"Careful, Kagura. Stay close—this darkness isn't normal."
Rudolf gently tugged Kagura closer, clearly sensing something was off. Whatever was happening now had completely exceeded her expectations. Initially, she'd assumed it would merely be some harmless scare, but the situation unfolding right now clearly went far beyond what any amusement attraction could explain.
Rudolf's instincts told her something was moving nearby. She could distinctly hear footsteps that didn't belong to either herself or Kagura. Whether it was another person or something else entirely, in this darkness—where she couldn't even see her own fingers—it was something to be extremely cautious about.
"O…Ojou-sama…"
Truth be told, Kagura wasn't particularly brave. She'd only been fine in the haunted house because she knew what to expect, but when faced with genuine supernatural phenomena, fear crept into her uncontrollably. Instinctively, she shrank closer into Rudolf's embrace.
"Don't be afraid, Kagura. No matter what happens, I'll protect you."
Standing protectively in front of Kagura, Rudolf's voice at this moment was reassuringly firm, more dependable than Kagura had ever felt it before. She'd never realized just how tall and strong her Ojou-sama's figure seemed from behind until now.
"Whoever—or whatever—you are, since you're already here, don't hide in the shadows. How about coming out and settling this openly?"
Rudolf had at least some martial arts training, though she wasn't sure if physical attacks could even affect this unknown being. However, feeling Kagura trembling slightly behind her made Rudolf fully understand that there was absolutely no room for retreat. Kagura had always looked after her so earnestly—there was no way she would allow even a sliver of harm to come to her here.
Kagura noticed something. Something impossible to describe, impossible to comprehend. She felt the darkness around them…beginning to stir.
"Haa…"
"Eeeek—!!"
A chilling breath brushed Kagura's neck, as though someone had suddenly breathed right next to her ear. Kagura cried out involuntarily and clung tightly to Rudolf's arm.
Help me… Eclipse-san…!
Kagura tried to call out to Eclipse, but there was no response. She suddenly remembered her phone wasn't responding, and without any reflective surfaces around, Eclipse probably couldn't even see her call for help. She could only pray that Eclipse had somehow sensed her distress.
The swirling darkness condensed directly ahead. In the blackness, two piercing points of red light emerged—something was forming right in front of them!
"Haaah…"
A strange sound, somewhere between breathing and sighing, echoed softly in the dark. Those crimson eyes drew back slightly. Rudolf immediately reacted, sweeping Kagura up into her arms. Just a moment later, a flash of sinister red streaked through exactly where Kagura had been standing.
Thankfully, Rudolf had already moved her away.
"Tch… No matter what you are…"
Rudolf clicked her tongue in irritation. By the faint red glow emitted by Kagura's phone, Kagura saw Rudolf's expression harden. Suddenly, a suffocating pressure exploded outward from her. For a moment, Kagura even found herself struggling to breathe, though the sensation quickly vanished.
"The dignity of a Symbol is inviolable!"
"Huu…"
Almost immediately, the red lights vanished into the darkness, perhaps fleeing from—or maybe scattered by—Rudolf's overpowering presence.
Slowly, the lighting around them returned to normal. Kagura realized they were standing near the original fork in the corridor. Rudolf was still cradling her. Not too far away, faint screams from other visitors were audible. Thankfully, the corridor was still quite dark, and nobody passing by seemed to have noticed Rudolf and Kagura here.
"Just now… was it…all an illusion…?"
Kagura still couldn't shake off the unreality of what had just happened. That moment of terror had genuinely shaken her deeply.
"Kagura, are you alright?"
Rudolf lowered her head slightly to look at Kagura lying in her arms. Kagura's petite frame felt incredibly light and was easy to hold—nowhere near enough to tire Rudolf.
"I'm… fine, thanks to you, Ojou-sama… Could you please put me down?"
"Alright, careful now."
Rudolf nodded and began lowering Kagura to the floor. But the moment Kagura's feet touched the ground, her knees buckled instantly. Thankfully, Rudolf swiftly caught her before she fell.
"Ah, sorry, Ojou-sama… My legs…seem a bit shaky still. Could you help carry me out?"
Kagura realized she was still too terrified and weak-kneed to stand properly. Staying here longer wasn't an option, so she had no choice but to ask Rudolf for assistance.
"Gladly."
Rudolf bent down, placing an arm around Kagura's knees and waist, and picked her up effortlessly in a princess carry.
Today, Ojou-sama…is so cool…
Resting safely in Rudolf's arms, Kagura clearly felt just how reliable and steady her usually-dependent Ojou-sama actually was.
At that moment, her phone's screen finally flashed, showing a delayed message from Eclipse:
——You suddenly disappeared earlier. What happened?
It's nothing… just encountered something unexplainable. Earlier, I tried calling out to you, Eclipse-san. You really didn't hear me?
——Not at all. I was startled because your presence suddenly vanished completely.
It seemed Eclipse genuinely hadn't sensed her distress at all. Kagura couldn't help but worry if Eclipse was weakening to the point of no longer being able to suppress even ordinary spirits.
…
By the time they exited, Rudolf carrying Kagura in her arms attracted a fair amount of surprised attention. Rudolf remained unfazed, perfectly calm, but Kagura—still unable to stand properly—felt her internal CPU overheating rapidly.
Why does it have to be a princess carry?!
Kagura cursed internally. Had she not been so terrified earlier, she'd surely have asked Rudolf to use a different position. But now they'd already come this far, with benches just ahead, so changing positions seemed pointless.
Rudolf gently set Kagura down on the bench, carefully positioning Kagura so her head rested comfortably on Rudolf's lap.
"It's alright now, Kagura. Rest a little. Afterwards, let's go get something to eat."
Rudolf gently stroked Kagura's soft hair. Although the incident had clearly shaken them, Rudolf recovered quickly and decided that they'd have to adjust their plans for today a bit.
"Okay… But isn't food in amusement parks usually pretty expensive…?"
"Haha… Kagura, thriftiness is good, but it's okay to indulge yourself occasionally, you know? No need to hold back today. My treat—eat whatever you like."
Seeing Kagura still worried about wasting money at a time like this, Rudolf pinched her soft cheek, smiling gently.
"Then… Thank you very much, Ojou-sama."
---
T/N: phew finally 5 bonnus chapters done uhhh 20 bonsu chaps left right?
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
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