Meanwhile, Agent Choi narrowed his eyes as he caught a glimpse of the item I’d handed over.
“…A coin?”
“Oh, it’s not just a regular coin… I, uh, got it from another ghost story.”
That part was true.
Though the fact that the ghost story was a custom equipment line from Daydream Inc.—a Twilight-grade ghost story called the ‘Kind Seed Kit’—was a secret.
Right.
That coin was the first custom equipment I ever created at the Field Exploration Team.
‘The Third Hand…!’
A coin-shaped item that could summon a phantom hand in midair.
It had to be something from a ghost story originally developed, contained, and utilized in Daydream Inc.’s early days.
It had to be this.
But because Daydream Inc. employees were essentially blacklisted from this marketplace, the trade had failed to go through for five years and had just been left there, untouched.
‘Got it.’
Gripping the scrap of paper, I felt a small but thrilling sense of accomplishment.
And it’s not that I had rashly sacrificed my custom equipment. I’ve got plans to retrieve it later.
Right now, the priority was Agent Choi.
I gave the excuse I’d thought up.
“I figured currency would be immediately useful in a ghost story… I, uh, just remembered what happened at the supermarket.”
For reference, the Looky Mart’s vouchers had vanished the moment I left the store, balance and all. That ghost story supermarket really was run by vicious scoundrels.
Anyway, I thought that came off suitably rookie-like.
It probably looked like I didn’t realize different ghost stories use different currencies and just gave it a shot.
And luckily, it worked.
Time to stick with that meta.
“Hmm… Hoobae-nim. That arm’s been left untouched for five years—didn’t it occur to you that any emergency might already be over?”
“Even so… the arm was still there, sir.”
I finally gave a small smile.
“I figured… if a barter was accepted, that meant there had to be someone on the other end ready to take it. Um, well, it’s just a theory, and I could be wrong.”
“……”
Agent Choi stared at me for a moment, then—
“Ah~ I really like this!”
“…?!”
“Khheuu, right. This is it! Hard to find someone who actually uses their head and imagines things with internal logic!”
He ruffled my hat-covered hair. Aack!!
Then, lowering his voice so others wouldn’t hear, he spoke quietly.
“As I thought…”
As you thought?
“You really should join our Turtle-Snake Team 1.”
“I apologize, sir.”
“Hiing.”
I was seriously fed up…
Still, at least I seem to have avoided suspicion for now…
“But didn’t you say you’re too scared to join the Dispatch & Rescue Unit? And yet you’ve got the guts to come into a dangerous place like this alone?”
“……”
“Then… maybe you can survive in Turtle-Snake Team 1, huh?”
Damn it.
Was that a threat? Join if you don’t want to be suspected?
My head was spinning.
But then, the next words came.
“That fear of yours in the first place. Honestly, it’s probably just a hallucination brought on by overexertion during your first mission…”
I exploded.
“No, I’m scared to death! I’m really scared!!”
“…?!”
“But I have no choice but to endure it, right?! I can’t just say I’m too scared to do anything! I’m a rookie!”
At this moment…
Act or die!!
“Of course I’m scared of not having an arm! I was terrified something might go wrong, but I still came all the way here!”
I practically coughed up blood as I shouted.
It was partly intentional, but as the resentment that had built up from working at a certain insane ghost-story pharmaceutical company burst out, I genuinely felt wronged.
…Agent Choi was staring at me, mouth open.
“S-Sorry?”
“……”
“Alright, alright. Hoobae-nim, congrats on your first trade, and um… Right, the note! Gotta check the note, right? How about it?”
“……Yes, sir.”
I took a deep breath.
Still, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been in a situation where I could speak this honestly… in that sense, it felt a little refreshing.
Surely, even after all that, he wouldn’t try to drag me into the Dispatch & Rescue Unit… please.
“I apologize for yelling, sir.”
“Eyy, don’t worry. You’re not the only one doing crazy stuff around here. Think of it as a good 3-second spotlight.”
So I looked that unhinged, huh. Good to know…
I let out a sigh.
“I, um… It’s been a long time since I shouted like that.”
“Aigoo, guess your place doesn’t have good soundproofing, huh?”
“No. I… don’t have a place to go home to right now.”
“……”
“I’d like to have one, though.”
“Okay.”
Huu.
I finally calmed my breathing and opened the note in my hand.
‘Feels like Agent Choi suddenly went quiet.’
Still, since he wasn’t provoking me anymore, it was better this way.
I turned my attention back to the note.
The blood-soaked scrap of paper I carefully unfolded with one hand had—
Dried letters, written in smeared blood.
LOOK HERE
THAT WHICH RESPONDS TO EMPATHY AND ATTENTION
THERE IS A TOY
The dried, crusted blood that stained the entire page had caused the letters themselves to blur and run…
‘Ha.’
It looked like a prop straight out of a horror movie. I wanted to throw it away right then, but.
“Wait a sec.”
Agent Choi casually took the note from my hand.
I didn’t stop him on purpose.
Agent Choi began inspecting it using something like a strange form of dowsing.
That was a Disaster Management Bureau-issued tool too.
Tracking Rod
: A curved stick made of glass and brass.
When placed over a substance derived from a ghost story or a medium that triggers a paranormal phenomenon, it spins in place.
But the rod showed no reaction at all to the note I’d just bought.
“Hmm, no mysterious response. Just an ordinary note. The message though…”
Agent Choi chuckled.
“Looks like it’s meant to lure people in through a ghost story, huh?”