353 Part 1

Itai no wa Iya nanode Bōgyo-Ryoku ni Kyokufuri Shitai to Omoimasu 353

Defense Specialization and Overcoming 2

The next day, Risa woke up and went to school as she always did. On the way, she saw Kaede and ran up to her.

“Morning, Kaede.”

“Morning, Risa!”

They chatted on their way to school. It was then that Kaede brought it up.

“So, did you play the game?”

“Uh…not yet…”

She was busy with her homework. There wasn’t enough time. Risa muttered her excuses and then averted her eyes.

“…Could you play it with me?”

“Oh, I knew that you would say that. Okay. But when?”

If she kept delaying it, she would never get to playing the game. Thinking this, Risa decided that she would start playing it on that day.

“Got it. Then it’s today, after school! …I don’t have to bring anything with me, right?”

“Yes. I have all the hardware for two people to play.”

“Okay. I’ll be…? …looking forward to it!”

As this was one time that Risa’s purpose was unrelated to having fun, Kaede felt a little awkward about saying that, even though they would be playing together.

“But it will also be my first horror game as well. You didn’t have any at your house…”

“Ahaha… And I never suggested that we play them.”

In general, Kaede didn’t go out and buy games herself. And so she only played games that Risa recommended to her. So it was no wonder that she had never played a horror game.

“Are they really that scary?”

“I don’t know? Even I can’t say for sure.”

As it was something that Risa hadn’t actually experienced, she couldn’t theorize like she usually did.

“Well, I guess we have to play it and find out!”

“Yes…I hope it’s enjoyable.”

“Ah…that’s right.”

And like that, they promised to meet after school as they continued to walk down the street.

Time passed, and school was over. And as promised, Kaede and Risa went to Risa’s house.

“I’m back!”

“Thanks for having me.”

They entered the house and quickly went to Risa’s room. After having thought it over, Risa seemed to have a renewed resolve, and bounded up the stairs with great enthusiasm.

“Just give me a second as I set it up.”

“Yes, yes.”

As she waited behind Risa for some time, preparations were finished, and the two VR devices were lined up together. Kaede picked one of them up and then asked Risa to remind her what you were supposed to do in the game.

“Uhh. You get chased by monsters, right?”

“Yes. You’re thrown into an unknown area and have to solve different problems as you make your escape.”

“Hehe. It sounds just like a dungeon.”

“It…does? …Well, it might make it easier if I think of it like that.”

There were several small pictures on the back of the package that were scenes from the game, and they showed what looked like a hospital.

“I thought it would be good if it’s set in a place that I don’t usually go…”

If things went wrong and it made her scared of such places, it wouldn’t matter as much if it was somewhere she rarely went to. This was a rather pessimistic reason for someone who was trying to overcome something, but it was based on a lesson she had learned after being defeated in the past.

“So, should we start then? As always, let’s finish the first segment!”

“Yes…let’s do it.”

It was the same every time that they played a game together for the first time. And so the two entered the virtual world with the goal of finishing the first chapter.

After a while, they opened their eyes. What was in front of them were old chairs and desks, and also a blackboard. It was so dark outside that it looked like the glass of the windows had been painted black. The entire room was dimly lit by a light source that they couldn’t see. From what Kaede could tell, they seemed to be in a school classroom, and she was now sitting in a chair.

“I thought it was supposed to be a hospital?”

“…? …??”

Kaede turned to question Risa. However, Risa just tilted her head in puzzlement.

“I guess we might as well go and explore!”

“Uh, yes. That’s right…”

It was a very game-like environment, where items were accentuated, making them visible even in the dark. Kaede immediately saw that the paper on her desk was an item, and so she picked it up.

“Uhh…yes, yes. ‘I appeared here before I knew it and didn’t know how to escape. It’s eerie, but I have no choice but to explore…’ Is there someone else here?”

“Maybe…”

As the setting was unexpectedly a school, Risa already looked like she wanted to do nothing but escape.

“Well, I guess we better go and look around!”

“Yes. I hope nothing comes out…”

While it was still the first chapter; no, because it was the first chapter of a horror game, it was ridiculous to think that nothing would come out. But Kaede pulled Risa by the hand and led her towards the exit.

They decided to check their surroundings first, and so they opened the door a little and looked outside. Both sides of the hallway continued into the darkness. But there were no sounds or signs of anyone moving. However, it was too dark to see far ahead, and so they couldn’t be sure.

“It seems safe enough?”

“There’s nothing…?”

“I think so… We don’t have any way to make sure.”

Normally, she would have been able to use her ‘Machine God’ weapons or ‘Hydra’ to just attack at random, allowing her to check for enemies while obliterating them at the same time. However, she couldn’t do such a frightening thing here.

“Which way should we go?”

“The one that looks less dangerous…”

“Hmm. Then the right side!”

As there was no use in staying cooped up in the classroom, they went down the ride side that Kaede had chosen. As it was a school, there were other classrooms. But when they tried to open the doors, most of them seemed to be stuck, and would not budge