After flailing around for a bit, I suddenly noticed there was no one else around me. Looking towards the ends of the corridors on either side, there was also no trace of anyone. However, I could sense that the voice was still nearby.
The several doors in front of me overlapped in a dizzying array, seeming to stretch infinitely along the corridor on both sides, giving a feeling of overlapping disorientation – but thankfully, closing my eyes and resting for a while would cure this symptom.
To prevent a sneak attack from behind, I leaned against the wall. This way, I only needed to defend the front. Although that voice sounded very friendly, it’s better to be safe than sorry – but, after calming down a bit, I thought it over… Since this is a tavern, the reason for that voice being exceptionally friendly should be pretty obvious, right? It’s probably just a server.
Adding to that the custom prevalent in various taverns, ‘the customer is supreme,’ the other party probably wouldn’t pose any threat to me, who is, after all, a “guest.”
What a false alarm. I placed my hand on my chest and took a deep breath –!! However, right at that moment, I was so scared I almost jumped out of my skin, because a terrifying face suddenly appeared right in front of me, startling me so much I barely had time to discern whether it was a real face or just an illusion.
I slumped to the floor, my mind filled with that face from just now – thinking back carefully, it wasn’t too exaggerated. There were no wounds or trickery, just pupils staring at me as if they were about to pop out, paired with a frightening, grinning smile.
And then there was that piercing, eerie laughter…
“Are you alright?”
It was that server’s voice again. I coughed lightly, got up, patted my skirt, and straightened my clothes. Instinctively, I wanted to speak, but forgot I couldn’t make a sound… And shortly after, the server responded with a slightly apologetic tone.
“My apologies! I forgot I was still hiding; I’ll appear right away.” Was it some concealment art? Looks like even servers need this kind of thing to make a getaway.
As she finished speaking, I saw a faint figure materialize out of thin air, then gradually become solid, finally transforming into a woman. Her attire and demeanor were very simple and unadorned, and her perfect body curves were also “perfectly” displayed. Paired with her features, she was quite a mature young lady…?
I gave this young lady another once-over and noticed a few distinctive features… On top of her head grew animal ears, behind her trailed a lively, long tail, and her exposed limbs were often covered with fur –?
Ahaha, so she’s a neko from the beastfolk! This is truly an eye-opener for me!! I never expected, never expected!! That I would actually see a beastfolk in person, not just on TV!!! No, wait, why am I getting so excited? Calm down, calm down a bit…
I pushed up my non-existent glasses, bowed to the catgirl, and said—
“Umu… (You’re cute)” Oh, I forgot, I’m voiceless right now.
So, with the realization that I couldn’t speak and the embarrassment of what I had just tried to say, I became flustered and at a loss. Instinctively, I wanted to reach for my bag to get paper and pen, but then remembered I didn’t have anything on me… This situation was just the worst. Now I suddenly understand the pain of mute people (even though they have to get used to it).
“…Umu, little one, did you get separated from your mom and dad? Do you know which room your mom and dad are staying in?”
Her voice was soft and very gentle; it made me want to get lost in it –! No, this is no time to be slipping back into my past life’s otaku habits. I patted my cheeks and shook my head to tell her that wasn’t the case… But seeing her half-understanding expression, I realized that sign language definitely needs to be a required lesson from now on.
“Hmm…” She also looked me up and down thoroughly, finally fixing her gaze on a certain point. She clapped her hands and said, “I remember now! You’re the child those two guests brought this morning, right? Come, come, follow me.”
She gently took my hand, led me down two floors in a few steps, and then brought me to the large front counter on the first floor. That counter was really huge. If I hadn’t seen the cowgirl behind the counter from the stairwell, I wouldn’t have even known what was back there.
I looked around. The decor here was similar to the second and third floors, except it seemed that the higher you went, the more peculiar the decorations became. The first-floor hall was also quite spacious, just like a fancy restaurant. Looking around, everywhere I saw players and NPCs chatting and laughing with beastfolk girls (players were in the majority, of course).
The catgirl and cowgirl exchanged a few words, then she took a note and smiled at me.
“Just as I thought. Come, come, you must be hungry, right?”
She took my hand again, led me to an empty table, and had me sit down.
“What would you like to eat? We have just about everything here, as long as I can get it for you~”
Really? I was stunned for a moment, then instinctively opened my mouth to speak again, only to freeze once more. I fidgeted, tapping my fingers together, and finally mimed writing… Speaking of which, it was a bit chilly here.
Fortunately, she caught on immediately. She turned and left, quickly returning with a quill and blank paper.
I had just taken the quill when my gaze became fixated on its brand new, soft feather, unable to look away. Then I remembered my old, worn quill from… somewhere… Lost in recollection, I just stood there until the catgirl’s call brought me back to reality. I quickly wrote down the words “bread” and handed the paper back to the catgirl.
The catgirl looked at the quill, then at me, and smiled gently.
“If you’d like it, you can have this quill~”
Then she turned and disappeared around the corner of the counter. Without thinking, I picked up the quill and stroked it. Thinking about my old quill lying quietly in my lost satchel, I felt a sense of loss inside.
Well, I’ll probably find it again.
I tried my best to behave like a good girl, hoping not to attract attention with my tomboyish ways… But, since I was originally male, it should be natural for my habits to align with a male’s – right? If I continue like this as a girl, will I stop being “me”?
“…Cough… Umu… (Whatever)”
I leaned my back against the chair, gazing up at the ceiling, waiting quietly.
However, right at that moment, that terrifying, ghastly face appeared again!! On the ceiling, outside the window, in the corridor, right beside me!! And that laughter too! …Huh? Laughter?
While I agree that laughter is very effective for building a scary atmosphere in horror films, it should at least sound serious. This was clearly the mischievous laugh of someone who just pulled off a successful prank – how is that supposed to scare anyone? But the face was still pretty terrifying; gotta give credit for that.
Closing my eyes, I focused on that piercing chill – sensing the cold draft coming from beside me, I looked in that direction.
Sure enough, I immediately spotted the culprit.
It was a female ghostly figure, dressed and styled similarly to an ordinary oni, but almost entirely in black and white tones… Well, that’s just the standard setting for ghosts and spirits, right? They mostly appear in manga anyway.
Seeing that I had already discovered her, the ghost girl began sizing me up meaningfully, but her gaze kept lingering in one place – my chest. Looking closely, I realized there was something else there…
It seemed to be a gem. It wasn’t particularly bright or pure, murky on the inside yet somehow emitting a spiritual light…
‘Hey, kid, can you give me that thing?’
