(3rd POV - Kato Megumi)
a bit of flashback
[Mutual Aid Chat Group]
Stelle: So I'm telling you, if it jiggles, it's probably edible.
Lumine: That is not a reliable standard.
Stelle: Says the person who lives in a world full of slimes.
Lumine: Slimes are not food.
Stelle: You're telling me no one has ever tried?
There was a brief pause, as if Lumine was reconsidering something she really didn't want to admit.
Lumine: …That's not the point.
Stelle: So that's a yes.
Lumine: It's a "stop asking."
Stelle: Coward.
A new message appeared, cutting into their exchange.
Belle: I leave for five minutes and you're debating whether elemental lifeforms are edible?
Stelle: Important survival knowledge.
Lumine: It's not.
Belle: Please don't test that theory and then ask me how to fix it.
Stelle: No promises.
The chat continued at its usual, oddly relaxed pace—
As if none of them existed in particularly dangerous worlds.
As if nothing was wrong.
And then—
Megumi: um, guys I think there's… something in front of me.
The flow of messages stopped.
Not completely.
But noticeably.
Stelle: Oh. New message.
Belle: Megumi?
Lumine: What happened?
Her expression didn't change—but her focus sharpened.
Megumi: A person… I think. But something feels wrong.
Lumine: Describe it.
Belle: Stay calm. Don't get closer.
Stelle: And don't eat it.
Megumi: I wasn't planning to.
Even in this situation—
Her tone remained flat.
Megumi's gaze lifted slightly from the translucent screen, focusing once more on the figure ahead.
The "person" in front of them remained crouched low in the alley, its body twitching in uneven intervals. Its shoulders rose and fell in sharp, irregular motions, as if breathing itself was an unnatural act. A quiet, broken giggle slipped from its lips—repeating, hollow, completely detached from any normal human emotion.
Its fingers dug into its own arm, nails pressing deep enough to tear skin, yet it showed no sign of pain.
Then its head tilted—
Too far.
Far beyond what any normal neck should allow.
Its black-and-red eyes locked onto Ren, unblinking, as its smile stretched wider into something grotesque.
Megumi's expression didn't change.
But her focus sharpened.
[Mutual Aid Chat Group]
Without moving her hands, without making a sound—
A thought formed.
And was sent.
Megumi: It's crouching… laughing. Its movements are unnatural. Eyes are black and red.
The response came instantly, as if they had been waiting.
Lumine: That's not human.
Belle: Agreed. High probability of a hostile entity. Avoid direct confrontation if possible.
Stelle: Yeah, that sounds like something that would try to eat you.
Megumi's gaze remained steady on the figure ahead.
Another thought surfaced.
Megumi: I'm not alone.
A brief pause followed
Belle: Ally?
Stelle: Or liability?
Megumi's eyes shifted slightly toward Ren's back.
He stood in front of her, relaxed—almost casual. One hand rested lazily at his side, the other loosely holding his bag, his posture completely unguarded.
And yet—
He didn't step back.
Didn't tense.
Didn't hesitate.
Megumi: A classmate. He's standing in front of me.
Lumine: Is he aware of the danger?
As if answering that question—
"…Why are you staring at me like that?" Ren's voice sounded, calm and unbothered. "Also… do you need eye drops?"
The creature's laughter sharpened, turning more unstable.
Megumi remained still.
Megumi: …Yes. He's aware.
A short pause.
Stelle: Okay, I like this guy.
Belle: Focus. Megumi, what's his condition? Panicked? Injured?
Megumi observed Ren for a moment longer.
Megumi: Calm. Very calm.
This time, the silence lingered slightly longer.
Not uncertainty.
Evaluation.
Lumine: That's unusual.
Belle: Either he doesn't understand the situation…Or he understands it completely.
Stelle: Or he's the strongest one there.
Megumi didn't respond immediately.
Her gaze remained on Ren.
On the way he stood as if none of this mattered.
On the way he didn't move even a single step back.
Megumi: …I'm not sure which.
Belle: …Wait.
Belle: Why is there no Aid prompt?
A short pause followed, as if the system itself had been questioned.
Stelle: eh?
Belle: Last time, when Lumine got chased by a pack of slimes, the system immediately issued a support quest.
Stelle: "Emergency Aid: Assist Lumine in escaping hostile slimes." Rewards included, too.
Lumine: …I remember. It was unnecessary.
Stelle: You still ran.
Lumine: Tactical retreat.
Belle: Focus.
A brief silence settled again, heavier this time.
Stelle: So why isn't it triggering now?
Belle: …Good question.
The chat paused.
Then—
A new system line appeared.
[Scanning current environment…]
The message lingered for a moment.
[Analyzing threat level…]
[Evaluating participant condition…]
Megumi's gaze remained steady, though her attention sharpened slightly.
[Analysis complete.]
A final line appeared.
[Result: No aid required.]
The chat froze for a second.
Stelle: Huh?
Belle: …That's not right.
Lumine: Explain.
Another system line followed.
[Conclusion: User "Megumi" is not in danger.]
A brief pause.
Then—
Stelle: …Are we looking at the same situation?
Belle: Hostile entity confirmed. Proximity is extremely close. yet the system concludes "no danger"…?
Lumine: That means—
Megumi's eyes shifted, just slightly, toward Ren's back.
Lumine: The threat has already been neutralized.
Stelle: …By the classmate?
Belle: Or more accurately— The system does not recognize the current situation as a threat because of him.
A brief silence followed.
Heavier than before.
Stelle: …Okay.
Stelle: Now I'm really interested.
Megumi didn't respond.
She simply stood there—
Watching Ren's back.
(Change of POV, Back to the Present)
Ren let out a quiet breath.
In front of him, the ghoul's body lowered further, muscles tightening like a coiled spring pushed to its limit. Its laughter had stopped completely now, replaced by something far more dangerous—focus.
"…Yeah," Ren muttered, tilting his head slightly. "That's usually when things go bad."
Behind him, he could faintly sense Megumi's presence. Still quiet. Still there.
Good.
That meant he didn't have to worry about anything slipping past him.
The ghoul moved.
No warning, no hesitation—its body blurred forward, claws aimed straight for his throat with inhuman speed.
Ren didn't dodge.
He didn't step back.
Instead, he raised his hand slightly, as if casually greeting someone.
"Alright, time-out," he said.
*Snap*
The world… didn't stop.
But something changed.
Invisible. Subtle.
Like a script being edited mid-scene.
The ghoul's movement didn't slow—but something inside it did.
The ghoul's body jerked violently.
A strange, muffled sound echoed from within its chest—like something shifting where it shouldn't.
It froze.
Its hands trembled slightly, fingers twitching as confusion overtook its expression.
The ghoul's body twitched again.
Then—
Its mouth slowly opened.
At first, nothing happened.
Then something small pushed forward from within—
A twitching shape.
A tiny nose.
A pair of glossy black eyes.
A squirrel.
It slipped out of the ghoul's mouth and dropped onto the ground, landing lightly before darting off without hesitation.
For a brief second—
Everything was still.
Then another one appeared.
And another.
Small squirrels began emerging one after another, squeezing their way out as if the ghoul's body had somehow become a nest. They didn't hesitate, didn't look back—each one immediately scampered away, disappearing into the corners of the alley.
The ghoul staggered, its body swaying as its strength rapidly faded.
No blood.
No violent struggle.
Just an unnatural emptiness, as if something inside it had been quietly… replaced.
Ren watched the scene with mild curiosity, tilting his head slightly.
"…Huh," he muttered. "That's one way to solve a hunger problem."
The last squirrel slipped out and vanished into the shadows.
The ghoul's body went still.
Then slowly—
It collapsed.
The alley fell silent once more.
Ren stared at the corpse for a moment, then let out a small sigh.
"…Huh."
He scratched his cheek lightly.
"Okay, that might've been a little overkill." ( •̀ - •́ )
Behind him, Megumi remained silent.
Ren glanced back slightly, his tone returning to normal, almost casual.
"…Sorry about that. Shortcut might've been a bad idea."
Ren cursed inwardly. Who would've thought the traits of SCP-2030 would twist his intentions like this?
When he used its power, he only wanted to end the fight quickly—without bloodshed, without anything gruesome, especially with Kato right behind him.
But somehow… it still got twisted.
End the battle quickly?Done.
Without any bloodshed?Well, technically, turning every organ and drop of blood into something else meant no blood was spilled.
Nothing gruesome?Turning everything into cute squirrels… also done.
"…What the hell," Ren muttered under his breath. "I'm not in Fuyuki, and I'm definitely not using that broken cup. So why does my wish still get twisted like this?"
He let out a quiet sigh.
This was a good reminder.
Power like this wasn't something he could use carelessly.
"…Wait," he paused, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Is it because SCP-2030's nature is already twisted to begin with?"
'sigh, my brain can keep with the enemies, there is no way I can detail every of my action' thought Ren
"Let's go Kato-san"
As he walked past the corpse, Ren could feel Megumi Kato's gaze lingering on him.
It was… uncomfortable.
"Do you want to know?" Ren asked without turning around.
The only response he got was an even more intense stare.
"…Sigh. Alright."
He rubbed the back of his neck lightly.
"The thing you saw back there—it's called a ghoul. Have you ever watched movies about ghouls? It's basically what you think. The kind that eats humans."
Megumi remained quiet, listening.
"Though, if we're talking about the ones in movies, those are usually undead," Ren continued. "The one you saw… is different. That one was man-made."
They continued walking down the street.
Ren kept talking along the way, explaining what he knew about ghouls—keeping it simple, leaving out anything too disturbing.
At first, he hadn't planned to tell her anything about this side of the world.
But now that she had already seen it…
Ignoring it would only make things worse. Erasing her memory wasn't an option either.
Not because he couldn't—
But because he didn't want to.
Megumi was one of the few people he could consider a close friend. If she understood even a little about the dangers hidden beneath the surface of this world, she might at least be more careful.
After all, this world was a complete hodgepodge of different realities.
Ghouls were just the beginning. There were angels, demons, beastmen, yokai, evil spirits… dragons… even gods.
Danger existed everywhere. Seen and unseen.
Ren let out a quiet breath.
Even so—
He had no intention of letting Megumi get involved with any of it.
"…What about you?" Kato asked.
Ren glanced at her briefly. "You mean my power?"
"…Yeah."
Ren thought for a moment, then let out a small breath.
"Mm… it's kind of hard to explain," he said. "But if I had to put it simply… it's like, 'I think it, and it happens.'"
He paused, then added with a slight shrug,
"Though… I haven't been using it for long, so sometimes the results come out a bit… twisted."
Megumi fell silent.
Even though she wasn't particularly familiar with fantasy concepts, the logic behind his explanation was simple enough to understand.
And that was exactly why—
It was shocking.
Something like that shouldn't be simple.
It shouldn't be something a normal person could just say so casually.
Megumi looked at Ren again.
He was walking beside her as if nothing was unusual, his expression calm, almost indifferent—like he had just explained something completely ordinary.
"…I see," she said quietly.
But her gaze lingered on him a moment longer than usual.