(POV – Protagonist)
While the woman in the lab coat, whom I recently discovered was named Laura, was talking with the scowling agent, whose name I learned was Victor, I approached one of the other agents who was checking his equipment. Of course, I wouldn't have approached him without a specific reason.
The reason I approached him was simple: he was speaking to someone over the radio. My hearing is extremely sensitive, so I could hear from a distance, but I decided to get closer anyway. I managed to pick up some important information from the conversation, but honestly, nothing that really clarified my current situation.
In summary, this world seems to host extraordinary beings and phenomena that defy scientific explanations. These beings and events are commonly referred to as "anomalies" Additionally, if one of these anomalies has some kind of special power, it is known as an "anomalous ability".
From this conversation, I came to a conclusion: somehow, I have become one of these anomalies. I say "somehow" because I don't remember how it happened. My memories are hazy; I remember attending college, but to be honest, I can't even recall what my gender was in that memory.
Since my body doesn't have any defined characteristics, I wonder if that means I have both? It's a somewhat strange question. Anyway, back to the main point, I got a lot of information from that soldier and thought about going back, but honestly, I didn't expect him to just shoot me as soon as he saw me.
"Ah, n-no! I mean... sorry! Please, don't kill me!"
Personally, I didn't feel anything from the shot. Although it made a small hole in my body, it didn't really seem like a wound. Besides, the wound was already starting to heal, thanks to the power I gained from one of those anomalies that resemble dogs.
However, he seemed to think otherwise. His eyes widened as soon as he shot me, and his body began to tremble while he sweat profusely. He dropped the gun almost instantly. With all these signs, it was clear he was terrified of me. Probably, if I just breathed now, he'd faint on the spot. Well, not that I breathe, after all, I don't even have lungs.
Moreover, they are my only chance to get out of this endless forest. So, I want them to see me as someone friendly, or at least, not a threat to them. With that thought in mind, I went back to Laura and held onto a part of her lab coat.
"..."
A silence hung in the air for a few seconds. Noticing that I wasn't going to do anything, the man who had shot me stood up and began adjusting his equipment again. However, his fixed gaze on me was unmistakable; he seemed to be watching me with special attention, probably because he was the one who fired. Well, even if I wanted to say I didn't care, I can't make any sound.
"She really doesn't seem hostile to us"
"That's what I said. If she were, we'd probably already be dead"
"I think you're right. But why does she seem so attached to you?"
"I have no idea, but I think that's lucky. We can take her with us!"
"Are you serious?... Well, it makes sense. Since she's so friendly, maybe we can bring her back. I just hope she doesn't change her mind on the way"
"It'll be fine"
"Again, how can you be so confident?"
"Intuition. Anyway, if everything is ready, let's get out of the forest"
After the conversation between Laura and Victor ended, we began to prepare to leave. I stayed by Laura's side the entire time. Of course, everyone kept watch around me, but I think holding onto Laura's lab coat had some effect, as I clearly noticed they relaxed a bit.
Putting that aside, my thoughts turned to how exactly we would get out of this forest. I literally tried everything but couldn't find a way out. This led me to believe there was a specific method to escape. While reflecting on this, still holding Laura's lab coat, she crouched down and picked up a fallen leaf from one of the many trees around us.
"All set. Let's go"
With Laura's words, we started walking. I still followed Laura, holding onto a part of her lab coat, but where exactly were we going? Honestly, it seemed like we weren't following a specific direction. In fact, I was almost certain we were going in circles.
Suddenly, as I reflected on this, I began to notice the way out of the place. It wasn't a sudden event, but gradual: the trees started to spread apart, and the feeling of us walking in circles simply disappeared. Before I knew it, we were out of the forest.
At first, I thought we were in a forest within a national park or something like that, but I couldn't have been more wrong. As soon as we exited the forest, the first thing I noticed was people—many of them, to be honest.
In general, most of the people were wearing protective gear and carrying weapons, probably belonging to the organization that Laura and Victor frequently mentioned. However, what really surprised me was realizing that we were in a relatively hilly area.
More precisely, we were on top of a broad hill. The city lights were visible on the horizon, though we weren't that far away, we were definitely farther from the city than I initially thought. We weren't even close to a forest park or anything like that.
"How exactly are we going to do this? If we just show up with an anomaly, the place will probably turn into complete chaos"
Putting my thoughts aside, we still hadn't completely left the forest. Although I don't like to admit it, Victor was right. It's very likely that, as soon as others see me, they'll panic. However, I believe my innocent appearance might help to ease the situation.
As I reflected, Laura, who had been silent with a thoughtful expression until then, finally seemed to have an idea.
"Can't we just introduce her to the others? She's so cute that I don't think they'll see her as a threat. It wouldn't be a problem for us to arrive with her, right?"
As Laura's words echoed, Victor and I exchanged glances, each with a different expression but with the same thought. Victor had a look of disbelief, while I maintained my usual poker face. However, it was likely that both of us were thinking exactly the same thing.
(Laura seems quite scatterbrained, apparently)
"Laura… are you sure you're not under the influence of some mental anomalous ability?"
Okay, maybe we weren't thinking exactly the same thing, but our ideas were quite similar.