"Eh?"
"Eh?"
My voice overlapped with that of the floating snake.
It was blue, barely half the size of a typical snake. Two small white protrusions adorned its head, and a faint golden mane ran along its back. In other words, it was a peculiar-looking serpent.
"Wait a minute, can you actually see me?" the snake asked, opening its tiny mouth and speaking in an oddly human-like manner.
"..."
I couldn't process the existence before me.
Let me clarify: even though magic exists in this world, creatures like this simply don't. Dogs, cats, horses, and cows exist just as they did in my previous world, but fantastical beings like demi-humans, magical beasts, or monsters are considered fictional here too.
Yet the floating creature before me definitely fell into that "fictional" category. Overwhelmed, I blurted out:
"...I-I can't see you."
"No, you can see me and hear me!"
The snake shouted, clearly locking eyes with me as it hovered in the air.
"D-Don't respond! It'll just make it seem more real. If this is a hallucination, it should be saying more nonsensical things."
"Could you not dismiss my existence as a hallucination? It's been hundreds of years since I've talked to anyone; that's just cruel. But seriously, how can you see me? Humans can't see, hear, or touch us—that's why we're superior beings, spirits."
"M-Maybe I should go home. I might have a fever. Or perhaps there's something wrong with my brain after all..."
I held my forehead, standing up unsteadily as I made my way toward the exit of the shrine.
But from behind me came a desperate, almost tearful voice.
"Hey, wait! If you leave like that after I've finally found someone to talk to after centuries, I'll be hurt! I'll cry, you know?! Making a spirit cry isn't a good look, is it? Come on, let's chat for a bit. I won't offer you tea or anything, but just a little talk!"
"..."
"Please! Don't pretend you can't hear me! It's heartbreaking! Ignoring someone is bullying, you know?! Don't do this; I can't leave this place!"
"..."
"Ah, ah! By the way, I was kinda interested in that monologue you were muttering earlier! I'd love to hear more about it!"
"!"
I couldn't help but stop and turn around.
Seeing this, the small blue snake smiled, lifting the corners of its tiny mouth. It floated gently through the air, brushing past my neck as if urging me to return.
The sensation of something softly touching my skin dispelled the possibility of it being a mere hallucination.
Resigned, I let out a sigh.
"...What did you say?"
"See? You were muttering to yourself earlier, right? And you were even handling the sacred crystal with your bare hands."
The snake pointed at the crystal behind me with its head. I grimaced at the accusation.
"I... I admit I touched it, but I wasn't talking to myself."
"You were! Saying things like 'Wait, isn't this strange?' and 'Zero gravity this' and 'Directional force that.'"
"If that's true, then I must have been thinking out loud for quite a while."
I frowned. It wasn't the first time I'd been told I muttered to myself unconsciously—a bad habit even back when I was a scientist.
"Fine. So, snake, what do you mean you're interested?"
"I want to hear more details. Maybe I can even help you."
"...Help me?"
"You're researching water magic, right? At least, that's what it sounded like."
"Well, yes, but what's that got to do with you?"
When I asked, the snake looked puzzled for a moment before responding in exasperation.
"Come on! I'm a water spirit, you know? If you're going to ask about water magic, there's no one better to consult!"
"...Wait, wait, wait. You're a spirit? Don't be ridiculous. I was just starting to accept that a floating, talking snake might exist, but I can't believe spirits are real. Spirits are fictional beings created by humans."
"What are you saying now...? I've been telling you I'm a spirit from the beginning. Well, I suppose it's hard for you humans to accept our existence. But I'm just as surprised that you can see me! I'd say our levels of surprise are about equal."
"There's nothing equal about this! So you're telling me that the snake-like creature floating in front of me—the one that supposedly created magic and even the world itself—is a spirit?"
"Exactly! And besides, you're in a spirit's shrine. Isn't it perfectly natural for a spirit to appear here?"
"But that's because humans created the concept of spirits and built this shrine..."
"No, no. The shrine exists because spirits are here. Spirits exist. And by the way, there are others besides me."
"...! Th-That's impossible...!"
I shouted at the snake as it edged closer, trying to make me acknowledge the existence of spirits.
The snake's once-smiling face turned expressionless.
"Impossible?"
"..."
In that moment, I realized what I had just said.
I also understood that my words contradicted my own principles.
"Why is it impossible?"
"...I, uh, sorry, that was... a slip of the tongue..."
"Why are you apologizing? I'm not angry. I'm just asking why you think that."
"No, it's just... I didn't want my hypothesis to be disproven... If I admit spirits exist, then my scientific investigation loses its purpose..."
"Scientific? What's that?"
"Well, it's a bit hard to explain..."
The snake claiming to be a spirit bombarded me with questions.
I was starting to lose track of my own thoughts, and a real headache was setting in.
Even if I was shaken, I felt ashamed of my earlier shallow remark.
Clinging to my own ideas and denying inconvenient elements is unbecoming of a scientist. A hypothesis is just that—a tentative idea that can be overturned at any time until it's definitively proven.
"My current line of thinking is that magic isn't some mysterious power bestowed by uncertain entities like spirits, but something explainable through consistent laws. So, your existence is... inconvenient for me. Wait, what am I saying in a spirit's shrine? Isn't this blasphemous...?"
"Haha, it's a bit late for that worry. But don't fret. I didn't appear to refute your ideas. In fact, you could say it's the opposite."