Honestly, I couldn't identify what I was feeling or why I felt that way. However, whenever my eyes met the man's, I had a strong impression that he was plotting something. His gaze seemed distinct, contrasting with Laura's and Emily's.
Unlike the curiosity Emily and Laura expressed whenever they observed me—a common reaction among almost all the scientists I encountered—the man's look conveyed something different. Instead of curiosity, it seemed to evaluate whether I would be useful or not. Of course, I could be mistaken, but if I wasn't, what exactly did he expect me to be capable of?.
"She really doesn't seem hostile toward humans. Even when she was hurt earlier, she didn't react at all. However, according to the report, she is extremely aggressive toward other anomalies, especially if they are also aggressive toward her. I believe we will need more tests to determine how far her tolerance toward humans goes"
I closely observed Laura's and Emily's reactions, which were clearly tense as they listened to the director's words. Although I didn't care much, I felt a twinge of concern for them, who seemed to struggle to handle this man. I decided, then, to investigate the director's weaknesses.
I didn't expect to find anything different—all the humans I had met had an iridescent glow all over their bodies, making them extremely fragile. However, I couldn't help but feel surprised when I tried to locate the director's vulnerabilities, though this didn't show on my face.
(Hmmm?)
My surprise stemmed from the fact that he didn't show even a single weak point to begin with. No matter where I looked on his body or from what angle, there was no characteristic glow indicating vulnerability. Instead, a thin line signaled the location of his weak point, raising more questions.
(Is he an anomaly? Or is his main body not here? But… how is that possible in the first place? Did this old man clone himself or something?)
***
(POV - Emily Parker)
From the moment they entered the containment room, Emily prayed endlessly that nothing bad would happen. Even though the director was there on his own, any incident involving the anomaly would negatively impact her promotion. Emily could only hope that the reports prepared up to that point proved to be true.
It didn't take long for the director to conclude his analysis of the anomaly. However, Emily couldn't understand what exactly he was assessing. If she was already struggling to unravel many aspects of that anomaly, what could Graham really discover just by observing her for a few minutes?.
Fortunately, Graham seemed satisfied and turned to leave. Laura let out a sigh of relief, thinking that this suffocating situation, at least from her perspective, had ended without any issues. However, she regretted that thought seconds later.
A sudden chill ran down Emily's back, instantly activating all her survival instincts. With a tense look, she slowly turned around and found the anomaly sitting on the bed, tilting her head cutely. However, this posture only made her seem more terrifying. The anomaly was staring at the director with her bright eyes, reflecting the colors of the rainbow.
"... What is she doing now? I don't remember seeing this in the report"
Emily realized it was evident that he wouldn't know since she hadn't written anything about it. It wasn't for lack of will but because the week had been so hectic that she forgot to update the report on the observations made. Additionally, the director's visit had completely thrown her off track regarding that matter.
However, what surprised Emily the most at that moment was the director's apparent indifference to the situation. While she felt her legs might give way at any moment, Laura wasn't much different, but Graham remained utterly unperturbed.
Emily could only breathe again when the little anomaly's eyes returned to their beautiful, bright golden hues, which were so characteristic. However, the strange situation didn't end there; the anomaly got off the bed and walked toward the director.
At that moment, Emily was starting to lose her patience. She simply couldn't understand the logic behind the anomaly's actions, as it had never behaved that way during Emily's visits or her own.
The little anomaly began to circle around the director. Her normally expressionless face remained serene, but it was easy to see the curiosity reflected in that cute, emotionless face.
"She seems interested in me. I wonder why. And by the way, what was that a moment ago? Her eyes changed color"
Emily managed to smile upon hearing the director's words, but inside, she was far from happy. She knew well what this little anomaly, who seemed so cute on the outside, was capable of. After all, she had managed to eliminate [Shadow], something that had previously seemed impossible.
It was discovered that [Shadow]'s main body, which was not its shadow form, only appeared when all the lights were off. During this time, [Shadow] could move freely in its shadow form, essentially becoming an anomaly impossible to eliminate by humans.
"We're still not sure, but we speculate that this is one of her anomalous powers. She has displayed those eyes on several occasions, but unfortunately, we haven't been able to discern exactly what she uses them for"
Moreover, while Emily truly believed that the little anomaly was, to some extent, tolerant and friendly toward humans, that didn't mean she simply accepted that perception. As a researcher, Emily didn't believe in anything that couldn't be proven. As long as there was no concrete evidence, to her, everything was just a theory.
Just by observing the anomaly's behavior, Emily began to formulate some ideas about the true function of its eyes. For instance, she suspected they could be used to identify objects. Although she had no concrete evidence, that was her hypothesis at the moment.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Graham appeared to be satisfied and turned again. However, his next words shattered her smile, replacing it with a look of discontent.
"We'll begin full testing tomorrow. For now, you two can return to your posts"