Bailonz Street 13-Chapter 258.2
I set the pen down.
A complex, heavy mood lingered inside the container box.
And then…
[Mr. Roe Deer.]
[Could you grant me one request? As a friend, I mean.]
……
I agreed.
And after asking the others for their understanding, I drew out black smoke and let it coil over the desk.
A space created by the smoke of a supernatural being.
Inside that ghost story, the rabbit doll slowly got up.
“…!!”
The Good Friend dwelling inside the rabbit doll looked at the Disaster Management Bureau agents and Assistant Manager Eun one by one, then politely bowed.
A slightly exaggerated gentleman’s bow.
As if introducing himself.
As if thanking his audience, lowering an imaginary hat to his waist in a courteous gesture performed by a tiny plush toy.
Then he waved his hand, and settled back down neatly on the handkerchief.
“……”
Silence fell.
And then.
“Grapes-ie.”
Agent Choi finally spoke.
“So you mean you’ve ‘invited’ this talk show host as a friend, and you’re borrowing his power, right?”
……!
Affirmative
“How strong is he, exactly?”
“At a level where a single snap of his fingers could reduce a person to ashes.”
…!
“…Okay.”
At Assistant Manager Eun’s added explanation, a smile rose on Agent Choi’s lips.
Not a pleasant one.
‘That’s…’
The same strained smile he wore when facing a powerful supernatural disaster.
“Does he have any conditions for being ‘invited’? Earlier he did a gesture like tipping a hat. How about getting him a nice fedora?”
[Hooh.]
[Mr. Roe Deer, this one has decent manners. Although considering his financial situation, it’d be wise not to expect much in the quality of the gift!]
Braun is pleased
“Is that so? Okay.”
I looked at Agent Choi.
He kept his everyday, unreadable expression as he asked me.
“So how was he while staying with us for that half-year? We kept him in Black-Tortoise Team 1’s waiting room.”
……
I conveyed Braun’s descriptions.
Not bad :
→ Being placed on a cushion and occasionally helped with grooming
→ Being told updates on Agent Grapes’s whereabouts
“Oh.”
Not so pleasant :
→ The act of pretending to feed him
→ Being referred to as ‘pink’
“Ah.”
And…
Improvement tip :
The cushion’s material is far too cheap
“……”
“……”
“So… he wants it swapped for cashmere?”
Acceptable
“His preferences are very clear…”
Well, that’s just how he is…
At least the complaint about the doll cushion caused the tension, which had been about to spike, to loosen slightly.
‘Maybe because Braun didn’t cause any incidents for half a year while in his ‘good friend’ form?’
That was definitely a reassuring factor.
But.
“And one more thing.”
The smile faded slightly from Agent Choi’s face.
“…There are casualties on the talk show, right?”
……
Yes.
“The host over there isn’t a classy fellow who knows how to live a vegan lifestyle like the Tiger General.”
I answered with difficulty.
That’s correct.
Whenever it comes to his broadcast, he won’t easily compromise.
“…You tried persuading him, at least. Okay.”
The agents exchanged silent glances.
‘…Do they communicate through equipment?’
After a moment, Agent Choi spoke again.
“Grapes-ie. It’s not like we trust your ‘cool friend Braun’. You know that, right?”
Of course they wouldn’t.
“So we’d like to see reliable behavior from now on. The way a friend should.”
…!!
“We’ll be watching closely. You understand, Mr. Braun?”
Then I understood.
This wasn’t, ‘Sure, Braun’s your friend, go ahead and keep him with you.’
‘They think if they just leave him unattended, things could go to hell…’
They weren’t keeping him because they trusted him, but because removing him might cause a worse disaster.
A ‘better to leave the unstable bomb where it is’ decision.
Agent Bronze’s expression looked like he wanted to stab me.
[My, this feels like dealing with an outdated guest who firmly believes he holds the upper hand.]
[Still, a trustworthy friend like me is hard to find anywhere, so I understand their difficulty in trusting so readily!]
“What did Mr. Braun say?”
…Huu.
Positive response
“Okay~ …Of course, I trust our Grapes-ie isn’t just making up the doll’s answers on the spot, right?”
O-Of course not.
“Good. And he didn’t say anything else?”
……
Maybe honesty is better?
I gave up on everything and relayed his words exactly as they were.
Braun’s correction request :
He wishes to clarify that the talk show he hosts aims for high-class entertainment, and that his viewer base is intended to be wider and more general than simply children.
“…Hmm. I see.”
Correction request #2 :
There is no connection whatsoever between living a vegan lifestyle and being a stylish gentleman, and Braun is—he would like it noted—a lenient and cheerful personality.
“Oh, there’s a second one?”
He also wishes it known that although he overheard Agent Bronze’s worries while in the team’s waiting room, he has not shared them with anyone, and promises that he will never use them as program material without the person’s explicit permission.
“…! O-One moment, please.”
Correction request #3 :
Do not be misled by Mr. Roe Deer’s remark placing a brutish, elderly zoo tiger and a legendary host with refinement, eloquence, and charm on the same level.
(This description reflects Braun’s personal opinion and does not match 130666’s sentiment.)
“No, our Tiger General isn’t that—”
Correction request #4…
“Just tell him we understand.”
Excellent decision…
And so I spent quite some time in that container box passing along Braun’s messages.
Fortunately, when that time was over, Brown’s custody was returned to me without any bloodshed.
“…Right. For now, take him back.”
The atmosphere felt a little better than before.
Though of course this wasn’t the end.
“Oh, it isn’t a fedora, but we’d like to give Mr. Braun a small commemorative gift.”
Agent Bronze carefully handed something to Braun.
It was… a small ornament that looked like it could be tied into a bow using a thin silk string.
It was shaped in a way that seemed like it originally could be tied around a person’s ring finger.
“These days kids decorate their plush pendants, right? Since he’s a talk show host, I figured he’d be sensitive to trends~”
I swear. That must be a tracking item…
[Oh, then I shall accept it as a keepsake!]
Thankfully, Braun accepted it readily, and the agents only began to move after fully confirming that I had attached the ornament to the spot where the keyring accessory goes near Braun’s head.
“Let’s go then.”
And so the pink rabbit doll was registered by the Disaster Management Bureau as ‘Ghost Story Friend of 130666’, a being residing inside a plush doll made at the Cheerful Theme Park.
The ‘Braun identity reveal’ incident was, for the moment, settled.
‘Huu…’
…Incidentally, throughout the entire process, Assistant Manager Eun Haje only reacted with a single ‘Alright’, and silently stared at Braun’s doll the whole time.
Still, by the time we left the container, she had returned to her usual demeanor.
Adding just one thing.
– Don’t trust him
……
After some hesitation, I nodded.
And thus, the entire Sekwang Special Metropolitan City expedition team came to know of the existence of Good Friend Braun.
What effects this will have later, only time will tell…
* * *
Some time later.
“Soleum-ssi.”
‘Section Chief!’
At last, Section Chief Lee Jaheon arrived, and it finally seemed like preparations to enter Sekwang City were complete.
…Or so I thought.
“I see. I have a recommended candidate for this expedition.”
“Oh~ who is it?”
“Supervisor Baek Saheon.”
My gas mask nearly flew off. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
Salt Goblin
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