In the depths of the Mini Reaper Garden, near the Forbidden Zone entrance:

There was nothing particularly special about this place, just an area with a Forbidden Zone that Mini Reapers typically avoided. In this place, the Golden Reaper was struggling, under attack by an unknown Object.

"Ugh!"

The startled will of the Golden Reaper spread across the Mini Reaper Garden.

Struggling.

The Golden Reaper flailed its limbs like a deer caught in an alligator’s jaws.

Given that the Golden Reaper had relatively weaker strength compared to other Mini Reapers, it seemed unlikely to escape this situation!

However, as time passed, the Golden Reaper realized that the danger wasn’t as great as it first seemed.

Ceasing its struggles, the Golden Reaper calmly surveyed the situation and felt a warm energy coming from the mysterious Object.

From where their chests met, the warmth of burning firewood was being transferred.

As the warmth of the firewood spread through its body, the Golden Reaper experienced a realization.

"A new sibling!"

The Golden Reaper’s will was filled with joy and surprise at the thought of a new sibling.

The Mini Reaper Garden was already full of siblings, but the Golden Reaper always felt such happiness whenever a new sibling appeared.

Filled with affection for its new sibling, the Golden Reaper hugged them tightly.

"Hug!"

Then the new sibling, mirroring the feeling, sent out a will saying "Hug!", and they embraced each other.

"…"

Once the "Hug!" ended, the Golden Reaper and the new sibling stood up and faced each other.

It was then that the Golden Reaper could properly see its new sibling, who was a head taller than the Golden Reaper.

"A big sibling!"

The Golden Reaper stretched its hands above its head, comparing its height to the new sibling’s and laughing in delight.

At this size, it was comparable to the Orange Reaper’s height!

Of course, the Orange Reaper floated around in a fluffy ball, making it hard to fully grasp its size.

The Golden Reaper smiled widely as it looked at its sibling’s face, then grinned with a thought and sent out a new will.

"Let’s go!"

Taking the sibling’s hand, the Golden Reaper started walking.

Tup-tup.

Thus began the Golden Reaper Tour!

As they wandered through the Mini Reaper Garden, the Golden Reaper happily explained things along the way.

"Black Reaper! A good sibling!"

"Red Reaper! A good sibling!"

"Yellow Reaper! A good sibling!"

...

"Blue Reaper! A good sibling!"

"Orange Reaper! …A good sibling!"

Although it was a bit repetitive with the phrase “A good sibling!” the Golden Reaper introduced the various Mini Reapers.

Every time the new sibling met another Mini Reaper, they would shout "Hug!" and embrace them.

Except for the Blue Reaper who ran away as soon as they got close, and the Orange Reaper who was flying around in the sky, everyone smiled and hugged back.

The Golden Reaper also showed the new sibling various snacks in the Mini Reaper Garden.

"White Aggi! Occasionally a wicked snack!"

"Sugar Flamingo! A wicked snack!"

It was the moment the new sibling became known in the Mini Reaper Garden.

On the outskirts of Songpa District, the lights of James Tower illuminated the late night sky.

Tension filled the operations room located on the higher floors of the skyscraper.

James stared out the window at the city lights, deep in thought.

"Evacuations have been completed in the areas suspected of psychic contamination."

James nodded at the report from his subordinate.

"Phew, that’s a relief."

His voice carried a sense of relief, but soon a deep wrinkle appeared on his forehead.

The psychic contamination that started in the Pacific had already spread over the western coast of the United States and was continuously expanding its influence.

What’s more, in just a few hours, it was expected to reach the shores of Japan.

"Now it’s Japan. This is troublesome."

James muttered under his breath.

In the United States, evacuation was going smoothly due to the influence of the Object Association, but Japan was another matter.

At best, only advisory-level responses had been issued.

He could only hope that the Japanese Object Association would take the James Institute’s warnings seriously.

Suddenly, a surprised voice echoed through the operations room.

"The psychic contamination and reality distortion that had been covering the Pacific Ocean have been confirmed to have disappeared!"

James immediately checked the psychic contamination levels and ordered the screen to be displayed.

What appeared on the monitor was truly bizarre.

Massive star-shaped candies were rising above the blue sea.

The brightly colored, glittering star candies popped up above the surface of the water like toys.

"What the…"

The staff, who had expected to see a land of death, were speechless at the surreal sight unfolding before them.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

At that moment, an alarm sound echoed through the operations room.

Not as loud as an emergency bell, but designed to be distinctly heard for important notifications.

"The missing ‘James Explorer’ ship’s identification signal has been detected!"

"…But the location cannot be pinpointed."

Upon hearing the report, James quickly analyzed the data.

He immediately identified the source of the signal error and shouted.

"The location of the ship is near the Sehee Institute’s Mini Reaper Garden. Get there and assess the situation!"

James’ sharp voice resonated through the operations room.

At that moment, the central monitor displayed a calm scene.

The Gray Reaper was lounging comfortably on a giant star candy, basking in the gentle morning sunlight.

The Golden Reapers in the operations room jumped around excitedly as they watched the monitor.

"Mom!"

The Golden Reapers were so happy just seeing their "Mom" that they couldn’t contain their excitement.

I slowly opened my eyes to a sharp sound that pierced my ears.

As my consciousness returned, my mind cleared, and I began to assess the situation.

"I guess I must’ve dozed off from exhaustion…"

When I woke up, I saw the same star candy-filled sea that I had seen the night before.

Countless star candies floated gently on the water’s surface.

"Does it not melt in seawater?"

I thought to myself, tapping on a star candy, which remained solid despite my touch.

The sun, which had turned the eastern sky blue just before I fell asleep, was already high enough to warm my body.

The exploration ship, which had only shown its mast from afar, had stopped near the star candies and no longer approached.

"Are they thinking the star candies might be dangerous?"

As I absentmindedly wondered, I once again heard a sharp sound from the sky.

Vwiiing.

Looking up, I saw several drones, likely sent from the exploration ship, flying busily in the sky.

They moved around like a swarm of bees, taking footage of the star candy sea.

I suddenly grew curious about what they would think of this star candy-filled sea.

Hehe.

However, that thought was fleeting, as the constant buzzing of the drones began to annoy me.

"So noisy…"

The drones, buzzing like mosquitoes, irritated me, and I activated my teleportation ability.

"…"

In the blink of an eye, I found myself in the Mini Reaper Garden.

The sweet scent in the air and the soft, white marshmallow plains greeted me.

Arriving in the usually quiet Mini Reaper Garden, I felt at ease.

Tup-tup.

As I walked, looking for a place to lie down and rest, I spotted a large group of Mini Reapers gathered together.

It was like a line at an amusement park.

"Mom!"

"Mom!"

The Mini Reapers, jumping excitedly in line, welcomed me.

"?"

Was there a new game or something?

Since most of the Mini Reapers in line were Golden Reapers, it seemed likely.

They were the most energetic and always took the lead when playing.

But what I found when I followed the line was a bit different from what I expected.

A new figure was hugging each Golden Reaper one by one.

"Hug!"

"Hug!"

Whenever the new Mini Reaper shouted "Hug!" the Golden Reaper would reply, "Hug!" and leap into their embrace.

From the presence of firewood, it was clear this was a Mini Reaper, but they looked oddly different….

They appeared to have been created after catching an external entity.

Is this a combination of a Mini Reaper and a Halo?

The combination of the Mini Reaper and the Halo made it feel almost like the moon.

I had a feeling there was some connection between the external entity and the "moon."

I picked up the "Hug" Reaper, who was playing the "Free Hug" game, and placed them on my palm.

This new Mini Reaper was taller than the others and had a bluish hue.

Unlike the other Mini Reapers, they wore a hoodie with a pattern resembling eyes.

The "Hug" Reaper on my palm smiled at me and stretched both hands out, sending out a will.

"Hug!"

Despite the size difference, I held the "Hug" Reaper gently in my palm, and they squeezed my hand back in a tight embrace.

Surprisingly strong for their size, their hug felt stable and comforting.

Warm and soft.

Is this why the Golden Reapers love "Hug!" so much?

"Hmm."

If only they didn’t have parts like the Orange Reaper….

Late afternoon sunlight gently streamed through the window of the Sehee Institute’s Deputy Director’s office.

On Seo-ah’s desk, a flyer bathed in the soft light glowed faintly.

"Gray Reaper Theme Park D-1!"

The words stood out clearly.

On the desk, a tiny Golden Reaper looked down at the flyer and giggled.

Beside them, a Sprout Reaper also giggled with excitement.

From the small movements of the Mini Reapers, the excitement for the next day’s event was palpable.

Just then, Seo-ah’s voice, calm and gentle, rang out.

"Alright, let’s head back."

As soon as the words left her mouth, the Golden Reaper and the Sprout Reaper rushed toward her, as if they had been waiting for this moment.

With a resigned smile, Seo-ah skillfully embraced the Mini Reapers as they leapt into her arms.

Click.

The door closed softly, and the Deputy Director’s office fell into silence.

Now, the only thing left in the empty office was the flyer on the desk.

The red glow of the setting sun deepened, tinting the flyer with its warm hues.