夏のスペシャル ２０２５年度 夏の怖い話 その１１ (Part1)
Summer Special 2025: Summer Ghost Stories, Part 11
Side: Yuki
We had set out this morning—or rather, during the morning hours—to tour some properties, but it seemed Luna had decided to play a prank on us, trapping us within a simulated Japanese town.
There was a method of escape provided: completing a stamp rally. Or so I assumed.
Thinking that perhaps heading to further stages would reveal the way out, we had finished the rally.
"Is this what they call a town office branch?"
Taiki-kun, standing beside me, tilted his head as he asked.
"There’s a sign up, so I suppose so."
A town office branch in this context was likely akin to a tourist information center.
The stamp rally card had instructed us to come here.
Here, one way or another, our next course of action would be made clear... or so it should be.
"Let's head in for now. Prol and the others, come with us. Stay alert, just in case."
"Yes!"
There was always the chance that stepping inside would transport us somewhere else entirely.
I had to remain vigilant.
Still, we had no choice but to open the door and enter.
With that resolve, I pushed the door open...
"Oh, you're here already? That was surprisingly fast."
For some reason, the useless goddess was sitting at the counter, munching on potato chips while watching television.
It was a pathetic attitude for a staff member.
If she worked for me, I’d have fired her on the spot.
But, putting that aside, I decided to speak up on behalf of the stunned members of my party.
"Can we talk? Or is this going to be a 'no-questions-asked deportation' kind of situation?"
For now, that was the most important thing.
The fact that Luna was here meant that, in a sense, things had reached a stopping point.
Even if we were to be sent to another stage, having the culprit present meant we could at least extract some information.
"Ah~, it’s fine, really. Think of this place as a new attraction."
"An... attraction?"
What was she talking about?
Perhaps sensing our confusion, Luna turned toward us to explain properly.
"I prepared this as a sample of houses and townscapes, but you know how time-consuming that can be, right?"
"That goes without saying."
"Well, if I add ghosts and supernatural phenomena as an attraction and turn it into an otherworldly space, I can keep time from passing. Though, honestly, having no time limit at all would be a total violation of the rules. Think of it like a 'Room of Spirit and Time'."
"I see. Being able to train to your heart's content without time passing in the outside world is certainly a massive advantage."
It was a rule-breaking cheat that went far beyond a mere dungeon.
Of course, one would need supplies and such, but since we could solve those logistical issues, the ability to stop time was incredibly convenient.
"Right? It’s only natural that you lot would think of using it for such schemes, so I made sure to be careful about that."
"Then, wouldn't it have been better to have time pass from the beginning?"
When Prol asked the obvious question, Luna opened her mouth and replied casually...
"I know how busy you and Yuki are. If you were to go missing for half a day or a full day, I’d be the first one suspected, wouldn't I?"
"That's true."
"And then I'd have to compensate for the damages. I don't want to spend more than I planned on a prank. Besides, I have no intention of causing trouble for the people of Weed."
"Hey. Are we just chopped liver?"
"Of course not. That’s why time hasn't passed—well, strictly speaking, it’s a bit different. It’s more of a 'super-acceleration' state? Stopping time completely consumes an absurd amount of resources."
"So that's why you called it a 'Room of Spirit and Time'. Fine, whatever. So, what happens to us now?"
"Hm? Haven't you finished the stamp rally?"
"No, we’ve all filled in the six spots, since it’s the same stamp."
"That’s good. Ah, well, I’ve been monitoring you, so I knew that."
I swallowed the urge to ask why she’d bothered to ask if she already knew, and continued the conversation.
"So, can we consider the conditions cleared?"
"Yep. You can go home safely, though it really was too fast. Even with breaks, you finished it in four hours of local time. You rushed through it."
"It was only six spots, and all within walking distance. Usually, you'd need a car. Even so, isn't four hours about average?"
That was standard for property viewings.
"Hmm. I suppose you're right. Still, after seeing ghosts in a 'haunted' property, would you really want to go straight to the next one?"
"No, but we knew it was a method for escape."
"Exactly. We weren't going to stop just because we were scared. We took breaks, of course. Though, I suppose if Prol and the others had said they were terrified, we might have slowed down."
"That's true. But Prol and the others moved right along. Actually, you were targeting them, weren't you?"
I had to ask. It was obvious that we weren't the intended victims of this scare.
"Well, this was a sort of welcome for Prol and the others. You lot wouldn't find it meaningful unless it was something much more extreme."
"Don't go making it extreme for us, either. Anyway, the welcome is over, then?"
"That's right. Hand over the stamp rally card, and I'll trade you this key."
Luna held up a normal-looking key.
Wait, was it a bit of an old-fashioned type? It looked like one of those key-shaped burial mound artifacts.
"Insert this into the keyhole on the inside of the front door of the safe house, and once you open it, you'll be back outside where time flows normally. From there, you can just head back to Weed. There are no loops."
"So that's the system. I thought there might be more to it."
"You lot would probably head to the NEXT stage without a second thought, but Prol and the others are here, after all. Besides, if you're interested, feel free to look around the other houses. Time isn't passing, and you haven't spent much time here yet."
"No, no, they come with ghosts, right?"
"That's true. Oh, and no destroying the houses, okay? They’re just there to surprise you; they won't actually attack."
Who would want to go through the trouble of being scared for no reason... wait.
"If we don't leave, time won't pass, right?"
"Yep. Though, you can't secure supplies or anything. You can do a bit of training, but the limit is three days. Once that passes, you'll be automatically moved back to Weed. It's mostly for the faint of heart, really."