Bookstore

The radio at Broly Bookstore was playing "Open Door," dreamlike Jazz Music echoing through every empty corner.

"Lately I dreamed"

"I had tasted"

"All life's treasures"

As the music reached that line, under the owner's vacant gaze, the enormous cocoon slowly split open. Then, a man in a Swallowtail Windbreaker and a Red and Black Mask "drilled" out of it, hanging motionlessly upside down beneath the ceiling.

At some point, he had taken the sketchbook and ballpoint pen the owner had left on the counter.

The young owner froze for a moment before forcing a smile. "Sir, we're about to close."

"Oh... wait a moment. I'll be done drawing soon. Just a little while."

Black Cocoon hung upside down, almost face-to-face with the owner. Without looking up, he focused on drawing in the sketchbook with the ballpoint pen.

"Alright."

The owner nodded, took a sip of coffee, and reacted with surprising calmness.

Black Cocoon suddenly said, "By the way, Mr. Photo Finder, I borrowed a copy of The Stranger from here before. It was on the fifth bookshelf from the left after entering the store, but I put it back afterward... That's right, it was the book I was reading when I appeared on television. Camus's writing really has a unique flavor. I can understand the protagonist's feeling of being unable to feel any sorrow at his mother's funeral, even after his mother died... It couldn't be helped. After all, the one attending his mother's funeral was an impostor. My older brother and little sister cried so sadly."

The owner had no idea what he was talking about.

Amid the scratch of the ballpoint pen, Black Cocoon hummed along to the Jazz Music and asked, "What I actually wanted to say was... sir, you wouldn't be angry that I borrowed a book without saying anything, would you? If you're unhappy about it, then next time I read in front of reporters' cameras, I can promote your bookstore as compensation."

"As long as you leave an ID Card and phone number, borrowing books is allowed here," the young owner said. "You don't need to feel guilty... At most, you just skipped the procedure. Sometimes I'm not that strict with customers."

Black Cocoon nodded. "Alright. I heard from the neighbors that you have a peculiar Esper ability that lets you use 'photos' to locate the 'real object.' So whenever people lose something, they bring a photo to this bookstore and ask you to find it for them."

"That's right."

"That's wonderful. Although I don't have a photo, my drawing skills are realistic enough to pass for the real thing. Perhaps you can use your ability to help me find this little cutie in the drawing?"

"I've never tried using my ability based on a drawing... but I can give it a try."

"It's fine. My drawings have almost the same texture as photographs. I'm sure they'll allow your ability to perform to its fullest."

Black Cocoon spoke with considerable confidence, then turned the sketchbook around to face the owner.

Peering through his glasses, the owner narrowed his eyes. What he saw in the sketchbook was a little figure that barely resembled a human.

The drawing reminded the owner of an elementary school essay he had written, in which he had described a classmate like this: "Her eyes are red, like little tomatoes; her hair is white, like white radishes; the sun above her head is bright red, like a great big tomato."

Black Cocoon's exquisite artistic skill had almost perfectly recreated the character description from that elementary school essay. Calling it elementary-school-level drawing might even have been an insult to elementary school students.

"This is the... realistic drawing skill... you said had the same texture as a photograph?"

The owner wanted to speak but stopped himself, pausing three times in one sentence.

"That's right. Can you help me find the person in the drawing?"

Black Cocoon tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. Though no one could see his expression through the mask, his movements and demeanor always made him seem very earnest.

"I'm sorry, but my ability can only be used on inanimate objects, and only small, uncomplicated ones. Its range is also limited... If it's a human, even if you gave me a hundred photos, I couldn't find their location. Much less with a 'realistic' drawing like this."

The owner explained calmly, "There's a reason I was rated a Harmless Grade Esper."

Black Cocoon visibly wilted. Hanging upside down beneath the ceiling with his head lowered, he slowly spun the pen before letting out a sigh.

He asked, "Alright, then do I need to pay for borrowing your sketchbook and ballpoint pen?"

"No."

"Thank you, sir. You're a good person."

Black Cocoon nodded in salute, then used the Restraint Band to return the sketchbook and pen to the owner.

"You're welcome." The owner paused. "Actually, I should charge you one dollar. This sketchbook of mine is pretty old. It'll fall apart if I tear out a page. Your drawing has a little too much artistic value to stay in my sketchbook... I want to tear it out and keep it separately, but I can't."

"I understand. Only geniuses can appreciate genius art... like Picasso."

Black Cocoon muttered to himself as he rummaged through his Swallowtail Windbreaker and pulled a one-dollar coin from his pocket. He silently passed it to the owner with the Restraint Band. "Go ahead and tear out the drawing for your collection, sir."

"Thank you." The owner accepted the coin and put it into the cash register.

"You're welcome, sir. You deserve it."

Hanging upside down in midair, Black Cocoon casually picked out a book from the shelf and began reading, speaking politely.

"So... I'll be closing in two minutes. Is there anything else you need?" the young owner asked.

"Right... can you cooperate with me?" Only then did Black Cocoon remember why he had come. He raised a black leather-gloved finger and circled it beside his head. "Um... by cooperation, I mean that I'll promote the hardcover books in your store on television from now on, and in exchange, you occasionally help me find things. Like my razor, for example. I'm a very manly man. Every morning when I wake up, my face is covered in a thick beard, and it's very troublesome without a razor."

Even though I'm only twelve and haven't started growing a beard yet, he added in his heart.

Seeing the other party remain silent, Black Cocoon continued, "Come on, wouldn't that be cool? At every murder scene in Li Capital from now on, you'll see someone in the reporters' footage always reading one of your store's hardcover books—and reading it while hanging upside down from the ceiling. It'll be more effective than any advertisement. Your shop will definitely become a huge hit."

"But I don't want the police coming to question me about your whereabouts." The owner shook his head. "And I don't want people calling this some kind of 'curiosity-seeking bookstore.' Don't give me negative publicity."

"Alright..." Black Cocoon folded his arms and thought for a moment before saying, "Considering your concerns, we can cooperate in secret. You can occasionally help me find things, and I'll serve as your private detective. If you ever suspect your girlfriend of cheating on you, you can come to me anytime. I guarantee I'll package her and her son-of-a-bitch lover up and deliver them right in front of you."

The owner smiled. "That actually sounds pretty good."

"You have strong nerves. At first, I thought I'd scare you speechless."

"Maybe I've seen too many strange things since childhood. My emotions have always been more muted than other people's. Perhaps it's a side effect of my ability."

"I see. Then we're even more suited to being together." Black Cocoon said, "Black Cocoon—that's my name."

"You can just call me Boss."

"So, we've established a cooperative relationship?" Black Cocoon asked tentatively.

"Who's to say we haven't?" The owner smiled faintly.

Black Cocoon raised his brows and brought up the Character Development System Panel. Looking at the progress mission, it still showed that his Superhuman Species collaborator was only the Esper, Blue Arc.

"Just now, I encountered something very sad." He closed the panel and muttered dejectedly.

The owner looked at the strange man hanging upside down in the air. "What happened?"

Black Cocoon said solemnly, "I just had an argument with my Restraint Band because it said you were a collaborator with no value for cooperation. Honestly... I feel deeply saddened by its shallowness. I sincerely believe you're a very useful collaborator, yet it didn't count you as part of our group."

As he turned the pages, he said in a low voice, "I believe this is a... display of blindness."

"That really is sad."

The owner took a sip of hot coffee, unconcerned.

"We have a curfew at home. If we don't go to sleep on time, Mommy will jump out of her grave and kick our asses, so I have to leave soon. I hope we can see each other often in the future."

"Please, go ahead."

The owner waved at him.

"Lastly, I'd like to borrow this copy of The Tatami Galaxy, but I don't have an ID Card or phone number... That's very sad. Not everyone has a place in society, just like that saying... what was it again? Ch-children without umbrellas must run through the rain. Sometimes I really think, even borrowing a book requires so much caution. This world is truly unfair."

Black Cocoon grumbled on and on as he read with his eyes lowered.

The owner did not listen to a single word, merely saying, "Go ahead. You don't need an ID Card or phone number. Just return it within a week."

"Alright. Goodbye, Boss."

Black Cocoon closed the novel in his hands, slipped it into his pocket, and waved the Restraint Band as though bidding him farewell.

"Goodbye," the owner said.

The figure hanging upside down beneath the ceiling vanished. The store lights abruptly went out, then immediately flickered back on the next second.

The owner took a sip of coffee. It was a quiet night.

Five minutes later, at Gu Wenyu's home in Gu Yi Mai District.

Ji Minghuan lay spread-eagled on the bed in his room, placed the novel he had just borrowed beside his pillow, and closed his eyes.

Like a personal maid, the Restraint Band removed Black Cocoon's mask and windbreaker for him, changed him into pajamas, and put the mask away at the bottom of the wardrobe.

I got played... Forming a cooperative relationship with a Harmless Grade Esper doesn't count toward the Character Development System's progress. Then how strong does someone have to be before cooperating with them counts? Quasi Grade, above Harmless Grade? Or Chief Grade, even higher up?

As he thought, Ji Minghuan suddenly opened his eyes, brought up the System Panel, scrolled through it twice, and found the option for Complete Split Mode.

Without hesitation, he activated the switch.

Complete Split Mode has been activated. After a one-hour loading period, your consciousness will take control of the Game Character's body twenty-four hours a day without needing to enter dreams.

The current number of loaded Game Character perspectives is: "One."

This way, I can control both the Main Body and the Game Character at once. I'll just have to wait an hour to see how it works.

Before going to sleep, Ji Minghuan checked his Role-Playing Anchor Point Deviation again. Yesterday, his excessively unrestrained and violent actions at Li Jing Square had raised his role-playing deviation to a dangerous 42%, though it had gradually fallen today.

It would become dangerous if the deviation reached over 70%. The Game Character might break free of Ji Minghuan's control and enter a berserk state, so he had to treat it with caution.

I hope Instructor doesn't disappoint me. Bring me some useful intelligence. With that thought, Ji Minghuan closed his eyes once more, folded his arms beneath his head, and fell deeply asleep.

There are only a few hours left before the trial recommendation goes live. Everyone, send some monthly votes!