Back when he cleared the Shirakawa Apartments dungeon and witnessed that world's destruction, Takumi had wondered whether the newbie dungeon he cleared might have been slightly different from the others.
But at the time, the only "difference" he had imagined was that this newbie mission's difficulty had been ridiculously high, and that his teammates had been such treacherous nuisances that he was forced to retry twice before he finally succeeded.
But after hearing what the old man just said, Takumi realized that the "difference" might not have been limited to the dungeon itself.
"I see. Uh… we didn't… uh, we want to take a look around first. If we decide to sell the admission ticket, we'll come back to you."
Even though his thoughts were surging wildly inside, Takumi calmed himself down and spoke to the old man with a cheerful laugh.
At first, he had considered making up an excuse like "we didn't bring our admission ticket," but halfway through saying it, he became worried that an item that obviously wasn't ordinary might not actually be a physical object one had to carry, so he quickly changed what he was going to say.
"Hm? What, planning to ask around for a better price? Hehe, do as you like—just don't regret it."
The old man had no idea what Takumi was thinking. But it was clear that Takumi's refusal had made him somewhat unhappy, so after giving Takumi a sideways glance, he turned around and went back to sit in front of a stall along the hallway.
It seemed he had annoyed the old man. But the problem was that he really couldn't produce any Obsession Item, and if that was exposed, it felt like things would get even worse.
"Takumi, what do we do next?"
Maki was starting to feel nervous as well, realizing that their situation might be very different from that of normal newcomers.
It was best not to reveal anything about their first dungeon.
Takumi thought this quietly to himself.
He still wasn't sure whether killing Tanaka and the traitor woman would bring retaliation—especially after discovering how Maeda Miwa had died so inexplicably. Originally, he merely thought it would be best not to reveal that he possessed those two players' Obsession Items, but now it seemed that even which mission he had participated in should not be exposed.
But if that was the case, how were they supposed to obtain the game information they needed?
"Let's go find the girl we saw earlier."
After thinking it over, Takumi said this.
"Huh? Go find her?"
Maki hadn't expected Takumi to bring up the guitar girl, and she blinked, giving Takumi an extra glance.
"Mm… at the very least, she didn't seem like a bad person. In this situation, the only thing we can do is pick someone who might be willing to talk."
Takumi spoke with a bit of helplessness, while silently praying that his perception of Bocchi-chan wasn't wildly off—that he wouldn't end up encountering some super-modified, villainess-version Bocchi-chan kind of scenario.
And with that, the two of them continued down the hallway, observing their surroundings as they searched for the girl they had met earlier on the surface.
Takumi examined the stalls carefully and found that the main goods fell into two categories. The first consisted of items that didn't look like Obsession Items yet seemed to possess some strange effect—such as dust sealed inside a glass bottle, somewhat similar to what Tanaka had used, as well as some purple sheets covered in blood-red writing that were uncomfortable even to look at. The second category consisted of stalls selling Obsession Items—or rather, exchanging them. Those were simple: I put out my Obsession Item, you put out yours, and we see whether we can negotiate an exchange.
It seemed that the players' transactions were still stuck at the simplest form of bartering. Considering that the player community had apparently only begun forming two years ago, it appeared that players were still operating on a small scale, and development had not been smooth.
"Did you hear? All the admission tickets for the Shirakawa Apartments were voided."
Some players' conversation drifted into Takumi's ears, drawing his attention.
"Yeah, I heard something like that. I think that dungeon is undergoing a 'fixation' right now, isn't it? No idea which player got the core Obsession Item early. Let's hope that guy's normal—I really don't want to see another terrifying incident where a core Obsession Item runs out of control in the real world."
"Who knows? Those powerful types don't move in ways we can predict. But I heard that the Woman-Face Gang failed. Apparently, those people are looking everywhere for anyone who participated in the Shirakawa Apartments dungeon, and a few days ago they even killed a newcomer who survived that dungeon."
"Heh, you mean those crazy women who use Substitute Flesh? Tsk, even hearing about them is disgusting. I hope they don't come and cause trouble here in the market."
"True. But who do you think took the core Obsession Item from that dungeon?"
Takumi and Maki passed by the two who were talking, neither of them slowing down—they walked on as if they didn't care about the conversation at all.
After the pair had left, the two players who had been talking stopped and looked Takumi and Maki over. They exchanged a quiet comment—"Doesn't seem like them"—and then paid them no further attention.
Takumi had already sensed their malice and realized something was wrong with those two, though his expression did not change. Deep down, however, he was already grumbling to himself.
Were they deliberately mentioning information they thought we'd be interested in, just to test whether the two of us had cleared the Shirakawa Apartments quest? What the hell is this situation?!
He wasn't sure if the information they had intentionally revealed was true or not, but—[Women-Face Gang], huh? And that Obsession Item's name, [Substitute Flesh]? Now that he thought about it, he really hadn't found the Obsession Item that woman used to replace Maeda Miwa. So the thing was actually some kind of flesh? Could it be something you insert into your own body to use?! Good thing he had locked that woman inside Room 205 and used the corpse mechanic to seal her off, right? Otherwise, if her Obsession Item had gone out of control and something had burst out, who knew if that quest could have been cleared smoothly.
As they continued forward, Takumi and Maki walked past those players selling things. After some searching, they finally found the pink-haired girl, who was also inside this abandoned underground shopping plaza.
She didn't look to be in good shape.
She had entered a storefront—unlike those stalls, this one looked properly managed, occupying a small vacant shop unit. She stood inside talking to the shopkeeper in a halting, hesitant way for quite a while before finally walking out with a small jar in her arms, sighing as she held it. No one knew what she was thinking about, but whatever it was, she seemed to be thinking so hard that tears were almost starting to fall.
"Hello. We meet again, miss."
Then Takumi suddenly stepped forward with Maki beside him, greeting her in an entirely serious manner.
"…"
The girl did not manage to respond immediately.
The instant Takumi and Maki suddenly appeared in front of her, she was almost scared stiff on the spot. For a moment, she seemed to flatten into a two-dimensional shape, only to pop back to normal a second later. Her mouth opened and closed several times before she barely managed to squeeze out a soft "Hello," though her voice was so quiet that even with Takumi's S-rank enhanced hearing, it was nearly impossible to catch.
"I hope to receive your help."
Takumi continued, his expression now solemn.
"Eh?"
Shock spread across the girl's face as she instinctively took a step back.
"My girlfriend and I have run into some difficulties. Thinking back on the players I've met… you seemed very capable, and also a good person. I'm sure you can help us. I hope you can answer some questions for us. May we receive your help?"
Takumi bowed deeply, making an utterly serious request to the pink-haired girl.
Maki's brow furrowed more and more, yet she still did not hesitate to bow with Takumi. She didn't go against him at a time like this and simply followed his lead obediently.
"E-Eh?!"
The girl stepped back again, and Takumi felt as if her face was practically turning pale.
She opened her mouth.
From the way her lips moved at that moment, she seemed to be trying to refuse.
She struggled to open her mouth, her lips trembling a few times. However you looked at it, she seemed about to refuse—she definitely didn't look like someone who wanted to help Takumi and Maki.
Then, the girl finally spoke.
"O… okay…"
She lowered her head as if all the strength had drained out of her. No, it was practically as if she were melting into the floor and turning into slime, answering in total defeat.
"…Are you sure you're not bullying her?"
Maki leaned over and asked Takumi quietly, puzzled. She had already noticed the tears gathering at the corners of the girl's eyes, looking as though she might burst into tears at any moment.
"Well, at the very least, the request for help is serious. In any case, miss, my name is Takahashi Takumi, and this is my girlfriend, Shijō Maki. Anyway… could I trouble you to take us somewhere quieter? We really have something very important to ask, and we're a bit worried about others overhearing."
Takumi pressed his palms together again, requesting her earnestly.
The girl, already wearing an expression of total resignation, simply nodded lightly. After saying "Okay," she led the two of them forward.
The so-called hidden spot wasn't far; the three of them reached it quickly.
It was a small room at the far end of the abandoned underground plaza, with a little cat symbol on the door. Gotō Hitori opened the door and peeked inside first. She seemed to be checking whether someone was there; after confirming that the person wasn't, she looked even more dejected, then led Takumi and Maki inside.
"Here… um… the Obsession Item's power affects this place, so sound can't get out…"
Gotō Hitori was the first to walk inside. She turned around and spoke to Takumi and Maki in a faint voice.
On the way here, the girl had already told the two of them her name. As a side note, it had taken her a full thirty seconds to say it.
"Then, Miss Gotō, because of a trust that comes purely from instinct, I believe you can help us understand many things. That's why we've come to you for help. I'm very sorry for troubling you. After all, neither Maki nor I have any admission tickets we can use for trades, so we don't really know how to communicate with those other players."
Takumi realized this room looked like a classroom. Many desks and chairs were piled up in the corner, so as he spoke, he grabbed two stools, dusted one off and handed it to Maki. The other one he only brushed casually before sitting down on it himself. As for Gotō Hitori, she was already seated in the only desk-and-chair set that was still placed separately in the classroom. With all the other desks and chairs stacked at the back and only a single set left in the middle, Takumi couldn't help but feel as if someone occasionally came here to rest. But since that wasn't important right now, he didn't pay it too much attention.
"No… admission tickets? Eh, e-eh?! You… you're the group of players from the Shirakawa Apartments?"
Gotō Hitori had originally kept her head lowered as she listened to Takumi, but she quickly realized something. She suddenly lifted her head and looked at the two of them.
Although she seemed like someone so socially anxious that she could barely communicate, she could still react quickly when it came to matters related to Horror Stories? In that case, she did seem somewhat like a veteran. Hopefully, his judgment wasn't wrong.
"That's right. Maki and I are both players who cleared the Shirakawa Apartments."
Takumi nodded lightly, neither hiding nor denying it.
"You're telling me directly… A-Am I really that trustworthy?"
The girl seemed utterly shaken by such a straightforward revelation. She took several deep breaths before she barely managed to calm herself, then pointed at herself, looking like she couldn't quite understand Takumi's choice.
"Let's call it a first impression. Also, Miss Gotō, do you know about the thing called [Blessing]?"
Having confirmed through the Blessing that she consistently carried goodwill, Takumi decided to be even more direct and asked the girl plainly.
"Blessing… You… newbies? Wait, Blessing? You completed an Obsession? Newbies? You got a Blessing??? Wait, wait, wait… and you even dealt with the [Women-Face Gang]?!"
The expressions flashing across the girl's face at that moment were indescribable.
Shock? Fear? Sorrow? Despair? Pain? Emotional collapse? Countless emotions surfaced on her face like a pie chart, only to be instantly shattered. It felt as though Gotō Hitori might melt right there on the chair and turn into a puddle of mosaic on the floor.
And as expected, she started crying again.
"You… aren't newbies."
Wiping away the tears at the corners of her eyes with her hands, Gotō Hitori spoke in a trembling voice.
"Huh? We aren't? But we really did just clear our first task."
Takumi didn't understand what Gotō Hitori meant. After freezing for a moment, he asked in confusion.
"You… are experts…"
By the time she said the last part, Gotō Hitori had already vanished. Ah—no, she hadn't vanished; she had simply curled herself up inside a cardboard box at the side of the room. From inside the box, she answered Takumi in a muffled voice, as if she had shut down from shock.
Also, when exactly had that box appeared over there?
"Are you really sure there's no problem asking this person for help?"
Increasingly bewildered by Bocchi's stream-of-consciousness meltdown, Maki couldn't help turning her head and once again voicing her doubt to Takumi.
"She's probably reliable… at least she's consistently shown goodwill toward us, right? Hey, Miss Gotō, could you please come out for a moment? It's really hard to talk like this."
Takumi, feeling just as awkward, forced a smile and tried calling out to Gotō Hitori to continue the conversation.
In any case, a few minutes later, the three of them finally returned to their initial positions, sitting together in the middle of the classroom and facing each other, continuing the discussion from before.
"So, that's the situation. We're really troubled right now and have no idea how to obtain something like a newcomer's guide. Up to this point, our understanding of the Sacrifice Game is basically zero, and we've only been able to guess based on the few words we heard from that voice. Miss Gotō, could you help us with this? We can use those two veteran players' Obsession Items as payment."
After explaining their difficulty and confirming that even after hearing everything, Gotō Hitori still held no malice toward them and continued to show goodwill, Takumi finally spoke his request in earnest.
And in stark contrast to earlier, Gotō Hitori now became incredibly serious. She nodded slightly but solemnly toward Takumi and Maki, then stood up.
Was she going to get them that newcomer's guide?
Seeing her looking so bold and full of spirit, Takumi couldn't help wondering what the girl was about to do.
Then, Takumi watched as Gotō Hitori picked up her guitar.
Takumi: "?"
Maki: "?"
Gotō Hitori: "!!!"
Her slender fingers suddenly came down.
A crisp melody rang out at that moment.
And Gotō Hitori, her expression intensely focused, forced herself to start murmuring—her voice bursting out with surprising momentum, reaching Takumi and Maki's ears.
"Sacrifice Game has three levels: Dusk, Dark Night, and Red Moon~"
"Dusk is easy, tickets fight for, Dark Night troublesome, Red Moon courting death, die in a run and you just die, a ticket to escape alive~"
"Dark Night: one fake hint, Red Moon: half fake hints, get two A-ranks and you advance, forced to stay puts on a target~"
"Core Obsession sets your run, complete Obsession breaks the game, Obsession out of control all die, everyone thrown into the run~"
"Spread ashes, corpses still rise, purple talismans borrow life, lure Horror Stories, player base split and shattered, murder and arson every day~"
The full-momentum girl belted out a torrent of words while strumming her guitar.
Honestly, at that moment, Takumi was at least somewhat overwhelmed by this miraculous veteran Bocchi.
As for Maki, who also stood there slack-jawed, she was probably just as shocked.
So… was she summarizing the rules players had compiled and presenting them like this? Because her social anxiety made it impossible for her to ask others for a player guide, was she forcing herself to convey the information through the music she was good at?
She sang pretty well, but the whole thing still somehow felt utterly absurd…
Takumi, not knowing how to even begin complaining about this, could only force himself not to show a weird expression. He then tried hard to memorize what she sang, attempting to extract useful information from it.
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