A Rider Doesn't Need a Youth Romantic Comedy [31]

Knock, knock.

Dressed in his black uniform, Joseph gently tapped twice on the mirror with his finger.

The mirror let out a crisp, clear sound, identical to any ordinary mirror.

“So this is that mirror?”

Retracting his hand, Joseph turned back to look at Makoto Rōma, curiosity etched into his face.

After a brief meeting, the mirror had been officially designated SO-049.

Nickname: The Skull Mirror.

The overly talkative mirror protested vehemently, complaining that the skull decoration on it was merely incidental.

Absolutely insufficient to become its iconic feature.

But it had been ignored.

The Organization never bothered to ask these containment objects how they felt about their nicknames.

“Yeah, something wrong?”

“Nah, just curious is all.”

Joseph waved dismissively, turning his attention back to the mirror.

Truth be told, he was rather intrigued by this mirror with the odd makeup painted across its reflective surface.

“What’s the range of questions it can answer?”

“That’s exactly what we’re here to figure out.”

As they spoke, a D-Class member restrained by handcuffs was escorted into the room.

From his expression alone, it wasn’t hard to tell just how reluctant he was about cooperating with the Institute's experiments.

Even though the mirror had shown no signs of hostility toward humans yet, the Research Institute still insisted on testing it using D-Class personnel.

To quote someone from the Institute: Members of the Institute could die fighting, but never as disposable lab rats in such experiments.

Until the containment object's harmlessness was thoroughly confirmed, the Institute would never lower its vigilance.

Previously, Rōma’s rash communication with the mirror had led to complaints from several researchers.

“So, what do you people want me to do?”

The stiffened D-Class member finally spoke after observing the room.

The sensation of a gun barrel pressed into his back made him deeply uneasy.

He knew this organization’s temperament too well.

So-called human rights simply didn't exist here.

At least, not for criminals like himself.

“Ask the mirror a question. We'll provide you with exactly what to ask.”

Rōma gestured with the tablet in his hand, signaling the D-Class member to stand in front of the mirror.

Currently, the mirror stood at the center of the room, its back turned toward Rōma and Joseph.

The D-Class member faced the mirror, directly opposite Rōma and the others.

“?”

Frowning slightly, confusion briefly crossed the D-Class member's face.

Ask questions to a mirror?

What was going on inside these people's heads?

As a devout follower, he firmly believed that no gods existed in this world.

Otherwise, he’d have been judged long ago.

If it weren’t for the benefits his faith provided, he wouldn’t bother believing in some nonexistent deity.

“…Understood.”

Though he had plenty of doubts swirling in his mind, the D-Class member murmured quietly.

He hadn’t given up hope just yet. He still intended to leave here alive.

Though he’d fallen to being a lab rat, he believed there was still a chance for him to start anew.

Rōma lifted the tablet, showing the D-Class member the prepared question.

‘How many dangerous entities are still roaming freely within this city?’

This question wasn’t personally devised by Rōma but was formulated by the researchers at the base.

“How many dangerous entities, not yet contained, are currently in this city?”

Word by word, the D-Class member repeated the question aloud.

At the same moment, he seemed to grasp something vaguely, but he wasn’t entirely sure.

“Oh, honestly? I'm not completely certain. I can only speak for what I know. Roughly…thirteen, still roaming around.”

The sudden voice startled the D-Class member.

He stared in disbelief as the mirror right in front of him began to speak.

Yes, speak.

What he'd assumed was just a mouth painted carelessly on the mirror was actually moving as it talked.

After hearing this, Joseph quickly jotted the information down.

The Institute would soon dispatch personnel to verify it.

‘Among these entities, how many do you know precise information and whereabouts for?’

After a brief pause, another question was sent to Rōma’s tablet.

He quickly glanced at it before displaying it to the D-Class member.

It seemed the Institute would be busy again.

Speaking of which, the Japanese branch of the Institute had always been somewhat special.

Not because it was exceptionally strong or particularly capable, but because it constantly had a ton of ridiculous problems.

Other branches might have spare manpower after resolving their local issues.

But here, this branch was perpetually short-staffed.

The emergency request button had nearly been pressed to the point of discoloration.

Why were there so many problems here?

Leaving aside everything else, just consider the infamous Aokigahara, the "Suicide Forest."

The Organization had already sealed off the forest by force, but the massive resentment from numerous deaths gathered within, creating a swarm of extremely dangerous spirits.

This branch could only prevent them from breaking out but couldn't launch a direct assault.

The spirits couldn't get out, but they weren't afraid of being hunted down, either.

Because Aokigahara was their territory.

A single place like Aokigahara alone tied down a significant portion of Chaldea’s Japanese branch forces, let alone other issues.

“About that? Let me think a bit.”

After the D-Class member repeated the second question, the Skull Mirror fell into brief silence.

Rōma and Joseph exchanged a cautious glance.

Something's up?

Rōma subtly reached behind himself, grasping his transformation device, ready to buckle it at a moment’s notice.

Joseph's purple vines silently extended, twining around his muscular arm.

“Whoa—hold up, let me explain!”

Seeming to sense Rōma and Joseph’s sudden vigilance, the Skull Mirror hurriedly clarified:

“My memory seems to be malfunctioning somewhat. Although I clearly recall thirteen entities roaming freely, there's one whose details I can’t remember at all.”

“In fact, it’s as if that being doesn't exist at all in my memories.”

“If it weren’t for the message explicitly stating thirteen, I wouldn't have even noticed something was wrong.”

The Skull Mirror sounded deeply frustrated.

This sensation of having a missing chunk in one’s memory was truly unpleasant.

And knowing you’d forgotten something, yet being unable to recall it no matter how hard you tried, was maddeningly irritating.

Rōma typed a sentence onto the tablet:

‘Tell us what you do know first.’

He tentatively glanced toward Joseph beside him.

Joseph immediately understood Rōma’s intention, considered briefly, then replied:

“We could give it a shot. Hermit Purple should help us pinpoint their locations.”

Rōma nodded, refocusing on the Skull Mirror.

According to the mirror, the creatures hiding in this city were mostly one-of-a-kind anomalies.

And regarding these entities, the Institute was rather merciful.

They would capture them, lock them tightly in containment rooms, and heavily restrain them, carefully raising them inside the facility.

Every so often, these anomalous creatures would be extracted, either for research or weapons manufacturing.

Just like animals in captivity, the Institute was also farming these valuable anomalous beings.

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This is a fan translation of 骑士不需要青春恋爱物语 by 青琮 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!