Halloween
'Ah, it's Halloween today.'
I happened to notice it while browsing the gallery. Today was October 31st. Halloween.
Of course, it didn't mean much. That was a festival for the popular crowd, right? At times like this, the loners had to stay home quietly. A casual stone tossed by the popular kids could turn into a critical hit on a loner's mind. Similar disasters included Valentine's Day, Pepero Day, and Christmas. Now that I thought about it, why were they all about eating sweets? Hope your teeth rot out.
"......A Halloween festival."
You could tell just from the bullshit like that.
Anyway, I wasn't feeling great today.
I glanced around. A ruined city. I was sitting at a bus stop there. Rain pattered down from the sky. No one was out and about. It felt like I was the only one left in the world.
"A festival in a situation like this?"
Probably impossible. Everyone was struggling just to eat and survive.
"Hmph."
My mood soured for no reason. Rain always dropped my condition by 30%. And getting caught in it during patrol? The worst.
"Hmmm."
I hated wandering around and dealing with people, but I didn't ignore the bright vibes either. A sight I couldn't see anymore. I'd never been part of it, obviously.
But a strange nostalgia hit me for those bygone days.
'......No, not entirely absent.'
I hadn't joined any festivals. Still, there was that shop I'd wandered into while shopping. The Halloween stuff there. Memories of chatting happily with Noona while looking at it surfaced.
A time I couldn't see anymore. So dearly missed, so heartbreaking.
"Damn it."
Rain really sucked. It just made me depressed for no reason.
In the drizzling downpour, I stared blankly ahead.
"......I miss Noona."
That was when I muttered it.
Splashing footsteps approached.
I turned my head. Someone was running over.
A woman with long black straight hair down to her waist. A refined face.
"......Noona?"
Maybe because my mood was weird. I blurted it out without thinking.
"What?"
The woman who'd been dodging puddles looked up.
Of course, it wasn't Noona. The looks, the vibe, the feel—everything was different. Still, something about her felt vaguely similar.
Soaked to the skin, she spotted me and her eyes went wide.
I bowed my head slightly.
"Sorry. Mistook you for someone else."
"Oh—got it. No worries. I didn't know anyone was here first."
First time meeting, and she was already casual. Weirdly, it didn't bother me.
'Felt kinda familiar, even.'
I didn't bother being cautious. It was a rainy day. No surprise she'd ducked in here.
She lightly wrung out her wet clothes.
"Mind if I wait out the rain with you?"
"Go ahead. Not like I own the place."
"Thanks, then."
She sat quietly next to me. Her hair was drenched too.
I pulled a towel from my backpack.
"Here, use this at least."
"Oh! Thanks!"
She took it and dried her hair.
An awkward silence followed. Maybe because I was already down, but for once, company didn't suck.
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
"Have we met before?"
"Uh......probably not?"
I wasn't blind. I'd remember a beauty like her.
"Why do you ask?"
"Just feels familiar."
"I see."
Silence again. I'd been cursing the rain earlier, but now I was grateful for it. The plip-plop of droplets hitting the ground would've made it way more awkward without it.
"Ah, since you lent me the towel, here."
She pulled something from her pocket. A yellow candy.
"What's this?"
"Lemon candy."
"......In this world, you shouldn't eat stuff from strangers."
"What, not gonna take it? It's valuable, you know."
"I'll hold onto it for now."
I pocketed the candy. Could be poisoned. She didn't seem bad, but better safe.
Still, not a bad feeling.
"......Hmm, Halloween candy."
"Nah, it's lemon candy."
"Today's Halloween."
"Halloween? What's that?"
"You don't know? The day pumpkins and monsters come knocking."
"......Yeah."
Conversation died there. Did I say something dumb?
'But at her age, how do you not know Halloween?'
After that, we waited in silence for the rain to let up. When it did, we parted ways.
Nothing special. Just a fleeting encounter.
......That's all I thought at the time.
Our gallery had an 'Oldbies Board.'
A privilege for those who'd grinded Last Day back when it was just a game, now reality. Regular users couldn't access it.
Maybe the convenience? Oldbies mostly hung out here.
Didn't mean we were buddies, though.
......I didn't visit much either.
"Ah, seriously."
Just reading it made my head spin. Was our game full of these weirdos? Not a single normal person.
They didn't communicate at all. Trapped in their own worlds. This wasn't middle school syndrome—it was high school syndrome.
'This is oldbie level...?'
Still, they seemed to be handling things fine. Impressive in this era. At least they had time for nonsense posts.
Probably scored killer Traits.
'......Not that I wanna hang with them.'
I was pondering what dumb post to drop for attendance in our "who's crazier" league when a newbie showed up.
Been looking everywhere for you, ThrillMan.
ThrillMan, as always—a punchy nickname. And the first post was baffling.
Qualified for our oldbies board, no doubt.
'Is the oldbie bar just "how insane are you"?'
Not me, though. I was a named player with recommended posts.
I might be a loner, but I'd done my time in society.
'Wonder what this one's deal is.'
Everyone wanted dirt on oldbies. But I usually skipped it.
That was oldbie etiquette. Not because their crazy scared me off.
'Still, check the newbie. Could be borderline.'
Just barely qualifying, probably.
Casually, I pulled up the info.
Traits:
- Cosmic lifeform that wandered space before settling on Earth. This ancient entity possesses powers and habits incomprehensible to humans.
Currently influenced by its host human body, it craves to eliminate Earth's criminals.
"......Huh?"
I blinked. I'd checked tons of profiles, but never like this.
'Telekill Gaia? 15,000 years old? What the hell?'
The traits were insane. A space monster. Not even human.
My mouth went dry.
"Even so, a monster living among us disguised as human."
Last Day had plenty of monsters, sure. But they were straight-up beasts—enemies to fight or flee.
First time one passed as fully human.
"......What do I do with this."
The numbers were too wild. 15,000 years alive? Common sense had to be alien.
I had no qualms killing people, but was this even sapient?
Wouldn't bat an eye if it plotted Earth's conquest.
'Not some sci-fi crap.'
Humans? Fine. Monsters? Prep and fight.
But ThrillMan? Unknown unknown. Extra caution needed.
'Combat style......no clue.'
How did a space monster fight? Laser hands? Giant tentacle transformation with ultrasound blasts?
No idea. Unknowns terrified me.
'......Whatever. It doesn't know I exist.'
Small mercy. No clue who or where I was.
Korea was big. Odds of bumping into the monster? Low.
Ignore and live safe.
'Still, stay sharp. Check the face first.'
Gotta know what to dodge. Plus, pure curiosity—what did a space monster look like?
I checked the photo. Froze solid.
"Hmmmm?"
Long black hair. Milk-white skin. Refined features.
The brief meeting at the rainy bus stop flashed back.
"That woman from earlier......is ThrillMan? The space monster?"
Chills ran down my spine.
My gaze drifted to the desk corner. A lemon candy sat there.
Today, October 31st. Halloween.
The day monsters descend and hand out candy.