Chapter 31: Sunny Shop

I carefully checked the date for the next recruitment as I navigated through the site...

[October ██, ████.]

[17 MERIDIAN AVENUE

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND]

There was still a week and a half left before the next recruitment, it seemed.

That meant I still had enough time to make some decent preparations!

I let out a small sigh of relief as I looked at the information on the screen. At least I wasn’t too late...

If I could use the remaining time wisely, I might be able to prepare a few things that could help me survive once I finally got involved with A.E.G.I.S.

After all, I had already made a [True Name Transaction] with Nica, along with Marcus...

With Nica, I had initiated a transaction that required her to owe me three favors.

Any more than that, and she probably would have started doubting my intentions or simply rejected the offer altogether.

I couldn’t exactly blame her for that. After everything she had experienced inside that convenience store, it was only natural that she would be wary of someone like me.

Even if she had agreed to the transaction, asking for too much could easily have made her suspicious.

As for Marcus, the transaction had happened so suddenly that I hadn’t really been able to think things through.

At the time, I was still in a state of disbelief over the fact that I had actually ended up in [Arcana] in the first place.

I had barely been able to process my own situation, let alone carefully consider what I should ask for.

In the end, I had only told him that he owed me one favor. Still, this was good enough.

Marcus was already a worker inside A.E.G.I.S., which meant that I had a connection to the organization even before officially getting involved with it.

Having someone on the inside who owed me a favor could prove useful later, especially if I needed information or assistance with something that an ordinary applicant wouldn’t have access to.

And then there was Nica.

Considering her circumstances, she would most likely be recruited by A.E.G.I.S. after they learned about her situation.

Despite having no formal education, she had managed to survive under extremely difficult living conditions, and her intelligence and emotional awareness were both quite high.

Not to mention, she didn’t have much societal or familial ties...

Those qualities would undoubtedly make her a valuable candidate for the organization.

Of course, I couldn’t guarantee that everything would go according to plan.

There was always the possibility that something unexpected would happen again, or that A.E.G.I.S. would make a decision that differed from what I remembered from the original story.

Still, having both Marcus and Nica as potential connections was already a considerable advantage.

I swiftly opened another tab and began searching for a certain location on the internet.

After a few moments, the website finally appeared on my screen.

[Sunny Days Toy Shop]

A look of joyful surprise spread across my face. I was genuinely elated to know that it actually existed!

[ A bright place that one would mistake for heaven itself! With its beautiful interior, cheerful atmosphere, and warm sunlight that fills every corner, it is the perfect destination for children and adults alike! ]

[The most wonderful experiences, toys, and gifts can all be found here! Welcome to Sunny Days Toy Shop!]

[The sun is always up in the Sunny Days Toy Shop!]

’Oh, wow...’

It happened again.

I remembered every single line about the place in my head... even the exact wording of its description.

What an odd ability to recall such random things.

’Is this some kind of perk I received because of my transmigration?’

I had my doubts about it, but I didn’t really know how to investigate this peculiar ability.

It wasn’t as though I could simply ask someone whether their memories worked the same way as mine, and even if I could, I wasn’t sure how I would explain the situation without raising some rather suspicious questions.

For now, I could only make use of this ability and hope that it would continue to be useful.

After all, being able to remember the details of [Arcana] was one of the few advantages I had in this world.

With that in mind, I turned toward the door I had previously used to leave the Staircase and opened it.

Through a series of experiments, I had already discovered something rather interesting.

I, and I alone, could access the Neverending Staircase by opening the doors I had previously used to exit it.

I had even attempted to get Harley and the others to open the same doors, but to them, they were nothing more than ordinary closet doors.

No matter how they tried, they couldn’t enter the Staircase the way I could.

It seemed that I had some kind of connection to this place...

I was not sure whether it was because of my unusual existence, the Ring of Sacrilege, or something else entirely.

However, the fact that I could enter the Staircase through doors that appeared completely ordinary to other people was already strange enough.

For now, I decided not to think too deeply about it.

Opening the door, I waved goodbye to my "three followers."

"Take care of the old man while I’m gone."

The three immediately acknowledged my instructions, their expressions still filled with devotion.

I had something for Harley to do during his job application trial at A.E.G.I.S. next week, but I decided to inform him about it after I obtained the certain item I needed from the Sunny Days Toy Shop.

There was no point in explaining everything right now when I hadn’t even secured the item yet.

With that settled, I stepped through the doorway and found myself in the Neverending Staircase once again.

Looking at the seemingly endless steps stretching into the distance, I took a moment to recall the location of the toy shop.

Then, I recited its address.

[SUNNY DAYS TOY SHOP

28 SUNBEAM LANE

LUMEN DISTRICT, VELORIA]

Climbing up the next staircase, I was pleased to see that a door had appeared.

’This staircase is quite convenient...’

Honestly, if I could use it to travel between different Supernatural Spaces, then it would be an incredibly useful tool.

I could probably use this staircase in some rather creative ways... although I’d definitely have to try my best not to agitate this Supernatural Space.

After all, there was a difference between making use of an anomaly and deliberately provoking it.

Right now, I was basically abusing a "glitch" because I bore a certain connection to the Staircase, and it couldn’t seem to identify me as either fully human or fully supernatural.

As a result, it was stuck in a constant state of wanting me to remain inside while also allowing me to leave.

Or, at least, that was my current understanding of the situation.

I wasn’t foolish enough to assume that I had completely figured out the Neverending Staircase just because I had discovered a convenient way to use it.

For all I knew, there could be consequences for abusing this strange connection, and I definitely didn’t want to find out what those consequences might be.

Still, as long as I was careful, I might as well take advantage of it.

I reached for the doorknob and slowly pushed the door open.

Creeeak...

Anyway, the description for the Sunny Days Toy Shop... If I had to describe it in a few words, then...

It was bullshit.

Complete and utter bullshit.

The website had described the place as a bright, cheerful paradise, a wonderful destination filled with beautiful interiors, warm sunlight, and enough toys to make any child happy.

But the moment I stepped inside, I was greeted by the complete opposite.

The interior was dim and gloomy, with barely enough light to illuminate the dusty shelves.

The walls were stained, the floor was covered in dirt, and even breathing into the air caused a stale smell that made me instinctively wrinkle my nose.

Instead of the cheerful colors and welcoming decorations described on the website, most of the walls had faded dull and even the wall papers on them were ripped off.

The shelves were filled with toys, but there was nothing particularly wonderful about them.

There were quite a lot of toys that had missing limbs, empty eye sockets, or flat out just indistinguishable from trash.

A few dolls sat motionless behind the glass displays, their lifeless eyes seemingly staring straight at me.

There were also stuffed animals that looked unpleasant, with their worn-out fur and crooked smiles making them appear more unsettling than adorable.

And the sunlight? Well, There wasn’t any...

Not a single ray of sunshine could be seen anywhere inside the shop.

The place was so dark and depressing that I honestly wondered whether I had entered the correct location.

However, there was a reason for this.

This Supernatural Space had already exhausted nearly all of its power and strength and was considered as an [Abandoned Project] by Aegis.

A dead supernatural space.