Chapter 272: Seven Mysteries of Disney

"...Heave, heave..."

Migaru, bracing her feet firmly, slowly descended into the underground—about thirty minutes or so.

After carefully scanning the surroundings, thinking it might be time, she found it.

A thin iron door that echoed with a dull thud when struck.

She jammed a knife into the center of the door and used leverage to pry it open, revealing a room filled with stale air.

An aluminum ladder was just leaning nearby. After much effort, she assembled it and leaned it against the control panel near the ceiling.

Only then was she finally able to reach and operate the switch that Rui had called the "breaker."

With a click, she activated it, and the hallway was instantly filled with white light.

The sound of the elevator and the air conditioning system began to hum to life.

Rui stepped onto the cargo elevator shortly after.

"...I was just about to give up a little."

"This kind of thing is nothing to worry about."

Then the two of them stepped into the room just next door. The door wasn't locked.

The room seemed to be a storage space for seasonal costumes.

Inside, everything was neatly organized, with dazzling costumes hung by number, remarkably vibrant and well-kept.

What was especially remarkable was the sheer number of dresses worn by the Disney Princesses—each one a living embodiment of a girl's dreams.

Bathed in the glow of the lights, they held a subtle, almost hypnotic charm, even enough to momentarily daze someone like Miharu, who usually didn't care much about appearances.

"Hey... this isn't our destination. Let's hurry and go ahead?"

Urui's urging finally made Miharu feel a flicker of shame for her own hesitation.

It's precisely because I hated people like this weakling that I'm here now.

"How far is the treasure from here?"

"Not far, I think. It's hard to tell—this area's like a maze."

"Where's the guide?"

"?"

"It's a valuable treasure, isn't it? Shouldn't there be a guide?"

"Well... that's true. But I haven't heard anything from my companions."

"Hmm."

"Ryka must be someone who can't trust others. That's why she keeps everything a secret from everyone."

Is that really the case?

In stories, it's common to set up some kind of mechanism at the place where treasure is stored.

Depending on the situation, one might need to be ready to retrace their steps.

In that case, one thing must never be forgotten—namely, that the loading elevator's capacity is only one person.

Migaku stared coldly at Rui, who was walking ahead.

"Didn't you get a map from your companions or anything?"

"Nope. I've got the whole route memorized in my head."

"Damn."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing in particular."

She really did seem to have memorized the destination precisely, her steps showing no hesitation.

They zigzagged between wardrobe racks, going right, then left, sometimes climbing a ladder to squeeze into an air vent, then quickly exiting again.

Along the way, they came across a box of chocolate confections resembling gift shop stock and shared some treats.

What was somewhat peculiar was that Rui hardly ate any chocolate confections.

As far as I know, there is no child in this world who doesn't like chocolate.

He himself said,

I'm so nervous I can't taste anything.

But I thought it was suspicious.

This girl is strange somehow. She's almost like a doll, really.

Even so, Mihito was prepared not to let his guard down, should she suddenly attack, as he followed her.

"Hey, Mihito-chan..."

"What?"

"Do you know about the Seven Mysteries of Disneyya?"

"What's that?"

"I heard it from a friend of a friend. Supposedly, there are seven secrets hidden within this theme park."

"Hmm."

"One of them, supposedly, is the underground of Disneyya. Beneath this huge theme park, there's a secret underground passage, and they say that all sorts of things are brought up from there onto the surface."

"That's not really mysterious or anything, is it?"

In fact, the two of them are currently standing right inside that "secret underground passage."

"Yeah... so, among Vivian and the others, it's widely believed that the other six secrets might actually be real too."

"Hmm."

The two were walking between shelves where massive black curtains were stored.

The room was a somewhat large rectangle, filled with stage props likely used for theatrical attractions.

"So, what about the other mysteries?"

"One. At the exit of the 'Small World' attraction, a girl around middle school age appears and says, 'Come back again.' They say she's the ghost of a girl who died at Disneyland years ago."

"Really a pain in the neck, that one."

"Two: the attraction 'Haunted Mansion' hasn't been cleaned since opening, just to keep the atmosphere, they say."

"That actually sounds believable. It's seriously dusty in there."

"Three. The Disney kidnapping legend. They say, apparently, that since there are so many lost children in this theme park, there are lots of bad people who snatch kids and sell them abroad. But Disney has sponsors from all sorts of TV networks, so it’ll never become public knowledge."

"Huh."

With a childish expression, feigning innocence, he quickly pokes his thumb into both eyes.

Why didn’t the kidnapped children possess even that basic skill?

"Four. At Disneyland, the number of people entering and exiting never adds up perfectly. Maybe the kidnapper is actually one of the people working at Disneyland..."

Hm.

"Did you know? At Disneyland, there aren't many mosquitoes or crows around, right? I heard it's because secret sound waves are being broadcast all over the place....These sound waves can't be heard by humans, but they seem to have a slight effect of messing with your mind. That's why everyone gets so excited when they come to this theme park."

"……………"

"Last one. The second Nya-kky....You know? There's always exactly one Nya-kky inside the park."

"Since Nya-kky exists in this world just once, it's only natural, isn't it?"

Then, Rui slightly curled the corner of her mouth,

Well, that's true, but... if you look carefully, you can actually find the second Nakkī. The second Nakkī is smaller than the real one, has a fake-looking face, and is a bit eerie, they say.

"Huh... uh-huh"

The person who notices the second Nyakky, they say, will suffer a truly terrifying fate...

Hm...

Combined with her flat tone, I found myself gradually drawn into the conversation.

What exactly did "an incredibly terrifying gaze" mean? The vagueness only added to the unsettling dread.

Just then,

"Uwaaahhh... o-o-o-o-...!"

The familiar groan of a walking corpse, the sound I'd heard many times at Yagakyo.

In the gap between the shadows, I caught a glimpse of a figure resembling a "zombie."

"Is that one of the Seven Mysteries too?"

No... I think that's just a regular "zombie." But that's strange. I didn't receive any report like that.

There was a hint of urgency in Rui's tone.

No wonder. In the poor visibility, they had been so engrossed in chatter that the encirclement by the "zombies" was already taking shape.

"What's the treasure?"

"Over there, you know"

Then, I'll kill you.

"...can you do it?"

Responding to the anxious fragment, Miharu slightly mimicked the drowsy-eyed woman's tone.

"There's no need to worry. The second Nya-kky, now... she's far cuter."