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“I was supposed to be playing with the kids at the beach today.”

At least, that was the plan until I ran into those guys in black suits.

“Didn’t you say we’d only have to do this on the last day?”

After just finishing the exhausting training, I couldn’t help but grumble at that cowardly demeanor after seeing their smug faces.

Maybe I was just too excited about playing today, like the other days before.

As soon as Ageha spotted the black suits outside the training ground, her face twisted in disgust.

But unlike last time, they didn’t completely block my way. At least I knew they weren’t a threat to me.

“Well, uh… according to the original schedule, we shouldn’t have had to, but since the main office rushed things a bit… it looks like you’ll have to do it today.”

It was hard to tell if they were genuinely in a hurry or just making excuses. But I decided not to get angry.

After all, there’s no point in taking it out on a low-level grunt. It’s not like that would change anything in Heros Company.

They probably got notified just like me, so what good would it do to get mad at them?

“Looks like it’s set in stone, Ageha. We can’t do anything about it today. Can you let the kids know?”

I asked Ageha, who would have preferred to say it herself, but agreed to do it for me.

“Heros Company sure is treating Blanca pretty harshly, don’t you think?”

They really are pushing her around. They’re tearing apart everything inside without a care.

“Yeah, it kinda feels that way. But what can we do? If the one with the leash tells you to, you have to follow. I’m not sure how long it will take… but I’ll let you know as soon as it’s over.”

The black suits didn’t even react when they overheard us trash-talking about their company.

Maybe they at least know that what they’re doing isn’t exactly wholesome.

Rushing them along so we could leave quickly, I figured hanging out with the other kids would only make me want to avoid them more.

When they asked if they needed to change, I shot back asking if they thought that would be necessary, and they fell silent.

“I don’t know what it is, but please be careful.”

Instead of laughing off Ageha’s worry, I genuinely reassured her that I wouldn’t get hurt.

Even though I was sure things would wrap up quickly, I didn’t want to dismiss my friend’s concern like that.

Wiping the sweat from my brow, I followed the black suits. Wow, they even installed blackout curtains in the car. But if they’re doing that, shouldn’t they have taken our phones too?

About to question their oddly sloppy handling, I let it slide. I figured they must have some standards.

Thanks to that, I could freely check my phone while we drove.

As my friends bombarded me with questions about where I was headed, I explained that it was nothing serious and that I just had a quick matter to discuss with Heros Company.

Even while giving the same “it’s no big deal and I’ll be done soon” response as I did to Ageha, I couldn’t help but wonder if my task would really go that smoothly.

Looking back, it seemed like nothing ever went according to my plans.

…But surely, this time would be different, right?

Even as I muttered “there’s no way,” I couldn’t shake off a strange anxiety.

When we finally passed through security and reached a certain facility, the black suits mentioned that suspicious folks were gathered inside.

“Just a reminder, your job is to identify the Mimic inside.”

“I know, just let me go in and change into my work clothes.”

“Uh? Oh, right, I’ll wait outside.”

After shooing the suits away, I tossed off my training outfit and summoned the slime that had been waiting for a while.

It’s been ten days since I last brought it out…

Between training and playing with the kids, I hadn’t had a moment to use the slime. Not like it was pleasant-looking, anyway.

Once covered from head to toe in slime, I hardened into suit material and set off.

“Do I need to check everything inside?”

When I asked the black suits, they said it wasn’t necessary but I could search everyone if I found someone suspicious.

“Alright then, let’s say I found one. What do I do next? Kill it? Or bind it and hand it over to you guys?”

“Dispose of it on the spot. You may eliminate everyone if needed. Use your abilities as you see fit. It’s a closed environment, so no toxins will leak outside. When you’re done, come out. If you haven’t exited after an hour, we’ll incinerate the building.”

They must really be scared of the Mimics. I read the files, and honestly, I didn’t think they were that dangerous.

Thinking of how to benefit the Liberators with the Mimics, I stepped inside the building.

My eyes wide open, I scanned everything around me.

Mimics could take the form of living things, inanimate objects, or something in between, so anything was fair game.

As I approached a guard who asked who I was, I scanned them, along with some makeshift iron bars and researchers backing away, asking who I was.

Then, suddenly, I sensed a strangely familiar aura from one of them.

What am I supposed to call this feeling? I’m not sure myself. Familiarity? A kinship vibe…? It was something hard to put into words.

“Is there… something wrong with me?”

But lacking concrete evidence, I figured I’d have to interrogate them while talking.

Just when I felt all the hairs on my body stand on end, pulling back in instinct, a researcher suddenly gaped as a black tentacle burst from her mouth.

If I had stood still, it would’ve definitely left a hole in my head.

The researcher, who had just been trembling in fear, was suddenly expressionless, clicking her tongue as she bit off her own tongue.

The severed black tentacle, like a spring, morphed and lunged into a nearby researcher’s body.

“Huh? Ugh, ah, no, agh, aaaargh!!!”

The researcher who got penetrated writhed wildly on the floor, before going still and standing up unnaturally.

Ah-ha, so that’s why they were scared. I get it.

As soon as I grasped the situation, my body expelled VX gas while I kicked the researcher, who had just been lying down, into the wall.

I shot several pieces of my suit at the researcher pinned against the wall, turning the shards embedded in him into spikes that fixed him there.

Packing enough VX into the researcher’s mouth, I then began hunting for the now-missing Mimic.

Circling the building, I took out any remaining potential hosts, and eliminated any that were already infected.

Now only I and that Mimic remained alive in this building.

Well, “alive” might be a stretch—at least not in the sense of living organisms.

If it were a living creature, there’s no way it would survive in such a toxic environment.

Assuming that all the Suicide entities I’d encountered so far were actually those Mimics. They did choke and gasp when exposed to poisonous gas.

Besides, if the Mimic were affected by the VX gas, it would’ve killed this suit instantly.

With heightened senses, I pondered where they might ambush from if they were like that.

If they’re amorphous, they must be hiding in absurd places like a vent or sprinkler… pretty much just like now.

Dodging a tentacle that came at me like a shot, I grabbed it with all my strength.

But at that moment, I was enveloped by a strange sensation. It felt like I was tugging on a rope.

What was once trying to pierce through me suddenly felt like an extension of my own body.

The tentacle snapped and fled.

In my hand was only the tentacle that felt like an extension of me.

…Can I absorb this? More importantly, is it okay to absorb it?

I cautiously tried to absorb just a bit, but nothing happened.

If that’s the case, if I absorb it completely, wouldn’t that conclude the matter right there?

I might even be able to gather vital information about the Suicides from it.

“First, I have to find that thing…”

But I had no idea how to go about finding it, honestly feeling quite lost.

How could I possibly catch something moving around in the ventilation system and pipes?

Logically, it might make more sense to just go out and tell Heros Company to blow up the entire building.

It is a closed system, so surely they could manage that.

After mulling over whether to search or simply blow it up, it seemed that destroying it was the more sensible option.

Finding the Suicides wouldn’t change anything, and most importantly, I lacked confidence in catching them.

As I tried to leave the building, suddenly, a mass of slime spilled out from the vent, followed by a black amorphous blob shooting out.

In an instant, it morphed into a human shape and then promptly opened its mouth.

“Wow, this is really fascinating! It’s definitely my kin, yet the host has got the upper hand. Wait, has the host completely taken control?”

Cancel that. If it’s coming out on its own, there’s no reason to hesitate. I’ll absorb it, one way or another.

“At first, you were just an annoying girl, but life is pretty amazing. New things keep appearing for exploration! Oops, caught you there.”

I didn’t understand the principle, but the second I grabbed the slime, I felt my willpower devour that Mimic.

In an instant, the Mimic, minus its core, was completely overtaken, and even its core vibrated as it continued talking.

“It’s okay… I’m coming too…?”

What’s that supposed to mean?

I crushed the core, slaying the Mimic, while prying into the memories and thoughts that spilled out.

Location of the fracture creation, terminal number 125.

What could that even mean?

After absorbing enough slime to replenish what I lost, I tossed the spilled Mimic out and stepped outside the building.

Then I realized what they meant by the location of the fracture creation.

Just like the day when the outskirts were attacked, a purple fracture had appeared all over the sky.

 

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