落とし穴９３堀：避けられぬ運命 (Part1)
### Pitfall 93: The Inescapable Fate
**The Inescapable Fate**
Everything that exists in this world changes its form over time.
Water turns into steam with heat, rises into the sky, gathers into clouds, and returns to water as rain.
While "cycle" sounds simple, the reality is far more complex.
Collecting dust, becoming muddied, absorbing salt—the substance known as water takes on a myriad of forms.
It can be drinking water, pure water, or a toxic sludge harmful to most living things. If the temperature drops low enough, it even solidifies.
That is just an easy example; it doesn't even have to be a physical substance.
We humans understand this better than anyone.
The history humans have built is not uniform. Countless cultures and histories exist, and the unique culture of each era is born only to fade away.
Stories are the same.
Many famous fairy tales known to people on Earth today were actually much more gruesome in their original forms, but they have been sugar-coated and altered into happy endings to suit the modern age.
Now, having said all that, I have only one thing to say.
"Fear" evolves, too.
Matching the era and culture, fear has taken on diverse forms. Sometimes it was natural disasters, sometimes monsters, forbidden places, the dead, haunted spots, videotapes, mobile phones, DVDs, or the internet...
***
**Side: Yuki**
I had been forced to listen to this grand, or perhaps utterly pointless, lecture. Since it was so long-winded, I decided to cut to the chase.
"I don't care about your sermon. What’s your point?"
Before me was Luna, a blonde, odd-eyed beauty? currently wrapped up like a sushi roll. She claims to be a high-ranking goddess, but that’s irrelevant right now.
The haunted house I had gone to visit for the first time in a while had been remodeled into a school without my permission.
You might think that makes no sense, right?
I don't get it either.
That’s why I dragged the culprit who likely did this here.
When I sent a message asking if she wanted to eat dinner together, she showed up immediately.
What kind of goddess can't cook for herself?
Anyway, I fed her, let her get nice and full, and once she was too stuffed to move, I captured her for interrogation.
I asked her, "You did this, didn't you?"
And that’s when the incomprehensible explanation began.
"After the inn, you needed a bigger stage, right? So, a school. There was also a hospital, but I chose the school because the variety of things that can appear there is much greater."
"So, you turned the abandoned inn you put your heart and soul into into an abandoned school? You wasted it?"
"Eh? It’s not a waste, is it? Amusement facilities like that lose customers if you don't update them annually, you know? You need seasonal highlights at theme parks; even famous haunted house designers say so."
"Don't you dare turn that place into a theme park on your own accord!! And wait, so you *are* the culprit!!"
"Abababa!? D-don't shake me!? I'm going to bring up my dinner!?"
"Bring it up, get it out!! All that stuff inside that thinks up such stupid ideas!! Give back the summer independent research project that people worked so hard to build!!"
"S-summer independent research project, you say!? It would have been trash by next summer anyway, wouldn't it!?"
"It’s a metaphor, you idiot useless goddess!! Who remodels an entire plot of land into a haunted house in an abandoned inn without asking anyone!!"
Why is everything you do so free-spirited?
Are you trying to disrespect my friends!?
Is this the same as when a talk about building a model airplane somehow turned into a next-generation jet fighter!?
"Now, now. I understand how you feel about losing something you worked hard on, but calm down, brother. Luna is reaching her limit."
"I don't want to see someone vomit right after a meal."
*Ugh.* As Ratz and Seraria said, I don't want to deal with "recycled" food from this useless goddess, so I’ll stop here.
"Ugh... one more shake and today's dinner would have come out. Honestly, you're so dramatic."
"I'm not being dramatic!! This is a legitimate crime!! Remodeling someone else's property without permission!?"
"You had forgotten about it until just now, though."
"That’s a separate issue. But, what’s done is done. Fortunately, there were no human casualties. Our crystal of a summer is gone, but... so, I take it you’ve built a new haunted house?"
"That's right. I was left out of the fun last time, so I remodeled it myself this time."
"By 'this time,' you mean you remodeled it recently?"
"Hmm. Let's see. The concept was born when I saw Firia looking scared. I wanted something that would be even scarier. I think it was finished before the New Year. I really put my heart into it."
"Do you have a grudge against Firia?"
"No, it's just that when someone gets that scared, it motivates me, you know? Plus, it's fun to watch."
She was building a haunted house during the busiest time of the year!?
Is she actually an evil god? No, she’s just a useless goddess who obsesses over trivial things.
"But you really can't read the room. You see an abandoned school suddenly appear before you. The logical step is to step inside, right? You shouldn't come straight to me. Skipping the event is just unthinkable."
"Shut up. But judging by what you said, you've really fleshed out the inside, haven't you?"
"Of course. I didn't use your pathetic haunted house; I asked the spirits from the other side to cooperate. It’s a parade of modern hauntings!! Isn't it amazing?"
"Yoooouuuu, don't go dragging in the real thing!! What happened to the restrictions on summoning from other worlds that I mentioned before!?"
"I handled that properly. The haunted house is my hobby, and I left the lethal spirits behind. I refrained from bringing in the likes of Sadako or Kayako."
"That’s a given!!"
"They have it tough on the other side, too. Sadako and Kayako are still major, so they're fine, but the other spirits are almost forgotten and feel out of place. Most of them just have their rumors weather away and lose their power, so think of this as a form of nature conservation."
"My dungeon isn't a freak show zoo!!"
"Isn't a dungeon with talking goblins and vegetable-loving orcs who farm the fields a freak show zoo?"
"..."
Damn it, I can't deny that.
"At this point, it doesn't matter if you add one, two, three, or a hundred ghosts."
"The number just jumped by an order of magnitude!! Do you have a roster!? Can you communicate with them!? And did you bring them here without pay!?"
"Of course I can. It's not so much 'without pay' as it is giving them that school as a home, right? Plus, if customers come for tests of courage and gather fear, they can survive. It's a system where the residents can sustain themselves using fear as magic power."
I see.
So she did think that part through.
If the ghosts started wandering outside, I’d have to call the Ghostbusters... wait.
"Hold on. You say they use fear as magic, but no one has been near here lately, right? Will they be okay?"
"Ah, that's true, isn't it? The dungeon has plenty of magic power, so I'm not that worried. It's like... they've been fasting for three or four days?"
"That's not okay at all!! Are you sure they won't attack anyone!?"
"I'm thorough about that. Well, I feel bad for them, so why don't we go experience the haunted house now? We should do the introductions, too, right?"
And so, we gathered once again in front of the abandoned school as the sun set.
"...It’s really gone. The inn."
"...How heartless. 'The dreams of warriors, the aftermath' is a fitting saying..."
The ones exuding sadness at the sight were Taiki and Taizo-san, who had helped me build the abandoned inn.
Sorry, you two. It’s all because I couldn't keep an eye on the useless goddess...
"Alright, now, let's begin! The Heart-Pounding!! Real Haunted House IN JAPAN HIGH SCHOOL!!"
The useless goddess who built this place shouted with misplaced enthusiasm.
However, no one answered her energetic call.
"Geez, there's no reaction. And why are there so few participants?"
Luna complained.
The participants this time were me, Taiki, Taizo-san, Seraria, Eris, Ratz, Aslin, Firia, Firia, Comet, and Zargis—eleven people, less than half of our inner circle.
Labyris, Deryu, Shera, Kirue, and Airi-san were absent, terrified of ghosts.