The news of Riu Spirit’s disappearance in S City marked the end of my long period of seclusion. Her disappearance wasn’t unexpected—I had anticipated it.
I knew she had fled in the dead of night, boarded a plane with a forged passport, and tried to escape unnoticed. That’s why I subtly inford the people who would be most eager to catch her.
During the process of apprehending her, I also learned that Riu Spirit had lost her life. Of course, the n who caught her wouldn’t make that fact public. It was far easier to control the narrative by claiming she had embezzled company funds and disappeared, rather than portraying her as an unfortunate victim.
‘It’s a sha they didn’t secure the Spirit along the way...’
Since neither I nor anyone directly associated with Evilus had gone after her, my request to retrieve the shrine she carried wasn’t fulfilled. The n who apprehended her only noticed that the shrine had vanished at so point during the pursuit.
I sighed and attempted to investigate the shrine’s whereabouts, but even with AI assistance and probability manipulation, I couldn’t locate the Spirit.
For a mont, I considered retreating back to my lab. But then I realized that the Spirit, without Riu Spirit as a dium, wouldn’t be able to run rampant. If the Spirit could operate unconditionally, it would’ve taken over the world long ago.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter. I’ve taken precautions.’
Even if my assumption was wrong and the Spirit turned out to be a monster capable of using its powers freely, I was prepared. I had already perfected a counterasure to its abilities. What’s more, the technology had been miniaturized to wristwatch size—a recent achievent.
Even if the Spirit tried to target or anyone in Evilus, I could block it at least once. Afterward, I’d calmly return to my lab, sip my coffee, and prepare a counterattack.
“U-um, Scientist? Are you here?”
“Yes, I’m here. What is it?”
“Hehe... I have a question I don’t understand...”
At that mont, Aile cautiously knocked on the lab door, peeking in with a book in her hands. Judging by her ticulously dressed appearance, I quickly realized her visit wasn’t purely for academic reasons.
In this day and age, with AI assistance, tutoring was easier than ever. I’d even granted her access to a high-performance AI, which could probably teach her better than I ever could.
And yet, she ca to see in person...
“I-I’ll sit next to you!”
My stray thoughts vanished the mont her sweet fragrance filled the room. It was the kind of scent that felt like it had been simred for hours—sweet, subtle, and utterly distracting. I’d been trying not to notice, but Aile was on the verge of becoming an adult.
Technically, she had two months and a few more days to go.
On an autumn day, when the fiery colors of the leaves painted the world red, and the leaves began to fall one by one, a girl on the cusp of adulthood sat beside .
“I-I don’t understand this problem...”
“Hmm, let’s see—”
“Oh! With your explanation, I understand it right away!”
Aile didn’t even glance at the problem before breaking into a bright smile. Her cheerfulness made chuckle, and I couldn’t help but glance at her outfit. While it was her usual style, I noticed a few seasonal touches—small details she’d added for autumn.
“What’s that on your sleeve? It’s cute.”
“Oh, you noticed? This is...”
Excited by my attention, Aile’s face lit up as she began explaining. She radiated the unique charm that could only be showcased in the fleeting season between sumr and winter.
Ah, yes, that season. The one month when people dug out their hidden treasures from the closet to flaunt them. I wasn’t sure if that tradition existed in this world, but...
It was autumn.
The next day.
“A-ACHOO!”
A sharp sneeze echoed through the lab, piercing my ears. I turned toward Aile with concern.
“...Are you okay?”
“I-I-I’m f-fine...”
“No, you’re not. Why didn’t you dress warr...?”
“B-but it wasn’t this cold yesterday...”
Wearing clothes similar in thickness to the previous day, Aile shivered as she spoke. With a wry smile, I turned to look outside. The streets that had been painted red with autumn leaves the day before were now blanketed in white, as if soone had splashed them with paint.
Visibility was nearly zero. A storm of snow raged outside.
Today, the world experienced an unprecedented blizzard.
Winter had arrived.
Swoooosh...
Snow fell relentlessly. Six, who had stepped outside for a mont, returned completely covered in snow, looking like a walking snowman. anwhile, the Snow Magical Girl, who was supposed to fight the Evil Magical Girl in H City today, had submitted nstrual leave, citing the excessive snowfall.
Heroes and villains alike refrained from venturing outside in this weather. The streets were eerily quiet, save for a few self-driving cars skidding on icy roads—an experintal model that even Evilus Corporation hadn’t perfected yet.
In response to the chaos, Regalia made a very MZ-generation decision:
“All employees are to work from ho until the situation improves.”
No one heard this directive in person—Regalia herself was snowed into her mansion.
The only people left in the company were a few senior executives, so unlucky employees on duty, and, of course, . We had tried to leave, but...
“Damn it. If we step outside, we’ll freeze to death.”
“Here, take a towel.”
“Thanks.”
Galrm shook off chunks of ice clinging to his fur like a wet dog, frowning as he wiped himself down. But one towel wasn’t enough to dry his soaked body.
Shivering from the cold, he shot a sharp glare.
“Scientist. This isn’t your doing, is it?”
“? This? Why would I do this?”
“It’s not? Then never mind...”
“No, but seriously, why does everyone bla for everything? What cri did I commit?”
“Well, news outlets always say things like ‘scientific experints cause climate anomalies,’ don’t they? And we’ve never seen snow like this before.”
He wasn’t wrong. This world had science, and like Earth, technological advancents ca with environntal consequences. While not as severe as Earth’s, this world still suffered from the effects of fossil fuel use.
However, this world also had superpowers—an incredibly eco-friendly energy source. A single bowl of rice could produce more energy than several liters of oil.
That said, there weren’t enough superhumans to sustain humanity’s energy consumption, so environntal degradation was still happening, albeit more slowly. teorologists had reviewed records spanning millennia to determine that the planet was indeed deteriorating.
“Well, this is a pretty severe blizzard, but these things happen occasionally. If it were a true climate crisis, it’d be far worse—”
“Far worse how?”
“Never mind. The point is, this isn’t my doing. I’ve only been here a year—do you really think I could destroy this planet faster than its people have? Use your brain, beast.”
“...What? Did you just call a beast?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
As Galrm hesitated, unsure if he’d heard correctly, I ignored him and turned to look outside. The blizzard raged on, obscuring everything in sight. The roads were frozen solid, leaving all buses and taxis out of operation.
If I wanted to go ho, I’d have to walk through this storm.
‘No need for that.’
After all, there was nothing waiting for at ho. My lab was practically my ho now. Smiling at the thought of enjoying my new bed, I pressed the elevator button.
As soon as the elevator doors opened and I stepped inside, a loud thud reverberated through the shaft. Startled, I jumped out, yelling.
“What the hell!?”
Looking around, I noticed the building had gone dark. Was it a blackout caused by stress on the power grid? No, it wasn’t.
Galrm let out a bitter laugh, gazing up at the ceiling.
“It’s a power outage.”
“...A power outage?”
“Yes, a power outage.”
I let out a hollow laugh at his response.
A power outage, in this weather? That could only an one thing...
“We’re trapped.”
Stranded.
In a concrete jungle.
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