I suddenly found myself receiving a critique of the bath solution I had made with 500mL of my own blood from Braun.
‘…Unique?’
I was taken aback.
‘I almost turned to look at the tub.’
Keeping my head steady, I asked, “What do you mean by ‘unique’?”
– Exactly what I said! Hmm, bath solutions come in various types, don’t they? Salt, oil, bubble baths… Yours, Mr. Roe Deer, is quite different from the ginseng, though there are similarities too.
That,
Hey, that ginseng came from a ghost story, and I’m a human being…
‘Isn’t it obvious that they’d be different?’
– They are different. But why do you think there’s a similarity between you and that ginseng, Mr. Roe Deer?
– Oh… I see. Now I understand.
As I heard the sound of the smacking of lips as though tasting fine wine, Braun answered.
– Mr. Roe Deer, your bath solution is a blend.
Blend.
In literal terms, it means mixed—a term often used in coffee or cocktails to describe combining ingredients for a new flavor.
– That’s right. It seems to share some component with the ginseng, though in a different form.
Could this be referring to ghost story contamination?
I thought of the Security Team sergeant—the way his human form had ripped apart and twisted into a wolf-like creature.
Was I also beginning to experience the contamination and encroachment of paranormal phenomena?
– Contamination? That’s such an extreme and negative way to put it. Isn’t life a process of change? Mutual influence and transformation—that’s where the fun lies! Ȑ
Damn it.
Instinctively, I glanced down at my body. If there were any visible signs of ‘ghostly influence’, it would most likely be…
“Do you think the tattoos are the cause?”
– Hmm, tracing the origins of what’s already mixed is quite a challenge.
– There are connoisseurs who can guess a vineyard by tasting a drop of wine, but I’ve never liked that kind of pretentiousness, even as a talk show host.
– Anyway, there’s no need to worry, Mr. Roe Deer. You’re not about to meet a new version of yourself next week or anything like that!
Theoretically speaking, that seemed true.
‘Living and working here inevitably means I’ll experience some level of ghostly contamination.’
There was no point in panicking over it. After all, the stronger and more varied one’s supernatural abilities become, the greater the risk of being consumed by them.
Balancing that risk was essential.
‘…Though I don’t think I’ve reached a point where I need to worry about balance yet.’
Still, it was something I’d have to manage in the future. Luckily, one of the facilities I now had access to as a supervisor specialized in monitoring such changes.
I’ll visit that place after safely surviving this ghost story.
– Hmm. There’s also something particularly unique about your bath solution… Oh, it’s all dissolved now.
Braun let out a long, satisfied sigh as if he had been trying to analyze the bath solution further.
– I thoroughly enjoyed it!
At least one of us enjoyed it—that was a relief.
The bathtub glimmered with neon lights, flickering briefly as though flipping through TV channels. Braun lounged against the tub’s wall, his plush body radiating a lively energy.
– Shall we step out now?
I walked over and lifted Braun out of the tub. The plush doll felt oddly more luxurious than before, though the size hadn’t changed.
Still, Braun’s voice sounded sharper, more articulate—more vibrant.
I covered the plush doll with a towel, shielding him from view, and asked,
“Feeling reinvigorated?”
– Beyond words!
– Hmm, it feels like returning to my prime, when I was most active…
While it wasn’t as dramatic a transformation as when I used the contaminated ginseng, Braun had clearly ‘rejuvenated’.
And when I pulled back the towel covering him, I noticed something I hadn’t seen before.
‘…A tag?’
There was a small scrap of fabric at the back of his neck, where it looked like a tag had once been attached.
‘So there was originally a complete tag here?’
It seemed to be a remnant recovered during his rejuvenation.
‘Interesting.’
I made a mental note of it.
– Ah, I feel wonderful.
“That’s good to hear.”
After drying off the plush doll, I placed him neatly on a towel-covered table.
The preparations were complete.
“I have a favor to ask.”
– Ah, I had a feeling that was coming!
– After all, how could I refuse a friend who had just prepared a bath for me? You’re probably about to ask if I can lend my mask to more people, aren’t you?
“That’s right.”
With Braun rejuvenated, he could now wield more powerful abilities.
– Excellent. How many people are we talking about?
“Two.”
* * *
Two days later—
Following instructions in the company’s notice, I headed to a different location for work. It was an abandoned private kindergarten building, already populated with company personnel.
“You’re already here,” I greeted respectfully.
“Roe, you’re early!”
Standing near the poorly cleaned entrance of the kindergarten, I soon saw my squadmates arrive.
“Let’s hope it’s one of those guys who bites it, not us.”
“Please… just this once…”
Thanks for whispering, though honestly, I don’t think anyone would have cared even if you hadn’t. Everyone wore the same anxious expression anyway.
“Roe, Roe! Do you see that guy over there with the rabbit’s foot? It’s supposed to be a lucky charm.”
“Does it work?”
“You think? Last expedition, someone wore something similar and still got sent to the afterlife in one hit.”
“Yeah, Assistant Manager Eun’s right. They say none of those items work here. The selection is ‘fair’ and unavoidable.”
I glanced at Supervisor Park, who, though pale, was trying to force a smile. He looked as if he had braced himself but was still deeply nervous.
“Supervisor.”
“Yeah?”
“Would the company have any issues if I tried something similar? To avoid being picked as the sacrifice?”
“Ah, preparing some countermeasures to dodge it?”
“Something like that.”
Supervisor Park laughed and patted me on the back.
“Oh, Roe, of course not! Everyone does it!”
“I’d bet my paycheck that everyone here has spent the last three days trying every trick in the book to weasel out of this.”
Bold words, Assistant Manager Eun…
Eun Haje smirked faintly.
“How do you think they figured out none of it works? Plenty of people tried and still ended up as the sacrifice.”
“Why, Roe, are you planning to try something too?”
“Yes.”
After a moment of hesitation, I pulled Braun out of my pocket.