The silver-haired girl stepped into a narrow room, her hair shimmering like moonlight.

Outside the small window, the dark cave ceiling and luminescent stones resembled a night sky.

As the fake stars faintly illuminated the room, the girl, weary from a long day, took something out of her pocket.

Resting in her palm was a perfectly round, gem-like berry that glistened as if polished.

Staring at it intensely, she murmured, “What is this…?”

It was too flawless—no blemishes, no stem—like a bead used for high-end jewelry or decorative furniture.

But when she pressed it lightly with her finger, it gave a soft, resilient bounce, and a sweet aroma wafted to her nose.

…

The sweetness made her mouth water just a little.

Though she couldn’t understand why, this strange orb seemed like an incredibly delicious berry.

Unconsciously, she swallowed.

At that moment, the Mini Sprout Reaper perched on her shoulder chuckled in happiness.

It had a hopeful expression, as if thinking, She might eat it soon!

However, the girl shook her head and carefully set the berry on her desk.

She wanted to eat it right then and there, but the rigorous training she’d received held her back.

“It’s mental contamination for sure.”

Despite this thought, she couldn’t bring herself to report this beautiful berry to the “facility.”

“It should be fine as long as I don’t eat it.”

After staring at the berry for a while, the silver-haired girl sighed, then headed to bed, soon drifting into sleep.

The Mini Sprout Reaper slumped its shoulders in disappointment.

"Aw, she’s not eating it right away?"

Looking down at the sleeping girl, it wore a saddened expression.

“I wanted to make eye contact with my cherished human as soon as possible…”

The Mini Sprout Reaper longed for the girl to eat the berry soon so they could communicate.

After all, this underground city was truly dangerous, filled with harmful objects.

5:40 a.m.

As always, it was the same morning at the “facility,” but the silver-haired girl’s expression was anything but typical.

No matter how many times she reminded herself it was just an irrational dream, the anxiety lingered.

Her unease grew stronger, especially after hearing during breakfast that someone would soon “graduate.”

Her footsteps quickened, her gaze more intense than usual.

The dream hadn’t changed, but it felt more vivid with each passing day.

“I… have to graduate first,” she muttered, biting her lip.

If the dream was ominous and unsettling, the only solution was to prevent it from becoming reality.

“If I become the top performer and graduate first, everything will be fine.”

But her plan had one flaw.

There was no clear condition for who could graduate from the facility.

In general, those with strong abilities and excellent records were more likely to “graduate.”

But with no other options, she had to try.

Morning Training at the Facility

The silver-haired girl dressed in her training attire and headed to the training area.

Inside the massive concrete building, the children of the facility trained.

As she entered the hall, a familiar voice greeted her.

“Here early today!”

It was her best friend, the brown-haired girl.

Seeing her friend’s bright smile, an image of her insides spilling out, just like in the dream, overlapped her vision.

“Yes, I feel like I have to work harder.”

She forced a smile.

The brown-haired girl, noticing something odd in her expression, gave her a puzzled look but soon returned to her usual cheerful smile.

“Really? You’ve been acting strange lately. Is everything okay?”

The silver-haired girl couldn’t bring herself to share the horrid dreams with her friend, so she just shook her head weakly.

She focused intently on training instead.

During the subsequent assessments, her scores improved noticeably.

She pushed herself so hard that blood rose in her throat, but she swallowed it down, determined to keep training.

At least until the next “graduation” announcement.

Human…

The Mini Sprout Reaper watched, wanting to pat her sweaty cheek, but its ethereal hand simply passed through her.

Time flowed on.

The silver-haired girl consistently performed at the highest level, excelling in object response training.

But beneath it all, she was plagued by relentless anxiety and suffering.

After training, she would return to her private room, coughing up blood in the shower.

And every night, she dreamt the same nightmare.

Her brown-haired friend graduating, only to be slaughtered that same day.

Every morning, she woke drenched in cold sweat, each time resolving herself more firmly.

“I… have to graduate first.”

Though she felt like her lifespan was being chipped away, she refused to stop.

Then, one day, the graduation list was suddenly announced.

With an exhausted face but a faint smile, she checked the list.

“My body’s at its limit, but thank goodness.”

But the moment she read the list, her smile vanished.

Her friend’s name was on it.

Just like in her dream.

“It’s really turning into that nightmare…”

Staring at the list with empty eyes, tears began to fall down her cheeks.

At that moment, her brown-haired friend, filled with excitement, ran over.

“I’m graduating! I can finally fight for humanity!”

But the silver-haired girl couldn’t say a word.

She only looked at her friend, her tears streaming down.

Her friend, surprised by her reaction, hugged her tightly.

“It’s okay. You’ve been working so hard, haven’t you? You’ll graduate soon too. I’ll go first and wait for you.”

But the silver-haired girl’s sobs did not cease.

The Mini Sprout Reaper cried along with its cherished human, gently patting her cheek with a hand that couldn’t touch.

Early Morning, Mini Reaper Garden

As I walked across Marshmallow Plains first thing in the morning, reports from the Mini Reaper network began flooding in.

“Human, healthy!”

“No issues.”

“Mom!”

It was the regular morning report I’d instructed a few Mini Reapers stationed along the East Coast and in Japan to provide after seeing the news about the “mysterious fog near the Pacific.”

Some just laughed and called out “Mom!” but it wasn’t a problem.

If there were issues, they’d let me know.

The real problem was something else.

“Annoying.”

“So annoying.”

“Too many Mini Reapers to report to…”

I could barely tolerate it.

The five minutes spent every day listening to reports and ensuring no Mini Reapers were missing felt like an exhausting chore.

When those five minutes of laborious work ended, I collapsed onto Marshmallow Plains.

“This is tough… Never issuing report duties like this again.”

Reflecting on my past mistakes as I lay on the ground, I noticed the bleached reaper training nearby, its limbs flailing awkwardly.

At first, I thought it was dancing, but upon closer inspection, it seemed to be practicing martial arts.

It’s even clumsier than I am.

Seeing the bleached reaper’s dedication filled me with a warm feeling of reassurance.

It was a comfort to know, There’s someone weaker than me!

Heh.

As I smiled to myself, a strange sound reached my ears.

Gwee-hee-hee-hee.

It was the mocking laughter of a white ogre, awkwardly mimicking the bleached reaper’s flailing movements.

The bleached reaper, focused on training, didn’t notice, but the Mini Reapers, who had been keeping an eye on the weakest among them, reacted.

“Bad ogre!”

The Mini Reapers, hiding behind a marshmallow hill, all sprang out at once, causing the white ogre to flee in a panic.

Spears made of water flew through the air like a mammoth hunt, and vines suddenly appeared, grabbing hold of the white ogre.

Just as it stumbled under the onslaught, a spectral reaper dropped down from the sky, finishing it off.

“Knife!”

The Mini Reapers then swarmed the ogre, tearing at it gleefully.

“Gwee-hee…”

“Maaa?”

Hearing the ogre’s cries, the bleached reaper approached, curious.

The Mini Reapers had only one answer.

“Bad ogre!”

Nodding at this explanation, the bleached reaper laid down, using the ogre as a pillow.

Watching how well the Mini Reapers cared for the bleached reaper made me think of a place I’d left behind.

The End of the Spiral, where Desire seeped out.

“Since I’m thinking about it, maybe I should check on the place I sealed off.”

With that, I headed toward the End of the Spiral, where the gray liquid, Desire, gathered.

5:40 a.m.

The silver-haired girl woke from the same dream at the same time as always.

Sigh.

She looked exhausted, her expression clouded with anxiety.

“It’ll be okay, right? It has to be.”

Clutching the Mini Sprout Reaper’s berry tightly, she murmured to herself.

For reasons unknown, holding the berry seemed to calm her.

With her worry somewhat alleviated, she prepared for the day, slowly approaching her door.

“Phew.”

Taking a deep breath, she boldly opened the door.

And what she saw was…

A dim hallway, one fluorescent light broken, and the unpleasant smell of burning food.

Hah. Hah.

Her eyes widened in shock, breathing rapidly as if struggling to get enough air.

“Th-this can’t be happening.”

She felt as though she might faint at any moment.