the small snake gently on the ground and turned away.
Pii?
Probably, the last thing Tonton-i saw was her back.
‘Ambush. What! Denial! Denial!’
Tonton-i emitted its squeaky cry.
She sent another mental message warning that constant denial might make her so sad that the pearl’s power could flicker out.
‘!!!’
Gradually, Tonton-i’s frantic wriggling slowed until it finally stopped.
‘…Affirmation… Ancestor…’
Of course, it was a complete lie.
For it to extinguish that easily would be disrespectful to the heavens.
Good. That’s how it should be.
Who does this Tonton-i dare call an ancestor in the land of propriety?
“Hey, wait! Luge, you shouldn’t mess with snakes like that… Oh, now you’re behaving? Just give me a moment. If I touch it carelessly now, I might get bitten… Hmm. The antidote should already be circulating…”
Her spontaneous plan to punish the arrogant Tonton-i by lying down failed.
She heard the cleaner calling but didn’t feel like responding.
“Is the poison and antidote effects wearing off… Yes, Luge. Please rest here. Leave the snake alone… I’ll take my leave now.”
She couldn’t even wave goodbye—it felt too heavy.
Please understand.
The cleaner left without showing any sign of disappointment. Fortunately.
Then, shall I truly rest?
Hehe.
Comfortable.
—BOOM.
Comfort… huh?
—BOOM BOOM.
What’s that noise?
—KABOOM KABOOM KABOOM!
No. Huh?
What chaos is this?
The direction of the sound was… below. Too tired to turn her head and check, she relied solely on the sound.
“…Code Dark… Can’t you hear me? You Gamma Rank fool… AAAAHHH!…”
“…Communication… Why isn’t it working…”
“…Level 2 ‘Blindness’ won’t even silence them…”
KABOOM KABOOM—
Uh, this.
Though the balance was somewhat precarious before, she had left it alone.
“……ROOOAAARRR!……”
…Not balanced at all.
Humans are becoming lake stars at an alarming rate.
If they continue dying at this pace, everyone inside this mysterious temple-like structure won’t last a day.
And still, no one prays to me? Do you have nine lives or something?
Meanwhile,
A tremendous voice echoed.
It was loud enough to be clearly heard even in her pajamas.
‘Ancestor? Ancestor?! Fear! Fear!’
Tonton-i squeaked and trembled.
“Can you hear me…? Water serpent, water serpent… Can you hear the burning cries of those who trust in you…?”
She could even feel the gaze.
A significant presence from below.
…You.
You, the free-spirited features.
You, don’t tell me.
“Soon… All the creatures here will burn, restoring only my two wings. Next, I’ll soar towards you… Hahahaha. Hahahaha.”
Is he talking to me?
…
Based on what?
“Gyaaaoo.”
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