Volume 8 Chapter 9 I've Got Her Captured
As the time limit for the game of tag approached, I was heading towards "that place".
I knew that if I went to "that place", Kuku would come out.
Despite Kuku's interference, I managed to reach "that place" just in time.
And my plan worked out.
"...Wait"
Kuku's voice came from behind me. It wasn't her usual carefree tone.
So she did come out.
Come to think of it, the first time she showed herself was also in front of the "entrance".
"...So, you're coming out?"
Kuku's voice trembled, filled with anxiety.
She must have been really scared. Scared that I would leave this mansion.
"If you go out, you'll die."
"Don't worry, I have a way to get out without dying."
"Eh..."
"So, it's already time to stop playing."
"...!"
Kuku gasped.
It's not like that... I just wanted to end the game of tag.
The game of tag is a fun game where you enjoy being caught.
It can't be played alone. You need someone to play with.
Kuku, who wanted to play with me forever, couldn't help but try to stop me from leaving.
In other words... I took myself hostage.
'Well, if the Oni tries to leave on its own, it's natural to get anxious, right?'
"You're cheating, master...!" "...I'm disappointed!"
'You terrible.'
Somehow, my friends' gazes hurt, but oh well.
Even if it's cowardly, I can't stay trapped here.
There are people waiting for me outside.
Like Cirrul and Miss Reisha? Yeah... I don't have many friends, do I?
Hmm? Is my social circle too narrow?
"Didn't you enjoy playing with me?"
"It's not that."
I'm not even sure if I enjoyed it myself, but I did feel a strange sense of nostalgia. Maybe the game of tag can bring people back to their childhood selves without conditions.
"Then... let's just keep playing here forever"
Kuku's voice became more and more desperate, pleading.
"There's everything here. Fun things, delicious things, sparkling things... You can get anything you want..."
"That's a lie."
"Huh..."
"If there's everything here, then there's no need to hold me back, right?"
If everything is fulfilled, then there's no need to rely on some external factor.
Since it's not here, Kuku is longing for it.
A friend to play with together.
When I think about it, Kuku has always been lonely.
So, she welcomed us, who suddenly appeared, and tried to entertain us in her own way.
But.
"I'm sorry, but I'm going outside."
"W-wait... Don't go..."
For the first time, strong emotions appeared in Kuku's voice.
"No... No..."
Is this reflecting her anxiety, fear, and frustration?
Suddenly, the mansion... warped and twisted.
The space spun around, and doors, paintings, and walls began to grow and twist like stairs and pillars.
It was like the contents of the mansion were being mixed up in a chaotic mess.
The candle flames went out, and the surroundings were plunged into darkness.
In the faint moonlight shining through the window, only Kuku's purple crystal-like eyes sparkled like the moon.
"No... I don't want to..."
The mansion itself was trying to stop me from leaving.
"Wait... I'm alone, no... I hate it... I can't take it anymore...!"
Kuku reached out her hand to me.
This Parasite Palace has existed since at least before the graveyard was built. I don't know when her self-awareness began, but she must have spent an incredibly long time alone.
I can't say I fully understand her feelings, but...
There's one thing I want to say.
"Hey..."
I let out a sigh.
"When did I say I'd leave you alone?"
"Huh..."
Kuku stopped moving, looking puzzled.
So... from the very beginning, there was no option to leave her alone.
In the first place, she's already like my equipment. I can't separate from her even if I want to.
"Seriously. Can't you listen to people's conversations until the end?"
"But, playtime is over..."
"Tomorrow, or even the day after, it's all just a matter of having fun, you know?"
"But, you want to come out..."
"Yeah, that's right. So..."
I nodded and took Kuku's hand.
I caught her ―― literally.
"Ah..."
"Let's go together."
By then, there was nothing blocking the entrance door anymore.
I pushed the door open.
The heavy double doors creaked as they slowly opened, and a white light burst in through the gap...
It was just like the night was ending.
The graveyard that stretched to the horizon ―― the sun was rising from beyond the crosses.
The white light was tearing through the night, trying to end it.
"...It's too bright"
Kuku covered her face with her hand.
For a girl who had been cooped up in the mansion for so long, the amount of light might be overwhelming.
But she didn't look away from the light.
"Then, let's go."
If I went outside, I'd die. That was the cost of being in this Parasite Palace.
But I still stepped forward, towards the light beyond the door.
My shoes touched the stone pavement in front of the entrance.
"..."
My heart skipped a beat.
But that was it. Nothing happened.
I knew it would be like this, but I still let out a deep sigh.
When I think about it, when I equipped the Parasite Palace, my whole body wasn't inside the mansion. Only my feet were inside, and I equipped it like that.
If the cost was 'you die if you're not fully inside', then I should have died right then.
In other words, as long as part of my body was inside, it didn't count as 'going outside'.
This was the loophole in the Parasite Palace's cost.
If I knew that, then it was simple.
I just had to carry the dungeon with me without going outside.
With Kuku's help, everything would go smoothly.
"――Kuku, let's get the reward for clearing the dungeon."
And I made one request to her.
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