Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

As a child, Diana loved watching TV. The screen was always filled with fairy tales and thrilling adventures. She adored them—so much that she often daydreamed of being the characters in those stories.

Of course, being a lively, outgoing kid, Diana wasn’t content with just being a “damsel in distress” in her dreams. More often, she imagined herself as a knight, a brave adventurer. Fearless, she’d drape a bedsheet over her shoulders like a cloak, grab a broom, and swing at the pillows on the couch—pretending they were enemies to defeat.

Her parents would always laugh at her back then. “You’re a girl,” they’d say. “You won’t—you can’t—hurt anyone. Girls are pure, precious. You shouldn’t be someone who fights and harms others.”

Diana used to find those words annoying. She wanted to be herself, to go on adventures in worlds of dragons and magic—just like boys did.

But as she grew older and started school, she no longer saw that adventurous, evil-fighting girl as the person she wanted to be.

—She’d almost gotten herself killed. After “that incident,” all that lingered in her mind was a blurred memory.

Only a pair of purple eyes. And a daisy.

 

———

 

“Whoa… Eva, look at this.”

In the noisy break room, Diana held a strawberry milk carton in her mouth, scrolling through her phone. The screen showed photos of their classmates traveling during winter break—but that wasn’t the point. She barely knew most of these people. What was important was—

“Damon and Kai actually went to Australia.”

Her finger paused on a post from Kai’s secret account. In the photo, Kai wore a jacket and posed with a peace sign next to a kangaroo. No one was mentioned, but every organization member who saw it would know: the photographer could only be Damon.

“Hmm?” Eva pushed up her glasses and leaned over. “Ah, I bet that kangaroo hit Kai.”

“Huh?” Diana stared at the photo, seeing no sign the kangaroo was aggressive. “Why do you say that?”

“Damon texted me to complain about it earlier.”

“Ah…” Right. Eva and Damon were good friends—they kept in touch often. Even though Kai had clearly become Damon’s closest companion, the two still talked whenever they wanted.

Silence fell between them. Their undercover investigation at this high-tech company had yielded almost nothing. Eden allowed first and second-year students to intern here for extra credits, but the oppressive work environment left Diana drained. Every day, she dealt with her boss’s deliberate difficulties，senior colleagues’ arrogance, and competition with other interns. The only time she could breathe was when she chatted with Eva. How were they supposed to investigate like this?!

“Hey, have you watched that popular reality show lately?”

“Yep! Oh my gosh, it’s so good—it felt like I got to live as a French noble for a bit—”

Diana perked up, inching closer to eavesdrop on the receptionists’ conversation. Eva gave her a look and sighed, going back to her phone.

“Speaking of which, my favorite reality show is still Bouquets for You, right? The one from five years ago.”

“Totally! I still rewatch it sometimes. Ugh, why didn’t they make a final season?”

“Ah…” Diana’s mood soured at the mention of Bouquets for You. The show had aired when she was in second year of middle school and run until her second year of high school. Marketed as “100% real,” it followed the lives, loves, and conflicts of ordinary people in Sakura City—a fictional town. It had become a hit thanks to its 24/7 live broadcasts, where anyone in the city could be a “cast member.”

When the show first aired, Diana’s classmates would bicker over who was the “prettiest girl in Sakura City,” and girls would plan sleepovers to watch the live streams of the city’s top male “celebrities.” Everyone seemed to accept the show as normal. Only Diana found it terrifying.

24/7 live broadcasts? Setting aside how a city as big as Sakura City could accommodate nearly 100,000 people—didn’t the “cast members” know they were being watched by cameras everywhere? Thousands of people judging someone’s private life… Diana had never been able to sit through an episode of Bouquets for You, even when it was at the height of its popularity.

Then, last year—just as the show was supposed to end after its five-year run—it was suddenly canceled. Everything vanished overnight: official accounts, live replays, all deleted without a trace. Only fan-made clips and recordings remained. No “cast members” came forward to say, “I was on Bouquets for You,” and no staff spoke up. It was like the show had never existed.

At 17, Diana had just found it suspicious. But now, after being in the organization for over half a year, even she could tell something was wrong. Rumor had it this company—where they were now undercover—had sponsored the Bouquets for You crew back then… Diana slid back into her seat, absently biting her straw. Could this be the information Tozu wanted them to find?

“Learn anything useful?”

Eva set her phone face-down and pulled a lens cloth from her backpack to clean her glasses. Diana jumped at the sudden question, then hesitated before answering: “Uh, just them talking about TV shows. Nothing important.”

“…I think I heard ‘Bouquets for You’?” Eva breathed on her lenses. “That super popular live reality show from back then?”

“You watched it too?”

“Not really.” She fell silent for two seconds. “It just sounds familiar. The event before its supposed final season was all over the news… even Damon—who barely uses the internet—knew about it.”

What did it do with Damon? Diana thought to herself, then went back to biting her straw. She didn’t remember any “event,” but she’d stopped caring about the show by then, so she might have missed it.

Lunch break ended quickly, and it was time to get back to work. They gathered their things and said goodbye in the hallway—Diana headed to the design team, while Eva was assigned to the programming department. After nearly a month of undercover work, Diana had found nothing. But Eva had mentioned finding “something useful.”

“I sent it to you—check it when you get the chance,” she’d said one day.

Diana sat at her computer, staring at the unopened zip file, deep in thought. The design department was full of slackers and busybodies, so she dared not keep any suspicious organization-related files on her desktop. But now, with the Lunar New Year approaching, several of the most gossipy Chinese colleagues had gone home for the holiday. The break room was empty—finally, she had a chance to decrypt it.

While waiting for the file to unlock, Diana browsed phone cases on a shopping app. She’d noticed Eva’s case was almost worn out, and knowing Eva didn’t care about such things, she’d decided to pick one out for her. A few days earlier, she’d seen a new case collaboration between the British Museum and Egyptian themes—black and gold, perfect for Eva’s style.

“…Ah, done.”

She looked up to see the file had loaded. Diana clicked on the small .txt document, confused: Why encrypt such a tiny file? And with three layers of passwords? Eva might just be overly cautious, but this seemed excessive.

That thought vanished once she read the content. It was an investigation report Eva had written, typed up between undercover tasks—some sentences were jumbled and messy.

“Found a file named “Android CR204” on my boss’s computer. Needs a password to unlock. It seems they’re really producing some artificially modified AI robots here.

“Also, went through the recycling bin. Pieced together shredded paper that said “Recovery Project.” Not sure what it means—needs further investigation.

“Finally, waiting for a chance to use the virus program “Spider” gave me to hack the CEO’s computer. If I haven’t sent you a second zip file, I haven’t found an opportunity yet.

The three sentences seemed to say nothing—but to Diana, who’d grown familiar with the design department, the two terms mentioned weren’t secrets. What surprised her was how casually they talked about these things that should have been top-secret.

“Android.” It was one of the company’s long-running projects—their goal was to develop AI robots nearly identical to humans, to be used in various fields. Rumors claimed they’d already been deployed across society, undetected. Their silicone “brains” contained a chip that served as their power source. Implanting this chip in a human was said to enhance brain processing and thinking abilities—but there were supposedly drawbacks…

In any case, the rumors were unconfirmed, but Android development was real. Diana glanced at the project list on the whiteboard—one entry was “Design UI for new AI website,” which seemed more like a test for Androids.

As for the “Recovery Project”? She wasn’t sure. The department’s biggest gossip had mentioned it was to retrieve early AI chips, since current chip production couldn’t keep up with demand… There were so many scattered bits of information. If only she could connect them into a single thread…

“Diana? The CEO wants to see you.” A colleague she barely knew called out. Diana snapped out of her thoughts, nodded, straightened her clothes, and walked to the CEO’s office.

Please don’t give me more work… Please let it be a bonus or something…

“Ah, Diana. Have a seat.” The CEO wasn’t the stereotypical bald middle-aged man—she was a sharp, capable woman in her 40s. She pointed to the chair across from her desk.

Great, doesn’t look like a bonus. Diana frowned, sitting down reluctantly.

“You know why I called you here.” The CEO pulled out a document and flipped it open. “As an intern specially recruited from Eden Academy, you’re talented—and you have strong leadership skills.”

“The company plans to send a group of interns to headquarters for an observation period. If you pass, you’ll be offered a full-time position there.” She turned the document toward Diana. “I want to recommend you. Is that okay?”

“…That’s fine.” Diana took the document and scanned the terms to avoid being tricked. It seemed normal, but she couldn’t help asking: “Who’s being sent from the computer department?”

“…Not sure.” The CEO pushed a ballpoint pen toward her. “I think it’s another student from Eden.”

So Eva got an offer too… Diana forced an apologetic smile. “C-Can I think about it? The school dorm is far from headquarters…”

“Of course. Let me know by tomorrow.”

For the rest of the workday, Diana was distracted. Working at headquarters? It might let her get the information Tozu wanted—but it could also put her in greater danger… She’d have to discuss it with Eva later, she thought, opening her messaging app.

Diana: Hey guys, what are you up to?

Damon: Lying in the hotel

: Some Outer God attacked someone—doing first aid

Kai: Don’t make it sound like I’m dying

Damon: You’ve been nosebleeding for half an hour

: ^ ^

Kai: .

Diana: Uh, are you guys okay?

Kai: Yeah, just got ambushed

: Gonna fight back tomorrow (♯｀∧´)

Damon: Anyway, that’s the gist

: Where’s Eva? How’s things on your end?

…Diana organized her thoughts, typing and deleting before finally sending:

Diana: Think some people are playing “Werewolf” with humans. The werewolves are AIs.

After a minute, only Kai replied.

Kai: ?

Diana huffed and closed her phone. Ugh—she’d thought her analogy was clever, but they didn’t get it! So annoying. Eva would’ve laughed.

The only consolation was that Eva later saw the group chat and said, “It’s a pretty accurate description,” on their walk back to the dorm. Eva was the best… Diana thought, completely forgetting about the headquarters offer.

 

———

 

“Ah, so you’re going too.”

Diana remembered the offer at breakfast the next day and immediately asked Eva. Eva paused mid-coffee-pour, glanced at her, and nodded. “If we can access the research institute’s information directly, it’ll be better.”

“Hmm… Isn’t it weird?” Diana rested her chin on the table, poking her toast with a fork. “Damon and Kai are fighting Outer Gods, and we’re hunting for robots… Also, what even does that chip do?”

“It contains the Androids’ memories and a special substance—made from a mysterious metal found in a meteor that crashed on the moon.” Eva took a sip of coffee. “That metal emits a magnetic field. Staying in it for too long seems to cause physical changes in humans—I read about it in a research paper in the break room, plus some cult documents Damon lent me.”

“So it’s still related to Outer Gods?” She flipped over, pressing her face to the cool wooden table to wake herself up. “Why don’t we just call them for help?”

“Unfortunately, we only have two assassins who’ve dealt with Outer Gods—and they’re in Australia right now.” Eva said flatly.

“Ugh, good point… We can’t keep bothering them.”

Diana cheered herself up, pulling out her phone to show Eva the phone case she’d found. But she accidentally tapped on a news notification. She was about to swipe away, but the headline caught her eye.

“…‘Bouquets for You’ Filming Location Leaked?” Diana scrolled, her expression odd. “I like keeping up with showbiz, but I’ve never seen any news about this show. Wasn’t it banned?”

“The media will exploit anything.” Eva picked up her own phone. “Weren’t you going to show me that nice phone case you found?”

“I was… Wait, you knew?”

“You’ve been staring at my phone for days. I’d have to be blind not to notice.”

“Oh… Right.” Diana slouched in her chair. Ugh, why did Eva know everything? It was like she knew psychology—she always saw through Diana’s thoughts.

“Maybe she’s a liar, for all we know.”

That’s what many people in the organization had said about Eva—except Damon. He’d given a neutral assessment: “The only rational person left in the organization.” Most others disagreed. Her mysterious background, perfect sniper accuracy, and the calculating glint in her purple eyes—she was too sharp. Sharp enough to scare people, like she might take revenge at any moment.

There was a knock on the dorm door. They looked over, and Diana stood up to open it. Outside was Toshiko, wearing a blue kimono that made her look more lively. She held a fan, glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, then spoke: “Tozu knows. He said to be careful at headquarters—it’s more dangerous there.”

“Got it, Toshiko-chan.” Diana knelt down, pulling a few konpeito candies from her pocket. “Bought these at a small shop recently—they’re pretty good. Wanna try one?”

“…Okay,” Toshiko took the candies, turned to leave, then added: “Stay safe! Don’t get dragged into big trouble like Mochi!”

We’re already dragged in… Diana smiled bitterly and waved, then turned back to the dorm. “Hey Eva—”

She froze at the sight inside.

Eva was unconscious on the floor, her phone slipped from her hand, screen still on. Diana rushed over, lifting her to check for signs of life. Her breathing was steady, no external injuries—Diana laid her on the couch, then picked up the phone. What she saw made her stomach drop: Eva had saved strange websites in her browser bookmarks.

“…‘Bouquets for You’ Forum?” Diana scrolled. It was a fan-run forum created after the show’s sudden ban. Users shared clips, debated who would’ve been the most popular if there’d been a final season, and ranted about the crew canceling the show.

But that wasn’t the point. Diana went back to the page Eva had been viewing—a post titled “Can anyone help me figure out who this is?” It included a blurry screenshot; the OP wanted to find the cast member’s name to look for more clips.

Diana stared at the photo, her blood turning cold.

It was her own back. She’d never mistake it. Back then, she hadn’t cut her hair into its current style—she’d worn it down. She seemed to be talking to someone, and she was in her high school uniform.

When had she been on the show?

Diana scrolled down. Most comments gushed about how “cute” she looked. After dozens of replies, a few bits of potential information appeared:

“She doesn’t look like a cast member. That uniform’s from a high school near my house. Am I in Sakura City? lol, impossible.”

The OP replied sadly: “Aw, really…” After that, the comments were meaningless. Scrolling to the last reply, Diana saw it was from Eva—she recognized her username.

“Where was this screenshot taken?”

Then Eva had passed out… Diana turned off the phone and set it next to Eva. She texted her boss to ask for the day off, then sat beside Eva, lost in thought. Everything was a mess: the reality show, the Androids, the chips, the Recovery Project… She felt like she’d unknowingly been pulled into something huge—maybe even the center of it. And Eva? What role did she play?

Diana suddenly remembered the time Eva had accidentally knocked her pen off the table when they first got the mission. It had seemed like an accident—but had Eva noticed something even then?

“…Sigh.” She whispered. “I hope we’re on the same side.”

She didn’t want to be forced to oppose Eva. She’d already suffered enough from being isolated. Memories flooded back: in high school, her classmates had excluded her because she refused to watch Bouquets for You. When she’d first met Eva, she’d known they were alike.

Her thoughts spiraled. Diana sighed, stood up, and went to change her clothes.

 

———

 

Fragments of Eva’s blurry childhood memories returned.

In her dream, she saw a familiar pink-haired girl. The girl looked scared, terrified of something. Eva—her—was comforting her, saying, “I’ll get you out of here.”

Out of where? Eva stood aside like a bystander, watching this unfamiliar version of herself. She’d never imagined she’d been the type to take care of others. And she’d never imagined—

Her hair had once been white. Her appearance was different, but there was no denying it: that was her.
She suddenly remembered something Damon had said to her at the end of last year.

“I’ve always felt like you’re not really ‘you’ right now.” His left eye had been hidden under thick bandages. “I’m not suspecting you… But there’s a feeling inside me that says something’s off about you.”

…In her dazed state, Eva thought she heard someone calling her.

Maybe, on this journey to uncover her past, she wouldn’t be alone.

Chapter Text

"Are you really okay? If you still feel dizzy or anything, be sure to tell me—"

"I'm fine now." Eva propped her forehead with one hand, still looking pale. "It was just an accident."

Diana frowned and withdrew the hand she had been about to place on Eva's forehead. "…Alright then."

The two sat in silence on the subway heading to the headquarters. Around them were commuters like any other, but it was still unusual to see two girls who looked college-aged sitting there—especially in the uniform of that company… Diana had lost count of how many curious glances they'd received.

"Next stop, ——Road. Doors opening on the left. Passengers alighting, please take all your belongings with you…"

"We're here." Eva stood up and slung her backpack over one shoulder. Diana hurried to stand too, but tripped accidentally and stumbled forward, about to crash face-first into the floor. Luckily, Eva reacted quickly, grabbing her arm to steady her just in time, saving Diana from an awkward collision with the ground.

"Phew… That scared me. Thanks, Eva!" After stepping off the subway, Diana straightened her uniform and smiled sweetly. "I've been tripping over my own feet a lot lately."

"Then stop wearing high-heeled shoes with such tall heels." Eva glanced at the shoes on Diana's feet.

"…That's because you're in the IT department and don't have to worry about your appearance, right?"

"Am I supposed to take that as a jab at my looks?"

"No, no, absolutely not! You're one of the prettiest girls I've ever seen!" Diana tapped her lower lip, thinking for a moment. "Though I haven't figured out who the other top beauties are yet."

"You're impossible." Eva sighed. "I'll never understand what goes on in your head."

After exiting the subway station, a white building stood before them, adorned with blue lines that emphasized a sense of futurism and AI aesthetics. Diana squinted and looked around, muttering quietly. "Why can't I see that sphere…"

"What sphere?" Eva tore her gaze away from the headquarters building, where she'd been staring a little too long.

"The landmark here—it's a semicircular spherical structure that looks like a greenhouse." Diana pulled up a photo on her phone and showed it to her. "See? It's really cool."

The two compared the photo to the grove of trees nearby, only to find that the mysterious hemisphere seemed to have been demolished. The spot where the structure should have stood was empty, and for some unknown reason, all the trees nearby had withered and died. The door leading from the hemisphere to the entrance was boarded up with planks, and the iron fence was covered in rust.

"…It feels so eerie here." Diana shrank her neck slightly. "D-Don't tell me there are zombies or something?"

"Possible." Eva huffed. "An abandoned research lab—it's the perfect place for a virus outbreak like you'd see in a horror game."

"…Has anyone ever told you that your voice makes ghost stories even scarier?"

"You're the first."

The two walked into the headquarters building, trying to put the unsettling sight they'd just seen out of their minds. Inside the building, there was a much stronger sense of life than outside; staff members bustled around everywhere, seemingly busy with their work. Greeting them was a humanoid robot—its lower half was a white metal stand, and on top was a computer screen displaying a cartoon face. It wouldn't be a stretch to suspect it was a prototype for an android.

"As I'm sure both of you have heard, yes, we are currently developing the 13th-generation android, 'CR204'. We hope this 13th generation will have comprehension abilities indistinguishable from those of normal humans." It paused before continuing, "At the very least, it will be far better than the 12th generation developed a decade ago."

"There are twelve whole generations?!" Diana gasped. "Why have I never heard of this?"

"Because each generation had more than its share of limitations." The receptionist turned and led them to a wall covered with various documents—except for the frame labeled "12th Generation," which was completely empty.

"After each failed generation, we collected data from their chips to improve the next one. As for the rumors that some androids have already been deployed into human society—those are utterly groundless. We have no intention of letting androids enter public view before they are fully perfected, so we've done our utmost to keep this matter under wraps…"

It glanced at the empty display area for the 12th generation and let out an almost imperceptible sigh. "The 12th generation was the most special. All our related products were completely destroyed overnight, yet we failed to recover a single chip. Nearly 100,000 functional units—all gone, just like that."

"So that's why you closed off that experimental area." Eva spoke up suddenly, her expression cold as if stating a fact.

"That's correct, Ms. Tsunaka. You've guessed it exactly right. We're still trying to figure out why all the 12th-generation androids suddenly lost function—and our last hope lies in the 'Recovery Project'." The receptionist turned and led them upstairs. "According to our statistics, there are still approximately 10 chips from the 12th generation unaccounted for. If we can recover them, the development of the 13th generation will undoubtedly become much easier. Right now, we're essentially groping in the dark, only addressing the shortcomings of the 11th generation."

"…" Diana barely understood a word of this. She silently apologized—her science and tech knowledge was lacking—but as long as Eva got it, she could just ask her later.

They stopped on roughly the 20th floor. The receptionist led them down the corridor to two workstations. "In two days, we'll decide which specific positions you'll be assigned to. Until then, you can sit here and get familiar with the work environment."

"I must also warn you about a few things. First, I'm sure you've already guessed: do not approach the experimental area. Androids pose a risk of going out of control, and we will not be held responsible for the safety of any employees who enter that area without authorization."

"Second, do not disclose any information you come into contact with here to anyone. We have numerous international collaborations, all of which involve top-secret information. Intentionally leaking such information will constitute a legal offense, while unintentional leaks will be dealt with based on the circumstances."

"Third, we have a night shift system. Please strictly adhere to the schedule for your shifts. We have fully equipped rest areas that are comparable to those in five-star hotels for you to rest in. If you are not notified on the day you are scheduled for the night shift, please still come to the company—but do not wander around the office areas. Stay in the rest area instead. The company has a heavy workload, so situations like this may occasionally occur, though they are very rare."

This is starting to feel a little creepy. Diana rubbed the goosebumps on her arms.

"Finally, any information related to the 'Bonquets for You' program is strictly forbidden to be mentioned. Although we once provided technical support for it, their actions were inhumane and unacceptable—and the company is ashamed of its involvement." The cartoon face on its screen turned into a smiley. "That's all! We hope both of you have a positive work experience here!"

As they watched the reception robot leave, Eva placed her bag on the desk and unzipped it. Fortunately, the tall dividers between the workstations and the fact that it was working hours—with everyone focused on their own desks—meant no one noticed the tip of a sniper rifle peeking out of Eva's bag.

Diana stared in stunned silence as Eva quickly assembled the rifle and kicked it into a small space under the computer tower. She couldn't help but lean over and whisper, "Eva… How did you manage to bring that in here?"

"Anti-metal detector." Eva pulled a small device out of her bag. "It also has a function to disguise infrared lasers. 'Shark' gave it to me."

"Shark" was another elite marksman in the organization, equally renowned as Eva in the field of sniping. Unlike Eva, however—who was ruthless and favored calculated shots—Shark mostly used tranquilizer bullets, seemingly because he disliked actually killing his targets. This meant he was only assigned to bodyguard duties; everyone suspected the only reason he'd been recruited by Tozu was his exceptional shooting skills.

"Ah…" Diana nodded and stepped back. "That explains why it looked so familiar—it's from him."

"You knew about it?" Eva narrowed her eyes.

"Not exactly. Eloise mentioned it to me once. She seems to know Shark privately."

Eva clearly had no interest in such gossip. She huffed and turned to boot up her computer. Diana, meanwhile, stared at her black screen, her mind involuntarily replaying everything that had happened so far.

From how she'd ended up on the "Bouquets for You" program to the abandoned lab—every detail was setting off her danger alerts. She could feel that this place wasn't safe, yet some strange force was driving her to keep investigating instead of walking away now.

Worrying about it wouldn't help. Diana decided to relax in her favorite way.

"Eva."

"Hmm?" Eva paused her typing and turned to look at her. Diana pulled a box of foundation and a full set of makeup out of her bag, her face beaming with a smile.

"I plan to go undercover to dig up some clues. Did you manage to pickpocket anyone's employee ID?"

"…Cut that out." Eva averted her gaze. "Why would I have anyone else's employee ID?"

"I have a feeling you do." Diana blinked, already touching up her foundation while looking in a handheld mirror. "See if there's one belonging to someone with a hair color similar to mine—I didn't wear a wig today."

"…"

A card flew onto Diana's workstation. She picked it up and saw it belonged to an employee with hair slightly lighter than hers, wearing a shy smile in the photo. Diana grinned triumphantly and teased, "I thought you said you didn't have any stolen employee IDs?"

"Just get out of my sight."

"Sure thing——"

 

———

 

Australia wasn't peaceful these days.

"Aaahhh!!! Damon! Damon, what are you doing?!"

Kai had barely managed to stay on his feet atop the tall building. He swayed back and forth under the pull of gravity, clinging to the rooftop railing with the arm strength he'd built through training just to keep his balance. Don't look down now! He warned himself, forcing his gaze toward the distance—though he couldn't see very far. Because two massive figures were blocking his view, making it impossible for him to escape the chaos unfolding before him.

A gigantic tree stood amid the concrete jungle, its trunk blood-red and its leaves golden. On every single leaf was a bizarre alien face—and it must have been nearly a kilometer tall. On the other side, another kilometer-tall creature writhed and squirmed. The two tangled fiercely together, like two male beasts in mating season fighting over territory.

Of course, that tree was the one that had ambushed Kai and made him nosebleed for hours. And that writhing creature? It was Damon—who had just pressed a gun to his own forehead.

Speaking of pressing a gun to his forehead, Kai thought he'd never seen anyone as decisive as Damon when it came to shoving metal against their skull—except maybe in video games. Earlier, the two had searched endlessly for a way to damage that godforsaken tree, but to no avail. In the end, Damon had proposed his final plan.

"Give me your gun."

Then he'd taken Kai's gun, loaded it, and fired straight at his left eye—the one that belonged to an Outer God. Blood and brain matter splattered everywhere in an instant. Damon clutched the gaping hole in his face, then wrenched hard, yanking out a thick tentacle. After that, it was like a burst water pipe—countless white tentacles covered in eyes surged out, growing taller and larger by the second. Anyone with trypophobia would have dropped dead on the spot.

Thankfully, he was desensitized to it… Or not! He would have accepted it if Damon had used a skyscraper to attack! After all, "Brown Bear" would handle the financial damages later! But why did he have to choose the exact building where Kai had been taking a break from the two Outer Gods' fight?!

Kai screamed silently in his mind. Even though he and Damon had become the organization's de facto partner team, he still couldn't figure out why Damon seemed to hate him so much.

His strength was fading fast. He was now basically hanging hundreds of meters above the ground—if he fell, he'd die for sure. He didn't have Damon's demigod physique; he was just an ordinary person with a useless one-eyed goat pet. Kai had already started silently imagining how he'd haunt Damon as a ghost if he died. Hmm, maybe playing K-pop in his head every night would be a good idea…

Crash! The metal railing Kai was clinging to snapped under some unknown force. It's metal, for god's sake!

"Aaaaaah——"

The expected sense of weightlessness only lasted a few seconds before stopping. Kai forced his eyes open and saw something slimy coiled around his waist, preventing him from falling further. Glancing down, he saw Damon—still clutching his eye—continuing to battle the other Outer God.

…Is he trying to make me scream? Kai couldn't help but recall how, ever since their last mission, Damon had taken to picking him up with his tentacles and tossing him around like a chick. Especially during training. What was his problem?

The tentacle carried him toward the back of the divine tree and set him down on a platform attached to it. Kai examined it closely: Wait, this looks like the divine tree's core heart! Just looking at it made countless parallel universe scenes flash through his mind. Luckily, his mental strength was far beyond that of an ordinary person… Hmm, that beastman world seems pretty nice!

A small tentacle poked his cheek.

"Hmm?" Kai turned his head. The tentacle wobbled, then unfurled its tip. Resting on it was a familiar dagger—its hilt shaped like a snake, inlaid with emeralds.

"…Tell your owner who the hell real owner of this knife is." Kai took it with a sigh. "Why am I always the one stuck doing the final assassination?"

"Keep rambling and I'll throw you into a pack of kangaroos." A voice suddenly echoed in his mind. "And I'll ban you from sneaking into my room in the middle of the night."

"Okay, okay, I'll stop." Kai laughed awkwardly, then grabbed onto several protrusions on the divine tree's trunk and climbed up to face the heart directly. He felt the throbbing beneath him, then raised the dagger. "Let's do this."

Suddenly, the tentacles began to thrash more violently. The entire city seemed to shake. The good news was that, with Fluff ball's help, the entire city had been moved into the Realm of the Gods—otherwise, how would the divine tree have revealed its true form? The tentacles coiled around the tree's trunk, trying to snap it in half.

"Just stab it."

Waiting for the moment the heart's chamber opened, Kai held the dagger high. Suddenly, the divine tree's leaves shook violently, and a shrill wail echoed through the entire space. Kai gritted his teeth, keeping his eyes locked on the chamber as it suddenly opened. Then he used both hands to drive the dagger downward.

The creature's heart was as hard as a rock. No matter how hard he pushed, he couldn't pierce the membrane covering it. Kai clenched his teeth, planting his feet firmly against the tree trunk. He held the dagger—now barely stuck in the membrane—steady, then used his teeth to tear off the bandage on his arm. The red eye on his arm blinked twice, seemingly adjusting to the sudden exposure to light.

"Come on…" He pulled the dagger out temporarily, then sliced his arm open. The eye was instantly flooded with scarlet, and a steady stream of blood poured out. This blood was infused with the power of an Outer God—maybe it was poisonous to another Outer God? Kai let the blood flow down his arm, onto the dagger, and into the wound on the heart.

The leaves trembled violently, and the shrill screams grew louder. It's working! Seizing this hard-won opportunity, Kai pushed harder, using the dagger like a crowbar to pry open the final layer of defense on the heart. Sizzle—there was a sound like sulfur escaping. The wound widened, and the blood seeping into it seemed to be devouring the creature's consciousness. It looked like it was already losing ground in its fight against Damon.

Just as Kai thought everything was going smoothly, his nerves suddenly tensed up. It was like someone was ringing a death knell in his ear, announcing his impending doom. He'd developed a stress response to that sound; just hearing it made him panic, and he almost dropped the dagger. Is it going to make a last-ditch effort? He clicked his tongue, then pulled the dagger out and stabbed downward with all his strength. This time, he drove it deep—deep enough into the heart that pulling it out would be nearly impossible… Kai stared at the dagger stuck in the heart for three seconds, then decided to leave it. As long as it worked, that was all that mattered.

"Done!"

He let go of the hand he'd been using to hold on, falling backward. He didn't even need to look—he felt a tentacle wrap around his waist again, carrying him safely down to the ground. As soon as his feet touched the floor, Kai didn't hesitate. He rushed over to Damon and supported him by the shoulder.

Damon was in a terrible state. The half of his face damaged by the gunshot hadn't fully regenerated yet, covered in burn marks from the close-range firing. He clutched his left eye, muttering curses in the language of the Outer Gods. His other hand was raised above his head, seemingly guiding the tentacles that had burst from his body to attack from above. Damon coughed, spitting up another mouthful of blood, but didn't linger in his daze. He gritted his teeth and continued to control the tentacles, determined to destroy the giant tree completely.

"…Die."

The simplest curse fell from his lips. For a moment, Kai thought he saw more red eyes and goat horns appearing on Damon's face—but they disappeared just as quickly. All that power was channeled into the tentacles, which doubled in size again. One coiled around the tree's trunk, another tore off its leaves, and a third wrapped around to the back, attacking through the heart wound Kai had opened. After a few more minutes of earth-shaking chaos, the tree let out one final scream, then quickly withered away into dust.

Faint, glowing orbs drifted along the tentacles and into Damon's body, making him heave and spit up a mouthful of blood. But the good news was that the tentacles had started to retract into his body, and his wound was healing.

"Clink!"

It was the sound of the dagger falling to the ground. Kai glanced over. Since they were still in the Realm of the Gods he'd created, he could set the rules here himself. Using his Psychic Eye, he saw that besides the dagger, there was also a tree branch and a stone lying there.

"I'll go check it out. Don't move." He patted Damon's shoulder, walked over to pick up the items, then hurried back. The branch and stone—both from the giant tree—were still infused with powerful divine energy. Maybe these were the spoils of war?

Damon looked up at the items in Kai's hand and sighed. "Tch. Eva was right after all…"

"Yeah. We're drifting further and further away from being human." Kai clapped his hands. The starry sky and ruined city around them faded, replaced by a clear blue sky… and the same ruined city. He still hadn't mastered this power, so he'd had no choice but to bring the buildings along too. This is definitely going to cause a commotion… Before a full-scale panic broke out, Kai slung Damon's arm over his shoulder, grabbed the items, and hurried to escape.

"We're gonna be on the front page tomorrow, aren't we?"

What they didn't know was that a few hours later, halfway across the ocean, Diana and Eva suddenly came across an urgent news report. Staring at the images of the ruined city—marked with traces like those left by a giant octopus—and the blood covering the ground, the two exchanged a glance, sighed, and decided not to dig any deeper into it.

"I told you they'd cause a big mess." That was Eva's only comment.

Chapter Text

The incident in Australia was still making a huge stir. At least until Diana was officially assigned to her new post, rumors about it had spread like wildfire—talk of terrorist attacks, alien invasions, and all sorts of terrifying theories. Yet no one could verify what had really happened in that urban district during those brief three hours.

And that was only natural. Because none of the perpetrators were human.

Damon and Kai were unreachable; it seemed they’d shut down all communication devices to escape. Toshiko had messaged the group chat to say they were safe, though Diana had no idea how a girl like her managed to keep tracking the two of them. Still, she had no choice but to trust her. With a sigh of relief, Diana uploaded the UI she’d designed to the shared folder.

But what exactly had happened to the 12th-gen androids? Diana tapped her fingers on her desk, the question nagging at her. No scientific explanation could fully account for “100,000 chips disappearing overnight”—after all, 100,000 chips was an enormous number. Even if someone had burned them, there would have been thick plumes of smoke. It couldn’t have just vanished without a trace.

Her undercover investigation over the past few days had yielded nothing. It felt like all the conspiracies she could unearth had been dug up, while the rest remained hidden forever—ugh, it was so frustrating. Diana stretched lazily in her chair.

“Hey, Venicia!”

“Hm?” Diana looked up to see a colleague approaching. “You’re on night shift tonight, right?”

“Wait, already my turn?” She pointed to herself in disbelief. “I swear it’s only been three days since our team started doing night shifts.”

“Because our design team is short-staffed.” The colleague shook their head. “And with that terrorist attack in Australia all over the news? The precision workers refuse to stay late—so we poor office drones are the only ones left to do the job.”

“That sounds brutal, senpai…” Diana forced a laugh. “Got it! Thanks for letting me know—take a candy before you go!”

Her colleague looked both surprised and delighted as they took the candy she offered, then waved and left. It was getting late; she needed to tell Eva first… Diana pulled out her phone, found the contact at the top labeled “Crow Chan,” and tapped it.

After a ringtone—one of the most popular anime themes lately—finished playing, Eva’s voice came through the receiver. “What’s up?”

“I’m on night shift tonight.” Diana leaned back in her chair, watching the sunset. “I have to stay late… What are you gonna do?”

“…I’ll come find you.”

A while later, Eva pushed open the design team’s door, a backpack slung over her shoulder. Diana only needed a glance to guess what was inside. Noticing her gaze, Eva blinked and, for some reason, added, “This one’s a backup.”

“Mhm… You’re staying too, right? I’ll order takeout for both of us.” Diana pulled out her phone, scrolling casually to find a decent bento place. They both knew this night shift would be far from uneventful.

The sky grew dark. Following the instructions they’d received, the two locked the doors of every critical department, working their way down floor by floor. The office was pitch-black, and the motion-sensor lights above them seemed even more erratic with only the two of them around.

Eva clearly didn’t like the dark, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the area. Diana huddled nervously behind her, using her phone as a flashlight.

“Eva… We’re heading to the old research lab, right?”

“Of course.” She turned around. “Hold the light higher—I think the streetlights outside are out too.”

“Got it—”

They walked along the main road. The night breeze rustled the leaves, and the chill of winter still lingered. Diana shivered from the cold. Eva said nothing, but simply unwound her scarf and handed it to her.

“Thanks…” Diana took the black scarf in a daze. They’d picked out the style together—she had a pink one, though she hadn’t brought it with her.

Finally, they reached the rusted iron gate. Eva checked the surrounding area, then clicked her tongue at the gate. She pulled a steel pipe from her bag—wait, had she carried that all by herself? That was insane!—and swung it at the gate. Clang! Clang! Before long, the gate was bent out of shape, leaving a gap just wide enough for them to slip through.

Diana stared in awe. So this was the combat power of a frontline agent? Terrifying.

Squeezing through the gate, they found themselves facing an overgrown patch of weeds. A rustling sound came from the grass; Eva started to step forward to check, but Diana pulled her back. “It’s just a stray cat.” She shook her head. “I can tell.”

“You’ve owned cats before?” Eva paused, turning to look at her in confusion.

“I… used to feed the black strays in my neighborhood, I guess? My family didn’t let me keep pets.” She waved a hand. “But I know a lot about cat behavior.”

The moment passed quickly, forgotten as they stood before the spot where the sphere had once been—both falling silent. The area looked like it had been hit by a nuclear bomb: scorch marks everywhere, and an unidentifiable black liquid sticking to the ground and the fallen branches nearby. Diana reached out to touch it, then pulled her hand back in disgust. “It feels like blood… slimy.”

“More like the Upside Down from Stranger Things.” Eva exhaled, crouching down to examine the substance. “Could this actually be related to monsters?”

“Ugh, it totally feels like it… Disgusting.”

Following the trail of the liquid deeper in, they found a hole blocked by a rotting wooden door. Next to the door was a worn stone slab, with the faint characters “Research Lab” barely visible on it. Eva smashed the door open with a few blows, and a stench of rotting wood and decaying flesh hit their noses. The hole below was completely covered in the thick, black slime—too deep to see the bottom.

Diana clicked her tongue, pulling a box of matches from her pocket. She kept candles at her desk—lighting different ones depending on her mood each day—so carrying matches was a habit. Eva only gave her a slightly surprised look, saying nothing.

Flick. The match flared to life. Then, with a crackling sound like firecrackers, the liquid burned away, bubbling as it retreated.

“Is it alive…?” Diana’s expression turned grave as she leaned over the hole to peer inside. “Ugh, this just got harder…”

“I’ll go down first.” Eva adjusted her bag and walked to the edge of the hole. She propped herself against the ground, lowering one leg down; Diana held her other hand to keep her from slipping.

“There are stairs.” Eva said. “You can let go.”

Diana followed her instructions, then copied Eva’s movements to climb down the hole. The flashlight’s beam couldn’t penetrate more than five meters ahead—showing just how much of the slime waited for them below.

“Are we actually in the world of Stranger Things?” She glanced around. “The white walls—they’re identical!”

“Maybe that’s where they got the idea.” Eva touched the wall, already holding her sniper rifle in a ready stance. “Tell me immediately if you hear anything.”

“Okay.” Diana gripped a kitchen knife for self-defense. Like Kai, she was part of the support team and had little combat ability—but since she did more spy work, she was at least slightly better than Kai, who specialized in interrogations. Though these days, Kai might as well be a frontline agent, while she could barely even defend herself.

Exploring slowly, Diana spotted something strange: cameras. Not the kind used for experiments, but heavy-duty filming equipment. There were also fill lights—she’d seen similar ones in Kai’s dorm. The words on the scattered papers were illegible, but they looked like account books. And then there was that—

“The logo for Bouquet for You…”
She shone her phone’s light on the symbol that held memories for a generation, a mix of emotions welling up inside her. “So this is why the show got canceled.”

“This used to be a film set?” Eva looked around curiously. “Don’t tell me they built the entire Sakura City here.”

“That’s impossible.” Diana let out a bitter laugh. “Don’t forget—the show had a sun.”

“Doesn’t Tozu’s headquarters have a sun too?”

Ah. Diana had no reply to that. To prevent the team from going insane from constant exposure to violence, Tozu had spent a fortune building a garden with an artificial sun at the base. The absurdity of it still stunned her—she’d stared in shock at the light, which was nearly indistinguishable from real sunlight. Why go to all that trouble instead of just letting them go outside?

Yet before long, more and more people had started wandering the garden.

…Maybe she was the one being too normal.

They took photos of the evidence to use as clues later. The air grew thicker the deeper they went, until visibility was nearly zero. Thick, slimy dust floated in the air; just breathing it made Diana feel sick. She covered her nose with the scarf, surprised to see Eva was barely affected.

Probably because, as a frontline agent, she was more resilient to harsh environments.

At the end of the long corridor was a door. It should have required an access card, but after years without power, it pushed open easily. Eva hesitated for a moment, her hand on the doorknob, then looked back at Diana and pushed the door open without hesitation.

The air inside was fresher than outside. The flashlight’s beam revealed a messy lab floor, piles of protective suits, and research reports scattered everywhere. Severed limbs lay on the ground—Diana even saw a human eye… Ugh.

“What happened here?” Diana closed the door, staring at the bodies and forcing down her nausea. Eva picked up one of the protective suits, shook off any blood, and put it on. She tossed another one to Diana. “Put this on—just in case there’s something dangerous in here.”

“Fine.”

Once they were suited up, Eva stood aside and began reading the logs, while Diana felt her way along the walls to explore the space. The walls were covered in cracks that didn’t look like they’d been caused by normal impacts, and dried blood—years old—stained the surfaces. The writing on the whiteboard was blurred, only faintly visible.

“…Invasion… Time flow…” Below those words, someone had circled “Human survival” in red.

“What…?” Diana took a photo of the writing with her phone’s flash, frowning as she studied it.

The sound of Eva flipping through papers stopped. “Find something?”

“This.” Diana pointed to the whiteboard. “Do you have anything related to this in your files?”

Eva walked over to look, falling silent—a rare occurrence. She rummaged through the papers in her hand, pulling one out. “Take a look at this.”

The page was filled with scientific data, but buried in it was a passage that sent a chill down Diana’s spine:

「We have found no differences between “that world” and our current one, aside from the living organisms and the sun. If the androids’ data collection is accurate… perhaps we can relocate humans to “that world” to survive. The only steps needed now are preparation, modification, and psychological conditioning… We could try using the media.」

“So this really was the filming set for Bouquet for You.” Diana concluded, glancing around the empty lab. “But what does ‘that world’ refer to?”

“We’ll probably have to explore further.” Eva took photos of the document, then set it down. They stepped over blood and bodies, feeling along the walls for another door. Sure enough, in one corner, Diana found a gap. “I think we can pull this open!”

Together, they pushed the brick wall aside. A pool of blood spilled out, startling them both. Looking ahead, there were more bodies—but these were different. The remains of dog-like creatures lay scattered around, their skeletons dotted with extra eyes, some even having multiple heads… Monsters. These were monsters. Diana stepped back, terrified they might suddenly reanimate and bite her.

“They don’t look like they’ll come back to life.” Eva stood in front of her. “Focus on that.”

A massive device resembling a portal stood in the center of the dark room. It was surrounded by layers of coils, like a giant motor. Eva stepped over the bodies and leaned in to examine its structure. “…Accelerating particles beyond the speed of light to break through dimensional barriers?”

“So this is the door to ‘that world’?” Diana fell silent for two seconds. “Can we open it?”

“Probably—there’s still power.” Eva flipped a few switches. “There’s no other use for electricity here now… If we divert all power to this, it should work.”

Just as they were about to press the switches to see what happened when the door opened, a sound echoed from the back of the dark room—slimy, low, like the footsteps of a monster. No, it was something far more terrifying than a monster.

“…Zombies…”

The corpses, corrupted by the black air and dust, were covered in dark lines and veins. They moved like puppets on strings, shuffling toward the only two living people in the room. Eva clicked her tongue, hoisting her rifle onto her shoulder.

Bullet after bullet hit their heads, but more corpses rose up to replace the fallen ones. The dogs—those demon-like creatures—were faster than the humans and harder to aim at. Diana scanned the control panel instructions frantically, pressing buttons one by one while glancing back to check if Eva could hold on. More and more enemies appeared, but the device still needed time to activate.

“Hurry up…” She bowed her head to keep pressing buttons, then felt something breathing—and drooling—on top of her head. She looked up to see one of the dog-creatures standing right in front of her, its six eyes fixed on her, tongue lolling and dripping saliva.

Don’t move. Diana slowly withdrew her hand, forcing herself not to look away as she stared the creature down. Creatures driven by instinct hesitated when faced with someone who dared to meet their gaze—she needed to use that moment to pull out her knife. Her hand slipped into her pocket, closing around the kitchen knife. She took a deep breath, yanking the knife out and stabbing it straight into the creature’s eye.

The creature reeled back in shock. Diana seized the moment, grabbing Eva—who was struggling to hold off the zombies alone—and running for the door. Stalling any longer wouldn’t do them any good; their first exploration had already yielded enough, and they’d been caught off guard this time…

But where could they run? The corpses outside had also been corrupted, squirming everywhere and roaring, craving fresh blood. Diana froze, watching the creatures closing in, her lower lip trembling. They were trapped—surrounded on all sides—and the only one who could fight was a long-range shooter…

“You go first.” Eva lifted her rifle. “I’ll cover you.”

“…No.” Diana picked up a steel pipe from the ground, assuming a defensive stance. “I can fight too. Can you take care of the ones in the back for me?”

Eva sighed, as if giving up, and raised her gun. “Don’t let me down.”

“Never.” Diana smiled, lowering her center of gravity before charging forward. The steel pipe in her hand sliced through the air with a sonic boom, slamming into a dog-creature’s skull. There was a wet squelch as blood splattered across the floor. She didn’t pause, spinning around to kick away a zombie that lunged at her—just as a gunshot rang out from behind her, and the zombie’s head exploded.

It was like playing a zombie game: the two retreated toward the corridor, but their progress was agonizingly slow. There were too many enemies, and Eva’s ammo was limited—she still needed time to reload. This wasn’t good, Diana thought, taking down another zombie with a swing of her pipe. They’d never break through at this rate.

“Eva, watch out—!”

A monster dodged Eva’s bullet and bit down on her arm. She let out a pained grunt, grabbing the creature and flinging it away. Blood oozed from the wound—but instead of red, it was… blue. Diana’s eyes widened in shock, but now wasn’t the time to question it—they had to run—

Boom!

Something crashed into the crowd of monsters, scattering them and slamming them to the ground. The black substance tried to crawl back up to infect new hosts, but whatever had hit them absorbed it into its own body—as if two monsters were fighting, and one clearly had the upper hand.

“Huh…” Diana first supported the injured Eva, then stared in a daze as the unexpected savior tore through the monsters like they were nothing. Was this another one of the lab’s creations? She gripped her steel pipe tightly, unsure if she should attack.

After a while, the chaos subsided. Eva’s bleeding had stopped, though the blue substance looked more like paint than blood. Diana let out a long breath, collapsing to the floor. “…Phew…”

“Wait.” Eva’s breathing was ragged from blood loss, but she still aimed her gun at the strange creature. “Who are you?”

The creature twitched, seemingly confused by the sudden question. When it didn’t respond, Eva cocked her gun. “You understand human language, don’t you? Answer me—who are you?”

The thing wriggled for a moment, then retreated into the hole it had come from. The two watched it leave; Diana still stood frozen in place, so Eva had to nudge her. “Go after it. It might be a clue.”

“Ah, right.”

Diana supported Eva as they walked toward the hole. Broken tiles and more blood littered the ground. When she shone her flashlight inside, she saw trails of slime along the walls—and figures. Corpses? She swallowed hard, lifting the light higher.

Two people, around their age, huddled in the corner. Tentacle-like growths coiled around them, and—

Diana couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Are you guys okay?”

It was Kai’s voice.

Chapter Text

Diana's surprise was written all over her face. She stared at the two very familiar figures before her and exclaimed in astonishment, "Kai? Damon? You're back in the country?"

"To be precise, we got back yesterday," Kai said, tugging at Damon, who was somewhat stuck in the wall. "Alright Damon, still stuck?"

"...You do know how strong the recoil from your move just now was, right?" Damon said through gritted teeth. "Didn't I tell you not to use that stick recklessly?"

"But the situation was urgent! I had no choice!" He puffed out his cheeks and pinched Damon, then turned to look at Eva, whose arm was bleeding blue. "Uh... shouldn't you bandage that?"

"Thanks." Eva nodded, letting Kai take a bandage from his backpack to give her emergency treatment, while she shifted her gaze to Damon, who was still trying to extricate himself from the crater in the wall. "You just went to Australia, how did your auras change so much?"

"Let's just say that place is... rich in Outer Gods." Damon rubbed his wrist; the tentacles spreading from under his clothes were gradually retracting. "Might have stirred up a bit of trouble."

"His 'stirred up a bit of trouble' actually means we uncovered an Outer God and about a dozen believers there," Kai added from where he knelt, tying the bandage. "And you probably don't know this, but after Damon ate all that alien stuff, his brain's a bit off now too."

"...Screw you." One of Damon's tentacles reached over and lightly slapped Kai's cheek. "Why don't you mention how you got beaten up by a kangaroo and lost?"

"Because you never taught me how to fight a kangaroo!"

"Does that need teaching? Are you an idiot?"

"...How nostalgic," Diana whispered to Eva. "This kind of idiotic rom-com bickering between boys."

"Which is why I said it's best if they just stay in Australia forever and never come back," Eva said, shaking her bandaged hand. "Anyway, how did you two find us? You just got back last night, you shouldn't have received our message so quickly, right?"

"Uh, well," Kai scratched his cheek and pulled a twig and a stone from his pocket. "These are trophies from our hunt in Australia. This twig is basically a more powerful explosive weapon, I guess, and it can also work as a lighter—and this stone seems to be able to teleport through space or something. Anyway, I just activated it randomly and got sent here."

"So it was a complete accident," Damon shook his head. "But luckily we came."

"Yeah," Diana glanced at the two small objects in Kai's hand, then slumped against the wall as if exhausted. "Zombies are terrifying..."

"These things give off a vibe that they should be our responsibility," Kai nodded. "You two normal humans must have a hard time dealing with this stuff... But, Eva. What's with your blood?"

Eva frowned. "Are you sure now's the time for this? Shouldn't we get out of here first?"

"Now that we're here, shouldn't you explore a bit more?!" Kai said as if it were the most obvious thing. "Damon can handle this sort of thing just by blinking! Shouldn't we take this chance to wrap everything up quickly and then get the hell out?!"

Damon rolled his eyes in their direction but didn't speak.

"I get the logic," Eva retorted. "But even if my blood is blue, it's none of your business. Look at the four of us: an Outer God, an Outer God believer... what right do you two have to ask about my privacy?"

"But we've been completely open with you!" Kai was starting to get annoyed. "If you don't tell us what's really going on with you, how can we help you investigate? Right, Damon?"

"Why drag me into this?" He sighed. "But Kai's right, Eva. I hope you can give an explanation—you know I've always trusted you."

Perhaps the word "trust" struck a chord. Eva's expression wavered. She fiddled with the bandage on her arm, biting her lip in conflict. Seeing this, Diana walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't force yourself," she said, trying to keep her voice gentle. "We'll understand if you don't explain."

"No, no, no, I totally won't understand," Kai blurted out instinctively, then was pushed aside by Damon, who covered his mouth.

"..." Finally, Eva sighed as if giving up. "Alright, I'll talk."

"Actually, it's simpler than you think." She paused. "My memory has gaps before I was 11. I don't remember much before that, probably because of an accident. I grew up in an orphanage. My blood was already blue back then... Because of this, I've always refused all physical exams and avoided getting injured. I don't know much else, just that."

"So you yourself don't know the reason for your blue blood?" Kai broke free from Damon's hand. "God, what kind of people did Tozu recruit to be killers?"

"You should be marveling that he recruited such a group and they still turned out to be so outstanding. Especially a certain someone who can't even beat a kangaroo," Damon quipped.

"...Can I go look for the files now?" Eva suggested, seeing that the two were about to start another round of bickering. "I want to make this quick."

"Sure."

The group returned to the records room. The corpses and the smell of blood everywhere made even Diana, in her protective suit, feel sick. In contrast, Damon and Kai seemed completely unfazed; one was leaning against the wall studying a corpse, the other was rummaging through files everywhere like an over-energetic husky.

Are they just here to cause more trouble?She thought to herself.

"Gurgle..." The corpses didn't seem entirely dead, still making some noise. Damon, hearing this, clicked his tongue in annoyance, stomped down hard, crushing the zombie's brain and grinding it a few times to make sure it stopped moving.

"We need to hurry," he said, turning back. "These things seem like they could revive at any time."

"That scary?!" Kai let out a choked sound of disgust and immediately retreated three meters. "I don't want to deal with zombies after seeing that weird giant tree ahhh!"

"..." Diana looked at Damon with sympathy. He just shrugged, looking like he was used to it.

"Finally have time to take a proper look at this," Eva crouched by the teleporter, restarting the program she hadn't been able to run earlier. The machines wheezed and groaned, their seemingly rusted parts beginning to turn. The energy bar on it was slowly filling up. It seemed to be working well. Just as Diana thought this, she heard a noise.

"No way..." She turned and saw the monsters struggling to stand up from the floor again. They howled, seeming very displeased with the machine reactivating.

"They don't want to return to their homeland," Kai narrowed his eyes.

"Where did you get that from?" Damon glanced at him, stepping back a few paces, a dagger already in his hand.

"Uh, well, I can understand them?" He took out his gun, loaded it, and aimed at the enemies ahead. "After all, that big tree implanted a lot of supernatural knowledge in me. You're not my only source of power, you know."

The monsters indeed seemed as Kai said; they showed aggressive intent towards the slowly activating teleporter. Eva pulled Diana behind her and hefted her sniper rifle again. But Kai interrupted her. "You'd better not. Injured people should rest, hey."

"I won't hold you back," Eva frowned. "Don't compare me to you."

"Hah—?"

"She's right, you focus," Damon grabbed Kai's ear and turned his face back towards the monsters cautiously crawling forward. At the same time, he tossed the stone to Diana, who caught it firmly. The stone emitted a faint green light, felt warm, and was comforting to hold.

"Evacuate immediately if there's an emergency," he said. "Your constitution can't compare to ours."

Even though it was true, it was still irritating for some reason. Diana sighed and turned to look at the teleporter. Between her earlier activation and what Eva was doing now, the energy bar was already half full. Just a little longer...

"You know, it's been a while since we dealt with small fry like this," Kai cracked his neck. The fluff ball had been released from his arm and was floating nearby, hissing at the zombies. "Lately, it's all been big stuff..."

"So if you get hurt, I'll definitely make fun of you," Damon said, lowering his center of gravity.

"Yeah, yeah, the almighty Damon Maitsu—" He raised his pistol, aiming at the monsters' heads. "Eva, you stay in the back."

"Leave this to me and Damon."

The tension on the battlefield was palpable. Damon was the first to charge out. The dagger in his hand had probably been sharpened by Ingrid; it sliced through the creatures' necks with ease. He kicked aside an enemy trying to sneak up from behind, then with a flick and a pull of his blade, he impaled three in quick succession.

Kai stood at the rear of the fight, one hand in his pocket, adopting a super casual stance, aiming like that Turkish shooter from a certain Olympics. The fluff ball perched on his gun, red blood vessels spreading from underneath it down to his wrist. This was a new skill he'd trained—basically boosting his shooting power.

The monsters seemed to realize the two young men before them were on a different level and quickly pulled back into a group. One of the dogs suddenly went berserk, viciously biting another dog, digging out its heart, and swallowing it whole.

"Devouring their own kind to get stronger..." Damon's tentacles began to writhe restlessly. "Such a primitive method."

Kai rolled his eyes and shot the dog that was devouring the other. "Dude, aren't you the same? Your tentacles are twisting all over the place, go ahead and feast."

"..." Damon looked away awkwardly. "I'm not. Don't talk nonsense."

"We've been partners for half a year, man. I even know you're restless in your sleep at night, for god's sake."

"You're the one who's restless in your sleep."

"Everyone," Eva shot another enemy. "Save the flirting for later, okay?"

"...It feels like the zombie crisis atmosphere just turned into a school romance," Diana muttered. The energy bar was at 30%.

Unfortunately, even with Damon's tentacles going all out, the monsters' regeneration and infection rates showed no signs of slowing. Soon, there were fewer monsters present, but the ones left were powerful beasts that had devoured who knows how many others. Fighting in a confined space was a disadvantage for Damon.

"Can't you just blow up the walls again like you did before?!" Kai screeched, ducking as a high-speed human head was thrown at him. It smashed against the wall behind, exploding into a mess of red and white.

"You think this specially made wall is that easy to blow up?!" Damon's voice rose in exasperation. His feet had completely left the ground, supported entirely by his tentacles—this maximized their effectiveness. "And why are these things getting more excited?!"

Diana watched the energy bar—only 15% left. She unconsciously tightened her grip on the stone.

"Probably because the gate is about to open," Kai spat, using the butt of his gun to swat away a dog tail swinging at him.

Damon frowned. He had already torn the bandage off his left eye, revealing the red eye beneath. Kai knew what he intended to do, but if Damon went all out, forget everything else, at least all the buildings within a hundred miles wouldn't survive.

The monsters began to merge again. They finally became one—a giant, three-headed humanoid figure. It seemed to deliberately ignore the two harder-to-kill targets upfront and instead fixed its gaze on the two girls in the back.

"Danger!"

Eva tried to raise her rifle to counter, but the monster's fist was faster. With a crushing sound, she was thrown against a corner, slumped there, head bloodied.

"Eva!" Diana was terrified, but the teleporter only had 3% left. If the machine overheated and exploded, they'd all die. The monster was walking towards her step by step, but she couldn't fight back, could only watch.

"You go check on Eva," Damon pushed Kai. "Quick!"

"What are you going to do?!" Kai stumbled, shouting back as he ran towards Eva. "Don't tell me you're going to—"

"Now's not the time to worry about that," Damon pointed the knife at his own left eyeball. "Survive first."

1% left.

The monster swung its fist down at her and the teleporter. Diana shut her eyes tightly, clutching the stone in her hand, not noticing the increasingly bright light inside it. The light grew brighter and brighter, finally merging with the light emanating from the opening teleportation gate.

At the same time, from the pierced eyeball, thick tentacles gushed out. They tangled together, fell to the floor, and swiftly pounced on the monster. Entangling, constricting, and finally, with a sharp squeeze around the neck—splat—the monster's head fell to the ground.

Kai, who had been stopping Eva's bleeding, kept his eyes darting between the wound he was treating and Damon. Seeing the monster fall, he let out a long sigh of relief, finished the last bit of work on Eva, and immediately ran to Damon's side, worriedly looking at his bleeding eye. "I told you not to at a time like this— Wait, where's Diana?"

"...The skill activated," Damon said seriously, looking at the struggling teleporter as it gradually lost power. "The principle this machine uses seems similar to the stone's ability. Not sure what the situation is now."

"So, she's been teleported to who-knows-where...?" Kai stood up, looking at the now completely inoperable device, and tugged his hair in frustration. "Dammit, things just got more complicated..."

"Let's evacuate first," Damon walked over, slinging Eva's arm over his shoulder. "Use the fluff ball to see if you can track her—Eva, do you have anything of Diana's?"

"...This." Eva took out a somewhat dirty hair ribbon from her pocket. The style was clearly Diana's taste, and it was a very popular color recently, but why was it so dirty? Kai was puzzled. This style had only been on the market for a short time, right?

"Okay." Best not to dwell too much on girls' matters. He took it and tossed it to the fluff ball. The fluff ball bit it, sniffed it around, and finally seemed to find something. It bleated once and then vanished in a flash.

"It probably went through the Realm of the Gods," Kai watched it disappear from sight. "Let's go."

 

———

 

Diana felt like she was bobbing up and down in the sea. She remembered being about to be attacked, then the teleporter finished loading and opened, and the stone from the Outer God in her hand activated its ability... anyway, she was teleported away... And now, where was she? She struggled to open her eyes and saw black dust, similar to what was in the lab, floating around her. She was indeed in a body of water.

Strangely, her clothes weren't wet, and she wasn't suffering from hypoxia. Was it because of the protective suit? Diana tried to adjust her posture and swim towards the surface.

When she broke the surface, she saw a different scene. Flashing neon lights, bustling crowds, and two distinct moons in the sky. The people walking here seemed human, but their movements felt somewhat unnatural to Diana's spy-trained eyes, almost robotic.

...Robots?

Diana swam hard to a shore where no one would notice and climbed onto land. First, she took off the protective suit, put the stone securely in her pocket, and then carefully observed her surroundings. Even though everything was unfamiliar, one thing confirmed her location for her.

It was a Tokyo Tower-like structure in the center of the sleepless city. The neon sign on the skyscraper next to it read "I❤️Sakura." And Sakura, besides meaning cherry blossom, was also the English translation for Sakura City from the Bouquet for You program.

"...As I thought."

Sakura City was located in another world. And the people walking here were all androids. An even more terrifying conjecture surfaced in Diana's mind. Hiding behind a streetlight, she carefully observed the androids.

It was possible that the Bouquet for You program was conducted to test the twelfth-generation androids. Making a mental note, she walked along the sidewalk, trying to mimic the androids' movements to avoid standing out. She noticed the ubiquitous cameras, all active—the program was still broadcasting live. But broadcasting to whom? Hadn't it been off the air for years?

Finding a corner without cameras, Diana took out her phone.

To her surprise, her phone automatically connected to the local wifi. The date displayed, however, was seven years ago. So, she hadn't just traveled through space, but also time. This stone really was something... Wait, maybe now wasn't the time for amazement.

"Need to find a place to stay first, then figure out a way back..." Diana looked around, trying to find a route with few cameras. Suddenly, a white thing flew out from above and smacked right into her face.

"Oof!" She pulled it off and looked—wasn't this Kai's fluff ball? The cute one-eyed goat blinked its dopey big eyes at her, a hair ribbon in its mouth.

"Baa?"

"..." Diana sighed and stuffed it into her pocket. "Don't run off now."

"Baa."

So the girl and the goat walked along the street. Relying on scattered comments she'd heard from classmates back then, she quickly recognized one of Sakura City's most iconic landmarks: the amusement park. This park was easily twice the size of a normal one, and its huge Ferris wheel was where all the viewers wanted to see their favorite couples ride. For some reason, she found herself wandering aimlessly there.

While no one was looking, Diana scaled the wall and flipped over. Perhaps because the androids here were so law-abiding, the fence wasn't very high. She landed steadily on the ground. Even late at night, the highly intelligent androids' desire for entertainment couldn't be stopped. They held hands, carried balloons, all harmonious and happy.

And all of this had nothing to do with Diana, who could only move in the shadows. As she stared dazedly at the shiny attractions, the fluff ball in her pocket suddenly started vibrating intensely, letting out loud bleats, then broke free from her clothes and leaped off in a certain direction.

"Hey, wait!"

Diana panicked immediately and took off after it. If it appeared on camera, it would be over!

The fluff ball turned a corner and finally flew into a place that looked like a fast-food restaurant. Seeing the lights on the sign outside were off, Diana thought it was empty and pushed the door open.

"fluff ball, come back! Hey— Ah!"

A white-haired girl stood there. Her eyes met Diana's. Expressionless eyes, stiff movements... she was an android. Diana immediately stepped back, ready to flee.

"...Um, you're human, right?" the girl spoke. She was holding the fluff ball, which was happily eating a cotton candy! "You really shouldn't go out right now. Lots of humans are watching the broadcast at this time."

"You..." Diana was hesitant. "You know you're being filmed for a show?"

"Only a very few androids have discovered this, and then they become defective products," the girl said casually, placing the cotton candy-munching fluff ball on the table. "Sit. Let's talk."

Diana found a stool and sat down, speaking cautiously. "Um, I'm Diana... Thank you for the warning earlier. This is Sakura City, right? How can I leave here?"

"Leaving probably isn't possible. After we were sent here, all passages were sealed," the girl sat opposite her.

"Also," she looked up at Diana. It had been too dark to see clearly before, but now Diana realized the white-haired girl had purple eyes. "I'm Eva."

Chapter Text

"Eva... Huh?" Diana couldn't control her expression of surprise. "Really, it's really Eva?"

"...Do you know me?" Eva straightened her long white hair. "Yes, the name given to me by the designer is Eva, E-V-A. Is there a problem?"

"No problem..." But her facial features and tone of voice were exactly the same! Diana looked at the table, deeply unsettled. Why was this happening?! Was Eva an android?

"Can I ask a question?"

"Mm, sure." Eva nodded. "Though I'm surprised. Even the researchers who come to the Inner World for inspections always look incredulous, but you seem quite normal."

"Because you could say I specialize in this area." Diana smiled. "I've encountered plenty of this kind of supernatural phenomenon." Not to mention two of her colleagues were supernatural phenomena themselves.

"What I want to ask is, is androids' blood blue? Like a very light blue, uh, sky blue?"

"...Was an android injured? Did you cut one? Didn't cause a commotion, did you?" Eva frowned. "But regarding your question, yes. Android blood is blue, made from a special liquid. But it's not sky blue, more like indigo."

"Is that so..." Close enough, but still some small differences. Diana nodded regretfully and chose to steer the conversation back to the current situation. "Um, from what you said earlier, do you mean most androids here aren't aware they are androids?"

"Yes, factory settings didn't include that line of code." Eva stood up, went to close and lock the door Diana had pushed open earlier, then sat back down at the dining table. "Those who know this information are transferred to remote places like this, with few cameras installed. Makes it convenient for me to do some investigating."

"Investigating..."

"Mostly about the situation on the outskirts of Sakura City, the true purpose of this experiment, things like that." Eva took a notebook from her pocket, filled with neat, elegant handwriting. "Now I'll have to add another item: how to send you back to the human world."

"Ah, about that, how to explain..." Diana rubbed the back of her head. "My situation is quite complicated to explain..."

"Hmm?" She tilted her head, signaling Diana to continue.

"What if I said I'm from the future, would you believe me?"

The fluff ball, having finished its cotton candy, let out a satisfied 'baa' and flew onto Diana's shoulder, lying down to sleep. Eva blinked, as if her computer brain was rapidly processing data. After a few seconds, she spoke.

"...Do you have proof?"

"As for proof..." Diana felt her pockets, only finding a very delicate hair tie. The same style the fluff ball had been carrying when it found her, but this one was newly bought. "Does this count?"

Eva took it, looked at it, then handed it back. "I don't know, but I haven't found this design in any database, so I'll tentatively believe you. Since you're from the future Surface World, we need to change strategies... How about wormhole travel?"

"Wormhole... I have this." Diana also placed the stone on the table. "I was teleported here using this and the power of a portal. Maybe I can use the same method to teleport back."

"Good. Then the goal is clear now: we still need to find those closed access points between the Surface and Inner Worlds." Eva's expression was serious, but after a moment, she sighed and slumped onto the sofa.

"What's wrong...? If there's any way I can help, I'd like to contribute. After all, I might be staying in Sakura City for quite a while." Diana leaned over and asked worriedly.

"Not a while, possibly even several years." Eva looked up. "The flow of time here is different from the outside, and the ratio keeps changing. Sometimes one day outside is a week here, sometimes one hour here is a day outside. I can't even calculate how long you might be trapped here."

"That's nothing to worry about, right?" She laughed. "After all, I'm from the future."

"...True."

The moonlight outside was already high in the sky, two moons shining together, creating a unique scene. Eva looked at the moonlight outside the window and stood up.

"It's getting late, Diana. Come to the back kitchen first; I have a place to rest there. We'll discuss other things tomorrow. You can also look around here, just try not to get caught on too many cameras."

They'd be filming me from my junior high days...Why was I even here back then? Diana frowned. Another problem to solve.

But it wasn't the time to worry about that now. "Thanks, I'll be careful not to mess up the bed sheets you folded so neatly."

"...How did you know I like to keep the bed very clean?" Eva asked, puzzled.

"Uh, I have a friend who's exactly like you!" And maybe you are that friend.Of course, she couldn't say that now, otherwise Diana was afraid Eva's computer brain would crash from tonight's information overload.

 

———

 

The next morning's sunlight shone into Diana's eyes. She groaned in bed and immediately got up.

No helping it; the organization often called people out on missions in the middle of the night, so getting up immediately upon waking was a necessary skill for everyone... except Kai. She'd seen Damon dragging a drowsy Kai on his back at university more than once, or seen Kai asleep on the back of Damon's motorcycle. Now that he was a frontline external member, she wondered if he'd improved.

If Damon heard that now, he'd probably said objection loudly. He hasn't improved at all; it's gotten worse! He's evolved to the point of falling asleep standing up. It's terrifying.

"Morning." Eva was already sitting behind the counter, organizing cups. "Any dietary restrictions? Androids can eat, but we're essentially solar-powered. Preferences are just settings. I can make you whatever you want."

"Hmm... just whatever you're best at." Diana yawned. "Are there clothing stores around here...Crap, I have no money."

"You can use my card. Anyway, I have no use for the money in it; the director never lets my livestream have any viewers." Eva took out a credit card. "Use it as you like."

"So domineering, Eva-chan."

"...Say one more word and I'll burn your sunny-side-up eggs." Eva paused mid-air with the spatula. Diana stuck out her tongue and immediately scrambled off to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash up.

Breakfast wasn't lavish, just some toast with sunny-side-up eggs. But not having to make your own breakfast was great! And androids had excellent control over heat. Diana wolfed down her breakfast, took the credit card Eva gave her, and as she was leaving, didn't forget to turn back and ask, "Aren't you coming with me?"

"It would be troublesome if caught on camera." Eva pulled a baseball cap from under the counter and put it on Diana's head. "Wear this. Don't get caught on camera. Here's a map, the last paper copy, don't lose it."

"Okay."

Leaving the fast-food restaurant, the morning sun hit her face, warm but with a slight sting. Maybe even the sun in the Inner World was different from the real world? Diana pulled the brim of her hat down, adjusted the sleeping fluff ball in her pocket, and started walking towards the commercial street on the map.

After hopping the fence of the amusement park and slipping through a few alleys, Diana officially blended into the scenery of Sakura City. There were passersby on their way to work everywhere, and above their heads, a huge dome was gradually closing, blocking out the sunlight.

"The sun here isn't a normal sun," Eva had said. "It seals shut at 8 o'clock sharp, then uses artificial suns to power us. And there are cameras on that ceiling, making it easier to monitor us."

...

Diana pondered for a moment, turned a corner, and headed towards a more secluded commercial street. The probability of being discovered was related to the number of people nearby. If she went to places with few people, the impact would be minimal.

After buying everyday clothes at a relatively commoner store, Diana changed into a simple dress she'd just bought, styled her hair into a braid on one side, looking completely different from the suspicious person who entered. She then went to a cosmetics store, used the testers to give herself a makeover, and bought a pair of colored contacts. Now, basically only her hair color could identify her as Diana. Perfect.

"Baa...?"

"Shh. Not yet." Diana said to the fluff ball in her pocket. "We're going back now."

Hurrying back, she made it to the fast-food restaurant before 10 AM, again by climbing the wall, but more carefully this time since there were more people. Eva's shop still seemed devoid of customers; she was lying behind the counter scrolling on her phone. When she heard the door open, she looked up and forced a smile, which disappeared upon seeing Diana, replaced by the familiar Eva-style natural cool expression.

"That was fast." She pointed to a booth for Diana to put her things down. "I thought you humans took all morning shopping."

"I didn't dare draw too much attention." Diana poured herself a glass of lemonade and placed the fluff ball from her pocket onto the table. It immediately started making a fuss, running all over the table until Eva stuffed a candy into its mouth, calming it down.

"Speaking of which, what is this thing?" Eva pointed at the fluff ball happily eating the candy. "Have humans even developed life forms?"

"Ah, this is my friend's pet... well, not really a pet, more like a part of his body's tissue?" Diana pondered, seeing Eva's shocked expression, and remembered that this Eva wasn't familiar with the Outer God incident. "Ah, don't worry about it! He is human! He just ended up like this due to various reasons! Hahaha..."

"Even more suspicious." Eva sighed and poked the thing. Seeing she'd fooled around for a well, Diana breathed a sigh of relief, and a new question surfaced in her mind. "Hey, fluff ball."

"Baa?" The fluff ball looked up.

"Can you go back? Like, back to Kai's side."

"Baa." The fluff ball nodded, then proudly chewed its candy. Diana's face lit up upon hearing this. "Great! Can you deliver a message for me? Ah, I'll write it on paper. Show it to Damon and Eva when you get back. I don't really trust Kai's intelligence..."

"Baa!" Perhaps unhappy that its master was being insulted, the fluff ball protested twice, but still waited for Diana to write the note, took it in its mouth, and in the blink of an eye, flew away.

"What message did you have it deliver?" Eva asked curiously.

"Just to report that I'm okay first... and I want them to investigate something for me." Diana propped her chin on her hands. "First, about the research on the Inner World, and... and why this place was abandoned."

"Abandoned?" Eva blinked. "This place was abandoned?"

"Yes. Covered in black stuff, with zombies and things roaming around... I had no choice but to activate the portal."

"Zombies... you mean the Zangbu, right?" Eva frowned. "They're the indigenous inhabitants here. Some people here are assigned the job of hunting Zangbu, but it's not within the broadcast scope, and they assign aware androids like me to it."

"Zangbu... Is there a way to kill them? Because all we could do was completely destroy their core-like structure, but that was very difficult."

"It is very difficult. Zangbu have terrifying regeneration abilities. But if you use fire..." Eva lowered her gaze. "Fire can solve the Zangbu problem on a large scale."

"I don't know when I'll be transferred to Zangbu disposal duty... but by that time, our lives are already considered expendable." She sighed. "A few acquaintances of mine also died because of it..."

"So we need to act fast, right?" Diana continued. "Otherwise, you'll be transferred to Zangbu disposal, and it'll be hard for me to find another awakened android..."

"Yes." Eva nodded, her expression firm. "I don't care about myself, but I don't want any humans involved in this kind of thing... After all, the last human who accidentally wandered in is still locked in the TV tower and can't go out."

"There's another human here?" Diana covered her mouth in surprise. "Is she a time traveler like me?"

"No, she seems to be from this era." Eva looked up. "And quite coincidentally, her name is also Diana."

 

———

 

The fluff ball flew wildly through the Realm of the Gods. Snow accumulated on its small body, piling up until the round little fluff ball turned into a giant ice cream sundae. It shook its head and kept flying.

Master! Where are you!

Thinking of its master's somewhat silly smile, the fluff ball felt a bit weary. Wouldn't it be better if I followed the other master?... Wait no, if I followed the other master, I wouldn't have been born! Hmm, current master is better.

Following the scent, the fluff ball finally found the spacetime where its master was. Passing through the veil, the familiar sunlight hit its body, almost making the fluff ball cry. Who knew how much that world had hurt it! The air was restless everywhere, couldn't even run around freely!

"Baa—!"

"...Aah! fluff ball! Back so soon!" Kai, sitting by the hospital bed, looked up and was startled when he saw the familiar white figure rushing towards him. "Has it only been four hours? Couldn't you find Diana?!"

"Baa." The fluff ball spat the note onto his forehead, causing Kai to yelp. His tilting chair lost balance and tipped backward, but Damon quickly caught him from behind.

"Can't you stay still for a moment?" Damon rolled his eyes.

"It's not like I wanted this."

Eva was lying in the hospital bed, the bandages on her arm properly changed, resting with her eyes closed. Hearing the commotion, she opened her her eyes and looked over. "What's wrong?"

"The fluff ball is back." Kai sat up straight and unfolded the note the fluff ball had given him. "Hmm... It seems Diana is fine. She's in Sakura City, in good condition, looking for a way back... But she's asking us for a favor."

"Wait, Sakura?" He read on, realizing belatedly. "She's in Sakura now? But even the research institute had that incident, how could she—"

"Spacetime dislocation." Damon reached over Kai's shoulder and took the note. "That stone's power is a spacetime wormhole-type skill, the portal was targeted to move to Sakura City, so with that combination, she was sent to Sakura City seven years ago when it was still normal."

"So she's at the filming site of Bouquet for You." Kai clicked his tongue. "Oof, tricky."

"...What does she want us to do?" Eva didn't pursue that topic but asked another question.

"Just to investigate a creature called Zangbu, and dig up any information from that time about Bouquet for You and Sakura City, what else." Kai crossed his arms behind his head. "But, she said she met you."

"...What?"

"Diana said she found a twelfth-generation android that looks exactly like you, except for the hair color." Kai pointed at Eva's hair. "That android has white hair, apparently."

"...An android, huh." Eva shifted her gaze back to the sheets. "In that case, then I am..."

"Nothing is concluded yet." Damon interrupted Eva. "Don't make assumptions yourself."

"..."

"Alright, you two, visiting hours are almost over." A nurse came in to shoo them out. The two exchanged a look, had to pick up their bags, and said goodbye to Eva.

In the hospital room, Eva lay on her back on the bed, staring into space. Diana had seen her in the past, but why did she have no memory of it...? Or rather, was that 'her' really her?

"...Your name is Eva."

That was the voice that appeared at the beginning of all her memories. It was also a part of her story that had always been forgotten. The reason she didn't recall it was that she didn't know what it meant, and now it seemed everything was gradually being brought to the surface.

"Eva Tsunaka. Remember this name. Because no matter what happens, you will become Eva Tsunaka."

...

Nothingness. Eva closed her eyes. Apart from the white hair and fire that appeared in her dreams, she remembered nothing. Her memory still only contained her parents' faces, her training experiences in the organization.

She was somewhat afraid of what she might become. If she lifted the veil of the past, would she become someone she didn't recognize? If she really became like that, would anyone still accept her?

Memories of always being alone at school.

The blank fragments hidden deep in her heart.

At that moment, a breeze blew in through the open window. Eva's eyes snapped open, and she looked towards the window. There, placed by Kai and Damon, were some daily necessities they had brought her, along with some get-well gifts from colleagues in the organization with whom she had a nodding acquaintance.

And among them was a bunch of daisies. The blooming white flowers swayed in the air, involuntarily reminding her of the girl who also swayed in the blurred edges of her memory.

 

———

 

"She said to investigate Zangbu, but what exactly is that?" Kai looked up from the documents. "Have mercy on me, I really don't want to read foreign languages. Damon, you look at this."

"Put it there." Damon pointed casually at the floor without looking up, continuing to read the materials in his hands. Kai pouted but complied. He also stood up and stretched his back, making cracking sounds. "Ouch... You should get up and move too, no?"

"I don't have the habit of sitting in front of a computer desk all day."

"Neither do I!"

"...Oh." Damon glanced at him, lowered his head to keep reading, and muttered under his breath, "Bullshit," which Kai unfortunately heard. He immediately pretended to be deeply hurt, starting to whimper. "Damon, you..."

"Alright, alright, you don't." He sighed, closed the book, tossed it aside, and also stood up to stretch. "Ah... Feels easier back when we were dealing with cults. Those things would come to us on their own."

"Yeah, yeah. Zangbu, Zangbu... I feel like I've heard this name somewhere..." Kai frowned, tapping his cheek. "Ah! I remember! I saw it on a forum! Zangbu is that popular urban legend!"

"And now it's connected to urban legends." Damon complained. "Our organization is so absurd. Hopeless."

"It was hopeless the moment they recruited us." Kai immediately turned on the computer on his desk and started searching. The websites he opened were ones Damon had never even heard of, with web designs that looked like they were from over a decade ago. But Kai operated skillfully, clicking through several internal links until what he wanted finally popped up.

"Found it. Zangbu Observation Log, a super popular creepy pasta back in the day." He copied the content into a document and enlarged the font so Damon could see it clearly. "I haven't read it, but I heard it's really scary."

"Hmm... This is indeed the monster we encountered." Damon skimmed through it, commenting. "Fast regeneration after death, evolving intelligence, also exhibits cannibalistic behavior... Exactly the same."

"Fire... So fire works?!" Kai pounded the table in regret. "Dammit, I had a lighter with me then!"

"...Why did you have a lighter?" Damon tilted his head to look at him. "You don't smoke."

"Can't I carry one?" Kai took out something that looked like a miniature gun from his pocket, pulled the trigger underneath, and fire shot out from the muzzle. "See, cool, right? I saw it in a store."

"You're so childish."

"Cool is enough."

Damon rolled his eyes, not wanting to deal with this guy.

"In that case, when we go to the lab again, we won't be afraid, right?" Kai started thinking. "Eh, wait, Zangbu should belong to the Inner World, right? I don't think they should be stimulated enough to come to the real world, should they?"

"That's the problem." Damon frowned. "The Inner World is definitely their more comfortable native habitat. If they came here, it's either because their habitat was taken over, or..."

"They were cleared out, forced to?" Kai concluded. "Was it caused by that shutdown incident back then...?"

"..."

The two looked at each other and finally decided it was better to pass the information to Diana for now.

After all, Diana was in the past. According to the time paradox, Diana's trip to the past influencing the past has already caused a butterfly effect in the present. So, Diana must have been involved in the incident that led to the shutdown of Bouquet for You.

It's just that the nature of her involvement could only be discovered by her alone.

Chapter Text

Standing at the base of the TV tower, which looked almost identical to Tokyo Tower, Diana felt a rare absence of nervousness, replaced more by confusion.

Why would a version of herself, probably still in junior high, be here? And why did she have no memory of this period? Too many questions swirled in her mind. Diana took a deep breath, tightened the coat around her, and waited for Eva to emerge.

"Hey?" Eva's cool voice came through her wireless earpiece. "Are you still outside?"

"I'm here," Diana whispered, crouching behind a bush and cautiously scanning the surroundings. "I don't see any guards... probably not shift change patrol time yet? Anyway, same spot as before."

"Okay."

After a moment, a rope was kicked down from above. Diana grabbed it, tied it securely around her waist, gave it a tug, and gradually, a force began pulling her slowly upwards.

As Eva hauled her up, Diana pondered the chain of events that led her here. Back when she first heard her own name mentioned by Eva, she had been genuinely shocked.

"You said Diana?! But that's my name!"

"Calm down. Logically speaking, there are many girls named Diana. How can you be sure this Diana is definitely you?" Eva rubbed her temples. "And honestly, nothing's confirmed yet. Don't get worked up."

"No, no, it's just... this kind of thing..." Diana swallowed. "Sorry, I lost my composure. It's just... so much has happened at once, I'm a bit..."

Eva patted her shoulder. "It's normal. The human brain has limits for processing information. I understand."

... I was the one who initially withheld information to avoid overloading her brain, and now it feels like I'm being comforted instead...Diana felt a deep sense of guilt for her own weakness. After adjusting her mood and taking another sip of lemonade, she spoke again.

"So... about that Diana locked in the TV tower, any clues?"

"Clues... very few, almost zero." Eva frowned. "The androids I can contact are all exiles like me, soon to be sent to eliminate Zangbu, so they know very little. But I know people inside the TV tower... or rather, I used to work inside the TV tower myself. I know some secret passages."

"You mean we can go for a field investigation?" Diana rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought. "Sounds tempting... but isn't it dangerous? That TV tower looks just like Tokyo Tower; how can it hold people?"

Hearing this, Eva sighed helplessly, stood up, fetched paper and pen from behind the counter, and began sketching a diagram.

"Look, the TV tower isn't shaped like this, right..."

"Uh huh."

"Our offices are actually underground, below the base. The top level has the signal transmission antenna, made of special material to send signals to the Surface World."

"So that's how we could watch 'Bouquet for You'?"

"Correct. And based on information I dug up on forums, that human is probably held near the signal transmitter." Eva paused before continuing. "Because humans in the Inner World are more or less affected... I'm quite surprised you seem normal, not crazy like they say."

If your close friends included an Outer God and his devout follower, you'd be pretty blasé about this stuff too...Diana smiled awkwardly. "Maybe I have strong mental fortitude?"

"..." Eva didn't respond. After a moment, she continued writing on the paper. "If we climb the outside of the tower instead of taking the direct elevator inside the broadcast station, it'll be much easier. And I've heard security at the station has gotten increasingly strict lately. Never mind the rumors about how the Zangbu invasion legend started; I've seen many awakened androids recently transferred to the station."

"Zangbu invasion? And, from what you're saying, hasn't the number of awakened androids increased a bit too fast recently?"

"Yes," Eva said, looking pained. "I suspect they've forgotten about me, leaving me to live out my days in this fast-food joint."

"Isn't that still good? At least you're not facing life-threatening danger," Diana comforted.

"But... there's one thing I absolutely must investigate, just like you." Eva looked up, meeting Diana's gaze. "I not only want to investigate the passage connecting the Inner and Surface Worlds, I also want to find... my Origin."

"Origin? What's that?"

"You can think of it as the character provider for androids." Eva looked at the drafts on the table, finally deciding to write on the back of one. "An android transferred to Zangbu disposal told me on his last night before leaving; he lost contact the next day... probably silenced."

That serious? Must be very important then...Diana blinked, leaning closer to keep their voices down.

"Every android has a corresponding Origin. I don't know exactly what it is—a script, a genome—but essentially, humans let our Origins run automatically, forming different appearances, personalities, character settings. Then they name us, generate our looks based on that data, and manufacture us." She drew a chip on the paper. Diana recognized it; it was a product of the 12th generation androids.

"All our Origin data and serial numbers are in our chips, a string of garbled code. But there's only one corresponding Origin. If I can find where the Origins are stored, maybe I can find out what my human self would have looked like... Then I want to give my own chip to her."

"You mean, transfer the chip so the human... well, we don't know if the Origin is human... anyway, transfer the chip so the Origin inherits the memories and continues living?" Diana tried to deduce.

"Mm." Surprisingly spot-on. "That's what I think. I've lived in the Inner World too long; I can't tell what Surface World people should or shouldn't know. As long as I store that part of the memory locally and put everything else on the chip to transfer to her, it should be fine."

"But in that case, won't you... shut down?" A computer, a robot, can't operate without processing power, right? Diana didn't understand mechanics well, but she knew that much.

"Mm, but we can probably last about an hour." Eva smiled bleakly. "Anyway, my fate here is to be discarded. I'd still like to try living in the outside world."

"I see... Then I'll help you." Diana placed her hand over Eva's, feeling the unique temperature of silicone and plastic. "You're helping me find a way back to the future, so I'll help you find your Origin, okay? A fair trade."

Eva seemed somewhat uncomfortable with the sudden physical contact but ultimately didn't pull her hand away. "...Okay."

"Good, it's settled then. But still, I want to investigate that Diana in the TV tower first..." She picked up the paper, turned it over to look at the station layout, brainstorming. "You said climb directly from the outside?"

"Androids are naturally quite agile. The question is whether you can manage it."

"...Probably, maybe, I can?" Diana clicked her tongue. "Should I go scout the location tomorrow and start the operation in a few days?"

"Too risky." Eva pointed out the window. The flashing neon lights signified a city that never slept. Just looking at it made Diana feel tired. "You never know how bored these androids can be."

"Then, tomorrow it is." She cleared her throat. "I'll go take a look in the afternoon, just a quick look, and come back soon."

"Remember to go to the basement for tools when you get back." Eva put away the paper, folded it, and stuffed it into a drawer under the counter. "I'm not providing that assistance."

"...Fine."

Memory returned to the present. Diana grabbed the iron outer shell of the TV tower, exerted force, and flipped onto the top platform. Eva stood there, coiling the rope, and looked up at the antenna at the very top, shaking her head at her.

They couldn't speak here. While there were no visible cameras, recording devices were everywhere. Even the sound of footsteps and breathing had to be softened.

As she edged along the tower's shell, Diana glanced down. Probably hundreds of meters high, but she couldn't be sure. At times like this, she remembered the news from Australia, thought of Kai drinking soda until he was drunk (how?) while complaining to her about Damon's increasingly violent habit of tossing him around in the air like a toy, often hundreds of meters up.

—Would that make him unafraid of roller coasters?

Shaking off these random thoughts, she stepped onto the main cable inside the TV tower. The central area was a huge, rectangular room with black, windowless walls. There was a protruding part nearby, probably the so-called elevator.

Eva tugged her sleeve, pointing towards the elevator.

...? Diana tilted her head in confusion, then saw Eva sigh, facepalming, and step past her towards the room.

Knock knock.

She tapped the wall lightly with her hand. It was windy up here anyway; the slight metallic sound wasn't a problem. Diana and Eva had secure ropes—Eva's basement had everything, even poison that could kill an entire sea's worth of fish with one drop—tied to the tower, so they were safe.

Did that mean they couldn't break through this wall? Diana nodded, then lightly jumped over a steel pillar, secured her safety line to it, and began moving step by step towards the elevator.

Reaching the elevator, she realized the walls were made of an opaque glass, completely black from the outside, not looking like glass at all... So why use glass?

Eva shrugged seeing her puzzled look, then pointed at the city and neon lights below.

Oh, one-way glass. It's an observation elevator?! Diana stared, dumbfounded, at the elevator. Why build an observation elevator on such a TV tower?! But then she remembered a certain iron tower probably had one too, and felt relieved.

But breaking the glass was impossible, right? And it was so high up; how would they get across? As this question arose, Eva jumped over, tapped her temple, and a screen suddenly appeared before Diana's eyes. So high-tech, Diana thought, watching Eva skillfully use hacking techniques.

After a moment, a beep sounded, and the elevator started moving upwards slowly. Eva took a laser cutter from her pocket and handed it to Diana. Diana took it, looked at it confusedly, looked at herself, then pointed at herself with an expression of disbelief.

Me? Use this?

Eva nodded.

...Fine.

For some reason, she switched on the machine and started cutting at the back. She had to cut an opening big enough for them to enter before the elevator arrived. There was some distance between the elevator top and the ceiling of this glass passage. After Diana cut open the top section, she could see the corridor opposite. They just needed to time their jump to the floor when the elevator began descending.

Just as the elevator came into view, Diana finally cut out a large piece of glass, which she and Eva moved aside together. Thankfully, the organization required strength training; this was normal... Waiting for the right moment, she jumped onto the elevator roof. The elevator stopped after a while. Eva, after confirming no one noticed the commotion, started the elevator again.

They successfully entered the TV tower interior. The corridor lights flickered intermittently, giving the feeling that no one had been here for a long time. Diana looked around, surprised by the dilapidated scene so different from the outside.

"After all, this is a place they don't want to come to either."

"Why?"

Eva took a somewhat old employee card from her pocket and swiped it at a door. "The electromagnetic interference here is very strong; it causes system errors in androids. So I won't go in. I'll wait here for you."

"...Okay." Diana stood before the slowly opening door, her nervous heart unable to calm down. She was about to meet the first human from her past, possibly even herself... Nervousness spread through her chest. With each step, the uncertainty intensified, finally culminating when she saw the girl locked near the antenna.

"Who are you...?"

The junior high school-aged Diana Venicia was covered in wounds and bloodstains, wearing her school uniform, and looked up at her. Although she had expected it, facing her past self directly was still emotionally complex. Diana bit her lip, crouched down to meet her eye level. "I'm a human who accidentally ended up here, just like you. You can call me... uh, call me Chameleon."

"...Sister Chameleon?"

"Sure. You're... Diana?" She looked at the name tag on the young Diana's uniform. "How did you get here?"

"...Ah." Young Diana's eyes suddenly became vacant, and she started clutching her head, looking pained. "I... I got separated from my friends... There were monsters... They, they all disappeared, leaving me alone... So much blood... I was so scared..."

Chased by Zangbu? Diana frowned, reached out, and patted her back. "It's okay, no one will hurt you here. Have something to eat. It must be hard being locked up here alone."

She took out some candies she had prepared beforehand and handed them over. Watching young Diana eat them and look a bit better, she continued, "Did you meet anyone later? What about your friends?"

"No... I wandered alone in a very large building. I saw many cryo-chambers and experimental equipment like in sci-fi movies, and thought I'd stumbled into some scary research facility... Later, I entered an unlocked room. There was a huge door inside. I just stuck my head in when a strong light hit me, and I lost consciousness. I woke up locked here..." Young Diana pointed to a plastic bag nearby containing what seemed like used meal boxes. "Usually, little robots bring me food from that elevator. They also bring me clothes and books... There's a bathroom and bedroom here too, but all my clothes were sent for washing today, so I can only wear this..."

She pinched her school uniform, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Sorry, it's covered in blood..."

"It's fine! Big Sister has seen a lot of blood too... uh, not like that!"

"Haha, I know. Big Sister has a special job, right?" Young Diana showed a childlike smile for the first time. "I heard noises outside earlier. Since Sister Chameleon could climb this TV tower, you must be no ordinary person!"

My younger self is so accepting...Diana sighed in relief. "Then... what do you plan to do? I'm like you, looking for a way home. Do you want to come with us?"

"...No. If I go with you, the people here will probably notice." Young Diana shook her head. "It's okay. It's not too late for Sister Chameleon to take me away when you find a way home."

Right. Eva was already an android with a special status. Adding her younger self would probably get them wanted throughout Sakura City. Diana nodded. "Okay, then I'll head back now. I'll visit you again when I get the chance."

"Okay!" Young Diana happily ran to her backpack (the one she used for nine years; Diana recognized it instantly), took out a small walkie-talkie, ran back, and stuffed it into Diana's hand. "Let's use this to communicate! My dad bought it for me. We can hear each other no matter how far apart we are!"

"Really? You're giving me something so valuable?" Diana was surprised. She remembered this walkie-talkie; one day, one of the pair went missing, and she could never find the other one.

"Well—because Sister Chameleon seems very kind!" She kicked her feet. "You seem just like another me! I want to become as amazing as Sister Chameleon when I grow up!"

"Okay, you definitely will." Diana patted young Diana's head and stood up. "I'll go now. Take good care of yourself!"

"I'm not a kid!"

Diana laughed, walked to the door, and knocked. With a beep, the door opened. Eva stood there with her arms crossed, waiting. Young Diana, seeing the person at the door, covered her mouth in surprise.

"Ah!"

"Huh? You know her?"

"No... not exactly." Young Diana shook her head. "I remember seeing her... in a cryo-chamber!"

"My Origin," Eva narrowed her eyes. "It seems we have to take this child with us."

"But not now." Diana shook her head. "I don't want your fast-food joint to harbor another fugitive."

"Hah, as if the two people living there now aren't fugitives," she rolled her eyes.

Finally, waving goodbye to young Diana, they decided to return the same way. Thankfully, the iron tower wasn't built vertically, and Diana's rock-climbing skills were decent. In short, they safely returned to the ground and sneaked back to the fast-food joint.

A great harvest. Diana collapsed onto the sofa as soon as she returned. If only the fluff ball would come back soon; she needed to send all this intel back...

Speaking of which, weren't Damon and Kai done with their investigation yet?

 

———

 

"Hey, Damon, this thing is so long. Do you really think the fluff ball can carry it?"

Kai pointed at the report, already over thirty pages long, accusing Damon of being inhuman. Oh wait, he wasn't human to begin with. "If it dies from overwork, I'm blaming you!"

"Whatever. It's mine anyway," Damon rolled his eyes. "And who said the fluff ball is only this big?"

"Huh? It can grow bigger?" Kai blinked. "Wait, wait, don't demonstrate yet. Tell me, how big can it get?"

"...Theoretically, as big as a whale, maybe?" Damon calculated in his mind before answering.

"That's huge! A fluff ball that big wouldn't be cute at all! Change it back!"

"It hasn't changed yet."

"Baa?" What useless thing were his masters arguing about now? The fluff ball flipped over in mid-air. But listening to their bickering had become a pastime for it. It repented; it shouldn't find entertainment in such things.

"Ahem, anyway, if you must change it, you have to promise me the fluff ball can shrink back to its original size," Kai slapped the table. "Otherwise, I'll, uh, I'll take your corn snake away!"

"That's a pathetic way to get angry," Damon said expressionlessly. "At least try to think of something that might actually threaten me."

"Wahhh..."

"Anyway, any more Zangbu info to add? Is this it?"

"Nothing. This is all the info my contacts could dig up." Kai rubbed the back of his head. "But I did find this."

"'Several teenagers missing in the mountains; only one survivor found with minor burns'... So what?" Damon took the paper Kai had set aside. "This was pretty big news back then, right?"

"Yeah, I was reviewing old materials. Luckily, the organization has a lot of old newspapers... It's mainly the names, the victims' names." He took a highlighter, squinted at the photocopy, searching for a while. "Hmm, I remember it's in the third line here... Ah! Found it, here!"

He circled a string of words with a pink highlighter. Damon leaned in to look and his eyes widened in surprise. "Diana...?!"

"Yeah." Kai put the pen down. "She appeared in the 'Bouquet for You' program, right? I was thinking—maybe this news is related to her, or maybe..."

"The location might connect the Surface and Inner Worlds." Damon scanned the page, took the pen from Kai's desk, and circled the incident location. "Send this along too. We'll go investigate there this weekend."

"Sure, I don't have much homework anyway," Kai said cheerfully, placing the paper on top of the Zangbu materials. Then his hand stopped there.

Damon was puzzled. "What's wrong?"

"...Nothing." He paused, then continued. "I just thought of something."

"What."

"...Fluff ball, I'm sorry. Could you please not grow bigger to carry all this stuff? I really don't want to see you enlarged."

The fluff ball was confused, the fluff ball was shocked, the fluff ball was furious.

"Baa!" How could you bully a ball like this!!!