How a Nuisance Character Survives a Horror Game Chapter 18

The rapidly shrinking time made me panic.

I carefully checked that the towel reaching below my knees wouldn’t slip, then pressed option 2 with barely one second remaining.

Immediately, my body escaped my control and began moving on its own.

I wished I could simply faint, but unfortunately my sturdy mental fortitude refused to grant me that mercy.

Was I about to receive Holloway’s contemptuous gaze……?

Since I had already chosen, I had no choice but to follow the option.

My hand, moving independently of my will, threw open the tightly closed bathroom door.

Holloway had been sitting quietly.

His eyes widened slightly when he saw me emerge.

Water I hadn’t yet wiped away dripped around my feet.

After staring silently at me for a moment, Holloway parted his lips.

“Big sis, what are you wearing—”

Without any regard for my own wishes, I cut him off and shouted,

“Look at me! Look at this state I’m in! Look at my blue lips! How could I possibly not be trembling?!”

After pouring every ounce of irritation I possessed into that outburst, silence descended.

Why do you force me through this humiliation and then disappear?

Ah, it’s cold.

So cold……

And what exactly is this freezing atmosphere?

Holloway stared at me as I shivered violently, my teeth chattering.

Then he abruptly turned his head aside and muttered,

“You do look like someone who’d be trembling.”

“S-See?”

Damn it.

I stuttered.

When I stumbled over my words, Holloway looked at me and asked while desperately suppressing his laughter,

“Then why are you crying?”

“Because I’m cold……”

I cry when I’m cold.

“What about your runny nose?”

“My nose is crying too.”

Holloway curled in on himself and began trembling.

[Holloway bursts into laughter, thinking, ‘As expected of a comedian.’]

Since when did I become a comedian?

Seeing him laugh freely at my appearance made my entire body feel like it was burning.

I sniffed the mucus dangling beneath my nose.

Just insult me instead……

Unfortunately, Holloway merely continued laughing.

[Holloway sees your blue lips and finds your explanation completely convincing.]

Thank you very much.

“You must have been extremely cold.”

“It certainly wasn’t hot.”

Even at my sarcastic response, he burst into childlike laughter.

When his laughter finally stopped, silence returned.

I remained standing outside the bathroom instead of going back in.

Holloway stared at me, seemingly dissatisfied, and his eyebrows twitched once.

He checked the guest-room door and then jerked his chin toward me.

“Aren’t you going back in? Change your clothes and come out.”

“Ah. Yeah.”

Isn’t he reacting a little too little?

How little interest does he have in me to act like that……?

Maybe the final boss simply doesn’t get flustered.

Suddenly feeling awkward, I slammed the bathroom door shut.

At my irritated gesture, Holloway called me in an amused voice.

“Big sis?”

It almost sounded like he was scolding me for shutting the door so hard.

Intimidated, I hurriedly made an excuse.

“The wind closed it!”

“Ah, the wind.”

I could hear him laughing beyond the door, but I desperately pretended not to notice.

I went over to the clothes and first squeezed as much water as I could from my hair.

Seeing my pathetic reflection in the broken mirror, wearing nothing but a towel, nearly brought tears to my eyes.

What exactly was I so proud of that I had marched out there and shouted like that?

Who talks that way?!

Couldn’t I have simply said I was cold?!

The embarrassment was unbearable.

I angrily punched the air.

Why does that choice window always appear only in situations like this?!

Who told me to pick number 2?!

Did you choose it because you wanted to watch me die of humiliation?!

While I enthusiastically blamed everyone but myself, another window appeared with a ding.

[Danger Gauge will restart from zero!]

I stopped punching the air and proudly raised my thumb.

Excellent choice.

I dedicate this honor to all of you.

Thank you.

[Possessiveness increased by 1%.]

No.

Please don’t do that.

[Holloway’s Danger Level has changed to ‘I probably won’t suspect you unless you do something really suspicious.’]

The Possessiveness increase made me want to cry, but at least the change in danger level was fortunate.

Now, unless I behaved extremely suspiciously, hopefully there wouldn’t be another terrifying situation where the Danger Gauge suddenly shot upward.

Even as I tried to reassure myself, the image of me standing confidently before the final boss with nothing but a towel wrapped around my body replayed in my head.

Someone once said that when tears well up, you should raise your head.

Then what am I supposed to raise when humiliation wells up?

“Big sis, when are you coming out? Are you planning to live in there?”

Should I lift that bastard up……?

I deliberately changed clothes as slowly as possible and opened the bathroom door just a crack.

Only my eyes peeked through.

The moment I rolled them around, they met Holloway’s directly.

His smiling face irritated me.

“Come out already, big sis.”

“…….”

“Ah, but don’t ever come out like that in front of other people just because you’re trying to prove your innocence. Understand?”

“I know. I’m not a child.”

It’s not like I wanted to do it.

Pretending complete calm, I put on an iron mask, stepped out of the bathroom, and quickly climbed onto the bed.

“Big sis, what are you doing?”

“Sleeping.”

“Suddenly?”

“Life has a habit of suddenly becoming fucking awful.”

Like suddenly remembering my previous life and being forced into a horror game.

Despite my harsh tone, Holloway tilted his head cutely.

“What does that mean?”

“No idea.”

I answered primly and lay down.

Holloway followed me and lay beside me.

My hand naturally reached toward the warm Holloway so I could hug him, but he suddenly caught it.

“Ah. Sorry.”

I mistook you for a human heater.

“…….”

[Holloway feels somewhat conflicted.]

What are you conflicted about?

I’m the one whose hug got rejected.

Why are you acting like that?

“There are monsters in this hotel, so we need to conserve our stamina.”

“You’re using an awful lot of words just to say you want to sleep.”

He really knows how to beat someone up with a smile……

He can beat people normally too.

Didn’t you give the final boss too many abilities?

“I’m just going to sleep for a little while.”

I had reached my limit.

How many quests had come crashing down on me without even allowing me to sleep?

Especially because of the final boss, I had suffered tremendously both emotionally and mentally.

Maybe that was why I felt twice as exhausted as usual.

The shower had relaxed my body too.

Eventually, I drifted off.

***

It was good that she had lowered her guard.

That was the entire reason Holloway wandered around looking like a child.

‘But hasn’t she lowered it a little too much?’

Even while asleep, Evelyn seemed to search for her human heater.

She slowly moved closer and hugged Holloway.

This time, Holloway didn’t reject her touch.

Evelyn tucked him comfortably into her arms and slept soundly.

Watching her, Holloway felt a strange fluttering inside him.

After hesitating for a moment, Holloway was just about to touch Evelyn’s cheek when quiet voices came from outside the room.

“There were signs that someone ate at the lounge bar on the first floor. There were no signs of an attack, so they’re probably nearby.”

It was Werner.

The man who had tried to carry Evelyn under the excuse that her feet were injured.

Cletta’s voice followed.

Apparently, the two had happened to reunite after becoming separated in the lobby.

“They may be sleeping in one of these rooms. We should try opening them one by one. The monsters seem sensitive to sound, so keep the noise down.”

Holloway studied the peacefully sleeping Evelyn.

Her face had been pale from the cold and her lips blue, but both were slowly returning to their normal color.

Her soft breathing and the warm air escaping between her nose and lips tickled Holloway’s forehead.

Holloway raised his hand and flicked a finger.

Click.

The door locked.

Not long afterward, the doorknob began turning.

“It’s locked.”

“Could someone have locked it from inside?”

“I don’t sense anyone inside.”

Moran offered her opinion.

“Maybe she went somewhere else. Miss Evelyn doesn’t seem to stay in one place for long.”

The three voices gradually faded as they moved away from the room.

***

I had only just woken up and was blinking sleepily when Holloway said something horrifying.

“Big sis, I thought you were dead.”

“In situations like this, you’re supposed to say, ‘You must’ve been tired.’”

Why would you say something so sinister to your big sis right after she wakes up?

Thanks to him, whatever sleepiness remained disappeared instantly.

Holloway seemed displeased that I had slept so long.

I made the most pitiful face imaginable and defended myself.

I hadn’t expected to sleep that long either.

If Holloway was saying something like that, I must’ve slept for a damn long time.

“It’s not like I slept comfortably either. I was terrified a monster would attack us.”

“You were snoring.”

“I’ll report you for spreading false information.”

“Haha. To whom?”

My body feels refreshed too.

Pretending not to hear Holloway, I climbed out of bed.

I put on my cardigan and collected my revolver and sword.

Good.

I had become the ultimate weapons master.

I felt wonderfully secure.

Of course, I probably couldn’t remain this confident in front of an actual monster.

Before leaving the room, I needed to search it.

A normal room was one thing, but unlocked rooms had to be investigated thoroughly.

If access had been restricted, there had to be some reason.

I hadn’t found anything in the ‘This Room Is Very Safe!’ room.

Would this one be the same?

I searched all around, even examining the floor, until something sparkling beneath the sofa caught my eye.

‘What’s that?’

I lowered my head to get a better look—

when Holloway suddenly yanked my hair straight backward.

“Agh!”

The final boss was suddenly trying to peel my scalp off.

Startled, I grabbed his hand and begged.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what? I just thought it was funny how puffed up your hair was, so I pulled it.”

“Ah.”

Right.

The result of washing my hair with soap and then sleeping without drying it.

“So you weren’t trying to rip my scalp off.”

“Why do you say such terrifying things, big sis?”

“I guess staying somewhere scary makes my thought process naturally go in that direction.”

I cautiously looked in the mirror.

My hair was puffed up as though it hadn’t been brushed in days.

“Is there a hair tie?”

“No. It looks funny, so just keep it like that!”

“Should I?”

Maybe I’ll be less afraid if I look ridiculous.

I started lowering myself again to look beneath the sofa—

Thump.

“……Ow?”

This time Holloway hit me on the head.

Having suddenly gotten smacked in the skull, I stared at him resentfully.

Holloway pretended to dust off his hand and smiled sweetly.

“A mosquito.”

Don’t lie.

This little bastard……

Is he trying to keep me from looking under the sofa?

Is there something important under there?

Should I ignore him and look anyway……

[Holloway is watching your eyes as you try to look under the sofa.]

Forcing things is bad.

I cleanly gave up and straightened my bent legs.

“Holloway, don’t you need to wash?”

“I washed while you were sleeping.”

I figured.

You look all clean and fluffy.

“With the same soap as me?”

“Yes.”

“Then why does your hair look like that?”

Why is it soft?

Don’t tell me the owner of the hotel secretly poured shampoo and conditioner all over his hair without telling me?

Holloway easily returned my deeply suspicious stare.

“Maybe there’s something wrong with your hair, big sis.”

You’re gradually making less and less effort to hide what an obnoxious little bastard you are.

I decided to check beneath the sofa later.

If Holloway was guarding it this strongly, I would need to investigate while he wasn’t around.

Or……

Did I really need to?

Was there any point risking Holloway’s anger just to look?

I’m scared.

Let’s put that matter aside for now.

“Let’s go, Holloway.”

I had merely said those words, yet Holloway immediately wrapped his arms tightly around my waist.

[Values increase due to repeated physical contact.]

[Attachment increased by 1%.]

[Affection increased by 2%.]

So this kid likes physical contact.

If the values rose this easily, maybe I could increase Attachment and Affection without even needing to talk to him?

……That was a magnificent misunderstanding.

[Possessiveness increased by 2%.]

[Affection: 7.5%

Attachment: 14%

Possessiveness: 15%]

I subtly pushed him away.

[Holloway is displeased as he looks at his empty arms. He stares at your waist and considers what to do.]

I subtly pulled him back toward me.

I just saved my waist from getting cut off.

Once his hand was back on my waist, Holloway asked with an innocent face,

“Where are we going now, big sis?”

“Wherever our feet take us……”

I needed to do quests if I wanted to find the escape gate.

But I really, really didn’t want to.

The moment Holloway and I opened the door and stepped outside, we came face-to-face with someone.

The man shouted happily when he saw us.

“Oh? People!”

The man pointed at Holloway and me with a shameless grin.

“…….”

I knew him.

Among the illustration depicting the four demons, there had been only one whose eyes were covered by a blindfold.

Dilaf.

Red hair.

Bronze skin.

His overall impression evoked blazing fire.

[‘Demon of Wrath’ Dilaf has appeared.]

Even in the game, not a single illustration ever showed Dilaf without his blindfold.

Which meant no one had ever seen his eyes.

I couldn’t tear my trembling gaze from the blood-red system window.

[Do not remove his blindfold.]

[The moment you do, your world will become despair.]

My entire field of vision began filling with a single emoticon.

[( )( )( )( )] ◔◡◔ ◔◡◔ ◔◡◔ ◔◡◔

[( )( )( )( )] ◔◡◔ ◔◡◔ ◔◡◔ ◔◡◔

[( )( )( )( )] ◔◡◔ ◔◡◔ ◔◡◔ ◔◡◔

Without giving any further explanation, the repeated emoticons seemed to be mocking me.

As though telling me that no matter how desperately I tried to avoid it—

I would inevitably end up removing that blindfold.