Chapter 25.2
“Braun. If the person Iām talking to seems upset or might harm me, could you let me know?”
– Of course. Itās not a difficult task!
The plush doll cheerfully replied, then quickly came up with a few hand signals we could use. It was indeed a quick response befitting someone in mass media.
And after a short while.
– Over there. Oh, it looks pretty convincingā¦
I approached the information booth, hearing the āGood Friendā talking. The booth was made of opaque blue glass and a white screen.
As I got closer, the screen opened, revealing the face of a blue mascot.
It was the blue dragon in uniform.
“Hello. Iād like to see a map of this place.”
The blue mascot, waving its hand as if pleased, quickly moved its hand and handed me a high-quality catalog.
It was a convenient map showing various attractions, restaurants, and facilities of āBlue Dream Waterparkā.
At the top of the catalog, it was marked āMembers Only.ā
I looked up at the blue mascot.
“Thank you.”
There was a somewhat proud expression.
“By the way, is there one that shows the entire area as well?”
Clunk.
The movement of the blue mascot stopped.
D-Donāt be scared.
“Iām sure you know, but I came over here from the red zone without any procedures. I want to avoid going closer there again to prevent any mistakesā¦”
I asked in the calmest and most polite voice possible.
“What exactly is the boundary between the red zone and this area?”
A short silence.
The mascot reached out its hand.
From here
to here
Riiiiiip. The catalog map I was holding was torn by the blue mascotās claw.
Along the eastern end, it tore down.
āAs expected, the eastern part of the blue zone and the western part of the red zone were directly connectedā¦ā
Butā¦ itās so scary.
My hands holding the torn catalog were shaking as if vibratingā¦!
āPlease save me.ā
Isnāt it going to split me in half with its claws and kill me?
At the moment the mascot lifted its claws off the map, I hurriedly nodded and expressed my gratitude.
Then, onto the next topic!
“Thank you. If thatās the caseā¦”
Thud thud.
“ā¦ā¦!”
– Shh.
From the front pocket, the plush doll tapped its chest twice softly.
ā¦This is what it means.
āIt seems the other party is not in a good mood.ā
ā¦So, this is it!
I immediately shifted my demeanor and only greeted politely.
“Yes. I wonāt go near the red zone.”
The blue dragon stayed still for a moment, then nodded its head.
Then, rummaging through its chest, it took out another polite āBlue Soda Churrosā bag and handed it to me.
“Thank you.”
G o o d Ā c h i l d
The blue dragon tapped my wristband gently and then let go of its arm.
Drip.
Eventually, the screen of the information booth closed smoothly.
“ā¦ā¦”
āHuu.ā
It was done.
I bowed my head, clutching my pounding heart.
I felt like I was going to die of fearā¦
– Youāre smiling, my friend! Are you feeling good? Did you find what you wanted?
I figured it out.
“Yes.”
I lifted my head and started running.
“Now, I just need to move.”
If I had asked the mascot more questions, I might have saved some time, but safety comes first, so from now on, I would use the most reliable means.
My own feet.
āLetās hurry.ā
There were only a few hours left.
I looked up at the sky of the theme park, which was starting to darken.
A few hours later.
The sun had set.
“Huuuff.”
I kept running.
My legs were trembling from sprinting thoroughly around the gigantic water theme park, covering half a lap.
– Mr. Roe Deer, you seem terribly exhausted?
“Iām fine.”
The plush doll asked with a pitiful tone.
– It seems like the time has come to ask this question. Exactly where are you trying to go?
I wiped the sweat dripping from my chin and replied.
“The yellow zone.”
– Hooh!
– We both seemed to agree with the statement āthere is no yellow zoneā, but why did you change your judgment?
“Itās not that I changed my mind. I still believe there is no yellow zone.”
Butā¦
“There must have been one in the past.”
I lowered the map and looked ahead.
First of all.
“At that time, it probably wasnāt directly adjacent to the red zone.”
To the east was a forest, to the north was the entrance, to the south was a cliff, and to the west was the blue zone.
āThe terrain fits perfectly without any gaps.ā
Thenā¦
“It must have been connected to some part of the blue zone. There must have been a connecting passage.”
Excluding the north, which was also an entrance, and the east, which was adjacent to the red zone.
What remains isā¦
– So youāre thoroughly searching the west and south? Haha!
Thatās correct.
Unlike the red zone, there were no mascots chasing me to kill me here, so I could use this laborious method.
And finally, I found it in a corner of the northwest, behind the restroomās flower bed.
A rough dirt path leading up the mountain, like a closed hiking trail.
– Hmm. It must have been opened as a passage before.
The problem is, crossing this almost certainly violates the theme parkās rules.
Ā
[No Entry Except for Staff]
After checking that sign, I slightly stepped out from behind the restroom and looked around.
I made eye contact with a mascot standing in front of a childrenās attraction far away.
– Hmm, are you bothered by that mascot?
“Yes. If I cross into the no-entry zone, Iām sure theyāll noticeā¦”
– Then just donāt get caught!
“ā¦ā¦”
But thatās not as easy as it soundsā¦
– Oh, cheer up. Itās not difficult!
– Isnāt it me? Your friend.
