Episode 7
I put the necklace into the pocket of my lab coat and said,
“Done.”
Then Alexis turned to look at me,
with an expression as if he had seen something unbelievable.
He walked slowly toward me and looked down at me as if I were some curious animal. Earlier, it had already been hard to meet his gaze, but now it was even harder. Having returned to a female body, I was shorter, and my build was much smaller.
“Your hair’s getting longer too.”
He lifted my hair and twirled it around his fingers. Despite having been washed with soap, it wasn’t frizzy—it was straight and smooth.
“Now, call me.”
“Ah, Alexis.”
“Mm.”
Maybe he wanted to see me obey him, like a cat hunting not out of necessity but for the fun of playing with a toy.
“Can I go back now?”
“No.”
Even though I did as he asked, why wouldn’t he let me go?
“Sit down.”
“Eh?”
“Sit.”
What exactly did he want from me?
I was too afraid to resist. I closed my eyes tightly and sat down on the floor, and he sat down next to me.
“Why are your eyes closed?”
“Ah…”
He held a strand of my hair in each hand. Not knowing what he intended, I stayed still, and he began to sort my hair as if it were a toy.
Then he started braiding it.
I watched, fascinated by his movements, and soon there were multiple braids—some thin, some thick.
I couldn’t help but stare blankly at the situation, and he smiled broadly.
“I needed long hair.”
“You could grow yours too, Alexis.”
“I can’t do whatever I want here.”
Even in the lab, hair was cut on a schedule. Those assigned to external missions would be even more strictly managed.
“You look pretty.”
I never thought he’d be skilled at handling hair. The braids were so neatly done that I couldn’t resist touching them, and he smiled.
“Phew, training is…”
“You don’t have to. I’m strong enough without it.”
“Ah, I see…”
As Alexis stared blankly at me, I had nowhere to look and kept my gaze downward.
Somehow, I felt like I had won his favor, and it made me uncomfortable.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
“You.”
“Yes! A-702!”
It was evening, and I was resting when a researcher appeared like an uninvited guest. At least I had enjoyed solitude during the lab’s early morning hours.
“Follow me.”
“Yes.”
The researcher, with bright red hair, looked somehow off-kilter. I wasn’t the only one called—A-888, Felix, also came out.
I had once thought he was the same A-rank as me, but now I knew he was Felix Magnolia, the undercover minor duke, and he no longer seemed the same as before.
Even the smile he wore when leaving the room didn’t look like that of a somewhat familiar friend.
“You two need to wash that beast.”
As the researcher scanned a card, the door opened.
Inside was someone who appeared not to have been experimented on—or at least not in the way I had been. Normally, an awakening agent would be administered before experiments, leaving their eyes unfocused, but not like this.
“Still conscious?”
Calisten’s words were harsh, as if his condition were severe.
I could roughly guess why he was so angry.
If he hadn’t been called out for an experiment, the wounds across his body were likely unrelated to experiments. The most likely culprit for inflicting such injuries would be the red-haired researcher standing before us.
“Can’t use your strength because of the restraints, yet you talk too much. Want another beating?”
“Tch.”
Calisten spat on the researcher’s face as he approached.
Then—
*Thwack!*
With a loud sound, the researcher’s head snapped to the side. He glared at the researcher as if unfazed, but I felt my knees go weak, almost passing out.
“Not opening your eyes properly?”
Even as the researcher shouted, Calisten simply glared.
Perhaps the reason he became so twisted was because of such abuse.
What if he loses control now?
“S-Stop it!”
I said as I threw myself around Calisten to stop the researcher’s kick. I hadn’t intended to sit down, but my legs gave out, and I ended up seated on the floor, holding him.
“Z-999, he… uh, he seems drunk on drugs or something…”
“Hah. You’ve already gotten attached just because someone brought you a meal?”
“Move!”
Calisten, looking flustered, shouted at me. His previously intimidating aura was gone, replaced by wide eyes as he yelled.
“Get away!”
“R-Researcher…”
I wanted to say something, but my body trembled, making it impossible.
“Let’s stop this.”
It was Felix who broke the tense silence.
“By the way, Researcher. I heard something the other day—you embezzled lab funds, right? The director was already looking for who skimmed the budget.”
“What? Where did you hear that?”
“I’m not probing, just asking for confirmation.”
“….”
“You secretly sold the lab’s drugs? And embezzled research funds from Building Z? Researcher Marten.”
Felix glanced at Calisten and me with a hint of amusement, then sighed and continued.
“You two can go wash up, and I’ll have a word with him alone.”
“Since when is this a threat?”
“Yes, it’s a threat. Will you come or not? If I don’t get my breakfast tomorrow morning, the other researchers will clean my room. Then, Researcher Marten, you’ll find a note about the embezzlement.”
The fact that he spoke such unpredictable words was shocking, but even more shocking was that he was helping me.
“They’re washing him to remove traces of the beating.”
“….”
“Hand the key to that kid and follow me.”
The researcher glared at him, then reached into his lab coat pocket. There was a ‘clatter’ as he dropped something on the floor—it sounded like coins.
“Good idea.”
Felix assessed him briefly, then led the way.
I couldn’t breathe properly until their footsteps faded completely. Once I caught my breath, I realized I had been crying pitifully.
“Ugh… s-sorry… sniff…”
I held him tighter, too ashamed to look at his face. For some reason, he didn’t resist.
Minutes passed in silence. Until I calmed down, he said nothing.
“A-702.”
“Mm…”
“Now let go.”
“Mm.”
I slowly separated from him, trying not to meet his eyes.
He wore a subtle expression.
“Y-You okay?”
“That’s not a question you should be asking.”
Calisten looked at me like a strange animal again. But unlike before, he seemed a bit softened.
“Are you stupid?”
“Mm.”
“Ha…”
I admitted it willingly, sensing he was about to say something mean. Then I snapped back to reality and laughed.
“Crazy? Why are you laughing?”
“Because you didn’t hit me.”
“I’ve already been hit a lot.”
“Oh… right…”
I knew it wasn’t a time to laugh, but I felt relieved he hadn’t gone berserk. I slowly picked up the keys from the floor and removed the restraints on his arms, waist, and legs.
The ability-suppressing necklace around his neck.
With it, even an exceptional Esper like him could do nothing.
A and B ranks like me didn’t wear it—there was no need, saving the lab budget.
Those who were already awakened and assigned to external missions didn’t need them either. Awakened individuals would die if they didn’t take sedatives.
Once awakened, they were permanently bound to the lab.
A leash was enough for an already leashed dog—no need for another.
“Z-999.”
“Calisten.”
“Huh?”
“Calisten—my name.”
Hearing him say his name, I somehow started crying again, so I smiled brightly to hide it.
“Hehe.”
“….”
“Calisten.”
“….”
“Calisten. I’m Ascelia.”
He sighed and stood up. I followed, and he began walking ahead. Despite having no cramps, he walked as if nothing had happened.
“What’s your relationship with that guy earlier?”
“Who?”
“A-888.”
“Oh, Felix? Friend.”
I couldn’t be sure if he was truly a friend, but at least he saved me this time.
“You like men?”
“Yes.”
“So… does that mean you like me too?”
“No.”
He stopped walking ahead. His broad back made even the plain lab coat look like a costly garment.
“I just like you, Calisten. As a person, I like you.”
Then he turned to look at me, wearing an expression I had never seen before.
