This is…
I stared, stunned, at the raindrops hitting the window hard.
“’This isn’t going to stop for a while”
Kaiser, who was also standing next to Cecilia and looking out the window, had a troubled look on his face.
And everyone else was also looking around in various ways.
***
It’s been a few months since we finished our pilgrimage to the Holy Land, we had come to the summer resort to escape the summer heat.
We had spent a few days relaxing at the retreat, but today was a beautiful day and a perfect weather for a walk, so we decided to go outside together.
We were having a good time walking in nature, but on the way we found an abandoned Western-style house.
Suddenly, the weather broke down and it was raining heavily.
We rushed into the house as the door was open, taking a temporary shelter from the rain.
But then I suddenly remembered something.
Huh? Isn’t this…Isn’t this a terrifying Western-style event?!
I was stunned when I realized this.
The Terrifying Western-style house event is an event in which Nina and her capture target, who was in the summer resort just like now, discover an abandoned Western-style house while strolling around the area and experience a bit of fear, which brings the two of them closer together.
Ugh, I completely forgot about this event. I was bad at this part of that game every time…
For some reason, this event was so elaborate, as if the company that made the game had put a lot of effort into making it, that this part of the event had a completely horror game-like atmosphere.
Let’s be clear—I’m not a big fan of horror games.
In my previous life, I could go in haunted houses, let alone see a horror movie, anime or manga.
That’s why I lost my grip whenever the horror elements came up in this otome game.
However, I had really wanted to clear the game, so I managed to go forward, enduring the fear.
At that time, I was trying to complete the entire game, and I’m not sure how many times I felt like I was going to lose my mind because that part of the game would always come up…
I remembered that moment and I began tugging at my cheeks.
“Cecilia, what’s wrong?”
“What? No, it’s nothing.”
Kaiser looked at me with a curious face, so I hurriedly put on a fake smile.
As expected, I can’t say that a horror event might happen here…well, but I’d like to think it’s okay because everyone’s here, unlike in that game! I mean, since they’re all there in the first place, will the event even happen?
Just as I was pondering this question, a lightning strike occurred nearby with a violent sound.
“Kyaaa!”
The sheer volume of the sound and intensity of the light startled me, and I closed my eyes, covering my ears.
Then I felt the light subsided behind my eyelids, and I opened my eyes in horror.
“Well that was an amazing lightning strike, wasn’t it?”
I muttered, staring out the window and talking to Kaiser.
But for some reason I didn’t get a reply.
“Kaiser?”
I looked at Kaiser in question and saw that the figure that should have been standing beside me earlier was not there.
“Huh? Kaiser, where did you go?”
I looked around hurriedly, and my eyes widened in further astonishment.
“Um, everyone? Where are you!?”
For some reason, no one was there anymore.
“Hey, everyone, please tell me this is a joke.”
I walked around the area, pulling my face, looking for everyone.
But I couldn’t find any of them.
“Where did everyone really go?”
As I stood in the dimly lit entrance hall, the only sound in my ears was the sound of the rain and wind blowing outside.
“Hii……”
Just as I was about to cry my eyes out in terror, I heard a clatter behind me.
I turned around to find Ghislan coughing and opening the door to the storeroom to get out.
“Ghislan!”
“-cough- -cough-! Why was I in such a place?”
I rushed over to Ghislan, who was pushing up his glasses with a grim expression on his face.
“Ghislan!”
“Cecilia, what’s wrong?”
Ghislan had a puzzled look on his face at my appearance.
“That’s my line! Why was Ghislan in such a place?”
“That’s…I don’t know either.”
“What?”
“I found myself in there after that lightning strike. More importantly, where are the others?”
“That…all of a sudden, everyone just disappeared.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“I don’t know…”
With that, Ghislan and I looked around the empty entrance hall.
“…Well, it seems to be true.”
“I hope everyone is safe…”
“But I’m glad that Cecilia alone was safe.”
With a relieved look on his face, Ghislan held my hand.
“Ghislan?”
“It will be a problem if you leave again. Cecilia, make sure you hold my hand.”
“…Yes.”
Feeling once again that his hands were bigger than mine, I gripped them back and we walked off to find everyone else.
However, when I stepped out of the way, I suddenly lost the feeling in my hand.
“Huh?”
I looked at Ghislan, confused, and for some reason there was no one there.
“Ghislan? Where did you go without me?”
I called out around me, but I didn’t get a single reply.
He was here just now, so how could he disappear?
I was terrified by the spirited away like phenomenon, and started to tremble.
Then I heard the sound of a door opening cautiously this time, and slowly turned my head towards the direction of the sound.
“Ah~ I’m finally back. Huh? No one else is here?”
“Prince Leon!”
“Huh? Sisterr Cecilia…Wow!”
When I saw Prince Leon, I ran out and hugged him as hard as I could.
Prince Leon was surprised and confused by this.
“What’s the matter? I’m very flattered to get a hug from Sister Cecilia, but you’ve never done this before, have you?”
“I don’t know why, but all of a sudden everyone disappeared.”
“Eh?”
Prince Leon heard my words and looked around.
“…It’s true. Huh, so it’s just me and my Sister Cecilia here now?”
“Prince Leon?”
I looked curiously at Prince Leon, who smiled fearlessly.
“Hey Sister Cecilia…I might as well just leave it as it is.”
“Huh?”
“Because then I can have Lady Cecilia all to myself.”
“No, no, it’s very nice to feel that you adore me as a sister, but you have to think about your real brothers, Kaiser, and also Nina and the others!”
“Meh.”
For some reason, Prince Leon’s cheeks puffed out unhappily at my words, and he wrapped his hands around my head, pressing it hard against his chest.
“Wait, Prince Leon is…what?”
Suddenly the pressure was gone, and when I looked in front of me, I saw that Prince Leon, who should have been there, was gone.
“Even Prince Leon again…”
As I was stunned that he had disappeared in an instant, this time someone came down from the top of the large staircase in the center of the entrance hall.
“Cecilia-sama!?”
“…Lateia-sama.”
I leaned over the railing and Lady Lateia called my name.
Then she came running down the stairs in a hurry, lifting her skirt slightly.
“Lady Cecilia! I’m so glad you’re okay!”
“I’m so glad to see that Lady Lateia is unharmed.”
Lady Laetitia was happy with tears in her eyes as she clasped my hands in hers, and I was relieved to see her doing so.
I was relieved to see Lateia-sama like that.
“And yet, Cecilia-sama, what on earth is going on?”
“I don’t really understand it either. Everyone suddenly disappeared again and again…”
“What is this horrifying phenomenon!?”
Lady Lateia’s face was grim with fear and she gripped my hand even tighter.
“Please don’t disappear, Lady Lateia…”
“Of course! I will never leave Cecilia’s side…”
Lateia-sama, who had declared with a determined look on her face, also disappeared in front of my eyes with a swoosh.
“Ahh!”
I froze on the spot, unable to move as I witnessed the moment she disappeared.
Suddenly, someone hugged me from behind, as if covering me.
“No, no!”
I screamed in a panic.
“Cecilia, calm down, it’s me.”
I was struggling to resist, but it was Prince Alfeld who hugged me tightly from behind and called out to me.
“Pr-Prince Alfeld?”
“That’s right.”
I heard Prince Alfeld’s familiar, glossy voice and slowly turned my face back.
Then I saw Prince Alfeld’s face staring at me with a worried expression.
“I’m glad…”
I was so relieved to see Prince Alfeld that I couldn’t stand as my body relaxed.
“Oops! Cecilia, are you okay?”
“Yeah… It’s okay. It’s just that I was a little surprised…”
“I know. That was a hell of a scream.”
“I’m sorry I did something rude to Prince Alfeld.”
“No, I’m sorry to have surprised you too. More importantly, is Cecilia alone?”
“Yes…”
“What on earth are the others doing…leaving Cecilia alone in a place like this? “
“What?”
I thought I had heard wrong and turned my startled expression to Prince Alfeld.
Then Prince Alfeld smiled bewitchingly as he looked at me.
“Prince Alfeld?”
“Cecilia, let’s talk about this in a different place, shall we?”
“Huh? Wait, Prince Alfeld?”
Prince Alfeld turned me forward and started walking with me in his arms from behind.
I was confused by this Prince Alfeld and was pushed from behind to walk.
“Prince Alfeld! Stop…What?”
As expected, when I looked back again to protest, Prince Alfeld was no longer there.
Unsupported, I sat there and covered my face with my shaking hands.
“Princess!”
I heard footsteps calling for me in an impatient voice, and I let go of my hand and looked up.
Then Viktor came running up to me with a desperate look on his face.
“Viktor…”
“Princess, are you okay? Are you hurt somewhere?”
Viktor knelt down on one knee in front of me and looked at me with a worried look on his face.
But I didn’t have the energy to smile and shook my head with a disheveled face.
“No, I’m fine.”
“But the color of your face…”
“I’m tired, as you can imagine, with so much going on.”
“Then, please rest on that couch for a moment!”
“Ah!”
Viktor got a serious look on his face and stood up with me in his side hug.
While I was surprised by this unexpected action, Viktor took me to the couch that was placed by the window.
He carefully lowered it and sat me down.
“Thank you, Viktor”
“No, rather, I’ll see if I can find you something warm to wear.”
“What? No! Stay here!”
“Don’t worry, I will be back soon.”
As soon as he said that, Viktor ran off. However, his back was quickly disappeared in the middle of the process.
“…What is this really?”
This bizarre phenomenon that happens continuously makes me seriously want to cry.
Wasn’t this what the terrifying Western pavilion event was all about in the first place? I’m pretty sure…Nina and the capture targets walked around this Western-style mansion, and on the way there, I’m sure the only thing that happened was a thumping sound or an object falling out of nowhere or some other common horror phenomenon…
I remembered the content of the game I had played in my previous life, and was scratching my head at how completely different it was now.
Oh, but maybe Nina and someone else are together right now and events are happening!
I forced my feelings to surface a bit as I tried to think of that.
Then I heard the sound of a door opening slowly, and I casually turned my gaze to the spot, and there was a blue-faced Nina peeking out of the door, scurrying around, looking around.
“Nina!?”
“Oh! Cecilia-sama!?”
Nina trembled at my call, and when she saw my face, she broke into a smile and hurried over to me.
I immediately decided to let Nina sit down beside me and rest.
“Cecilia-sama, you’re here!”
“Yes, I was here the whole time. More importantly, Nina, are you alone?”
“Oh, yes. I found myself alone in a room I didn’t know and I was very scared, but I came here because I wanted to see Lady Cecilia.”
“What? You didn’t meet anyone along the way? With Kaiser or any of the others…”
“I didn’t see anyone.”
“Is that so…”
I was puzzled when I saw Nina turn a curious face at me.
What does that mean? I definitely thought there was a thrilling event going on somewhere in here with Nina and one of the capture targets…
Confused by the completely unexpected situation, Nina looked around with a worried look on her face.
“More importantly, where has everyone else all gone?”
“…”
“Lady Cecilia?”
“Maybe…somewhere in this Western-style building.”
“Is that so!?”
“Maybe, but…”
“Don’t tell me, everyone went off somewhere and left Miss Cecilia!?”
“… I don’t think they did it of their own volition.”
“?”
Nina looked at me in confusion, but I didn’t know how to answer her either, so I smiled bitterly.
“I’m not sure, but why don’t we look for everyone?”
“What?”
“I have a feeling we’ll be joining them sooner if we go look, rather than just waiting here forever.”
“Well that’s certainly true too.”
“Then, Lady Cecilia, let’s go!”
Nina smiled at me, encouraging me to smile as well, and then Nina, who had gotten up from her chair earlier, pulled me to my feet as well.
“Nina, thank you…”
I looked at Nina to thank her, but the person in question had disappeared right in front of me.
“Give me a break!”
I screamed my head off as even Nina disappeared again.
“Enough! I’m just sitting here, and one strange thing after another keeps happening. I’ll go find everyone myself!”
I made a clenched fist of determination, and with a grim expression on my face, I walked towards the door leading to the back.
Then I put my hand on the handle and tried to open it, but before I could, the door opened and I stumbled forward as if pulled by it.
“Kyaa!”
“Cecilia, are you okay?”
It was Kaiser who supported both of my shoulders with his hands and called out to me in concern.
“Kaiser!”
“Oh Cecilia, I’m so glad you’re here. If you had gone somewhere else, it would have taken me even longer to find you.”
“…I was thinking of going just now.”
“That was a close call…”
Kaiser patted his chest in relief and gently hugged me.
“Kaiser!”
“…It seems that there was no one on your side.”
“Hmmm…I don’t think so…”
“Is that not the case?”
“To be honest, it’s hard to explain. More importantly, could you please let me go?”
“…I don’t want to. I don’t know why, but I feel like if I let go I won’t be able to see you again.”
“…I think that idea is correct, but from my experience, it’s not going to be easy to…”
And as soon as he said that, Kaiser’s figure disappeared.
“I knew it…….Enough!!”
I couldn’t take it anymore, and screamed in anger without saying a word to anyone.
Suddenly, there was a thumping sound all over the room, and the figurines on the shelves began to fall off by themselves.
“Kyaaaah!”
I crouched down with my head in my hands and eyes closed in fear. At the same time, lightning struck again outside.
“!!!”
I couldn’t move, shaking my body as I let out an inaudible scream.
“…Cecilia.”
Then I heard Kaiser’s voice calling me in a worried voice.
When I opened my eyes and slowly looked up, I saw everyone standing around me.
“E-everyone!”
I hurriedly stood up and looked around, shouting in surprise.
“Why…?”
“That’s what I don’t understand either, but as soon as I heard the sound of the lightning strike earlier, I found myself standing here.”
Kaiser had a puzzled look on his face as he said that.
I turned my gaze to everyone else and they all nodded in unison with the same face as Kaiser.
“What in the world was that about?”
“I don’t know. But I do know that it’s best not to stay here any longer. Fortunately, the weather is improving and…”
Kaiser turned his face to the window and I looked at it as well, and there was a blue sky.
“Yeah. Let’s go home now!”
I answered right away and everyone nodded in agreement.
Immediately, we walked out of the Western-style house, and everyone’s faces were relieved as we walked on the rain-soaked ground.
I was walking behind them, relieved that it was finally over, when I suddenly felt a gaze and looked back at the Western-style building.
“Ah!”
Something white seemed to cross the window of the second floor of the Western-style building.
And at the same time, I thought I heard a child-like voice inside my head.
“Fufu, let’s play again.”
At that moment, my eyes widened and I shook my head widely.
I’ll never come back again!
I hurriedly removed my gaze from the Western-style building, telling myself strongly that I hadn’t seen or heard anything, and rushed over to everyone who had already gone ahead of me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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