I Became A Ghost In A Horror Game - Chapter 86

*This section is from a point further in the past.

 

Director Carol opened the door to the containment room.

In this room, there’s a talking pumpkin head that was accidentally discovered by the Institution and is now kept isolated.

A talking pumpkin head. It sounds funny.

However, this is not just a simple pumpkin head.

This thing is a soul that returned from death.

It’s one of the well-known evil spirits, even in modern times.

Director Carol roughly knew what it was.

 

“Hello. Seems like you’ve awakened from a long slumber; how’s your body holding up?”

“Body? Not too bad. Ah, but don’t you have any intention of offering up that head of yours? I’m wondering if it’s really mine. I could take it off your neck once and see if it fits mine. If it’s not mine, I’ll return it.”

Is that a threat?

Carol judged that, due to its nature, there was no malice intended.

“Hmm. As the legends say, your humor is quite sharp, Jack O’Lantern.”

“Humor? I wasn’t joking. I was serious.”

“…”

As Carol didn’t respond, Jack O’Lantern began babbling on his own.

As expected of a soul who lost his head while playing pranks, it rambled on to the point where Carol’s ears almost hurt.

“Wow~ This place is amazing! It’s full of magic and tools I’ve never seen before! Looks like I can pull off some pretty fun pranks here.”

Pranks.

Carol sensed that pranks played by an entity like this wouldn’t just end as mere jokes.

She quickly tried to change the subject.

Carol searched for a topic and noticed Jack O’Lantern shivering slightly.

“…Are you cold?”

“Of course I am. The warmth of life doesn’t exist for the dead. But I can bear it… Because I have this friendly lantern given to me by a kind devil!”

Jack O’Lantern proudly displayed his lantern.

There are various stories, but one legend says Jack got this lantern by pleading with the devil after a lifetime of tricking them, when Jack was left shivering in the cold after his death.¹

Looks like that devil couldn’t help but feel some twisted affection for Jack.

“Wow~ Devils sure are kind-hearted! I played so many tricks on that guy, but the moment I begged, they made this lantern for me! Wahahaha! Even devils are, after all, creations of God! Long live our existence that helps each other!”

Carol was curious about how the lantern was made.

“Hmm… Did you perhaps meet the Lantern Devil?”

Jack O’Lantern tilted his head and acted like he had heard something strange.

“Lantern Devil? A devil’s just a devil. What’s with the lan~tern part?”

“Huh? If it has the power to make lanterns, then isn’t it the Lantern Devil? It satisfies the context of lantern…”

Carol was taken aback by the unexpected reaction.

Deceiving the devil and receiving a lantern from them.

He who was close to that devil would not be ignorant about this.

“Hold on, hold on. I don’t get it. Why add some ty~pe of devil? A nickname? Since when do these little devils without names have titles? And what’s satisfying the context?”

“Um… Devils are supposed to be born and grow by fulfilling a specific ‘context’ or ‘story,’ right? I thought you’d know that, given that you’ve met a devil personally.”

“What are you talking about? What kind of existence is born like that? Are devils supposed to be creations or something? Oh. Got it. This must be a new joke. Hold on! I’ll decode this joke!”

“…”

“Devils… Stories… Context… Got it.”

“Got what?”

“That your sense of humor is terrible!”

“…”

Once again, Carol’s reaction was dry, and Jack O’Lantern awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

Then, all of a sudden, Jack O’ Lantern poured the porridge that was supposed to be his meal on the floor and began kneading it.

“It wasn’t a joke? Well, if it wasn’t a joke, maybe I misunderstood. Heh… If devils were actually born that way, it would indeed be funny. Look here, I’ll try making a devil too!”

Of course, no devil emerged from the spilled porridge.

“You lied to me. I was going to make a Mess Devil.”

“…I’ll show you some data on devils, so let’s begin the experiment first.”

“Okay, keep your promise.”

“Yes… If you cooperate with the experiment. And I need to talk to you about some personal stuff.”

…

POV Switch – Alice

 

“Hello Alice. I thought I would die from thirst from waiting.”

Ha-rim, who rarely complains, was grumbling.

I laughed slightly because Ha-rim’s reaction was refreshing.

“You’re so impatient. Did you miss me that much? You’re always seeing me after Neverland.”

Since the Neverland incident, the Institution has imposed only minimal restrictions on me.

That’s why I can come out whenever I ask without being restricted by time.

I was very suspicious of why this change was happening, but I didn’t want to think about it right now.

Because today is the day to play with Ha-rim!

“Today, it’s just the two of us hanging out! It’s our private date.”

My ears perked at the slightly off-putting word.

“Date? Do you know what that means?”

“Yeah. It’s when friends hang out, right?”

Is it?

Come to think of it, the word date doesn’t have to be used only that way.

I overreacted.

Noticing my delayed reaction, Ha-rim, seemingly aware of something, spoke with an embarrassed expression.

“It… Wasn’t what I meant, Alice.”

When she reacted like that, even I, who didn’t care, blushed.

“Huh?… Haha. Right. So where shall we go on our date?”

I intentionally let out a laugh and continued the conversation.

When I asked where she wanted to go, Harim answered vigorously as if she had been waiting for it.

“The amusement park!”

“Oh…”

The rest of the kids said they would meet at home, but Ha-rim was serious.

I followed her to the amusement park with interest.

The name of the amusement park was Strange Park.

They said that it was an old amusement park that was remodeled and various rides were added, so it has been receiving a lot of customers these days.

We received our tickets and went inside the amusement park.

Ha-rim led me to a ride with an excited expression.

“This is a newly built roller coaster. It’s basically high and has a lot of spinning parts, so it’s really scary!”

Scary, huh…

Most people might hate scary things, but I know Ha-rim’s personality well.

“Then, of course you want to ride it, right?”

“As expected, Alice knows me well.”

I waited for my turn while holding hands with Ha-rim, who was smiling brightly.

When it was our turn, the staff strictly checked our heights and let us board.

We gradually went up.

Just when I wondered if this was a bit too high, the roller coaster stopped for a moment… And we fell straight down!

“Wow!”

Some people were excited, and others were really scared and screaming.

I also raised the corners of my mouth when I saw Ha-rim smiling brightly.

“…”

But it wasn’t enough.

I feel this level of thrill every day, right?

Knowing you, Ha-rim… You’ll love this.

The moment the roller coaster briefly passes through a shaded area, a mirror is created.

An ominous shadow is reflected in the mirror.

It was a shadow shaped like the ride we are in.

The shadow ripples.

“Would you like to make it more fun?”

The shadow escaped from the mirror and became one with the roller coaster.

The shadow wiggles happily.

Of course it would.

This shadow was born from the fear of roller coasters, so it perfectly matched the ride.

“Wooaahh?!”

“What is this?!”

The roller coaster’s speed increases even more.

People who notice something strange before the 360-degree rotation section start to ask questions.

Even if they realize it, it’s too late.

The roller coaster spun as if it were going to split people apart.

People almost felt like their souls had been taken out…

No, it’s really been taken out?!

“Hey! Aren’t you overdoing it?!”

[…]

 

Their souls returned to normal.

This is why you can’t trust supernatural entities.

Sighing in relief, I waited for the roller coaster’s highlight.

It was the broken rail.

The people who noticed it started screaming.

“Kyaaaa!!!”

However, we passed through the track without incident.

Of course, it was just an illusion made by the monster; there was no broken track.

While people caught their breath like mice who’d just escaped death, Ha-rim asked me.

“Was that you, Alice?”

As I returned the monster to the mirror, I replied.

“Yes. I just added a bit more thrill.”

“You’re the best, Alice!”

“The best? Don’t say that yet, we still have lots of rides to go.”

Ha-rim looked up at me with huge anticipation.

Then, like a child, she excitedly dashed to the next ride.

What a lovable child.

“…Onto the next ride!”

It’s the Viking.

We passed the standard height easily and boarded the ride.

The Viking moved back and forth like a pendulum.

It slowly gained strength, but it still lacked thrill.

Once again, I summoned my mirror.

“Would you like to release your fighting spirit?”

The monsters that responded to my words jumped out of the mirror.

They looked like barbarian warriors.

This monster was derived from the fear of barbarians.

Their combat power is only comparable to that of a strong human warrior, but nothing could liven up the atmosphere more than them.

They shouted at each other and started fighting.

People who thought it was a special event for this ride looked at them curiously.

But when a large ax fell onto the deck beside one of the spectators, they realized that this was not an event and were shocked.

“Please save me!”

“Don’t worry, they won’t actually hurt you.”

Next is the Gyro Drop.

The thrill of falling while lifting and dropping people from a very high place.

The ambiguity between death and survival is the identity of this device.

Then, what if we made it so that you were completely sure that you were dead?

“What is this, how high does this Gyro Drop go?!”

Using the height monster, I increased the height tremendously and made them fall to the ground.

Using the sound monster, I made the people who are pale and scared hear a huge impact noise.

People probably thought they had crashed and were really surprised.

…Some even fainted.

I’m sorry.

But Ha-rim is laughing.

So please forgive me!

Our thrilling experience continued after that.

“The Top Spin is too fast?! Slow it down!!!”

I increased the Top Spin speed to the max and gave the illusion that the device is malfunctioning and you are thrown off.

“What?! There’s a ghost in here!”

“Well, it is a haunted house.”

“That’s not what I meant!”

I pushed the line of what the Institution might tolerate before they sent someone to intervene.

“This amusement park is weird!”

“Wow, isn’t the quality of this amusement park amazing?”

The reactions were divided.

Some people realized the weirdness and ran away from the amusement park, while others got excited and enjoyed the amusement park more actively.

The latter reaction was especially enjoyable.

The fear that I maximized also served to increase the fun.

Thrills are one of the essences of amusement rides.

Fear is play.

No matter how scary it is, as long as it doesn’t harm human life or spirit, even if it hurts a little, it can remain as a memory.

After enjoying ourselves to the fullest, Ha-rim and I talked while eating ice cream and reminiscing about old memories.

Could the day already be over?

But the sun was still shining brightly and it felt like it wasn’t enough.

“…”

“What’s wrong, Alice?”

“It’s almost the end, so I think we need a more interesting ending.”

Ha-rim said that this was enough, but it was clear that she was looking forward to it.

What should we do to have fun?

Should we find another ride?

No, we’ve already ridden all the rides that looked scary…

Oh. A good idea came to me.

I pointed to the empty observation garden with my finger.

“The garden over there. It’s empty.”

“Because it says no entry.”

“…Ha-rim. Follow me.”

I asked Ha-rim to wait a moment and restructured the maze in the garden.

For someone like Ha-rim, who’s the protagonist of a horror game, this is perfect.

After finishing the preparations, I spoke to her.

“This is a maze I put together on the spot. There’s a chaser, so you’d better stay on your toes.”

“So this is the final event.”

Ha-rim looked happy.

I could practically hear her heart pounding.

I decided to spice up things a bit more to liven up her expectations.

I spread a chilling mist inside the maze.

Even though there were no dead people, I placed skeletons that had been broken using the bone monster.

Pools of random blood, ominous crows, broken plates.

All the ominous things beckoned to her.

Come to the strange maze.

Shin Ha-rim.

“…I suddenly feel scared. Who is the chaser?”

In response to that question, I pulled out the knife I’ve been using for a long time.

“Me.”

I locked my icy blue eyes, with the faintest hint of killing intent, on Ha-rim.

Harim’s survival instinct must be ringing an alarm bell.

“…This is strangely creepy.”

I’m sorry.

But this is all for your enjoyment.

Even if it’s a little scary, bear with it.

Even though it’s awkward, this is my way of showing my love for you!

“…Ah?”

I suddenly understood the twisted joy those monsters must have felt when they chased children.

My heart is pounding so hard at the thought of chasing Ha-rim that I can’t stand it.

Of course, I’d never actually harm her!

“Keep an eye out for mirrors in the maze; I might appear in them at any time. So, the game’s on, Shin Ha-rim. Try to escape without me catching you.”

…

POV Switch – Ha-rim

 

Alice laughed and disappeared after saying her last words.

For the first time in a while, Alice gave me the creeps.

My heart races with excitement, but I couldn’t help but feel serious.

I opened the door where the no-trespassing sign had disappeared and entered the maze.

The moment I stepped in, crows scattered in a flurry of wings.

I felt a strange presence every time I walked, and because of the structure of the maze, I couldn’t know in advance what was waiting for me when I turned the path.

That made me nervous.

First, I dug the dirt floor with my shoes and left a mark while going forward.

After passing a fork in the road, an iron gate appeared.

“…I’ll need a key.”

I retraced my steps to the fork and marked the right path with a simple drawing of the door.

Then, I took the left path.

Strangely, the left side was riddled with dead-ends.

After drawing Xs on dead ends for a long time, I finally found the correct way forward.

Where I arrived, there were roses of three colors.

Red roses. Blue rose. And yellow roses.

There was a sign written right above them that read:

[What is Alice’s favorite rose?]

 

A riddle? As soon as I finished reading the question, a mirror suddenly appeared.

The mirror was a sign that Alice, the chaser, might appear.

But even after waiting for a while, Alice didn’t appear.

“…So you’re saying she’ll appear if I’m wrong?”

Silence.

But I heard a small laugh.

Red. Blue. Yellow.

Of course, red is right.

Even though I don’t know much about the Alice series, I know that Alice and red roses are related.

I went over to pick a red rose.

“…”

Wait a minute.

Was it true that Alice likes red roses?

Wasn’t that what the Queen of Hearts liked in Alice in Wonderland?

I haven’t read the book in detail, so I’m not sure.

I don’t know Alice’s taste well, but in her previous appearance, she was definitely wearing a red rose as her hair decoration, so…

Alice’s favorite rose is…

“This is it.”

I reached out to the red rose.

Then the mirror rippled and Alice appeared.

“Unfortunately, it’s the wrong answer…”

“Just kidding.”

“Huh?”

Alice stopped herself from appearing.

“…”

Because I didn’t have a flower in my hand.

In other words, I didn’t choose anything.

I made a trap by looking like I chose a rose and Alice reacted rashly.

It won’t work next time.

“This is your favorite rose, right?”

I showed Alice the necklace I’ve been wearing every day since I reunited with her.

It’s a red rose necklace.

Even if it wasn’t a real flower, it was definitely shaped like one.

The color shouldn’t matter; this rose is special to Alice.

“Right, Alice?”

“…Correct.”

Alice’s delicate hand appeared from the mirror and placed a key in front of me before vanishing.

I leisurely picked up the key…

And quickly ran away.

[So you noticed.]

 

Alice’s eerie voice could be heard from behind.

And she was running slightly faster than me.

No one said getting the answer right meant she wouldn’t chase me.

Not to mention, the left path’s excessive dead-ends seemed suspicious from the start!

Whoosh… Thunk!

The knife was stuck right behind me.

“Hey! Throwing knives during a chase is cheating!”

[You’re old-fashioned.]

 

Clank!

I managed to get through the iron gate with the key by a narrow margin.

Alice was looking at me through the iron gate.

It’s obvious what she’s thinking.

“Alice… I know you like breaking doors down! But I can’t compromise on this one thing!”

Doors are meant to be opened with keys.

Not to be smashed!

When I spoke firmly, Alice replied with a sullen expression.

“Okay…”

Alice disappeared.

I moved to the next location.

In each location I moved to, there were statues of different shapes.

The shapes were a dodo bird, an elderly man, a flower, and a clock.

When I looked closely at the statues, each statue had a part dug out in a specific shape.

It seemed like an event would occur if you fit something into the shape.

There were four paths behind the four statues.

I went down the path behind the dodo statue.

It was a straight path.

The only suspicious thing was that there was a large hole in the middle of the path.

I took a close look at the pit and jumped boldly to avoid it.

When I reached the end of the path, several animals were gathered and playing.

They looked like ordinary animals, but could they also be the scary things Alice pulled out of the mirror?

I approached them.

Among them, the dodo, which was particularly large, announced when it saw me.

[It’s here. It’s here. The race is about to start. Stop. Stop. If you lose the race, you’re extinct.]

 

“A race?”

[Yes. If you lose, you will be extinct.]

 

I noticed a mirror behind the dodo.

Of course.

If you lose the race, Alice will pop out and declare game over.

The animals and I stood on the race track.

A shorter course, less than half the size of a school playground.

I have to race here and win.

But how?

It didn’t seem like humans could run faster than animals and get through.

As always, I had to come up with a trick.

“Hmm… Before we start, can I make a suggestion?”

[What is it?]

 

“I’m new to this course, but you’re all familiar with it. Isn’t that unfair?”

[Unfair?]

 

“Exactly. So how about we all cover our eyes and start running.”

[Understood. Agreed.]

 

All the animals who accepted my suggestion blindfolded themselves with cloth.

Of course, me too.

“Oh, and by the way, what’s one hundred twenty plus thirty-two?”

[Easy question. It’s 37.]

 

I tested it just in case, and as expected, this bird is an idiot.

“I see~ I’ll call the start and end of the race. Begin!”

The animals run in unison.

They tripped and fell a lot because they were blindfolded, but they somehow managed to stay on the course.

I watched until they were three-quarters through before announcing the results.

“…Race over!”

The dodo says with an expression of disbelief.

[Wha… What?]

 

[It’s true, the human’s at the finish line.]

 

[How could a human be so fast? No wonder we went extinct.]

 

[The Red Queen will scold me! I don’t like it!]

 

In reality, I hadn’t even moved from the starting line.

Since the starting and finish lines were the same, and everyone’s eyes were covered, no one knew whether I had run or not.

There wasn’t even a referee, so I won from the moment I announced the start of the race.

In shock, the dodo bird stared, while a few smaller animals handed me a rectangular block.

There was a part in the dodo statue that had the same shape, so I thought I could just put that in.

After confirming that Alice wouldn’t appear in the mirror, I turned my back to it.

[I won’t accept this!!!!!]

 

Suddenly, with its neck and legs grotesquely twisted, the dodo charged at me, screaming.

A chill ran down my spine, and I instinctively sprinted away.

The dodo was so fast that I almost got caught.

However, it fell into a hole in the middle of the chase and met a meaningless end.

I returned to the statues area and put the block in the dodo statue.

A note fell from somewhere.

[What do these statues symbolize? Absolutely nothing!]

 

I’m so tired.

Next, I proceeded to the path behind the elderly man statue.

This time, it was a very simple path.

When I arrived, there was an old man sleeping in bed.

I’ve seen this guy before.

…It’s Sandman!

I didn’t know we’d meet again here.

“Excuse me…”

I shook Sandman awake.

Sandman glared at me in displeasure.

Are you going to suddenly pounce on me?

When I became nervous, Sandman threw me a triangle block and went back to sleep.

“That’s it?”

It’s too simple.

I picked up the block, turned a corner slightly, and hid to look at Sandman.

Because I doubted whether Sandman had really given me the right block.

Maybe he’d suddenly jump up and yell, “Disqualified!” to Alice.

After watching for a while, Alice walked out of the mirror and started arguing with Sandman.

“Sandman! I told you to give a quiz! Why did you just hand it over and go back to sleep?!”

[…!]

 

“I can’t deal with this! I even got you a bed! I’m taking it back!”

[…!!!]

 

“Ah, okay. Seriously… I’m just kidding. Don’t cry, I won’t take it away from you.”

Alice’s heart is so weak…!

Sandman only pretended to cry, but Alice was easily fooled.

After confirming that this block was real, I went back to the statue and put the block in.

The note fell again.

[Sometimes, facing fear directly is the answer.]

 

What does it mean?

Next is the flower-shaped statue.

I went down the path behind the statue.

I passed the winding path and there were a lot of flowers.

They were chatting, but I couldn’t hear them well because they were so noisy.

As I wandered around the flowers, I suddenly noticed something strange.

There was no mirror.

That’s strange. If there were no mirrors, Alice wouldn’t be able to track me.

…First, I have to do something with these flowers.

What should I do?

“Shall I burn them?”

[…]

 

“The atmosphere suddenly became cold…”

I approached the silent flowers and asked.

“Do you know where the block is?”

[Block? If you answer my question, I’ll tell you where the block is.]

 

“What question?”

[Ella or Alice. Which one do you like better?]

 

“Huh?”

I was taken aback by the unexpected question.

Why would this flower ask me this?

I felt slightly offended.

[Alice isn’t here. You can be honest. If you tell me an answer she doesn’t like, I can tell her something else, you know?]

 

…Aha.

This flower.

It’s not a flower at all.

“Hmm… Really? Then come closer. Actually…”

I whispered to the flowers, as if telling them a secret.

The flowers trembled slightly as if tickled.

[Ooh~]

 

“I like you.”

[?!]

 

“I won’t say I like both equally. I just like you. Being with you makes me happy, and I don’t want us to part. I like your beauty, your occasional eeriness, all of it. No matter what, all the memories we’ve built up so far speak for themselves. I really like you.”

As I spewed out embarrassing words, the flowers shrank so much that it couldn’t raise their heads.

One of them finally spoke.

[I’m… Embarrassed…]

 

“Silly. If you ask me this again, I’ll get mad. Got it, Alice?”

[Yes…]

 

The flower hands me a trowel.

I dug right underneath and found a block.

I picked up a star-shaped block and put it in the statue.

As I thought, a note fell out.

[No talking in the library.]

 

Hmm…

The last one is a clock-shaped statue.

The path opened up to the front, back, right, and left, and I roughly followed the path in one direction, but for some reason I couldn’t reach the end.

Clearly, I can see the clock far away with my naked eye, but I can’t reach it.

It’s like a mirage.

But when I look closely…

“The second hand is turning counterclockwise.”

Oh, it’s a simple puzzle.

I went counterclockwise to the left, back, right, and front.

Then I was able to reach the place where the clock was hanging.

When I touched the clock, a round block fell down with a thud.

I picked it up, went back, and put it in the statue.

Thud.

“Is this the last note?”

[Do not be bound by time.]

 

Woosh-!

A huge door, mirror, and clock appeared.

It seems that putting in the last block triggered it.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

The timer that appeared with the door is ticking.

The time limit is 1 minute. 4 seconds have already passed.

I started searching, judging that there must be a hint somewhere.

It didn’t take long.

Because I found a pickaxe and a sign carelessly placed on the wall.

[Find the button.]

 

“…Find the button?”

The only things that can be broken with a pickaxe are statues.

Does that mean I have to choose the correct statue and break it to find the button inside within the remaining 30 seconds?

I first picked up the heavy pickaxe and struck the clock-shaped statue.

Bang!

…It doesn’t break.

20 seconds left.

I need another way.

Another way…

Is there a hint?

Ah.

I thought of the notes that fell from the statues.

[What do these statues symbolize? Absolutely nothing!]

[Sometimes, facing fear directly is the answer.]

[No talking in the library.]

[Do not be bound by time.]

 

I pondered this for the remaining 20 seconds.

The time was short, so I couldn’t think deeply.

But thanks to that, it made my thoughts more intuitive.

After finishing my thoughts, I faced the mirror confidently.

…

POV Switch – Alice

 

“Ha-rim, unfortunately, time’s up~”

I got out of the mirror and looked for her.

Would I finally succeed in getting her to game over?

The thought made me a little excited.

In the original story, Ha-rim was a human who survived countless terrifying entities.

Being the first to make her lose would be rather thrilling, wouldn’t it?

“Brace yourself. I might actually cut you down this time.”

But then.

“Where could she be?”

Where could this kid be hiding?

There’s no place to hide here!

My keen senses kicked in while I was looking around.

As soon as I seemed to notice, I suddenly felt a strong presence behind me.

When I turned around, Ha-rim was running towards me with a mirror.

The mirror I just came out of.

It was the classic case of “it’s dark under the lamp.” I’d never considered she might hide behind the very mirror I emerged from.

In the first place, it’s weird to dig up something that was nailed to the wall with a pickaxe and take it off!

Alright, but still…

‘My reflexes and speed are beyond the ordinary. If she just charges at me, won’t she just get caught?’

 

I reached out to grab her.

That was then.

She pressed the mirror she held against my hand.

Normally, when a person is stopped by a wall, they instinctively halt and move their arms, even if the wall is soft.

Even though the mirror broke and the glass shards flew, I, who was not damaged, ended up reflexively putting my hand into the mirror.

My hand went in.

With this, one hand was sealed.

“You’re using the mirror against me!”

It’d be hard to hold her down with only one hand.

Trying to grab her with just one hand would require force, and any struggle could hurt Ha-rim.

This is difficult, so I should step back for now.

“Isn’t this where the button is?!”

But then she suddenly reached into my mouth.

“Urgh?!”

And then…

Beep!

I heard the sound of a button being pressed.

“… I was completely defeated. Urgh… You really figured it was in my mouth.”

“You gave hints.”

The first note contained the message not to be obsessed with the statue,

The second hinted to face the chaser head-on.

The third hint was a subtle nod to the mouth.

The fourth suggested that running out of time didn’t mean failure.

Of course, the pickaxe was a trick.

Combining all the hints, she had made it this far.

I had set it up for her to notice, but I never thought she would actually figure it out.

“No matter what, it’s scary that you put your hand in my mouth without any resistance… Hesitate a little.”

I can’t win against her.

I had hidden the button in my mouth to finally claim victory, but she found it regardless.

“Gross, isn’t it, with all the saliva? Let’s go wash your hands over there.”

“Hmm… This is my first time sticking my hand in someone else’s mouth. Honestly, it feels nice, kind of warm and soft. And it even smells like cotton candy.”

“You?! Stop saying weird things and just wash up already!”

I pushed Ha-rim, who was saying embarrassing things, into the water pipe and made him wash his hands.

What a handful.

Ha-rim, like Eun-jeong, has some strange quirks.

With that, the final event came to an end, and we sat together, sipping drinks and watching the evening sunset.

It was time to part ways.

I opened my mouth to bring it up.

“Oh, the sun’s setting.”

“Alice. Are you happy?”

Ha-rim’s question came out of the blue.

Maybe it was the warm glow of the golden sunset, but her words about happiness moved me naturally.

“Yeah. I’m so happy. Having met you guys.”

Ha-rim blinks in surprise, as if she likes my unhesitating answer.

She smiles brightly and says.

“Me too! That’s why. Can I ask you a favor?”

“What favor?”

“I. There’s one thing I’m scared of… I’m scared of breaking up with Alice.”

“…”

“I like Alice. Even when my memory was erased, I could vaguely recall memories in my dreams. It was so blurry that I couldn’t tell anything except for the blonde hair, but it was such a vivid dream that my heart ached.”

“…”

“Alice. I know that we might not be able to be together forever. This goes for Suho, Kyeong-min, and Eun-jeong. It might be funny for me, who’s not even a middle school student, to say this, but please, Alice. Until I can overcome that fear… Please… Please don’t disappear.”

As expected, leaving the memories erased was the wrong answer.

It was also the wrong answer for me to even do that in the first place.

That’s how much it hurt them.

To the point where this little child was worrying too much.

A golden afternoon.

Dreamlike weather.

Warm words exchanged.

All of these things on a boat.

Floating on the gently flowing river, the boat will eventually sail toward the horizon and disappear from sight.

Are you afraid of that, Ha-rim?

Actually, I’m afraid too.

So, Ha-rim, write down our memories in your journal.

A journal so lengthy it takes time to go through just once.

So if you ever forget, you can remember again.

Everyone knows you’re diligently keeping a journal of memories.

If you find a place to put your memories and keep them by your side, fear will eventually transform into a vague feeling and only act as a spice that makes your nose tingle in your memories.

That, too, can be a form of joy.

“If you’re Alice, the one who came back to me… Then you’ll grant this wish, right?”

The answer is already set.

Entertaining a cherished friend’s wish.

It wasn’t such a bad feeling.

“Of course.”

Today is the end.

And it was the best day.

Ha-rim.

Like with Ella, Mary, Ms. Spider, and Pierrot.

I hope, until the end, you will be with me.

My dark-haired, main character.