Horror games—a crazy genre where the weight of a human life sometimes feels non-existent. Because they prioritize immersion above all else, they are often rendered with incredibly realistic graphics, earning them a dedicated following. I’ve had my share of experience with a few of them myself. Above all, they are the perfect genre for the summer.
【I’m scaaared.】
【Why did you even buy it, then?】
4:00 AM. The exact time of day when homicidal urges tend to bloom. Some idiot had come crying to me at that ungodly hour. His name was Yamazaki. In some other dimension, he was the guy who had gone on a test of courage only to wander into a mysterious place and get killed eighteen times by an evil spirit. I really wished he’d just pass on to the next life already.
Carried away by the spirit of summer vacation, he must have tried to tackle the game alone. Now, he was so depressed and shaken that he couldn't even sleep. Talk about reckless...
【Yamazaki. Is there a basketball in your room?】
【There is! There is! It’s hanging next to my desk!】
【I see. Well, let’s just hope your eyes don’t meet.】
【Eh...?】
I clicked my smartphone screen off and tossed it aside. After watching it land with a dull thud on a nearby floor cushion, I pulled the duvet over my head. I could still sleep; I felt like I could go for another six hours. I would be horribly late for my part-time job, but I was sure I could just blame it on some monster or another. It was amazing—even though we had just been talking about horror, nothing but comical characters came to mind.
“...Shut up.”
Despite being on silent mode, my phone was vibrating violently on top of the cushion. The sound was seriously annoying; I could practically feel Yamazaki’s frantic screams through the vibrations. That guy was definitely spamming a mountain of stickers.
—Heh, that bastard.
I picked up the phone and navigated to the messaging app settings. With a groggy head, I fiddled with my profile, changing my name to a string of corrupted, garbled symbols and using an image I found after a quick search to make my icon and home screen look like something seriously disturbing and blood-red. All the while, the private chat between me and Yamazaki continued to refresh.
Yamazaki... I wonder who on earth you think you're talking to right now?
I tossed the phone back onto the cushion and ducked under the covers again. Less than five seconds later, the vibrations stopped. How do you like that, Yamazaki, you bastard... I hope you can’t sleep and are forced to keep playing horror games, damn it.
“...Yawn...”
Finally, I could sleep. It was starting to get a bit bright outside, but in my current state, I felt like I could go for another six hours. No, wait, I’d be late for work. I had to wake up before then...
As I lay there grinning, imagining Yamazaki shivering in fear, I slipped into a dream before I knew it.
◆
【So, do you have any excuses?】
【I am seriously sorry.】
After finishing my shift without incident, I checked my phone to find a staggering number of notifications. Looking at the display, it was a demonic wall of "K"s—a literal kill-list from Ashida. Just as I was about to jokingly wonder if she had turned yandere, I looked at the actual chat and realized my account was looking like a total nightmare.
—Oh dear, this isn't a bug.
It was Ashida-san, and she was absolutely livid. Apparently, Natsukawa had seen my icon and name and genuinely thought my phone was broken or infected by a virus, leading her to frantically message Ashida. Ashida-san, who was normally a good sport about jokes, had snapped like an over-strained string for the sake of the innocent Natsukawa. That was one terrifyingly high-tension reaction.
I recalled the look on Ashida’s face that I’d seen once before at the family restaurant—the sheer intensity she radiated when she was quietly angry on Natsukawa's behalf. Shuddering, I hurriedly opened the app and restored my profile to normal. I sent a greeting to the "Siscon-majority" group that had just been formed, and Ashida replied instantly with those unreadable, chilling words.
From their perspective, it was nothing more than a malicious prank, so all I could do was apologize. Hiee... No matter how much I apologized, she wouldn't give me an inch. Just a continuous stream of "Read" receipts with no reply... It was terrifying to imagine Ashida staring at the screen with a blank expression on the other side. And the thought that I had actually frightened Natsukawa made me feel as if my heart were being squeezed.
“I really blew it...”
I slumped my shoulders in the middle of a sidewalk crowded with people under the scorching sun. It was a bad habit of mine—occasionally doing things that made people uncomfortable. What made it even worse was that I did it with a certain regularity.
【I am truly, deeply sorry.】
【Then you’ll do anything, right?】
【Eh?】
Huh? You're the one bringing that up?
Usually, this sort of thing was... you know, the kind of situation where I showed my sincerity by offering it myself, right? Well, it wasn't like I was necessarily going to do anything in the first place. I was kind of hoping that if I apologized, they would just let it slide peacefully... Wait. Is this one of those situations where I can't refuse? That's weird, this wasn't how it was supposed to go—
【Aichi, you’re watching, aren’t you? Go ahead and tell him.】
【Eeeh?!】
Hey. You sound like a gang leader finishing her pre-fight posturing and moving on to the opening declarations. You’ve gone and startled the lady herself.
The "Read" feature really was a double-edged sword. Natsukawa probably intended to just watch quietly. I’d figured she was lurking for a while now, but I had intentionally refrained from talking to her because I felt so guilty about scaring her.
【Right now, Sajocchi will do whatever unreasonable demand you throw at him.】
No, no, no matter how you look at it—wait a minute.
Natsukawa’s... unreasonable demand? An "unreasonable demand" was like... that thing where you order someone to do something impossible, and then you get a sense of satisfaction and go "muffu," right? And I’m the one... who gets ordered? By whom? Natsukawa? The Natsukawa?
Oh, how strange. Even though it was sweltering hot out, my body suddenly felt lighter. I wonder what I’ll be ordered to do—man, I’m scared. Ah, geez, I’m getting thrills and goosebumps. But still, I have to properly accept the punishment for what I’ve done.
...Hehehe.
【That’s a bit... Please, tell me anything.】
【Eeeh?!】
【I can practically see Sajocchi’s face...】
【Not yet? Natsukawa, not yet?】
【Wait a minute!】
【Hey, Sajocchi.】
Okay, calm down, me. How's my wallet looking? I just got paid in cash, and it was currently experiencing a warming phenomenon comparable to the midsummer heat. Seriously, it was at a level where the ice in my heart might melt. Right now, I could probably treat her to tapioca milk tea about forty times.
Wasn't the point of the part-time job to have money for playing around? Don't be stupid, are you an idiot? I had merely secured resources to guarantee a financial buffer that would allow me to respond flexibly to emergencies like this. I was absolutely not demonstrating a desire to work out of some ulterior motive (major excitement).
【Let me think about it for a bit!】
【I will accept any punishment.】
【Why are you so motivated?!】
【It’s Sajocchi, so it can’t be helped.】
No, you've got it all wrong. I did something terrible to Natsukawa-sama and Ashida-sama, whom I've inconvenienced, and I am grateful for the suggestion on how to make amends. That being the case, I felt that for me, the perpetrator, to be passive would be a grave violation of my code of honor.
That simply wouldn't do. If I didn't step up here, I would lose my standing as a man. If I cannot be forgiven even if I were to shave my head, then I shall approach this with a service-oriented spirit, ready to fulfill any wish you might have to atone for my sins.
“I’m home!”
Before I knew it, I had arrived back at my house. I felt like that was the most energetic my voice had ever sounded. Inside, the air conditioning reached all the way to the hallway, and it felt wonderfully cool. Even so, I didn't think my blazing heart would cool down.
Just then, Nee-chan came walking down the stairs. As usual, she was dressed in light clothing that didn't make her look like a proper high school girl at all. When she saw me, she grimaced and recoiled violently as if she had just spotted a cockroach.
Hey! Don't you dare act like that when you see my face!!
“You... why are you smiling while covered in sweat? It’s gross.”
Yeah, that is gross.
True.