"Knock, knock."
Joseph, dressed in black, lightly tapped the mirror twice with his fingers.
The mirror produced a crisp sound, like an ordinary mirror.
"So this is the mirror?"
Joseph withdrew his hand and looked curiously at Rojin.
After a brief meeting, the mirror had been designated AO-049, nicknamed the Skull Mirror.
The talkative mirror protested, saying the skull was just an accessory, hardly a defining feature.
It was ignored. The agency never cared about the feelings of containment objects.
"Yes. Any questions?"
"No, just curious."
Joseph waved and turned his gaze back to the mirror.
Honestly, he was intrigued by this mirror with its bizarre makeup.
"What's the scope of its responses?"
"That will be our next task."
At that moment, a D-class member, handcuffed, was led into the room.
His expression showed clear reluctance to participate in the Institute's experiment.
Although the mirror hadn't shown any harm toward humans, the Institute insisted on using D-class personnel.
As someone had said: Institute members could die in combat, but not in such deadly experiments.
Until they could fully confirm an object was harmless, vigilance remained strict.
Rojin's prior interaction with the mirror had drawn complaints from some researchers.
"What do you want me to do?"
The tense D-class member observed before speaking.
The gun pressed against his back made him uneasy.
He knew the temperament of this organization.
Human rights did not exist here—at least for criminals like him.
"Ask questions to this mirror. The questions will be determined by us."
Rojin, holding the tablet, indicated the D-class member should stand in front of the mirror.
In the room, the mirror stood at the center, back facing Rojin and Joseph.
The D-class member faced the mirror and Rojin.
"?"
Frowning, he felt a spark of confusion.
Asking a mirror questions? What were these people thinking?
As a devout atheist, he firmly believed no gods existed.
Otherwise, he would have already been judged.
If being atheist didn't bring benefits, he wouldn't care about imaginary gods.
"…I understand."
Though confused, the D-class member spoke softly.
He hadn't given up hope. He wanted to survive.
Even as an experimental subject, he believed in another chance.
"How many dangerous creatures are in this city?"
Rojin displayed the question on the tablet to the D-class member.
It wasn't Rojin's question—it came from researchers at the base.
"How many uncontained dangerous creatures are in the city?"
The D-class member read it aloud, letter by letter.
He seemed to grasp the implication, though hesitantly.
"Well, honestly, I'm not sure. But I know of roughly thirteen still free-roaming."
The sudden voice startled him.
The mirror in front of him had spoken.
Yes, it really spoke.
Its drawn mouth moved as if alive.
Joseph recorded the information for the Institute to verify later.
'Of these creatures, how many do you know the location of?'
After a few seconds, the new question appeared on Rojin's tablet.
He glanced and showed it to the D-class member.
The Institute would soon have work to do.
Japan's branch of the Institute was special—not due to strength or ability, but because of the mess it handled.
Other branches, once they resolved local issues, had spare personnel.
Here, the branch was chronically understaffed.
The support request button was nearly worn out.
Why so much trouble?
Take the Aokigahara Forest—the "Suicide Forest."
The agency had sealed it using force.
The accumulated resentment of countless deaths created extremely dangerous spirits.
The branch could keep them from escaping, but could not intervene directly.
The spirits weren't afraid of suppression—they were on home ground.
Just Aokigahara consumed massive Institute resources, not counting other locations.
"Regarding this? I need to think."
After the D-class member repeated the question, the Skull Mirror fell silent for a moment.
Rojin and Joseph exchanged a glance. Something's up?
Rojin discreetly retrieved his transformation device, ready at his waist.
Joseph's purple vines quietly extended, wrapping around his strong arm.
"Oh, let me explain."
Sensing Rojin and Joseph's movements, the Skull Mirror hurried to clarify:
"My memory seems faulty. I recall thirteen roaming creatures, but one's information is completely missing."
"It doesn't exist in my memory at all."
"If not for the information explicitly indicating thirteen, I wouldn't have noticed the anomaly."
The mirror sounded frustrated.
Forgetting something but knowing it was forgotten is maddening.
'Tell me what you do know first.'
Rojin typed this on the tablet and glanced at Joseph.
Joseph understood, thinking a moment before responding:
"Worth trying. Hermit Purple might locate the other one."
Rojin nodded and focused back on the Skull Mirror.
From its words, the city's hidden beings were mostly ghoul-like creatures.
The Institute was still lenient with them.
They would capture and confine them in secure containment facilities.
After being heavily restrained, they were kept inside the Institute.
Periodically, their ghouls would be extracted for research or weapon creation.
Like raising animals, the Institute kept these valuable "abnormal species."