As we progressed through the Mirror Labyrinth while repelling several attacks from the Mirror Monsters, things were going relatively smoothly. While it featured horror elements, the attraction didn't feel like a haunted house where scares were the main focus; rather, it felt like a regular attraction spiced up with some eerie staging.
In fact, the Mirror Monsters' ambushes were quite diverse. There were sudden jump scares, creepy and unsettling moments, feints designed to throw us off, and quiz-like tricks where our clothes subtly shifted color. It clearly wasn't leaning entirely on pure horror.
"W-We've come pretty far, haven't we? I-Is the goal still not in sight?"
Hina-chan, however, was dutifully terrified by every single thing. Her reactions were dramatic each time, making it feel like she was throwing herself entirely into enjoying the attraction.
Incidentally, the previous attack had been a jump scare where a Mirror Monster's face appeared in an extreme close-up the second we looked in a mirror. Because of that, she was currently hugging my right arm tight, on high alert.
"Yeah... I don't think it's that big of a maze. If it could accommodate massive crowds at the same time like Forest Castle, that'd be one thing, but this attraction is designed for pairs. Even if ten people can enter at once since our whole group went in together, they still have to keep guests cycling through for the amusement park. Besides, the maze itself isn't the main draw, so I doubt it's that massive."
"...True. There have been several forks in the road, but every wrong turn led to a dead end almost immediately. It's been pretty easy to navigate."
"Right. And the Mirror Monsters' attacks have mostly been easy to spot, so it clearly wasn't designed to be high-difficulty. Taking all that into account, I feel like we should be hitting the goal any moment now."
To put it bluntly, this attraction wasn't particularly difficult. Part of that impression came from having just done Forest Castle, but what we had to do here was simple. Most of the anomalies involving the Mirror Monsters were easy to spot, leaving very little room to miss anything.
Things got slightly tricky when they feinted between mirrors, but even then, they left obvious openings after moving a few times. It seemed designed so that even younger kids could clear it.
If that was the case, the maze's difficulty naturally wouldn't be very high either. We had already covered a fair amount of ground, and having driven off the Mirror Monsters about ten times by now, it wouldn't be surprising if the goal was just ahead.
As we chatted, Hina-chan suddenly stopped in her tracks.
"...Hina-chan?"
"Is it almost over...? Kaito-senpai! W-What do you think? Don't you think this is the perfect moment for you to pull off that capable-man move where you wrap an arm around your frightened underclassman's shoulders to reassure her?"
"...Uh, what?"
She had suddenly come out with something bizarre, but from her expression and tone, I could tell she was working up her courage to take a leap of faith before the attraction ended.
Was this a romantic scenario she had always dreamed of? Or had she been hoping it would happen naturally, and since it hadn't, decided to throw caution to the wind and ask for it directly? Well, whatever the reason...
"How should I put this... Setting aside all the other reasons, if I were to put my arm around your shoulder while you're clinging to my right arm, Hina-chan, I'd need a second right arm to make it work..."
"Huh?! S-Such a blind spot existed?! N-No wonder it wasn't turning out like that at all..."
Yes. Whether I actually would have done it was another matter, but setting up a situation where I wrapped an arm around her shoulders to comfort her was impossible unless Hina-chan—who had been clutching my right arm almost continuously since the start—let go first.
There was no way I could reach across with my left arm to wrap around her shoulders while she was latched onto my right arm... and besides, I was holding the lantern in my left hand.
"...Um, would you prefer if we did that?"
"To be honest, I've always kind of dreamed of that sort of thing... So if you're okay with it, Kaito-senpai, I'd really love it if you'd do it for me just once..."
"I don't mind, but are you sure you're okay with it, Hina-chan?"
"Kaito-senpai, you can be remarkably dense at key moments, so let me say this just to be safe... I wouldn't go clinging to the arm of a guy I had zero feelings for in the first place, you know."
Her words were far more straight to the point than I expected, making my heart skip a beat. If I had one counterargument, though... I'd say Hina-chan fell into the fairly dense category herself.
From her past behavior and the emotions transmitted through Sympathy Magic, I could tell she assumed I merely doted on her like a little sister without really seeing her as a member of the opposite sex. But that didn't mean I was completely blind to a cute, physically affectionate girl like her as a romantic interest. If anything, I was actively trying to keep my face from melting into an embarrassing grin while she clung to my arm.
W-Well, whatever the case. Since Hina-chan went out of her way to ask, I might as well grant her wish...
"Ahahaha."
"Eep?!"
At the sudden sound of laughter, Hina-chan let out a squeak and buried herself against me. I hurriedly checked the surrounding mirrors, but nothing seemed out of place. Even so, the laughter continued to echo.
"K-Kaito-senpai, what is this...?"
"Nothing's showing up in the mirrors... Maybe we can only hear a voice? For now, let's keep moving, but stay on guard."
"R-Right!"
We stepped forward while keeping a close eye on the surrounding mirrors in case anything changed. With every step we took, the laughter grew louder and louder.
I suspected—or rather, was certain—that this was the laughter of a Mirror Monster, but... what was about to happen?
Pondering that as we pressed on, we soon arrived in an unusually spacious area. It was a circular room, and as expected, the walls were entirely lined with mirrors. Dozens of square mirrors formed a complete ring around us.
"...There's no exit?"
"It doesn't look like a dead end, does it? Is something about to hap— Ah?!"
As we stepped cautiously into the room, the passageway we had just come through was suddenly sealed by mirrors rising from the floor.
"Ahahahahahahahahaha!"
Our prediction that the goal was near, a room surrounded by countless mirrors, the laughter of a Mirror Monster, and our retreat cut off... Wait. Could this possibly be... the start of a boss battle?
Serious-senpai: "W-Well done, Mirror Monster! Splendid job stopping that lovey-dovey development!! You're the only ally I have left!!"
Mirror Monster: "No, that scenario was flawed. It was too abrupt, like she was just being swept along by the mood... I suppose that has its own charm, and there are moments where it works. However, if we're aiming for a rich, deeply romantic lovey-dovey moment, we need drama and a beautiful finish! Here, we must introduce an ordeal for the two to overcome together, deepening their bond, so that they embrace, overwhelmed with emotion, once they conquer it! Then, after pulling apart in mutual embarrassment, he says something like, 'We were interrupted earlier, but how about that suggestion now?' as he wraps his arm around her shoulder and they walk toward the light-filled goal together... That's the plan I want to go with."
Serious-senpai: "...You're an even more monstrous enemy than I thought..."