I scoffed at the amount proposed by the scout.

“That’s insufficient.”

“……What do you mean by that?”

I double-checked the number displayed on his smartphone.

One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand, million… almost an eight-digit amount. It was far more than what a mere researcher should receive, but…

‘Seriously, is this all they offer?’

Compared to what I normally got from Regalia, this amount was ridiculously low. Of course, what Regalia paid wasn’t just what I earned as a researcher, but also what an executive in an evil organization and maybe the only Earthling in this world should receive. Still…

The sum Myu proposed was just laughably low compared to what I usually collected.

“─Does that even make sense?”

Myu, still struggling to grasp this reality, adjusted his sparkling sunglasses and protested. The amount he suggested was likely the maximum he could offer, according to common sense.

The problem was that my salary danced in a realm far beyond common sense.

Myu eloquently argued how unbelievable and impossible this was.

“The amount I’ve proposed is a salary level you wouldn’t get anywhere in the world. Unless you started your own company and it succeeded, you wouldn’t be able to earn this much. And yet, this is insufficient? Does Evil Corporation give you more than that?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“No way. Sure, your circuits and anti-gravity devices are impressive, but they’re also incredibly valuable treasures. Even if you launched your own business, you wouldn’t be able to protect those technologies. You know that, which is why you’re still with Evil Corporation, right? Therefore, the amount you’re getting from them should be less than this…!”

“I can’t exactly show you my bank statements… If you don’t want to believe it, then don’t. Either way, the amount you proposed is laughably insufficient that it’s not even worth considering.”

“……You’re going to regret this.”

With that, Myu stood up and left, leaving me to chuckle as I followed suit.

“Let’s go. Luck’s not on our side.”

“Huh? Hey! Eight? Do you really get paid that much?”

“……No comment.”

“Wow… So this is what a techie makes, huh? Eight, will you marry me?”

“Someone who just chases after money is a hard pass.”

“Aww—what a shame.”

While Bira expressed overwhelming interest in my paycheck, Levi-tan, who had been restlessly waiting since her kick was blocked, cautiously stood up.

“─Bira, Eight. Sorry, I have somewhere to be.”

“Yeah? Okay. Be careful out there.”

Having said that, Levi-tan quickly disappeared somewhere. While I watched her leave in bewilderment, Bira suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

“Le-Levi-tan spoke without her dialect!”

“……Huh?”

“Why! Think about it! She didn’t say her usual cutesy stuff; she spoke in standard language!”

Recalling that Levi-tan had indeed spoken plainly before she left sent me into shock similar to Bira’s.

‘So she was just putting on an act this whole time?’

Faced with this hard-to-believe truth, I stared at the direction where Levi-tan vanished, equally as dumbfounded. Really, if she could speak normally, why was she acting so peculiar…?

*

The next day, Myu, having failed at scouting me, sat in a back alley, a cigarette dangling from his lips, releasing heavy sighs. The burden of having disappointed the Boss weighed heavily upon his shoulders.

As he puffed on his cigarette, Levi-tan reappeared in the back alley. Seeing the rabbit-eared girl brought a sly grin to Myu’s face.

“─So you actually came.”

“……Why did you call me?”

“You’re not very chatty today. With those rabbit ears, you must be one of the L-series, right?”

“Hoo—” Myu exhaled smoke as he asked. Hearing that name made Levi-tan shudder and glare at him. It was a name she didn’t want to remember, one that stirred memories she’d rather forget.

“Don’t talk like that anymore….”

“Ah, quit whining. As a beast you’ve sewn together, do you really not understand what your appearance here means?”

As Myu spoke, he muttered something under his breath. Levi-tan started feeling like her brain was being toyed with. The slimy tendrils of a command imprinted on her genes started to control her.

“Lucky you. I was pondering how to snag that arrogant scientist, and here I find an adorable beast friendly with him.”

“Me, I—”

“Go on. You beast. Bring Eight to Z City. To Omega Industry.”

No. I couldn’t voice that.

Rejection wasn’t encoded in her genes.

Ultimately, tears streamed down Levi-tan’s face as she saluted.

“……Yes, I understand.”

In that moment, it felt like her soul had been extinguished. All that remained was a doll clad in Levi-tan’s skin.

*

The following day.

Even on her day off, Levi-tan greeted us just like yesterday.

“An-nyong An-nyong! It’s good to see you!”

“Levi-tan! You’re back!”

“Uuung? I don’t know what you mean by Levi-tang!”

With Bira welcoming her back in her original tone, Levi-tan naturally approached my side. Sitting on the sofa, she threw her leg over mine and began to tap my arm with her foot.

“Eight—let’s go have fun today. Didn’t we promise yesterday?”

“……I didn’t exactly promise that.”

“Why not!? Just think: a little bit of rain is still fine, right? Let’s hang out!”

“I’m on board with that!”

As the two social butterflies engaged in their own chit-chat, I attempted to steer the conversation into a direction that might make them awkward.

“──So, Levi-tan. What happened yesterday?”

“Yesterday—?”

“Yes. You just vanished all of a sudden….”

“If you don’t call me Levi-tang, I won’t tell you!”

“……Bira, could you handle this for me?”

“If Eight won’t do it, then it’s settled!”

This human was far too skilled at dodging questions—clearly a bunny beast! I found myself debating whether the embarrassment of saying ‘Levi-tang’ was greater than my curiosity about what she did yesterday + the trouble of going out with her.

Clearly, the former was far greater, so under rational judgment, I decided to keep my mouth shut and rise from the sofa.

“Alright then, how about we go on a date?”

“Gyaah—! Are you serious? You plan to date with two beauties? That won’t do!”

“Ah, then I guess we’ll cancel the date and just chat at headquarters.”

“You can’t do that! Choose one of us—either me or Bira!”

“Then let’s go with Bira. We’ll rest at headquarters.”

“Eh—!?”

With Levi-tan protesting how I could choose Bira over her, Bira looked at me with a rather disappointed expression, unable to go out.

But what else could the two of them do? I wasn’t going out, after all. Eventually, Levi-tan shook her head and muttered with resignation.

“Geez—Eight, I didn’t think you were such a notorious playboy… but I can’t help it! Today, kind Levi-tan will forgive you!”

“No, I said I’m not going out—.”

“Bira! Get the car ready! We’re going out!”

“Okay—!”

At Levi-tan’s command, Bira dashed down to the parking garage. Levi-tan grabbed my waist, lifting me up. With the strength typical of a beastman, I had no chance to resist and was swiftly whisked away.

Dragged to the underground parking lot, I slumped into the pre-prepared vehicle, sighing as I turned to Levi-tan behind the wheel and asked.

“……So, where are we headed?”

“It’s a secret!”

“No, come on. You won’t even share that?”

“A super great place!”

Considering what could be so great that a beastman would love it, I sighed and resigned myself as I watched the vehicle speed away from the city.

Levi-tan drove aggressively, clearly anxious to get to some location out in the suburbs. Just as the thought crossed my mind—

Bira, who had been grinning and gazing out the window, began to look tense. She stealthily nudged my phone and pointed at it. Confused, I glanced over and saw Bira tapping at her smartphone like she was signaling for my attention.

[Something’s off. We’re escaping.]

“What? What do you mean—?”

Before Bira could explain further, the vehicle suddenly accelerated, taking a sharp turn, slipping into somewhere.

Realizing something was wrong, Bira gasped loudly.

“─Levi-tan! You’re betraying us!”

“……Uuh, I’m sorry. I really didn’t want this to happen either…”

Khuuung—!

The vehicle lurched violently as if crashing into something.

Shocked, Bira clung onto me, and after a brief but intense rumble, I lost consciousness. When I came to, the vast open desert welcomed me. Just how long had I been out? Considering we were on the outskirts of the city moments ago, it was nothing short of astonishing.

“Are you awake?”

“……Bira?”

“Yeah. Don’t you dare let go of me. The moment you do, I can’t protect you.”

Upon hearing Bira’s serious words, I scanned the surroundings. Beastmen with animal heads loomed, glaring at us. Among them, a familiar figure stepped forward.

It was Myu, the one who had failed to scout me yesterday.

“─Good to see you, Eight.”

“……You.”

“I told you that you would regret this, didn’t I?”

Saying that, Myu adjusted his glasses again and once more made me an offer.

“However, Omega Industry is a merciful organization. If you come to us now—”

“Yikes—.”

Peew-peew—!

A single-use laser mounted on my watch fired, hitting Myu squarely in the face. To my surprise, despite the laser grazing his skin, he stood unharmed, as if nothing happened.

That same thing had pierced Galm’s belly before…

For just a moment, I was taken aback, but Myu, bleeding slightly, glared at me, unable to withstand the provocation.

“……Words won’t suffice, it seems.”

“What are you going to do if words aren’t enough? Do you think you can get past our Bira barrier?”

“W-wait, Eight. Provoking them might be a bit much given that we’re deep in enemy territory….”

“Ha, haha— right. Your guards will be quite bothersome for us too. So, it looks like we’ll have to play along.”

Snap— Myu snapped his fingers, causing Levi-tan, who had betrayed us and led us here, to step forward. Behind her stood a cross that held her firmly together. She gazed blankly at the void, devoid of any emotion.

Just from her expression, it was evident something unfortunate had transpired.

“─If you don’t come out, we’ll start torturing her. Since she was somewhat friendly with you, watching her suffer would be sad, wouldn’t it?”

With that, Myu snapped his fingers.

The beastmen surrounding us, as if on cue, advanced towards Levi-tan brandishing weapons.

I yelled out to them.

“Hold on a minute!”

“Funny how you want to stop this now—”

“Just make sure you leave her head intact!”

“……Huh? Well, um, I mean, I don’t plan on killing her.”

“Then that’s good enough.”

Hearing my words, Myu stared at me, probably thinking I had lost my mind. Still, this was crucial.

The difference between having a head and not having one was a massive game-changer.