May eventually closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth that had become familiar over the past few days. For a moment, her body became even more languid. An artificial drowsiness induced by the compass was rising.

‘I’m not sure if this should be called a bad sign either….’

It felt too good, and when she slept and woke up like this, her body felt refreshed and her mind clear…. That seemed like a positive phenomenon by any measure.

Johan had asked her to tell him immediately if anything unusual happened, but as the criteria for ‘bad’ became ambiguous, she naturally hesitated.

In fact, even without that… when she woke up after falling asleep like this, thoughts like her current one—that this symptom was very artificial—would evaporate.

This meant that even if she finally concluded, ‘I should report it even if it’s ambiguous whether it’s bad,’ she would quickly forget to do so. Come to think of it, that was also strange. But even this current thought was likely to be forgotten.

‘These days I really don’t know what’s what….’

Although she couldn’t pinpoint the exact cause, something was definitely different from before. Either her body was unwell or her mind was deteriorating.

Her memories were often pieced together arbitrarily or deleted. As if she had become a dementia patient.

But dementia patients can’t diagnose their own condition. May thought she was in such a case. Since she would quickly forget even moments of awareness like now, it couldn’t be helped.

Come to think of it… sometimes when she blinked at the sense of dissonance that occasionally rose, Johan and Dominic would suddenly be sitting across from her, watching her. With quite peculiar expressions, as if waiting for her next move.

That sight, which she had taken for granted at some point, was also very strange when she thought about it.

‘…Is it because of the compass?’

Given the circumstances, that would make sense, but… somehow, she had a feeling that might not be it.

May recalled the conversation she had with Johan before coming to her room, with her increasingly drowsy mind.

* * *

‘…Why is it excited again?’

May watched with displeasure as the compass began to dance as if in a good mood. The strange object’s movements had been becoming more boisterous day by day since its identity was revealed to Dominic.

Johan, seemingly accustomed to the object’s behavior, filled May’s empty teacup with a composed face. Judging by how he pulled the chain a little, it seemed to bother him somewhat….

The compass, which had suddenly fallen backward, eventually bounced up and down as if angry. The object without eyes, nose, or mouth was becoming more skilled at expressing its emotions as days passed. Even if she tried to maintain vigilance, its behavior made it impossible.

‘Is all of this just a trick to win my favor and scatter my wariness?’

Could that ridiculous sight of merely shaking its round body be a trick?

May, who was looking at the compass, suddenly asked Johan something she was curious about.

“Johan, how are these thought-forms created?”

It was fascinating to know that such strange existences like this compass existed in the world. It meant that even now, in some unknown place, similar things were happening.

“Hmm, we can’t pinpoint their origins. They simply exist at some point and naturally begin to influence human lives. So while there are records of when they first ‘appeared,’ there are no cases of them ‘coming into being.’ For example, there are no instances of ‘the compass I had suddenly became strange one day,’ only cases of ‘I happened to obtain a strange compass.'”

“Ah….”

“Someone might have bought an item that simply caught their eye at a store, or received it as a gift from someone… or if not that, they sometimes slip into spaces at certain moments. So naturally that you don’t even notice.”

After hearing Johan’s explanation, May recalled the compass that had been lying on the warehouse floor and fell into thought.

‘…How did Grandfather obtain that thing?’

Seeing her, Johan continued.

“One more thing to add, there’s no specific criteria for how they choose their owners either. They don’t come to you because of something you did or said, you just unfortunately encounter them in your daily life. Like accidents or disasters that happen suddenly one day.”

“Accidents….”

“Yes. Without omens or reasons.”

After saying that, Johan stared intently at the compass that was still moving. His face showed no disgust as if looking at an accident or disaster, just thoughtfulness. He soon raised his hand and firmly pressed down on the bouncing object’s body.

It was a mischievous action, but he didn’t show the determination to eliminate the thought-form that he had displayed before. Of course, that might be because he couldn’t do so….

Johan was freely engaging in light, playful behavior, as if he didn’t view the compass as a malevolent entity.

And after a brief silence, Johan spoke again.

“…But this compass is uniquely peculiar.”

“……”

“I sometimes wonder if there might be a reason it appeared by your side…. Suddenly I think it might not be a ‘coincidence.'”

“Ah….”

What did that mean?

Did it mean that a non-coincidental, purposeful accident and disaster had come to her? Johan quickly changed the subject, but…. The feeling of metal touching her cheek kept reminding her of those words.

Of course, even such thoughts gradually faded. It was because her body was becoming languid and her mind distant. In the midst of this, May had a short dream. The dream that came in light sleep before falling into deep slumber began with a blacked-out view.

It was quite a peculiar dream, like eavesdropping on a conversation between certain people.

* * *

May felt her body floating as if suspended on the surface of water. And as soon as she felt this, a heavy bass voice was heard without warning.

“This… is unsuitable for use at sea. There are separate compasses for navigation.”

‘…Compass?’

It was a man’s voice she had never heard before. Before she could guess who he was, a dejected woman’s voice followed.

“So I’ve been scammed?”

Her voice, tinged with disappointment, was also one May had never heard before. However, the subject of the compass they mentioned made her pay attention.

“This won’t do, I need to go get a refund and teach them a lesson. I bought it with great effort for your birthday! I even told them it was a gift for someone in the navy!”

“…How are you going to teach them a lesson?”

“Need you ask? I’ll bring my intimidating boyfriend and threaten them. As you know, my arms are weaker than thin branches!”

A low laughter echoed at the woman’s confident words. It was a deep, resonant laugh like the sound of wind heard inside a cave. And soon after stopping his laughter, the man suggested,

“…Instead of doing that, I’ll consider the birthday gift received, so you keep this.”

“What? What use do I have for a compass? My only outings are brief walks….”

To her voice that clearly revealed her bewilderment, the man calmly continued.

“Every time I go to sea, use it to check the direction where I am.”

“…You’re saying I should think of you even when you’re not here?”

“Yes. For me, that would be a more valuable gift.”

“……”

“Actually, I’m already doing that… so I recommend it as someone with experience. It’s quite a good method. To offset the longing.”

Even on the vast sea, he checks the direction where she is and always looks that way. After this sincere addition, the woman who had been silent for a moment burst into clear laughter.

“Hmm, it does seem like a good method. Actually, I’m always curious about where you are….”

“…Is that so.”

“Yes. The sea is such a vast place. The routes of warships are often not disclosed. Even if they say they’re going to a certain sea area, I can’t know the direction. I’ve just been staring at the horizon every day….”

“……”

“Being scammed isn’t all bad. Alright, I’ll give up on showing my boyfriend’s scary face to that scammer.”

“Wise decision.”

After that, a seemingly happy conversation continued. The man’s gruff voice and the woman’s bright voice were quite contrasting, yet similar in a way. In that they were full of affection for each other.

Eventually, their voices began to gradually fade away like dispersing smoke.

May thought in the darkness. Could the compass they mentioned be the same object as the thought-form attached to her?

It was a conjecture that arose because it really felt like she had glimpsed someone’s memory, rather than just a simple dream.

It seemed as if the energy the compass was spreading had shown her a memory embedded in the object. But even such thoughts sank into the realm of oblivion as she fell into deep sleep.