Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

The very next day, I examined the computer again after unlocking its password.

The date on its internal clock read… June 2020. If my memory serves me correctly, it hadn’t even been a month since that incident.

Even though the elapsed time was clearly different, the time here and in Japan, connected through the door, remained synchronized. You could call it the mystery of the Unknowns, then again…it was a relief that no weird time difference shenanigans happening while we’re holing up here.

Incidentally, the Noah Corp intranet was showing a connection error.

I tried various things to reconnect it, but my IT knowledge wasn’t enough. Reluctantly, I reconnected the PC to the apartment’s internet line, and it connected normally.

Driven by anxiety, I checked current Japanese information online and learned a fair amount.

Society and familiar proper nouns are almost identical to what I know, but the name Noah Corporation—which should have been a giant corporation with roots worldwide—doesn’t appear at all. Not only that, but I can’t find any of the Pandora Institution-related companies I know of either.

Even companies that should have been major players in their fields leave no trace whatsoever.

Yet the game apps I used to play are there, perfectly normal. Only the parts of the world connected to the Institution were completely missing.

As for the Unknown-related incidents I knew about—they either unfolded completely differently or hadn’t happened at all.

The Japan I saw through the internet was peaceful, as if the anomaly called the Unknown had been entirely removed

It seemed unnatural for the organization to have hidden its traces so thoroughly.

“Alice, what are you doing?”
“Hmm, just doing some research.”

Sufi came to check on me, worried about me holed up in the room typing away.

I had only told her that this was a box that connected to the other world outside of this room. She was super curious about it, but I insisted that I should be the one using it, for now.

Once she realized it wasn’t dangerous, she reluctantly let me have it, which opened up a whole new world of possibilities. There’s a lot I want to know, but since nothing major is happening now, I have to put investigating the past on hold.

“Noche and Filia are ready.”
“Yeah, I’m coming.”

I halted my research for the time being and got off the chair. Holding hands with Sufi, we headed for the entrance.

■■■

As for what we’d be doing today, simply put, it was door-making.

Though this room could function as a resting place, I’m not entirely sure it could serve as a good safe zone. Especially against intelligent animals, the room would easily be breached.

The only condition for entering or leaving the room is ‘using the key to open a door.’ If the access door is destroyed, the people inside get thrown out too.

Meaning if somebody barricaded themselves in, smashing the door would force any living creature inside out. Moreover, the Unknown doesn’t change the property of the door itself; for example, a wooden door retains the durability of wood.

It’s definitely not a safe zone.

“Whoa.”

The door, left wide open with the key still in it, was already breaking down. Even though it was reinforced solidly, the material was just dirt, so it couldn’t be helped. Still, it made me break out in a cold sweat realizing how precarious our daily situation had been.

“First, the key…”

The instant I pulled on the door to remove the key, there was a loud crack, and the doorknob shattered. Panicking, I slowly pulled my hand back and checked the key. Fortunately, it was unharmed.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

“The entrance disappeared, nya!?”
“It’s because the door broke.”

The portal transcending space vanished, revealing the bare rock face on the other side. Numerous insects that had suddenly appeared rustled as they scurried into the shadows of the rocks or flew off into the forest.

…well, the door was wide open, so of course they’d get in.

With Noche curiously reaching out to scratch at the space where the door had been, I pulled the metal used in the storage room from the Black Pocket.

I cut it out and stored it back then. I was dazed out of my mind due to the fever, so I didn’t get much, but I’m glad I forced myself to do it.

Pulling the ingot-shaped metal out with both hands, I piled it on the ground. I lit my lantern and began processing each piece one by one.

An alloy this hard takes time to manipulate through transmutation. Using an alchemy circle to channel mana, I slowly shifted the metal.

I’d already examined the disc cylinder’s structure during my earlier investigation. Security could wait—for now, I just needed to make something functional at minimum..

First, I’d have to integrate it into the doorknob section, starting with the locking mechanism…

“…………”
“…………”

It feels awkward being stared at like this. This part transmits rotational force to make the latch spring out, so it shouldn’t take too long to make.

Maybe I’ll just make the frame first.

“Gulp… looks like it’ll take a while, nya.”

Noche mumbled while eating canned yakitori with a plastic fork. After confirming the expiration dates on the supplies and the passage of time inside the room, we decided to share the provisions.

The contents included long-lasting snacks, retort pouch meals, and canned goods. There were also amenities like soap, shampoo, and towels. A medical kit, a sewing set, and some entertainment items… thankfully, there were also changes of clothes.

Three colors of T-shirts—black, white, and gray—plain white and gray underwear, and hospital-like gowns. Half men’s, half women’s. Noche and Filia wore white cotton shirts, while Sufi and I wore black ones.

The men’s size 2L was baggy, but it looked like a dress and actually fit perfectly. Filia and Sufi, who could sew, altered the white women’s size S underwear.

…I don’t think I’m particularly hung up on having been a boy in my past life, but wearing women’s underwear makes me feel like I’m cross-dressing, and I have this weird resistance to it. My guards making fun of men in women’s clothes as a surefire party joke probably played a big part too.

So, I made all sorts of excuses and was planning to just alter some boxer briefs myself.

But after arming myself with every possible argument, I ended up defeated by Sufi’s teary-eyed plea: “You don’t like matching with big sis that much?” Once I got used to the underwear, it wasn’t such a big deal, but that was just unfair.

The only saving grace was that, true to being agent supplies, there wasn’t a single piece of clothing that would appeal to a little girl.

Still, after bathing, combing my hair, and putting on clean clothes, I looked so stunningly beautiful that Sufi, Noche, and Filia would be shocked. I broke out in a cold sweat thinking I’d be a kidnapper magnet if I walked around town like this.

While I was thinking I needed to clean up and adjust things before reaching the city, I managed to finish the part called the bolt.

True to its reputation as a mysterious alloy, it was sturdy and heavy. Next was the door section. No intricate work was needed; using transmutation, I gradually reshaped it into a door frame and door panel slightly larger than a child could pass through.

Of course, I hollowed it out to reduce weight. Once the frame was done, I stretched the ingot to fit it, creating thin iron plates.

“Noche, Sufi, I need some tree branches.”
“Just a sec.”
“Got it, nya.”

The two picked up the stone swords lying on the ground and headed for a nearby tree. Each kicked off the trunk, leaping up to cut off branches.

“Slash, nya!”
“Slash!”

They shouted the Skill names, but it didn’t seem to have any special effect—just regular cutting.

“Filia, bring the branches, nya!”
“Slash!”

Once they finished, they left the transport to Filia and started practicing their techniques. …Guess they were bored. Sorry for dragging you along.

“Here you go, Alice.”
“Thanks.”

I used ‘Decomposition’ to strip the bark, then ‘Weathering’ to remove the moisture.

‘Forging’—the fundamental alchemical technique for manipulating shape through the alchemy circle; ‘Filtration’—using the circle as a filter to remove impurities; ‘Analysis’—examining a substance’s structure and composition.

Alchemical formulas developed from these basics span a wide range.

‘Decomposition’ is a technique that breaks down a substance’s molecular structure until it collapses. If done seriously enough, it can shatter matter down to elementary particles… or even to the ether state that is filling the atmosphere, though it takes an incredibly long time.

‘Weathering’ removes moisture from a target. It can instantly dry herbs, but getting the balance right is tricky.

While basic transmutation or filtration might be manageable, both are complex enough that they’re impossible to perform by hand. That’s where the mysterious lantern comes in, allowing me to freely assemble alchemical circles.

I reinforced the door frame by arranging transmutated wooden rods on a thin sheet of iron.

I forged hinge parts from ingots, assembled them, and with Filia’s help, embedded them into the frame through transmutation.

Oh… I forgot. After fitting them together, I made indentations where the bolts would engage, completing the basic parts.

Next, I took a mold of the key from clay… then used that to extract pins and parts from ingots to assemble the cylinder.

It’s a blessing that alchemy allows for corrections and adjustments, even without specialized tools for fine work.

“…………Phew.”

Despite being quite fatigued, focusing intently made it finish surprisingly quickly. After checking for warping, I inserted the key into the cylinder. The protruding pins retracted and aligned perfectly.

The tip protruded just a little deeper, catching on the mechanism to turn the bolt… or so it seemed.

Pulling the key out, I placed it in its case and fitted it near the doorknob to complete the appearance.

And so, a child-sized door made of the mysterious metal was finished.

“Filia, help me.”
“…………Huh!? Ah, sure.”

I called out to Filia, who was leaning against a rock, zoning out… Huh, we started working around noon, and now the sun’s already setting.

“Deadly Skill Super Slash, nya!”
“You naive!”

Sufi and Noche were still in the middle of their swordplay game. How many hours have they been at it over there?

“Huh… Is this okay?”
“Ah, yeah.”

Filia helped lift the door horizontally, but it still felt unstable.

I added another ingot and attached a reinforcing plate to the bottom of the frame.

Hmm… I should drive a stake there to keep it from slipping out. As I set it on the ground, I stomped down to secure it… Done.

With my heart pounding in my ear, I inserted the key. With a slight scrape of metal, it slid all the way in. Carefully turning the handle, I felt a slight resistance and heard a metallic click as the lock turned.

…Yep, it’s properly connected.

A door we could safely carry around was complete. Now all I needed was my stamina to recover, and we could travel.

Thinking that, I suddenly collapsed, overcome by a wave of exhaustion that hit me afterward.