Became a Dragon kidnapped by Humans

Honestly, I was about to ignore it and lie back down.

Even though I kept watching until the end because swinging a cat toy in front of my face was so absurd, after that, it felt like there wasn’t even any point in keeping watch anymore.

But when I closed my eyes, an incredibly strong prayer came through.

It was the first prayer since I got here—this horribly uncomfortable hellhole.

“Please, please, PLEASE…! Please don’t fall asleep again…! Oh Great God, Buddha, Allah… please!”

Hm, pretty devout.

There weren’t many humans who prayed with this much sincerity, but this wasn’t something I could just brush off either.

Gan Hana, you little…

I thought you were an utterly ungrateful human with no faith in me, but apparently…

When someone prays this fervently, as a god who makes a living answering prayers, it’s impossible not to listen.

What “God,” “Buddha,” or “Allah” means, I have absolutely no clue, but whatever.

Probably not important.

Ah…

I really don’t want to get up.

Seriously, I REALLY don’t wanna get up. Can’t I just close my eyes and ignore this one time?

…Nope.

I made a promise with the Sajejang.

“Great ancient being, please be the light for the lost children wandering in the lake…”

… Hmm.

Ignoring it and closing my eyes would leave me feeling kinda bad, wouldn’t it?

Since it’s the first time, how about I make an exception and answer it just this once?

Can’t handle requests from humans while in ‘pajama state.’ There’s a certain appearance I need to take when listening to their pleas.

I transformed into Divine Mode.

An absurd amount of power surged through my body…

KLANG!

And with a terribly uncool sound, the transformation was complete.

Though they call it a transformation, it’s essentially just extending parts of my body that I usually keep tucked away. It’s basically the same as sticking out your tongue.

Hmph.

The body of a Dragon is truly magnificent in every way, which is why I need to dull my senses during rest.

Even in my own lake, I’d wake up startled by the flow of water, so you know how sensitive I am.

My usual ‘pajama state’ is a form where I minimize my surface area by hiding as many appendages and extremities as possible inside my body.

Though even now, it’s not like I’ve extended everything I had tucked away…

In such a noisy, stifling place like this, if I were to extend all of them, I don’t even want to imagine what would happen to my senses.

It would be like trying to stick out your tongue while holding a toothpick in your mouth.

Not sure exactly what that means, but…

Even in this simple Divine Mode, the discomfort level is almost at “9 breaths,” and I’m wondering if there’s anything worse than this. Scary.

Well, since I’m answering a prayer this time, I’ll let it slide without counting…

Alright.

I’ve shown you my Divine Mode as proof and result of answering your request.

Sure enough, the endless stream of thoughts suddenly stopped.

As expected.

Even if the world of humans has gone mad, it seems they still understand what it means when they see me in this form.

What was the wish again?

For me to stay awake? But I’m already doing that, aren’t I?

Alright, wish granted.

“ROAR.”

There! I heard you!

Is that good enough?

Feeling extremely drained, I was about to lie back down.

I’ll keep my eyes open specially for you. Anything beyond that is out of my jurisdiction.

Don’t mind my squinting; my eyeballs are drying out, but it can’t be helped, so deal with it.

That’s when it happened.

Gan Hana suddenly charged at me.

I watched curiously to see what she’d do, but unexpectedly, Gan Hana started petting and touching my horns, tail, and wings.

Hey, this is sacrilegious…!

You didn’t even get permission from the Sajejang for these areas!

Never in my dreams did I think she’d do something like this, so I couldn’t react at all.

It felt weirdly strange and unfamiliar, like someone was messing with my tongue, which I usually keep hidden.

Enough to make me angry at “3 breath” levels…

Uh…

…Actually, it’s not half bad?

“Grrr…”

No, no! What nonsense is this?

Nothing about this is okay!

“GYAAAH.”

I thrashed my tail.

Which was pointless because she clung right back on and continued touching it.

“GYAAAAAH…!”

“First you tease me with this ‘gyaaah,’ then you roar like that… So ‘gyaaah’ must mean yes, huh?”

What nonsense is this? Anybody hearing this would find it annoying.

Ah, I can’t hit her.

If only her face and limbs moved freely, I’d show her what’s what, but unfortunately, she’s human.

One wrong tap and she might break, you know?

I lacked the focus to control my strength, let alone the energy to clench my fists. My vitality is drained.

Apparently, Gan Hana isn’t devout at all; she’s just some crazy human.

“GYAAAAAH…”

This is exhausting.

I never thought it would go this far.

By the way, this place is so loud and suffocating that even my ‘pajama state’ couldn’t handle it.

And even in that state, it was unbearable.

Now that I’ve activated Divine Mode, with some of my dulled senses restored… it’s overwhelming. My head feels like it’s spinning, and I’m disoriented.

— BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ.

Something even louder and more irritating than usual seemed to come through, matching my transformation.

Ugh…

Because I always use this form when answering prayers, I habitually transformed without thinking. Why did I bother?

This won’t do. I’ll just cancel the transformation.

While concentrating to undo the transformation with my eyes closed, that’s when it happened.

“Aw, you’re so cute.”

A completely new sensation.

PLOP.

Simultaneously with Gan Hana’s voice, something soft and fluffy pressed against my face.

It was… surprisingly comfortable.

Compared to the cold, hard white stone floor, it was incomparably better.

Why does it feel so relaxing?

It’s definitely a different texture from the pillow formed by the Sajejang’s lap, but why does it feel somewhat similar?

The regular heartbeat echoing near my ears, not grating at all.

Unlike my super-efficient heart, which barely beats once every two days, this human heart pounds dozens of times per minute.

Is this the reason? Is that why it feels familiar?

“Hugging you, I thought you’d get mad, but you’re surprisingly calm… Hehe.”

… Good thing I used Divine Mode.

Thanks to heightened sensitivity, the heartbeat in front of me drowned out all other noises.

Finally, it’s quiet.

Finally, those terrible noises are gone…

…Still, it would be nice if it were quieter.

I want this heartbeat to be closer.

It wasn’t difficult. Han Gan’s heart was spacious enough to fully embrace me.

“Ever since you sprouted horns and stuff, you’ve become cuter somehow… Could this tail be your cuteness pocket…?”

… Now she’s just going wild.

Had I known this would happen, I should’ve let the Sajejang touch me too. That time, I unnecessarily put up a wall.

Sniffle sniffle. Sorry, Muna…

I apologized mentally to the Sajejang. Out loud, no way. Too tiring.

My eyelids are slowly drooping.

Since waking up in this uncomfortable place, I haven’t rested properly for even a moment, so it’s only natural.

I didn’t resist the wave of drowsiness.

With this heartbeat, I feel like I can finally rest.

“A-ah! No, wait! You’re not supposed to fall asleep…!”

A flustered voice and the sensation of being shaken woke me up.

As I was shaken, the heartbeat gradually faded from my ears.

Then, as if waiting for that, the absurd cacophony of screams, machine sounds, and explosions began gnawing at my whole body again.

… This is uncomfortable again.

No. This can’t be tolerated.

This thumping sound is the first comfort I’ve found since awakening here, even if it’s just the heartbeat of one slightly crazy human.

I won’t let it go.

I burrowed deeper into her arms, toward the heartbeat that scratched my nerves in a way nothing else could.

Thump, thump.

The heartbeat seems faster than before.

‘Hmm… Feels good, but why is he clinging so suddenly? Is this okay? Maybe I should just close my eyes and pet his tail…’

Gan Hana’s thoughts, too…

Though mischievous, they’re not overly negative.

No problems here.

I entrusted my weary body to the relentless beat and closed my eyes.

My consciousness drifted away.

“…No… Can’t… Orders… I’m dying…”

Hmm.

Didn’t she ask me not to fall asleep?

Eh, it’ll be fine.

Since meeting my human friends, I haven’t slept even once.

I’m still fulfilling her request.

Just closing my eyes, emptying my mind, and staying still, that’s all.

Dragons don’t sleep.

Hehe. Nyaa.

—–

Unreal Super-High-Risk Entity detected. Full-scale containment and weakening protocols initiated. Evacuate immediately.

“Damn it. Is IF-684 losing control again? That insane lizard chick is getting tiresome.”

“The ‘Siegfried’ unit reported that IF-684 is currently regenerating quietly.”

“Not that? Then what is it? IF-890 is stable too…”

“Shouldn’t we evacuate IF-017 first? If anything happens to him, we don’t know how headquarters will react…”

“It’s not possible. We haven’t identified the cause yet, and IF-401 isn’t ready. You know what material IF-017’s isolation chamber is made of. Taking him out of the chamber might be more dangerous.”

Amidst the chaos of the 4th Research Institute trying to identify the sudden activation of the automatic interception device for super-high-risk entities,

a black-haired woman in a red spacesuit ran down the hallway.

Currently demoted to Gamma Rank due to unfortunate involvement in an unpleasant incident, Giselle Hartmann was once an elite among elites, responsible for IF-017 research.

She entered IF-017’s isolation chamber with tension, as her junior, Gan Hana, was undoubtedly conducting experiments there and hadn’t received the evacuation order.

‘This foolish junior… Even if it’s serious, I can’t abandon her.’

And now,

“Uwaaah, Senior! Help me! What should I do in a situation like this?!”

Giselle deeply felt the limits of her knowledge upon receiving this desperate question from Gan Hana.

No matter how she rubbed her eyes, the mysterious sight remained unchanged, making her doubt her own vision.

The fact that Gan Hana’s lab coat looked like it might burst open was indeed surprising.

It was a common sight, so Giselle would’ve dismissed it as Gan Hana probably saying something silly like “The cafeteria buffet was too delicious!” and moved on.

Had it not been for the small deer antlers poking out behind Gan Hana’s head.

And if there weren’t white feathers peeking out from the coat and strange feet visible below.

And if IF-017 hadn’t vanished ghost-like from the isolation chamber.

“I’m gonna die from the heat…”

“No. No, no, no. Just a moment…”

Giselle voiced the only possibility that came to her mind.

“… Surely you don’t mean that IF-017 is inside that coat?”

“Hehe…”

Giselle slapped her forehead in frustration at Gan Hana’s silly laugh.

It annoyed her even more that she couldn’t scold her for blatantly ignoring regulations due to her own status.

“Just put it down, then.”

Upon hearing Giselle’s words, Gan Hana hesitated before unbuttoning her coat.

IF-017, with newly grown horns, wings, and a tail, was curled up in her arms, its tail wrapped around Gan Hana’s waist, sound asleep.

“IF-017 won’t let go… It was getting hard to hold him, so I stuffed him inside the coat.”

“My Lord, oh my…”

Based on her experience, Giselle thought rationally.

On the surface, it seemed peaceful, but according to her expertise, this could indicate absorption at best, or assimilation at worst.

Especially considering the changes like horns, wings, and tails appearing where they shouldn’t.

She’d seen something similar with IF-017-1 before but assumed it was unrelated to IF-017 itself. But clearly, that assumption was wrong.

After losing her words momentarily, Giselle managed to speak.

“… We need to call someone…”

“Yes, yes?! But… Can we resolve it here?”

“Eh? Of course, we need to call someone…”

“If people find out that I noticed the increase in IF-017’s cuteness points and didn’t report it but just touched him…”

What?

Does she not realize the danger to her own life?

Isn’t this the kind of situation where IF-017 could easily crush her ribs?

Does this junior even know that IF-017 is classified as a top-tier unknown phenomenon?

“… Sigh.”

How should I handle this scatterbrained junior? And I can’t suppress her rank for a while now.

Giselle felt her fading dark circles from working 12-hour shifts after being demoted to Gamma Rank coming back stronger than ever.