How a Nuisance Character Survives a Horror Game Chapter 43

The decision didn’t take long.

I would keep Holloway with me.

Whether in novels or games, people constantly make arbitrary judgments based on early clues.

Later, it gets revealed as a misunderstanding.

Until then, everyone suffers and suffers.

Because nobody talks to each other, the gap deepens and the entire story becomes an endless pile of frustration.

I decided to cut off that misunderstanding at the root.

Right now, I couldn’t talk to Holloway even if I wanted to.

And I still knew almost nothing.

So there was no reason to recklessly separate from him.

I could decide whether to leave Holloway after learning his circumstances and actually talking to him.

Stories like this always hide some twist anyway.

How many horror games, other games, novels, dramas, and movies had I consumed?

At this point, I could recognize the pattern instantly.

Maybe he even had an unexpectedly human side……

Did he?

Still, he tried to save me……

Did he?

Anyway.

There was no reason to make both of us miserable through pointless assumptions.

I hadn’t even gotten close to uncovering the island’s secret yet.

And fundamentally, I wasn’t the type to overthink things.

‘Focus on what’s in front of you’ was practically my motto.

That was why I could make a decision relatively easily where others might have struggled.

Even if this personality poisoned me later, what could I do?

No matter what anyone said—

this was who I was.

“You looked depressed, then suddenly brightened right up.”

“I’m not the type to hold onto serious worries for very long.”

“What were you worrying about?”

“How to safely escape this hotel.”

“Oh, you’re leaving?”

“Of course!”

“You can leave?”

“……Huh?”

“No, you spoke as though leaving was already possible. I was just thinking you’re a very hopeful person!”

……Is this bastard insulting me indirectly?

So Holloway thinks I’ll never escape……

Just you wait.

I’ll escape right in front of you and make those pretty eyes shed tears of blood.

An unexpected goal ignited inside me.

“People don’t give up hope.”

“And people are also the ones who crush that hope.”

As always.

Holloway muttered the words.

His eyes showed neither sadness nor anger.

Only a hollow emptiness appeared briefly before disappearing.

“What would you do then? When your hope is crushed and there’s absolutely no chance of reviving it?”

“If you’re expecting some profound answer from me, I’m not giving one.”

“I would never expect something like that from big sis.”

That pisses me off in its own way.

“Big sis. Answer.”

“Hmm……. I’d probably try finding another one somehow.”

“Even if there isn’t one?”

“If there isn’t, then…… I’d make one.”

“How?”

“Depends on the situation.”

“Then……. I’ll save that answer for later.”

Holloway looked complicated as he said it.

Yet somehow, he also looked pleased.

[Affection increased by 1%.]

[Attachment increased by 1%.]

[Possessiveness increased by 2%.]

[Affection: 32%

Attachment: 34%

Possessiveness: 39%]

[Holloway has decided to destroy your hope.]

……Excuse me.

Wait.

How did we get there?

What kind of flag did I just trigger for the story to fly in that direction?

Normally, this is where the child becomes kinder.

Apparently Holloway wanted to personally teach me how despairing it felt to have no hope.

I truly don’t understand him.

Fucking bastard.

***

[Story fragments collected.]

[Collected fragment: ‘Summoning.’]

[Collected fragment: ‘Wish.’]

[Collected fragment: ‘Demon.’]

Several quests had succeeded in succession.

I had obtained weapons—

but more importantly, more clue fragments appeared.

The images engraved into them were simple.

The Summoning fragment displayed a summoning circle.

Wish had only a red background.

Demon had a black background.

Had the images been deliberately obscured so I couldn’t deduce anything from them?

Then I had to infer meaning from the words instead.

‘Demon. Wish.’

My original theory was becoming increasingly likely.

Someone had summoned a demon because they wanted their wish granted.

But why go that far?

What wish had the summoner wanted from the demon?

“Big sis. Again.”

“Ah.”

The higher Holloway’s values rose, the less he liked me failing to focus on him even briefly.

“I have a lot of random thoughts.”

“I can tell. It would be nice if your head were filled with only one thought.”

“Hm?”

“Well, I can just make it that way soon. Right?”

[Holloway wants to confine you inside this hotel.]

I said I don’t want that.

“Our Holloway says ominous things sometimes. Makes big sis’s heart tremble.”

“It trembles?”

Probably not in the way you mean……

“More than words can express.”

With fear.

♥♡

♥

♥♡

Wait.

Those hearts……!

It had been a while since I’d seen those adorable hearts.

I poked one.

It squished softly under my finger before bouncing my hand away.

[All emotional values increased by 1%.]

I still had no idea why the hearts appeared.

Probably random.

Judging from the system itself, consistency clearly wasn’t its strong point.

Things appeared that hadn’t existed before.

It changed what it said.

It insisted things had been there when they hadn’t!

Basically—

it did whatever the hell it wanted.

Still, the hearts were cute.

Seeing hearts above a child’s head was adorable.

Even if what lay inside that child was terrifying.

I gently stroked Holloway’s head.

[Holloway enjoys it, but also dislikes the way you look down at him.]

I can’t exactly crawl on the floor.

Before the Affection I had barely raised dropped again, I decided to use one of my greatest skills—

flattery.

“Come to think of it, Holloway, your feet are pretty big. They say kids with big feet grow really tall.”

“Yes. I’ll grow tall enough to pick big sis up with one hand.”

“Why do you say things like that? Big sis is terrified.”

“I really like the way big sis talks.”

Why is my sincere fear funny to you?

Annoyed, I grabbed both Holloway’s hands and lifted him straight into the air.

His feet floated off the floor.

I don’t know about your true form, but right now I’m bigger.

[Holloway’s mood rapidly worsens.]

“Ah, I really hate this……”

“Kids usually hate being treated like kids.”

Maybe because I had gotten a little more comfortable with him—

or rather, because his Affection was somewhat more stable—

touching Holloway no longer terrified me as much as it had at first.

Of course, in his true form, I’d still be fucking terrified.

“Put me down.”

“Isn’t it fun?”

“Is it fun for big sis?”

“Having your feet floating in the air is fun.”

“I see. I’ll remember that.”

“I’m joking.”

“I’m not very good at jokes.”

Damned little bastard.

“Not understanding jokes. What a boring life you live.”

I pity you for not knowing the wonder of humor.

“It’s enough if big sis is fun. You easily make up for a hundred people.”

Hey.

What exactly does that mean?

We had been enjoying a rare moment of peaceful conversation when—

“S-Save me……. Please, save me! Is anyone there?!”

Alhulf’s terrified voice echoed loudly through the corridor.

“That sounds like Alhulf.”

[Holloway focuses on sound and scent.]

[A strong smell of blood fills the area.]

Is Alhulf injured?

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, big sis. But not that direction. This way.”

“The voice is coming from over there……”

[Holloway interferes with your hearing.]

[Your hearing becomes distorted.]

“Please, anyone……!”

The voice that had come from my right suddenly changed direction.

Now Alhulf’s voice came from where Holloway pointed.

“That way, right?”

“Yeah.”

……If my hearing is being distorted, wouldn’t the opposite direction actually be correct?

[You do not possess enough power to resist Holloway’s status effect!]

[When Affection reaches 40%, a certain effect will activate and grant you some ability to resist Holloway’s powers.]

So for now, I had no choice but to go along with being fooled.

Because I already knew which direction Alhulf really was, I answered.

But I still hesitated.

Holloway looked at me, glanced left and right, then changed direction.

“Or should we go that way? I don’t care which one.”

[Holloway has given you freedom of choice!]

[What will you choose?

1. Go right.

(Not recommended 乂˙―˙))

1. Go left.

(Recommended (b˙ ˙ )b) ◁]

Ah……

I fell into the greatest dilemma of my life.

I still didn’t know whether the system was fully on my side……

Should I follow its recommendation?

Or trust my instincts?

If I chose the unrecommended path and Alhulf wasn’t there, Holloway might become disappointed because I didn’t trust him.

……What should I choose?