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The Sehee Research Institute was livelier than ever.

The sudden return of the Golden Reapers caused an uproar throughout the institute.

On ordinary days, it was a calm and orderly place, but now it felt like a festive tavern.

Researchers expressed their joy in various ways.

Some fed all the snacks they had saved during the absence of the Golden Reapers to them.

Others clutched the Golden Reapers as if they would never let go, rubbing them on their faces.

Others danced with the Golden Reapers perched on their heads, showcasing a variety of ways to express their feelings.

“Finally… Finally, you’re back.”

“I missed you!”

Cheers and laughter echoed throughout the research institute.

The Golden Reapers seemed happy with these human reactions, letting out giggles.

The warm aura and scent of the sun radiating from the tiny bodies of the Golden Reapers made the researchers even more ecstatic.

It was such an intense scene of madness that even Senior Kim Jungrwi gave up on trying to restore order.

Seeing Senior Kim shake his head in resignation, Yerin muttered to herself.

“This is a total mess…”

If there were a disease called Mini Reaper addiction, the Sehee Research Institute would be the gathering place of the most severe addicts.

As she slowly made her way out of the chaotic office, she spotted a researcher continuously feeding snacks to a Golden Reaper.

‘Human…’

The Golden Reaper’s belly was already round and puffed up like a small balloon, to the point where it felt like it might burst if poked.

Of course, being a physically immune Golden Reaper, no amount of poking would make it pop.

That scene could be viewed as abuse of the Golden Reaper, but both the feeding researcher and the munching Golden Reaper looked happy, so it must be fine.

Yerin passed by the balloon-like Golden Reaper and exited the office soaked in madness.

Once outside the office, Yerin’s destination was clear.

‘Since the Golden Reapers are back, the Reaper must have returned too!’

Her steps naturally moved toward the courtyard.

And with the instinct that the Gray Reaper had returned, Yerin’s pace began to quicken.

As she walked through the corridor leading to the courtyard, Yerin tried to calm her racing heart, but before long, her steps had turned into a run.

Passing through the somewhat quiet courtyard, she arrived at the Marshmallow Plains.

Yerin instinctively began scanning her surroundings as she moved forward.

‘Where could it be? The Reaper must have returned too…’

Within her heart, anticipation and anxiety intertwined.

Just because the Golden Reapers had returned didn’t mean the Reaper had come back as well.

After searching around, Yerin’s eye caught something a bit strange.

A girl with blue hair was spinning a golden gas lamp like a top.

The girl resembled the Gray Reaper depicted in the book James had shown her.

‘!’

Yerin’s eyes widened in surprise.

In an instant, Yerin realized that the Gray Reaper was inside that blue girl.

Teasing those cute Mini Reapers by spinning the lamp was exactly the sort of mischief the Gray Reaper would pull.

‘Waaah!’

‘I’m dizzy!’

It felt as if she could hear the Mini Reapers’ squeals from inside the lamp.

Upon discovering the Gray Reaper she had been searching for, Yerin slowly approached the blue girl.

As she did, a swirl of thoughts and anticipations filled her heart.

‘What is that blue girl’s body?’

‘She looks just like a human. I could even walk down the street with her!’

‘We might be able to go to the new shopping mall together!’

And finally, when Yerin’s eyes met with the Gray Reaper in the form of the blue girl—

‘!!!’

The blue girl opened her eyes wide and, like a mirage, she suddenly vanished with a ‘pop!’

“Ah, she ran away…”

Disappointment filled Yerin’s voice.

Having already imagined dozens of fun things to do with the Gray Reaper in the form of the blue girl, Yerin squatted down on the floor with a sullen expression.

At that moment, something caught her eye.

It was something she hadn’t noticed at all while the Gray Reaper was present.

Rubbing her eyes and taking another look.

“What is this…?”

It was as if she were looking into a mirror.

An object that looked exactly like her?

Or perhaps an object?

If it weren’t for a broken mark over one eye, it would have been nearly indistinguishable from her.

Yerin exclaimed in awe, slowly moving towards the Saintess Doll.

Likewise, the Saintess Doll also seemed surprised, eyes wide open upon seeing Yerin.

The Saintess Doll released an infinitesimal spark of magic that no one else could hear.

[The real Saintess…]

Entranced, Yerin stood before the Saintess Doll, playfully touching its soft cheeks.

“It really looks just like me… Where did the Reaper find such a doll?”

Thinking it was a doll similar to a lead doll, Yerin kept fiddling with it when suddenly, magic resonated in her head.

[Um… Hello?]

“Eek.”

At that moment, Yerin jumped back like a startled cat.

Her face was a mix of shock and confusion.

*

Having teleported into the blue girl’s form, I took a deep breath as soon as I arrived at my dwelling.

My heart was still racing.

The surprise from that moment spent face-to-face with Yerin seemed like it wouldn’t fade.

“Ah… That was a shock.”

I muttered, sitting on the edge of the bed.

In fact, considering the likelihood of such happenings, I should have thrown off the blue girl’s body much earlier…

However, as soon as I spotted the Lamp Reaper, I couldn’t resist the urge to play a little.

So everything that led to Yerin discovering me was entirely the fault of the Lamp Reaper.

I sighed deeply while looking at the Lamp Reaper beside me.

‘Mom?’

The Lamp Reaper poking its head out from behind the small cloud inside the lamp tilted its head and called to me.

Seeing that, I felt annoyingly charmed, and I spun the Lamp Reaper around once more.

‘Waaah!’

As the Lamp Reaper flew chaotically inside the lamp, I smiled in satisfaction.

Hehe.

After playing with the Lamp Reaper for a bit, my mood lifted.

It was time to return.

I slowly got up and laid the blue girl’s body on the bed.

‘….’

After a while, I returned to the form of the Gray Reaper.

Opening my eyes, the familiar comfort enveloped my entire being.

Perfection that was incomparable to the blue girl’s body.

A 360-degree field of view with no blind spots.

A body that felt neither hungry nor in pain.

A body devoid of any organs or muscles, yet functioning perfectly as an object.

Compared to the Gray Reaper, the blue girl’s body was nothing but a life of suffering.

Human bodies were always painful.

Feeling the comfort of the Gray Reaper, I headed toward where Yerin was.

‘…?’

Arriving where Yerin was, I couldn’t help but be taken aback by the unexpected scene.

The Saintess Doll and Yerin were sitting facing each other, engaged in a familiar conversation.

*

Late at night, at Yerin’s apartment.

I was present along with the Saintess Doll, having arrived at Yerin’s place.

I expected Yerin to ask tons of questions about the blue girl, but she seemed to catch on to what I wanted to hide and didn’t ask anything.

That’s our Yerin, so kind.

So in return, I decided to spend the day playing at Yerin’s house.

The mini amusement park that was still popular with the kids was full of Mini Reapers.

It was larger than an ordinary apartment living room, but thanks to me stretching the space inside the apartment, it wasn’t too bothersome.

What was Yerin preparing this time that was taking so long?

I hoped it wasn’t another dreadful set of pajamas…

As I rolled around pondering, I spotted the Saintess Doll playing among the Mini Reapers.

The Saintess Doll, made in Yerin’s likeness, was also quite popular among the Mini Reapers.

Was it because of the abundance of firewood?

Of course, I had replaced all the firewood inside with golden firewood.

Since my body remembered that ordinary firewood didn’t taste good, seeing white firewood always dampened my mood, so it couldn’t be helped.

The Saintess Doll, staring with curiosity at a Golden Reaper painting, gently stroked it as if to say it was cute.

‘…!’

At that moment, Yerin appeared, grinning and holding an enormous pile of clothes.

Seeing Yerin coming in with so many clothes, I slowly rolled on the floor and sneaked under the living room table.

“These aren’t Reaper clothes, so you don’t need to hide.”

Yerin chuckled softly as she saw my antics and said that.

As some time passed, I stealthily extended one leg out from under the table.

Then I saw the slightly awkward expression on the Saintess Doll and the sly grin on Yerin’s face.

Yerin’s expression looked like she was about to trick Senior Kim Jungrwi.

And the Saintess Doll was wearing a blindfold like the ones used in hospitals.

Yerin nodded as she observed the Saintess Doll from various angles.

“Perfect. Senior Kim Jungrwi won’t suspect a thing.”

With that, Yerin giggled in a mischievous tone.

‘What on earth does she mean by perfect?’

I couldn’t help but tilt my head at her antics.