"Pff… Ojou-sama, your face is completely pale. Are you sure you're alright?"
A few minutes later, stepping off the roller coaster, Kagura struggled to suppress the amused curl of her lips as she patted Rudolf, who stood leaning weakly against a pillar, looking thoroughly drained.
"You youngsters… you actually enjoy this sort of thing…?"
Rudolf clutched her forehead, face drained of color, struggling to regain her composure. Those short few minutes had given her the most intense shock of her life, both physically and mentally. She'd never imagined she could produce such a piercing scream. Meanwhile, the much smaller Kagura had been completely unfazed, her cheerful, bell-like laughter audible throughout the ride.
"I wouldn't know about others… I just saw many people queuing, so I thought it might be fun. And it was! It felt great to scream it all out, as if all the stress and worries vanished at once. By the way, Ojou-sama, you screamed pretty loudly too—it's the first time I've heard you make such a noise. Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine… It's just that being flipped around so much for the first time was a bit… overwhelming. As long as you enjoyed it, Kagura…"
Internally blacklisting the roller coaster forever, Rudolf decided she'd definitely drag Maruzensky here to experience this thrill next time. Though she herself was thoroughly shaken, seeing Kagura's bright and satisfied expression somehow made her own discomfort fade.
Kagura quietly noted Rudolf-ojousama's resistance wasn't too high, so maybe they should find something gentler to play next. But seriously, how come there's no carousel here? Is it because carousels use horses, and… horses are kind of weird here?
This had actually puzzled Kagura for quite some time. Since this world had Uma Musume, she'd always wondered about the existence of actual horses. Apparently, regular horses didn't exist here; they seemed replaced by some other strange creatures.
At that moment, a line of text flashed across Kagura's phone screen:
——Yo, Kagura~ That haunted thing over there called something "Haunted House" looks pretty interesting. How about taking your Ojou-sama there next?
Eh… Would Ojou-sama really react to something like a haunted house? She's already a grown-up, right…?
Seeing Eclipse-san's recommendation, Kagura pursed her lips and glanced toward Rudolf, who seemed to have recovered enough to start sipping her drink calmly. Kagura thought it would probably be pretty pointless to bring someone who wouldn't even flinch into a haunted house.
——Come on~ You're at an amusement park! If you don't go through the haunted house, can you even say you've been here?!
"Well…"
Kagura reconsidered. After all, Rudolf-ojousama had mentioned wanting to understand young people's interests, so maybe visiting the haunted house—even if it wasn't frightening—would at least give her the full experience. Kagura could just pretend to get startled once or twice to make it feel authentic.
"Ojou-sama~ I want to check out that attraction over there. Could you come with me~?"
Kagura tugged lightly at Rudolf's sleeve, deliberately speaking in a sweet, childlike voice.
Rudolf, mid-sip, nearly choked. It was rare for Kagura to request anything, let alone in such an adorably pleading tone. Today was the first time Rudolf had ever heard the mature and gentle Kagura speak in this soft, cutesy manner, and suddenly she had a strong urge to ruffle Kagura's hair.
"Of course, of course—whatever you like. Honestly, I don't know much about this stuff anyway, and since it's your first time too, let's just see what we find."
...
The haunted house was relatively less crowded—though still busy enough.
Arriving at the entrance, Rudolf glanced at the surrounding crowd and gently leaned down, grasping Kagura's small hand.
"Hm?"
"It's crowded here—I don't want you getting lost. Stay close and hold my hand tightly."
"Hehe… alright."
Even though Kagura sensed that Rudolf-ojousama was treating her like a child in need of protection, she didn't particularly mind, gripping Rudolf's hand tightly in return.
The haunted house wasn't much different from what Kagura remembered. Just a series of mildly creepy statues, sudden flashes, jump-scare gimmicks. With all the people around, there wasn't really anything particularly terrifying. Even someone timid like herself wouldn't get scared. Rudolf-ojousama also didn't seem frightened at all, instead curiously observing the haunted house's props and actors, all while carefully watching Kagura to ensure she didn't wander off or panic in the dark.
But isn't this place way too dark…? Even for atmosphere, no lights or sounds on this section… Could the equipment be broken?
Though not really bothered by the place's spooky atmosphere, after Rudolf led Kagura down a certain corridor, Kagura suddenly noticed the sounds around them had grown much fainter. Sensitive as she was, she instantly realized something wasn't right.
Everything was pitch-black; there wasn't a single speck of light. Kagura wondered if they'd accidentally wandered backstage, but when she turned around, the way they'd come from had vanished into total darkness. Even the temperature seemed to have noticeably dropped. Kagura, who hadn't dressed particularly warmly today, shivered slightly.
"Kagura, are you cold?"
Rudolf noticed immediately. More than their strange surroundings, she was concerned about Kagura's trembling hand. Rudolf quickly stopped walking, took off her jacket, and draped it around Kagura's shoulders, the warmth quickly easing her chill.
"What about you, Ojou-sama? Won't you be cold?"
"I'm fine. This temperature is nothing to me—I can't have you catching cold."
After carefully adjusting the jacket around Kagura's smaller figure, Rudolf gently embraced her, tidying the coat and standing again, gripping her hand tightly.
"This section's really dark. Kagura, hold my hand firmly and don't let go."
"Mm…"
Kagura subconsciously tightened her hold and leaned closer against Rudolf's side. She was starting to feel increasingly uneasy—this definitely wasn't something a normal haunted house would do. Even she was beginning to feel a vague sense of panic.
Unable to see clearly and knowing that staying put wasn't an option, Rudolf slowly moved forward, Kagura close at her side. Kagura reached for her phone, hoping to use its screen for some illumination, but the device refused to light up normally. When the screen flickered on, it showed only strange, blood-red markings—unreadable and ominous.
"Oh no…"
Obviously, this wasn't part of any amusement park attraction. Kagura suddenly recalled her unique trait that attracted supernatural phenomena. It dawned on her immediately—they had truly stumbled into something genuinely paranormal!
You've got to be kidding me…!
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