振り返り：落とし穴１６２堀～落とし穴１６５堀＋α (Part6)
"Yes. I'm so relieved. My mom suddenly told me to go guide two strangers, and I was actually trembling with nerves. I'm glad you two are so polite."
" "Ah..." "
That was all we could say.
Who asks a high school girl to guide two male students she’s meeting for the first time?
It’s too convenient. This is an eroge, after all. No, this must be Luna’s doing.
"...I suppose this is just the setup to make it easier for us to get involved in the main plot."
"...I see. In a way, isn't this a chance? We can use the tour as an excuse to pry some information out of her."
"Let's do that. We can explore the town later."
Naoko Sudo, the upperclassman heroine who seemed the least likely to cross our paths, had come to us of her own volition. We should ride the momentum of this conversation.
"Alright, it's cold, so let's get this tour started. Follow me."
We decided to simply follow Naoko Sudo as instructed.
"But it must be tough for you two, moving right at the start of the year because of your parents' work. And changing schools, too."
"Not at all. You're the one who got stuck with the trouble of guiding us, Sudo-san."
"Exactly. Sorry for the inconvenience so early in the year."
"It's fine. I'm getting properly compensated for this, after all."
As she said this, Naoko Sudo made a circle with her right thumb and index finger. In other words, money.
"It's a bonus on top of my New Year's allowance. I wouldn't have taken the job otherwise."
"Well, I suppose that makes sense."
"Can't exactly work for free, can you?"
"Exactly. But honestly, it helped me out. You know how it is—the end of the year and the start of the new one, expenses just pile up, right?"
We were actually having a surprisingly casual conversation with Naoko Sudo. Since the setting is that we’re relatives, she probably isn't as guarded as she would be with total strangers. As I was thinking this, she began the tour.
"The area we're in right now is called the New Residential District. This town, Oumaga, is shaped like a shopping district sandwiched between this New Residential District and the Old Residential District over there. Well, it's obvious if you look at your smartphone, though."
Even though she’s being paid, the fact that she’s explaining things so thoroughly shows she really is a good person. It’s no wonder she’s a heroine candidate. She has a wonderful character.
Still, Oumaga Town, huh?
It’s read as "Oumaga-machi."
"...Is that a play on 'Oumagatoki' (the hour of the demon/twilight)? I just realized it now."
"...The title of the game is 'Town of Twilight,' too. Since the timing is perfect, they definitely intended it that way."
No matter how you look at it, the name "Oumaga" is a twist on *Oumagatoki*. I realized this while playing the game yesterday.
"Hm? This town is 'intended'?"
"Oh, no. I just heard the sunset here is beautiful."
"Ah, yes, it is. The evening scenery here is quite famous. You know, the view of the town from the park on that hill while the sun sets is incredible."
She pointed toward a rather high plateau.
Ah, I’ve seen that place before.
That’s the location on the game’s package where all four heroines are standing against the backdrop of the sunset-drenched town. It might be worth visiting later.
After that, we had no particular trouble in the city. She guided us to the school’s main gate and explained that we should come early on the 4th to receive our textbooks before the opening ceremony.
"Alright. Now, it's time to prepare dinner. I'll buy the ingredients at my favorite shop and treat you to some of my home cooking."
"Huh? You don't have to go that far..."
Why is she so full of service? It felt strange, and I wanted to decline, but—
"Don't worry about it. I was asked to handle the meal preparation, too. That's included in the fee."
"...I see. In that case, I'll take you up on your offer."
I was still deeply suspicious, but I said that for now. We went with Naoko Sudo to the recommended shop in the shopping district, bought the ingredients, and returned to the house.
"Alright, just wait a moment."
As she put on a simple apron and started cooking, we noticed something while watching her.
"...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."
Yes, the reason Naoko Sudo is being so incredibly attentive to us—people she just met—is actually because she doesn't want to go home.
It’s not that she’s a delinquent.
At school, her grades and conduct are both excellent. She’s a busy person who is well-liked and even serves as the student council president, but in reality...
She has a terrible spiritual disturbance—or rather, a troublesome ghost—haunting her house, so she simply refuses to go back.
She’s working hard at all these odd jobs just to delay returning home by even a single minute.
The reason she needs money is, in fact, to pay for capsule hotels so she doesn't have to go home.
"...Her parents have already been sent to the hospital, after all."
"In that sense, she’s the most dangerous one. Even 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 go home, the influence will only get worse."
"Well, let's consider this encounter a stroke of luck. In the main story, the rumors about her doing anything for money reach a point where people are actually talking about it."
"She seems to have stayed out all through the New Year's holidays just to avoid going home. That's exactly why being forced back home leads to such a critical situation."
And we happened to intervene at that exact moment. You could say this is the perfect timing to save Naoko Sudo.
The only question is how to bring up the subject...
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Today we're having bacon and spinach peperoncino. And vegetable soup."
There stood Naoko Sudo, serving the meal with a smile, showing not a single trace of her inner turmoil.
Pitfall 165: Thus, their story begins.
Side: Yuki
"Alright, leave the cleanup to me."
No sooner had she said that than Naoko Sudo began cleaning up after the meal as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was a wife.
Asking why she’s so efficient at housework would be foolish. Since her entire family was sent to the hospital, she had no choice but to do it herself. That’s all there is to it.
"...What should we do? Should we just give her the money and watch how things develop for now?"
"...I don't think we can afford to do that. If anything, this is the biggest opportunity we have. In her case, she’s aware of the cause, so if we solve it, she’ll likely be cooperative with us in the future. To that end, we should aim for an early resolution. Or rather, whether we can solve this will confirm if we can clear scenarios without the protagonist."
"Oh, I see. If we can't, we'll have to ask the protagonist to step in."
"Exactly. And if we can resolve this early, we can identify the causes for the other heroines and crush them quickly, too."
"But won't Sudo-senpai be put in danger if we mess up?"
"I understand your concern, but if that happens, we'll be the ones taken out first. Just like her parents."
"Ah..."
Right. The evil spirit in Naoko Sudo's scenario is the type that directly harms people.
There is a route where the protagonist tries to help and gets harmed, leading to a death bad end, but that’s because the protagonist directly meddled with it.
The proof is that her parents only ended up in the hospital.
Besides, if that spirit really wanted to finish Naoko Sudo off, it would have done so long ago.
"Even if the protagonist enters Sudo-san's route, it’s not guaranteed to succeed. It’s worth a try. Besides, if it follows the game, that evil spirit can't leave the house. In the meantime, Sudo-san can just stay at this house or Taiki-kun's place. The 'we're cousins' excuse holds up."
"Oh, right. It only attacks people who come to that house, after all. In other words, as long as she's not at that house, she's fine."
"That's the idea. It's better than leaving her alone."
If she rejects us and leaves, then so be it. In that case, we’ll just head to the Sudo residence ahead of time and storm in to crush the source of the problem.
While we were talking, Naoko Sudo finished washing the dishes and returned to us.
"There. Dishes are done."
"Thank you, Sudo-san. Sorry for making you do everything."
"It's fine. It helped me out, too. Here, some tea for after the meal."
As she said that and sat back down as if it were the most natural thing in the world, I couldn't help but think that she really, truly hates the idea of going home.