...
Beyond the door stretched a long, dark corridor with only one path—no forks.
Lucian and Silence Suzuka stepped into the darkness, moving forward one behind the other, feeling their way.
The background music blended low, mournful wails with an ethereal, distant female humming.
After walking some distance, Silence Suzuka spoke. "Hold hands."
"Mm." Lucian took her cold hand. "Scared?"
Silence Suzuka wrapped her arm around Lucian's, resting it on his shoulder. She dropped all her usual calm pretense, like a small stray cat baring its wounds. "Scared. Very scared."
"I don't want to play this game ever again—unless it's with Lucian-kun."
"Got it, I know. Leave the rest to me." Lucian ruffled Silence Suzuka's hair and led her forward.
He had guessed right—this solo task was pure courage-testing.
When they rounded another corner, two female ghosts suddenly appeared.
One wore tattered blood-soaked clothes, face smeared with "blood," standing on a high ledge. The other, a white-clad ghost, stretched out long sharp claws, hunched over.
The instant they appeared, dim green lights flickered above and below, heightening the terror.
Both Lucian and Silence Suzuka froze in shock; Lucian felt Silence Suzuka's body stiffen.
"Suzuka."
Lucian called softly, turned, and kissed Silence Suzuka.
She gradually melted into the warm, moist kiss and responded in kind.
"Hm?" ×2
The two NPCs glanced at each other, saw mutual bewilderment in their eyes, then stormed off indignantly.
"Not doing this anymore!"
"Playing with you...!"
...
Noticing they left, Lucian tilted his head slightly.
Silence Suzuka had leaned forward a bit more, but once Lucian's lips parted, she reluctantly opened her eyes.
"There really is surveillance this time." Lucian pointed at the blurry white camera overhead.
"I'm not afraid anymore... I don't want to keep hiding things with Lucian-kun..." In this moment, wrapped in the safety Lucian gave her, Silence Suzuka felt moved—and impulsive.
"Be good, at least wait until after you retire, okay?"
"Mm."
...
Lucian and Silence Suzuka circled back through the looping corridor to the original door.
Besides the first two NPCs, they encountered others—but almost all were driven away by Lucian and Silence Suzuka's tactics.
Some even included bold ones who squatted nearby to quietly watch.
"Trainer-san, Suzuka-chan—you're back! Are you okay?"
Special Week rushed forward excitedly.
Her gaze drifted downward to Silence Suzuka's hand holding Lucian's sleeve, and her expression cooled slightly.
Silence Suzuka felt Special Week's stare and casually let go. "Spe-chan, no problems. With two people it's not so scary."
"Y-Yeah... that's true."
Matikanetannhauser, who had been waiting without a prompt, asked, "Trainer, does this mean we didn't complete the task? Should we send the next person?"
Lucian looked up in confusion, about to ask via walkie-talkie, when the prompt arrived right on cue. "Congratulations, everyone—you have found the 'Eye' and passed the fourth vengeful spirit's trial."
Matikanetannhauser's mouth formed a perfect "O." "Yay!"
Mejiro McQueen and Ines Fujin both let out relieved breaths.
At that moment, lights suddenly illuminated the long corridor outside.
"Looks like the game isn't over yet. I'll lead—everyone follow behind me."
...
On the other side.
Haru Urara and the others had already smoothly exited the haunted house. "Piece of cake~"
"Urara-chan, you ran way too fast." Rice Shower had been dragged along the whole way—even before most traps could activate, Urara had already vanished with her.
But those just-triggered scare props didn't go to waste—Nice Nature and Twin Turbo arrived perfectly timed behind them.
Nice Nature: "Twin Turbo, didn't you say you'd show off your smarts?"
"How is this fair?! The traps all triggered already—how am I supposed to shine! ╰（‵□′）╯" Twin Turbo, who had eaten every single trap, bared her shark-like teeth. "Nature! You go punish Urara! Make her redo it—no running, only walking!"
"Why me? Why don't you go tell her yourself?" Nice Nature wasn't that easily bossed around.
Twin Turbo clenched her fists in frustration, drumming them up and down. "Ugh! Because Nature can be seen as 'lacking nature,' but I can't—I can't afford to lose my 'nature'!"
"Confession? But I refuse." Nice Nature waved her off and walked away on her own.
"Hmph, fine—I'll do it myself." Twin Turbo rolled up her sleeves and stomped toward Haru Urara and Rice Shower.
But Haru Urara noticed her and held out a skewer right to her mouth. "Twin Turbo, want this skewer? Super yummy!"
Twin Turbo paused, sniffed the aroma, swallowed. "Is it really good?"
"Just try it~" Haru Urara handed her the skewer stick.
She took a small bite. "Delicious! Urara, can I try the others too?"
"Of course! We just bought tons with Rice-chan—there's takoyaki too."
Rice Shower nodded. "Twin Turbo-chan, here's a napkin—and ketchup. Want some?"
"Oh! Arigatou!"
The three sat by the roadside, happily munching away. Twin Turbo had completely forgotten her original purpose.
"Onii-sama..... they still haven't come out?" Rice Shower looked toward the escape room entrance not far away.
Haru Urara: "Their game probably takes longer. Wanna go check out the exhibition hall?"
"Mm."
...
In reality, Lucian's group's escape room progress was only just past halfway.
No more solo tasks after that—everyone moved together—but the corridors multiplied like a maze, requiring constant trial and error.
The scene Lucian had anticipated did appear, though slightly different from what he imagined.
One horse girl rushing into his arms with just enough force to pin him against the wall—he might even manage to hug back.
But two, three, four... the horse girl layered Lucian sandwich formed halfway like that.
Or, for example, at a T-junction where everyone hesitated on direction, an NPC suddenly crawled dog-style from behind, roaring as she charged.
Ines Fujin and Special Week yanked Lucian's hands right; Matikanetannhauser and Tokai Teio yanked left.
Good thing none of the four used full strength—otherwise Lucian would've been the next one split apart.
Silence Suzuka and Mejiro McQueen simply stood still, nonchalantly leaning against the wall as if clearing a straight path for the NPC straight to Lucian.
...