Volume 8 Chapter 7 You'll Have To Play With Me In This Mansion――Forever, Okay(Ask)
If I have the core, I can somehow manage the cost of this Parasite Palace, but...
"Alright..."
I turned around to look behind me.
I knew it was 'there'.
The Compass Eye (Ra Shingan) needle was pointing that way, after all.
"――You've finally shown up"
"..."
Before I knew it, a girl was 'floating' behind me.
She had a messy green hair and was wearing a loose, pajama-like outfit.
And her body was――faintly transparent.
'A ghost...?'
"It feels like that, doesn't it?"
Those words suited her perfectly.
She was probably the one who was laughing earlier.
"I was trying to surprise you, but..."
She turned her empty eyes towards me. Her expression was blank, and I couldn't read her emotions.
From her behavior, I had expected a more cheerful image, though.
"...Are you going to leave this house too?"
"Me? I'm not leaving. I have to pay the cost of this Parasite Palace, after all."
"Ah"
I thought her face relaxed a bit, but maybe it was just my imagination.
"More importantly, you're the core of this dungeon, aren't you?"
"...What?"
The girl tilted her head, looking puzzled.
"Sorry, my name is Kuku."
'I'm Juju! Nice to meet you!'
"Nice to meet you."
'Yay! High-5! High-5! Woo-hoo!'
"Woo-hoo."
"No, this isn't introduction time."
And then, Juju suddenly became too familiar.
But this Kuku kid... didn't seem to understand the meaning of "core". It was clear that Kuku was the core, but... did she not realize it?
Well, as long as I could communicate properly, that was fine.
For now, I'd try to get information out of Kuku.
"So, why are you here?"
"I don't want you to ask me that."
"Who else can I ask?"
"Mary or Bob, maybe."
"...Who?"
"Huh?"
She tilted her head again.
I take back what I said. It seems like I can't communicate my intentions at all.
It's like I'm only dealing with ghosts, and there's no way to grasp her.
"Do you really not understand?"
"Uh, I realized I was here, and then I've been wandering around this house ever since."
Kuku lets out a deep sigh.
"...It's so boring, I could die."
'I know how you feel! Sympathy!!
"People do come by sometimes, but they all leave right away."
"It's because you're scaring them off."
"Scaring them off?"
Kuku looks puzzled.
"You know, you suddenly wrote in blood or moved the walls..."
"That was just hospitality."
"Hospitality?"
"Didn't you have fun?"
"...No, I thought you were trying to chase them out with all your might."
Indeed, there were welcoming vibes like "Welcome!" and all, but from my perspective, it was just a horror experience. Even though she didn't hurt me, it's like her sense of humanity is off... or maybe just an equipment is different?
'More importantly, Noroa. If she is the core, she should be able to control the dungeon.'
"That's right."
The conversation had gone off track, but that was the main topic.
Even if Kuku doesn't have self-awareness as the core, she should have power.
Especially the ability to create and erase walls ―― that's not something a mere ghost can do. If my speculation is correct... if I can use the core's power, I should be able to escape from this mansion.
"How do you control the things inside the house?"
"Like this. Watch."
Kuku claps her hands, and the scenery inside the mansion distorts.
Then, a blood-stained curtain with a message falls from the second floor's open ceiling――.
――What a stupid thing to see!
I pretended I didn't see it.
But is this really something that's controlled by instinct?
"Can't I do that too?"
"Impossible."
It was flatly denied.
"Is there no control panel or manual-like thing?"
"There isn't."
"...So, you're the only one who can control this mansion?"
"Eheh."
With an expressionless face, Kuku proudly puffs out her chest.
So, it seems that to escape from here, I need her cooperation.
"Hey, can you control the dungeon for me?"
"...Why? Are you going to do something perverted?"
"I won't do it. I'm a gentleman with a fetish for elegant equipment."
People often mistake me for a pervert, but I can't help it.
"I want to get out of this mansion. To do that, I need to use the core."
"Hmm... you want to get out too?"
"Yeah."
"Hmm..."
"..."
The atmosphere in the room changed slightly, like a faint chill in the air.
There was no change in her expression or behavior, but somehow, it felt like she was wrapped in a cold, icy aura.
It sent a shiver down my spine.
"Then... let's play together?"
"Play?"
"Yeah."
I didn't get it. What was the point?
"Wait, but..."
"I don't know what you're imagining, but it's not something perverted."
"I know that."
"Sorry?"
"Why are you apologizing?"
"Huh?"
This girl was really mysterious.
"More importantly, why do we need to play?"
"...? Do we need a reason to play?"
"In a life-or-death situation like this, it's pretty important."
"...That's disgusting."
"Why!?"
"That's just half a joke."
"It's only half, huh?"
"It's half, but I'm not bleeding or anything... puuh!"
'Hahahah! Hee! My stomach hurts! Cough Coughh!'
"Yeah, this isn't funny at all, so let's move on."
We've gone off track so much that I've almost forgotten what we were talking about.
"Anyway, you want to get out, right?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"So, you need to play with me."
"Why?"
"Umm..."
Kuku hesitated, struggling to find the right words. Explaining things seemed to be difficult for her.
"You want to control this mansion. And the only one who can control it is me."
"Yeah."
"So, you need to play with me."
"...Can you explain it a bit more?"
"In other words... if you can win against me in a game, I'll give you one of the 'treasures' you want. That's the rule of this mansion."
In other words, it's like a 'dungeon game'.
There are many types of dungeons, and some don't have a boss, but instead, you need to solve puzzles or overcome trials to clear them.
And so, the clear condition for this Parasite Palace is――to win at playing with Kuku.
By clearing it, I'll receive a "treasure" from her.
From her way of talking, it seems that the right to operate the dungeon is also included in that "treasure".
"But, doesn't that mean...even the equipped ones can't do it?"
"Everyone's equal. Everyone's friends. That's the rule."
Kuku nods with a "kusukusukusu" sound. She doesn't seem to be lying, but she doesn't seem to be telling the truth either. Her face is completely unreadable.
Either way, I have no choice but to go along with Kuku's story for now....
"So, what game are we going to play? Like, a staring contest or something?"
"That will be decided by lottery."
It was quite arbitrary.
From out of nowhere, a box appeared, and Kuku stuck her hand into it.
"*Rattle, rattle, rattle, rattle*! here you go!"
She takes out one ball.
"Today's game is――tag, you're it."
"Tag, you're it..."
"Your win condition is to touch me before dawn."
"Is that all?"
"Yeah."
It's an extremely simple rule.
"What if I lose?"
"Then, you'll have to play with me in this mansion――"
The girl laughs with a blank expression, her voice "kusukusukusu".
"――forever, okay?"
She laughs with a carefree, singing tone, her voice "kusukusukusu".
The small, echoing laughter resonates throughout the mansion.
I couldn't help but...gulp, and feel a vivid, heart-pounding fear.
I had let my guard down because of the harmless atmosphere, but I had forgotten the true nature of Kuku, the cursed equipment.
If I let my guard down, I'd die. That's what it means to be involved with cursed equipment.
"So, let's start the game of tag."
"Wait, hold on..."
But before I could say anything, Kuku suddenly disappears into the wall.
It seems like the game has really started. After she disappears, only an eerie silence remains. She was a storm-like girl in a quiet, peaceful atmosphere.
"I have no choice but to do it..."
'By the way, have you ever played tag before? I was alone, though.'
"Excuse me. Of course, I have, that much."
――Noroa's virus here!
――Run away! His equipment slot 0! You'll be infected!
Yeah, I'm not lying.
'But, winning against a ghost in a game of tag or something, when you think about it, isn't it a no-win game?'
"...Honestly, I don't have confidence"
This mansion is like a field for Kuku.
Wall-hacking, dungeon operation, anything goes.
As long as she's here, she's basically invincible.
"That being said, there's no other way, you know"
The game of tag has already started.
If I don't catch Kuku by dawn――I'll never be able to leave this place forever.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)