Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work

– A spy. Ah, yes. A classic and popular role, one that gets the audience’s heart racing in any era.

– The catharsis of a twist, revealing the mysterious and powerful identity of someone who was anything but ordinary!

– Isn’t it the perfect profession for you, my talented friend?

Hoho.

On my way to work, I listened to Braun’s lively commentary as I entered the Disaster Management Bureau.

‘Thank goodness the Disaster Management Bureau bomber jacket has a front pocket.’

The plush doll’s ears were covered by the upper flap of the pocket, so at a glance, no one would notice.

I greeted the agents naturally as I crossed the bureau’s main lobby.

– A special method for entering through a concealed entrance. It’s the classic trope of a special agent. They seem to be a group that appreciates a bit of romanticism.

It was a good start. Braun gave a pretty decent score to the Disaster Management Bureau’s hidden entrance, and also a passable score to the sights inside.

‘I’m glad you like it.’

Replying appropriately, I took the elevator, walked down the hallway, and opened the door.

That’s how the Black-Tortoise Team 1 waiting room appeared.

And then…

– ……

‘Braun?’

– Oh, I suppose they’ve nicely decorated the spare, temporary space to look like a lounge.

– Haha. Mr. Roe Deer, it’s amusing to see you’ve learned to take it easy since I last saw you! Are you planning to enjoy a secret break here before heading to your real workplace?

‘This is it.’

– Hmm?

‘This is my workplace.’

There was no response from my Good Friend.

– Do you lure visitors here and extract information from them? What an impressive trick to use an unofficial lounge…

No.

‘This really is my official workplace.’

– Friend, what exactly do you do here?

‘I sit on the sofa.’

Still no response from my Good Friend. As if he’d just died…

– Oh. To think you’d play a prank on me.

Aaaagh!

‘Then, when we’re called, we go out on missions. To rescue people in all kinds of unusual disaster situations.’

– Aha.

‘This is just the waiting room.’

– Hahaha. So the real work hasn’t even begun yet.

– Oh, you got me! That was extremely amusing, Friend!

‘Right? Hahahaha…’

Cold sweat trickled down my back. Yeah, this is what it’s always like, hanging out with Braun…… huuu.

At that moment, my right hand, which I’d kept in my pocket, moved discreetly.

It gave a thumbs up… then pointed sharply down.

“……”

Yeah. I get it.

– Very well. In that case, it seems this place isn’t the absolute worst for resting alone!

‘But it’s a waiting room for the whole team.’

– ……

‘It’s fine. Everyone here is fun. They’re good people.’

Braun seemed a bit shocked, but there was nothing I could do about that. He was probably comparing it to the private office I used to have at that major pharmaceutical company…

– …Very well. How many people work with you, Mr. Roe Deer?

‘Ah, at the moment, there are three of us… but usually only two come into the waiting room.’

I looked at the waiting room’s whiteboard.

It still held notes left by people who’d passed through Black-Tortoise Team 1.

‘…Originally, about seven people worked here.’

That’s just my own knowledge.

In the <Dark Exploration Records>, the Dispatch & Rescue Unit of the Paranormal Disaster Management Bureau, especially the main office’s Black-Tortoise Unit, was expanded to as many as seven teams at one point.

But after some incidents, about half were killed or went missing, and it was reduced to three teams.

‘It really was a chilling creepypasta.’

Anyway, there was a time when they were actively recruiting more people… and now seemed to be that time.

– That’s a relief. Phew, to think of having seven people in such a shabby room. What are we, failed comedians who can’t get a gig?

“……Ahem.”

I just laughed bitterly

After some thought, I picked up a marker from the whiteboard and left a line myself.

Admirable people.

I was thinking of the Disaster Management Bureau’s Black-Tortoise Team 1 in the early days of the wiki.

– You left a message? My! The mark of a spy… how intriguing. Could you bring me closer so I can get a better look?

It wasn’t anything special, really.

“Sure.”

That wasn’t hard. I took the plush doll out of my front pocket and supported its body with both hands, bringing it close to the whiteboard…

Ka-chak.

“Grapes, you’re here early again today? Did you sleep well last ni—”

Agent Choi, meeting my gaze, saw the doll in my hand.

And then saw my hands politely pressing the doll up against the whiteboard.

A-Ahhh…

“G-Good morning, Agent Choi.”

“Yeah, good morning. Uh… are you donating that doll to our waiting room? That’s great.”

“N-No, it’s not that…”

– Hoho?

Shrinking my shoulders, I hurriedly put Braun back in my front pocket.

But Agent Choi stopped me.

His eyes were scanning the phrase I’d written on the whiteboard.

“Hm? No, it’s fine. Kids these days take pictures with stuff like this and post them as proof.”

Then Agent Choi started asking about whether I posted stuff on SNS, and told me I couldn’t upload internal photos because it’s classified and to think of this place like the National Intelligence Service… and so on, and I scrambled to play along.

“No, uh, this is just, someone I always carry with me, um, a friend.”

– Nice to meet you! Oh, that scar on your neck is quite stylish. I hope you’ll tell us the story behind it someday.

“…Friend?”

“Yes…”

At that moment, Agent Bronze also opened the waiting room door and walked in.

“Hello—”

“Jaekwan-ah, come over here. Our rookie brought a doll!”

“A doll?”

Agent Choi hurriedly grabbed Agent Bronze and brought him over.

This was overwhelming.

– My goodness, isn’t this the man who took up the serial killer role at that mountain lodge? …Aha! Could it be you infiltrated under the pretense of falling for his persistent recruitment?

No. He’d gotten suspicious of me and started watching…

– Well, not bad. Two sidekicks to support you!

No. They’re my superiors…

Meanwhile, my two supervisors were looking at Braun with curiosity.

“If you always carry it, how come we’ve never seen it before? Jaekwan-ah, have you?”

Agent Bronze’s expression turned strange.

He must have been remembering the times he’d glimpsed Braun hanging from my clothes or sticking out of my pocket…!

‘But if he says so, it’ll sound like we’ve known each other for a while!’

I cut in to ease his dilemma.

“Ah, the friend I had before got torn by mistake… so I just made a new one recently.”

“……”

Agent Bronze’s expression turned even stranger.

He muttered ‘friend’ to himself a few more times, then soon asked,

“Did you… make that ‘friend’ during your break?”

Amazingly, that was true.

“Yes, that’s right! Ah, not that I made it myself, I just bought it at a store…”

“……”

“Grapes-ie, if you call a doll your friend, a ghost will possess it and—”

“Go fetch the documents.”

“Eek!”

Agent Bronze kicked Agent Choi out by the seat of his pants and they left the waiting room together.

Then he turned back and said kindly to me,

“The Preliminary Investigation Unit has summoned you, Agent Grapes. We’ll handle the rescue signals, so don’t worry and just head out.”

“Yes? Yes.”

And the two disappeared in an instant.

Thud.

‘Huu.’

I thought they’d pry further, but thankfully they didn’t.

If I’d looked any more suspicious, Agent Choi might’ve whipped out his ghost story detection device… That could have gotten dicey.

Even though Braun always boasted, ‘No matter what device they use, no one can figure out what I am,’ there’s no harm in being cautious.

‘I figured it would be better to show him naturally from the beginning rather than risk getting caught hiding him later.’

I never expected it would play out like this, though.

Is this… good?

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