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Late morning, in the Courtyard of Sehee Research Institute, the Golden Reapers were gathered in droves.

In the center of the throng of Golden Reapers lay a woman dressed elegantly in a suit, wearing a happy expression.

Surrounding her were countless Golden Reapers, all lying in the same pose, pretending to be asleep as if following her lead.

The Golden Reapers, with their eyes closed, occasionally peeked open their eyes to glance at the suited woman and then adjusted their posture.

The Inspector, who had always been tired and worn out, felt the tension in her body release after a long-awaited rest.

What on earth was the point of success when she struggled so hard against the absurd operations of the Association?

Lying down like this was nothing short of bliss…

Bathed in the warm sunlight and surrounded by the fragrant Golden Reapers, the Inspector smiled contentedly.

Sehee and Yerin, watching the Inspector take her rest in the courtyard, sighed in relief.

“Wow, that was really close this time, Unnie Sehee.”

“I had a feeling the Inspector would come, but I didn’t think she’d arrive so soon. Usually, it takes at least a month after an incident…”

Sehee gently petted the Golden Reaper looking up at her, glancing down.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, there are no talks of disciplinary action from the institute or transporting the Gray Reaper.”

Upon hearing this, the Golden Reaper tilted its head as if it didn’t understand what she meant.

Seeing its cute response, Sehee fondly tousled the Golden Reaper’s hair mercilessly, leaving it all disheveled.

“But why did you bring so many Golden Reapers with you?”

Sehee looked at Yerin, puzzled.

“?”

Yerin raised her eyebrows, expressing confusion.

“Doesn’t the Reaper’s Mental Pollution Index come out very weak? If you do a self-diagnosis test, it comes out as extremely low.”

“Oh… that.”

Sehee recalled there being a book titled ‘Object Mental Pollution Self-Diagnosis.’

It was published before measurement devices were invented, categorizing mental pollution into three levels: high, medium, and low.

She remembered its accuracy being around 70%.

Of course, it was discarded the moment the measurement devices came out.

Still, it was once known as a fairly accurate measurement method until the devices appeared.

Checking the Golden Reaper’s mental pollution via the book’s method indicated an extremely low level of mental pollution.

Sehee, recalling the contents of the book, self-diagnosed her thoughts.

‘Unexplainable gaps in memory: None.
Feelings of disconnection: None.
Inconsistent behavior: None.
Severe headaches when detached from the source of pollution: None.
Separation anxiety symptoms: Yes, but isn’t it normal to want to see something cute?’

Looking closely at the entries, everything passed as normal.

As expected, the Golden Reaper is cute and safe!

After chatting idly, she noticed the Inspector getting up from her spot and exiting the courtyard.

Standing in front of Sehee, the Inspector cleared her throat and spoke with a relieved expression.

“Hmm, it seems like there are no issues. The Gray Reaper was where it should be as well. Thank you, and this concludes the inspection.”

Having said that, the Inspector turned and left Sehee Research Institute.

Strangely enough, something small seemed to be wriggling in the Inspector’s suit pocket.

*

Inside my Comfortable Isolation Room at Sehee Research Institute…

Black Reapers, smeared with splotchy gray paint, clung to me with cheerful expressions.

I was so surprised when I first discovered these kids…

After carefully removing the black goo, I returned to Sehee Research Institute only to find a fake occupying my spot, which shocked me.

It felt like I had just left and returned to find a clone in my place, a scene straight out of a movie.

Thinking it was a wicked object that mimicked a specific target and took my place, I nearly panicked.

Fortunately, the moment the Black Reapers noticed I had arrived, they quickly disassembled back to their original sizes and warmly welcomed me, turning it into a harmless incident.

I lied on the bed, skillfully turned on the TV, and nestled into my comfy blanket.

A warm and cozy feeling spread throughout my body, making a satisfied, faint smile appear on my lips.

As I comfortably lay on the bed watching TV, mysterious white cotton balls began to float in the air above the isolation room.

And from those cotton balls, cheerful golden faces popped out.

Floating in the sky, the laughing Golden Reapers looked as if they were having a blast.

They seemed like new Mini Reapers sprouted from the recent Odaesan incident.

It almost felt like they were related to Cloud Fish, judging by how they floated in the air.

Watching all those white cotton balls drift about, I felt a twinge of annoyance.

Why couldn’t I gain flight ability this time?

I caught plenty of Cloud Fish, and looking at the kids flying around, it didn’t seem like any physical transformation was needed.

While I did destroy the orange moon and gained abilities, it had nothing to do with flight.

‘Why can’t I fly!?’

As I sulked and grumbled, the Golden Reapers began to drop down from the sky.

Saying “Mom, don’t be sad,” they rained down like a bombardment of Golden Reapers.

The Black Reapers tilted their heads, conveying their will.

‘Mom can’t fly.’
‘Can’t fly!’

The Black Reaper sounded as if it was declaring I could never gain the ability to fly.

Wait, is this insubordination?

Are the Black Reapers making fun of me!?

‘Why can’t I fly? I can absorb the abilities of other objects. I’m going to get it for sure!’

‘?’

Hearing that, the Black Reapers tilted their heads even more, looking confused.

Then they bundled together, increasing in size.

They began to take on an appearance reminiscent of the Mini Reaper Garden, like a corpse inside a black sphere.

While it still looked vague, it was more definite than before, not as hazy or foggy.

A long-armed, nine-eyed strange existence.

No legs, appearing as if rooted to the ground.

‘Mom can’t fly, to begin with, right?’

Then the Black Reapers spoke in a very definitive tone.

Aww, the Black Reaper is tormenting me.

Disheartened, I closed my eyes and lay flat on the bed.

The Golden Reapers didn’t know why I was like this, but they began to stroke my hair in a comforting manner.

Meanwhile, one of the Golden Reapers crawled up onto my face and began to make odd sounds.

“Mom! The large younger brother is here!”

Large younger brother?

Oh, is that the blonde girl who was with the Black Agent?

She must be much older than the Mini Reapers who are under a year old, but treating her as a younger sibling was somewhat funny.

At the urging of the Golden Reaper, I ghosted my way out of the isolation room and found the blonde girl and the Black Agent arriving in the Courtyard of Sehee Research Institute.

It seemed the friendly scent towards Mini Reapers allowed the blonde girl to enter without any hassle.

*

The Black Agent was looking around with an uncomfortable expression.

“I heard it was a mess, but this exceeded my expectations.”

Objects freely frolicked in the courtyard.

Could this really be called a ‘Research Institute,’ I wondered, still unable to shake the thought.

“That’s likely why we were able to come in so easily.”

The blonde girl pointed to a corner of the courtyard filled with the sweet scent of hot chocolate.

In the spot she indicated, a Red Reaper, experiencing its first encounter with a White Hungry Ghost, was playing tag with a cheerful expression.

From the perspective of the Hungry Ghost, it probably felt like being pursued by a terrifying baby spewing fire.

“That kid looks like it’s having a lot of fun, so it’s probably fine, right?”

The blonde girl laughed and took a sip of the hot chocolate in her cup.

Around the blonde girl, a swarm of Mini Reapers gathered.

“Large younger brother!”
“Large!”

“They’re calling me their younger sibling.”

The blonde girl smiled at the cute Mini Reapers calling her ‘younger sibling.’

“Miss, what do you plan to do now?”

At the Black Agent’s calm question, the blonde girl pondered with her finger on her lips.

“I’m not sure. Ever since meeting the Gray Reaper, I’ve felt a lot more at ease. I don’t really worry about my grandfather, the Trinity Research Institute, or even my suddenly missing parents.”

She opened her hands, holding one Golden Reaper, then slowly began to stroke its hair.

“It feels like warm emotions fill my heart like these carefree kids.”

‘I may have completely transformed into a being entirely different from humans,’ she quietly added, taking another sip of hot chocolate.

“For now, let’s return to the Detective Agency and start with some thank-you notes. After that, I think I’ll rest here and ponder the next steps.”

The girl looked up, shielding the shining sun with her palm, and then turned back to the Black Agent.

“Sir, what will you do?”

The blonde girl looked up at the man, her expression slightly anxious.

Seeing her, the Black Agent smiled faintly and replied.

“Since I was meant to die in the desert, if you wish, I will follow you forever.”

Upon hearing the Black Agent, the blonde girl made a slightly dissatisfied expression.

She murmured softly, ‘Is he still saying that?’ but the Black Agent continued without hearing her.

“And I agree on staying at Sehee Research Institute. It might be wise to observe for a while for any changes due to the influence of the Gray Reaper on either you or me.”

The Black Agent spoke in a calm tone as if to assure her, but something about her felt a bit pouty.