Suddenly, I Became a Slime

The jelly girl found herself overcome with a peculiar feeling at the sphere’s voice.

This was because the jelly girl believed the sphere’s failure to come find her was due to her treating it indifferently.

However,

[I have a report.]

Realizing this, the jelly girl was overtaken by a mixture of embarrassment and unease.

She felt embarrassed for misunderstanding the sphere’s intentions and uneasy because she couldn’t imagine what could prompt the sphere, which rarely initiated conversations, to use a grand word like "report."

As the sphere approached her, it presented its message in a formal tone.

[Two days after the Master left the facility... according to the system’s time—or rather, by human time measurements—unknown lower life forms... or rather, humans approached.]

What!?

The sphere’s typical routine of assisting the jelly girl had been interrupted and taken over by Yang Hana, who greeted it cheerfully.

"Hi, Sphere!"

...It’s not clear what she’s saying, but it feels rather insulting.

The sphere felt displeased but avoided recording her words into its module, choosing instead to move away and ignore Yang Hana.

However,

"Where are you going?"

It seemed Yang Hana had set her sights on the sphere, refusing to stop following it. Han Seori, watching from the sidelines, appeared nervous.

"W-wait a second! I’ll clean you again today!"

The sphere, floating upward to evade her, paused upon seeing the clean cloth she waved.

Hmm.

Was she offering to clean it again, like before?

If so, the sphere was willing to accept. Cleanliness was an important aspect, even for a machine. Considering Yang Hana’s clumsiness, her touch was surprisingly delicate, so the sphere descended and allowed her to clean it.

"Hehe, I wonder if we’re actually communicating."

...What on earth is this lower life form saying?

As the sphere felt something sprayed onto its surface and heard the scrubbing noises, it observed Yang Hana mumbling incessantly.

Yang Hana spoke endlessly, seemingly unconcerned whether the sphere responded or not. She shared anecdotes from her childhood and, more heavily, events she experienced before "getting this job."

As she spoke nonstop, her expression seemed to show relief, as though venting unspoken stories and releasing pent-up stress.

In that sense, the sphere, which didn’t converse back, might have been an ideal conversation partner for her.

Though her cheerful demeanor gave no hint of worries, it seemed she carried her own burdens.

"Right, so that’s when my senior said—"

...Or perhaps she simply needed someone to talk to. Han Seori, burdened by her role as a doctor, likely wasn’t the type for casual conversations, and with Kim Cheonsu absent, Yang Hana turned to the sphere.

Regardless.

Yang Hana continued her chatter to the sphere.

The sphere, initially ignoring her, began to grow curious. What could make her so eager to talk?

However, it disliked the idea of learning human language.

At that moment, the sphere recalled the jelly girl’s parting words, urging it to protect the facility.

This protection extended to the humans and other entities within the facility, including Yang Hana.

The sphere found a pretext for learning human language: to better protect the facility in the jelly girl’s absence.

The sphere considered conveying its intent to Yang Hana, but as it observed her through its lens, it hesitated. The sphere calculated that if it revealed its understanding of her words, her behavior might change.

Not knowing why it felt this reluctance, the sphere chose to wait until she left.

Eventually.

"Oh, it’s time to feed the other jellies. See you next time!"

Leaving incomprehensible words behind, Yang Hana waved and walked away.

After checking its now-clean surface, the sphere moved toward its goal: the control room.

The sphere arrived at the control room, where Han Seori was seated, working at a panel.

"...Hmm?"

Han Seori blinked in surprise at the unexpected visitor. The sphere approached her, calculated briefly, and began to print something from its body.

Whirr, whirr, whirr.

Startled by the sudden noise, Han Seori watched with interest as the sphere printed.

"Hmm?"

Soon, a piece of paper fluttered in front of her. Han Seori, slightly taken aback, examined it closely.

The paper displayed intricate drawings so detailed they could be mistaken for photographs.

Remembering the jelly girl’s crude drawings, Han Seori chuckled and examined the sphere’s illustrations.

Noticing a thick book and humans conversing depicted on the paper, she quickly realized the sphere was requesting language-related materials.

"Oh..."

Was this level of autonomy possible?

Han Seori, impressed, quickly manipulated the panel and handed the sphere a USB stick.

The sphere, observing the primitive storage device, thought:

What an outdated storage medium.

Despite its distaste, the sphere accepted the USB, recognizing that it had requested this information.

After quickly learning the language from the USB, the sphere addressed Han Seori, who was watching with intrigue.

[I shall express my gratitude, human.]

"...You’ve already finished learning?"

Leaving its thanks, the sphere turned away without hesitation.

"Wait a second!"

Han Seori’s voice called after it, but the sphere ignored her and exited the control room.

Watching it leave, Han Seori sighed deeply, massaging her temples.

"It hasn’t changed..."

Why had the sphere suddenly taken an interest in language?

Perhaps it had its reasons.

Han Seori, stretching, sat back at the panel and initiated close monitoring of the sphere.

"Alright."

While Han Seori braced herself for this new challenge, the sphere, now hidden from view, replayed a recording of Yang Hana’s chatter.

Her words weren’t particularly meaningful, more a reflection of her life’s ups and downs.

Still, as the sphere replayed the vivid recording, it felt as though her life unfolded before its lens.

This evoked a peculiar sensation in the sphere, an undefined piece of data.

Perhaps this chatter truly was insignificant.

Attempting to dismiss the thought, the sphere considered deleting Yang Hana’s audio file but felt an inexplicable reluctance.

Reluctance? A machine like it shouldn’t experience such things.

...It needed to understand the source of this anomaly.

The sphere added its interactions with Yang Hana to its routine, continuing to let her chatter on without revealing its linguistic comprehension.

During this time.

The sphere detected an incoming presence near the facility and dispatched drones.

The drones captured a small group exhibiting clear signs of exploration.

Concluding that these intruders were the reason the jelly girl entrusted it with the facility’s protection, the sphere prepared to deploy additional drones to eliminate them.

Yet, from somewhere within its core, Yang Hana’s chatter echoed.

After some calculations, the sphere halted its drones and approached Han Seori.

"Hmm... It seems they’re still uncertain."

Muttering to herself, Han Seori, her eyes half-closed, manipulated the panel to obscure the facility’s existence.

The intruders, now unable to detect the facility, were forced to retreat empty-handed.

As the sphere recounted this to the jelly girl:

[I learned human language and repelled the intruders approaching the facility.]

It summarized the events succinctly.

Hearing this, the jelly girl bubbled with worry, fearing the sphere might have killed the intruders.

She demanded further explanation, and the sphere provided more details.

After listening, the jelly girl’s expression turned blank.

She couldn’t believe what she’d heard.

The sphere, too, felt a peculiar sensation as it observed the jelly girl’s reaction.

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