落とし穴１６４堀：ゲームの曖昧さ (Part2)
"It’s a little something on top of the New Year’s gift. I wouldn’t have taken the job otherwise."
"Well, I suppose that makes sense."
"I couldn't handle working for free, after all."
"Exactly. But honestly, you’ve really helped me out. You know how it is—the end of the year and the start of the new one always come with so many expenses, right?"
Just like that, I found myself talking to Naoko Sudo with surprising ease. I suppose since the setup is that we’re relatives, she doesn't feel the need to be on guard, even though we’ve technically just met. As I was thinking that, she began giving me a tour of the town.
"The area we’re in right now is what they call the New Residential District. This town, Oumaga-machi, is laid out with the shopping district sandwiched between this New Residential District and the Old Residential District over there. Well, it’s pretty obvious if you look at your smartphone, though."
Even though she’s being paid for this, the fact that she’s explaining everything so thoroughly proves she really is a good person. They weren't kidding when they called her a heroine candidate. She’s a model citizen.
Still, Oumaga-machi, huh? It’s written as "Oumaga-machi."
"Is that a play on the 'hour of the demon'—*oumagatoki*? I just realized that now."
"The title of the game is *Town of Twilight*, after all. It fits the time of day perfectly, so they definitely did that on purpose."
No matter how you look at it, the name of this town must be a nod to the hour of the demon. I realized that while playing the game yesterday.
"Hm? You said this town is 'doing it on purpose'?"
"Oh, no. I just heard the sunset here is beautiful."
"Ah, that’s right. The evening scenery here is quite famous. You see that park on the hill? The view of the town bathed in the sunset from there is incredible."
She pointed toward a rather high plateau. Ah, I’ve seen that place before. It’s the spot featured on the game’s package, where all four heroines are standing together against the backdrop of the sunset-lit town. It might be worth checking out later.
After that, we had no issues navigating the town. She guided us to the school’s main gate and explained that we should head there early on the 4th to pick up our textbooks before the opening ceremony.
"Alright! Now, all that’s left is dinner. I’ll buy the ingredients at my favorite shop and treat you to some of my home cooking."
"Oh? You don’t have to go that far..."
Why is she so service-oriented? It felt a bit strange to have her go to such lengths, and I wanted to decline, but—
"Don't worry about it. I was asked to take care of your meals, too. That’s included in the fee."
"…I see. In that case, I’ll take you up on your kind offer."
I was still deeply suspicious, but I said that for now and accompanied Naoko Sudo to the recommended shop in the shopping district to buy ingredients before heading back to the house.
"Alright, just wait a moment!"
She said that, putting on a simple apron to start cooking. Watching her, we both remembered something.
"…That’s definitely a case of 'I don’t want to go home,' isn't it?"
"…Probably. Naoko Sudo’s scenario takes place in the New Residential District, specifically at her own home."
The reason Naoko Sudo is taking such diligent care of us, despite us being strangers, is actually because she doesn't want to go home. It’s not that she’s a delinquent; at school, she’s a top student with excellent conduct. She’s a busy person who is well-liked and even serves as the student council president. But in reality…
She’s dealing with a severe spiritual disturbance—or rather, a very troublesome ghost—haunting her house, so she’s desperate to avoid going back. She’s working so hard just to delay her return by even a minute or a second. She needs the money so she can stay in capsule hotels instead of going home.
"…Her parents have already been sent to the hospital, after all."
"In that sense, she’s the most troublesome of the lot. Among all the scenarios, the collateral damage to those around her is exceptionally high."
The other heroines are, at most, just being targeted by an evil spirit. Well, there is one other dangerous one, but that’s a generational issue.
"And once she runs out of money and is forced to return home, the influence will only spread further."
"Let’s just consider this a stroke of luck. In the main story, the rumors about her doing anything for money reach a point where they’re hard to ignore."
"And it seems she stayed out the entire New Year’s holiday just to avoid going home. That’s exactly why being forced back home leads to such a dire situation."
And we happened to intervene at just the right moment. You could say this is the perfect timing to save Naoko Sudo. Now, the only question is how to bring up the subject…
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Today we’re having bacon and spinach peperoncino, and some vegetable soup."
There she was, smiling as she served the food, showing not a hint of what she was going through.
Well, I didn't explicitly write down addresses in the game. There was no point! Even I, Yuki, was pretty lax about that. Still, I suppose I did construct things with a certain level of realism.
Now then, one of the heroines has appeared! How will Yuki and the others navigate this first dream of the New Year?