"Here, put these passes on," Sonoko said, handing out ID-like VIP passes. Everyone hung them around their necks.
The six of them headed toward the VIP entrance. The staff checked their passes, confirmed everything was in order, and let them through.
"Let's hit Death Adventure first!" Sonoko said, pulling Azuma Shoyo along. At some point, she'd ditched Ran without even noticing.
Death Adventure was essentially a massive haunted house, sprawling across multiple levels—including two underground floors. Inside, staff dressed as murderous ghosts chased visitors. If you got "killed," you'd be locked up until the round ended. Each session allowed 30 guests, and the space was big enough that it never felt crowded.
Thanks to their VIP status, Azuma Shoyo's group skipped the line and joined the next batch of 30. They gathered in a waiting area until the staff signaled it was time to enter. Everyone filed through the open door in an orderly line.
On the other side was a platform where a small train waited to take them into the game zone.
"Conan, sit with me," Azuma Shoyo said, snagging the unwanted kid and plopping him in the third row.
Ahead of them sat Chie Morinaga and Shizuka Marukawa, with Ran and Sonoko in the front. The train chugged to life, puffing white smoke as it rolled forward. It passed through a tunnel glowing with eerie green light, then approached a waterfall. As the train neared, the cascade parted in the middle, letting them pass underneath.
A few minutes later, the slow-moving train stopped at a dilapidated station. Everyone disembarked.
"What do we do now?" Ran asked curiously.
Sonoko didn't know either—she'd never played this before. As the group stood on the platform, unsure of the next step, a gurgling sound echoed from the other side.
All eyes turned toward it. Suddenly, a flood of crimson liquid spilled across the floor.
Conan sniffed hard, then muttered, "Fake," with a grimace. He knew the smell of real blood too well—real or fake, he could tell instantly.
But the others lacked his nose for it. Several girls shrieked, while their male companions seized the chance to play hero, shielding them.
"Something's moving over there!" a girl cried, pointing in terror.
Heads swiveled in unison. Azuma Shoyo had already spotted the trap—while everyone fixated on the "blood," he'd seen a hatch open and a staff member in a ghost costume crawl out.
"So scary!" Sonoko yelped, clinging to Azuma Shoyo's arm, feigning fear.
He glanced at her, patting her hand gently. "Don't worry, I've got you."
"Shoyo, you're the only guy here—make sure you protect us later, okay?" Chie said with a teasing smile.
Conan, "???"
What am I, chopped liver?
Suddenly—
"Aaah! A monster's coming!!!" someone screamed from the front, and the crowd scattered in panic.
As people spread out, Sonoko's group glimpsed the source: a shaggy, wriggling mass in a dark corner. Then it stood up—a towering figure! What looked fuzzy was just wild hair, flowing on its own. Standing over two meters tall, the "ghost" raised a nearly two-meter-long machete from behind.
"I'll kill you all!" it roared, stomping toward them.
"It's the killer ghost!" Sonoko gasped, genuinely spooked this time. She yanked Azuma Shoyo, ready to bolt the other way.
"Stick together!" Azuma Shoyo said, grabbing Sonoko with one hand and Ran with the other, urging everyone to run in the same direction.
"Hey, you guys don't actually think that's real, do you?" Conan said, rolling his eyes.
Then he turned—and saw Azuma Shoyo holding Ran's hand. Rage surged through him, smoke practically pouring from his ears.
The group fled from the pursuing "ghost." Before long, the 30 tourists had split up entirely.
Azuma Shoyo's six ended up in what looked like an abandoned hospital. The path behind them had gone pitch-black—no sign of the lights that had guided them in. Clearly, this was a setup to herd them here.
"Okay, stop for a sec—the ghost isn't chasing us anymore," Azuma Shoyo said.
The group halted, panting. Shizuka Marukawa, the least athletic, was gasping for air.
"Chie, I can't run anymore," she whined pitifully.
"There's a spot to sit up ahead—let's rest," Chie said, scanning the area. She spotted a row of relatively clean chairs and pulled Shizuka over.
"Did the killer ghost give up?" Sonoko asked, peering back nervously, still gripping Azuma Shoyo's hand.
Ran held on tight too. Despite her karate skills—she was a national champ in the youth division—she was terrified of ghosts. Even knowing it was fake didn't help.
"Don't worry, it's not coming," Azuma Shoyo reassured them.
He turned to the abandoned hospital, frowning slightly. With his X-ray vision, he could see staff dressed as ghosts hiding inside—but a few figures caught his eye.
"Those… aren't human, are they?" he mused silently.
Human muscle density didn't look like that, and these things were downright bizarre—grotesque shapes that could pass for costumes. But Azuma Shoyo knew better. That wasn't makeup—it was their real form.
"Interesting. A horror-themed park with actual non-human monsters? What's the deal—hiding in plain sight?" he thought with a smirk.
He'd come to the park just to unwind, but now it seemed there might be a bonus prize. What were these creatures, exactly?
After resting at the hospital entrance for a bit, Shizuka Marukawa recovered enough to move again.
--- Translator Note ---
Read 30+ Advanced Chapters on my Patre on!
This novel has 2 daily chapters being translated and released every day on Patre on!
Patre on.com/MyKitty