I had already requested not to be put inside a suitcase anymore, nor to have a tracking collar around my neck.
Thus, I was simply being held by Marcus as he and the rest of F-5 made their way toward the designated vehicle where Team D-3 was waiting.
Along the way, I could see three tall men and one woman standing beside the van.
They all appeared to be in their mid-to-late twenties, making them considerably older than Team F-5, who seemed to have only recently stepped out of their teenage years.
Elias was the first to approach them.
"Good morning, Response Unit Leader Adrian. It’s a pleasure to meet you."
"Just Sir Adrian will suffice. We can leave the formalities for the reports."
Adrian replied with a rather straightforward tone.
He was a tall man, standing around 6’2", with short black hair, gray eyes, and a lean but muscular build.
There was also a noticeable scar running from his left eyebrow toward his cheek, which looked quite cool to me.
"I won’t waste our time with lengthy introductions. Names and designations will be enough for now. I’m Adrian, the leader of Response Unit D-3. These are my unit members, Elena, Samuel, and Vincent. We’ve been assigned to conduct this investigation alongside your team, so I expect we’ll be working closely together."
His words were polite enough, but there was a certain amount of a "commanding" tone behind them that made it clear he wasn’t someone who took his responsibilities lightly.
"Of course, Sir Adrian. I’m Elias Navarro, the leader of Response Unit F-5, and these are my team members—"
Just as Elias was about to introduce the rest of Team F-5, Adrian interrupted him.
"We’ve already reviewed your team’s files, so there’s no need to go through the introductions again. I’m assuming, however, that you haven’t had the opportunity to read ours."
Elias was caught off guard for a moment before answering.
"Unfortunately, no, sir. The assignment was only given to us yesterday afternoon, and we had to settle the documentation for our new Supernatural Companion and our new unit member as well. We apologize for the oversight."
Adrian gave a small nod.
"I see. Then get in the van. I’ll make this clear before we begin, though. When conducting a joint investigation, familiarizing yourself with the other team’s files is just as important as studying the supernatural space itself."
"You need to know who you’re working with, what they can do, and what you can expect from them. Don’t let a lack of preparation become a liability in the field."
Elias nodded in a rather submissive manner.
"We understand, Sir Adrian. We’ll make sure to review your team’s files before the investigation begins. Our apologies once again."
Getting into the van, Elias couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed.
He had been caught off guard by the reminder, and it made him feel somewhat incompetent as a team leader.
However, none of the other members of F-5 held it against him.
They knew the assignment had been given to them in a rush, and with the documents for their new supernatural companion and unit member to settle, they had barely been given enough time to prepare.
Once everyone had settled into their seats, Marcus continued holding me in his arms.
It was then that I noticed a large, black, furry dog sleeping on the farthest right side of the middle seats.
Its size was rather impressive, and its thick fur made it look like some sort of oversized stray dog.
One of the D-3 members, Samuel, noticed the curiosity of our team and took the initiative to introduce it.
"This is our supernatural companion, E-7, also known as [Son of Black Shuck]. We usually just call him Shucky for short."
As he spoke, Samuel seemed rather happy to introduce the odd-looking dog. He even reached out to give it a friendly pat.
However, before his hand could even touch its fur, the dog let out a low growl.
Samuel’s hand immediately stopped in midair.
Adrian, who was seated in the front, noticed the commotion and spoke without even turning around.
"Shucky. Shadow."
After growling at Samuel, the entity nicknamed Shucky let out a small whimper before its body suddenly sank into the shadows beneath the seat.
The way it sunk into the shadow was very smooth, and everyone in our unit couldn’t help but feel a little impressed by how cool it looked.
Samuel, who had just been rejected by his own companion, rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"Ehem... Shucky only listens to our Unit Leader. None of us can really get him to follow commands, no matter how much we try. It’s a little embarrassing, honestly because you’d think he’d at least recognize the people who feed him..."
Among the members of Team D-3, it seemed that Samuel was the only one who enjoyed talking.
Elena and the other unit member, Vincent, remained rather silent, as though neither of them had any intention of taking the initiative to make conversation.
Even after Samuel had finished explaining Shucky’s behavior, the two didn’t seem particularly interested in joining the discussion.
Elena merely sat in her seat, while Vincent appeared to be more occupied with his own thoughts.
I wasn’t really surprised by this...
Almost all mid-to-high-rank Response Unit teams in A.E.G.I.S., at least in the books I’d read in [Arcana], were either antisocials, sociopaths, psychopaths, manipulative assholes, or even just downright insane people...
It was very rare to see a decent person who held a decent rank in a Response Unit.
"Ah, and this must be your new supernatural companion, right?"
Samuel’s attention soon drifted toward me. Perhaps noticing the awkward silence that had settled inside the van, he seemed to take the initiative to make conversation with our team.
His eyes were curiously staring at my little doll body for a moment before he gave a rather friendly smile.
"Quite adorable, actually... I was expecting a creepier doll. What’s his designation?"
Marcus thought for a moment before replying.
"His designated number is F-303, and his name is [Moon Doll]. We... just call him Moon for short."
I could see Samuel’s expression falter for a brief moment as he heard my name.
It was only a slight change, and he quickly returned to his usual smile, but I was still able to catch it.
"I see. Well, make sure you take good care of him. It’s generally frowned upon in Response Unit culture to mistreat your supernatural companions, after all. Some teams are rather particular about that sort of thing."
Samuel said this in a casual tone, almost as though he were offering some friendly advice to a newcomer.
However, his next words made me reconsider that impression.
"Though, I suppose you already know that. We did hear about what happened to your previous companion."
He chuckled lightly, rubbing his chin as though he were trying to find the right words.
"Quite unfortunate, really. Hopefully, things will go a little more smoothly with this one. It’d be a shame if management had to keep assigning you new companions."
Hearing those words, Marcus and I seemed to realize what sort of person Samuel was...
This guy... was definitely a subtle asshole.
Better of not talking to him at all...
A few minutes passed before the van finally arrived at the designated supernatural space we were supposed to investigate.
The place appeared to be a small apartment building, though the moment we stepped inside, we could tell something was off.
Red and pink paint covered the walls in uneven layers, spreading across the room like someone had carelessly smeared them with a brush.
The colors gradually grew denser around a single door, forming a strange, circular pattern that seemed to draw the eye toward it.
It was almost as though the entire room had been painted to lead us there.
This supernatural space wasn’t something I had read about in the book [As Above, So Below], but I did remember seeing its wiki page on [Arcana].
And after reviewing the document with Marcus last night, I was quite certain that this wasn’t going to be a very pleasant experience.
’I can only pray we survive this one as well...’
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[Audio for Feeding the Pig]
[A.E.G.I.S. Threat Assessment: D-rank — Classification Verified]
[Day of First Investigation: ████████████]
[Investigation Status: Pending]
[Entry Requirements: Minimum of eight personnel, including at least one D-rank Response Unit.]
[Clearance Level: Authorized A.E.G.I.S. personnel only]
A confined apartment room containing a series of audio recordings documenting the experiences of a man at a location known as [The Backwards Farm].
The recordings appear to follow a chronological sequence, detailing the man’s encounters and observations while staying at the farm.
His accounts provide insight into the location’s environment, its inhabitants, and the strange occurrences he experienced during his stay.
However, as the recordings progress, the events described become increasingly difficult to verify, leaving the true nature of the farm and its possible connection to the supernatural space unknown.
Initial investigation has determined that a minimum of eight personnel are required to conduct a thorough investigation and attempt to clear this supernatural space.
Warning: Do not listen to the final recording.
========================