NOVPUB"Please, just go outside already!"
It had been about a week since I was placed in this containment room.
Carol, wearing a troubled expression, was now pleading with me to step outside.
I had no idea why, so I asked,
"Wait. Aren’t you guys the ones who don’t want me to go outside?"
"Yes, but if you never want to leave at all, the deal doesn’t work! You need to desire freedom for us to even attempt making 'requests' of you!"
Oh.
So because I had no real interest in leaving, they couldn’t ask me for anything.
After all, my basic needs—food, shelter, entertainment—were all taken care of in exchange for staying inside.
I had no reason to accept any of their requests because, frankly, I was perfectly content here.
"...That’s not my fault. Everything I need is here, right? There’s food, a place to sleep, and, most importantly, if you wanted me to long for freedom, you shouldn’t have put a computer in my room."
Carol opened her mouth to argue but, realizing I wasn’t wrong, switched to another complaint instead.
"Wait a second—are you eating instant noodles again?! I told you before, that’s not girly at all! A young lady should only eat cute and sweet things!"
She snatched the cup noodles from me and, without hesitation, picked me up.
This woman was way too comfortable touching me!
"I don’t care about your creepy preferences! Put me down!"
"Nope!"
"‘Nope’ isn’t an answer! You do realize you're completely ruining your elite image, right?"
Carol had spent a great deal of time flaunting her intelligence and wisdom as the head researcher.
At least... up until three days ago.
Barely a week had passed, and already, she was showing her true colors—pulling childish pranks, particularly on me.
"Aaaaaah! I’m not leaving unless you let me do an experiment!"
...This woman was blatantly violating our agreement.
And a grown adult throwing a tantrum like this? Was this really happening?
I sighed.
Carol immediately glanced at me, her lips curling into a victorious smirk.
It was infuriating.
Still, I didn’t want to make an enemy out of her—she was an important figure, after all.
"Fine. I don’t want to live like a complete sloth forever anyway."
"Really?!"
"It’s just a whim. Don’t expect this every time."
"Let’s start right away!"
...She wasn’t even pretending to listen to me.
"Alright, but only a small one. A very minor experiment."
"Of course!"
I had a bad feeling about this.
But, surprisingly, what she introduced me to didn’t seem dangerous at all.
It looked like... a normal basket.
"This experiment’s subject is P-888, also known as the Snack Basket. It’s classified as Unchained."
"Unchained... So it can’t be contained?"
"Not exactly. It just can’t be restrained.
Basically, it can’t be permanently locked up, but there are ways to hold it in place temporarily... sort of.
Honestly, the classification system is vague sometimes."
That was vague.
But at least it didn’t seem dangerous.
Even though I had become a demon, I hadn’t really used my powers much, so I had no grasp on my actual strength.
If it had been an Unchained entity with lethal abilities, it would have been a real hassle.
Anyway...
"Hmm... But why is it labeled as ‘P’? I’m ‘D.’"
P-888. D-888. The numbers were even similar.
"That’s because you’re a demon. This is an anomalous entity."
"I don’t see why they need to be separate."
"I don’t know either."
I barely resisted the urge to comment that her position seemed completely useless.
Regardless, I had agreed to the experiment.
I stood a fair distance from the Snack Basket.
"It looks just like a regular basket. It’d be hard to tell the difference."
"Structurally, it’s the same. It appears when people need snacks and provides them. It’s harmless, but since it teleports, it got classified as Unchained."
"Huh... I see."
So the reason they could contain it, even temporarily, was probably because it could only teleport to the closest person.
Since there were a lot of people in the facility, they could just ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) return it to containment after it appeared.
But sometimes, by sheer coincidence, it must have teleported outside, which was why it was considered Unchained.
I stared at the basket.
Then, in my head, I thought—snacks. I want snacks.
"It’s reacting!"
In the blink of an eye, the basket teleported to my feet. Its previously open lid was now closed.
"Open it!"
"...Chocolate."
Carol leaned in to inspect it. She began jotting down notes.
"How ordinary. Let’s see... regular chocolate, not high-end but fairly decent. And convenience store candy... There’s a weirdly high amount of convenience store snacks."
"Well, most of what we’ve been eating lately came from convenience stores."
"...Excuse me?"
"Nothing. So, what’s the takeaway from this experiment?"
"That the effect applies to demons as well as humans. And, more importantly, I get to see adorable Alice eating sweet snacks."
"I’ll let that slide. Anyway, we’re done for today. I’m taking this."
"Sure, I don’t mind."
I grabbed a few chocolates and headed back to my containment room.
Then, a sudden thought crossed my mind.
I turned back to Carol.
"Hey. If there’s a ‘D,’ is there an ‘A’?"
‘D’ for Devil.
Carol paused.
Was it classified information?
Or did she just not know?
I was about to tell her she didn’t need to answer when she finally spoke.
"There isn’t."
For an organization dealing with all sorts of anomalies, that seemed odd.
And the certainty in her voice and expression unsettled me.
...
And then, a few days later—
"Aaaaaah! I’m not leaving unless you let me do an experiment!"
Crack.
My patience had reached its limit.
"Huh. Have we entered a time loop? Huh?!"
I was lying on the floor, and Carol was throwing yet another tantrum.
So, I did the logical thing.
I placed my foot on her stomach.
Of course, I had taken my shoes off. I wasn’t that cruel.
"Wait—!"
Thump!
"Do I look easy to you?! I let you off the hook too much!"
Carol let out a groan as I pressed down on her.
Even a small, soft foot could be painful if it hit the right spot.
But my frustration hadn’t subsided.
The elite researcher I first met?
Gone.
All that remained was a pathetic worm writhing on the floor.
"Ack! Not the stomach!"
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
"If you think I’m going to fall for the same trick four times, you’re gravely mistaken! Take this! And this!"
Four times!
Four times I had been forced into experiments just because I ended up on the floor!
This woman had no sense of restraint!
"Agh! Aaaah! I didn’t mean to! It just slipped out! But wow, you really are a pushover—"
"Shut up!"
Whack!
"Ah♡"
"H-Hiiik! You psycho! Call James! Get James over here!"
I recoiled in horror and immediately stopped kicking her.
Carol, now groaning, sat up and dusted herself off before speaking.
"James is on another mission. There have been some troublesome organizations launching attacks recently. I do like him, but since he’s competent, I made sure to keep him busy."
"Other organizations?"
Oh, right. This was that kind of thing.
If this was an "organization" setting, then obviously—
This was about those Groups of Interest.
They always added flavor to these anomaly-related stories, layering factions and intrigue onto the world.
...Interesting.
"Mmm... It’s technically classified, but it’s a long story, so I’ll tell you later.
Or, would you like to see a related containment subject?"
"Wait, isn’t that still classified?"
"Oh, whatever. We’re comrades. Friends, right?"
Ah. Now I understood why she liked James.
She was just as loose-lipped as he was when it came to classified information.
Not that I was going to complain.
I shut my mouth and followed Carol.
"Here it is—confiscated from the ‘Workshop.’ D-1275-3, Safe-class. Nickname: Bladed Plank."
The Workshop.
That probably referred to a group that mass-produced anomalous objects.
"Hmm."
Unlike before, when Carol had brought an experiment directly into my containment room, this time we were speaking outside of it.
Which meant...
This thing was at least somewhat dangerous.
But D-1275-3, at a glance, was nothing more than a 1.5-meter-long wooden plank.
"It just looks like a piece of wood."
It was, quite literally, just a plank.
Even though it was called "Bladed," it had no sharp edges. Not even a splinter.
As I observed it with curiosity, Carol spoke.
"Wouldn’t it be more fun to test it yourself?"
"Hmm..."
I placed my hand on the plank.
Then—
"Ugh!"
The plank expanded, increasing in size, and blades suddenly sprouted from its wooden surface.
By the time it stabilized, it no longer looked like a simple board.
"What the hell is this?"
A wooden doll, completely covered in blades.
It gave off the impression of something designed to chop people into firewood.
"If it’s too dangerous, just step back!"
"No, it’s fine. If it’s just a doll covered in blades..."
I considered my options.
If this was just a simple combat automaton, then it wouldn’t hurt to test it as potential battle experience.
"Alright. Let’s give it a shot."
The wooden figure lunged at me with an oversized blade attached to its arm.
I caught it with my bare hand.
Screech!
With no recoil, the sudden stop must have strained its joints, because a grinding noise echoed from its body.
...Was this really all it had?
I ran a finger along the edge of the blade.
It stung.
"Sharp. This thing can cut."
Slice!
The automaton severed its own blade to escape my grasp and retreated.
Then, it increased the number of blades sprouting from its body, now resembling a giant, spiky hedgehog.
That was problematic.
Punching it now would hurt.
And then—
[Whisper, whisper, whisper...]
"...Who’s there?"
A chorus of murmurs surrounded me.
Telepathy? No, it felt different.
"Alice, who are you talking to?"
[Whisper, whisper, whisper...]
"You want to help me?"
I hadn’t expected to receive assistance from them.
"Alright. You’ll do just fine."
As soon as I spoke, a mirror materialized.
From its surface, a monstrous biped emerged—its entire body adorned with countless sharp kitchen knives.
It stood between me and D-1275-3.
"What is that?"
"This is a fear-based anomaly derived from the sharpness of kitchen knives. I guess it took an interest in another bladed entity."
"I didn’t expect you to have an ability like that! This is fascinating!"
"Screech..."
Clang!
The kitchen knife creature intercepted D-1275-3’s attack with its own blades.
Blocked, D-1275-3 attempted to strike at an opening.
But its opponent was not rigid—it was flesh, soft enough to take damage.
The kitchen knife creature’s body was starting to get torn apart.
However, as it dodged and countered, it finally found an opening—
With a swift swing, it slashed through D-1275-3’s core, dealing significant damage despite the plank’s bladed armor.
"Watching fights like this is fun. Easy to get drawn in.
The problem with VS battles is when they go too far, but if you keep them balanced, they’re great entertainment."
"Scree-eeeech!"
What had started as a close match ended decisively.
D-1275-3’s blades were now completely dull, unable to cause further damage. 𝓃ℴ𝓋𝓹𝓊𝓫.𝒸𝓸𝓂
Its opponent wasted no time.
It devoured the metal from D-1275-3 before shattering its wooden body entirely.
Then, it retreated back into the mirror.
"Thanks."
The creature gave a small bow before vanishing completely.
I turned toward Carol and stepped out of the containment area.
And then—
"Ah."
I saw Carol’s expression.
Hollow.
Despairing.
...Ah.
"That... wasn’t supposed to be destroyed."
"...!"
"I’m going to get chewed out for this... Oh well. At least I warned them."
Carol sighed, flashing me an awkward smile.
Ironically, it made me feel guilty.
I had to make up for this somehow.
But I had nothing to offer.
So I only had one option left.
"Um... I’ll help out next time too."
Carol’s face immediately brightened.
"Really? Thanks! This way, I won’t get completely wrecked!"
...
Alice had no idea.
No idea that there were identical wooden planks, numbered D-1275-1 through D-1275-300.
