落とし穴１５１堀：夏の怪談リバイバル 舞台裏 (Part2)
"Come now, both of you, calm down. Hairen is a goddess, isn't she? Besides, she’s a goddess of love and compassion, just like Lilishe, so she should be fine in a mere ruin where nothing but those pseudo-specters wander about."
"Hmm, are you sure about that?"
"I just can't imagine anything other than Hairen being in trouble and crying..."
I thought they might settle down a bit after Luna said that, but they still seem worried. At this point, it’s probably useless to say anything else.
"For now, why don't we just keep an eye on how Hairen is doing? If something happens, we’ll help her immediately. That’s fine, right? Luna, you agree?"
"Of course. It would be ridiculous if a goddess were to die from being attacked by spirits or undead. Besides, this is just a test run for a new type of immersive attraction. I’m certainly not going to let anyone actually die."
"If you're willing to go that far, then I suppose it's fine... but how are we supposed to report this to the Princess?"
"Ugh, what should we do..."
"In that case, just use my name. That will solve everything. Should I throw in some divine nectar, too?"
" "No, that won't be necessary!!" "
If she just casually offered that miraculous liquor—which doesn't just heal old wounds and missing limbs, but even cures congenital diseases—the higher-ups would be in total chaos. They seemed to have quite a dispute over the nectar she gave them before.
Well, to me, it’s just the kind of drink I occasionally have when I’m keeping Luna company. ...Hm? Is my perception skewed?
As I was thinking that, Luna looked genuinely surprised that the nectar was refused.
"Eh? You don't like alcohol?"
"That’s not it at all. Or rather, Luna, you know exactly why they're saying that, don't you?"
"Maybe. Still, I’m willing to go that far for the sake of Kagura and Mikos. That’s all."
" "Thank you very much." "
"Besides, I’m the one who dragged you into my hobby, so there's no need for thanks. Anyway, it looks like Hairen has started moving."
Prompted by that, I looked at the screen, which showed Hairen in one of the rooms of that inn. She was looking around restlessly...
『Ugh, gross!!』
Well, of course it is. It’s an abandoned inn where a tragedy took place.
『Ugh... do I really have to walk through a place like this?』
Complaining, Hairen stepped out of the room...
『...』
For some reason, she stopped in her tracks, looked anxiously to the left and right of the hallway, and then immediately retreated back into the room.
" " " ?" " "
As we tilted our heads at her mysterious behavior, Hairen suddenly crouched down...
『Wait, this is scary! It’s way scarier than I thought! What is this? The atmosphere is completely different from the battlefield I ran through with Souta and the others!』
" " " ..." " "
Forget getting lost; she doesn't even look like she can walk through this inn. Although, I can understand why. The battlefield and this place are completely different. This is a place that feels like everything was left behind to rot.
Ah, speaking of Hairen...
"Hey, Kagura, Mikos. Come to think of it, where is Enola? She was here just a moment ago, wasn't she?"
"Now that you mention it, that's true. Where did she go?"
"Ah, Enola seemed to be quite affected by what happened at the school earlier, so she's feeling unwell and lying down in her room."
"That time was intense, wasn't it? Noriko-san really went all out scaring Enola."
"No, no. It wasn't that much."
" " "We aren't complimenting you." " "
It seems ghosts are a genuine trauma for Enola.
"...No, isn't it normal for that to be a trauma?"
"That's true. If you were suddenly sent to a place like that, you'd normally panic or end up like Hairen. It's just that those guys' reactions are abnormal."
"Oh, by the way, what about Yuki-san and the others?"
While I was nodding at Ratz's words, I remembered something from a casual remark Eris made. Come to think of it, they had the axe-man rolled up in a mat...
『I think I heard a scream, didn't I?』
『Yes. It was a woman's voice.』
『Hmm. It must be this room.』
To my surprise, they had already arrived in front of the room where Hairen was. Well, in such a quiet inn, a loud voice like that would definitely carry. And then, they did the most natural thing.
*Knock, knock.*
『Is anyone there?』
When they asked that while knocking on the door...
『There's nobody here!』
『『『...』』』
And just like that, Hairen had already joined up with Yuki-san and the others.
Wait? Isn't she supposed to be on the side doing the scaring?
"Well, this is interesting in its own way, so it's fine!"
Luna said that with a truly delighted smile. I just hope she doesn't cause Yuki-san too much trouble. Luna is behind this, after all. But these scares won't work on Yuki. He’s had similar experiences in the past, after all.
And so, Hairen has joined the fray in the abandoned inn. What will happen from here? Is there any way for her to get home?