Sluurp, sluurp…
Inside the tank, a small girl sucked on the rubber nipple of a milk bottle, drinking its contents.
Unbelievable as it seemed, this was the transformed state of the monster that had just turned a residential complex into ruins.
The only remaining trace of the wolf-like creature she had been was the pair of distinct animal ears protruding from the top of her head.
“A monster that can transform into a human! This is a unique monster never before recorded in academia! To think I’d get the chance to study such a creature! I knew accepting the Boss’s offer was the right decision!”
“…Right.”
Unlike her, who seemed excited by the sight of a giant wolf transforming into a small girl with animal ears, I couldn’t shake off my shock.
The monster I had just captured was the God Slayer Wolf that I had once tamed as a pet in Neon Nexus.
Maybe it was because of that memory.
Seeing it exhibit abilities I hadn’t known about made it hard to accept this as reality.
Sure, games and reality were different, but developing the power to transform into a human? That was something else entirely.
What the hell was going on?
I tried to recall the abilities this creature had possessed back then.
The skill it had just used was [Blink].
And… what was the other one?
Ah.
[Survival Mimicry].
If I remembered correctly, it was a survival trait that allowed it to blend into its surroundings when its health dropped below a certain threshold, reducing the chances of taking further damage from enemies.
Back in the game, I had thought of it as something like camouflage…
The girl’s red hair swayed slightly as she continued sucking on the milk bottle.
When I saw that hair color, I was sure of it now.
[Survival Mimicry]….that ability…
So was its ability one that reduced an enemy’s intent to attack by transforming into the same species?
It seemed similar to how young mammals adopt a cute appearance as a survival strategy.
“What kind of ability could allow it to transform into a human girl? I’ve seen countless monsters before, but I can’t even begin to guess.”
Sylvie tilted her head.
“It’s probably [Survival Mimicry].”
“Survival Mimicry?”
“Yes. That creature was subdued and captured by none other than our Director Rachel here. It’s likely that it remembered that moment and mimicked her to survive.”
“…Oh.”
Sylvie glanced back and forth between Rachel and the wolf monster.
“You’re right! Except for the wolf ears, it’s as if the Director has been turned into a child! Honestly, if someone said she was your biological daughter, I’d believe it! As expected of you, Boss! To deduce all that just from observation!”
“Haha, it’s just the opinion of a non-expert.”
“No way! Everyone here knows that your eye for detail surpasses even us researchers! If you hadn’t pointed it out, I probably wouldn’t have noticed at all!”
“Hahaha…”
I let out an awkward laugh.
All I did was make an educated guess based on my knowledge of the game, yet she was showering me with praise like this.
I guess being in a high position had its perks.
“Boss, should we isolate this creature as well?”
Sylvie asked whether the wolf monster should be placed in containment.
Up until now, nearly every monster I had captured had been locked away in a Foundation facility designed for monster containment.
After all, most of them were more than capable of killing or harming countless people if left unchecked.
“No. I plan to keep this one as my pet.”
But this God Slayer Wolf was different.
Just looking at how it had reduced an entire residential area to ruins, it was clear that the creature was nothing short of ferocious. But at the same time, there was no other entity as easy to tame as this one.
In Neon Nexus, it was famous for its absolute obedience to a stronger master, just like a wolf. Once subdued and captured, it would never resist again.
If the traits it had in the game remained the same here, then this one should be the same.
As long as it recognized me as the leader here.
Even if it was different, it wouldn’t be a problem.
After all, I had already confirmed that Rachel was overwhelmingly stronger than it. As long as I trusted her, the creature wouldn’t be able to harm me.
…Of course, the thought of keeping something that looked like a human, especially a child, as a pet did make me hesitate for a moment.
But I convinced myself with the simple fact that, in the end, it was still a monster.
“What will you name it?”
“A name, huh…”
If it were being placed in containment, it would normally be assigned a code number.
Something like Containment Entity-001, Containment Entity-002, or Containment Entity-003 based on the order of capture.
If I had decided to keep the wolf creature captive, it would have been given a similar name. But since I had decided to keep it with me, it made more sense to give it a proper name.
I couldn’t keep referring to it as that thing or the wolf monster forever.
Drawing from my past life’s memories, I recalled a name.
“God Slayer Wolf… Fenrir… Let’s keep it simple and call it Fir.”
Just like the Fenrir of myth, I hoped that one day it would devour the evil god destined to descend upon this land.
***
Although I had decided to keep Fir as a pet rather than isolate it, I couldn’t just let a creature of such a high-risk classification roam free immediately.
Chief Researcher Sylvie would conduct studies and investigations on Fir for a while before officially handing it over to me.
“Come on in, Boss~!”
I turned my back on her as she bowed her head to me and left the research facility with Rachel.
She was a loud woman who was utterly obsessed with monsters. But that was precisely why I could trust her.
.
As long as I continued my work of capturing and containing monsters, she would never have a reason to betray me.
“You worked hard today.”
After arriving at the dormitory through the elevator, I expressed my gratitude to Rachel.
“Our company’s most reliable executive director. I was truly moved today.”
It was late, and it was time for both of us to rest.
Of course, it would be ideal if she stayed by my side 24/7 to protect me, but as the CEO of a respectable law-abiding company, I couldn’t possibly force such an exploitative demand on her.
“……That’s not it.”
“Hmm?”
Rachel murmured something with her head slightly bowed.
I hadn’t quite caught what she said, so I asked again.
“Not my daughter.”
“……?”
What was she talking about?
Not her daughter?
“What do you mean by that?”
She was my most dependable employee, the one I spent the most time with each day. But every now and then, I had no idea what she was talking about.
“I don’t have a daughter.”
…Was this about what Sylvie said earlier about Fir? That Fir looked so much like Rachel that she could be her daughter?
It wasn’t like I had actually believed they were related. Fir had just been imitating Rachel’s appearance.
She was a smart woman, so why was she acting like this?
I wanted to say something to her ridiculous remark, but I was a kind boss.
I had to show empathy toward an employee who worked hard for me.
Well, she was a grown woman, after all.
Bringing up children out of nowhere might have been a sensitive topic for her.
“I know. I know that Fir isn’t our Rachel’s daughter. If anything, if she were your daughter, it’d feel more like she was ours. Yours and mine. Don’t worry about it.”
Since I had ordered Rachel to beat Fir, in a way, that made Fir something like our child, didn’t it?
Not that I had even the slightest intention of taking in a monster as my own.
“The boss’s and my child… the boss’s and mine…”
Rachel started muttering something ominously.
…Did I just say something wrong?
“…I should stop here for today.”
“Rachel?”
She had been mumbling with her head lowered, but suddenly, she snapped her head up.
“My apologies, Boss. I’ll see you tomorrow. I hope you have a restful night.”
“…Ah, yes. You too, Rachel.”
Rachel left, closing the door to the dorm behind her.
…She left like usual, so I supposed that was a good sign.
I walked down the hallway leading to the elevator and opened the front door of my room.
After stepping inside, I took off my shoes.
People in this world all walked into their rooms with their shoes on, but maybe because of my past-life memories, I just couldn’t bring myself to commit such an atrocity.
I took off my clothes, washed up just enough, and lay down on the bed.
From meeting the Saintess to capturing Fir—
For such a short day, a lot had happened.
In the end, I hadn’t been able to clear up the misunderstanding with the Saintess… but there would be another chance later.
People’s sincerity always got through in the end.
With that thought in mind, I left tomorrow’s problems to my future self and closed my eyes.
Curling up in the soft warm bed under the cozy blankets.
***
The next morning.
I woke to the sound of birds chirping and felt something warm clinging tightly to my side.
No one should have been able to enter my room… right?
Feeling a bit anxious, I threw off the blanket.
And then—
“…Gororon.”
I found a small wolf girl fast asleep with her face buried against my chest.
…Why on earth was she here?
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