Chapter 460: SCP-096, The Shy Guy!
Observing its body, it had no hair whatsoever. Its skin was pale, its body so thin it was just skin and bones, and its limbs were disproportionate. If it stood up, it would be as tall as a person.
Ren already knew its identity: SCP-096, "The Shy Guy."
[Inorin's Note: SCP-096 is an entity from the SCP Foundation, a collaborative fiction project. It is known for its extreme hostile reaction to having its face viewed, directly or indirectly.]
The moment he saw it, he immediately saw its lines of death with his Mystic Eyes. This indicated it could be killed. But he did not do so.
The moment it was startled by the light and tried to turn around, Ren sealed it into a Different Space.
The monster's disappearance made Iwanaga Kotoko exclaim, "Did it escape?" She had just seen it move, and then it vanished.
Ren said, "It didn't escape. I sealed it."
"If it's a monster, aren't you going to kill it?" she frowned.
He walked towards her, his silhouette growing tall on the cave wall. He slowly said, "It's very special, named the Shy Guy. It will scream, chase, and kill everyone who sees its face, until all who have seen it are killed and eaten."
"Not only direct observation, but seeing it in photos, videos, or even a single pixel of its face, will attract its pursuit from thousands of miles away."
"As long as you see its face, it will break through all obstacles to hunt you down."
"Crucially, it possesses near-supersonic mobility."
Pieces of information about 096 came from his mouth.
"!!!" If what he said was true, then it was too terrifying. This was the first time Kotoko had heard of such a bizarre monster. She couldn't help but feel a lingering fear. If it had turned around just now, wouldn't she have been in great danger?
However, its characteristics were not worth mentioning in Ren's eyes. The reason he didn't kill it was because he wasn't entirely clear about SCPs. They were chaotic, with various people adding to their lore. Many had settings beyond their initial ones, like SCP-682 and the outrageous SCP-173. He wasn't sure if killing 096 would cause a worse "abnormal state" to appear. Facing an SCP that could be easily sealed, there was no need to ask for trouble.
"This is settled. Shall we go back?" Ren had been enjoying the hot spring and wouldn't have left if not for the anomaly.
With a whoosh, the two appeared outside the cave.
"Wow! They suddenly appeared again!" Natsumi pointed at them, exceptionally excited.
Renge, understanding the meaning of "Psychic," also excitedly waved her hands. "Psychic! Can I learn?"
Ren looked at the girls, a benevolent smile on his lips. Non Non Biyori, truly a relaxing memory. He removed the barrier around them. "The barrier was to protect you. I hope you weren't scared."
He walked in front of Renge. Natsumi and Hotaru, still afraid he was a yokai, protected her. Even the timid Komari put on an adult demeanor, though her legs were weak.
"Don't be so nervous. I'm just here for a hot spring trip. I'm neither a yokai nor a ghost." Saying this would at least put them at ease. "My name is Ren, and behind me is Iwanaga Kotoko."
Kotoko raised her head. "That's not how you introduce me."
"Oh?" he gestured. "Then you do it."
She pressed down on her staff, placed her right hand on her eye, and her skirt and hair fluttered. "I am the Wisdom God, the princess of yokai, Iwanaga Kotoko."
"So cool!"
"So amazing!"
Her actions immediately made Natsumi and Renge's eyes sparkle.
"I am… I am…" Renge seemed to want to imitate her, looking at the recorder in her hand, then raising it. "I am the God of Recorders, Miyauchi Renge!"
Natsumi, as her older sister, suppressed her own chuunibyou tendencies. "You're teaching bad habits to children," she glared at Kotoko, as Ren patted Renge's head.
Feeling the goodwill, the four girls gradually relaxed. "Aren't you leaving? Where are you going?" Kotoko asked.
"To the hot springs. I came here to travel with my family."
"Hot springs? Are there hot springs here?" Hotaru thought carefully. She had moved here last summer and hadn't heard of any.
"Komari-senpai, do you know?"
"Hmm… I haven't heard of any."
"I don't remember any either," Natsumi added.
[Inorin Note:
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