Mob Yandere

[Part 1/4]

The pitch-black night was engulfed by the freezing winter wind. The scene of powdery snow dancing in the air might have seemed magical to those living in the southern region.

However, for her, it held no sway on her emotions. For those dwelling in the northern regions, snow could even be a cause of disgust, so it was not surprising. Moreover, from her perspective...

"Is this where you've been?"

In the darkness, she had been absentmindedly gazing at the bonfire when she turned her gaze towards the familiar voice. Her eyes met a young man in black outfit with a Noh mask.

"...What do you want?"

"Hahaha, don't be so unfriendly. We are comrades of the same important group, aren't we? It's just a night shift celebration. Look, I've prepared food."

Ignoring her somewhat prickly tone, the young man smiled warmly and presented a wrapped cloth. Without asking for permission, he sat down beside her. She concealed the excitement that slightly quickened her heartbeats, suppressed her excitement, and disdainfully sniffed the air.

"Don't compare me with you. You're a servant, and I am a household member. Our positions are completely different."

As he spread the Furoshiki (wrapping cloth), revealing dried fish, dried rice, and steamed buns, he addressed her with a heartwarming offer. But all she saw was the contrast between their current situation and the times when they survived on the streets together. Their positions were indeed different now, but she couldn't help but remember that scene she had witnessed a while ago.

"Besides, why don't you go back to that girl? It's a perfect opportunity. If you miss this chance, you might not get another one. Isn't it more meaningful than doing a night shift with these foul-smelling monster?"

Taking the food he handed over, she retorted sarcastically to her childhood friend. After all, she had seen him with a girl from the same group, alone and looking affectionate. Although she didn't want to disturb them too much, she couldn't resist making a little jab.

...Ever since witnessing that scene, an inexplicable irritation had been festering in her heart.

"Hey, hey, peeping is not a good idea, you know? At least, give me a shout or something?"

"What am I, your babysitter? Should I give you a round of applause?"

"If you're offering something, I'd be happy to take it."

Scratching his head, the young man responded in a troubled tone, and she proceeded to tease him even more. He merely shrugged his shoulders and responded with a casual smile. His nonchalant attitude only exacerbated her annoyance.

"Get lost. You're annoying. ...I swear, do you want to be punched to death?"

In fact, with her strength, it would be effortless to do so. That's why their fates had been torn apart like this. She was too powerful to become a servant.

"......"

"...What's wrong? You suddenly got quiet."

"!? You're annoying! Your face is too close!"

"Huh!?"

Lost in thought, she returned to her senses at his words. At the same moment, the mask-wearing servant was right in front of her. Without hesitation, she unleashed a backhand strike, hitting him squarely in the face. Damn, she thought, it was too late to realize it. The young man fell backward, tumbling over.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch... couldn't you go a little easier? I thought my nose was broken!"

"I don't care. ...Rather, you should be grateful. After all, there's someone to take care of you, right? You can let her pamper you gently."

Why did she end up saying such a mean-spirited thing? Just being sarcastic? Wanting him to deny it? Or...

"Well, okay. Then I'll let you off the hook. It seems like you're in quite a mood!"

After a brief silence, he sighed and nodded his head. This shocked her because she knew him well. She believed that this petty bond they shared wouldn't simply yield to her biting remarks without a trace of defiance or provocation. She had expected a retort or a provocation in return. But... she couldn't think of the words to say next.

"The food might not go down well, but make sure you eat it properly."

"Sure, I don't need you to tell me that! Stop lecturing me and go away already!"

Her immediate response was aggressively hostile. She regretted it right after saying it. She tried to correct herself in a hurry, but the words didn't come out, and all she could do was watch him leave in the darkness.

"...D*mn it!"

As his figure completely disappeared, she hung her head where she stood. She despised herself. It was always like this. She constantly regretted her actions. She indulged in her emotions, she hoped for things... and this was the result.

"Haha, why am I thinking such stupid things? I shouldn't care what happens to him, right?"

Her muttered words were trembling with suppressed emotions, her expression contorted with indistinguishable feelings. And she didn't even realize it. She had no room for such composure.

Her heart was filled to the brim with inexplicable thoughts and emotions. She was drowning in her feelings, engulfed by them, completely confused. Because he... he... he...!!

'Bzzzz...'

And so she couldn't see. The existence of the 'root' crawling toward her through the dark night, avoiding the light of the bonfire...

* * *

How much time had passed since I returned to the "Mayoiga"? I couldn't trust my perception of time. I had cleared ten rooms so far. And now, in the eleventh room, I finally made contact with the missing people.

'Clip-clop! Clip!!'

'Clip-clop!!'

The sticky creatures attacked the squid-like alien that had crashed into the wall. Their frenzy was like that of a child seeing its enemy. Their excitement was so intense that they couldn't see our presence.

'Clip-clopp!!!!"

On the other hand, the squid-like alien that pulled its head? out of the wall roared in fury and attacked the sticky creatures. Flashing lights emanated from what seemed like tentacles, shooting mysterious beams that incinerated the sticky creatures.

However, the beams seemed to lack the firepower to completely evaporate the mucous-covered beings.

"For now, let's get to a safe place!!"

"Haah, haah. Y-Yeah...?"

Ignoring the creatures, I helped the exhausted Tamaki get up, her cheeks flushed, and called out to her. While shouting, I momentarily held my breath. I saw a half-lion, half-human figure tearing apart the exhausted tentacles and freeing herself from captivity.

"..."

"T-Tomobe-kun...?"

'(´・ω・`)?'

"...No, let's run to the gate!"

"Y-Yeah...?"

Tamaki must have noticed my change in demeanor, as she called out to me, and I quickly remembered what I should prioritize. I pulled her towards the gate, and she— hey, stupid spider, you didn't need to react.

'Vuooohhhh!!'

"Eeek!?"

A roar echoed in the room. As I shifted my gaze, I saw the mummy, who should have been crushed by the squid-like alien, emerge from the pile of rubble. Although the ornaments adorning its body were slightly dented or broken, the mummy itself didn't seem too damaged. Tamaki looked a bit scared; it seemed like she was mentally worn out. I could understand her feelings.

"If it had fallen back there, that would've been nice...!"

"What should we do? Those sticky creatures are playing with your brought-in squid, but it's a problem even on its own."

With a wry smile on my face, Botan, who had been embraced by the injured onikuma and approached us, pointed out the situation. I was well aware of that fact.

"Yeah, that's why I'm going to do this."

Saying that, I received Teguruma from the hummingbird that perched on my shoulder. I held it in my mouth. Then, I rapidly pulled the Teguruma's threads.

'Gwoh!?'

The ambush from the spider wire imbued with divine energy cut the mummy in half from its waist. It was slammed down on the floor, face-down.

The hummingbird, having carried Teguruma in its beak during the squid-like alien's invasion of the walls, left. The extended threads wrapped around the mummy's back. And with the received threads, this was possible.

"...You're quite skilled, huh?"

"I read the situation in this room beforehand."

'( ´∀｀) I still have more than that (the thread)!'

Ignoring the puzzled hummingbird and Botan, who looked at me questioningly, I replied without paying attention to the spider's triumphant face. When I said I "read" the situation, it wasn't a metaphor; it was the truth.

"Heya Sagashi no Ma (The Room for Searching Rooms)" was a room where you could literally search for rooms. Countless bookshelves contained descriptions of all the rooms prepared by "Mayoiga" could be find in this room. What was happening in each room was being updated in real-time. If you wanted to go to a room you liked, you could open the first page of that book, stick your head in, and teleport there.

The countless books were the entrance to the rooms and the rooms themselves. If the hummingbird used Tamaki's hair as a catalyst to cast a search curse, it would continue along the corridor of bookshelves until it finally found the target. It found it, and then I viewed the ongoing scene where the protagonist was getting tangled up by tentacles.

"I see... And what about that squid-like creature playing with the mucus?"

"I kidnapped it while it was hibernating."

"Huh?"

"What's this guy saying?" That was the kind of reaction I received, but there was no other way to put it, as it was true. Six rooms ago, while lost in the mentally intrusive frigid mountain range, I stumbled upon a scene of a sleeping herd. The old man Matsushige was eagerly interested and demanded to dissect them on the spot, but I adamantly refused and, instead, decided to seal them using the old man's offered talisman and bring them back...

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