The Mansion's Terror and an Unexpected Proposal
Today's collab game had a world setting that went something like this: Gates—dimensional rifts that suddenly appeared all over the world. Beyond them lay spaces called Arcs, filled with rare and valuable items. The protagonist was a new hire at a private company that sent people into Arcs to retrieve those items. The environment inside an Arc was an extreme, inhospitable wasteland no human could survive in. You had to pilot exploration robots to bring the items back. While establishing a base inside the Arc and controlling robots from there to explore, you inevitably run into unknown entities…
Feels like your typical indie game vibe. Well, the story doesn't really matter. What counts is how well the game itself is made.
Swish, swish. I moved my character's head left and right, getting a feel for the sensitivity. I'd done a quick rehearsal earlier, but it had been way too short. If I wanted to prove I wasn't the weakest link, I needed to adapt to the controls. Still, fiddling with the settings so seriously must've been visible to the viewers, because the chat started asking why I was going that far.
Shut up already.
Just lower the sensitivity a bit… There, that's good.
That aside… This really was a horror game, huh. The eerie atmosphere was pretty chilling. From the intro, it seemed like an exploration-type game, so I figured we'd be dealing with monsters rather than ghosts.
D-did I really have to prove myself? My hand gripping the mouse had gone clammy, so I rubbed it against my thigh.
While I was busy feeling sorry for myself, Airi must've finished checking the base, because she gathered everyone together.
"Alright, let's start the first round! …Though since none of us really know this game, should we just wing it?"
"I found a flashlight in the storage. Anyone want it?"
"Only two? Hmm… Then I'll take one. Snow can have the other!"
"Ugh…!"
Why me of all people?! I wasn't exactly thrilled. After all, holding the flashlight meant walking at the very front of the group. Airi must've noticed my reluctance, because she chuckled knowingly.
"You said you were going to prove yourself, didn't you? Don't tell me you're scared~?"
"Fine, fine! I'll take it!"
Damn it… I knew this would happen. Fighting back tears, I picked up the flashlight that had fallen on the floor.
…Right. It's just a game. No need to be scared. It's not even that scary to begin with. Dying in a game isn't a big deal. It's just some video game made of graphics. Nothing special!
Muttering to myself, I followed the others out of the base. Our destination was a massive mansion deep in the dense forest. We walked side by side along the path connecting the base to the mansion.
"Wow, it's this dark even during the day… At night we won't be able to see anything at all."
"Airi, I think the flashlights had batteries. We should turn them off while moving."
"Oh, you're right? Thanks, Riya."
Airi and Riya chatted amicably while Karen and Shura walked along, talking as well. The atmosphere was completely peaceful—no one seemed nervous or shaken in the slightest.
Wait, am I the only one who's tense right now? Why isn't anyone acting scared?
No, hold on. Priya and Karen are always cool-headed, so maybe that's why. But Airi and Shura being fine too… That's weird!
Weren't we supposed to be allies? I was counting on those two… This is betrayal. Straight-up betrayal!
…Still, I'm really glad I'm not alone. Too drained to make any witty comments, I just kept walking in silence. Then I stepped on a branch and the screen shook, giving the viewers the perfect excuse to tease me relentlessly.
This is too much.
"Is this the mansion? Whoa, it's huge!"
"I thought it'd be run-down since it's called an abandoned mansion, but it's not."
"Definitely looks like the kind of place monsters would live in."
Those were Airi, Priya, and Karen's impressions the moment we arrived. I wanted to chime in too, but the mansion looked completely ordinary no matter how I looked at it, so I decided to keep quiet.
Creaaak. We opened the large door and stepped inside. A pitch-black interior with not a single light greeted us.
I hate this… From now on, it's my turn to hold the flashlight…
Reluctantly, I moved to the front of the group.
"L-let's go. Everyone, stay close behind me."
"Pfft, yeah, yeah. Everyone, follow Snow!"
"Captain, we're counting on you."
"Don't call me captain! It's too much pressure!"
I swung the flashlight around at my teammates. After that brief outburst, I pressed forward, relying on the beam of light in the thick darkness. Whenever I spotted an item, I'd approach, pick it up, then keep moving. I'd scan for monsters, then keep moving. I repeated this several times.
Maybe because it was the first day, we didn't encounter any monsters. Before I knew it, my bag was stuffed full.
"My bag's full. It's getting late too. Let's head back to the base."
"Do you remember the way back? We went pretty deep in."
"I think… it was this way."
Ugh, did I get too greedy and come too far in? Just as I was regretting it and trying to recall the return path, something pitch-black flashed past the edge of my vision.
Already on edge, I reflexively jerked my body up and down.
"Eek?!"
"W-what?! What's wrong?!"
"Th-th-th-there…! Something just… at the end of the hallway…!"
"A monster? We don't have weapons yet, so we should run—"
Crunch. A sickening sound like something being crushed echoed in my ears. At the same time, Riya's voice cut off unnaturally.
Huh? No way. Seriously? Even so, Riya was good at games. There was no need for such a cheap horror movie trick.
Breath caught in my throat, I trembled as I moved the mouse. Naturally, I shone the flashlight where Riya had been standing.
And there it was.
A grotesque beast drenched in blood, its hideous maw lined with teeth, looming over a corpse.
"Kieeeek!"
"Nooooooo!"
My heart dropped. I screamed at the top of my lungs and instinctively bolted in the opposite direction, mashing the keyboard. To survive, I needed to escape the mansion. But I didn't have the presence of mind for rational decisions right now.
Left, forward, left… Running blindly without any sense of direction, my stamina drained in an instant. Stopping in the middle of the hallway meant death. Realizing this, I ducked into the nearest room, squeezed myself between some furniture, and clamped my mouth shut.
"Krrrk…!"
"Hnnng…!"
It's here. It's here it's here it's here. The sound of the beast nearby made my mouse shake like an earthquake. My chest felt like ice had been shoved inside it, and my heart pounded painfully.
Unable to muster the courage to look straight ahead, I tilted my character's head toward the floor.
Please don't notice me and just go.
Maybe my patient waiting paid off. The monster that had been prowling nearby soon left. Still suspicious, I stayed quiet for another minute, but by now it should be gone. Letting out a sigh of relief, I whispered,
"I-I'm alive…"
But now I was separated from the others, completely alone. The surroundings were so quiet you couldn't hear a sound. Could I really escape the mansion by myself? Maybe it would be better to just die painlessly.
Stuck between a rock and a hard place, I sniffled and spoke to the viewers.
"Guys… what do I do…?"
"The flashlight being more important than me is too much!"
These heartless people. Instead of comforting me, they just teased me. If they were my fans, they should be fully supportive when I'm scared!
Still, thanks to them, I found the will to survive. I really wanted to shut their mouths now.
Alright. Let's move before this feeling fades.
Just as I resolved myself and tried to leave the room, I suddenly heard footsteps approaching from the hallway.
Huh? Is the monster back?
Holding the doorknob, holding my breath, I listened as a familiar voice drew closer.
"What do we do? Left alone without even a flashlight… If I can just see ahead, I roughly know the way, so I should be able to get out."
"Sh-Shuraaa!"
"Huh? Snow, you were alive!"
The voice belonged to none other than Shura. She was supposed to be timid and shy around strangers, but maybe horror games didn't scare her. Even after I suddenly popped out, she didn't seem surprised. Her calm voice in the darkness was incredibly reassuring.
Thank goodness… I was wondering what I'd do if I was left alone…
Overwhelmed with relief, I approached her and blurted out my feelings.
"I…"
"What's wrong?"
"I love you… If we make it out of here alive, let's get married…"
"Wh-what?!"
Ah, I said something weird without thinking. I was just so happy that whatever came to mind spilled out. After mulling over whether I'd made a mistake, I decided to just roll with it. We were doing Yuri Business anyway, so a line like that should be fine.
Strangely, the flashlight started flickering even though I hadn't pressed any buttons.
"I mean, well… It's not like I hate the idea…"
"Huh? What did you say?"
"N-nothing! Let's just get out. It'll be night soon at this rate!"
She was right—nighttime was dangerous. The intro had mentioned increased danger after dark. We couldn't afford to waste time chatting. Ignoring the rapidly scrolling chat, I handed the still-flickering flashlight to Shura, who seemed to have memorized the way out.
"Uh… Is it this way? Ah, here it is!"
"Oh, I remember now! Wait a sec. Let me grab some items on the way…"
Shura wasn't particularly skilled at the game and her controls were clumsy, but she wasn't scared and knew the way out. Meanwhile, I'd completely forgotten the path and was terrified of the dark, but my controls had become smooth enough that I could snatch items in an instant.
In other words, if Shura led the way and I collected the items, it was the perfect division of roles!
"We're outside! We finally made it out!"
"Good thing it's not night yet. We can take our time getting back to the base."
Thanks to not running into any monsters either, Shura and I managed to escape the mansion loaded with items. We'd nearly gotten a game over on the very first round, but we'd pulled through. Didn't this count as solid proof?!
Feeling proud, I hopped around outside the mansion. Then Shura, who seemed to be deep in thought, called out to me.
"Snow."
"What?"
"Hey, since we made it out safely… When should we schedule the wedding?"
"…Wedding?"
"Hehe, I think three kids would be nice."
Don't tell me she remembered what I said earlier and is bringing it up now. She was surprisingly good at advancing the Yuri Business! Eyes wide with surprise, I grinned and replied,
"Three? Then should we go make them right now?"
"…Huh?"
Ignoring Shura's confused reaction and the chat, I dashed into the base. After selling all the items for profit, I used the money to revive the rest of the dead teammates. Then, looking at Shura who had just arrived, I declared proudly,
"Shura, this is the fruit of our love. Kids, try calling her 'Mom' once."
"Who's the mom here, you incompetent snow woman?!"
"Ohoho… Our daughter has quite the mouth on her."
Maybe that's enough of the childbirth roleplay. Feeling satisfied, I stepped away to use the bathroom. While I was gone, they must've finished settling the scores, because the date had advanced to Day 2. Everyone was gathered at the base, chatting amicably. Listening in, it seemed like they were praising Shura.
"Whoa, I thought we were getting wiped on the first day, but thanks to Shura we somehow survived! Thanks!"
"Hey, I was there too, you know."
"Shura, you're surprisingly good at horror games."
"I watch a lot of scary movies, actually."
"Excuse me. I contributed too, you know? I revived everyone with the items I sold. Can you not hear me?"
They're deliberately ignoring me now. I ran around energetically between the members who were busy teasing me again. Sure, without Shura I never would've escaped the mansion, but I was the one who collected all the items that revived everyone!
Give me some credit too!
Click, click, click. I rapidly toggled the flashlight on and off, shining it directly at Airi and Karen's faces. Apparently it did have damage, because the two who had been ignoring me started complaining about the glare.
"Bwahahaha! Receive the judgment of light!"
"…Buying a shovel."
"Huh? W-wait! I won't do it anymore. I won't, so don't hit me with that!"
Scary. That murderous intent over a little prank was terrifying! I hurriedly fled from the menacing Karen. Fortunately, she only threatened me and didn't actually swing, but I got the feeling she'd really hit me if I pushed it further, so I decided to behave.
Still, Priya at least didn't seem intent on ignoring me. She approached and spoke in a slightly sulky tone.
"Snow…"
"Riya… You don't ignore me. Thank you…"
"What right do I have to ignore you?"
"Eh? Right?"
Her unexpectedly serious response caught me off guard. Priya continued in a genuinely earnest voice.
"Next time, I'll definitely protect you."
"U-uh? Thanks…"
I mean, I'd appreciate being protected, but was that the kind of thing you said in that tone? I tilted my head in confusion.
Of course, maybe because we'd spent all the money we'd earned on the first day reviving everyone, we got wiped in the very next round.
How pointless. This game…
Ah, and when you die and become a soul, you can apparently interfere with teammates' equipment, but I couldn't figure out where you'd even use that feature.