Defense Specialization and Overcoming 2.

The next day, Risa awakened as usual and headed to school. On the way, she spotted Maple and hurried over.

"Maple, good morning."

"Good morning, Risa!"

Walking side by side toward school, Maple suddenly speaks.

"Did you try that game?"

"Not yet... I've been busy with assignments. There just wasn't time."

Risa glances away slightly after speaking.

"...You really won't play it with me?"

"Ugh, I knew you'd say that. Fine. When should we do it?"

Risa thought: if she kept postponing, she'd never play the game. She decided to do it today.

"Alright. Then after school today!...I don't need to bring anything, right?"

"Yeah. I’ve got the hardware for two players."

"Then I’ll be looking forward to it...? I’m already looking forward to it!"

Maple hesitates, a subtle unease in her response, though she does not voice it outright. This is not about enjoyment, after all. Even playing together, is this phrasing right?

But horror games—this is my first time too. We didn’t have them at Risa’s house…

Ahaha… I didn’t even suggest playing them myself.

Maple rarely buys games on her own. She never touches a game unless Risa recommends it. So it makes sense she’s never played a horror game before.

Is it really scary?

I don’t know. Not even sure myself.

Risa has no experience with it either. She can’t offer the usual rules, the usual patterns.

Then it’s just… something to discover as we go.

If I can enjoy it… that’d be good.

Ah… right.

Thus, after making plans for the afternoon, the two walked the remaining half of the way to school.

Time passed. After classes ended, Maple and Mizari arrived at Mizari’s home, as promised.

“Coming home.”

“Excuse myself.”

They entered the house and immediately headed toward Mizari’s room. Mizari, having made up her mind after much thought, ascended the stairs with clear determination.

“Wait a moment. I’m preparing.”

“Yes, yes.”

After waiting behind Mizari for a while, she returned, two VR devices placed side by side. Maple picked up one of them and confirmed with Mizari what kind of game it was.

“Um, it’s the one where we’re chased by a ghost, right?”

“Yeah. We’re thrown into a different space. We have to solve things as we go and escape from there.”

“Hmph. Feels like we’re clearing a dungeon, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah. Maybe? …Well, thinking of it that way might make it a little easier.”

On the back of the package, a small image showed selected scenes—among them, a place resembling a hospital.

“Maybe it’s better if the setting’s somewhere we don’t usually go…”

Even if something frightening happened there, it wouldn’t matter much if they rarely visited. It was a backward reason for overcoming fear, but it was a lesson learned from past retreats.

“Then shall we begin? Just like before—up to the first checkpoint!”

“Yeah… let’s.”

As they had done when playing their first game together, the two entered the virtual space, aiming to clear the first chapter.

After a moment, she opens her eyes. Before her, a row of broken desks and chairs. The same blackboard, worn and cracked. Outside the window, darkness. Complete. The room remains dim, lit by a source unknown. From her observations, this appears to be a school classroom. She sits on a chair.

“Wasn’t this a hospital?”

“……?……??”

She speaks to Risa, seated beside her. Risa only tilts her head, confused.

“Let’s explore for now.”

“Y-yeah… okay…”

As expected in a game space, items are highlighted. Even in dim light, none are missed. Maple sees the paper on the desk before her glowing faintly. She reaches out and takes it.

"Um... yeah, I just woke up here, don’t know how to get out. Feels creepy, but I guess I have to search around... Is there anyone else here?"

"Maybe..."

Risa’s aura already radiated pure retreat, despite the school setting being unlike anything she’d expected.

"Then we’ll just have to look around ourselves!"

"Yeah. I hope nothing shows up..."

Even if it was only the first chapter, no—especially because it was the first chapter of a horror game—nothing appearing was impossible. Still, Risa let Hikari pull her hand as she prayed, stepping out of the classroom.

First, she cracked the door open and peered out, checking both sides. The dim hallways stretched left and right. No sound. No movement. But the darkness was thick, distant shapes blurred. Certainty remained out of reach.

"Seems safe, for now?"

Nothing there…?

Probably… no way to check, huh.

Normally, either the mechanical god’s armament deployment or the poison dragon’s indiscriminate assault would eliminate any threat instantly. But here, such dangerous tools are absent.

Which way to go?

The safer one…?

Hmm, then right!

Since lingering in the classroom serves no purpose, they proceed right, as Maple decides. Rows of classrooms line the hall, but most doors resist when Maple tries to open them. Something holds them shut.

Will it open? Wait—?

Peering through the small glass pane in the classroom door, Maple notices a girl seated alone at a desk.

Hey, Hey, Risa! Someone’s here!

Risa cautiously opens one eye, joining Maple in peering through the small glass window.

The girl who had been looking down slowly raised her face toward the two. In an instant, her form vanished. A sharp sound and a cry echoed as a hand slammed against the small viewing window.

“Wah!?”

“Hii…!”

Maple stared at the two black eyes, stark against the pale, lifeless face—just as before. She tugged Risa to her feet, the girl still seated. This place must be abandoned.

“W-we should run!”

“……”

Maple pulled Risa along the way they had come. Glancing back while moving, she saw no sign of the apparition.

“Phew… safe. Scared me.”

Relief settled in her chest. She had escaped, at least for now.

“Going this way, our legs are faster. We might actually get away.”

Maple, facing forward and thinking ahead to what lies ahead, sees Risa’s expression—wan, on the verge of tears.

“Um… what now?”

“W-well… I’ll still… do it!”

She forces her voice high, desperate to sound strong. Her legs tremble, nearly giving way. She pushes them straight, steadies herself with a deep breath.

“I decided… I’d overcome this place!”

She manages to stand only because Maple is beside her. Alone, she would not have risen. She would not have even moved.

“Got it! Let’s go left!”

“Y-yeah… huff… alright…”

Guided by Maple’s hand, they turn left, checking each classroom. They find several tutorial notes—similar to the earlier memo—indicating the path to escape from here, and how to use certain items. With Maple’s guidance, they discover useful objects.

"Look! Look, Risa—flashlight!"

Maple flickered the light on and off. Risa watched, testing whether hers would respond the same.

"Better for searching now."

"Yeah. Brighter is better..."

They held the flashlights steady, casting light across the room. A presence approached from the corridor. They extinguished the lights at once. A waveform, like an electrocardiogram, appeared in the upper right of their vision. As the presence drew near, the oscillation widened, reacting like a sensor.

"…………"

Crouched behind the teacher's desk, both women remained still. The waveform gradually stilled. Then it vanished.

"Phew—didn’t get caught. But we have to be careful when turning on lights."

The journal reads: the spirit the two women encountered earlier appears to wander these halls. They must search for clues to escape, avoiding it carefully. Though the world feels nearly real, it remains a game—thus, a system exists to avoid detection precisely.

Lights attract attention. Yet without them, some items remain hidden.

"Let's search this floor first!"

"Uh-huh..."

"Haha, feels strange, doesn't it?"

Usually Risa, the more experienced, would decide the plan. But in a horror game, that does not suffice. Still, even Hanako, who has watched Risa before, has picked up a measure of that skill.

"Yeah... Honestly, not feeling it..."

"Fufu, leave it to me for once!"

"Okay, I trust you."

After confirming through the spirit scanner that no spirits remained outside, the two quietly exit the classroom. They move from room to room, searching for an escape route. The school spans three floors, even at its smallest, and covers a considerable area. Items secured and maps retrieved can be pulled from their inventory just as they are in 'New World Online,' a relief that does not hinder their search.

"Risa, this way!"

After some time exploring, Maple notices the sensor reacting. She quickly switches off her flashlight and ducks into cover with Risa.

"Did they see us...?"

"Please, don’t let them see us... don’t let them see us...!"

Beside Risa, who has closed her eyes and resigned herself to whatever comes, Maple watches the shadows as closely as she can. After a while, she sees a spirit pass by the cover and move away. She exhales, relieved.

“Phew… this is nerve-wracking! So this is what horror games feel like!”

“………Uuu…”

Risa is worn down by the recurring cycle of tension and relief she is not skilled at managing.

“If we make it to the next classroom, let’s call it quits? We’ve done enough, and the school seems long….”

The group has mostly completed the second floor, but the first and third floors remain untouched. The goal was to clear one stage, but Risa is already drained beyond endurance.

“Yeah, let’s do that? Let’s do that?”

“Then it’s settled! The last place we haven’t checked is the art room!”

They move cautiously, avoiding gaps where spirits might appear, and reach the art room without incident. They shine their flashlights inside, scanning for anything out of place.

“Wow… so many canvases.”

“Something’s here…?”

“Statues, canvases, paint… hmm… wait! Oh!”

“W-What?!”

Maple leads Risa by the hand, her eyes still closed, to the spot where the item indicator appeared. There, a key with a tag lies on the floor.

“Ah, clearly a clue! Um… the science room?”

Upon acquiring the key, it vanishes into storage automatically, saved as an item. Only one key found so far. The next destination must be the science room.

“The science room wasn’t on the second floor. Perfect. That’s the end.”

“Then let’s save and finish?”

Save points are placed at various locations on the map. They had saved before entering the art room. Now, they record their progress and end the day’s exploration.

“Then, be careful not to trip.”

Risa, eyes still shut, takes Maple’s outstretched hand. She exhales, relief in her grip.

When Maple began to walk, Risa took a step forward. Her free hand was suddenly wrapped in something cold and faintly tingling.

“Eh…?”

Risa turned sharply, startled. There stood a girl in a school uniform. The cold sensation she had felt was the girl’s hand—transparent, almost insubstantial.

“Don’t go… Ikanai deee!”

The spirit wept black fluid from its eyes and seized Risa with both hands. Shocked, Risa could not react—her body gave way, collapsing to the ground.

“W-what?! W-what’s going on?! Risa?!”

Maple had just begun to move when a sudden, unfamiliar voice rang from behind. She turned, reaching to help Risa—then her vision darkened completely. After a moment, the words “Game Over” appeared in the silence.

When vision returned, items had reverted to their state before entering the art room, and the system was clearly restarting from the automatic save point.

As for Risa, she sank to the floor without a word, her legs giving way. There was no doubt she lacked the will to enter the art room again.

"Let's end it."

Maple made the decision, selected "Stop Game" from the menu she summoned, and the two returned to the real world.

Maple removed the VR headset upon returning to the real world, recalling her first horror game experience. The game had been virtual reality, and she had played it as if it were an extension of a haunted house attraction. She had been startled, but also found enjoyment in the tense exploration.

"Risa...?"

Maple removed the headset, meeting Risa's exhausted gaze.

"Maple..."

"What?"

"I... I'm giving up."

Maple felt a strange sense of understanding as she looked into Risa’s eyes, blurred with tears, her voice weak and trembling.

“Ugh! I knew this would happen! It’s always been like this whenever I said I’d overcome it before.”

“The game… I’ll give it to you if you want it.”

“Hmm, maybe not. It’s too much trouble, juggling things like Risa does. And it still looks like it’ll be a long road ahead.”

“I see… sorry for dragging you along.”

“No, it was fresh, trying it for the first time. But we should head back soon.”

They had been exploring, Maple guiding awkwardly, Risa’s steps heavy and unnatural, both wary of spirits. A long time had passed. The sky outside was dark. Maple checked her bag for forgotten items.

“Yeah, see you later.”

“See you! Oh, wait… what time should we call today?”

“Huh? Ah…”

Maple called Rysha to confirm the time. She knew she would not sleep properly tonight. The same had happened before, and judging by the game’s reactions, this would be no different.

Rysha understood what Maple meant. She hesitated, her voice muffled, embarrassed. She could not bring herself to say no.

“…Around ten o’clock…”

“Got it!”

Rysha forced the words out. Maple said goodbye once more, then turned toward home. Left alone, Rysha collapsed onto the desk, her hands scrabbling through her hair, flattening it into a mess.

“Shameful… ahh, idiot.”

She regretted it every time. Yet before beginning, she always felt she could do it. A sense of power, complete and unshaken. That was the worst part.

“I won’t do it again. I won’t!”

Rysha stared at the horror game’s package, repeating the words like a vow, as if to warn herself.

Several days after Maple and Mizari played the horror game. The large-scale event neared its midpoint. The number of defeated event monsters was already close to the cumulative target.

“Huh. Faster than I expected.”

“Yes. Gathering materials wasn’t overly difficult either. We’ve got enough now.”

“I might hit the goal without even joining in much.”

Crom, Iz, and Kanade checked the kill count. They estimated that, with continued steady progress, and relying on the larger guilds to act more aggressively, the target would surely be met within the time limit.

“Then I’ll keep looking around at a few other guilds, as usual.”

“Oh? Recon?”

“From what I’ve heard from the two of 【Rapid Fire】, it sounds promising. I just want to take a look.”

Those two are strong, so having information helps in personal combat.

That’s right. If anything comes up, I’ll let you know.

Yes. Let me know whenever you need something.

Alright. Oh, and earlier, Sally seemed to be deep in thought—maybe about personal combat? I couldn’t ask, so if you see her, please ask about it.

Got it.

I’ll keep that in mind.

Kanade, thanks to her magical tome and Sou’s [Mimicry], can adapt her combat style with flexibility. Though her level isn’t particularly high, her skill is pivotal in battle strategy. Kanade relies heavily on the [Divine Archive] and its magical tome. To fight seriously in the Seventh Layer, she must use the tome. So, if anything is needed, we should share it. Deciding which tomes to keep requires discussion. We must know what’s necessary.

Canae exits the guild home. Today, she goes to search for information on Lily and Wilbart. Shortly after Canae leaves, Maple and Sally arrive at the guild home.

"Ah, just missed each other."

"Yes. If we’d waited a little longer, we could’ve spoken directly."

"...? What are you talking about?"

"Nothing. Canae said she’d been thinking quite a bit about the interpersonal combat match, and asked me to hear what she had to say."

"Any idea, Sally?"

"It was that day she spoke with Canae... ah!?"

A startled sound escapes Sally. She claps a hand over her mouth, then clears her throat to cover it.

"Are you alright?"

"No, nothing. I was just thinking of something else. Confused me for a moment. Sorry."

"Ah... hmm hmm"

Maple nods slightly, as if she understands. A glance from Sally cuts through the air—silent, firm—no words needed. She does not speak of what she has grasped.

"Then it’s fine. If it’s not that, pressing further would be awkward."

"Yes, I’m sorry. I’ll tell Kanade."

"Please do."

Crom and Izu return to their conversation. Maple leans in, quietly speaking to Sally.

"Was it the horror game you were troubled by?"

"Ugh… you didn’t have to figure that out."

Sally lowers her eyes, hiding her expression. She pulls the scarf up to cover her mouth.