"Curse you…!"
The ghost captain roared in fury upon realizing he had been tricked yet again, but it was already too late. Out of nowhere, the black dog-headed Grim Reaper(Anubis) appeared, sinking its fangs into the ghost captain. In the blink of an eye, both monsters vanished together into the shadows.
As the ghost captain was dragged away, the ghostly forms of the two players trembled before regaining their consciousness.
The boy's ghost raised his hands to his forehead, his face contorted in pain and confusion. The girl, on the other hand, stared at her own lifeless body slumped against the wall. The horrifying truth dawned on her, and tears welled up in her misty eyes before streaming down her face.
"Sorry," Amamiya murmured with a quiet sigh, offering a sincere apology.
"We're really sorry," Umi and the petite girl chimed in, bowing in unison to express their remorse.
Six people had participated in the hide-and-seek game aboard the ghost ship. With two eliminated, only four remained. During the chase, if the ghost captain had seen fewer than four people, he would have grown suspicious, which meant they needed to present a full group of four.
That's why, earlier in the room, Hayasaka had switched identities with the first girl who had been eliminated by trading clothes. It was a plan only Hayasaka could pull off—Umi was too tall, and the petite girl's small frame made her look like a junior high schooler, neither fitting the disguise.
After the swap, Hayasaka had hidden in the shadows, lying in wait for the perfect moment to strike, while the others led the ghost captain on a chase through the ship.
The girl's tear-filled eyes quivered. She opened her mouth as though to speak, but no words escaped her lips. Before she could say anything, the ten-second countdown for the return was over.
In the next instant, the world around them froze.
Amamiya blinked as his vision blurred briefly, and he found himself back in the bustling midnight supermarket.
"Ahh, finally!" Umi exclaimed, clutching Amamiya's arm, a wave of relief washing over her. "We made it through the game!"
Although the hide-and-seek on the ghost ship had lasted less than an hour, it felt like an eternity.
Amamiya sighed in frustration. "Seriously, we were in a supermarket, so how did we end up triggering a hide-and-seek game on a ghost ship?"
"Hmm..." Umi blinked, then pointed to the sushi in their shopping cart. "Maybe it's because of the seafood sushi?"
"…"
Amamiya looked down at the cart. Inside was the half-price seafood bento Umi had just bought—complete with a small octopus.
Wait... so the game just now was 'Seafood's Revenge'?
Meanwhile, Hayasaka rubbed her forehead, looking disoriented. Three existential questions swirled in her mind:
Who am I?
Where am I?
Was everything that just happened... an illusion, or reality?
If it was an illusion, it had been far too vivid. But if it was real...
"Hanamori-chan!"
A sweet, cheerful voice rang out.
Hearing the tall girl call out to her and wave, Hayasaka bit her lower lip in frustration. This wasn't an illusion.
"Hanamori" was just a name she'd made up during the game, yet everything that had just happened was undeniably real. She wasn't dreaming; she had truly become an unfortunate player in this horror game.
"Hanamori-chan, we owe you one!" Umi approached her and whispered, "We were trapped earlier, but thanks to you ending the game in time, we managed to escape."
"I had a hard time reaching the figurehead... it took longer than expected."
Having been through so much together, Umi had come to trust Hayasaka implicitly and regarded her as a close friend.
"Hanamori-chan, do you live nearby?"
Umi asked with curiosity.
"No," Hayasaka replied, brushing the hair that had fallen over her chest behind her ear with her right hand. "I just work part-time nearby and came to the convenience store to pick up something."
That was a lie.
She didn't have a part-time job, nor was she here for any shopping. Her real purpose was to keep an eye on them—to monitor and investigate. Of course, that wasn't necessary anymore.
Umi took out her phone. "Hanamori-chan, I've already sent you the group number for the players' support group. Be sure to join."
"Thank you," Hayasaka responded calmly, switching to her backup account.
After all, as a spy maid, having multiple identities was part of the job.
"Okay," Umi said, her fingers flying across the screen. "You're in! If you ever have any questions, don't hesitate to ask the group."
"Much appreciated."
After a few more moments of chatting, Hayasaka excused herself and left.
At the cashier, she paid for her items, stepped out of the supermarket, and was greeted by the neon-lit streets. Breathing a sigh of relief, she pulled out her phone, joined the mutual aid group, and silently scrolled through the member list.
Several familiar names and avatars caught her eye.
"Stupid Chika, Kaguya-sama... and Umi. As expected, they're all here."
She tucked her phone away, preparing to hail a taxi back to the villa. But as her gaze swept over the street, her eyes suddenly widened in shock.
A thin, ghostly figure was clinging to a young man walking nearby. Its skeletal arms were wrapped tightly around the man's neck, and its mouth bore sharp, shark-like teeth. The creature's nails were as long and sharp as bayonets, and its eerie form vaguely resembled that of a woman. Its level of terror far surpassed that of the ghost captain—it was as if something from a Junji Ito horror manga had stepped into reality.
Yet the strangest part was that neither the man nor the other passersby seemed to notice it. They all walked by, completely oblivious, as if the monstrous presence didn't exist.
"What...?"
Hayasaka's eyes widened further.
Was this a hallucination? Why was such a terrifying thing manifesting in reality?
The next moment, the female specter seemed to sense something. Its head twisted unnaturally, and its hollow, dark eyes met Hayasaka's, brimming with malevolence.
Their gazes locked.
Hayasaka's skin prickled, every hair on her arms standing on end. Danger signals flared in her mind, and she quickly broke eye contact.
But it was too late.
The gaunt figure released its grip on the man, stretching its bony legs as it approached her with a haunting gait.
"You… can see me?"
The creature's voice slithered into her ears, cold and venomous, sending a chill down her spine.
What 'was' this thing?
Hayasaka had read enough urban legends to sense that answering "yes" might lead to something far worse than she could imagine.
"You were looking at him!" the ghost hissed.
"He's mine! You're not allowed to look at him!"
"How dare you stare at him? I'm going to eat you!"
Terror gripped Hayasaka. She clenched her jaw and tightened her body, trying desperately not to react or show any fear.
Danger. Danger. Danger!
Every cell in her body screamed at her to run, but she fought the urge and forced herself to stay still.
Stay calm. Don't panic.
She couldn't outrun this thing, and showing fear would only expose the fact that she could see it. What should she do?
"Hanamori-san?"
A voice suddenly called from behind her.
Startled, Hayasaka spun around to see Amamiya exiting the convenience store. Without a second thought, she darted toward him, throwing her arms around his neck and holding on tightly.
With a soft, hurried breath, she whispered, "...I like you! Please go out with me!"
——
Author's Note: For anyone confused about how the ghost captain was defeated, here are the key clues:
1. The Flying Dutchman ship's figurehead, resembling a woman holding a scale.
2. The fake heart and the real heart.
3. Hayasaka's role in the plan.
——
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