A swarm of bats flew in from the sea and arrived in the yard.
The swarm gathered together, forming a human figure.
He wore casual shoes and pants, a light-colored top that covered his neck, and a beige coat draped over his shoulders.
His vivid yellow-blond hair was neatly cut. One eye was covered by a black eyepatch, while the pupil in the other was a thread-thin slit, almost impossible to see.
He was a handsome young man.
However, he had the sort of good looks that made it seem as though he might be plotting something unpleasant, or would betray someone one day.
"Welcome! You're Bisan, the vampire called the King of the Moon, right? Welcome to my house. This way."
Haseol greeted Bisan, then immediately led him inside.
"Yes, hello."
With a smile on his face, Bisan returned Haseol's greeting.
"Didn't you say he was an ordinary person?"
As he followed Haseol, Bisan asked Shura, who was smoking.
"He is."
"He's awfully calm for an ordinary person."
"He's out of his mind. After he sleeps for a night and reality sinks in, he will crawl out of his room with a gloomy face."
Shura flicked out her cigarette with her fingers, then went into the house with Bisan.
"If there is anything you need from that guy, do it today. Get the contract out of the way while he is out of his mind."
"Hmm~, I suppose I should do that if something comes to mind."
Haseol entered the house first.
"Bisan, what would you like to drink?"
"A bottle of water, please."
"All right."
Everyone sat down in the living room.
As Haseol poured bottled water into cups, he looked over at the living room, wondering who would sit beside whom.
Bisan pulled a sofa aside and sat at a distance.
Seeing that, Haseol tilted his head slightly, as though this would not be easy.
After all, it meant that none of them had any personal relationship or goodwill toward one another.
After bringing Bisan his bottled water, Haseol sat in front of the TV.
"Did you discuss anything before I arrived?"
Bisan asked the others.
"Haseol has sworn to stake his life on stopping the world's destruction."
Eska said.
"I never did that."
Haseol calmly objected.
"He received this house through a contract and agreed in return to prevent the destruction of the world."
"It feels heavier when it seems like I'm the one in debt......"
At Shura's words, it somehow felt more real to Haseol, and he smiled as he lowered his head.
"Was there anything else?"
Bisan asked.
"No."
Myun shook his head.
"Then shall we begin by changing the temporary name Rootstream to something else?"
At Bisan's words, Myun glared at him.
"You......"
"Hehe. I was joking. You all looked so serious."
Bisan said that, then drank his bottled water.
"First, I'll tell you what I learned on the way here."
He continued.
"A different vampire who was nearby tried to enter Rootstream and failed."
"Could they see it?"
"Yes. There were people other than vampires as well. They could all perceive Rootstream, but none of them could enter it."
"Are they all people connected to supernatural abilities?"
"Yes."
Bisan nodded.
"It seems everyone connected to supernatural abilities is unable to enter Rootstream."
"So it wasn't only us who couldn't go in."
"Yes. It seems that creating and resolving a Rootstream inevitably requires the help of an ordinary person who does not belong to the world of supernatural abilities."
"What about people with supernatural abilities inside Rootstream? Have you confirmed whether they are expelled?"
"I couldn't confirm that much."
"Hmm."
"If they aren't expelled, then if we can learn where a Rootstream will appear in advance, we could go there and wait beforehand."
"That is true."
"What if we remain unable to know in advance?"
Myun asked.
"Then doesn't that leave only him in the end?"
Myun pointed at Haseol.
"Since Rootstreams are created to eliminate supernatural abilities, if the beings with supernatural abilities inside them are not expelled, then there is indeed a possibility that they will resolve the Rootstream on their own."
"That would be most convenient for us."
"But we cannot rely on something that may or may not exist, so I think it would be best to firmly strengthen the basic plan of using an ordinary person to eliminate Rootstreams."
"Him?"
Myun asked, pointing at Haseol.
"Isn't there another good way?"
With a smile, Haseol was looking for a way to lessen his burden.
"We could bring another ordinary person into the world of supernatural abilities and test various methods, but."
Bisan looked steadily at Haseol.
"Could there be a reason Haseol was selected from among ordinary people?"
"I believe so as well."
"If, with time, we find some leeway, we could conduct various experiments using other ordinary people, but."
"Experiments?"
"For now, I think it would be best to focus on Haseol first."
Bisan continued to stare fixedly at Haseol.
"Experiments?"
Haseol asked the same question again.
"Certainly. It would be troublesome if we lost an important person while turning our attention to other ordinary people."
Eska nodded as if she agreed.
"Myun, what kind of experiments are you talking about?"
Haseol turned his head and sought Myun's help.
"Don't worry."
"I'm very worried."
"We won't kill you."
Myun gave an answer that did nothing to ease Haseol's concern.
"......"
"First, let's examine what abilities Haseol himself has. Only then can we give him precise support."
"That would be best."
Eska nodded at Bisan's proposal.
"Eska, may I ask you to do it?"
"Mm, I will do it myself."
Eska approached Haseol.
"Are you going to experiment on my body?"
Haseol looked up at Eska and asked.
"I am only going to examine you, so do not worry."
"Will it hurt?"
"It will not hurt."
"Ah, really?"
Eska put a hand on Haseol's relieved face.
"That was a lie, but you cannot move or resist now anyway, so prepare yourself in your heart."
As she said that, Eska offered him a benevolent smile.
***
After the sun had sunk a little.
"Haseol has no talent at all."
Eska said.
"His aptitude for anything connected to supernatural abilities is infinitesimally close to zero."
Eska shook her head.
"Even if he studied magic for a hundred years, he has so little talent that he would not be able to take even the first step into magic."
"What about other fields?"
At Bisan's question, Eska shook her head.
"It exists. However, it is so close to zero that it is no different from not existing."
At Eska's words, Myun gave Haseol a sympathetic look.
"His basic physical capacity is also a little below that of an ordinary person, with weaknesses here and there."
Shura was still expressionless, while Bisan still wore a faint smile.
Haseol was lying on the floor, half out of his mind.
It seemed more likely that the examination had simply hurt than that he had been shocked to learn he had no talent.
"Then it is highly likely that the person chosen was the one most distant from supernatural abilities."
"Then if we try to have another ordinary person learn magic and send them in, won't they be blocked?"
Myun asked.
"We will know if we test it."
"What about him? Are we going to test it on him too?"
Myun pointed at Haseol.
"What will we do if he is unable to enter after we test it?"
"That is the problem."
Bisan looked at Haseol in consternation.
"The ghost we encountered this time was classified as F―, correct?"
"That is right."
"That means there are ghosts of higher grades, and they will not be ghosts an ordinary person can face. He needs to grow stronger."
"I am not confident I can teach him magic. He has no talent."
"Even so, looking to the distant future, how about helping him learn at least a little?"
"No, what if he learns magic and then cannot enter? We need to deal with that part first."
"As I said, we will first have to test that through another ordinary person."
"That is why, for now, we need to consider a means for him to grow stronger without causing a change to his body."
Eska, Bisan, and Myun continued their discussion.
"Si Haseol. It seems you have something to say."
Shura, who had been quiet, pointed at Haseol as she spoke.
Everyone's attention turned to Haseol, who had raised a hand while lying down.
"Um, I'm tired and want to sleep. Could you tell me only the conclusion once the meeting is over?"
At Haseol's words, Eska nodded.
"All right. Get some sleep."
Eska stroked Haseol's face, closing his eyes.
"And."
Haseol spoke again.
"Could you hold the meeting somewhere else? You're loud."
"......"
"......"
"......"
"......"
For a moment, the four fell silent at Haseol's words.
Then.
"Heh heh heh heh heh......"
"Hah."
"Heh heh heh heh."
"Hahaha."
All four of them began to laugh.
"Eska. Put him to sleep so deeply that he would not notice even if we stabbed him with a knife."
"All right."
At Bisan's words, Eska covered Haseol's face with a hand suffused with blue light.
***
The next day.
Haseol blankly opened his eyes in the living room.
He slowly sat up.
Then he lifted his T-shirt and examined his body.
"At least they didn't stab me with a knife......"
Haseol muttered blankly.
"Did you think we would really stab you? What sort of people do you take us for?"
At the amused voice coming from beside him, Haseol flinched.
Bisan was sitting on the sofa and looking at Haseol.
"Uh......, you're good people. You give me a house, food, and clothes."
Haseol replied fawningly, as though he had become a slave.
"Sometimes you do strange things to my body too......"
Even as he said that, Haseol checked his body again for any wounds.
"For people like us, something as minor as a scar is easy to remove."
"Can you remove old scars too?"
Haseol pulled up his pants and showed Bisan the scar on his knee.
"Not that far. We can give you a new leg."
"No, that's fine."
Haseol immediately refused and avoided Bisan's gaze.
"Where is everyone else?"
"A new Rootstream appeared, and they are getting ready to go."
"A Rootstream appeared?"
"Yes."
"Already?"
"Can you call it already when a day has already passed?"
At Bisan's words, Haseol looked outside.
The sunlight was blazing.
"I only came home and slept? I didn't do anything? A new day has already started, and I have to work already?"
"That is the life of a normal office worker."
"Ah."
Haseol made an expression as if he had realized something.
"Ah?"
Then his expression shifted, as though this still was not right.
"Don't you need to get ready, Haseol?"
At Bisan's words, Haseol checked what he was wearing.
A white T-shirt, shorts, and bare feet.
"I'll get ready."
Haseol took off his shorts, changed into jeans, and pulled a pure white cap decorated with drawings of a clock's hour hand and minute hand down over his head.
His top remained a plain white T-shirt, so overall he looked as if he were merely going to the convenience store in front of his house.
"I only need to take these too, right?"
Haseol opened a drawer and took out the Cloak of Shade, which concealed his form, and Waycut, the knife that showed him the way.
"Do so."
"When are the others coming?"
Haseol tied the Cloak of Shade, which felt like transparent vinyl, around his waist.
"Shura and Myun may take a little while to arrive, so Eska and I will leave with you first."
"All right."
Haseol nodded.
"Ah, shoes."
He put on the indoor slippers for the time being.
"Will you go wearing those?"
"I can't wear shoes in the house. I'm wearing them in case I get dragged away before I have time to get ready."
"Heh heh heh, I see. I understand."
Bisan simply laughed and nodded.
"Ah~, I was worried because you're an ordinary person, but at this point, I suppose I don't need to treat you like one."
At Bisan's words, Haseol's expression disappeared for a moment.
"I was a perfect ordinary person. Until I saw the future yesterday."
"Is that so?"
"It's like trying hard to avoid a drizzle, but giving up when a downpour starts falling."
"Have you given up?"
"If I was holding on to my sanity, I wouldn't be lying on the floor asleep in clothing like I was wearing earlier, in front of people I'd just met."
At Haseol's words, Bisan kept smiling as he stared steadily at him.
"So you are self-aware?"
"Let's move on."
***
A moment later.
Click.
The front door opened, and Eska entered.
"We are ready to move. Let us go."
Bisan rose from the sofa, and Haseol rose as well.
They put on shoes at the entrance and went outside.
Holding the cloak and knife, Haseol shuffled out of the house in white slippers.
In the yard was a rectangle through which an entirely different space could be seen.
It was about the size of a door, but on the other side, instead of the sea, were an empty street and a pure white dome.
"If you're ready, let's go."
Eska stepped through it first, followed by Bisan.
"Hmmm."
Haseol raked both hands through his hair, then stepped beyond the rectangle.
As soon as Haseol arrived in the empty street, the rectangle disappeared.
There were barely any people on the street, and before him sprawled the pure white dome of Rootstream.
"Haaahhhhh."
Haseol crouched in front of Rootstream and let out a sigh.
"Do you hate it that much?"
"It makes me feel like I've come to work."
"Nobody likes going to work, I suppose."
Bisan laughed as he went along with Haseol's words.
"What conclusion did the meeting come to last night while I was asleep?"
Haseol asked Bisan.
"As we saw, objects imbued with supernatural abilities can pass through freely. But we thought it would be difficult to deal with every situation using items alone."
"Isn't that true?"
"So we concluded that Haseol himself inevitably needs to grow stronger."
"You said I don't have talent for supernatural abilities."
"You don't. And there is also the possibility that you will be unable to enter if you acquire supernatural abilities."
"Then what do we do?"
"We decided to use a means that we can put in, then take back out if it blocks your entry."
"Put in and take back out?"
"Yes."
"Is there something that can do that?"
"I have one thing I can use as a True Progenitor."
"If you're a True Progenitor, that's a vampire ability, right?"
"Yes."
"Why are you coming closer?"
"It seems you already know what it is."
"Are you going to suck my blood?"
"It is all right. I will put in as much of my own blood as I take out."
"It doesn't look all right at all?!"
Haseol sprang to his feet and put distance between himself and Bisan.
"Eska! Was this really the best option? It wasn't, right?!"
Haseol anxiously asked Eska.
"It will hurt less than yesterday, at least."
Eska gave Haseol a thumbs-up as though to reassure him.