NCSHG CH 11

Chapter 11

Temptation…

I’d never seduced a man in my life, never even been in a relationship. How was I supposed to do this?

I had no idea why Halloway’s affection had risen.

There was no way a cold-blooded demon would be moved by a single compliment.

It’s a demon—someone I had died at the hands of countless times.

I couldn’t believe it.

So I had to experiment. I had to see if it really rose from a single conversation or not.

Did the affection increase from just a word, or did it burst out from something I had been steadily building?

“Halloway, don’t leave my side. I’ll protect you no matter what. Got it?”

“Yes, sis.”

I held his hand tightly. And at the same moment, a window popped up.

[Affection increased by 0.5%]

[Affection: 2.5%]

Words and actions!

Compared to the initial 0.1%, a 0.5% rise suggested that the longer you talked and got to know each other, the higher the percentage increase.

So if I raised this affection properly, I could probably get out of here quickly.

If I unlocked the rooms and, ideally, avoided a route where the final boss’s affection would lead to my death…

‘Total profit!’

In that case, there was no need to separate Halloway, whose affection for me was currently rising.

Just a few kind words and some physical contact could steadily build it up.

Again, in a horror game, escape gates are never in easy-to-find places.

I had a gut feeling that the escape gate was in an unexplored room or underground.

No, I was certain.

From the way the system looked, it wouldn’t let me escape easily.

Still, was Halloway’s affection always this easy to raise?

It wasn’t huge compared to other games, but the fact that I could raise affection with the final boss at all was remarkable.

After the first 0.1% rise, it had been relatively easy to increase.

In the very beginning, hugging Halloway seemed to raise affection effortlessly.

The final boss’s affection, which I had assumed didn’t exist, opened up as soon as I hugged him.

Was it because I held him, and he reacted to human warmth?

Now that I think about it, no one had hugged Halloway at the start of the game.

We’d held hands, but…

Then I’d been lucky!

Even by chance, now that affection had opened, I couldn’t waste it.

“…Miss Blin. Miss Evelyn!”

“Ah.”

Excited, my thoughts slipped out, and Moran’s voice pulled me back.

She looked at my face with concern.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“…What? Fine? Right now?”

Outside, the sound of monsters breaking down doors was still loud.

The approaching sound now reached the door of the room we were hiding in.

We held our breath simultaneously.

The rough breaths of the hunter echoed clearly in our ears from the wardrobe.

Click, click, click, click!

The sound of teeth clashing rang loudly, followed by a thunderous crash as the door flew off.

Moran and I reflexively covered our ears.

Bang!

Clatter, clatter…

Debris fell, and gray dust drifted through the wardrobe crack.

I cautiously peeked through the crack without making a sound.

The hunter gradually emerged from the gray dust.

It looked as grotesque as the first monster.

A large head, but a small child’s body.

Short hair covered the face, and it had no mouth.

No mouth—but it was speaking…

Click, click, click—where was that coming from…!?

The hunter waddled in, looking around the room and tilting its head repeatedly.

―I saw the hair!

―I did, but where?

Muttering to itself, it grabbed the bed and threw it up to the ceiling.

The chandelier on the ceiling smashed against the bed and crashed down.

Who checks if someone’s in a room so terrifyingly?

I wished it would be punished like Moran scolding an uneducated ghost.

But Moran trembled, covering her mouth with both hands.

Seeing nothing under the bed, the hunter tilted its body side to side.

―Nothing! Not under the bed!

…Then there’s only here.

The hunter’s neck began rotating 360 degrees.

The grotesque performance made me feel tears of awe forming.

[=͟͟͞͞ =͟͟͞͞ ﾍ( ´Д`)ﾉDanger!!]

[=͟͟͞͞ =͟͟͞͞ ﾍ( ´Д`)ﾉDanger!!]

I didn’t need to be told.

After witnessing the monster, I realized how foolish it had been to think I could escape the wardrobe door at the right moment.

‘Can I escape that strength?’

Maybe, if I’m quick enough.

I had been fairly agile today, unlike the monster.

But that monster could crush my whole day with sheer force.

No matter how I tried positive thinking, negative thoughts kept surfacing.

Think carefully.

I can’t die this early.

Should I use Halloway as bait? Then die afterward?

No, that’s a fail.

I clasped my hands tightly and didn’t look away from the monster.

While racking my brain for the most plausible method, Halloway hit my knee with his tiny fist.

“…Ouch.”

That hurts.

“Why don’t you answer when I call?”

“When did you call?”

“I kept calling.”

“You mean in your mind?”

“Do we have time for pointless arguments?”

Well…

At least pretending to hide your identity seems good.

“You seem like someone who hates losing to others.”

“Better to win if possible.”

“That’s the same with me!”

[Halloway found something in common with you.]

[But he doesn’t feel anything else.]

[(―‸―,)(―‸―,)(―‸―,)(―‸―,)(―‸―,)]

Bragging much…

I blocked Halloway from hitting my knee again and looked at him.

“Sis, what should we do?”

“Why are you asking me that….”

Then I quietly asked Halloway,

“But… did Friedel die? I didn’t see.”

If I didn’t ask now, he might think I wasn’t suspicious.

“Yes. I looked away for a moment, and the monster…”

Good, that’s enough.

I nodded gravely.

[You must distract the hunter.]

Distract…?

The system’s words caused unease to creep up.

Since entering, I hadn’t seen the system function normally.

[To distract, choose one of the three options and fill the gauge.]

…Please, please.

Even before the choice appeared, I held my hands together and prayed.

Finally, a window popped up.

[1. Dance passionately. ₍₍ (ว ˘ω˘ )ง ⁾⁾]

Already screwed from the first option.

Dance in this situation?

<Ivory’s Secret> was supposed to be a terrifying gore horror game. How did it become like this?

If you’re a nuisance character, maybe this choice appears…

Is Evelyn a character who humiliates herself? Is that why?

[2. Play rock-paper-scissors with Moran and win 10 times. १✌˚◡˚✌५]

…What if Moran refuses?

If I ask now, she’d probably scold me for being oblivious.

I didn’t want to be scolded, even though I was in that position.

[3. Dodge the hunter’s attack 5 times. |д･)]

Dodge the hunter lifting and swinging a bed with one hand? Me?

[If you don’t choose in time, the wardrobe door will open.]

Aaah, aaahhh!

I raised my index finger to select the second option, the least bad one.

“Miss Evelyn! What should we do!”

Suddenly, Moran grabbed me and shook me, and my finger pressed 1 instead of 2.

“Huh?”

No, no, no!

Cancel! I meant 2!

I frantically clicked 2 repeatedly before the window disappeared.

But fate was cruel.

The window vanished as if it had finished its job, then a new one appeared.

Ding!

[Option 1 ‘Dance passionately. ₍₍ (ว ˘ω˘ )ง ⁾⁾’ has been selected!]

“Moraaaaaan!”

How could you do this to me!

I shouted at her, and she flinched, covering my mouth.

“Mmm! Mmm!”

“Quiet, Miss Evelyn! What is… this…”

Then Moran looked at my face seriously.

“Why does your face look like that…?”

Did she just comment on my face?

Then it happened.

The window excitedly started the gauge, as if not giving me a moment to despair.

[Gauge □□□□□□□□□□]

[Fill the empty gauge by dancing passionately!]

[If the gauge fills, the hunter will leave the room for another location.]

[Time limit: 1 minute. Fail, and you will be caught.]

No thinking needed. I stood up.

Thankfully, the wardrobe was big.

Two adults and a child could fit inside, with room to spare.

And it didn’t shake even when I stood up—so reassuring.

I wanted to flail dramatically in a sea of emotion, like the game hoped I would.

No choice. To survive, I had to dance.

I was a human with a strong desire to live.

Would dancing make the monster disappear? Why dance at all?

But for now, I had to move!

I wanted to survive, desperately.

Suddenly standing up, Halloway and Moran stared at me curiously.

I pleaded with them.

“Keep your eyes closed until I tell you. Halloway too.”

So I’d be less embarrassed.

I hoped they’d follow without asking, but perhaps they had met some contrary-minded friend on the way.

“No. What are you trying to do?”

“I don’t want to either, sis.”

Fine, then watch, dammit!

I began to move my body slowly.