Chapter 25.1
“ā¦ā¦!!”
In a corner of the locker room within the theme parkās creepypasta, a small plush doll moved its limbs and spoke.
At first glance, it would be a life-threatening situation.
Except that I created this situation.
– Friend?
The plush doll convulsed atop the now-vanished hexagram.
“Ahā”
It was then that I realized.
That I had succeeded in inviting the āGood Friendā into the doll!
The problem was that the one invited was someone I knew, no, a known monster.
āMr. Hostā¦!ā
The monster with a TV head who was conducting the <Tuesday Quiz Show> in the creepypasta.
– I hope you join the crew of my new talk show as well, Mr. Roe Deer!
I swallowed hard, recalling the last scene of escaping from that crazy creepypasta.
“ā¦Nice to meet you, Mr. Host. Have you been well?”
– Haha, nice to meet you too! I remember you shining in the quiz show, Mr. Roe Deer. Have you been well? Iā¦
– I.
Silence.
– Wellā¦ I donāt really remember. Mmā¦ right. Iāve been well. Iāve been conducting the talk show, yes.
The voice coming from the plush doll faded somewhat, then regained strength and friendliness.
– The important thing is that we have met again!
“ā¦Yes.”
It felt as though the overwhelming supernatural pressure and fear were being pressed down softly before erupting.
āā¦Because itās a good friend?ā
It seems that the plush doll and the ritual are playing some sort of controlling role.
Still, I have to be careful.
“Um, Mr. Host. I have a question.”
– Feel free to speak, friend. Oh, by the way, that kind of title between friends is a bit awkward!
– Just call me Braun, Mr. Roe Deer! Letās drop the stiff formalities!
“ā¦Right. Yes. Braun.”
Yeah. Even a TV-headed monster living in a creepypasta has a nameā¦
Anyway, the main point was urgent now. I spoke as politely as possible.
“Actually, Iām trying to leave the theme park now, but I canāt find the way out.”
– Goodness! Theme parks are famous for their complicated structures and confusing paths. Donāt worry. Iām very good at finding my way!
“ā¦Iām not lost, but the mascots are blocking the exit gate.”
The plush doll was silent for a moment, as if speechless.
– Huh, hmm. Itās a unique situation, isnāt it?
A pretty human-like reaction.
I briefly summarized the structure of this theme park and what had happened.
Including the teams and zones divided by color, and the out-of-control mascots.
The plush doll lying on the floor folded its arms.
– Hmm. These mascots are really diva-like! Such conspicuously rambunctious beings exist in the broadcasting industry too.
– But one that hasnāt appeared is bothering me.
A mascot that hasnāt appeared?
I reflexively thought.
“ā¦Are you talking about the yellow mascot?”
The last mascot, only mentioned in attractions, with no trace.
– Exactly! The yellow flower, isnāt it? Do you know where he is?
“ā¦ā¦!”
Right.
āSince I found the blue mascotās zone, the yellow mascotās zone must be somewhereā¦!ā
If I find that place and go to that gateā¦
– He must already be dead, though.
ā¦ā¦
“Pardon?”
The yellow mascot?
“Isnāt there a space like a botanical garden or greenhouse garden? Because itās a flowerā¦”
– Oh, Mr. Roe Deer, you probably already know.
The kind voice whispered,
– Didnāt you say it clearly yourself? You said the yellow team also woke up on the outskirts of the blue zone.
“ā¦ā¦!”
– If there was a yellow zone, the yellow team would have woken up there. Wasnāt that the promise?
“ā¦Thatās right.”
The rule is that you wake up in the zone of the color you get. But the yellow team didnāt.
Becauseā¦ maybe there really is no yellow zone?
I mulled it over.
And after a moment, I opened my mouth.
“ā¦I realized what I need to do.”
I need to check.
– Oh, what is it? Togetherā¦
The plush doll struggled as if trying to get up, but couldnāt balance and fell flat.
– Ahem, Mr. Roe Deer, could you help me get up?
I cautiously approached and gently lifted the āGood Friendā keychain with one hand.
It felt a warmth like body heat.
– Itās hard to maintain your balance. It might take a little time to adjustā¦ but donāt worry. Iām a very capable being!
How dignified.
After pondering, I put the plush doll into the front pocket of my suit.
The plush doll exaggeratedly raised one hand.
– Alright, letās go! ā¦But, where are we going?
Itās a place that can guide the way.
A place thatās definitely in a large public facility, one of those essential spots.
“Itās the information booth.”
Of course, there were exploration records noting that the āCheerful Theme Parkā also had information booths. Most typical amusement parks are fully equipped with them.
āThe problem is that they werenāt functioning properlyā¦ā
They did inform us of the locations of some nearby attractions.
But when the requests were a bit complicated or required physical items, this happened.
The information mascot raised a āMembers Onlyā sign.
āIt means that having just an admission ticket isnāt enough.ā
Although they treated us as customers, it was meant to create a spooky atmosphere by implying that this place wasnāt originally meant for usā¦
āFortunately, I have a membership band on my wrist.ā
In fact, as soon as the admission ticket was changed to a membership, I recalled several exploration records related to āMembers Onlyā.
Special souvenir shops, restaurants, and separate attraction entrances that allow entry without waiting in line.
But there was a clear reason why I tried to avoid them as much as possible.
āBecause I have to interact with the mascots.ā
Because if I interacted with the crazy mascot who closed the gate without any information, I could trigger some horrific outcomeā¦
āJust thinking about it makes me dizzy.ā
But now that I had a monster friend who would act as a crisis alarm, I decided to give it a try.
