Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work

I moved forward slowly.

Magic Bunny’s Fantasy Land.

Everything had come to a stop, and it was dark.

A silent amusement park was already frightening enough just in concept to stir all kinds of dreadful thoughts.

Especially when I was the one walking at the very front.

Huuuu….

Was this what it felt like to be dressed as a ghost, hiding in a haunted house?

I couldn’t tell whether I should laugh or cry at the fact that I was wearing a Security Team disguise.

What was certain was that the strange sense of comfort the mascot costume had given me was gone.

…It had its pros and cons, but the rising tension was unavoidable.

[Ah, a midnight infiltration. Truly a thrilling and delightful scenario!]

[And I simply must say this one more time—what a spectacle earlier! A colossal trap hunting a colossal monster! Destruction really is one of the most primal joys. What an entertaining show it was!]

Hmm.

I heard Brown’s voice over the receiver with his usual cheer, and I felt a faint sense of relief.

‘Should I be glad at least he’s enjoying himself?’

If I’d promised the host of a ghost story that things would be fun and he ended up calling it boring, I’d be breaking out in cold sweat by now.

Even aside from that, this was a situation that warranted both relief and satisfaction.

It was going according to plan.

Squelch.

Behind me, the Blue Mascot.

No, someone who had taken off the Blue Mascot costume.

Thinking of him made a chill run down my spine, but at the same time, something within me sighed in relief.

Terrifying, but also like a divine ally at my side.

‘I’m just glad we agreed before the big ceremony.’

At first, I’d wanted to ask him to launch an attack on the Magic Bunny zone the moment the theme park closed.

Strike the Red Zone while my resort was under attack—have him devour it too.

But the timing might’ve gone wrong… and if the Blue Mascot had been overwhelmed, it would’ve been a disaster.

‘Their power seems pretty evenly matched.’

The Blue Mascot probably thought Magic Bunny was just as strong as he was, which is why they maintained mutual avoidance.

Touching the balance could mean mutual destruction.

‘Judging from the fact that crazy Red Mascot never invaded the Blue Zone, there must be some power equilibrium going on.’

That’s why I had to set the stage so he could devour Magic Bunny safely.

‘Step by step.’

And so, the most conservative course, statistically speaking, led to this moment now.

I and the employees hid in the shelter, then bombarded the resort itself.

And now, we’re invading the Magic Bunny’s zone with the formidable Blue Mascot in tow.

Of course—

There was a condition.

DO NOT

LOOK

‘…….’

Even so, I couldn’t help but listen.

Squelch.

The sound of water splashing behind me. The sound of a tail dragging across the ground. The sound of something massive pulling itself forward with belly and feet.

I heard it.

It sounded like a tidal wave, or a serpent sliding, or perhaps like wings or whiskers brushing the floor. Maybe something oozing, melted into the ground.

Following behind—something that had removed the Blue Mascot costume.

Squelch.

My nerves were on edge, instinctively alert.

Maybe… unlike Magic Bunny, the Blue Mascot hadn’t been completely devoured by the park and stripped of its outer form.

It still retained a semblance of shape.

Of course, I couldn’t turn around to confirm it.

‘There’s a reason for that.’

I left the smoke-script “Do Not Look Back” floating overhead without erasing it. Oh yeah, I’d somehow been able to start using this recently. Maybe the costume affected me in reverse?

In any case, we continued to advance.

Our destination was the center of the Red Zone.

Magic Bunny’s Fantasy Castle.

"……."

"……."

Even though I hadn’t told anyone to keep quiet, even the civilian rescue targets from the Bureau held their tongues, stepping carefully.

‘Not that it’s really necessary…’

But maybe out of anxiety, our steps gradually turned into something close to a jog.

The brightly colored amusement park palace loomed rapidly out of the darkness.

The largest, central facility in this zone.

‘…There’s definitely something left behind.’

Even if Magic Bunny’s main body and minions had attacked the Yellow Zone, been struck by lightning, and buried under rubble, there were still scraps left in the Red Zone.

And any of those scraps could become Magic Bunny again.