Chapter 77: Containing Little Peanut and the Almost Crying Yukino

In Yukino's gaze, an eerie sculpture suddenly appeared behind Haruto. It twisted his neck, turning his head 180 degrees.

Witnessing this, Yukino's eyes widened in shock.

She never imagined that following him would lead her to such a horrifying scene.

'Why does this feel so familiar?'

For a moment, Yukino was lost in confusion, but it was quickly replaced by panic.

Meanwhile, in the infirmary, Utaha covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face as she watched the scene unfold.

She couldn't understand.

Shouldn't the protagonist always find a way to escape danger?

Why... why had her underclassman's story come to such an abrupt end?

In her overwhelming grief, Utaha didn't even glance at the statue that was now right in front of her.

However, under the watchful eyes of the two girls and the statue, Haruto, whose neck had been twisted 180 degrees, raised his hand and adjusted his head.

Crack!

With a crisp sound, Haruto's neck returned to its normal position.

Utaha: !?

Yukinoshita: !?

The strange statue: !@#$%!

The poor statue, unable to even utter a "WTF," looked oddly confused and dejected. Its painted face seemed to express a sense of defeat.

It was officially having a meltdown, folks.

"Kouhai, are you okay!?"

Utaha rushed to Haruto's side, checking him over.

"I'm fine. I'm just built different," Haruto replied casually.

Not only was Haruto's body far stronger than reinforced concrete, but his regenerative abilities were also off the charts. Even if his head were ripped off, he could regrow an entirely new body from either the head or the torso.

Compared to having his neck twisted by a statue, the real headache for Haruto was Yukinoshita Yukino outside the infirmary.

How had he managed to get caught by the same girl twice during an anomaly containment?

Sighing, Haruto pulled out his phone and called the Foundation.

"Hey, big bro, found an anomaly?" Nao's voice came through the receiver.

"Nao, have the Foundation's higher-ups coordinate with Sobu High, then send a team of armed personnel over."

"No, we don't need a Mobile Task Force. It's not necessary. I'll send the anomaly's characteristics and containment procedures shortly. Make sure the team reads them."

"Oh, and have them bring those two Eye Pods... yeah, the mascots."

"Hurry up. Class ends in twenty minutes."

After giving his instructions, Haruto hung up.

Then, without looking away from the statue, he typed out the anomaly's characteristics and containment procedures and sent them off.

[Anomaly: The Sculpture/SCP-173. Anomaly Level 3: Hazardous.]

[The anomaly manifests as a mobile concrete statue. When humans are within its vicinity and not directly observing it, SCP-173 will instantly move behind them and twist their necks 180 degrees.]

[SCP-173 exhibits extreme mobility but cannot move while under direct observation. It also cannot move if no humans are within its vicinity.]

[Note: Do not attempt to blink or look away. Doing so will allow SCP-173 to approach and twist your neck 180 degrees.]

[Containment Procedures:

During containment, no fewer than three personnel must be present at all times, with at least two maintaining constant eye contact with SCP-173.]

[If a personnel needs to blink, they must announce it verbally. No more than two personnel may blink at the same time.]

[Once contained, SCP-173 must be stored in a locked containment chamber. The above procedures must be followed when entering the chamber.]

The containment procedures seemed straightforward. If SCP-173 couldn't teleport, its anomaly level might even be lower.

The only issue was the risk of personnel blinking out of nervousness during containment. To eliminate this risk, Haruto had the Foundation bring the Eye Pods.

Eye Pods don't need to blink.

They're the perfect counter to SCP-173. With this setup, the containment was foolproof. In less than ten minutes, faint footsteps could be heard outside.

A fully armed team entered the infirmary.

Haruto could finally look away.

While he didn't need to blink, staring at SCP-173 was still exhausting.

The armed personnel aimed the Eye Pods at SCP-173, then loaded the statue into a sealed black container.

The team came and went quickly, leaving Utaha and Yukino stunned.

"Kouhai... just who are you?" Utaha asked, her curiosity piqued.

Although she had never believed in superpowers or secret organizations before, meeting Haruto made her feel like it all made sense.

And those heavily armed, highly trained personnel...

There was no way an ordinary student could command such a force. Yukino also looked at Haruto with a mix of confusion and curiosity.

But... why did this scene feel so familiar? What was going on?

Haruto sighed, first helping the two unconscious nurses onto their beds.

Then, facing the two girls, he explained in a serious tone,

"I'm affiliated with the SCP Foundation, Special Executive Officer, designation O5-1. As you've seen, anomalies exist in this world, like that statue that twists people's necks. The SCP Foundation's mission is to control and contain anomalies, protecting the general public's perception of reality."

Utaha's eyes lit up.

"So, you're actually a hero protecting the world and humanity?"

Haruto shrugged.

"You could say that, but it's not as grand as it sounds. I just want to maintain normalcy and prevent the world from falling apart."

Utaha, however, was clearly excited.

"Kouhai, the way you describe it... you're like a protagonist, a hero working in the shadows to protect everything. I used to think such clichés were shallow, but now I see how moving they can be. I guess my perspective was too narrow."

Meanwhile, Yukino spotted a critical detail.

"You said you protect the general public's perception. But what happens to people like us who've seen anomalies?"

Yukino had a bad feeling about this.

Haruto glanced at her, then pulled out a crowbar.

"This is an amnesia-inducing crowbar. A strike to the back of the head will erase several hours of memory. This method is known as the Class-D Memory Erasure Procedure. It's safe, efficient, and protects personal privacy.

Of course, it doesn't cause physical harm. The act of striking is what matters, not the force."

As he spoke, Haruto lightly tapped the nurses on the back of their heads.

"Like this. The teachers will forget the last few hours and wake up still living in a world of normalcy."

Yukino's eyes widened.

She stared at the crowbar, piecing things together.

"You... no, the SCP Foundation erased my memories before, didn't you?"

She almost immediately connected this to the banquet incident, where she had lost several hours of memory and woke up with a sore head.

Haruto nodded reluctantly.

"Yukinoshita Yukino, you've had really bad luck, running into containment operations twice. But don't worry, you won't remember this. Just take a nap, and everything will be fine. Now, stand still!"

As Haruto approached with the crowbar, Yukino felt like she was about to cry for the first time in her life.

"Shouldn't I have the right to control my own memories!?" Yukino protested.

"I'm sorry, but the SCP Foundation's procedures are mandatory. We have to make decisions for the sake of all humanity," Haruto said coldly.

Utaha, watching this, wasn't scared.

In fact, she found it somewhat amusing.

Unlike Yukino, she knew Haruto's gentle nature.

"Kouhai, isn't there another option besides the Class-D Memory Erasure Procedure?"

Seeing Yukino on the verge of tears, Utaha spoke up.

Haruto paused, then looked at Utaha.

"Senior, knowing too much isn't always a good thing. Like that statue and the terrifying scene earlier. You might have nightmares or constantly worry about anomalies. It's a kind of curse of knowledge."

Utaha nodded in understanding.

"Usually, I'd go with the Class-D Memory Erasure Procedure, but this time, it's not an option."

Utaha smiled brightly.

"Since you saved me Kouhai, I don't want to forget this experience no matter what. So, there must be another way, right?"

Haruto sighed and nodded reluctantly.

Putting away the amnesia crowbar, he pulled out another anomaly: the Absolute Contract Codex.

"If you want to retain memories of anomalies and the Foundation, you'll have to join the Foundation and abide by its confidentiality agreements. This is a special anomaly. Once you sign the contract, it becomes absolutely binding. There's no way to escape its enforcement.

If you're both willing to sign this and join the Foundation, then we won't need to perform the Class-D Memory Erasure Procedure."

Without hesitation, Utaha snatched the Absolute Contract Codex and signed her name decisively.

Meanwhile, Yukino glared at Haruto with a mix of anger and frustration.

"Why didn't you mention this earlier!? You already forcibly erased my memories once!" Yukino complained bitterly.

Haruto glanced at her.

"Yukino, joining the Foundation... isn't as simple as you think. Here, take a look at the terms first."

He flipped to the previous page of the contract and handed it to her.

Yukino's eyes widened as she read the blatantly unfair terms.

"What does this clause mean, 'The signee's physical autonomy is fully transferred to the Foundation Director'!?"

Haruto shrugged. "Exactly what it says."

"Disgusting! Perverted! Hentai!" Yukino shouted, tears welling up in her eyes.

Haruto immediately pulled out the amnesia crowbar again.

In the end, Yukino signed the contract, quietly sobbing as she did.