Chapter: 106. Report (1)
Tap tap tap tap tap.
The repetitive sound of something knocking against the wall resonates in my ears.
“Haram! Wake up! Poyo!”
“Umm… My body feels fine, but… what’s going on?”
As I opened my eyes amidst the commotion, a white furball blocked my view.
“Haram! Wake up!”
Tap tap tap tap.
The source of the incessant knocking was Unho, tapping my head.
That part wasn’t too bad. Unho’s taps didn’t hurt, and there was a sense of urgency in the air.
However, with my head continuing to shake in my drowsy state, irritation started to bubble up.
“Shut up.”
I waved my hand to try and swat away the noise maker above me.
Poyooo!
The noisy Unho flew across the room, letting out a long poyo while only the calm Oxymoron remained by my side.
“You’re awake.”
Of course. It was no big deal.
“How much time has passed?”
“About 10 minutes.”
Fortunately, the flow of time seemed to differ between here and there. From there, it was roughly… 17 hours, maybe? If that much time passed, I almost wasted it.
“What happened?”
“Before that, let me ask one thing.”
“Alright. It’s the therapist’s job to answer the patient’s questions too.”
Therapy? No need to make such a fuss.
“Have I been here the whole time? Or did I disappear somewhere and come back?”
That was the most important point. If I had moved, there would be a chance of regaining my original body.
“You’ve been here the whole time. Just…”
“Just what?”
“You said, ‘I found it,’ and then went straight under the covers.”
What the heck is that?
I don’t remember doing that. In fact, it wasn’t something I said but rather the words I heard.
Anyway, I may have done something odd, but it means I didn’t disappear.
“Then it was just simple mental magic.”
What a shame.
Even though I’ve almost given up now, there are times I still wish to return at least once.
“Mental magic? Could you explain that part in detail? Oh, and what thoughts are currently coming to your mind?”
Oxymoron, upon hearing my words, cheerfully smiled and pulled out a folder and a pen from somewhere.
“Why? Are you planning to show me the standard markings for dealing with the mental realm?”
“Of course! If not now, when would I get the chance to do this with you, old man?”
That’s true.
Due to the strength of the mental barrier, I hardly ever got to experience something like this.
I have some experience with it, but it seems like Oxymoron is also looking forward to it, so I might as well give it a shot.
It’d be faster to think together than to just think alone.
“Hold on.”
I pulled myself up from the bed, sat on the edge, crossed my legs, and opened my mouth.
“Let’s get started.”
“I’d personally prefer if you stayed lying down.”
No thanks.
“This isn’t a mental consultation. Let’s talk face-to-face.”
“I’ll be looking at the chart, you know.”
She is so noisy.
“So what’s the question again?”
“What have you experienced?”
“Is that the first question?”
“It’s what the asker wants to know.”
Is that so? Well, it wasn’t exactly set in stone.
“Hmm… what should I say?”
“Take your time. You’re the patient, after all. There’s no rush.”
What are we doing, really?
“Maybe I should light some incense and play some classical music.”
“I’ve already lit the incense. Classical music is a no-go.”
Ah, the scent wafting through my nose was from the incense. I thought it was just the nurses carrying around flowers all the time.
“Right. Regarding what happened…”
As I pondered over that question, various thoughts flooded my mind.
Those 46 years spent in that world—46 years of no incidents whatsoever.
There was a continuous cycle of conflict, hatred, and discrimination, but a world without the otherworld.
…Oxymoron, let me ask you one thing.
“You mentioned that earlier. So please don’t say such things. Just ask your question. The exchange of words is important, you know.”
Was she completely immersed in her role as a therapist or something?
Did she once find ordinary doctors fascinating?
“Can you imagine a world without the power of the otherworld?”
“I’ve grown up in a generation with the power of the otherworld as far back as I can remember, so I wouldn’t really know.”
Is that so?
“I’ve been to such a world. It might have been that a perfect simulation was impossible—it was somewhat monotonous, but…”
“Hmm. So you fell victim to the mental realm. Was losing your memory due to that?”
“Indeed.”
The moment I heard the sound of ‘caught you,’ my consciousness was there.
“Were you in your current form? Or…?”
Unho struggled to get my question out.
“Don’t stutter; I was male. If I hadn’t become a magical girl and just aged normally, I probably wouldn’t look like this.”
“That thin appearance?”
“Not that! That must have been the influence of being a magical girl, making me androgynous.”
It did show signs of being male, but now it mattered little.
In fact, it might have been easy for me to deny myself because of that. I was so different from the image of the man I knew.
“It’s hard to imagine. Does that mean you ended up like Infinite Architect…?”
“That would be way too old.”
Isn’t that extremely polarizing?
“Hmm… then, the next question. How was that world?”
“What do you mean ‘how?’ What are you asking?”
“Just personal impressions of the world you experienced.”
“Why? Is that really that important?”
Whether it’s magic, fantasy, or something akin to the otherworld, what happened there was just a simple dream.
When I wake up and reflect on it, it’s a dream with no consistency and lacking fine details. That’s why the Association tells us not to dwell on those details. If it were a terrible memory, the mental burden could be too heavy, and it might become reality through the residue in the mind.
It’s best to shake it off and forget.
Yet Oxymoron is deliberately asking me about it.
“I can guess what you’re thinking. You’re probably wondering why I’m asking for details on something that could be forgotten so easily.”
I nodded quietly.
“However, senior, didn’t you bring up that world before I did?”
As I slowly started to retrieve my memories, I realized I had, indeed, started the conversation.
“Dreams, illusions, mental magic. These are all unstable things constructed through the memories of the subject or caster. But even knowing that, you still opened up about it.”
“Does that imply that something about that world is troubling you, and I want to know about it?”
Me? Being troubled by that monochrome, chaotic, and inefficient world?
…Let’s move on to the next question.
“Are you truly okay with that?”
She sounded concerned, even if she didn’t directly voice it.
Oxymoron hadn’t initiated the topic, but it felt as if she was subtly urging me to address it herself.
Maybe, as she said, it’s something I should be concerned about.
Still, it’s not necessary.
“Next question.”
“I must respect the patient’s opinions. How are you feeling right now?”
The question they should have asked the moment I woke up is being posed now. That’s amusing. So, how do I feel right now?
…I felt fresh earlier, but now it’s like I’m stuck in a fog.
“Why is that? Isn’t that usually the opposite?”
Why?
“Thinking about that world made my head complicated.”
“You seem to be particularly sensitive about it. Even now…”
“Let’s drop that and continue.”
“Yes. Yes.”
The response was lethargic.
Did Oxymoron pout a little since I wasn’t complying with her?
“What’s your name?”
“Haram.”
“And what’s your hero name?”
“Crimson Hammer.”
“You’ve been mentally dominated. Rest up and come to the interrogation room when you’re coherent again.”
What the heck?
…Crimson Hammer.
I truly don’t understand why I can’t bring myself to change this.
“Can you recite the code, including the key code and the mental verification algorithm?”
“How do you know the key code is correct?”
It’s a random code based on specific combinations, so it shouldn’t be verifiable.
“One of the developers is here, do I need to remind you? Through the verification code, you can perform a certain degree of reverse calculation.”
“Oh, I see.”
This is why those developers…
“The key code is 284986.”
It’s been a while since I spoke it out loud.
“Here is 284986, and the location is 284986.”
“I am 284986, you are 284986.”
“My actions are 284986, and your actions are 284986.”
“The current location is 284986, and the current time is 154….”
“A discrepancy in the perception of time has been discovered. Please continue.”
Are they really penetrating my mental barrier?
My mental barrier?
…What I need to do is 284986, the next task is 284986…
Once an error popped up, I dove into verifying every little detail.
Fortunately, it seems like only my sense of time was skewed, so there wasn’t much of an issue.
“Well… it seems there’s only a discrepancy with my sense of time.”
Click. Click.
The sound of the pen clicking.
Oxymoron seemed surprised that my mental magic had worked, creating a slightly anxious atmosphere.
“Should I take a look inside your head?”
…A simpler method?
“A simpler method, huh… Could you lower your mental barrier for a moment? You can leave important secrets as they are.”
“Did you know I could use mental magic? Your way of speaking is so…”
“There’s always a method. Oh, and please loosen your entire body.”
Loosen my entire body and lower part of the mental barrier.
If Oxymoron wanted, she could turn me into a complete wreck.
But I followed her instructions and relaxed my body quietly.
That’s Oxymoron for you.
She’s the one who hid the Black Marauder and has fought countless times by my side. If I can’t trust her, who can I trust?
Thanks to my body being relaxed, my shoulders and hands drooped.
Just as I lifted my head to gaze at Oxymoron, her forehead suddenly pressed against mine.
As she removed her gas mask, the remnants of her injuries met my gaze.
“Hold still.”
The moment she said that, a pain jolted through me.
In my head,
a short
prickling sensation spread out, like something was rearranging in my mind. It was a bizarre feeling that instinctively bred a sense of rejection.
However, I quietly entrusted my body to her.
I merely felt the warmth radiating from her forehead.
“Yes, it’s all done.”
“I think there were many markings that reflected personal desires.”
Such as those related to the student.
Or the appearance of the Black Marauder’s outfit.
Or my body weight.
Why would she ask about those?
“I’m only asking because they’re all necessary. Through the key code verification algorithm, I can find thinking errors, but I can’t do anything about memory gaps.”
“Is that so?”
“I’m showing you all this out of affection. Normally, this would only take a few minutes, but here we are.”
“Right, right.”
I said that and got up from the bed, heading inward.
“Where are you going?”
“I need to finish my tasks for today. I’m going to check the patients’ conditions.”
“You could rest a while.”
The longer I rest, the more difficult report writing will be.
“What kind of big deal is there that I need to take a break? I could’ve rested yesterday.”
“If you think that way, I suppose it’s no concern for me.”
She said so and rose from her spot, returning the folder and pen she was holding somewhere, while also extinguishing the aroma that had been flickering beside the bed.
Watching her slow yet natural movements, a strange thought popped into my head.
“Before it ends, just one more question.”
“You don’t need to ask that.”
“Is there ever a moment you wished this world wouldn’t end up a mess?”
Why is that?
The question I told her not to ask about the world in the illusion slipped out.
Perhaps it surfaced because I recalled her past, as I felt close to her.
Maybe not.
In that world, Oxymoron could have grown up normally and could be doing psychological counseling like she is now…
I’m happy just as it is. That way, you might suffer less, but…
“Why’s that?”
“Because then you wouldn’t meet me.”
“Oh, and everyone else.”
Right.
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