落とし穴１４４堀：夏の怪談リバイバル 大人の夏休み始まる (Part2)
"Well, I suppose it wouldn't feel like a secluded inn in the suburbs if it were any easier to get to."
Indeed, we were currently heading toward the inn by car.
The commercial district itself is quite vast, so it’s not as if traveling by vehicle is unheard of, but it’s certainly a hassle to walk such a distance.
I imagine the intent behind providing a shuttle bus or similar service is to let people enjoy the novelty of riding in a car. After all, outside of the great nation of Rogari, the spread of automobiles has yet to truly take hold.
As I was pondering this...
"Huh? There's that person in the red dress again."
"Excuse me? Out here?"
Taiki-kun suddenly blurted that out. I immediately pulled the car over and scanned the surroundings, but there was no one to be seen.
Taizo-san also looked around, but it seemed he couldn't find anyone either, and he turned a puzzled gaze toward us.
"I mean, is there even anyone out in a place like this?"
"True. We’re already deep in the forest. If someone were walking by, we would have noticed. So, where did you see them, Taiki-kun?"
"Ah, um, over in that grove... but, they're gone now."
The spot where Taiki-kun claimed to have seen the woman in the red dress wasn't even by the roadside; it was deep within the trees along the highway, in a place where it would be nearly impossible for a person to walk. It was far too overgrown with brush and thickets.
Still...
"Taiki-kun wouldn't stop the car out here for no reason, would he?"
"Indeed. It could be a lie or a joke, but... what do you say, Taiki-kun? I won't be angry if you tell us now."
"No, no, it's not a joke. We're about to go have some fun; I wouldn't joke about something like this."
"That's true. I don't think he's lying."
"I agree. However, the woman in the red dress Taiki-kun mentioned is nowhere to be found. Hmm. Well, for now, why don't we check with the dungeon's functions? If there's no response, then there really is no one there, and we won't have to worry about someone being lost."
"That sounds like a plan. Let's check."
I followed Taizo-san's suggestion and checked the area information on the map screen, but there was no data indicating anyone was nearby.
That left only one conclusion...
"No response. Given the situation, I suppose it must have been your imagination, Taiki-kun."
Generally speaking, that was the only logical answer. It was just his imagination.
However...
"I see. Am I just tired? No, I must be tired. The person in the red dress I saw earlier... I have this feeling it was the same person I saw in the shopping district."
"If that's the case, it's highly likely it was just a trick of the eye. Even though we spent time shopping, there's no reason for someone to go out of their way to get ahead of us all the way out here."
"Maybe something left an impression on you, and you just mistook a red flower for a person?"
"...Yeah, maybe that's it."
"..."
It’s unheard of for Taiki-kun, who has worked so hard as a Hero, to keep insisting it was "just his imagination" in such a short span of time.
Which leads to...
"...Is this ghost-related?"
"Hmm. But the ghosts are all properly managed, aren't they?"
"Exactly. And we don't have anyone as striking as a woman in a red dress, do we?"
"I suppose not. The only possibility would be Hanako-chan, but there's no way it's her. Besides, it's peak season right now, and they're all incredibly busy."
All the ghosts summoned by Luna and the others were currently employed at the haunted house or working night security. Especially during the summer, the haunted house was a massive success, keeping them all occupied. Furthermore, since some of those ghosts possessed immense power, they were kept under strict management.
"...Everyone is accounted for. So, is it someone else?"
"Hmm. Well, it wouldn't be strange if there were ghosts we didn't know about."
"True. It's not like only Earth-based ghosts appear. It wouldn't be odd for there to be ghosts that aren't monsters of this world. But would something like that really be in Weed? And this is a newly developed district, isn't it?"
As Taiki-kun said, unless it was a place with some sort of history, there was no reason for such an event to occur here. There was no reason for a ghost to appear.
"That's true. Well, we'll just be careful if we see them again. Today is the first day of our fun summer vacation. Let's enjoy it."
"Well, if a ghost does appear, I suppose that could be fun in its own way. A good experience."
"That's true, too. Even if a new ghost appeared, we can just treat it as a bit of summer spice."
Despite the odd occurrence, we had experienced countless strange things since coming to Weed—or rather, this world—so we didn't pay it much mind as we headed toward the inn.
Thus, the curtain rose on Yuki and his companions' short summer vacation.
What is the identity of the woman in the red dress that Taiki saw?
Will Yuki and the others be able to spend their summer vacation in peace?