NOVEL NEXT “Is this really going to be okay?”
Sophia asked with a worried voice, looking at the girl sitting across from her.
Originally, she was heading to a fancy dessert shop, but due to some inexplicable whim of the girl, they found themselves inside a typical fast-food joint.
Now, instead of the delightful treats the girl adored, they were faced with an average burger that seemed a world away from elegance.
“Why?”
“Well, it’s just that the food here isn’t exactly great. It might not suit Nine’s taste at all.”
“It’s fine. I won’t leave any behind.”
“Ah, no. It’s not that you shouldn’t leave food uneaten…”
The girl brushed off Sophia’s concern and awkwardly unwrapped the burger.
Crinkle, crinkle, the wrapper tore apart in layers.
Before long, on the tray in front of her lay a mess of torn wrappers and a very appetizing-looking burger.
“Hmm.”
Nom, the front of the burger went straight into the girl’s mouth.
The rich smell of bread, the juicy patty’s flavor, and the crunch of the lettuce spread in her mouth.
The girl diligently chewed, savoring the nostalgic taste slowly.
Eventually swallowing, she expressed her thoughts on the meal she hadn’t had in a long time.
“…Is it okay? Is it good?”
“Yep. Tasty.”
“Ugh, I’m feeling complicated. I mean, if it makes Nine happy, that’s what matters…”
Splat, Sophia’s face flopped onto the table, her expression looking somehow sad.
Well, it was bound to be that way.
She hadn’t planned to come to a common fast-food restaurant with the girl at all.
Sure, the girl’s expression while biting into the burger was undeniably cute, but deep down, she wished to see her sparkling eyes indulging in expensive sweets instead.
Nom.
Again, the girl took a small bite of the burger.
Honestly, a fancy dessert would undoubtedly be much more delicious than a burger like this.
No matter how long it had been, a burger was just a burger.
Yes, it was a taste she longed for, familiar yet not tear-inducing in its deliciousness.
However, for some unknown reason, the moment the girl saw the fast-food joint’s sign, she instinctively stopped in her tracks.
She knew the shop she was originally heading for would be much more satisfying, yet she felt overwhelmed by an indescribable emotion.
Like being enchanted, she ended up entering this place.
“….” Munch
Turning her head, the scenery outside the restaurant came into view.
Lovers pausing to admire the fancy display windows, young people laughing as they huddled together, tired housewives carrying heavy shopping bags—
The mingled expressions of various people were what the girl had yearned for all along.
Seeing the familiar yet nostalgic sights and people reminded her that she had returned to her hometown.
She found herself staring blankly at the scenery, completely forgetting that she was even chewing her food.
“What are you looking at?”
Something soft touched the girl’s lips.
It was Sophia’s handkerchief, trying to wipe the food from her mouth.
“Were you looking at that family over there?”
“Uh-huh, well… I just happened to.”
“Haha, what a lovely family. I sometimes feel envious when I see them like that.”
Sophia turned her gaze to the spot where the girl had been looking.
In the sea of people, a man and woman were walking alongside a small child, looking like the picture of a happy family— Sophia smiled warmly at this sight.
“Do you still not remember anything? Like, memories with your family?”
“Well… I’m not sure. And even if I had a family, I’m not sure how important that is.”
The girl’s casual response slipped out a bit darker than intended.
Of course, she wouldn’t want to refuse if someone asked if she wanted to meet her family.
For most people, it was only natural to seek out the parents who gave them life when they felt lonely.
And for the girl, who had lived far away for a long time, that rule was no exception.
But after returning to her hometown, ironically, the girl could now make an unemotional assessment of her situation.
Conflicted by the fact that she couldn’t fully trust the Management Office and the changes in her body since then, her feelings of eagerness to meet her family were now overshadowed by anxiety.
While she could easily meet them if she wanted, she was unable to take that step.
“Huh? What do you mean? Isn’t family important?”
“But what if my family isn’t looking for me? Maybe I’ve changed so much they wouldn’t think of me as family anymore.”
“That can’t be! No family would not look for someone as adorable as Nine. Families don’t want to be apart in the first place!”
Obviously, the girl felt frustrated because she couldn’t explain this to anyone else.
Many loved her back at Base 17, but she was all too aware that others outside didn’t feel the same way.
If any information regarding her family were to leak out, someone might try to control or blackmail her through them.
Needless to say, that was not something the girl was keen on.
“…But Sophia, you don’t go to see your family either. You’re always at the same place.”
The girl felt a bit spiteful toward Sophia, who was spouting general opinions without knowing the circumstances.
Even though she could see her family anytime, she made no effort to step outside her workplace.
“Ah— well, that’s unavoidable. It’s a bit difficult for me to see my family.”
Upon hearing this, Sophia awkwardly smiled as if she had a hard time bringing up something personal.
Oh, it was clear—it was probably due to her not getting along well with her parents or having had a fight they hadn’t resolved for a long time.
If it came down to truly being forever apart, such petty squabbles would seem trivial.
“Why?”
“Um, well…”
Sophia scratched her head, hesitating to answer the girl’s questioning gaze.
A brief silence followed.
Then she began speaking lightly as if the news were something minor.
“Well… they all passed away a long time ago.”
At that moment, words filled with a gravity that did not appear light to anyone slipped from her mouth.
“….”
Silence.
A silence much longer than before ensued.
In this heavy atmosphere, the girl froze, unable to chew the burger she was munching on.
Finally swallowing the half-eaten burger in a rush, she looked at Sophia with a rare expression of embarrassment and remorse.
“S-Sorry…”
“Oh no, it’s okay. You don’t have to apologize. After all, my parents passed away when I was so young that I can barely remember their faces.”
“…Do you have any other family?”
“There’s one. A younger sibling. She was just as cute and sharp as Nine.”
“Where is she now?”
“She’s missing. A long time ago.”
“….”
Once again, the pressing weight of silence bore down on the girl.
The question that was supposed to lighten the mood only dove her deeper into the minefield.
The girl felt the long-forgotten word ‘Taluula’ taking hold of her mind.
“You really don’t need to feel too sorry. It’s really okay.”
“No… still, I think talking about these things must be uncomfortable.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say it’s not uncomfortable at all, but… it’s still okay. I consider it a way to remember her.”
Sophia waved her hand gently, signaling it was fine.
Even if she had stepped on the mines twice in a row, she understood the girl didn’t have any ill intentions behind those words.
Instead, she seemed genuinely happy to share her story about her sibling and began briefly recalling her family.
“I don’t know what happened to her. Whether she’s alive or dead, or how she’s changed. Perhaps we crossed paths by chance while walking one day, and I didn’t recognize her as I just passed by…”
The younger sister from her childhood memories surfaced in her mind.
Of course, it was a long-ago memory, and the only photo remaining had faded, making it impossible for her to picture how her sister might have changed by now.
Yet, she had never given up hope that they would meet again someday.
“If she’s still alive, I would be very happy. No matter how she’s changed or what kind of person she’s grown into, she will remain my sister. Ever since she disappeared, I’ve always hoped to see her again.”
Perhaps she was unconsciously overlapping the girl with her lost sister.
Setting aside their appearances, the girl emitted a vibe very reminiscent of her sister from her childhood.
That was why she had given the earlier advice: to wish for the girl not to speak skeptically about family.
If her sister thought like the girl and wasn’t searching for her…
That would be unimaginably sad.
“Your family will feel the same way. Of course, I don’t know how or where you lived and grew up, but looking at you, I can’t help but think you had wonderful family members.”
“…Do you really think so?”
“Yes, definitely.”
With the girl’s softly asked question, Sophia responded with a conviction.
Though it was just a simple one-word answer, sometimes a single sentence held tremendous strength.
“And if, by chance, something were to go wrong with your family, I’ll be here…”
As she spoke, Sophia’s hand reached out to the girl’s head.
The gentle touch stroked her hair.
If it were the usual girl, she would shake off that hand immediately. This time, however, she didn’t seem to have any intention of doing so.
“Therefore, don’t be too downcast. A smiling face looks much prettier than anything else.”
After patting the girl’s head for a while, Sophia withdrew her hand and brought it to her own mouth, making a light smiling gesture.
“…Yes, thank you.”
The girl stared at her and then, she too graced her face with a small smile.
“Okay, then where shall we go next?”
After finishing their light meal at the fast-food joint, the two stepped back outside and wandered the streets, deciding on their next destination.
“I don’t know. Can you recommend something, Sophia?”
“Me? Hmm… How about the aquarium?”
“The aquarium?”
“Yes. It’s a place where you can see tons of fish without having to get in the water.”
As the girl tilted her head at the mention of the aquarium, Sophia gave a brief description of the place.
Of course, the reason she tilted her head wasn’t that she didn’t know what that place was, but she chose not to say that aloud, giving her a positive answer instead.
“Sure. Let’s go.”
“Alright then. Shall we head this way?”
With a place in mind, she started leading the girl somewhere.
After a short walk, they arrived at a staircase leading underground. Sophia took the girl’s hand as they carefully descended the stairs.
“If we go down here, there’s something called a train. It might feel a bit cramped, but it’ll take us very quickly.”
Sophia seemed like a guide, explaining everything around them in detail.
Yet, for some reason, the people around them seemed to view her as a curious person and didn’t understand her intentions.
Unbeknownst to her, she continued explaining diligently to the girl.
“Oh, by the way, after we’re done at the aquarium, where shall we go next? I think we’ll still have plenty of time, so if you don’t have a place in mind—”
It was just past lunchtime, and it was evident they’d have time left after their outing, so she intended to decide on their next destination in advance.
She turned to ask the girl her thoughts but—
“…Huh?”
The girl who had just been firmly holding on to her hand had completely vanished.
“Nine…?”
Sophia looked around.
However, she couldn’t find the girl anywhere; around her were only the rushing crowd of people heading for the subway.
Tap, tap
Tap, tap
The sound of small footsteps echoed around.
In the underground passage filled with blue lights, despite the spacious area, there wasn’t a single shadow of a person, creating an eerily desolate atmosphere.
Aside from the footfalls heard earlier, a dreadful silence lingered, presenting nothing but haunting calm.
“Sophia?”
Again, the girl’s voice resonated through the vast underground.
Her voice traveled far, echoing eerily, yet still, no one responded.
“…Where in the world is this?”
Alone in the empty underground passage, the girl’s bewildered voice echoed throughout the vast expanse.
—
Notice
Recently, strange sightings about the underground passage have begun to emerge from all over the world.
Upon contact with witnesses, it was confirmed that those who experienced the phenomena reported uniformly about the endless underground passage.
The Management Office deemed this an abnormal phenomenon and began securing it, but they have yet to come into contact with the anomaly even once.
Thus far, they have not gathered any clues to study or investigate the occurrence.
The phenomenon seems to connect to subways in various locations worldwide, and the Management Office has not yet found a way to contain this anomaly.
All staff must exercise great caution when using the underground passage, and if you experience this abnormal phenomenon, please follow the instructions below.
1. If you discover anything strange in the underground passage, keep moving forward.
2. If you encounter any abnormal or peculiar phenomena, immediately turn back the way you came.
3. Do not speak to any entities, including humans.
4. If that entity addresses you, turn back immediately.
5. If you reach Exit 7, escape through it.
Once again, the Management Office reports that they have not found a method to contain this anomaly, nor a way to even come into contact with it.
All employees must exercise extreme caution when using the underground passage, and in the event of encountering this anomaly, please be sure to remember the above instructions.