It was already autumn.
Though it wasn't quite cold yet, the night breeze was chilly enough that not wearing a jacket could make someone shiver.
The little girl lying on the roadside looked around Shiro's age.
Not exactly naked, but almost.
She was wearing nothing but an oversized white lab coat.
Like a child playing dress-up in adult clothes.
If a passerby saw this scene, they would probably call the police immediately.
Inspector Megure would show up and arrest Haruto on the spot.
Guilty until proven innocent.
"Better report this."
Haruto made the usual choice, he took out his phone to call Inspector Megure.
However, as if she had heard Haruto's voice, the girl weakly opened her eyes and reached out toward him.
With a hoarse, barely audible voice, she forced out three words.
"Don't… call… cops…"
Then, she passed out again.
Haruto rubbed his forehead.
What the hell is this?
Leaving the girl on the street felt wrong, but taking her in felt even worse.
This area didn't have much foot traffic.
If she was unlucky, she could die here without anyone noticing.
With a deep sigh, Haruto picked up the little girl, wrapped her in the lab coat, tied it securely, and carried her back to his apartment.
"Big brother, welcome home! How was your first day as an exchange—"
Nao's voice trailed off, her eyes locked onto the unconscious loli in Haruto's arms.
"Big brother… you've finally crossed the line. You're not human anymore, are you?"
Nao let out a dramatic sigh.
Haruto walked over and flicked her forehead.
"You're fine everywhere except for that ridiculous mouth of yours!"
Nao rubbed her forehead, protesting.
"But big brother! You just drugged a loli and brought her home!"
Haruto rolled his eyes.
"She fainted on the street. I was being nice and brought her here to help."
Nao gave him a doubtful look.
"A normal person would have reported this to the authorities! It's not like she's a stray cat."
Haruto was momentarily at a loss for words.
"Annie-neesan, come out quickly! Big brother has finally taken the first step toward depravity!"
Seeing Haruto remain silent, Nao shouted into the house.
Haruto: !
In the end, the situation turned into a three-person interrogation.
Nao, Annie, and Shiro sat in their seats, eyes burning with curiosity as they stared at Haruto.
As for the little girl he had picked up, she had already been properly taken care of.
She had been changed into clean clothes, bathed (courtesy of Nao), given water, and treated with Ghoul-3 solution to heal her external injuries.
The girl had scars all over her body and feet, no shoes, and appeared as if she had been running away in a hurry. On her wrists, there were purplish-red marks, likely from being restrained by handcuffs or something similar.
A complete victim.
"Haruto, I won't object… but at least set an age limit for your targets!"
Annie frowned as she spoke.
Nao nodded vigorously in agreement.
Haruto was on the verge of tears.
"I found her on the street! I have nothing to do with this, okay?!"
Just as the interrogation was reaching its peak, a faint groan came from the corner of the room.
The four of them turned to look.
The little girl had opened her eyes and was trying to sit up.
Now that she had been bathed, her delicate features and short chestnut-colored hair were fully revealed.
Upon waking and seeing four people staring at her, she immediately went on guard.
"Who are you people?!"
She questioned.
Hearing this, Nao immediately accused Haruto.
"Big brother, and you still say you didn't drug her?! She's one step away from accusing you outright!"
Haruto responded by flicking her forehead again.
Then, he turned his attention to the little girl.
"I picked you up on the street. Do you remember who you are? What's your name? Where do you live?"
Haruto's questions left the girl momentarily stunned.
After a brief pause, she looked down at herself, her expression shifting to shock.
"Right… it must be APTX4869!"
She muttered, as if recalling something, her expression becoming complicated.
This reaction made Haruto frown slightly. She didn't seem like just a simple lost child.
"You look surprised by your body, but you also quickly understood why?"
Haruto's gaze turned sharp and scrutinizing.
His attitude toward an ordinary girl and someone who seemed abnormal was naturally different.
Hearing Haruto's words, the girl looked even more shocked and wary.
This boy in front of her was definitely not normal.
"Give me a name first, at least for communication purposes."
Haruto said indifferently.
"Miyano… Haibara Ai."
She answered.
"Well then, Haibara Ai, I suppose I can count as your lifesaver. Can you tell me what this is?"
Haruto flipped his palm, revealing a small pill container.
Inside was a capsule with no markings.
He had found it in the pocket of the white lab coat Haibara Ai had been wearing. At first, Haruto thought it might be some necessary medication for her.
So, he had kept it safe.
But now, it seemed to be the very "APTX4869" she had mentioned. For a drug to be named like that… it had to be an experimental compound.
Seeing the pill container in Haruto's hand, Haibara Ai's pupils visibly contracted.
"That's medicine for heart disease. I have a congenital heart condition."
Haibara Ai quickly said.
Haruto shook his head.
"No, you don't."
Haibara Ai's expression froze.
A congenital heart disease couldn't be confirmed without an X-ray. She had deliberately used this fact to deceive him. Yet, this boy had instantly denied it.
"I can hear the subtle sounds of your heartbeat. Aside from an increase in heart rate due to nervousness that is about twenty-seven percent higher than normal, there's nothing wrong with you."
Haibara Ai: !
For a moment, she was at a loss for words.
What kind of monster was this?
Just by hearing, he could determine if someone several meters away had a heart condition?
Seeing Haibara Ai fall silent, Haruto waved his hand.
"Forget it. If you don't want to talk, that's fine. Nao, send this to the Foundation for component analysis and testing. As for Miss Haibara Ai, she'll be placed under temporary containment until the test results come out. After that, we'll erase her memory and release her into society."
Nao acknowledged the order, took the pill container, and was about to contact the Foundation.
Haibara Ai's eyes widened.
They weren't even going to ask her?
And what was this about memory erasure?!
But what shocked Haibara Ai the most was what Haruto had just said—"Foundation."
"The Foundation? Are you people from the SCP Foundation?!"
Haibara Ai asked.
Haruto and Nao both froze for a moment.
"You know about the SCP Foundation?"
Haibara Ai hesitated and fell into silent contemplation.
Haruto's gaze grew increasingly dangerous.
"Forget it. Let's proceed with an A-Class memory wipe."
With that, Haruto took a step toward Haibara Ai.
Perhaps intimidated by his presence, Haibara Ai finally spoke.
"I'll talk!"
Then, she revealed her true identity.
She was a scientist affiliated with the "Black Organization," specializing in pharmaceutical research and development.
Her real name was Miyano Shiho. Since childhood, she had studied abroad in the Northern Country. In the Black Organization, she was codenamed "Sherry."
The so-called "Black Organization" was a massive transnational terrorist group. Its full scale and objectives were unknown to her. Because she and her sister, who was also in the organization, attempted to defect, she was placed under strict surveillance and had her freedom restricted.
In the end, she took the experimental drug "APTX4869," intending to commit suicide.
However, instead of killing her, the drug regressed her physical age—essentially de-aging her.
Using her now-small body, she escaped from her restraints through an air vent and fled the organization's control. As for the SCP Foundation, she had only seen the name in a classified document within the Black Organization.
Though Haibara Ai had been honest, Haruto still took a sample of her blood and read her memories.
Her memories matched her statements exactly.
That classified document she mentioned...
It only contained the name "SCP Foundation" and some speculations about its vast influence.
Based on that document, the Black Organization's understanding of the Foundation was on par with the Four Great Conglomerates.
The most valuable information was just the name "SCP Foundation."
After recounting everything she knew, Haibara Ai was clearly uneasy.
In her mind, the SCP Foundation was an even more powerful and mysterious organization than the Black Organization.
And while it didn't have any horrifying records, that didn't mean it was a good organization either.
At the same time, Haruto's expression darkened, not because of the Black Organization. Though massive, compared to the Foundation, the Black Organization was nothing.
Instead, Haruto was troubled by Haibara Ai's story.
A black-clad organization, a drug that de-aged people, and a protagonist who became a child after taking it…
That overwhelming sense of déjà vu struck again.
Even stronger than when he met Gabriel.
Haruto was now certain—before transmigrating, he must have known a story like this.
But there was no memory of it.
Only fragmented details.
(T/N: Ya know, I like this kind of troupes where MC's have no knowledge to anime events happening.
It makes the fic more exciting.)
Like a "death god elementary school student" who brought death wherever he went.
A joke from some anime culture, Haruto remembered that much.
But the anime itself? Gone.
More proof that some supreme divinity had tampered with his cognition.
How to retrieve that knowledge, uncover the truth of that supreme divinity, and prepare countermeasures…
For now, Haruto had no solution.
Sighing, he refocused on Haibara Ai.
"Alright then, take Miss Haibara Ai to containment for now."
Haruto delivered his verdict.
Haibara Ai: !
Shortly after, Haibara Ai was taken to the Foundation's containment facility.
As the alloy elevator slowly descended, Haibara Ai's heart sank with it. When the alloy doors silently opened, another world gradually unfolded before her.
Looking at the underground structure made entirely of metal, resembling a honeycomb, Haibara Ai was filled with shock and disbelief.
What kind of organization was this?
A base designed like something straight out of a sci-fi movie!?
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T/N: Now we got three Ai's running around on this fic...